Make Mine A Mini - Local Cards Show Haul - Part 2

Baseball has the greatest knack for evoking nostalgia. Beginning with the early cigarette cards, the chewing gum era was high lighted by past stars and Hall of Fame members. It is only recently that the non-gum era has begun to feature the tobacco makers from the early days.

 

Kimball Tobacco cards of the 1890's featured actors, athletes and famous personalities. So in the line of Allen and Ginter, Mayo Plug comes the Kimball style of cigarette size player cards.

 

Having already seen dozens of standard size reproductions of Ruth, Cobb, Mantle and DiMaggio, it was refreshing to find some of my favorites on the cigarette style repos.

 

I I found the legitimate All-Time Home Run King, Hank Aaron, on the 2011 Topps Kimball series along with baseball card icon, Honus Wagner.

 

2011 Kimball - HANK AARON

2011 Kimball - HONUS WAGNER

 

To me, the water color art work on these is spectacular and worth more than the so often re-used photos for standard Topps cards. These fit nicely into my tobacco collection.

 

I think everyone has a favorite set from their earliest collecting days that brings back great memories. For me, it was finding a rack pack of 1972 Topps baseball in the grocery store.

 

Topps retro / Heritage style cards prove that all that flash and glitter is not required to make good looking cards. A twist on the 1975 Topps test set minis, these fraction size cards have the feel of the 1970's with the inclusion of modern stars. If I have one qualm about them, its that all the 1972 Topps were wonderfully posed pictures - with action shots appearing on separate "In Action" cards.

 

I picked two cards from this mini set: As the 1972 Pirates of Clemente and Stargell were World Series Winners, I selected the best current Pittsburgh player of today - Andrew McCutchen.

 

Although not my favorite personality or player, the 1972 Topps Willie Mays was so iconic when I first saw it, it evokes spring time, Finding your heroes in the packs, chewing bubble gum and knowing you could complete your team before the autumn leaves fell.

 

I admit, I don't actively collect modern players, but if I did, it would have to include Derek Jeter. He has so many cards that it would be near impossible to collect anything else. But when I find a card for the right price and style, its an easy choice.

 

2007 Goudey Derek Jeter Red Back mini

 

I've avoided football cards for the most part as I sold off my collection to concentrate on soccer cards. But the retro style and the headline making antics of this player, prompted me to put it in the pile.

2013 Topps mini - Richard Sherman

 

As is the case when I go to these shows, most dealers do not bother to stock soccer cards. But as this is now a monthly show, they are getting used to seeing me and my asking for cardboard of the beautiful game.

 

Sometimes, it pays just to spend the 10 - 15 minutes digging through there 10 cent boxes. Here is where I found two minis of U.S. National Team players Jozy Altidore and Tim Howard.

 

Both, barring injury, should feature in this summer's FIFA World Cup in Brazil for the USA.

 

Jozy Altidore - American Goal Scorer

Tim Howard - USA # 1

 

All in all, I was pleased with my finds for the 90 minutes or so I spent at the show. Selecting the cigarette style smaller cards, to me, is a case of more quality for less money.

 

If anyone has similar soccer cards in cigarette style that you would trade for my baseball, NFL football or other cards, let me know.

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MINI CARDS ?

HOLY SMOKES ! Local Card Show Haul - Part 1

The bad thing about the glut of card sets in today's hobby is that its nearly impossible to collect everything. Another bad thing about today's modern cards is that many come in very expensive boxes far beyond the budget of the average wallet.

Well, the good thing about the above, is that often, the cup of wealth overflows and spills out to the waiting masses.

Going to this weekend's monthly local card show, I was gunning for the dealer tables that yielded past gems. In a moment of indecision, I had left a few desired cards in the bins and hoped they would be there.

I had planned to make a bee line to THAT dealer when I passed the table of a dealer that had some nice vintage last show. So I asked him to put aside the handful I pulled. He just nodded and gave me a straight price which was even better than the bargain price. I picked up a nice 1971 "Catfish" Hunter and a 1961 Washington Senators, Mickey Vernon card.

Vernon has his own sports museum in Pennsylvania and holds the record for career double play for a 1st baseman.

