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 ?

Making My Own Cards - Sketch Art

Sometimes the answer to the simplest dilemas are right in front of us. I have been pre-occupied with my comic book art and making sketch cards of super heroes. While I still have a soft spot for sports cards, the disillusion of many of the products and the high cost of vintage has been prohibitive.

 

So, I decided to make some of my own cards. My heroes, my favorites, my opinion of the most significant players in the sports I like.  After finding my BOSTON BRUINS signed pennant, I was inspired to have a Bobby Orr autograph.

 

With the price of BOBBY ORR cards holding at premium value, he was the first choice to produce my own 1/1 sketch card.

 

To be fair, I caught a glimpse of the LEAF sketch cards that have popped up on ebay. Oddly enough, some of these were done by artist I started out working with on other sets for  Topps and Rittenhouse.

But to be honest, the quality was not what I expected. That is not to deminish the talent or styles of any artists - art is and always will be subjective.

 

I leave the opinion of my own art to those who look and, in some cases purchase the cards. I stopped working for the card companies that paid me only $5-10 per card and began selling my own at a substantial increase to my pocket.

 

Still the All-Time homerun king in my book, HANK AARON was drawn after watching ESPN Sports Century espisode that featured him.

 

Since I've started on the record holders, I had to include the greatest hockey scorer in my lifetime - WAYNE GRETZKY.

 

Last of the group is the hero of my childhood, and part of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty - KEN DRYDEN.

 

The design on the Orr card was left in that stage as I my have grand thoughts of having them signed by the players themselves. Although this is highly unlikely, one can dream, can't one ?

 

WHAT PLAYER WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE DRAWN ON A 1/1 CARD ?