2025 National Pickups - 1964 Topps Set Needs

My trip to the National this summer wasn't only about getting autographs.  I also wanted to pick up some PC stuff and also chip away at a few of the sets I've been working on.   It turns out that I focused on the 1964 Tipps set solely this year.  It was unintentional, but the 28 cards I bought for the set made a huge sent in the needs list.  By the time I left the show, I realized that I hadn't worked on my 1955 Bowman, 1962 Topps or 1967 Topps sets at all.

One of my main goals for the show was to right the wrong of last year where I failed to pick up the 1964 Topps Pete Rose.  I had a dollar amount in mind for what I was willing to spend on the card and came in well under that amount.  The only issue I see with the card is that the back is a bit faded.

Because I saved so much on the Rose, I went ahead and added the above cards (Tommy John rookie, Roger Maris and Sandy Koufax).

I was glad to cross the cards off of the needs list.  Maybe next year I'll hit a couple of the other sets harder.

Instagram Trade With Blaine

I completed a trade with my friend, Blaine, on Instagram last week when he made me an offer I couldn't refuse for my 1962 Topps Mickey Mantle.  I initially wasn't interested in moving the Mantle at all, but Blaine persisted and we finally struck a deal.

I got a god bit of cash, and also this nice 1960 Topps Sandy Koufax.  I like the 1960 set, almost as much as I like the '62 set.  So, this was a main component to the deal.

Once we had an agreement on the amount of money and the Koufax in place, Blaine helped sweeten the deal by adding this nice Joe Morgan relic to the pile.  Since Chris and I met Morgan a few years ago at the National, I have been picking up some of his cards here and there, so I was happy to add this one.

The final piece that sealed the deal was this Triple Threads relic/auto of Kevin Gausman.  I really liked how this card looked and when I got it in person, I liked it even more.  It has a matte finish to it, that I think really works well.

I also got a surprise when I opened the package from Blaine.  He was just a little short on the cash that we agreed to, so he added this Schoop auto from Stadium Club.  I didn't mind getting this instead, so I appreciated the gesture.

So, thanks for the deal, Blaine.  I guess the old saying is true, everything has a price!  I figured to upgrade that Mantle at some point, anyway.  It was on the lower end of the grading scale, and I wanted to try to find another one at the price I paid, in better condition, and I feel like I can do that.

Instagram Pickup From Rob - 1962 Topps Sandy Koufax

Ever since I picked up my partial 1967 Topps set from Rob, he and I have kept an open dialogue on potential deals.  He has given me first refusal on a few things that have popped up.  When he messaged me about the possibility of me landing a 1962 Topps Sandy Koufax from him for a mere $35, I had to jump at the deal.

I keep getting nice Hall of Famers from 1962 and when I do get around to working on this set, I will have a great head start.  Koufax stuff always carries a premium, so getting this one at the price I paid was an awesome deal.

Thanks for the deal, Rob!  I am excited to see what cards pop up next.

What I Got With My Abreu Money

I'm sure you all know by now what I sold my Jose Abreu autograph for a whopping $165.00.  I was able to basically take a card that is hot right now and likely to cool off for a few Hall of Famers I needed for my sets.  Some of the cards haven't arrived yet, but the bulk of them came in today.

In my opinion, one of the best was the above Willie Mays catch card.  I had been looking at it for some time now, and finally jumped on it when the Abreu money hit my PayPal.  The card is just awesome and it is so cool that it depicts one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.

I knocked off a high number All Star card in this Warren Spahn.  These cards are the ones that are really going to hurt me when I start really picking them off.  This one was just over $10, but I know if I buy a bunch in bulk at a shop or card show, it's going to be painful.

Since I already have the Bob Gibson RC, the Mantle and the Hank Aaron cards from this set, the next biggest cards were of Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays.  I knocked both of those out courtesy of the Abreu.  The Koufax is a bit off center and the Mays is a little rougher, but I now have both cards in my set and am very happy about it!

Taking these off the list was very satisfying.  I think the biggest names I need now are Don Drysdale, Warren Spahn, and of course the All Star cards. That All Star Mantle is going to set me back about $100 or so, so I need to pick that one up when bonus time comes, or Birthday time.

