1981 Topps Garth Iorg

The front: Pregame shot at Tiger Stadium.

The back: In a battle of two teams who were 20 games under .500, the score was tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth. The White Sox brought in Ed Farmer, who with one out walked Roy Howell, and then allowed the walk-off triple to Garth Iorg.

The player: Infielder Garth Iorg played nine seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays. The brother of major leaguer Dale Iorg, and father of three pro baseball players, he payed in 931 games, hitting .258 with 20 HR and 238 RBI.

The man: After his playing career he was a longtime coach in the Blue Jays and Brewers organizations, and is now retired. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2020.

My collection: I have 31 of his cards, from 1978 to 1988. I would be interested in trading for 1983 Fleer Star Stickers #110.
 

1976 SSPC Dan Spillner

 

The card, in brief: An interestingly framed card, a tighter close-up than usual for this kind of pose. An unidentified Padre throws a ball in the background.

Playing career, in brief: Spillner came up with the Padres as a starter, and moved to the bullpen in 1976. He was traded to the Indians in 1978. Cleveland moved him back to the starting rotation in 1980 and he went 16-11, but he moved back to the bullpen the following season. His last season was 1985 with the White Sox. He was an effective reliever for them (4-3, 3.44 ERA) but due to collusion he was unable to sign with a team for 1986. He was later awarded over $400,000 as a victim of collusion.

Post-playing career, in brief: Since his retirement Spillner has worked in construction and been a youth baseball coach.

My collection: I have 26 of his cards, from 1975 to 1986. I would be interested in trading for 1983 Wheaties Cleveland Indians SGA #NNO.

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly Puzzle #9

What a cool card. Very much a product of it's time, though.

So ends the last of the series from the sets that Stuart sent several months ago. I need some new themes for series as I still like to post something every day. I don't have the time that I used to so I will be aiming for shorter posts. I mentioned one idea a while back, that I will start soon. Fuji made another suggestion in a comment recently. I have a couple of other ideas I'm noodling on as well. Any other suggestions welcome!
 

Wallet Card at Crawdaddy

 Crawdaddy was a New Orleans-themed restaurant that opened in 1975 at NYC's Roosevelt Hotel on East 45th Street, enjoyed some years of popularity, and closed some time in the late 1980s. A portion of the restaurant's sidewalk sign can still be seen when not covered up by a mat.

I was taking out my wallet card to get ready for this photo when a group of what I assume to be tourists stopped by, saw the sign, and excitedly took photos of it. Judging by their accents I assume they were Southern, but I wouldn't know how to pinpoint further. One got very excited telling her companion - "first I saw Craw, then I saw Daddy!" It would be cool if these random tourists were deep into suriving remnants of obscure 1970s NYC restaurants, but I assume that the word Crawdaddy just had some particular meaning for them. First time I've ever had to wait for someone else to take a photo to take one of my wallet card shots.
 

Cake or gum? 1977 Ron Cey

Last time it was a 6-0 win for gum. What will happen here?

Hostess has Cey being photographed at Candlestick Park. It looks like we can see the photographer's shadow. Topps meanwhile has Cey taking a big swing at Shea Stadium. The angle of the photo makes it looks like Cey is kneeling on the ground while swinging. Cey played in two day games at Shea in 1976, going 2-for-7 with a double. 

One of the premier NL third basemen of the late 1970s, Ron Cey was an All Star for six straight seasons, 1974-1979. After the 1982 season the Dodgers traded him to the Cubs for Vance Lovelace, and two seasons later Cey helped them win a pennant. Overall, in 2,073 games for the Dodgers, Cubs and A's, Cey hit .261 with 316 HR and 1,139 RBI. Cey kept up his slugging ways in the postseason, with 7 HR in 45 playoff and World Series games. Today Cey is Vice President, Business Development & Relationship Manager for Professional Baseball at BFF Financial in Glendale, CA.
 

Wood vs Wood #357

Last time it was a 3-1 win for 1987. What will happen here?

Jerry Walker is photographed against a bright blue sky, or just some background. Walker pitched eight seasons in the majors for Baltimore, Kansas City and Cleveland. In 190 games (90 starts) he went 37-44 with 13 saves and a 4.36 ERA. He went on to have a 40-year career as a scout, coach, and front office executive for several teams, mostly the Yankees, Tigers and Reds. He died in 2024.

