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!

I Consider This Reprint To Be A Rain Check

I don't often dabble in reprints.

As a collector with a curious case of selective OCD qualities, any joy from appreciation of a nice copy of an old, glorious card is usually foiled by my left-brain subconsciousness ruining the experience with thoughts of, "...it isn't real...." or "...you'll never know what this card was truly like, will you?"

Awful, I know.

But these usual sentiments didn't apply as soon as I laid eyes upon this beauty.   It's a reprint of the 44th card from Bowman's 1953 "color" set.   And I think it's absolutely perfect!

 

Berra is goofy, Bauer is in control and having a good time while the Mick appears to be a bit forlorn and wary of the price for the fortune and glory that lies ahead.   Who says these little pieces of cardboard aren't true pieces of art?

This picture was most likely taken during the 1952 campaign and the season's stats for all three Yanks can be reviewed on the back of the card shown below.  



Bauer enjoyed an All-Star season in '52 and was probably still enjoying life to the fullest after four years of war from '42 through '45.   Purple Heart and Bronze Star, people.......a hero.   On the diamond, he had about as solid of a career as any could ask for.   One of my favorite highlights would have been in the Fall Classic previous to this picture, when Hank popped a bases-loaded triple to clinch the series for the Bombers over the New York Giants.

Yogi had established himself as one of baseball's finest backstops, if not THE best catcher (as noted for the junior circuit on the card back above).   Thirty home runs from you game caller is an incredibly valuable power source, no matter what decade we're talking about - and the Yankees had Yogi in their lineup for 142 games in '52.   With careful monitoring of ailments and exclusive pitcher/catcher tandems resulting in frequent changes for catchers in today's game,  his records become even more impressive.

I love how this card still refers to Mantle as being the youngster who replaced inherited DiMaggio's centerfield spot.   That wording is very carefully chosen and very indicative of the Yankees fandom culture that was prevalent at the time.   Perhaps this was a brief moment captured where Mickey was still trying to find his place in the Bronx universe?   The Mick was fortunate and would eventually play his way into the hearts and minds of the Yankees faithful.   Another young, record-setting outfielder with a crew-cut wouldn't be so lucky at the beginning of the next decade.

Do I even need to point out the great appearance of Yogi's vintage catcher's gear in the forefront of the picture?   Awesome stuff! 

This particular card comes from some sort of a Mickey Mantle commemorative set in 1996.   I'm not too certain of its origin but if any of the other cards are in line with this beauty, I would be hard pressed not to add them to my collection.

Alas, my OCD hasn't let me off scott-free with this card.   It has been officially placed on my radar as one of those epic cards to be obtained at a later date......only time will tell.  

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Reflections: Virgil Trucks

Virgil "Fire" Trucks (1917 - 2013)

Baseball lost a great man nearly two weeks ago in Virgil Trucks.   It's been well documented by so many of my fellow bloggers with beautiful tributes and fantastic encounters - both 'through the mail' and even personally - that if there was any doubt as to how well he lived his life and how much of an accessible friend he was to baseball fans......it has certainly been laid to rest with 'ol "Fire" Trucks, himself.

I wanted to make my own contribution.   Not so much as to reiterate what others have already said so well, but to share my own little piece of baseball treasure from my own correspondence with Mr. Trucks.   I think it would be shame not to and not in line with how "Fire" treated the Game as something to be cherished, shared and learned from.

Mr. Trucks at Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama in 2012
(photo courtesy of Randal Crow)

A little background.....

As some of you know, I began my professional career as a naval nuclear propulsion officer in the submarine community.   I have a rich family history of military service but I was the first one crazy enough to go willingly underwater - on purpose.   Other than being a husband and father, I am certain it will be one of the most worthwhile things I'll ever do.

You also know by now that I am a huge baseball fan and collector of baseball cards and memorabilia.   I love the history of the game and have a great deal of respect for the players of the past that achieved greatness of a binary nature, both as professional ballplayers and citizen soldiers who put their lives on the line for the life and liberty of others.   In comparison with the prototypical professional athletes of today, the incredible nature of these heroes' stories become more unbelievable and more distant as society and time roll forward, but no less powerful.

Mr. Trucks at Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama in 2012
(photo courtesy of Randal Crow)

It was a natural progression, therefore, that my memorabilia pursuits and collecting goals leaned towards these veterans of the Game and the service.   I've reached out to dozens over the past six years with some terrific success.   Sadly, the timing of my pursuit has taken on tremendous urgency due to simple timing - our heroes are dying.

