As you know, although my primary collecting focus is on my beloved Dodgers, I also collect Hall of Famers and vintage that is just plain irresistible to my collector's eyes.
So let's take a look at a few more goodies that were hidden away in that old shoebox...
Leading off is this 1953 Topps absolute beauty - on a few levels.
First of course is that Norman Rockwell-ish portrait of Sid and the great stadium tiers complete with flying flags behind him. I also dig the old-timey logo for the Braves. Finally, although off-center, the card is in pretty good shape for a '53.
I've never heard of Gordon, but his Wikipedia page says Sid hit a home run in every stadium he played in - for three straight years.
Next up is 1954 Topps. I must be attracted to that Braves logo as it's here on another card, but I'm not a big fan of the pea soup.
Another beauty, this time from 1956 Topps. I remember picking up this card because of the stadium backdrop. This card also fits the Games Played On Tatooine subset.
Next up are a couple from 1964 Topps.
Aparicio was the measuring stick for shortstops in the '60's. He's on MLB's All-Century Team. Never mind those scratches, they're on the plastic holder, not the card itself.
Back in the days I was gathering these cards (the early 90's), one of my collecting goals was chasing rookie cards of HOFers. Of course, that can be impossible without Donald Trump money, so I would often settle for the next best thing - their second year cards.
I couldn't afford a Stargell RC, but his second year issue was right in my wheelhouse. Furthermore, Stargell shares his RC with three other rookies, and this card features a great solo shot of Pops.
It's amazing how much the price can drop from RC to second-year issues. It drops even further for third year cards. IMO grabbing second year cards is a great strategy.
That's all for today, folks.
Next time: The final installment!
Johnny Logan was a bad ass for the Milwaukee Braves, or at least that is what I was led to believe by my mom and my grandfather. Even with the pea soup, it's an excellent card. If you go back to nearly the beginning of my blog posts in February, I put up a photo of a Milwaukee Braves felt pennant that I have framed that dates from about 1956....love those old Milwaukee Braves items and cards.
ReplyDeleteI remember that post about the pennant. I'm a sucker myself for the old memorabilia.
DeleteMan, I wish I could find a shoebox a fraction as good as yours. Love those '64s.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick. I've envied a few of your discoveries from this side as well.
DeleteDig the '64 Pops (though he probably wasn't called that at the time...).
ReplyDeleteFrom the looks of his photo, looks like they called him "Ol' Smoothie".
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