Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Joe Torre

I picked up one more Hall of Fame signed baseball while at the National Card Show in this Joe Torre.  I got a great deal on this ball when I bundled it with another ball that I will show in a later post (a future Hall of Famer).

Torre (b. 1940) played in the majors from 1960 to 1977 for the Braves (Milwaukee and Atlanta), Cardinals and Mets.  He had 2,342 hits, 252 home runs and a .297 lifetime batting average.  He was the 1971 NL MVP when he had 230 hits, 137 RBIs and an NL leading .363 batting average.  He was also a 9-time All Star.  As a player, Torre appeared on fifteen BBWAA Hall of Fame ballots (1983 to 1997), but could only gain as high as 22.2% of the vote (on his final ballot).

As a manager, however, is how Torre really gained election to the Hall.  He managed in the majors from 1977 to 1981 with the Mets, 1982 to 1984 with the Braves, 190 to 1995 with the Cardinals, 1996 to 2007 with the Yankees and 2008 to 2010 with the Dodgers.

Prior to his time with the Yankees, Torre was a fairly middling manager.  He had some success with the Braves, reaching the playoffs, but losing in the NLCS 3-0 to the Cardinals.  Torre took over the Yankees in 1996 and went on to win 4 World Series titles (1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000).  His career managerial record is 2,326-1997 (.538 win percentage).

Torre was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014 by the Veterans Committee and is my 127th Hall of Famer.

June 21, 2014 Raleigh Card Show Part 2 - 1969 Topps Set Pickups

As promised, here is my next installment (Part 2, if you will), of what I got today at the Raleigh card show.  I got such good deals on vintage set needs.  I added 7 1969s to my set, including 5 Hall of Famers, a checklist and a RC.

I made a rare double up purchase by picking up this Roberto Clemente that I already had in the set. The guy made me such a good deal on it, I couldn't pass it up.

New Hall of Famer, Joe Torre is included in the lot of cards that I got.  The 1969s I got were cheap for the most part, most around $1 a piece, but the below Rod Carew was much higher than that.

Hooray for high numbers because this Carew carried a premium.  Oh well, I would have bought it at some point, anyway, so why not now.  This was one of the last purchases I made before I tapped out and went home, but I'm glad I got the card.

Can't forget Bill Mazeroski, even though most do forget he is a Hall of Famer.  This is a really nice card of the former Pirate.  This was just about at the end of his Topps run as he had cards in 1970, 1971 and 1972 after this one.

Finally, a Hall of Fame manager, Leo Durocher.  Kind of funny seeing the Torre from above, a newly minted Hall of Fame manager and this card of thelegendary Leo Durocher.  Kind of interesting seeing them close to each other.  Kind of like a lineage or something.

Stay tuned for my next installment, set to be written in a few minutes, my 1959 Topps pickups.

Card Show Rookie Card Pickups

One thing I was looking for, or one type of thing, rather, was picking up some notable rookie cards for my collection.  At the card show, I was able to do just that.  I got several copies of a couple rookies with the intention of keeping one of each for myself and flipping the rest on for a small profit.  That should tell you that I got these pretty cheaply.

I remember when the above Mark McGwire and below Roger Clemens rookie cards were really expensive.  $50 each, if I remember correctly.  My how the mighty have fallen.  I got each of them for a few bucks each.  I got two copies of each card.  I already had one of each in my 85 set and now I have one each to put with my notable rookies.

Each card I got is in really good shape.  If I were into it, I would consider shipping a couple off to be graded.  However, I really don't care for grading cards, so they will stay in top loaders in my collection.

One card I found really cheap and am unable to explain why was the Kirby Puckett RC.  It was the same price as the Clemens and McGwire.  Oh well, I took advantage.  I already had an additional Puckett RC, so the two I added at the show are sale able or trade able.  They look good and I enjoy the retro Twins uniform.

This card I was able to get for $10.  A 1962 Topps Joe Torre RC.  This one if strictly for my RC collection and not for sale or trade.

I was looking for this specific card before I even embarked on the card show trip and was glad to find it at a reasonable price early on.

Christmas Presents From Drew

Many of you who read this blog know that over the past three or so years, Drew over at Drewscards and I have become pretty close friends.  He is a really great kid whose passion for baseball and the hobby isn't matched by anyone else that I know.  He is also a very reliable friend when a lot of friends can let you down.

Drew surprised me the other day with a nice package that he sent as a Christmas present.  I knew about one of the cards because he got it at a recent card show, but went ahead and included it with his gift.  He also put some cards in to help with my needs list, which I have neglected over the past year as I have been pursuing more and more Hall of Fame autographs...

 Drew got this Jim Palmer 2008 Upper Deck Premier Manufactured Patch/Auto of Jim Palmer as the main part of the Christmas present.  This card looks so awesome.  Upper Deck did a good job designing the patch, and the auto fits nicely onto the card and doesn't take away from the design at all.

 Drew got this 2010 Topps Tribute Eddie Murray relic card from a recent card show.  He had told me about it because I had picked him up something cool from one of my shows (I wish I could remember what it was).  I like this card a lot as well.  I think Topps does a good job on Tribute, I just wish it wasn't so darn expensive.

 Drew also attacked my 1971 Topps want list.  Some of the cards are a bit rough, but are going to be used as set fillers until they can be upgraded.  There were several that will stay in my set, though.  The above Joe Torre and the below Hoyt Wilhelm highlight the cards that will stay in the set for sure.

This time of year, and especially this year since we had a death in the family, I try to make sure I let the ones I care about know that I am thinking of them.  It is always nice when you, also, find out that someone is thinking of you.  For Drew to think of me when he is browsing at a card show, or sorting his collection, means the world to me.

If you haven't yet visited his blog, I encourage you to do so.  he is definitely a great guy and an even better friend.

Thank you, Drew.

Merry Christmas!

Some More Sportlots Pickups

I was bored the other night, so I checked out Sportlots and knocked a few more cards off of my want list for 1970 and 1971 Topps...

I knocked 4 high numbers off of my 1970 Topps set.  One of which is the above Frank Lucchesi.  I'm winding down on this set, but all that are left are high numbers.  This is still going to take a while, but it is nice to begin seeing a light at the end of the tunnel...

I knocked off 10 more 1971 Topps.  A few were the leaders cards like the NL Batting leaders card above featuring Rico Carty, Joe Torre and Manny Sanguillen.

Spaceman, spin the black circle...  Ahhh, Bill "Spaceman" Lee's crazy a$$.  Have you ever seen him on Ken Burns' Baseball?  Yeah, I think he is completely nuts, but he is always fun to listen to when he gives interviews.

3 Hall of Famers on this NL Strikeout Leaders card.  Not too bad, if you ask me.

Ooh, look, 3 more Hall of Famers, I did pretty well, plus I also knocked off 7 1963 Fleer for a friend of mine who is completing that set, so all in all, it was a good mail day for me.