Hall of Famer - Jim Hunter

 

Mickey Vernon owner of 2,495 career hits

 

Although I probably had a card of each of these athletes, it was hard to pass up two of the more decorated Olympians of modern times. So, I added a 2013 mini Goodwin Carl Lewis and a 2012 Allen & Ginter mini Michael Phelps.

 

Carl Lewis - fastest man on land

 

Michael Phelps - fastest man in water

 

Going back to the table to take care of unfinished business, I found the cards just as I had left them. But the prices had gone up. Oh boy !

 

However, after discovering that these cards came in boxes with a suggested retail price of $89.99, I figured my only chance to get these would be on the secondary market.

 

I found a blue back mini (Y for Yale) football player, and 3 insert minis. I added 2 ships (Cutty Sark S-6 and Queen Mary S-7) and a horse (Tennesse Walker H-#3).

 

2008 Mayo Plug - Glenn Dorsey rookie

 

Cutty Sark insert # S-6

 

As luck would have it, I found this orange back (P for Princeton) President Grover Cleveland card. They are found 1 card per box ! I also like anyone who was the leader of the "Bourbon Democrats" - cheers !

 

Not a Brown's player, but still a big enough guy to be both the 22nd and 24th President

 

Although none of these were true tobacco cards, they are the same size as traditional cigarette issues. The Goodwin, Allen and Ginter and Mayo Plug were original brands that distributed cards with their smoking products. I like the smaller size collectables and the subject matter is easier to handle than massive sport issues from card companies.

 

Ideally, I would like to feature original cards of these tobacco subjects as well as their modern issue. I have several athletes and some other personalities.   

 

I had a plan for this show and I hit my target on these. I will feature the rest of my haul in the next installment.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prizes from The Dutch Card Guy

Don't ask me how, but I won a contest. Our overseas bogger "The Dutch Card Guy" ran a contest and I ended up winning an autographed rookie card of SONNY WEEMS. Weems was a top draft pick but played very few games in the NBA. He is currently playing in the Russian professional basketball league. If nothing esle, there is not a glut of his cards floating around. Its a numbered card 780/799

 

2009 Topps Signature Series

 

My new Dutch friend knows that I am a soccer collector and accordingly added some MLS soccer cards. These included US National Team players Connor Casey, Kyle Beckerman and the forgotten kid phenom, Freddy Adu, from the last Upper Deck set produced.

 

Oddly enough, my first base cards from the new Topps MLS set comes from overseas ! This bunch included the son of former Padre outfielder Marvell Wynn, MLS comeback player of the Year - Kevin Alston and Peru National Goalkeeper - Raul Fernandez.

 

There was also a bunch of rookie cards and draft picks ...

 

highlighting ugly college jerseys.

 

But the biggest surprise was the numbered autograph card of FC Dallas goal bomber - Kenny Cooper. Cooper's dad played goal in the old NASL for Dallas. Another great father-son sports story.

 

Thanks to the Dutch Guy. I recommend trading with this person as he always sends great stuff.

1998 Jeff de Bruges - Team FRANCE

When your become a super collector (or a nut case, depending on who you ask) you can often loose track of your possessions. When you move, things disappear. They find their own hiding place just to avoid having you paw them, stare at them and truly admire what you have.

 

At least that's what nut cases like me believe. I was looking to find one of my favorite soccer sets and they went into hiding. You see, this week MLS Spring Training begins and the New York Red Bulls are coming to town with the legendary THIERRY HENRY.

 

Henry was a World Cup Champion with France in 1998 and a runner up in 2002. He was European Champion in 2000 and a Premier League record holder with Arsenal.

 

But I digress. I wanted to checklist this set - which are actually chocolate wrappers rather than cards. I couldn't remember if Henry was in the set. Well he's not.  But the set is fantastic anyway !

 

The great Zinedine Zidane imortalized

 

I was at a Paris airport when I found these - JEFF de  Bruges L'Equipe de FRANCE (Team France) Chocolates. I purchase as many as I could. They were available in a cardboard window box of 16 chocolates and a limited edition metal tin with 36 candies. I got both.

 

There were 4 flavors of chocolates which corresponded to the wrapper colors. Each wrapper had a reproduced painted portrait of a player, the Manager or the French Federation Crest. 

 

 

Among the many host countries that made collectables for the FIFA Tournament, the French payoff was one of the most talented teams in their history.

