With some big ticket items still missing I am going to fall short of completing the 1959 Topps set this year, but I am going to get pretty close! Over the last month, I attended a couple card shows in the area and was able to shrink my list down to roughly 50 cards to go in this massive 572 card marathon.
The "high number" series for this set starts in the low 500s and includes an All-Star subset to close out the set. Ruben Gomez is one of them!
Each Team Card has a portion of the set checklist on the back, finding a Phillies card with minimal marking on the back (It has the low number cards on the back) can be tough. This one was creased in two corners, but otherwise looked pretty good.
The set is peppered with these team themed cards - I like how they look together. I have been going back and forth about putting these cards together at the front of the binder, or keeping them with their respective teams.
Not Hall of Fame guys, but these were some players that had some big games and big seasons in the 1950s.
But since you asked, there were some Hall of Fame guys in the latest haul. George is better known as Sparky Anderson, the Reds and Tigers World Series winning manager.
I was able to add Hank for just $20 - the vendor had 3 in the case and this was the one in the worst condition. I am just one card away from finishing the AL All-Stars (the Mantle, of course).
The big cards left on my checklist include the Mantle All-Star card, the Bob Gibson rookie, and Al Kaline's base card. I finally added the Roy Campanella special card (Card #550) after passing on it many times. I ended up finding a much more affordable copy at the next card show, but that is the Murphy's law of collecting.
Normally I save the best for last with my card show posts. This time, I couldn't wait! I haven't posted in over a week (this card show was last Saturday), and I figured I could earn back some eyeballs by leading with a big one.
Not only is the Killebrew card a Hall of Fame player from my future favorite team, but it is a high number card in a set I've been working on for over a year. This card is sharp! I've looked at several versions of this one in the last year, this one is probably the nicest one I've found in my price range.
There was also a great new dime box this time around - in addition to gems like the Parrot's Photobomb, this box had something I don't normally see at the show.
Lots of Catchers!
Plenty of cards from the late 70s and early 80s - I'll probably discover that I already had these, but at a dime apiece I wasn't too worried about doubles.
And horizontal heroes? You bet.
The oldest cards in the box were from 1976, but the cards from 1978 and later were all very sharp.
Of course there was more recent stuff, too. All told, I spent a whopping $8 to pull my favorites.
I'm still finding some fun stuff in the Basketball and and Hockey world, including this OPC insert commemorating Gordie Howe's 700th Goal.
Discounted Don Drysdale? Don't mind if I do!
Picked up 2 more '59 All-Stars, and 2 more Yankees, which are tough to find cheaply.
Last but not least, I leave you with another 1959 Hall of Famer. This Hank Aaron card highlights the Homer he hit in the 1957 World Series that shifted the momentum into Milwaukee's favor.
One of the fun things about a completed set is deciding how you want to organize it. I have the 1956 Topps set in a binder, sorted by team, in the same order that the teams finished in the 1955 Standings. In 1955, MIlwaukee finished in 2nd place in the National League with an 85-69 record.
1955 was the team's 3rd in Milwaukee and they were enjoying the benefits of a rabid fan base. Rookie Catcher Bob Rosselli spoke at length about the generosity and love showered on the players in the city. The city was also selected by major league baseball to host the 1955 All-Star Game, and the fans had the chance to extend their hospitality to the rest of the Major leagues.
The team would finish in second place in 1955, and again the same in 1956 before pushing their way to the top of the National League. They would play in 2 straight World Series, winning the first in 1957, the only baseball title in Milwaukee history.
The team's best hitter in 1955 was future Hall of Fame 3rd Baseman Eddie Mathews. Mathews was one of five Milwaukee All-Stars, and cranked out 41 homers while driving in 101 runs. Just 23 years old, he led the National League with 109 walks, and scored over 100 runs as well. He led Milwaukee with 7.3 WAR.
He would lead the NL in walks 4 times, and homers twice. The patient slugger would scored over 1500 career runs, and drive in over 1400 more. The 12 time All-Star would play in 3 World Series, winning once with Milwaukee and later with the Tigers in 1968.
It should come as no shock that the team's best pitcher in 1955 was Warren Spahn. The ageless wonder was usually their best pitcher in the 40s and the 50s. Spahn had an atypically average year in 1955, with a 3.26 ERA and a 17-11 record. He had 16 complete games, but just 1 shutout. He would strikeout 110 batters over 245 innings, succeeding by inducing soft contact rather than blowing the ball past the hitter.
Spahn was originally a strikeout artist, leading the NL in Ks in 4 seasons in the late 40s / early 50s. He won 3 ERA titles and was on 17 All-Star games. He would tally 20 or more wins in 13 seasons! His 363 wins ranks 6th All-Time.
The 21 year old Hank Aaron is joined by Willie Mays on his card here. They even could have been teammates, but Aaron was offered $50 more per month to sign with the Braves. In 1955, Aaron had a very good season, driving in 106 runs while scoring 105 of his own. He hit .314 on the season.
What more do you need to know about Hank Aaron? He's the All-Time leader in RBI and total bases, and easily in the top 5 greatest players ever.
Much of Milwaukee's success in 1955 can be attributed to their potent offense. In addition to Aaron and Mathews, Bill Bruton also scored over 100 runs. Bruton had 12 triples and stole 25 bases as well, providing the team's speed. Catcher Del Crandall was a beefy slugger, smashing 26 homers. Veteran Bobby Thomson added 12 more long balls.
The pitching was so mundane that Topps didn't even bother to make 8 pitcher cards for the team... The team hovered around league average on the mound, with Bob Buhl leading the team with a 3.21 ERA. The best thing that can be said about them is that the starters soaked up innings. Spahn, Burdette and Buhl all had over 200 innings pitched. The relief corps wasn't much to write home about either, saving just 10 games (the starters came in to save 3 more) combined.
