French Gold - 1922 Felix Potin Collection

France were one of the founding nations of FIFA, football's governing body, in 1904. French is one of the 4 official languages used by FIFA in its assembly and press releases.

 

While the French have had relatively good results since the inaugural World Cup in 1930, their top achievement occurred as hosts and winners of the 1998 Tournament.

 

But there were hints of heroics in pre-war Olympic football.  As hosts of the 1924 games, they started well with a 7:0 win over Latvia.

 

But at the Quarter-finals, they were hit by the hurricane form of eventual Champions, Uruguay.

 

 

The 1922 Collection Felix Potin is a sepia colored photograph set from France. It encompasses several issues, which includes the rare 3rd series. The boxer Jack Dempsey, from the 3rd series is valued at more than $300.

 

So when the opportunity arose to find six of the 14 soccer player in the set, I made the purchase. They feature France's early Olympians, French Cup (Coupe De France) finalists and World Cup players.

 

Francois Hugues

 

Midfielder and France Captain, capped 24 times. Hugues played in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics. Clubs include Red Star, Stade Rennais and FC Lyon.

Louis Darques

 

Darques had 9 caps and several war-time appearances for France. Was twice runner-up in the Coupe de France and winner in 1918 with Olympique de Pantin.

Marcel Vanco

 

Tough defender and one time Captain of France. He earned 8 caps and was winner of the Coupe De France in 1920.

 

Raymond Dubly

 

Represented France in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics, he Captained the team whilst earning 31 caps and scoring 4 goals for France as a forward.

Paul Nicolas

 

One of the most celebrated pre-war players in France. Eventual Captain of France who played in the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Olympics. He opened the scoring in the 1924 games where he scored 3 goals. He also appeared in the 1934 World Cup and had France's first goal in those games.

 

Capped 35 times with 20 goals, he also won 4 Coupe De France Finals with Red Star in 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1928.

 

Pierre Chayrigues

 

A legendary goalkeeper for France and Red Star. He made his international debut at age 19 and appeared in his last of his 21 caps fourteen years later.

Won 3 Coupe De France titles with Red Star (1921-1923) and later with Olympique Marsaille (1924, 1926-1927).

 

These cards have become exceedingly rare and are an excellent photographic record of pre-war French football.

Vintage World Cup Cards Are Hot !

 

A recent ebay sale netted $118.76 for a 1962 Lampo - Pele card. With only 2 bidders, someone got a steal. To be fair, the item was coming from Italy, which is notorious for their diabolical postal system. Its a warning for every collector buying from the boot-shaped European nation.

 

1962 Lampo- Pele'

 

However, if you have a good Italian connection that you trust, you can find some of the rarer soccer cards produced there. There were at least 5 soccer sets made in Italy to mark the 1962  FIFA World Cup in Chile. The Lampo are one of the harder to find. Their colorful design and color make them more sought after.

 

I was able to add 3 specimens from the 1962 Lampo Cile (1962 Sticker Chile) World Cup set. The Lampo are actually cardboard samples, but meant to be stuck into an album. I am certain that a bidding war would have put the previously mentioned PELE card over the $150-200 mark.

Meanwhile, I landed two players from the winning Brazilian Team:

Mario Zagalo

 

Mario Zagalo was a useful midfielder who was instrumental in the 2nd World Championship for Brazil in Chile. He went on to the distinction of becoming the first person to win the FIFA World Cup both as a player and a manager. He performed the later as the coach of the 1970 side in Mexico.

Djalma Santos

 

Arguably the best defender ever to come from Brazil, Djalma Santos was capped 98 times for Brazil, winning 2 of the 4 Final Tournaments in which he played (1954-1958-1962-1966).

He played almost 500 games for Palmeiras and another 400 plus for Portuguesa for an incredible 964 league matches.

Alfredo Di Stefano

 

Most of the cards of Alfredo Di Stefano are limited to his Spanish League career with Real Madrid. However, as the Argentine became a naturalized citizen, he became eligible for Spain for the 1962 World Championship. The 3rd card I obtained depicts him in the red shirt of Spain.

 

With only 5 months before the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, I hope to feature some of the essential sets from 1950 to the present.

S.O.S. Selling My Cards / Weekend Card Show

 

I went to my local monthly card show this Saturday.  Sometimes its just the hunt that is satisfying.

I picked up this 1963 Topps World Series - Game # 1. It Features Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher WHITEY FORD. 

 

This is where it gets scary.

 

I saw several items I really wanted but being out of cash and my Paypal running pretty dry, my options were left to old fashion trading. 

 

I bargained for some cool looking modern football cards which I hope to sell.

 

 

 

He may have lost Sunday's playoff game, but I thought picking up 3 different  PHILIP RIVERS cards was a good deal.

- 2009 Mayo base

- 2009 Mayo mini

- 2009 National Chickle

 

 

 

In addition, I got two more National Chicle cards

- Troy Aikman mini [Chicle back]

- Eli Manning mini [Chicle back]

 

 

 

I have an affinity to mini cards as they resemble the cigarette cards I collect. Two of my favorites from the day were chase cards from the 2008 Mayo football set.

- Sonny Jurgensen mini [Yale blue back]

- The Titanic [Sailing Ships S-5 insert]

 

 

 

and

 

2009 Topps Mayo Mini Gold #72 - DeSean Jackson

 

 

 

Having tapped out my funds, I had noting left but to take addresses and contact numbers and get back to them when I have the cash. So here I am, asking my fellow bloggers for your business.