Steve Fireovid also has a simple headshot, but at least there is a little more going on in the background. Fireovid pitched sixteen years of professional baseball, including parts of six seasons in the major leagues, where he went 3-1 with a 3.39 ERA in 31 games for five different teams. He is currently a Financial Advisor at Trilogy Wealth Advisors in Bryan, OH. He shared some baseball card stories with this blog in 2011.
 

1981 Topps Jim Beattie

 

The front: Beattie is pictured wearing his windbreaker in the dugout. Rain delay?

The back: Looking at the back of the card I realize that there is an error - "Sycracuse". I'll report it to TCDB after I post this.

The player: Beattie came up with the Yankees in 1978, and despite some initial struggles which angered owner George Steinbrenner, he won some big games down the stretch, most notably eight shutout innings in the second game of the famous Boston Massacre in Fenway Park. He also won the fifth game of the 1978 World Series, pitching a complete game 12-2 victory over the Dodgers. After two years for the Yankees he was traded to Seattle for Ruppert Jones, and had several solid seasons for some pretty bad Mariners teams. 

The man: He became a front office executive after his playing career, including stints as General Manager of the Expos and Orioles. He was then a Blue Jays scout for many years, retiring after the 2018 season. He shared a baseball card story with this blog in 2010.

My collection: I have 23 of his cards, from 1979 to 1987. I would be interested in trading for 1985 Mother's Cookies Seattle Mariners SGA #15.
 

1976 SSPC Randy Jones

 

The card, in brief: The age-old question - is he holding a baseball, or not? My guess is not.

Playing career, in brief:  Randy Jones won 100 games in his ten-year major league career. A two-time All-Star and twenty-game winner, he was the NL Cy Young Award Winner in 1976, going 22-14 with a 2.74 ERA and 25 complete games for the Padres. 

Post playing career, in brief: He owned a restaurant and had a barbecue sauce business. He was also the chairman of the Randy Jones Foundation, which provides opportunities and resources for military families. Jones passed away in 2025. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2014. 

My collection: I have 24 of his cards, from 1974 to 1983. I would be interested in trading for 1981 Topps Coca-Cola New York Mets #4 and 1999 Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game #35.

Johnny's album: The Lindbergh kidnapping

Most of the items on these pages focus on the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, primarily from the conviction of Bruno Hauptmann for the crime.

The top article is from when the baby was first kidnapped, and chronicles the life and career of Lindbergh. The bottom is photos of Lindbergh and Hauptmann from the end of the trial.

On the other side, we can see that the article on top folds over, revealing an article about a proposal to develop the Great Salt Lake. The article on the page is mostly the Hauptmann guilty verdict, which was delivered on February 13, 1935. Hauptmann was executed the following year. The photo on that page is of Lindbergh getting his annual military physical at Mitchel Field on Long Island, only about a mile from Roosevelt Field, where he took off on his transatlantic flight. On this page there is also an inspirational anecdote and a couple of inspirational quotes.

 

Wallet Card at Federal Express

A couple of years ago an old sign was revealed on Manhattan's Duane Street. It's a sign for "Federal Express", the former name of the company that has been called FedEx for over 30 years. This sign and logo must date to earlier than 1994, when the company changed it's name and logo. This is a hard plastic awning with the sign firmly attached, explaining why it's been such a survivor despite other signs covering it for decades.

 

Street trade

I started a new job which puts me closer to midtown, which means closer to Al's table to do some street trading. I picked out 10 cards and needed all 10!

The Robin Yount card is probably the coolest one here, and I didn't even realize it was serial numbered until later. Ryan McMahon is a lousy player on this Yankees team that played real lousy in this ALDS loss, but I'll always have a little fondness for him, as I saw him get a walkoff hit at a game I went to. That Edgar Martinez card is somehow my first ever 2004 Finest card.

Time Travel Bonus

My time travel trade with Diamond Jesters this month came with an unexpected Yankees bonus! I had sent Matt a few extra Red Sox cards last time, and he sent me this really nice serial numbered Ron Guidry card!

It makes it hard to hate the Red Sox when they have fans like this. And how embarrassing must it be for Red Sox fans to lose so badly to the Yankees, and then have the Yankees revealed to be complete pretenders when matched up against a good team?

