My 1956 Topps Project

[Eric72]

Card #12, Andy Carey, shows a player sporting a "normal" cap. At least, it looks much more like the one I'd expect to see on a ballplayer from the '50s. Quite a difference from the previous card I had posted.

The portrait image draws my attention almost immediately. Carey has an intense look on his face, to go along with features that one might find on a soldier who just emerged from a foxhole. His eyes are narrowed and his gaze fixed on something unseen to his left. There are streaks of dirt on this face which contrast sharply with a clean streak that starts at his right ear. The effect is similar to face paint meant to be worn as camouflage.

Moving on to the action scene, even that image exhibits violence. Carey is shown tagging the runner squarely in the face, an act surely not received well by the opponent. Speaking of the tag, there's something not quite right with this image. The glove looks a bit unnatural, and there's a "watch" around Carey's right wrist. This would be highly unusual for a right-handed thrower..who was playing the infield at the time.

All things considered, it seems as though the team at Topps was once again taking creative license in an effort to put forth an exciting issue. In my opinion, they succeeded. I would recognize this card, from a distance, in a heartbeat. Additionally, it will almost certainly trigger memories of today...when I spent some time pondering a 64-year-old piece of cardboard and its marvelous nuances.