 

I am opening all my baseball, hockey and football cards for sale. I need to get some paypal. If you have any Christmas spirit left, wishing for good karma or just wanting to get some good deals ...

 

email me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog-Bat-Around-Lost-Cards / SCORE

This coming from a TOPPS friendly blog http://lifetimetopps.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/blog-bat-around-lost-cards/    - cards of player we wished were included with sets, but were not.

As an avid card collector in my youth, there was little regret except for the absence of soccer player cards from the Topps Chewing Gum Company.

Sure, there were regional soccer issues from Burger King, 7/Eleven, Herfy's and Essay Meats.  What would have been great was one uniform set that included all the teams in the old NASL.  It woud have done wonders for interest and preserving the history of the game in North America.

TOP 5 Cards that should have been produced ...

1. So 40 years later a small, unlicensed company in England has accomplished this dream. SCORE has produced a series called INTERNATIONAL STARS that depict some of the World's Greatest in their NASL jerseys.

 

The Legendary Pele' suited up for an NASL All-Star Team to playing in the Bicentennial Cup against the National Teams of England, Italy and Brazil. The Team wore USA jerseys, although it was not an official US National Team.

 

The Dutch Master in Washington Diplomat colors.

 

Georgie Best with the San Jose Earthquakes

 

 

Johann Cruyff joined the Cosmos for one exhibition match and was immortalized in their jersey.

 

How I would have loved to have collected these back then. Topps now produces the MLS cards. Hopefully, they can make up for lost time by including some of the past greats that played in America.

 

2. Because of his exclusive contract with Anglo Confectionery, George Best was not included in any of the A&BC card sets from 1969 to 1974. He re-appeared in the 1977 Topps set.

 

3. Upper Deck skipped making MLS cards in 1998, 2001, 2002, and 2003. These were crucial years that would have included Landon Donovan, Taylor Twellman and Dwayne DeRosario rookie cards among other.

 

4. 1992 Topps Stadium Club should have included JOHN HARKES. who had scored what was voted the "goal of the year" and upset Manchester United in the 1991  League Cup.  Harksie should have made it into the 1994 Merlin card set as he took Sheffield Wednesday to both the League Cup and the FA Cup in the same season.

 

5. Upper Deck dropped the ball (again) as it abandoned producing World Cup Cards after the (1993 preview set) and USA 1994 set. One can only imagine what might have been producing sets for 1998 or 2002 - cards of Thierry Henry, Zidane, Ronaldo, Robbie Keane, Ronaldinho and Beckham.

 

Karma is a heavy burden. Now look at what Upper Deck has left. Not much.

 

 

Dutch Card Guy Contest - Play and Prosper !

Our fellow blogger over at the DUTCH CARD GUY, has a contest.

 

Now the Dutch Guy is not from my part of the world, but he knows his baseball and other American sports. (He's from Holland ... or the Netherlands ... er, where Dutch people live)

 

Play long and Prosper

 

 

Check it out HERE.

 

R.I.P. - EUSEBIO (1942-2014) The Black Panther

EUSEBIO da Silva Ferreira, the Portuguese soccer legend, passed this Sunday. Long before the world heard of Cristiano Ronaldo, Eusebio had put Portugal on the footballing map.

Almost single handedly (or by foot), "The Black Panther" dethroned Real Madrid and then Barcelona in the 1961 and 1962 Champions League (European Cup). He made Benfica a power house scoring over 300 goals for the club.

1970 Panini Eusebio - star of the '66 Tournament

 

He set the pace for the 1966 FIFA World Cup as top goal scorer. When Pele was knocked out through injury, Eusebio took the center stage in England.

 

Like many of the superstars of the 1960's, Eusebio joined the old NASL bringing his legend to America. First with Boston in 1975, then leading Toronto the NASL Championship in 1976. He finished his NASL playing days with the Las Vegas Quicksilver.

Eusebio is carried aloft with the 1976 NASL trophy

 

While he did not make the impression or the money that Pele did when he joined the NASL, Eusebio did leave his mark. He has something that Pele does not - a statue in America.

The Panther stands behind his bronze likeness in Massachusetts.

 

Every Sunday New England Patriots fans file by a statue of a player kicking a soccer ball outside Gillettte Stadium. Few know who he is or what he's accomplished.

 

He is remembered fondly by North American soccer fans as well as millions around the world.

 

2010 Sport Kings

70's SWEETNESS - Candy and Gum cards

My latest additions to the collection both come from the end of the 1970's. In fact, the pair were both issued for the 1979 season and were a product of gum and candy premiums.

 

OSVALDO ARDILES was a the dynamic midfield general of Argentina's 1978 FIFA World Cup winning team. A year later he joined English club Tottenham. His career with the London club earned him a place in the Football Hall off Fame.

 

 

 

1979 Topps England - Osvaldo Ardiles

 

The other player, Kenny Dalglish, also played in the 1978 World Cup for Scotland. It was his 2nd of 3 World Cups for the Scotsman. The Scots left it too late and didn't get past the group stages. He would go on to play a record 102 times for his country and a record 30 international goals.

1979 Barratt Footballers - Kenny Dalglish

 

Dalglish made his mark on English football after a leaving Scottish football with over 100 goals. He added over 200 with Liverpool and a showcase full of trophies. Kenny Dalglish is also a member of the Football Hall of Fame.

 

Both of these are great additions to my soccer PC and a super way to start 2014.