Pickup From Michael - 2006 UD Legendary Cuts Pee Wee Reese Plate

My friend Michael has been raising money for whatever venture he is getting into these days.  I'm not sure what type of card or memorabilia is intriguing him at this moment, but I was able to benefit from one of his sales recently when I picked up this 2006 UD Legendary Cuts Pee Wee Reese.  He, as always, had a real good price on the card, and I wanted to help him out.

I think Michael has kind of abandoned his Reese PC, which, I don't blame him.  Not a lot of new stuff is being issued for Reese and a lot of his vintage stuff carries a premium since he was a Brooklyn Dodger.  Still, I figured I would take this card since he is a Hall of Famer, and it is a printing plate.  I might be able to flip it later on for something interesting.

Thanks for the quick and easy deal, Michael!

The Foulbunt Top Ten - No. 6

You don't often hear baseball cards referred to as works of art.  However, before 1957, most baseball cards looked more like painted images rather than actual photographs.  Cards like ones from the 1953 Topps set are a prime example, and they remain some of the most aesthetically pleasing of all-time.  When fashioning my Top Ten list, one of the first cards I thought of is one I have had for several years and it remains one of my favorite cards to look at, and show off.

It is placed well within my Top Ten, and would be high on anyone's list, so, here it is:

Card No. 6 is my 1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese.  As you can see, the card is far from mint.  There are surface creases in the top left and bottom right of the card.  However, it still catches the eye right off the bat.  It is a "Turn Two" card, and probably one of the best of all-time.

I picked this card up back in 2009 or 2010, back when I was close friends with someone who was a huge Dodgers fan.  I was looking for a nice vintage card to get him and I discovered this one.  I liked the card so much, I wanted one, too!  I was able to find one for $50 and another for $55, so I ended up buying both.  This card has, like I said above, been one of my favorite cards in my collection since then, and it doesn't take much to wonder why.

Upon further review after I purchased the two cards, I found that I got major steals both times.  It is very difficult to find any versions of this for under $100, let alone two of them.  This card, while it represents one of the better-looking cards in my collection, it also is a prime example of the luck I have had in "sniping" cards off of EBay.

Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Pee Wee Reese

I have added several Hall of Fame signed baseballs to my collection through the first day at The National.  Like I said in last night's post, I went well above what I had budgeted for the day, but I knocked out so much of what I had set out to get, it makes the next few days more of an opportunity to just pick up random things.

This is my 111th Hall of Fame signed baseball.  Reese (b. 1918 - d. 1999) played in the majors from 1940 to 1942 and 1946 to 1958 (interrupted by World War II) for the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

The unassuming captain and heart and soul of the Brooklyn teams of that era, Reese played in seven World Series (1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955 and 1956), winning one (1955).  He retired after the Dodgers first season in LA with 2,170 hits, 126 home runs and a .269 batting average.  Reese was an All Star in 10 seasons and finished as high as 5th in the NL MVP voting (1949).

Reese was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 by the Veterans Committee.

THE Vintage Pick-up - 1953 Bowman Pee Wee Reese

I don't like to brag, but... MAN, I'M GOOD! The story behind this card is pretty simple, as you all know, my best friend Max is a huge Dodger fan. I have been helping him get into collecting since about this time last year. Well, a few weeks ago, Max made the trip to Greenville from Raleigh to come see me (which was nice by the way, I 'forced' him to watch Aliens, haha). During our visit, he showed me a couple links to some vintage cards he would be interested in, had he had the money.

The jewel of what he showed me was the 1953 Bowman Pee Wee Reese. He really liked the action shot of Reese, suspended in mid-air, about to turn two.

Now, the first thing I told him was "I bet you I can get one pretty cheap..." From then on, I was on a mission. I really liked the card too, so I was interested in seeing if one could be had at a reasonable price, and here we are. I felt bad when I purchased the card, knowing that I was buying something for myself that my best friend really wanted. I took care of that guilt about a week later.... If you look closesly, obviously, this card in not in 'Mint' condition. Ask me if I care. Here is another shining example of just an amazing card that I can enjoy because I am not handcuffed by condition. I guarantee you that Max would definitely enjoy this card as well, so I know I did a good job.

I think the back ended up looking pretty nice too, I was a little worried about it, since the Ebay auction did not have a photo of the back, but I took a chance.

If any of you know me well enough, you will know that I get a certain trait from my mother; in that if you give me something to look for, I will definitely find it, and will find it at a very reduced price. If I could get paid to be a 'card buyer,' man that would be cool.

Of course, I'm sure you all realize that other cards which were discussed the day Max came over were: 1948 Bowman Stan Musial RC, 1948 Bowman Bob Feller RC and the 1948 Warren Spahn RC. See a trend here? Ha. Ok, so what do you all think? Pretty sweet, right?