Everything from the time travel section this week was football. And why waste time thinking about a team that might commit more errors than hits this series, when I can enjoy the 3-1, sole-possession-of-first-place Giants? It may not be sustainable but it sure is fun. Ironically almost all of these cards are from the Giants' opponent this week, from back when they had a name even stupider than "Commanders".

Cake or gum? 1977 Butch Wynegar

Last time it was a 4-0 win for Topps. Will Hostess get votes here?

Judging by the background these photos look to have been taken at the same time, but differences in the way the photos were lit or developed make the Hostess card seem much darker, and makes Wynegar's uniform much bluer there.

Wynegar was an excellent fielding catcher with a little bit of pop in his bat. In 1976 he was the youngest ever All-Star (20 years, 212 days), and finished behind just Mark Fidrych in the Rookie of the Year voting. He was solid for a while in Minnesota, but after starting the 1982 season hitting .209, he was traded to the Yankees. Wynegar did not adapt well to the stresses of playing in the Bronx, and left the team in mid-season 1986. He returned to baseball for the Angels, retiring in 1988. Overall he hit .255 with 65 HR and 506 RBI in 1,301 games. Wynegar stayed in baseball after his playing days, coaching for various minor league teams, and appears to now be retired.

Wood vs. Wood #355

Last time it was a 4-3 win for 1987. Will it win again here?

I need a new copy of this 1962 Topps Steve Barber card, so I can send this one to Sir Nailhead. Anyone got an extra? Nice Yankee Stadium shot here. Barber had some great seasons for the Orioles in the early 1960s. A two-time All Star, he led the AL with 8 shutouts in 1962 and won 20 games in 1963. Despite not having a huge workload (only three 200+ inning seasons) he was hampered by injuries after a great early start to his career. He was traded to the Yankees mid-1967 and had stints with the Pilots, Cubs, Braves, Angels and Giants, without regaining his All Star form. Overall in 466 games (272 starts) he went 121-106 with a 3.36 ERA. After his playing career he was a school bus driver in Nevada. He died in 2007.

Don Carman delivers a pitch in spring training. Carman came up with the Phillies as a reliever, and had very good seasons as a setup man in 1985 and 1986. He then converted to starting where he had much more limited success. After leading the NL in losses in 1989 he was returned to the bullpen, where he was unable to match his previous form with the Phillies, and in brief stints with Cincinnati and Texas. Overall in 342 games (102 starts) he went 53-54 with 11 saves and a 4.11 ERA. He is now a sports psychologist for the Boras Corporation.
 

1981 Topps Ron Pruitt

 

The front: Topps goes for the extreme closeup here.

The back: Pruitt hit 21 home runs for Anchorage, a record at the time.

The player: Pruitt was a backup catcher for four teams over nine seasons, six of them with Cleveland. In 341 games he hit .269 with 12 HR and 92 RBI.

The man: After his playing career Pruitt was a youth and college baseball coach. He is now retired.

My collection: I have five of his cards, from 1977 to 1981. I would be interested in trading for 1982 Valley National Bank Phoenix Giants #13.

1976 SSPC Danny Frisella

 

The card, in brief: Great hatless photo, you can see why his nickname was "Bear".

Playing career, in brief: An excellent set-up reliever, Frisella pitched for five teams over ten seasons, six of those seasons with the Mets. In 351 games he went 36-40 with 57 saves and a 3.32 ERA. He started 1976 with the Cardinals but was traded to the Brewers in June, for whom he went 5-2 with 9 saves and a 2.74 ERA. He would have been a big part of the Brewers' bullpen in 1977, but on January 1 of that year he was tragically killed in a dune buggy accident. 

My collection: I have 11 of his cards, from 1968 to 1977. I would be interested in trading for 1971 Dell Today's Stamps #NNO. 

Wallet Card at Gilda's Club

This is hardly one of the oldest signs I've shown in this series, but it is interesting, and it looks like it's in danger of disappearing.

In 1995, six years after Gilda Radner died of cancer, her husband Gene Wilder and several other New Yorkers created Gilda's Club to help families affected by cancer. The organization has grown to many chapters nationwide, but in recent years has rebranded as Red Door International, perhaps because younger generations don't know who Gilda was. It looks like, as part of the rebrand, the building is being remodeled, and the painted sign with the cartoon of Gilda Radner on the side of the building is likely a casualty.

