VIntage Cards from Jim from Downingtown: A Long Overdue Trade Post

You know, sometimes you get cards and you can't recall how exactly how you stumbled upon them or bought them for? And then there are others that you can picture with such clarity that you recall the color of your socks, where you were, and how much you paid for the cards?

In this new-fangled world of trade by mail,  an assortment of vintage cards must assuredly come from Jim from Downingtown.  (Notice the link goes to his profile; there are so many blogs).

Getting cards from the 60s in the mail is probably the 3rd best card collecting feeling in the world after getting an autograph of your favorite player and ripping open 20 cases of cards in less than 3 nights (not that I've ever done that.)

1964 Topps Dick Williams:  You might better remember Dick Williams as the HOF manager with the killer sunglasses, but here he is finishing out his playing career in Boston.

1966 Topps Lew Krausse: The first card from a team name that doesn't exist, the Kansas City Athletics.  The young prospect was gearing up for his career year in 1966.

1965 Topps Turk Farrell: It's a Colt 45s card!  Now that's a team nickname that didn't last very long or easy to announce.  Farrell started and ended his career with the Phillies, but was a 3 time all star in Houston.

1964 Philadelphia Norm Snead: This is weird, this is a football card posted on this site. It's from a company called Philadelphia, which made football cards in the '60s.  Here he is, at the beginning of his Eagles career. He had over 30000 yards passing and is still 6th all time in interceptions.

1966 Topps Dave Mcnally: He was one of the famed quartet of the 1971 Orioles, which each won 20 games during the season.  That might never happen again until the bullpen becomes someplace where less pitchers hang out.

1963 Topps Dal Maxvill: We're both alumni of the same college, but he got to play with Stan Musial and I did not.

And then to top it off, there were a few 1968 game cards, which gave me the first Mantle card from his playing days I had ever owned (another followed, which will be the subject of another post at some point).  Check out the glory of the Mick, Yaz, and Hammerin' Hank.  (plus I would have a 1.000 OBP in this game and always win because I would never get an out).

Thanks to Jim!

More 2012 Leaf Memories: Autographs and Airbrushing

Irrationality is a fun little way to conduct operations.  Why do we like certain cards or sets?  Why do we become obsessed in pursuit?  It is a good thing that I can't afford to buy all the sets that I want. Otherwise, all that would be seen is a hand flailing under a flood of cards like those cartoons of characters sinking into lava reaching for the air.....

As time passes, I realize that my card collecting is not so much as a steady trickle of cards as a series of floods punctuated by obsessions.  2012 Leaf Memories was one such of these obsessions.  For some reason, the design sparked an innate urge to get them all.....spoiler, I failed at that.

The reason is because Puig Fever swept the nation, and the price skyrocketed to the point where this became infeasible.  The "additional" base cards, numbered 529 and above were split between rookies and retired players, with all of them numbered to 99.  Prospect names that still resonate three years later include Addison Russell, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Joey Gallo, and, of course, Yasiel Puig.

The retired players portion of the checklist was much easier to track down. Notice that there are blank uniforms and varying pictures of era and tone.

Bob Gibson pitching in what looks like to be against Boston, which may mean this is a photo from the 1967 World Series.

Albert Pujols is modeling his new Angels duds for the first year of his career transition.

Reggie Jackson  during his postseason mashing prime.

Jim Bunning going with the Tigers uniform of his youth.

Whitey Ford with a knowing look that the batter has no chance on this one.

There were also two principal auto types in the set; one was essentially reprints of these high numbered cards, usually with a sticker auto and numbered to 25, and the other was buybacks from the 1990 Leaf set, which were then signed on-card and numbered to the player's uniform number in most cases.  I tried to snag a few and successfully pulled out a couple of Hall of Famers.

Dennis Eckersley is strangely not throwing sidearm in this card from his playing days.  This was from his peak of his powers when the A's were riding high after winning the World Series and sporting a crazy 55:3 K:BB ratio.

Red Schoendienst was both a HOF second baseman and a pennant-winning manager with the Cardinals.    He won two World Series as a player....and this was a surprise for me, with the Milwaukee Braves.  It's appropriate that he has this 1990 designed card since his last managing stint was as an interim manager after replacing Whitey Herzog in the 1990 season.

2012 Leaf Memories is a set that surprisingly maintains a hold on me still even though I have very few actual 1990 Leaf cards....the collecting mind is funny sometimes.