Chuck Tanner would go on to be a Manager with over 1300 wins; his best season as a player came with the World Champs in 1957. Andy Pafko played for the team from 1953 until 1959. His first two seasons in Milwaukee, he played as a regular, and cemented his place as a fan favorite.
I owe you another card back (I opted to not share the images on the back of Spahn's card..), so here's Bob Roselli's card, where he's happy to be playing baseball instead of going to war, and he bruises the moon with his home run power. He'd hit just one in Milwaukee over his career, but had 12 in just 64 games in the minors in 1953.
Muhammad Ali once said of Hank Aaron: "He's the one man I idolize more than myself."
"Trying to sneak a fastball by Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster." - Curt Simmons
Hank Aaron was signed by the Boston Braves after playing for just 3 months at Shortstop for the Indianapolis Clowns in the Negro Leagues. He also received an offer from the New York Giants, but the Braves' offer was for $50 more dollars per month - that's how close it was to Mays and Aaron being teammates.
Instead, they competed against each other for World Series appearances and MVP awards. Hank Aaron won the NL MVP in 1957, the same year he led the Braves to a World Series win against the Yankees. He only won the MVP once, though he had many seasons worthy of consideration, finishing 3rd six different times.
1965 was the last season for the Braves in Milwaukee, and Aaron had a typically outstanding year. 32 Homers, 24 steals, a league leading 40 doubles and a .318/.379/.560 triple slash.
In 1968, Aaron hit his 500th career homer, and he wasn't close to slowing down. During his days in Atlanta, he reached 3,000 hits, 2,000 RBI, passed Stan Musial for 1st All-Time in Total Bases, and most famously, became the All-Time Home Run King.
The US Postal Service presented Aaron with a plaque in the off-season before the 1974 campaign, recognizing that he received more mail than any other person (excluding politicians). The honor was meant to commemorate the thousands of letters that were sent to Aaron weekly on his chase of Babe Ruth's total of 714 Homers. While I'm sure many of the letters were supportive in nature, I can't help but think of the hate mail and death threats that were mixed in on a daily basis. Aaron needed to hire someone to help him manage the incredible volume of mail, and my hope is that at least some of those vile words never had to be read by Aaron personally.
He returned to Milwaukee for his final two seasons, moving to the American League and getting at bats as a Designated Hitter. While his home run total was surpassed, Aaron remains the All-Time leader in Runs Batted In, and Total Bases. His 25 All-Star Selections is a record, and is tied with Willie Mays and Stan Musial for most All-Star Games played. His Rookie season and his final season are the only two years he was not named to an All-Star squad.
"I never want them to forget Babe Ruth. I just want them to remember Hank Aaron." -- Hank Aaron
The second installment from my last card show visit is all vintage - 1960s and 1970s bargains! As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the Twin Cities had 3 shows in December, but I just went to one show. As it happened, the vendor trying to talk me into going to the Maplewood Mall the weekend before Christmas was the one who talked me out of it.
The main way that I prevent myself from "overspending" (relatively speaking) is never taking out additional cash once I arrive at a show, and never paying with anything other than cash. Leave the credit cards in my wallet and leave the checkbook at home.
So the vendor I was talking to is always at the monthly show, and has a fantastic trio of vintage boxes - 50% off, 75% off, and 90% off. The 90% box is usually very well-loved vintage, but every once in a while there are some gems. He was telling me basically that the Maplewood show is not as crowded, and that there would maybe be one or two vendors that aren't at the regular show.
This was a selling point for just spending freely at the show I was already attending. And Spend freely I did! This Lou Brock is off center, but very sharp. The 1971 High Numbers can be daunting, but I picked this one up for $10!
How about Hammerin' Hank for $5? Just a buck each for the other Hall of Famers, too.
It got to the point where I was just picking up cards that weren't even on my list - Jim Rice rookie for $4? Lou Whitaker for .50 cents? Yeah buddy!
I don't know if I will be doing a set build of the 1975 set in the future, but I have been finding some real fun cards in the set.
And then I found this gem on my way out. The scan skips over a bad bottom left corner, and there are few surface issues, but for my collection this is a perfect card!
I picked up a big chunk of 70s vintage at the show, but the biggest find will have to wait for tomorrow - I made a big dent in my 1959 set build, it was a perfect end to the 2018 collecting year!
The scan is a little off, but I think it will underscore the point I want to make about the All-Star game. Let me clarify, not the game itself, but the way it is represented on cardboard. Topps used to make a point of having a different design for the All-Stars, and we can look back 30 and 60 years to prove the point.
Red White and Blue dominate the design, with AL All-Stars getting a red background and Blue lettering. The NL All-Stars do the opposite, with a blue background and red letters. The photos are more conservative head shots rather than in-game action.
The backs have a relevant leaderboard with the All-Star somewhere in the top ten. Add in a little season highlight blurb, and you've got yourself a clean and classy tribute to the game's best.
Guess what? The '88 Topps set was no stranger to good ideas from past Topps sets. The base cards owed a bit of their look to 1967, with big bold colors for the team names. The All-Star Sub-set in '88 went back even further, with a nod to the 1950's.
The backs have a longer run on sentence / paragraph about the player, and then a breakdown of each player's performance by opponent, a grid that would resurface in 1989 with Topps' resurrection of Bowman.
The Topps Update All-Star cards of the last decade or so aren't terrible - I just think they could learn a bit from their past successes. It would be great for the cards to have a unique design (they could even be an insert, you know how Topps loves insert sets) compared to the base cards, and celebrate the event a little more than a logo. I do like the event specific photography, and I do like that the backs usually talk about what made the player an All-Star.
What do you think? Should the All-Stars get their own design?