 

Ryan Gosling beats Boston

I was watching the sixth inning on TV with my son, and when Cody Bellinger came up to the plate he shouted "Ryan Gosling!" Yeah, I guess I can see it.

Anyway, Bellinger made the Red Sox pay for walking Ben Rice by hitting a 3-run HR to put the game away.

I don't understand why the Yankees play Tampa next and not Cleveland. Well, they're sure not going to score 9 runs a game against the Rays, or hold them hitless with runners on base, but this Boston series sure was fun.
 

Massachusetts beats Boston

Certainly a fun game for the Yankees tonight. Ben Rice from Cohasset, MA, goes 4-5 with 2 HR and 6 RBI. Cam Schlittler from Walpole, MA, with 6.1 scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts.

No Schlittler the rest of the series, though. And Boston is notoriously hard to kill, even when it looks like you've got them down. The big worry for me is that the Yankees lose focus tomorrow and let Boston right back into it. (Clearly I need to do a better job of not worrying and enjoy the moment!)
 

Cake or gum? 1977 Jim Barr

Last time it was a huge win for Topps, 10-0. Will Hostess even get on the board here?

Brad's copy of Jim Barr's 1977 Hostess card shows the pitcher looking clean-cut at spring training. The Topps card has Barr looking a little scruffier mid-season at Candlestick Park.

Jim Barr had several good seasons as a starting pitcher for the Giants in the mid-1970’s. winning 80 games from 1972 to 1978. In 1972 he set a major league record by retiring 41 straight batters, a mark that held for 25 years. He was a “pitch-to-contact” guy with few strikeouts or walks. A free-agent signing for the Angels in 1979, he was one of many to disappoint the club in that era, going 11-16 over two seasons. He reemerged with the Giants as a solid middle reliever in 1982 and 1983. Barr had a long career as a college and high school pitching coach, but appears to now be retired. Both of his daughters, Betsy Barr and Emmy Barr, played professionally in the Women’s United Soccer Association. They faced each other in a San Jose-Washington game in 2003.
 

Wood vs Wood #354

Last time it was a 7-0 win for 1962. Will 1987 get on the board here?

Roman Mejias is hatless, as the Pirates outfielder was an expansion draft pick of the Houston "Colts". The Cuban Mejias was a little-used backup outfielder for the Pirates from 1955 to 1961. Drafted by Houston, he had by far his best season in the expansion year of 1962, hitting .286 with 24 HR and 76 RBI. He faded in the second half, and after the season was traded to Boston, where he failed to live up to the success he had in Houston. Overall in 627 major league games, he hit .254 with 54 HR and 202 RBI. After his playing career he worked in real estate. He died in 2023 at the age of 97.

Jamie Quirk poses before a game at Yankee Stadium. Quirk started his career as a utility infielder, but over time converted to catching. He played parts of 18 seasons in the majors, but only once topped 100 games played. 11 of those 18 seasons were with the Royals, spread over three stints. In 1989 he played for three teams (Yankees, Oakland and Baltimore). In 1984 he played in four major league games, three for the White Sox, and one for Cleveland, for whom he hit a walkoff home run in his only career at-bat with the team. Overall in 984 major league games, he hit .240 with 43 HR and 247 RBI. After his playing career he was a long time coach and minor league manager, but he appears to now be retired. 

 

1981 Topps Ken Reitz

 

The front: The underrated "balancing the bat on the backs of your shoulders" look. Probably spring training.

The back: That 1,000th hit was a big one - with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Reitz singled off of Cubs reliever Willie Hernandez. Youngster Tommy Herr pinch-ran for Reitz, and scored the winning run on Garry Templeton's sacrifice fly.

The player: Third baseman Ken Reitz played eleven seasons in the major leagues, mostly for the Cardinals. A Gold Glove winner in 1975 and an All-Star in 1980, he hit .260 with 68 HR and 548 RBI for his career. 

The man: After his playing career Reitz was a community services representative for the Cardinals. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2016. He passed away in 2021 at the age of 69.

My collection: I have 21 of his cards, from 1973 to 1982. I would be interested in trading for 1978 Hostess #106.
 

1976 SSPC Dave Freisleben

 

The card, in brief: No logo on the jacket. Today there would be the Padres' logo plus three advertisers.

