March Pickups

[pawpawdiv9]

Originally Posted by pawpawdiv9

Well, its not baseball, Heck its not even a card!
Something i been looking for and not too expensive. Well i found a nice one here for about 1/2 on some i seen. CutomDisplay.com This is the 2 inch thick one, Choose from any velvet liner, which is foam padded. 4 different types of wood finishes. The glass lid gently pushes the object(s) onto the foam holding them safely and securely in place.
http://www.customdisplays.com/construction.html

It finally arrived today..but kinda dissapointed
it says it tightly fits 3/4 where the glass locks in down onto the foam pad...this is not the case on the 2" model here...maybe the 3" one work??
anyways i took out the foam padding, i may decide later try and find a thinner one.
2. I had to decide: A. go with ALL mantle cards here or B. go with my rookies.
I went with the rookie route, despite leaving some oddball ones out like Bradshaw & OJ (football guys)

Here is a pic of it (i am not the best with a camera--but i learned on this forum the do's and dont's-kind of
[IMG][/IMG]

[brian1961]

Chris, if your choice gems do not fit tight enough, you can do something about it. It will require a bit of time, careful measuring, and a small amount of money.

Here we go. Go to HOBBY LOBBY. In the back of the store they stock their Crescent Matt Boards. These hefty cardboards are a good 1/16" thick. You could carefully measure the inside of your glass case (but allow a bit of room as clearance, draw your lines, and cut with a utility knife. Add as many as needed beneath your current pad, and viola, that should provide plenty of extra height to secure your gems in place when you close the lid. BUT DO NOT ADD TOO MANY, AS TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE GLASS LID COULD CRACK IT IN TIME!

If you want to fashion your own pad, go to a fabric store and purchase a few yards of their highest quality or mid-quality white cotton batting (sp?). Using the crescent board as a base, make as many layers of batting as you wish, gluing them one at a time with something like Elmer's spray glue. Always make each batting piece over-sized so it will be easy to attach. Then trim the excess batting with good scissors. Also, don't go crazy with the spray glue. You don't need a lot to attach the batting. Now, you may wish for a sturdier pad. Simply make your base thicker by gluing as many of the crescent boards together. I would stop at 3, but that's up to thee. To crown your pad, Hobby Lobby stocks some quality velour that looks and feels terrific. They have an assortment of colors, including a nice red, though you may wish to employ their slightly darker red, which is almost a maroon. Their green is nice and dark. The midnight blue is my personal favorite. Or, you could do the same thing with crushed velvet, which comes in other colors. When you cut the velour, allow an extra 1 - 1 1/2" of room all the way around. As always, allow 30 minutes for the glue to reasonably dry, perhaps longer, and then fold over and secure the velour flap on the back with good gray duct tape. That's right----duct tape. Or you can cut each corner at a 45-degree angle and then your board will lay a bit better. Just don't cut too close to the corner; leave a quarter-inch buffer. When attaching, it stretches nicely and gives the board a smoother and more professional appearance.

In time you may want to go with a 37" X 22" All-State case. Expensive, but think of it this way. You spent a lot of time and money on those gems. Allow yourself the luxury of viewing them in a quality presentation. Honestly, I think you will discover it's well worth some of your "card" money.

Naturally, I want to express to you: Nice collection you have there! -Brian Powell

[pawpawdiv9]

super great idea there Brian..i dont have a hobby lobby, next town does. But i do have a Michaels craft shop that will do.. I had to completely take the foam out, it was like 3/4 inch thick i belive..Yeah i was looking so where the cards wouldnt move. I should of selected a wall hanger version instead, but i wanted to show off the photos too.
Thanks for the tips.

[Bestdj777]

Chris, I love the new display. It turned out great.

I just received this very early Mantle photo card and could not be happier:

[brian1961]

I just received this very early Mantle photo card and could not be happier:
[/QUOTE]

Congratulations Chris. That rookie photo of Mickey is a honey. Do you have any idea what set it came from, or if it was sent from the first Mickey Mantle Fan Club? Probably not, as I think about it, since he's not wearing his home uniform.

I've never seen that image of him before. Also, any clue as to which ballpark it was shot at? It would be kinda neat if it was Comiskey Park, since Mick hit his first major league home run there on about April 30, 1951. Doesn't really matter, and I'd feel the same way had I bought it.

Thanks for sharing your new Mick with us! -Brian Powell

[AustinMike]

Brian,

The following is from a SCD article written by Kelly Eisenhauer and refers to the Mantle postcard pictured by Chris -

"Back in the 1950s, it was very common for players to distribute
postcards or photocards to their fans seeking their autographs. Two
different stories have circulated about the origin of the card (Photo
No. 155). One such story is that when Mickey had the cards made,
he actually paid an individual to hand them out to fans at the ballpark.
The other story is that Mickey used them to boost his popularity,
so that he might make the All-Star squad. In any event, the 1951
photocard is a legitimate, vintage item that Mickey had made."

[Bestdj777]

Thanks Brian! And, thanks for posting that Austin. That is where most of my info came from. The only other insight I have is that the original was likely shot by either Burke or Brace (I forget which one was active at the time).