Three's A Crowd

So... Yesterday I posted three random cards, so today I'm posting three of my favorites from my collection. You could call them "desert island cards," though I don't think I'd take baseball cards to a desert island... It's probably waaay too late, but I have to give some credit to Frankie's contest of a few weeks ago for the idea to do this post...

 1957 Topps Elmer Valo - Born in Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), he's the only major leaguer to come from the region. The photo is fantastic, a composition that perfectly captures the era. Valo was known as an excellent pinch hitter, and here is selecting the right tool for the job. This was the first card I sought out and purchased last year when I re-started my collection.

1965 O-Pee-Chee Brooks Robinson - The 1964 AL MVP gets a little roughed up on this card by a young fan. This O-Pee-Chee issue was their first baseball set since the 1930s, and the start of a long running relationship with Topps, bring the iconic designs of the Topps flagship sets north of the border. This card was purchased online as a part of a lot of 1965 OPC cards. I'm still 5 cards short of completing it, it's the first vintage set I've attempted to complete.

1952 Berk Ross Minnie Minoso - Not exactly an oddball, the Berk Ross set was in its second year in 1952, but was now competing with Topps. Despite being the only set with Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams in 1952, the set did not return again. This is Minoso's rookie year - so along with the 1952 issues from Topps, Bowman, and Red Man Tobacco, this Berk Ross is a rookie card, too. I picked up this card not long after starting a player collection of Minoso cards. It was the first time a vendor had a card picked out to sell me before I even got to the show.