 

The side panels of the metal tin feature facsimile autographs of the players. These are repeated on each of the player wrappers as well.

 

1998 Jeff de Bruges - L'Equipe de France (set of 20)

 

- white -

Laurent Blanc

Marcel Desailly

Bernard Lama

Frank LeBoef

FFF crest

- carmel -

Didier Deschamps

Aime Jaquet - (Manager)

Bixente Lizarazu

Robert Pires

FFF crest

- dark -

Vincent Candela

Christophe Dugarry

Christian Karembeu

Patrick Viera

FFF crest

- hazelnut -

Fabien Barthez

Youri Djorkaeff

Zinedine Zidane

FFF crest

 

Billy Meredith Equal to Ty Cobb Cards ?

The world is hungry for pre-war soccer cards. The USA is playing catch-up and paying to do so. For most of the card crazy 1980's and 1990's baseball cards have been the top valued collectible on cardboard. 

1908 Ogden's Cigarettes - Billy Meredith

Recent auction results have shown that pre-war cigarette baseball cards have returned an unbelievable investment - better than any stock market or banking options.

To the hobby purest, this might seem as blasphemy, but the dollar (or Euro) drives many markets.  So, whether we like it or not, these financial pressures do effect collectors and what they can afford.

Most recently, hobbyist have been searching for low cost, high return items for their collections. Enter - soccer cards. Unlike American tobacco issues, which for the most part were produced for a larger population, many European and British card sets were limited to local purchasers. But now, the world's fanfare with the Barcelonas, Arsenals, Bayerns and Chelseas have driven up the demand for these collectibles.

Over the last decade, only a handful of clubs can say they have the world following (and success) of Manchester United. 

While there are many rarer card sets from the first decade of the 20th century, it is equal in many ways in comparison with the 1909 baseball set know as T-206.  Separating the variations and manipulated hype (Wagner card), the top valued player in the baseball set might be Ty Cobb.

Cobb led his Detroit Tigers to the pennant and in the midst of 9 consecutive batting titles.  Meanwhile, Billy Meredith led Manchester United to the first of its record setting 21 league championships in the 1907-08 season.  He led them to win the FA Cup a year later.

The 1908 Ogden's Cigarette Famous Footballers is only a 50 card set. Most British price guides value all the cards in the set evenly, with Meredith bringing the same $ 7.00 as the rest in the set.

However, recent auction sales have shown that demand for the "Welsh Wizard" have quadrupled and that some dealers have even been commanding $ 50 dollars or more for this card.

So while the Ty Cobb cards from 1909 (with 3 variations) bring a price of $2000-4000 each, the Meredith is still extremely affordable at under $100.

I've added this card to my personal collection and at the current prices will probably grab another few if I can.

WHAT CARDS DO YOU THINK ARE UNDER VALUED ?

 

Dixie Dean : The Illustrated Legend

The fascinating thing with card collecting is the appreciation of players who performed before we were around to see them. Personalities from Babe Ruth to Jack Dempsey are ones we've only read about or saw some grainy film footage or pictures.

 

My first collectible featuring "Dixie" Dean was a 1985 Panini sticker from its "Stars of the Past" subset.

1985 Panini Dixie Dean

 

Dean appears on over 40 cards during his playing days (1923-1939). Of those, almost half are illustrated in painted portraits or caricatures.  

 

I added two cards to my PC of Dixie - both of which are art work on cardboard. In addition, both are issued on John Player & Sons cigarette cards.

1927 Player's by "MAC" - Dixie Dean

 

Three consecutive years, Player's cigarette cards featured English soccer stars. Starting with illustrations by "RIP" in 1926 and followed up with art by "MAC", and the 1928-29 set of footballers.

1928-29 Player's Footballers - Dixie Dean

 

Dean was a consummate super star especially after his record breaking goals in the 1927-28 season. With 60 league goals and 3 more in the FA Cup, only 2 other players have approached these numbers in tops league. (Argentina's Lionel Messi and the USA's Archie Stark)  

His international scoring, albeit short, was a remarkable 18 tallies in 16 appearances.  His last cards, issued just before the Second World War, was issued in Germany and South Africa. Both are quite rare and bring high prices.

William "Dixie" Dean is a must have for any soccer collection. Many of his cards are still extremely affordable.