Street trade

Here's the cards I got in another street trade last week. I'm probably the only blogger who gets to make random baseball card trades at lunch hour or on the way out of work. Only in New York!

Baseball card story from Hank Foiles

Catcher Hank Foiles played for seven teams from 1953 to 1964, hitting .243 with 46 HR and 166 RBI. He was an All-Star in 1957, hitting .270 with 9 HR and 36 RBI. He kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"My only baseball card story involves a card set of former Baltimore Orioles produced by Crown Oil Co. several years ago. My likeness was used to make the cards without my knowledge or authorization. I sued but got nowhere, since very few other players jumped onboard with me. Even today, I refuse to sign that card. I am not a collector nor do I have any favorite cards. 

Please check out my book "A Pirate's Journey" and mention it to your followers.It's chock full of good stories about my life in baseball. Contact my co-author, Doug Williams, for copies signed by both of us. ($23 includes postage) jdougwilliams1952@gmail.com "

Thanks! I don't have that card, but here is one from my collection.

Eric Soderholm on baseball cards

Third baseman Eric Soderholm played for the Twins, White Sox, Rangers and Yankees from 1971 to 1980. In 894 games he hit .264 with 102 HR and 383 RBI. Now the owner of Soderworld Wellness Center & Academy, a body, mind and spirit sanctuary in Willowbrook, IL, he kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"I went into a baseball card shop years ago and asked if they had any Eric Soderholm cards. The kid said when did he play? It was very humbling.

I don’t collect cards but my dad put some of the cards we played with as a kid in a box. If anyone wants to buy them, they would be available. Lol"

Thanks!

Street trade that's half-shiny

Some recent pick-ups from Al.

Four cards that aren't shiny. The Klein turned out to be a dupe and is up for trade.

 Four that are very shiny. The X-refractor sure looks weird when you photograph it.

A little more vintage

The same day I picked up my big vintage haul, I also went to the flea market. I went back to Vinnie's dime boxes with my 1975 want list, as it had gotten small enough to be manageable.

I was able to knock off 13 needs for the set, bringing me down to just 43 to go! Finally got that '75 Brett!

 To make it an even $2, I pulled 7 77s.

See, what did I tell you?

I wrote this after Game 1 - " Game 1 was the type of game the Yankees have done a fair amount the last few years - fall way behind, then come almost all the way back to lose by one run." Just in case you didn't believe me, they did it again last night, looking flat for eight innings, then coming almost all the way back. Oh, well. Congratulations to the Red Sox, clearly the better team.

Meanwhile, I am focusing on the past, not the future. Let's do some vintage baseball card trades!

Big vintage pick up

I made a big vintage pickup this weekend. 800 cards for about 15 cents a card, just about everything in the 1965-1976 range. Just about all commons, and about half I had already, so there is plenty to trade - see below for what's available to trade.

But first, here is what I have added to my collection:

1977: Just a few. I'm still so far behind in this set, I'm semi-seriously thinking about purchasing a complete one. Would have to find a good deal on it.

 1976: Lots added here. I'm now more than halfway through this set. As you can see there was one big rookie card here. I've already got most of the key cards in this set now.

 1974: Still got over 100 to go but this set is shaping up nicely. Young Charlie Hough and rookie Bucky Dent are among the highlights here.

 Lots of '73s, including a couple of minor Hall-of-Famers and a few high numbers.

 Nice selection of 1972s as well.

 Just a few 1971s but very Yankee-heavy which is nice. That Lindy McDaniel card is one I've admired from afar from a while, but all of these look so great.

 A nice selection of 1970s. I like how Topps, after being burned by Claude Raymond a couple of times, stuck with a headshot in 1970. Nice to get a Bill Russell rookie.

 Oddly, there were no 1969s and very few 1968s, but it ramps up again in 1967. Not too many big names but all the cards on the bottom are high-numbers.

 Some cool stuff from 1966.

 Finally, 1965 (including more high-numbers), and one lone 1964.

Now, on to the trade bait:
One lone '65, and a few from '66, '67 and '68.

 Lots from 1970.

 One 1971, a few from '72.

 Lots more '73s. The last three are high-numbers.

 A few from '74.

 Trio from 1975. I'm within 50 cards, mostly commons, to completing this set.

Lots more from 1976, including some minor stars.

Let's trade!

Not even waiting for it to be over

I've never done one of these mid-game before, but at 16-1 in the ninth, it's safe to say this one is over. I was about to write that backup catcher Austin Romine was trying to be the first Yankee pitcher of the night not to give up a run, but he just gave up a 2-run homer. Oh well, I guess it will all be over tomorrow. Not much of a rivalry right now, is it?

David Haber on baseball cards

A second baseman and outfielder, David Haber played in 104 games in the Royals organization in 1990 and 1991. He hit .207 with 1 HR, 26 RBI and 23 stolen bases. Now a youth baseball coach and an Irrigation Service Technician at Turf Equipment and Supply in Jessup, MD, he kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"I loved my classic best card, was funny when we had these done.  They had us infielders pose either back hand or straight forward fielding position.  Most guys chose the backhand if I remember correctly.  They had a local company do cards as well, they were sponsored by GI Joes. "

Thanks!

Fenway split

The Yankees have played two playoff games since I last posted Friday morning. Game 1 was the type of game the Yankees have done a fair amount the last few years - fall way behind, then come almost all the way back to lose by one run. This evening was better, as the Yankees continued their dominance over David Price. Two home runs by Gary Sanchez was a nice treat, as is the fact that his defense is looking surprisingly solid.

Let's see what happens in Yankee Stadium Monday and Tuesday - these games could be pretty wild.