But that's okay.   These men and women lived full and meaningful lives, accomplishing so much to deliver the advanced and comfortable world that we live in today.   I've referred to my own grandparents on this blog from time to time.   Three of them served in the military, during World War II and the Cold War's first days.   They raised families and worked hard in successful careers that stretched more than 50 years.   They were baseball fans, too!

Like Mr. Trucks, all of my grandparents are now gone.   I lost the last three of them in a little more than three months towards the end of last year.   I miss them terribly - but it is certainly bittersweet.   I'll reiterate what I said above; they lived wonderful lives.   And now, more than ever, I understand that dying is simply a another part of life that we will all endure.   What's important is how you live and what (and whom!) you leave behind for the world to enjoy and, hopefully, become a better place.   So that's my urgency - to capture as much beautiful life experience from these heroes, whomever they may be, before they're gone with their stories that are OH so worth telling!

I like to think that I try every day to make the world a better place as a tribute to my grandparents and as a part of their legacy.   I also feel like I have a little piece of Mr. Trucks' legacy to share - so let's talk some baseball!

I reached out to Virgil Trucks with a letter and some pictures from my navy days.   He was a sailor himself, serving in the Navy towards the end of World War II in the Pacific theatre.   I would recommend to anybody that they check out some of the stories regarding the service league baseball tournaments held in Hawaii (and elsewhere) during the War (read more about that here: http://www.baseballinwartime.com/service_games/service_games_pacific_1944.htm ).   "Fire" Trucks utilized these opportunities to keep his hurling skills fresh, boost morale for his fellow servicemen and create terrific sports stories for an entire nation in war time.   Is there a greater gift?   He also has a GREAT story of how he re-joined the Detroit Tigers to pitch in Game 2 of the '45 Series only TWO WEEKS after being discharged from active duty!

Add all of these tales to his accomplishments on the diamond from 1941 through 1957 with the Tigers, Browns, White Sox, Athletics and Yankees.......and you have quite the legend!   I only wish I had enough time to go through his career and life in its entirety.   He did have one highlight for which he is very well k nown.   Rightfully, Virgil was a proud member of the elite club of pitchers to fire two no-hitters in the same season.   He adorned nearly every autograph he signed with custom-made stamps that reflected the dates of his two "no-no's" in 1952.   I am personally fascinated by this feat and have actually made a collecting goal of obtaining autographs and collecting cards of each of the pitchers that have achieved this feat:

• Johnny Vander Meer (1938)
• Allie Reynolds (1951)
• Virgil Trucks (1952)
• Nolan Ryan (1973)
• Roy Halladay (2010)

My first vintage Fire Trucks - 1956 Topps #117

I'll keep you posted on that quest, of course - but back to my letter to "Fire" Trucks!

I shared my own experience in the navy and the service connection to my grandparents with Mr. Trucks and thanked him for his own service.   I briefly described my favorite feats from his amazing career and peppered some questions about his experiences throughout my diatribe.   I thanked him for his contributions to the game, asked very politely for his autograph and even enclosed a donation to his church, something that I had been told, though not a requirement, would mean a lot to him.   Heck, it was the least I could do.

Mr. Trucks signing a baseball (photo courtesy of Randal Crow)

Within a week, Mr. Trucks replied with an amazing 'package' of baseball treasures.   He was quite generous with everyone who reached out to him over the years but I couldn't believe my eyes as his generous reply unfolded before me.   A picture, book jacket, cards and the ball I had sent - all fell out of the envelope with Mr. Trucks' inscriptions, stamps and well-wishes.  

"To Ryan M. LaMonica, My Navy Partner With Best Wishes Always, Virgil 'Fire' Trucks"

  

Most amazing to me though, was the personally written letter from Mr. Trucks, himself.   Two whole pages of kind words and incredible recollections from his playing days.And now I'd like to share his words with you!   I've partitioned the letter into paragraphs for ease of reading but left most of Mr. Trucks' own prose intact.

                                                  _______________________________

Dear Mr. LaMonica (mate),

It was nice hearing from you.   And my pleasure to sign your baseball, I hope I didn't mess it up with all the stuff I put on it.   Also enclosing a photo and four small cards for you.   I'm sorry my writing is bad and won't write much.   I'm having a carpal tunell done the 28th of this month and will write more after it heals which is estimated about a month.