Finally, of the cards that came in, I was able to take one off of my 1948 Bowman set.  This Johnny Mize "RC" was only $12.  As you can see, it is a bit rough, but not too bad.  I am still working hard on this 1948 set and am making pretty good progress.  The biggest card left is the Rizzuto, but those are going for around $100, so I didn't want to spend most of my money on one card.  I wanted to spread it out and I think I did much better that way.

Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Sandy Koufax

Well, as you may be able to tell, I now have Hall of Fame signed baseball #99 in my possession as the above ball signed by Sandy Koufax.  What does that mean?  Well, if Koufax is #99 and not #100, then #100 must be epic, right?  You are correct.  I got both in one purchase a couple weeks ago, and they finally have arrived.  I'll spend tonight talking about Koufax and will follow up tomorrow on the #100 ball.

I got the balls from Conrad, the proprietor of Chic Antiques in Columbia, SC.  I've supported his store for some time now, especially since I learned that he was close friends with someone I was close friends with.  It's a small world (after all).  So, when I emailed Conrad to see if he could help me with my project, he came back with several options for #100.  A couple guys I had, so he had it narrowed it down to two.  I decided that since he gave me such a good price on each, I would go ahead and buy them both, hence the dual purchase.  Not bad, plus I bought "local", even though Columbia isn't exactly local to me, I bought them from a small business, local to my brother.  Close enough.  Anyway, I'm really glad to have helped Conrad out as he definitely helped me out.  If you are ever in Columbia, please check out Conrad's shop, located on Huger St.  Tell him I sent you!

Sandy Koufax (b. 1935) played in the majors from 1955 to 1966 for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers.  He had a career record of 165-87 with 2,396 strikeouts and a 2,76 ERA.  He was the Cy Young Award winner 3 times (1963, 1965 and 1966), the NL MVP in 1963 and won 20+ games 3 times in his career.

He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 1959, 1963 and 1965 and was on the 1955 team that won it all as well, but he didn't pitch in the post season.  His career post season record was 4-3 with a 0.95 ERA and 61 strikeouts.  Interestlingly enough, his final game pitched was in the 1966 World Series, a loss in Game 2 against a 19-year old rookie and an upstart team.  The rookie?  Jim Palmer and the team was the Orioles.  The O's would go on to sweep the heavily favored Dodgers in 4 games and Koufax would retire after the Series.

Koufax is my 99th Hall of Fame signed baseball in my collection.  I now have Koufax's rookie card (1955 Topps); his final regular Topps issue (1966 Topps) and a signed baseball).  Stay tuned to see who made the cut as #100.

Hall of Fame Induction Weekend - The Ceremony

My parade post yesterday concluded the activities we did last Saturday.  Sunday, we had reserved for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  With an ominous forecast, we took our seats in the grass at the Clark Sports Center about an hour before the scheduled start time, only to learn that the beginning of the ceremony was to be delayed due to passing showers.  We (Me, Drew, Drew's dad, Chris and my brother Adam) each took turns hanging at our area while some of us would go eat, look at souvenirs, walk around, etc.  Soon, it began to rain... and rain... and rain.  We had to take cover under one of the tents near where we had set up.  Our folding chairs and the blanket we brought were soaked.  Finally, the rain let up and they began the induction.

They began with the customary introduction of the Hall of Famers present for the ceremony.  Present were Sandy Koufax (he wasn't in the parade) and Roberto Alomar (both shown above), Bob Gibson (not in the parade), Rollie Fingers (not in the parade), Don Sutton, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Gaylord Perry, Wade Boggs, Orlando Cepeda, Goose Gossage, Ralph Kiner, Phil Niekro, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray, Dennis Eckersley, Pat Gillick, Jim Bunning, Juan Marichal, Ozzie Smith, Andre Dawson, Barry Larkin, Bert Blyleven, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk, Rod Carew, Billy Williams, Hank Aaron and Rickey Henderson.  I think that was all.  I'm counting 31 of them, but I think I read that 32 were there.  I may have missed one.  Anyway, there were a couple who were in the parade, but not at the induction in Tony Gwynn and Whitey Ford.  Doug Harvey was supposed to be there, but apparently had a heart attack on the plane ride to the event and was hospitalized.  This is only something we overheard from one of the shop owners and have yet to see anything posted online.