Playing career, in brief: Freisleben pitched six seasons in the majors for three teams, mostly San Diego. A decent pitcher for some mediocre teams, in 202 games (121 starts) he went 34-60 with a 4.30 ERA.

Post-playing career, in brief: He worked for many years as a fishing guide in Galveston Bay, though it appears he is now retired.

My collection: I have 9 of his cards, from 1974 to 1980. I would be interested in trading for 1977 San Diego Padres Littlefield Special Events Schedules #NNO.

Roundup

Some great cards that have come my way in the past month . . . 

Two fun retro inserts and a really great card of Cal Ripken and Alex Rodriguez reading Superman and Superboy comics. I don't know if it's intentional or not but the back covers of both comics have trading card ads (Batman and Phantom, respectively). These are from griffey423, TCDB. 

Sir Nailhead is on TCDB but is also a great blogger. In exchange for some mostly trashed cards, he sent two pack fresh early 60s cards . . . 

. . . and 15 cards from the 1998 Metal set. I pretty much just need a few big stars. This is my favorite modern set to collect and it's exciting to get closer to the finish line.

While there is a lot to like about this set, my favorites are the ones that incorporate NYC photos. The Edgardo Alfonzo card has Radio City Music Hall in the background, and you can even read the marquee with the upcoming shows. It advertises singer Luis Miguel for several days in late September and early October. I looked it up and determined that the photo was taken in 1995.

 Finally, some recent eBay wins. Great photo of Dodgers star Duke Snider.

I love a cheap prewar card. 1939 Play Ball of Lew Riggs of the Reds. The back of the card notes that he was one of the best fielding third basemen in the league.

Finally, a lot of three card from 1960 Leaf that I won for a dollar. I had Grim already so that's available for trade. On the one hand, the cards seem a little boring because they're just black and white head shots. However, the cards were printed on stock that was more like photo paper than cardboard, and the photos seem much more detailed and lifelike than your typical baseball card. The Frank Herrera card, for example, really pops in person much more than you would think.
 

This week's street trade

Met Al again today to swap some cards. He had bought a couple of 2025 packs, I guess.

These are from 2025 Panini. A couple of legends and a couple of rookies. I guess Grady Sizemore counts as a legend. 

Three from 2025 Stadium Club. I miss the days this set had cool photography. The Seager card is pretty good though.

Finally, a couple of random shiny inserts from the '90s. Two great stars here. The Rodriguez card has kind of a bubbly texture, I think whatever coating it had didn't age well. I don't usually pick football cards from Al, but this card, randomly in with a bunch of basketball, was thick and shiny and partly see-through, with a great player on the card too.

 

Wallet Card with another Albatross Fence

Older looking metal fences are great places to look out for old-style telephone exchanges. This is the second time I've found one from Albatross Fence, which operated from the 1950s to the 1990s. This sign dates back to at least the 1970s, probably earlier. This sign is on the property of Lincoln Orens Middle School in Island Park, NY.

Albatross was the fencing division of Albert Bros. Hardware of Bellmore, NY. Albert Bros. Hardware operated from at least the 1950s until sometime in the 1990s; owner Artie Albert died in 2000. I'm not sure how long the fencing operation lasted; the only mentions I saw were from 1950s newspaper ads. The main hardware business does seem to have kept the alpha-numberic phone number in their advertising through the early 1980s, as many New York businesses were particularly protective of that style. (SU stood for SUnset, an apparently random designation.) Clearly this fence, and the sign, have lasted for decades.
 

Cake or gum? 1977 Rusty Staub

Last time it was a win for cake, 6-1. Vote totals are getting better as Blogger issues clear up. Will this one be another win for cake?

Hostess has a simple spring training portrait for Staub. Topps has an action shot. I think this is Baltimore, and there even appears to be a player in an Orioles uniform in the dugout. Staub played in two day games at Baltimore in 1976, going 4-for-9 with one double, two runs scored and three RBI. This could be his single to left field in a Tigers win on May 23, or a double to left field in their loss on August 1.

Everywhere Rusty Staub played – Houston, Montreal, Detroit and the Mets – he was a huge fan favorite. An All-Star five times between 1967 and 1976, he reinvented himself as an excellent pinch-hitter in the 1980s. Overall, in 2,951 games he hit .279 with 499 doubles, 292 home runs and 1,466 RBI. He walked 1,255 times, compared to just 888 strikeouts. Staub was known as one of the genuine “nice guys” on and off the field. After his career he opened two successful Manhattan restaurants and was deeply involved in many charitable endeavors. He passed away in March, 2018. 
 

