New from '52

I picked up a couple of cheap lots of '52 Topps from eBay. I've been willing to pay a couple bucks a card for this set.

This was a two card lot featuring Walt Dropo and Frank Hiller. Card Boredom did some research on the Hiller card and determined the photo was probably taken when Hiller was a Yankee. #9 behind Hiller is probably 5-time All-Star Charlie "King Kong" Keller, a Yankees fan favorite.

Another great set of cards - future Yankee manager Clyde King, Ralph Branca on the first card after his infamous pitch to Bobby Thomson, and Gus Zernial's card celebrating his record six home runs in three games, one of the greatest cards of the era.

The back of the King card is fun, too. Kids would often "update" the card by writing the new team name on the card. This kid cut out Boston Red Sox, possibly from a newspaper, and carefully taped it over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Funnily enough, King was never a Red Sox. He was traded to the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1953, and probably the owner confused the Redlegs and Red Sox.

 

1981 Topps Jim Spencer

 The front: Spencer is shaking hands with one Yankee while talking to another, what looks like after a home run. The Yankee on the right looks like Graig Nettles. This lines up with June 21, 1980, a day game against Oakland. Spencer's 3-run home run off of Mike Norris in the first inning scored Graig Nettles and Reggie Jackson. That is probably on-deck hitter Joe Lefebvre who hand Spencer is shaking. The home plate ump is Bill Haller. The Yankees won the game, 5-3. In previous posts I've noted that both Norris and Nettles have photos that look like they came from this game.

The back: Over a decade in the majors prevented room for a blurb.

The player: Jim Spencer played fifteen seasons in the major leagues for five teams. He won Gold Gloves with the Angels and White Sox, was an All Star with the Rangers, and won a World Series with the Yankees. Overall in 1,553 games he hit .250 with 146 HR and 599 RBI.

The man: After his playing career he worked in  restaurant and real estate business, and was a baseball coach at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. He died of a heart attack in 2002. 

My collection: I have 31 of his cards, from 1970 to 1982. I would be interested in trading for 1971 Dell Today's Team Stamps #NNO.

1976 SSPC Gary Matthews

 

The card, in brief: Not much to comment on, but a cool photo of the Sarge at night.

Playing career, in brief: Matthews was the Rookie of the Year in 1973, hitting .300 with 12 HR, 58 RBI and 17 SB. He went on to a very solid 16-year major league career for five teams. In 2,033 games he hit .281 with 234 HR, 978 RBI and 183 SB.

Post-playing career, in brief: Matthews was a coach and an announcer for several teams, but is now retired.

My collection: I have 50 of his cards, from 1973 to 1988. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #142.

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly Puzzle #2

 

Good action photo here, except for Mattingly's face in shadow. The pinstripe design of the card works really well here. The dugout and ground are tilted - Mattingly was probably crouched a little more in this photo, and the photo was tilted to make him look more straight up-and-down. Topps used to do that sometimes.

1988 Domino's Dick Tracewski

 

Pretty simple photo for Tracewski. This cards reminds me of the "shadow shots" series Johnny used to do.

Tracewski was a good fielding, light hitting backup shortstop for the Dodgers and Tigers in the 1960s. Though he only played six full seasons (1963 - 1968), he was on the World Series winner in three of those. 1968 was his last full season as a major leaguer, hitting .156 with 4 HR and 15 RBI. He retired during the 1969 season and immediately joined the Tigers' coaching staff, where he stayed through 1995, picking up another World Series ring in '84. Overall in 614 major league games he hit .213 with 8 HR and 90 RBI.

I have six of his cards, from 1964 to 1969. I would be interested in trading for 1968 Topps #488. 

Wood vs. Wood #346

 Last time it was a 6-2 win for '87. Who will win this time?