The induction was of three people via the pre-integration era veteran's committee.  1880s star and barehanded catcher, Deacon White, former Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert and former umpire Hank O'Day were the three people being inducted.  Since all of them died in 1939 or prior, their distant relatives were present for their inductions.  The ceremony also consisted of the formal plaque readings of certain Hall of Famers who were elected during wartime but due to travel restrictions for World War II, they never got formal inductions.  There were guys such as Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby and guys from the HOF class of 1945.  Their plaques were read by current Hall of Famers.  The most compelling one was Cal Ripken's reading of Lou Gehrig's plaque.  Because of the lack of a superstar name, the ceremony was quite mundane.  While we were all happy for the relatives of the guys who were posthumously being inducted, it would have been cool to hear a speech from someone I had grown up watching.  I know I wasn't the only one who felt this way.  If you look closely at the pictures above and below, it definitely looks like Ralph Kiner is taking a nap.

Seriously, he is at the far left of the front row.  The poor guy had nodded off.  Well, you can't really expect a 90-year old to sit through all that talking.  Again, I commend him for making the trip, and I hope I am able to travel still when I reach that age (IF I reach that age).

Anyway, The ceremony was cool.  Drew and I can say now that we were present when these three guys were inducted into the Hall.  That is something really awesome when you think about  it, especially with us being such huge fans of the game and also such huge fans of the HISTORY of the game.

Remember to continue to check out Drew's blog for his take on these events and stay tuned to this one as I show some of the stuff we saw during my second ever trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

1951 Topps Red Back #10 - Mel Parnell

Mel Parnell (b. 1922 - d. 2012) played in the majors from 1947 to 1956 for the Red Sox.  He had a brief, yet stellar career.  He went 123-75, had a 3.50 ERA and 732 strikeouts.  He won 25 games for the Red Sox in 1949, a season in which he was named to the All Star team and finished 4th in the AL MVP voting.  For six seasons (1948 to 1953) he would win 15 or more games in 5 of those seasons, and would win more than 20 twice (25 in 1949 and 21 in 1953).  Parnell threw a no hitter for the Red Sox in 1956 shortly before his career was prematurely ended with a torn muscle in his throwing arm.  I would think that if the types of surgeries that exist today were used back when he played, Parnell would have likely went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

I looked up two other pitchers who are in the Hall of Fame with similar length of career as Parnell, Addie Joss (pitched 9 seasons) and Sandy Koufax (pitched 12 seasons) and although his won-loss record is similar (a career .621 win percentage) to those other two (Koufax had a career winning percentage of .655 {165-87} and Joss had a career winning percentage of .623 {160-97}), he doesn't hold a candle to Koufax's accolades (one MVP, 3 Cy Young Awards and 3 World Series Rings) or Joss' other career numbers (1.89 ERA or 4 seasons with 20 or more wins).

I feel like Parnell could get some HOF consideration via the Veterans Committee, but I doubt he will ever be enshrined in Cooperstown.

I do wish I had tried to get him TTM last year before he passed, his autograph would be a nice addition to my collection.

Deceased: 8

2012 Topps Gold Rush Wrapper Redemption

I came home today to find out that my 2012 Topps Gold Rush wrapper redemption packs had come in the mail today.  I had enough wrappers to qualify for 2 packs of the special cards.  Each pack contained 5 cards with the possibility of pulling some autographed stuff (I think).  I know last year Virgil Trucks autographs were something you could pull from the redemption packs.  I didn't get any autos, but I got some pretty nice cards:

Sandy Koufax

Warren Spahn

Koufax and Spahn were the best of the HOF/retired players that I was able to pull.  I also got Tony Gwynn and Albert Belle.

Albert Pujols

Josh Hamilton

Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton were the highlights of today's players that I pulled.  I also pulled: 
Tim Hudson, Allen Craig, Aroldis Chapman and Felix Hernandez.

I plan on keeping the Spahn and Koufax cards.  I think I might keep the Hamilton, too, unless someone overwhelms me with an offer.  I bet I could get a decent amount from the Pujols.  All of the other cards not mentioned will either be trade bait or sold at the April card show.

