Scooter, Yogi and friends

I broke my rules again. 40 cards for $30. Rules are made to be broken if the lot is right. This card was the key, my first Topps Phil Rizzuto! The card looks better in person than it does in the photo - the white is less obvious, and I didn't even notice the writing until I took the picture. I'm very happy to have this card of my favorite vintage player.

The '54 Rizzuto was the key, but it helped to have several other good cards, most notably a highly trimmed '59 Berra. All that's missing is the border, which is a little annoying but nothing important is missing from the card. The photo is great. No trace of the clown here - Berra is all business.

What else was in the lot? A '53 color Granny Hamner, a couple of '54 Bowman's.

Four '55s including my first umpire. Early Wynn is another big name, a Hall of Famer with 300 wins.

Some mid-50's Topps fun.

A nice group of '57's. The cards with the Yankee Stadium background are particularly nice, and that Amoros Brooklyn Dodger is a classic.

The same clown who cut up Yogi Berra did the same to Berra's batterymate, Murry Dickson. Dickson was winding up a major league career that had started in 1939. The Al Kaline is in great shape though; the only big issue with the card is that it is faded, like it sat in the sun for years. Still a great card to pick up at this price.

A few 60's needs. Is there an older card of a player laughing than the Gus Bell; probably, but I can't think of one offhand.

Finally, the last of the new-to-me cards, a '75 Hostess Thurman Munson. Another big name, especially here in NY. I wonder who the white-haired guy is.

On to the trade bait! One each from '56, '57 (the league presidents), '58, '60 and '66 . . .

Anyone still working on the '67 set and need these? The one in the middle is a Jackie Brandt that is normal on the front but heavily miscut on the back. The other card visible on the back is of Jack Aker.

Finally, a couple of '70s Hall of Famers in pretty good shape.