My Yankees Collection - 1953 Bowman #59 Mickey Mantle

When I first started this blog back in 2012, there were numerous cards in my collection that I simply couldn't WAIT to share with you guys.   They are the keystones of my collection for many different reasons and many of them are cards that I never, EVER thought I would own or be able to enjoy.

What I did have, I always told myself that I would space my posts about these gems about as far apart as I could.   Why use up my 'awesome' material in the very beginning?   If I show my 'best' cards right off the bat, I won't have anyone who will give a flip about following my blog for journeys in set-building or appreciation for beat up common cards from the junk wax era of my youth.

I was a fool.

I've learned a lot since I rediscovered our Hobby back in 2011 and a lot of my education came through correspondence learning from you all - the "Hobby Blogosphere" & online community.   You all welcomed me back with open arms and I am forever grateful.   

SO what have I learned?

First, hat there will always be appreciation, by someone and for some reason, for just about every card in my collection or every Hobby endeavor I undertake - no matter what!   And second, awesome cards are exactly that and tomorrow is never promised.....so share as much as you can, whenever you can!

Ladies and gentlemen, here is one of my favorite cards:

It's a 1953 Bowman (color) Mickey Mantle!   I never thought I would own a true base card of the Mick.   Their prices are sky-high and Mantle cards will simply always be the most sought-after cards in the baseball card world.   But that never stops me from searching and waiting...hoping for the right opportunity to find a well-loved copy of one of Mick's cards that fits my budget AND still resembles an actual card.

I found this particular card on the Bay of E one day and couldn't look away.   The picture on this card is well known, often utilized for media purposes.   And who can blame the choice?   It's a young Mantle with the whole world in front of him after his first All-Star selection and second World Series title the year before.   The posed image is typical for a majority of the '53 Bowman set (ah, the Pee Wee!) but it offers a clear depiction of a wistful Mantle completing a bare-right-handed swing in his Yankee pinstripes.   There's not a cloud to be seen and it looks like it was a great day for baseball in the Bronx.   I am fairly certain it's Yankee Stadium in the background...the placement of the lights, pole, decks, bleachers and billboards seem to check out - let me know if I'm wrong!

This particular card caught my eye because, even though it is creased and a bit scuffed.....it is fairly well centered and none of the folds or marks take away from Mantle himself. I wish the crease across his hands could be a little lower....but so be it!   The corners are rounded but all things considered, not bad.   The top right-hand corner is certainly the hardest hit portion of the card, but it is something I was absolutely fine with.

Here's a close-up of Mantle.....just because.

But how about the back?   I am sure the back's condition had something to do with the great value I was seeing in its offering price, but I was reassured because I could still read everything.   That is important to me, so the fact that the vertical stain on the left didn't block any of the letters or design was a big win.   You can see the reverse damage from the huge crease I described above but even that doesn't seem so bad in the lower left corner of the back.   All in all, I was satisfied with the card and knew I would treasure it...so I entered a bid!

I love the write-up on this card back.   The usual bio-data resides at the top but the paragraph below really dishes out some great Yankee history.   It refers to Mantle as "the youngster" and makes a prediction that Mickey "...inherited the...centerfield spot from DiMaggio...and should hold it for many years to come."

Good call, Bowman.   And bonus points to them for using the past participle of "bear".   Much respect. 

Interestingly, Bowman makes it a point to reference Mantle's shortened season with the Yanks in '51 by pointing out that he only played in 96 games and....wait, finished the season in KC?   That doesn't reconcile with my recollection or the records.   I show Mantle missing from the Yanks roster between mid July and late August?   He then returned to finish out strong, head to the World Series and went 1 for 5 with a run scored and 2 walks (and one BADLY injured knee) against the Giants in less than two Series games....?

What in the world?

Huh.    More research, maybe?   Anyways - here's the glorious back to this awesome card: 

I don't know why I took this next shot - maybe to show myself that my Mick is relatively flat, after all?   I know I'm committing a major sin by releasing this treasure from its ill-suited top-loader....but until I get this card confirmed as a "POOR - 1" by PSA one day (and I will).....I choose to truly enjoy it.   Hold it.   Feel it.    Relish it.

Oh, and I'm also a card stock junkie.   SO here ya go:  

Fantastic stuff.   I love this card and am very excited to have it in my Yankee collection and be able to share it with you guys.   I don't feel like I can say that I have a Mantle Collection.....yet.......but my search will never end and that hope never truly dies.