There's a lot to see on Jack Kralick's card. It's spring training but there's bunting hanging from the roof. There are two bald men in street clothes standing on the field, examining a piece of paper. And Kralick is wearing the patch commemorating the Twins' first season in Minnesota. Kralick had a good rookie season with the Senators in 1960 and was even better with the Twins in 1961. That season Kralick went 13-11 with a 3.61 ERA, with 137 strikeouts in 242 innings. A nice season, but nowhere near as good as Cy Young winner Whitey Ford, who went 25-4 with 209 strikeouts in 242 innings. Ford was better than Kralick in advanced statistical categories as well - FIP, H9, HR9. And yet it was Kralick who led the AL in WAR, 6.0 to 3.7. Sabermetric blogger Phil Birnbaum used this example in a post to point out how WAR greatly exaggerates park factors and team defense in pitcher WAR. What's even weirder is Kralick's 1962 numbers are almost identical to his 1961 numbers, and yet his WAR plummeted from 6.0 to 2.1. Makes no sense! In 1963 Kralick was traded to Cleveland, for whom he had a couple more good season, but was basically done as a major league pitcher at the age of 30, retiring in 1967 to sell insurance. Kralick worked a variety of jobs over the next 20 years, eventually moving to a small fishing village in Mexico, where he lived for the next 24 years, passing away in 2012 at the age of 77.

Shawon Dunston has a much simpler photo, with just the cinder block wall of the dugout visible in his portrait shot. The son of an NYC taxi driver, Dunston grew up in East New York, Brooklyn. Dunston played 18 seasons in the major leagues for six teams, including 12 seasons with the Cubs. Known for his very strong arm at shortstop, he had good speed and decent power. Overall in 1,814 games, he hit .269 with 150 HR, 668 RBI and 212 SB. He has kept a low profile since his retirement, aside from some youth coaching and appearances for the Cubs.

Eureka! Golden!

I was able to pick up a cheap lot of vintage baseball stamps on eBay.

13 stamps from the 1955 Golden Stamps Dodgers. Lots of great vintage photos but it's tough to beat coach Jake Pitler holding three baseballs in his hand. 

Two more, which I had already and so are available for trade. Hopefully one of the Dodger fans or vintage collectors can use these.

23 needs from the 1949 Eureka Stamps set! So much fun to get cards from the first half of the 20th century. OK, stamps, but still - these are older than rock 'n roll. Largely Dodgers but also Giants, Phillies, and one Boston Brave. Richie Ashburn, Bobby Thomson, Don Newcombe, even Dodgers manager Burt Shotton in his street clothes.

There were actually six stamps I had already - three Dodgers, two Phillies and Giants manager Leo Durocher. Hopefully these will find a new home soon too.

 

Wallet Card at Baker Brush

This was the receiving entrance (rear, freight entrance) for Baker Brush, a prominent manufacturer of paintbrushes c. 1915-1975. Old Baker brushes can be found on eBay today for $100+.

 

Cake or gum? 1977 Don Sutton

RIP Darrell Jackson, who shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2013.

Last time, there was a 3-3 tie. Will there be a winner here? 

Both photos look like they were taken at the same time and place. Hostess has a portrait, while Topps has him starting his windup. Both avoided a shot of him Suttoning.

Don Sutton was an amazing model of consistency in his long major league career, winning at least 11 games in 21 of his 23 major league seasons. A four-time All-Star, he was the Dodgers' ace in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. He signed with the Astros after the 1980 season and remained effective for several teams well into his 40s. He pitched in four World Series, on the losing side each time, pitching well in '74 and '77 and poorly in '78 and '82. Overall in 774 games he went 324-256 with a 3.26 ERA. His 3,574 strikeouts are seventh all-time. Sutton was a longtime broadcaster, mostly for the Braves. He died of cancer in 2021.

1981 Topps Roger Erickson

 

The front: A fun card with lots going on in the background, including a couple of Twins who appear to be adjusting their equipment.

The back: Erickson's pickoff record was broken in 1990 by Mark Guthrie, who recorded 11.

Playing career: Erickson came up with the Twins as a 21-year-old rookie in 1978 and went 14-13 with a 3.96 ERA. However, injuries prevented him from sustaining that success. In 135 games for the Twins and Yankees from 1978 to 1983, he went 35-53 with a 4.13 ERA. He attempted a comeback with the Cardinals in 1989 and pitched well in AAA, but did not return to the major leagues.

Post-playing career: After his playing career he was involved in a variety of business pursuits, several of them related to baseball instruction. He is now retired. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2015.

My collection: I have 12 of his cards, from 1979 to 1990. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Topps Traded #30.