Junior Gilliam: 1955 Topps PSA 6 (MC)

I was browsing the Net54 boards when I spotted the below for sale. It's not from a set I collect, of a player I collect, or a card I ever particularly wanted, but it was only $9 delivered and I couldn't pass it up.

Here's a beautiful PSA 6 (MC) of former Dodger second baseman Jim Gilliam. While it doesn't exactly fit into my collection it is my first card of Junior and a great looking piece of cardboard. I can't resist reasonably priced vintage goodness.

1952 Parkhurst Frostade: Johnny Podres' First Card! I'm Calling It A RC, Dammit!

I'm exceptionally excited to showcase this pickup today as I had no idea this set even existed before stumbling upon it late one night. I was browsing a vintage card website looking for oddball food releases from the '50s and '60s when I came across the 1952 Parkhurst Frostade set. A bit of research revealed Frostade to be a Canadian competitor to Kool-Aid, and the checklist was rife with future Dodgers.

There were only a handful of copies on eBay within a price range I was comfortable with but one stood out above the rest and I was determined to land it: the above Johnny Podres, slabbed an SGC 10. The seller had it listed for a reasonable BIN with a Best Offer option so I submitted what I thought was a fair enough offer. It was quickly accepted and for $14 delivered I landed what is essentially Podres' rookie, although technically it's a pre-rookie to his 1953 Topps offering.

Podres is pictured in a stoic portrait shot looking off into the distance. He was a member of the Montreal Royals in 1952, then the Dodgers' AAA affiliate. The set features only three teams and they're all Canadian, as you might imagine: the Montreal Royals, Toronto Maples Leafs, and Ottawa Athletics.

Prominent future Dodgers include Podres, Walter Alston, Tommy Lasorda, and Jim Gilliam. I'd love to nab the Gilliam one day, even more so than the Alston or Tommy. Putting together the Montreal Royals team set is....tempting.

The backs are really cool although it might be difficult to tell in Johnny's plastic tomb. All of the writing is in red and kids are clearly encouraged to send in 25 cents and the "front panel from 2 packages of FROSTADE" in order to receive a "smart new plastic six-shooter!".

My favourite part of the back -- and I absolutely adore everything about it -- is that it lists Podres' 1951 team which I previously did not know existed. I didn't even know the league the team played in existed. For the '51 campaign Johnny pitched in the Mountain States League for the Hazard Bombers of Hazard, Kentucky.

Baseball Reference also lists the Newport News Dodgers of the Piedmont League as a stop for John in '51. God I love the internet.

Making Night Owl Jealous.

Well, I think he might be envious. He may also own the card, and thus be able to laugh in my face. From across the country. And the internet. Such is the risk I am willing to take.

I snagged this 1961 Bell Brand Potato Chips card of Johnny Podres from the eBay store of my now-defunct LCS for just $1.04, with free shipping. My LCS's owner was even kind enough to drop it off at my house. I don't actively collect Podres, per se, but I do enjoy picking up cards of his every now and then, especially when the price is so purchase-friendly. This salty treat will find a nice home in my collection. There's so much blue, and the neighborhood park atmosphere is tremendous.

The back has the really sweet Bell Brand logo, and also mentions night games and a pair of nighttime doubleheaders the Dodgers were scheduled to play in 1961. The Podres is just dripping in vintage-y goodness. As is the Jim Gilliam that I may or may not have also acquired at a price that may or may not have been a buck and four pennies. Fellow Greg, it could be yours, perhaps.

Assuming I did in fact pick it up with the Johnny.