Wood vs Wood #353

Last time it was a 3-2 win for 1962. Hopefully with the Blogger issues seemingly fixed, this one will get more votes.

Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski strikes a hitting pose before a game at Forbes Field. Considered one of the best fielding infielders of all time, Mazeroski won eight Gold Gloves. He was a good hitter, too: in 2,163 games, all with the Pirates, he hit .260 with 138 HR and 853 RBI. The back of the card mentions something about a World Series home run, too. After his playing career Mazeroski was a coach and spring training instructor for the Pirates. He died in February at the age of 89.

Cleveland pitcher Ernie Camacho warms up before a game at Anaheim Stadium. Camacho was the Indians’ closer in 1984, lost 1985 to injury, and returned to close again in 1986. Other than those two years his career was very brief, pitching for six teams in ten seasons, without pitching in more than 15 games other than those two years. Overall in 193 games he went 10-20 with 45 saves and a 4.21 ERA. Today, Camacho works for the Alisal School District in California and is involved in many charitable causes.
 

1981 Topps Jerry Reuss

 

The front: Where was this photo taken? Even Jerry Reuss doesn't know.

The back: No room for a blurb, and still a full decade of pitching ahead of him.

The player: Jerry Reuss pitched 22 seasons in the major leagues, winning 220 games. His best season was 1980, when he went 18-6 with a 2.51 ERA, leading the league with six shutouts (including a no-hitter), finishing second in the NL Cy Young voting.

The man: Reuss has been a broadcaster for many years, most recently for the Dodgers' AAA affiliate in Las Vegas. He is also an accomplished photographer. His flickr page not only has baseball card commentary, as linked above, but lots of his own professional-quality baseball photography, and lots of other great photos too. At one time he was also a reader of baseball cards himself, causing quite a stir when he commented on a Night Owl Cards post in 2010. He kindly answered some questions for my blog as well.

My collection: I have 59 of his cards, from 1970 to 1990. I would be interested in trading for 1976 Hostess #29.
 

1986 Renata Galasso Mattingly Puzzle #8

 

Don Mattingly was #23 for the Yankees. But this bat says #29! Pitcher Bob Shirley wore #29 for the Yankees from 1983 to 1987. Would this be his bat? Or is it a Dave Collins bat left over from 1982?

The Mattingly-Shirley connection is interesting, as the career-crippling back injury that Mattingly suffered in 1987 was initially attributed to play-wrestling between the two friends, which both players have categorically denied over the years. 

Wallet card with a remnant of the horse-and-buggy era

In New York City or any other older town, you may notice that the gates near entrances often have an opening near the bottom, with a thin edge. Do you know why?

One of the advantages of living in the age of the automobile, is that cars don't leave manure in the road when they go. Walking through a ninteenth-century city meant stepping in horse leavings, mud, garbage, etc. Since a proper gentleman wouldn't want to track that stuff into the house, these bootscrapers were a handy way to discreetly clean one's boots before stepping inside.
 

Blue Streak Part II

Another week, another eBay win on a surprisingly tough card, probably kept low because of blue markings on the front. 1956 Billy Martin!

As a bonus, another damaged card I won recently. It looks like some kind of clip with teeth, like what you might see on a clipboard, took a bite out of this 1954 Roy Campanella.

Anything but boring

PSA: If you're having trouble finding your favorite blogs, TCDB has a really great blogroll. I've been using it to keep track of all the great blogs I follow, including CardBoredom. On his post today he's got not one, but two fascinating tales of nautical misadventures and mistaken identities.

He is also a generous blogger who occasionally gives away cards, as he recently did on his other site. (There may be some available if they got missed in the recent blogger nonsense - I'm the only one who claimed cards in the comments.) 

Who else gives away 1952 Topps cards? I needed three of the availables. Tookie Gilbert was the son of a big leaguer; Roy Smalley was the father of one. Dick Fowler served in the Canadian Army in WW2 and later became a US citizen. His yellow card pairs nicely with the other card I needed, a 1958 Don Mossi card, who looks a little older than the 27 years old he was at the time.