Thanks for reading and KEEP COLLECTING!

2014 Topps Heritage - The Decision to Build

They got me again with their card stock tractor beam!

I normally don't do racks, but when I do...I do 'em big.

If you follow my ramblings on Twitter, you know that I am a big time nerd, play fantasy sports and recently had a lot to say about the new Heritage set from Topps.   I picked up a few rack packs from Wally Mart on that post-release Monday to check them out.   I love the 1965 design but, for some reason, I need my Heritage cards to be printed upon that nice thick card stock that disappeared during last year's Heritage release.   Yes, I know that some of that stock swapping has to do with actual historical accuracy.....ridiculous notion for a product called "Heritage"!

The result?

Oso Blanco - Beard - Pennant - ROOKIE CUP combo in 1st pack NEVER HURTS

EXHIBIT A - Why a brand like Heritage is loved by collectors like me who value...old card backs

I love them!   The pictures and images for these cards are as BLAND as ever.   So simple, so staged and....so weirdly perfect.   That card stock is nice and thick and when you take a whiff of a fat stack of these bad boys - it's nothing but pulpy, cardboard-y goodness.   Where are you going?   No slippery gloss and syrupy odor 'round here.   No serial numbers or super-short printed action/logo variation cards in my packs...

Colon & Marichal - WHAT could be weirder?

Smile, Freddie.

So, why do I love them?   Again, these are just simple baseball cards....but that's exactly what I like to collect sometimes, particularly when I'm building a set.   I pulled 76 base cards out of 4 packs in addition to 4 inserts (a couple of which I liked).   No duplicates!   Wait...upon further reflection, I think that stack of 76 included 3 SPs, one of which was my ONLY colored parallel.   I like those numbers.   I also love card backs from the days of yore - and these are a perfect example.   The drawings and cartoon-ish font upon a sea of baby-blue.......dude, what could be better?   Sure, a relic or an autograph or a card with an old postage stamp would have been cool to pull (and helped me reclaim some of the investment) but I am quite content and now, perhaps foolishly, on a mission to build the set!

I am a little disappointed in the fact that Topps decided to place a high percentage of star players in the SP portion of the release.   I think this is a huge mistake and a potential trend that could really damage the hobby - let's hope it doesn't persist!

Let me know if you have any cards from this set to trade, sell, whatever.   I will post my NEEDS list in a new tab to the right - my first new tab in quite awhile.   Check it out!   I will try to keep it updated as best I can and begin to list duplicates that I have for trade if/when they arrive.

Keep collecting!

Ryan

My Hall of Fame Collection - 2000 Fleer "Greats of the Game" Bert Blyleven Certified Autograph

I'm always game to add cards and memorabilia of Hall of Famers to my collection, regardless of teams or the player themselves.

In this case, I was able to scoop up this Blyleven autograph for just a couple of bucks.   The auto by itself is a really nice one, but Bert goes above and beyond with a "#28" inscription.   I think it looks great and is nicely slanted to fill up the 'auto-space' provided for Blyleven by Fleer.

Speaking of Fleer's design, I really dig the simplicity of this set.   The silver foil in the corner is sharp and the full color action photo with name and team logo make for a nice card, if not an ideal piece of memorabilia on its own!   Here's the card:

Blyleven is sometimes considered to be a controversial HOF selection.   Fans of other players who have not garnered selection, pitchers in particular, often cite Mr. Blyleven and his statistics for argumentative purposes.   He never won the Cy Young Award or an MVP but was a 2x All-Star and World Series Champion with one no-hitter to his name.   He wasn't elected until his 14th year of eligibility in 2011 and I believe it is his place on the all-time strikeouts list - 5th - that earned him his entry.

And rightly so!   Interviewed players that faced Bert have consistently praised him for his 'nasty' stuff and he was certainly a dominant pitcher during his time.

Here's the back:

Ho-hum :)

I'm ecstatic to add a Bert Blyleven autograph to my HOF Collection!

Thanks for reading!

My Mattingly Collection - 2000 Upper Deck Legendary Lumber Bat Relic Card

Yes!

I absolutely love this card.   Mattingly is my favorite all-time player and I pick up just about every relic card of his that I can at a reasonable price - which can be a real challenge sometimes!

I snagged this one, though.....and Upper Deck REALLY delivered.   The design is brilliant, mixing in Yankee blue and pinstripes alongside a black & white photo of a classic Mattingly follow-through.

But that's not the best part.

