Cards and vintage stuff: Cresca

I recently got a matchbook lot that came in an old Cresca jar. Here is the lid - Cresca - Snick Snacks. I think it is from the 1950s, but can find very little information on the company online. Does anyone remember this brand? I also ordered a sports-centric matchbook lot that would be more relevant to the readers of this blog, including these NFL matchboxes. Giants, Bills, Eagles, 49ers, Bengals and Cleveland Stadium.

The Dallas/Washington and Toronto matchbooks were made by collectors for conventions, as was the Michigan's Super! cover. Mo & Junior's was owned by 1950s NFLers Dick Modzelewski lineman for Redskins, Steelers, Giants & Browns (won championship with '56 Giants) and Ed Modzelewski fullback for Steelers and Browns (won championship with '55 Browns). Former Giants great Alex Webster had a restaurant near Giants Stadium. Underrated former Cubs 3B Stan Hack had a restaurant in rural Illinois. I've had a few Bill Zuber matchbooks already, but happy to add another.

Two from Larry Bird's hotel/restaurant in Indiana. One can be had for trade. A couple of golf tournaments, two more hockey-related RMS convention books, and Jack Dempsey's restaurant opposite the old Madison Square Garden.

Tommy Henrich's steakhouse on Fifth & Broad in Columbus, OH. In 1968 Henrich closed his restaurant and in 1969 the property was sold to a KFC franchise owner named Dave Thomas, who opened his first Wendy's restaurant in that location.

Walter Payton's Thirty Four's, A Sporty Place.

Joe Theismann had several restaurants in the DC area.

Two different matchcovers for the restaurant Stan Musial owned for most of his adult life with a local restaurateur nicknamed "Biggie".

Johnny Bench's Home Plate in Cincinnati.

Don Drysdale's restaurants in California and Hawaii. Nicest looking matchcover in the lot, I think.

 

Some more minor league fun

Here's some more highlight from the package from Penny Sleeves. No real theme here, just other cards too fun not to show.

I have a few 1990 Best cards, but had never seen the checklist, in all of it's hot pink '90s glory.

Here's an unusual card.

Doyle Harris got on a few Louisville Redbirds cards per TCDB but this is the only one where he's called "Midget Mascot". He was in an Sports Illustrated article about the Redbirds in 1983, which mentioned Harris joining the team in a bench clearing brawl against Oklahoma City. "Asked if he had hit anybody, Harris said, 'No—but if they'd had a midget, I'd have kicked his butt.'"

There were plenty of star cards in the lot. My favorite was Andy Pettitte on the Greensboro Hornets.

There were lots of cards from the 1989 and 1990 Star team sets, the first minor league sets I was aware of as a kid. This was my favorite of the bunch.

Here's a great photo of Dave McCorckle in somebody's backyard.

Finally, the oddest oddball in the lot. It's a 1987 college baseball card for Daron Akins of David Lipscomb University in Nashville. Looks a lot like the 1973 Topps design.

Burger Wars

 Some more from the minor league cards from Penny Sleeves. 

The 1985 Huntsville Stars set has the most egregious product placement you'll on a card. Every card is the same, player in front of the Burger King sign. The most famous card in this set is Canseco but he wasn't in this lot. Which is fine, the fun in minor league cards is more in the obscure players than the stars.

The 1987 Huntsville BK set is a lot more interesting. There were some night cards like this one.

Fun collection of signs behind Doug Scherer here. And not one for Burger King!

Jimmy Jones leads off second base in front of a big diamond. Class Jewelers? Brass Jewelers?

Interesting shot here, far away from the action, with an unusual, dusky sky.

Here's a classic baseball pose that doesn't seem to get on baseball cards much.

How many of you have a card of someone whose last name starts with X?

McDonald's was not left out, co-sponsoring the 1989 Peoria Chiefs set with Kodak. That Rick Kranitz card with the shopping cart full of baseballs is a classic. The McDonald's coupon is unnumbered but is printed like a card in the set. It's even on TCDB, listed as card #35.

 

Nashville Sounds through the years

One team that was consistently featured in the box of minor league cards I got from Penny Sleeves was the Nasvhille Sounds. There were at least a few cards from several different years of the team.

The 1979 set was the second season for a new minor league team, named after the "Nashville Sound" - country music, of course. Country music stars like Jerry Reed and Conway Twitty helped back the team. That the card set was co-sponsored by a radio station would not be surprising - except WMAK Majik 13 was a disco station! The set is also sponsored by SunDrop, a local soda brand. This season the team was part of the Reds organization.