Your whole family is service people and that's terrific.   I also thank you & family for your participation in the service for our country.   Bless you all.  

Well, as I pitched every game was treated the same.   But the two no hitters were special.   As for being calm in the bottom of the 9th inning against the Yankees was no more than the other 8 innings as it was a bad year for the "Tigers" & me.   We finished last that year winning only 50 games and losing 104 in a 154 game schedule.

As for Mantle being the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the ninth, I was just going to give him my best, power against power.   I struck him out.   I'm also enclosing a lineup of both no hitters.   I also had a 1 hitter that year.   I almost had three.   The leadoff hitter that game hit a clean single between 3rd and short.   I then retired the next 27 hitters.

Well Ryan, I hope you don't mind me using y our first name.   As I get a lot of mail and am used to doing that.   I also enclosed a cover of a book I wrote.   Which were sold out of 2 printings.   And may have a third.   Not sure yet.   Thank you for the church money.   And they do to.   I'm sorry I can't write more but hand is a little tired & weak.   My best to you and your family.

                                                                                 Sincerely,

                                                                                 Virgil Trucks

P.S. Thank you for the sub photo.   I had to patch up your envelope.   It  got scuffed up.   So I patched it up with tape of your address on the one you mailed me.

Congrats on the upcoming son.   Bless him.

                                                  _________________________________


No, sir.   Bless you.   Rest in peace, Mr. Trucks.   Your legacy lives on.  

I've included a couple more beautiful portraits of Mr. Trucks below.   These were taken by photographer (photo-journalist?) Randal Crow.   His website/blog can be found below and I would encourage you to view his work.   It's beautiful.   These photos were taken in 2012 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.   Wouldn't you know - Rickwood Field is the oldest standing professional ballpark in the United States.   It opened in 1910, just seven years before "Fire" was born.

Thanks for sharing, Randal.

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit(s):

http://www.randalcrow.com/blog1/category/image-blog/

A Pirate's Swap For Me!

I recently completed a trade with Brian from over at "Pirates Treasure Room".   This is a GREAT blog, folks!   It's very easy on the eyes and he will typically have some beautiful scans of some very vibrant Pirate hobby pieces.   He seems to specialize in relics, autographs and patches from players in Pittsburgh and is always very focused on some incredible collecting goals.   I admire that.   I need some collecting focus, quite frankly. 

SO, it's fitting that Brian provided the spark for this trade with a relic from one of my favorite Braves, Craig Kimbrel.   Kimbrel had me captivated, along with the rest of the baseball world, as he set the new season mark for saves by a rookie last season.   Thanks to my geographical location, I can usually find the Braves game on TV and it seemed that every chance I had to tune in last season (amongst the nightly circus that is a house with two kids), Craig was notching another game on his belt.

Plus, he hangs his throwing arm in front of his body as he receives the signs from McCann in a really interesting way....and that earns him another +5 in cool points.

Anyways, I dropped Brian a note to say I was interested in the Kimbrel and figured he may be interested in a McLouth Letterman that I had picked up last year in a card draft at some point.   I think it may have been part of my winnings from a Cardboard Don (formerly known as Wicked Ortega) draft?   I love how some of these cards can be traced from origins to good homes where they belong.

Brian said the trade sounded great and slipped in a little, "Hey, are you a Braves fan?" towards the end.

He was up to something.

And that something was a wonderfully generous helping of bonus Braves cards!   OH, and THEN he went and knocked a few off of my '12 Heritage Inserts NEEDS list along with my '12 Topps Inserts NEEDS list.   He also knew I'm a Yankees fan and threw in a sweet Opening Day Mickey.

That sneaky Pirate!

Here are the cards:

My FIRST Kimbrel relic!

You can't go wrong...

Without a doubt: 2 Hall of Famers!

YES!  Mark 'em off!

CHIPPAH!   CHIPPAH ROOKIE!

Cool Shot

Incredible....if you squint, you can be amazed, too. 

Some of my first Opening Day pick-ups.   Nice!

Threads and Lumber from Braves of yore.

Just had to slip some pinstripes in here, didn't I?

Brian - THANK YOU for the very generous trade.   I hope the McLouth patch provided a letter that you still needed for one of your on-going quests.

Thanks for reading!

