Aloha, everybody,
As many of you know, good ol' Matt, from Bob Walk the Plank, ran his annual Secret Santa campaign this Christmas season.
One of the bonus perks from joining in is being introduced to a new blog, and the possibility of a new trade partner - and what collector doesn't want that? I decided to play, and boy, am I glad I did.
My Secret Santa really came through in the clutch. Greg (from The Collective Mind) could have purchased a quick autograph card and shipped it off to me (which would have been perfectly fine), but he went the extra step.
Greg got down and dirty. He dug into my Dodgers wantlists and checked off a big chunk of cards that I'm actively chasing. Let's check out what he sent my way. Leading off is a wonderful World Series card from the1960 Topps World Series subset:
I collect these vintage WS subsets, and they just don't show up very often, so this is a MAJOR addition to my collection. That's Luis Aparicio taking the bag, BTW.
Here's a whoooole lotta Dodgers from across the 70's to check off my wantlists...
Just like Sir Night Owl, Ron Cey is my favorite childhood Dodger, and these two cards are great additions:
We're not done with vintage Dodgers. Not at all. Santa Greg knows how to rock a Christmas tree. This next guy needs no introduction...
Ladies and gents, World Series Hero, Johnny Podres...
You know Dodgers vintage aint really vintage unless you're flashing some Brooklyn. So here ya go, from 1957 Topps...
Then, as a Dodger blue cherry on top, Greg picked off my most wanted 2017 Topps card, the Dodgers paying tribute to Vin Scully...
THANKS so much, Greg! I look forward to twas a Merry Christmas, after all.
Aloha!
Aloha, everybody,
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Secret Santa gifts are dropping all around the blogosphere.
Aint nothing in the world like cardboard cheer.
Oh look! What have we here?
Not quite a new car, but it sure beats socks.
It's a Tommy Lasorda card.
Here's Clayton Kershaw and Greg Brock.
I'm wishing all of my readers, traders and friends,
A Merry, Merry Christmas
May all of your 2018 cards arrive without bends.
Ha! How's that for a Christmas poem? If that didn't get things going, maybe these great cards that I received from one of the greatest traders out there, Paul, from Paul's TTM Autograph Blog.
Paul hit me with a couple of fantastic batches of cards last month. Here's a quick recap from one of them:
Let's begin with a very cool die-cut featuring World Series hero. Joc Pederson, when he first broke into the bigs...
Paul also brought the vintage and chipped at my team set needs...
Here's one that Zippy Zappy might like as well...
A beautiful Nomo...
More vintage and team set needs...
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I NEVER see these '59 WS cards at the show. Good ol' Paul came through big time with this one for my WS checklist...
Paul also included a sombrero full of Fernandos!
These next couple are very simple cards, and simply beautiful...
A classic shot of the Bulldog peering in to get the sign...
Sure, everybody raves about Kershaw, but these two southpaws kept the Dodgers chugging through the season when Kersh was out with an injury, and they did not fold up in the World Series.
Dave Roberts' ridiculous robotic reliance on the stats that insisted on pulling pitchers after going twice through the opposing lineup cost the Dodgers dearly - and fatally - when he pulled them despite their mowing down the Astros. *sigh*
Here are a few more multiples of my favorite past Dodgers...
We'll close out with this ice-blue beauty. Pee Wee Reese, Topps Sterling, numbered 90/250...
Hearty THANKS for the awesome cards, my friend! My humble collection is in a better place because of your generosity.
Merry Aloha Christmas, everybody!
Aloha, everybody,
Since the beginning of the year I've been thinking about the reasoning behind my collection and the meaning of this blog.
One of the beautiful things about our cardboard community is that we hold a rich variety of collecting philosophies. Some of us want every card ever produced for one team, or one player. Some of us focus on autographs and limited edition, high end product, while others chase rookies and pre-rookies.
The last time I blogged about this, I referred to myself as a shotgun collector, with fairly open interests. Since then I've made the decision that 2016 will be the year I work on collecting vintage Dodger team sets - from 1957 until 1980.
Certainly I understand it's impossible to complete that task in a year, or perhaps over a lifetime of collecting. But we all know, it aint about completing the task, it's about the juice we get from the chase.
That's where you all come in. I'm humbly asking that you consider my wantlists for these team sets (updated last week) whenever we trade. A few of the checklists are impossibly long, but I'm close to completing a few. With a little help, I should be able to close those out this year, while chipping away at the others.
Of course I'm still happy to receive cards from the other scattershot angles to my collecting, but I'm hoping some of you out there have some older cards that fit these new needs.
I've got extras of a (small) few of these cards, so I'm hoping that might serve a need or two for you vintage set collectors out there.
That said, here's some trade bait that's looking for new homes (with more to come over the next few days)...
2001 Upper Deck Hall of Famers Robin Yount bat relic. These had a hobby pull ratio of 1:24.
1968 Topps Killebrew.
And a wildcard throw in...
Who loves Pac-Man?
Aloha!
Aloha readers and trade partners,
The 2014 baseball season is over in Los Angeles.
It pains me to write those words. Yes, of course I'm pained because my team is now out of the run for the World Series - but also because it will soon be the end of baseball for all of us. My favorite time of year, summer - baseball season - is over.
When I'm feeling melancholy about autumn's arrival, and the sun setting earlier by the day, I travel back in my mind to that place of summers gone by.
That's when wonderful vintage cardboard takes its place front and center to be held and admired in all of its worn and sun-faded glory.
In a stroke of cardboard collector generosity, an envelope arrived from Mark Hoyle. When I opened it, it was full of beautiful early 70's Dodgers vintage. Perfect timing.
These cards are particularly poignant because they represent the true Dodgers of my youth. These were the Boys in Blue when I first became a major league baseball and Dodgers fan.
Let's take a ride down Dodger Blue Memory Lane...
This 1971 card fills one more hole in my team set. This year's Dodger squad sure could have used Osteen in the rotation.
On to my favorite cards from the stack of 1972 Topps Dodgers...
Before Steve Garvey and The Infield, Wes Parker held down the first base bag. Speaking of nostalgia, I absolutely love cards featuring old time Dodger Stadium.
Here's a nice smile from the 3-Dog.
Summers gone by gave us the lost art of the knuckleball. Charlie Hough practiced that craft for the Dodgers.
Coming up next are a couple of cards from classic Topps subsets, All-Star Rookie Cups and "In Action"...
Moving forward to 1973...
Anybody remember when the Dodgers experimented with Bill Russell as manager?
For something like 50 years the Dodgers had only two managers and one owner. That era of stability was followed by a revolving door of progressively worse owners and more managers than I can remember.
That said, I would be content to wake up tomorrow to news the Dodgers will have a new manager in 2015.
Phony poses for everybody!
Before Kershaw and Grienke, the Dodgers' had a one-two pitching punch of Don Sutton and Andy Messersmith.
I close with a card I've been coveting from afar ever since I fist saw it in card magazines; my first exposure to the world of card collecting came from the magazines Beckett and Tuff Stuff.
You can't get much more "in action" than this shot...
What a glorious celebration of baseball on cardboard! We get the old time and yet timeless imagery of the Dodgers' home white uniforms, the bright sun-yellow Dodger seats, and the tradition of the brushback pitch captured in one image.
When I opened that magnificent envelope from Mark, out poured many memories of the baseball seasons from my youth.
THANKS so much for these great cards, Mark! Fantastic. It will take me a bit of time to get the resources to adequately return the favor to you, but mark my words one more time, card karma from L.A. is coming your way.