 

In 1980 the set did not have a sponsor. They were now a Yankees minor league team.

 In 1981 the set was sponsored by Arby's. America's roast beef yes sir!

 

There were lots of cards from the 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1989 sets. In 1987 the team went back to being a Reds minor league team. These sets were also sponsored by Hills Department store.

"Catch" our low prices every day. Get it?

Another fun goofy card was Keith Smith batting crosshanded.

 

In 1992 the sponsor was Planters Bullpen Chew sunflower seeds.

 

Chip Conklin on baseball cards

Infielder Chip Conklin played six seasons in the Mariners and A's organization. In 555 minor league games he hit .254 with 62 HR and 257 RBI. Now a Senior Managing Director at the commercial real estate firm Savills, he kindly answered my questions about baseball cards.

"As a boy I collected cards, but have not done so since that time. I still have most of the collection today. Honestly, I do not have a favorite card of myself or any story of interest to tell about them. If push came to shove, I would have to say that my most treasured card is of Mickey Mantle as he was my boyhood hero. I think the card is from the 1968 Topps series."

Thanks!

A major amount of minor league cards

Today I got a huge box of cards from A Penny Sleeve for your Thoughts. After my last minor league acquisition, Jon let me know about a big box of minor league cards that he owned but didn't really fit his collection. He sent me the box and it was filled with several hundred fun minor league cards, from the early 80s to the early 90s and beyond.

Jon even generously threw in some awesome 1930s matchcovers - all of which are New York City, with Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn all represented.

And these postcards from World War I, from one of his occasional giveaways.

One of them is even stamped, addressed and postmarked. I don't know if that technically increases or decreases the value but it certainly makes it more interesting. P.J. Whelan in Zimmerman, MN writing to William Whelan in Reading, MN - "Best wishes to all from your brother".

I know not all of you find that stuff interesting, so here is a baseball card. It's the 1989 Bakersfield Dodgers trainer, Tim Terio, standing in front of Bill Wengert's locker, with Wengert's 1988 Great Falls Dodgers card clearly visible on his locker.

And here's a card of an actual baseball player. Shot in the clubhouse at his locker next to the Pepsi machine!

Low grade '59 lot

 I was able to score another cheap low grade lot; this time, 1959 cards.

Other than the whole punches and some creasing, these aren't too bad, especially compared with my recent '58 and '60 lots. Several first series cards here, which are a little less common than you'd expect. Tom Acker is in this lot; he was also in the other too lots. Now I just have to find a rough '57 lot with him in it to get all of his cards . . .

Here's the rest of the cards I needed. Some fairly  big names here - Bobby Thomson, Carl Erskine, Curt Simmons. My first "playing days" cards of future managers Chuck Tanner and Dick Williams.

Finally, some trade bait. In some cases I have a better-conditioned card I'd be willing to trade, so don't get scared away by what you see here condition-wise.

Time travel generosity

 Recently I completed my 20th Time Travel Trade with Diamond Jesters. In the trade I selected a '61 Topps Ed Roebuck, and a fantastic action shot from 1982 Fleer football. I don't know what's better, Joe Montana stretching for extra yardage or the great look at the scoreboard (with Longines clock) in the background.

I hadn't been keeping track of the number of Time Travel Trades I participated in; though I have done it almost every month since I came across Matt's blog. But he was keeping track - this was our 20th trade, and to celebrate he generously threw in some '70 Topps needs. Some great backgrounds on all of these too, particularly the old Yankee Stadium scoreboard behind Fritz Peterson. And is that Frank Crosetti behind Jerry McNertney?

Cards that were bumped and ran over

I actually found a taker for some of my heavily trimmed '58 Topps cards. Trevor of Bump and Run Football Cards recently acquired some rough '69 cards. He had a couple I needed so I gladly sent him some of the trimmed '58s for these well-loved '69s. Thanks Trevor!

Vintage backgrounds: 1970 Topps Bruce Dal Canton

 Lots of interesting things going on here. I like the old photos of Shea Stadium before they built up the outfield seating. You can see the stands already starting to fill up; the Mets of course had a very exciting team that year. Down on the field you can see the white-uniformed grounds crew setting up the field. And passing directly behind Dal Canton is fellow pitcher Dock Ellis.

Ellis did start one game at Shea in 1969, and it was a day game, but September 21 so probably too late to be the day of this photo. Dal Canton pitched in that game two; two scoreless innings of relief after the Mets belted Ellis around (four runs in 2.2 innings).