COMC Pickup - Familiar Faces In Strange Places

I bought these two cards off of COMC recently because I thought they were so cool.  These are 1975 SSPC cards.  The above card shows Hall of Famer, Duke Snider as a coach for the Expos.  It definitely is a funny sight to see him in the Red White and Blue Expos uniform.

I don't have very many Expos in my collection, so adding this one was a no brainer for me.

Finally, this card is weirder for me than the Snider.  Harmon Killebrew as something other than a Senator/Twim.  Wow.  I totally forgot that Killebrew finished his career in Kansas City.  The card is awesome and I'm glad I own it.

I looked at most of the '75 SSPC checklist on COMC and there are quite a few cards that I still want from there.  I might make this a mini PC, players in odd uniforms.  I could have Boog Powell as an Indian, or Frank Robinson as an Indian or Dodger.  Some stuff like that.  I used to have the Heritage card of Babe Ruth as a Dodger coach.  I wonder what I did with that.

1951 Topps Red Back #38 - Duke Snider

Duke Snider (b. 1926 - d. 2011) played in the majors from 1947 to 1964 for the Dodgers (Brooklyn and LA), Mets and Giants.  he had 2,116 hits, 407 home runs and a .295 batting average over 18 seasons.  He led the league in  home runs with 43 in 1956.  He hit 40 or more home runs in five consecutive seasons from 1953 to 1957.  He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1955 and 1959.  He finished as high as 2nd in the NL MVP voting (1955) and was an eight-time All Star.

Snider was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980 (his eleventh ballot) when he received 86.5% of the vote.  Wow, what took the writers so long?  Were they misusing his WAR stat or something?

Deceased: 30
Hall of Fame: 7

A Few More Cards From the Card Shop

I didn't have any mail when I got home from work, which is never how I want to end my day.  I guess I can't complain.  I do have 7 baseballs still out for TTMs, though, so I wish they would get here.  Anyway, Last Sunday, I went to my local card shop to get some supplies and left there with a couple packs of cards.  I didn't have any huge hits, but I did get a couple cards of note.

Out of a pack of Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects (I think), I pulled this Brian Matusz.  Not too bad.  I would have rather pulled the Dylan Bundy, but oh well, at least I got an Oriole.

I bought two packs of 2011 Topps Lineage and got this 1975 mini of Duke Snider.  That same pack also had a mini relic of Jayson Werth.

I'm not a fan of Werth, so this card is definitely up for trade.  If anyone is interested, please send me an email.  I'll go ahead and add this to the for sale/trade page.

1955 Topps #210 - Duke Snider

Here it is. The final card of the 1955 Topps set. What a way to close it out, though, with the Silver Fox, Duke Snider.
Duke Snider (b. 1926 - d. 2011) played in the majors from 1947 to 1964 for the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers, Mets and Giants. Known as the Duke of Flatbush, he was a huge star for the Dodger teams of the 1950s. He was a World Series winner with the Dodgers in 1955 and 1959. He also appeared in the World Series with the Dodgers in the 1949, 52, 53 and 56 seasons. He was a power hitter who hit 40+ home runs in 5 straight seasons (1953-1957). An 8-time All Star (1950-56, 63), he was definitely one of the elite players of his time. He retired at the age of 37 with 2,116 hits, 407 home runs and a lifetime batting average of .295. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980 with 86.5% of the vote (his 11th time on the ballot).

Sadly, Snider passed away this February after having been in declining health for some time. When healthy, Snider was one of the more prolific TTM signers. Not knowing that he was in such poor health, I attempted to have a baseball signed by him TTM in January. I got a RTS and bought a signed ball of his the next day at a card show. I'm glad I have it because Snider is truly a legend of baseball.

(DECEASED 110)
(HALL OF FAME 17)

Duke Snider - 1926-2011

Duke Snider passed away today at the age of 84. Apparently he had been dealing with some health issues recently. This is a shame, because I have really taken an interestin the Dodgers over the last few years since Max and I have gotten close. I got the news today from Drew who was listening to the Yankee spring training game.

I tried to get him as a TTM autograph a month ago, but I guess his health was not very good, then either. I'm really sad. The Duke of Flatbush will definitely be remembered as a baseball legend. Rest in peace, Duke, you'll be missed.

My First TTM Return To Sender, But That's Ok

I got my first RTS on Saturday when I got back from the card show. It was the box that I sent Duke Snider. I figured it would come back, but it was worth a shot. Apparently he has been hit or miss on TTMs, mainly because he hasn't been in the best of health and his family has been refusing packages and such. It didn't matter, though, when I got to the show on Sunday. I saw this autographed Duke Snider ball, authenticated by JSA, for $50.00.

That makes 17 Hall of Famer autographed baseballs. I'm always looking for more. I got another one from the show, and I will show it off in my next post about the show.

Card Show

I went to the Charlotte Toy and Hobby show today with Christopher. He was very well behaved and got a Tom 'the Mongoose' McEwen Hot Wheels Funny Car. The place was MUCH busier than the card show I went to at the end of December. For a $5.00 entry fee, I was able to walk around and spend some time with my boy and talk to some people. P.A. instructed me to go with the sole purpose of getting the 1955 Sandy Koufax that I needed. I didn't disappoint. For a 'steal' I was able to get my hands on the Koufax and 19 other cards I needed for my set. As they say, its all down hill from here!

I was also able to get a G Duke Snider, I pretty much jumped on it because all the ones I had seen on ebay were going pretty high and they aren't the easiest cards to come across. Since I am not too hung up on 'grade' I figured I should go ahead and get it while it was at a price I could afford.

So, now, as it stands, these are the STARS I still need for this set: #47- Hank Aaron, #125- Ken Boyer RC, #166- Hank Bauer, #189- Phil Rizzuto and #194- Willie Mays. Obviously, I still need some common players and several high numbers, but this set is just about done!!!