The best part, to me, is the carved "NY" Yankees insignia in the bat relic that allows for a bold blue color on the card to shine through and really make it POP.   Here's the card:

We even get a classy silver foil facsimile Donnie autograph at the bottom.  Great balance!   Here's a closer look at the bat relic:
 

And here's the back:

The standard blurb and a repeat of the picture on the front, something that we saw with my earlier post on the Jeter/A-Rod relic card.   Undoubtedly, must have been a standard policy.   The continuation of the bold blue stripe on the back is terrific.

Great card - very, VERY ecstatic to add this one to my Mattingly collection.   It MIGHT overtake another Mattingly relic in my collection......MIGHT......but this other one is pretty stellar :)

Thanks for reading!

My Yankees Collection - 2000 Upper Deck SPx Jeter & A-Rod Winning Materials Relic Card

Okay, I am just on a roll with these Hobby Ice Age cards being added into my collection....

I love Jeter and am ambivalent towards A-Rod.   Yeah, there's a lot to hate and I am certainly not shedding any tears over his absence (and possible departure?), but I feel like he has been singled out from a larger group of players.

One positive side-effect of the A-Rod disdain is that his cards and cards on which he appears can be had for a little bit less these days, so I was able to scoop this JETER relic card up for a reasonable price!

Yeah, a "game-used base" will always be kind of weird to me, but it's a nice change of pace.   I wish you could look up exactly which game it is from - I suppose then you could check out the box score and figure out who else might have touched the base?   That could be some fun research.....do you see the DIRT (game used!) on the base piece?   Cool!

The pictures are pretty solid.  I love the big smile from Jeter and A-Rod's sweet shades.   And let's not look past the fact that this is a bat-relic card for a 500 HR Club member.   PEDs or not, he's on that list statistically.

Here's the back:

I'm a little puzzled as to why they couldn't use a couple of different photos for these guys on the back, but I know how expensive it is for companies to maintain licenses for use of materials......

In the end, this is another great Jeter relic for my Yankees Collection and I'm thrilled!

Thanks for reading -

My Kimbrel Collection - 2013 Panini Pinnacle #60 "Artist Proof"

(sigh)

I'm a free market kind of guy, so I rarely have bad things to say about different baseball cards - but I feel compelled to comment on this Kimbrel.   I am very happy to add to my Kimbrel PC, but this is a prime example of a poor photo/design choice by Pinnacle.

Pinnacle has some great stuff in their portfolio.   I can remember some favorites from Collecting Period I in the early 90's and I'm sure they had some stellar releases during my Hobby Ice Age.   And even today, I've picked up some BEAUTIFUL cards from Panini.

But this just ain't one of them.

The black card design that is engulfing a Craig Kimbrel that appears to be wearing an all-black, no logos (I know, licence) uniform really kills what might have been a cool "coming right at you" type of baseball card.   The "Artist Proof" foil label just pours salt in the wound here.   It's like he's suited up for the Night's Watch or something.   

Sorry - totally geeked out on you guys with a Game of Thrones reference there.

Here's the card; what do you guys think?   "Or am I being obtuse?"

Shawshank reference. On a roll here.....

Thanks for reading!

One of My Favorite Cards - 2013 Bowman Wil Myers Rookie Card

I'm impressed by Wil Myers, so I felt compelled to snag this Bowman rookie card of his when I had a chance.   

I can remember first hearing about Wil when the Rays dealt James Shields and Wade Davis to KC in return for Myers, Jake Odorizzi (another great young player, a pitcher) and two other players.   I know a lot of Royals fans were crushed - and I can now see why.

Myers came up last year in June and I was unlucky enough to watch him blast his first home run.   Actually, it wasn't just a home run, it was a grand slam.   And I say "unlucky" because young Wil stroked his first 4-bagger off of CC Sabathia and my Yankees, in Yankee Stadium no less!   Well done, kid.

Yanks won the game, though :)

But anyways, this young fellow would go on to earn the AL Rookie of the Year award and seems destined for many more bombs and contributions to his club's efforts in the years ahead.   The Rays will surely be a nemesis of the Yankees in the AL east this season.

Bowman is not known for its amazing design but I really enjoy this card.   The action shot of Myers' glove closing around a fly-ball is a nice treat.   It's well-centered on the card, the colors work and a fielding picture for Myers was a nice surprise!

I didn't show the back because the picture I took was out of focus and made my head hurt......or maybe that's just the memory of his slam on June 22, 2013?

Good luck, Wil.

Thanks for reading!