Who Doesn't Love Surprises?

Surprise card packages?

Love them.

Who wouldn't?

Asking for nothing in return, these two great fellow collector kept me in mind as they came across random Yanks and some sets NEEDS that I had listed on my blog.

And I couldn't be more grateful - to Darren and Jeff at Potch Wheeler & the Cardboard Heroes and Cardboard Catastrophes, respectively.

Darren sent over a couple of base cards from '11 Lineage and 1991 Fleer that I had needed towards my set completion quests:

Cy and Andujar - brought together for the 1st time by Ryan's Pitch.

  
And who could go wrong with a blue Yankee parallel from 2012?   Particularly this one of Mr. Chavez.   Anybody have a translation for those tats on Eric's arm?

Finally, here are a couple of recreations of a card that was and a card that wasn't.   These 60 YOT's from last year's offering are a great way to pick up copies of legendary cardboard for next to nothing.   I am actually very fortunate and have this actual Rizzuto card in my Yankees collection.   This reprint is a great addition and will be a nice comparison opportunity in a future post.   The Mantle never existed, but it sure is a sharp card now!   When it comes to card designs, '54 through '56 are often at the top of the list.   I hadn't noticed before but the write-ups on the backs are kind of interesting.   In these cases, a couple of tidbits describing the Topps and Bowman relationship from the 50's is provided and make for some interesting suppositions.   Enough chatter - here's Mick and Scooter:

 

"Watch as I slide FOR you whilst making the out."

1956 - When Topps Ate Bowman for Dinner

 Jeff sent over a lot of help for my 2011 Heritage set quest.   I think he had been chasing this one himself, so I really appreciate him sorting out a few to send my way!   Here's what we had along with a couple of my favorites:

The surreal blue sky behind David Price makes the blue in his Rays uniform pop really nicely.   Plus......he's a stud hurler.   The Manager's Dream card was a great capture of the cards from '62.   Pujols and Braun were awesome last year.   Albert has been anything BUT a dream for me as a fantasy manager this year.

I know......we're 7 21 days in.   I'm just jaded.

Great cards.   Great collector friends.   Great surprises.   Thank you, Darren and Jeff!

Thanks for reading, you guys.

My First Play At The Plate

Brian from over at Play At The Plate noticed a couple of months back that I had stumbled upon some blue Ranger parallels from Topps' Walmart offering this year.   As you all probably know by now, parallels for my Yanks or Braves have slowly grown on me but as far as the rest of 'em - it makes me happy to send them home!

SO....I procrastinated way too much and had the Rangers set off to the side for a wee bit.   I managed to find a couple more Texans for Brian and eventually sent them on their way.    Sorry it took so long, Brian!   He was certainly generous with what he sent in return - he was able to help me out with my NEEDS lists for 2012 Topps base and the few insert sets that I'm chasing.......I was worried I might never get off the ground with some of these but our blogging community has, as usual, graciously turned that frown upside-down.

Here's a little look at what Brian sent over:



I've said it before and I will undoubtedly say it again - I love these '87 minis!   They're simple, yes, but the wood-grained '87 release marked my first year in collecting.   I'm tempted to make a comparison of the special feeling towards my first set to the first girl I kissed but I think that would require me to also attend a support group.   Anyways, I'm making some decent progress with these inserts now.   Thanks for the help, Brian - and those guys are no slouches!

Some more of the Goldens from this year - Standards and Moments.   I think there's a TV radio station called Singers and Standards, yes?

Some help with the Series 1 base set.   It would be remarkable to wrap up this one before Series 2 hits the shelves.   Considering I just completed Series 1 and 2 from 2011 last month, this progress is already a shining example of the benefits to having a blog - communication is key!   I would encourage any of the readers out there to make the leap.  

Oh, gee....did I leave that Mantle on top for all of you to enjoy?   The Mick - always epic!   Nice touch, Brian.   Here are two of my favorite cards from the stack:

This guy is a beast of a ball player.   I'm playing fantasy baseball for the first time this season and Yadier fills my catcher slot for both of my teams.   Turns out, he's been one of the most productive players out there, so far in 2012.   Yes, Pujols - your former fellow Card is trampling all over your HR total through week 1.   Not hard to do when your sitting on a goose egg, Albert!   Way to go, Yadier.

 JERED MAD!

Thanks for the great trade, Brian!

Thanks for reading, guys.