If any of these cards interest you, please shoot me an email and let me know!!

Happy Birthday Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax turned 76 today.  Amazing to think that he has been in the Hall of Fame since 1972, making him one of the longest tenured players in the hall at this time (Stan Musial, elected in 1969, is the longest tenured living player right now).

Koufax was an awesome pitcher in his day.  I, for one, want to wish him a very happy birthday and many more to come.

Got My MCG Cards Today!!

So, I took the plunge and paid Topps' exorbitant shipping fees and claimed most of my MCG (Million Card Giveaway) cards. They came today.
This is the highlight of the cards I was able to redeem, a 1964 Topps ERA Leaders Koufax. I wasn't about to let Topps get this card back. Anytime I can get a Koufax for free, I'm going to take it.

I was happy when I got this Larsen, but as you can see, the one they sent me had these two lines across the front. Epic fail. Come on Topps, this card wasn't printed in 2009, it was 1962... there shouldn't be roll marks on it.

I got two '71s that were needed in my set. I'm happy that one of them was for the O's winning the '70 World Series. Very nice!!

I also got two 58 Topps, see below. I love how the red pops when it is scanned. They look great.

Finally, the oldest card I got was this 1956 Topps. I have a good bit of key cards from this set, so completing it may be in my future plans... I have to get the Mantle, though.

So, I'm really satisfied with my pickups. I got 30+ cards, but only had time to scan a few of them. Several will be traded to some friends, and a few will be sold at card shows. Overall, Topps did pretty well with the program. I hate that they were giving away 2009 Topps cards in the promo, you can find those at stores still... Oh well.

1955 Topps #123 - Sandy Koufax

One of the two BIG rookie cards in this set, Sandy Koufax (b. 1935)!!! Koufax played in the majors from 1955 to 1966 for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Koufax began his career mired in mediocrity from 1955 to 1960, then after the 1960 season, things 'clicked.' From 1961 to 1966, Koufax was the best pitcher in baseball. This run also has Koufax regarded as one of the best pitchers in history. Koufax ended his career after losing to the Orioles in the 1966 World Series, citing his desire to want to be able to lift his arm later in life as the reason for his early retirement (he was 30). He retired with a record of 165-87, 2,396 strikeouts and a 2.76 ERA. Some of Koufax's other accomplishments:

• 3-time Cy Young Award Winner (1963, 1965 and 1966)
• Won the 1963 NL MVP Award
• Led league in wins 3 times (1963, 1965 and 1966)
• Led league in ERA in 5 straight seasons (1962-1966)
• Led League in strikeouts 4 times (1961, 1963, 1965 and 1966)
• Won the pitching triple crown 3 times (1963, 1965 and 1966)
• Threw 4 no hitters
• One of his no hitters was a perfect game in 1965
• Won the World Series with the Dodgers 4 times (1955, 1959, 1963 and 1965)
• Uniform number 32 retired by the Dodgers
• Elected to the hall of Fame in 1972 on 86.87% of the ballot (first ballot)

(HALL OF FAME 10)

Hidden in my Collection - 1966 Topps Sandy Koufax

A while ago I wrote about players who may have hung on a little too long, and used my 1973 Topps Willie Mays as an example. you can read the post here.

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I got this card at the shop from a collection that was brought in, same as the 1967 Mantle I posted about here. This is Koufax's last Topps base card. He would retire after the 1966 World Series with the desire to still have the ability to have the full use of his arm later in life, rather than pitching a few more seasons and risk permanent damage. Koufax won 165 games in his career, but one has to think that if medical technology that is available today were available back then, he would have been able to pitch a lot longer. Something I've always found interesting is that his final game was a loss in the 1966 World Series.

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Koufax pitched for the Dodgers in Game 2 of the Series against the Orioles and was matched up against a young 20-year old pitcher named Jim Palmer. The Dodgers committed 6 errors in the game and the O's won by a score of 6-0. The last batter that faced Koufax was Andy Etchebarren who grounded into a double play.

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I have 3 Koufax cards in my collection so far, his 1955 Topps RC, 1956 Topps and 1966 Topps.

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!!!