A Jackie Robinson Rookie Ticket!!!

Jackie Robinson items from 1947 are not always easy to come by and when they do appear they are more often than not too expensive for my taste. I have a range, but Jackie rookie stuff and that range don't always see eye to eye. That makes it all the more imperative that when something does pop up -- and it is not insanely priced -- I jump on it and don't miss my chance.

Somewhere in 2020 I stumbled upon a pair of amazing and well-loved ticket stubs from the year of our Blue Crew Lord Jackie Robinson, 1947. I had recently developed a liking for tickets and the history behind them and was also putting effort into building a modest Jackie PC at the same time. These stubs were a perfect target if the price remained reasonable. Much to my surprise, they were far more than that....they were cheap!

I paid roughly $20 per stub and knew once in-hand the next stop would be the PSA grading room for protective slabbing and long-term value. Not that I will part with them, but the value added is undeniable.

June 3rd of 1947 saw the Dodgers play Pittsburgh in a double-header and sweep both games. A lot happened within those two contests....

• Hank Greenberg: 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, one RBI
• Ralph Kiner: Career HR # 29, 4 RBI, 2 runs, 2 hits
• Pee Wee Reese: 4 hits, 3 walks, 3 runs
• JACKIE ROBINSON: Single, Double, 1 Walk, 3 Runs, Career Stolen Base # 7

I wish I had remembered to ask for the SB to be on the flip and perhaps one day I will send it in to be re-holdered and the label amended. I would have surmised this would end up as Authentic due to the paper loss on the front, but I will gladly take a straight grade of 1.

Jackie Robinson HR Ticket!

Since my entry into the ticket world there have been a few must-haves on my mental list of things to find on my eBay adventures. Some have proven easier than others and some have proven to be more expensive than others. When those two categories overlap, I am an unhappy collector indeed. What that has to do with today's showcased piece, I don't know, as it wasn't overly expensive and wasn't the hardest thing to track down. Rambling, I am.

Nabbing a stub from a game in which the one and only Jackie Robinson went deep was an absolute collecting necessity and eventually patience paid off with this beauty from a 1952 contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jackie left the yard for the 75th time in his illustrious career while driving in three runs, walking twice, and scoring one run. Other notables from the game:

• Roy Campanella had a hit
• Duke Snider had two hits, a walk, and a run scored
• Gil Hodges had a hit and a run scored
• Pee Wee Reese had a hit, a RBI, and a run scored
• Carl Erskine threw a complete-game shutout
• Ralph Kiner had a hit and a walk

After purchasing this raw online, I sent it in for grading and got a 3 from PSA.

Anyone else start dabbling in tickets or think they might?

A PSA 1 (MK) '53 Bowman Pee Wee!

Here is another long-ago vintage pickup I felt would look better in a slab and be protected from my clumsy hands. I know grading is not for everyone, but for me that $8 fee cancelled out the long wait to get this bad boy back in my hands.

It's kind of fun to go back in the archives and see when I purchased things (and for how much, in the instances I documented that nugget). This amazing 1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese ran me under $25 delivered back in mid-2015.

It's one of my all-time favorite cards and I know I'm not alone in admiring it for all of the beauty it possesses. A 1 Qualifier now would run about $100-150 depending on the strength of its eye appeal -- I'm happy to see I got a good deal when I did.

1951 Topps Teams Brooklyn Dodgers, Slabbed a PSA 1

Here's a piece I searched and searched for and could not be happier to finally have (I mean, I've had it for a couple of years, but you know...). It's another of those underrated and underappreciated vintage issues that for whatever reason gets little love but features a slew of stars on one piece of cardboard.

This absolutely fantastic 1951 Topps Teams card features the '50 Brooklyn Bums. There are two versions, Dated and Undated (the 1950 is either present or gone). I'm now realizing all of this time later that this raw copy I bought and submitted is labeled incorrectly.

The team shots of the '50s are absolutely awesome and the yellow border on these really pops. They are super tough to find in good condition and this PSA 1 is well-deserving of that designation.

What I truly love is the amount of stars these give collectors the opportunity to have in their collection with just one item. Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges -- that's 5 HOFers, not to mention the other Dodger stars of the time like Don Newcombe and Carl Furillo.

It's a most welcome addition to my overall collection and specifically to both my Campy and Jackie PCs.

1953 Wire Photo: Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, and A Turkey Dinner (PSA Authenticated)!

This is definitely one of the more unique items in my entire collection but it's also one of the absolute favorite things I own and I like it even more after looking it over in-hand. I spotted this item up for auction in one of the daily searches I run on Roy Campanella and thankfully the bidding stayed reasonable enough that I was able to lock it down.

My first wire photo! One of the major selling points was the PSA slab -- much thinner than I anticipated -- as I wasn't at all familiar with wire photos and how to figure out whether or not they were original and time-appropriate as opposed to reprints from the 80s and beyond.

The biggest selling point though, of course, was who was featured in said wire photo. My main man Campy joins forces with Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese in an epic display of Dodger greatness. The photo is from 1953 (Roy's second of three MVP seasons!) and depicts then Dodgers' GM Buzzy Bevasi hand-feeding Pee Wee a turkey leg as the other two guys look on.

The photo goes into great detail to describe the scene. All three players had just signed contracts with the turkey dinner part of their bonus. Looking at the salaries each would make is also fascinating to me and this wire photo tells us Jackie and Reese would make $40,000 a piece while Roy would reel in a cool $25,000 for his efforts. It's an amazingly cool addition to my Campy Collection.

Here's the back and I really like that the holder describes what each type of photograph is. This is a Type III; per PSA, it's "a 2nd generation photograph, developed from a duplicate negative or wire transmission, during the period (within approximately two years of when the picture was taken)."

1953 Bowman Color Pee Wee Reese!

I was finally able to land a card I've desired for as long as I have known of its existence. As per my usual requirements regarding condition, not horribly mangled was the basic requirement with a few qualifiers tossed in. The copy I secured met those needs and I'm now the proud owner of Pee Wee Reese's 1953 Bowman Color card! She's a beaut!

The card has retained its great color and beyond a crease and an arrow on the front of the card -- which the seller mentioned he had drawn to show where Pee Wee was about to throw the ball -- the card is as clean as I could hope for in the price range I was working with. I will eventually land a slabbed copy and upgrade but I've always been more concerned with owning these all-time great legendary cards than owning high-grade copies of them.

The seller also mentioned the card had been glued to a scrapbook, hence the back looking as it does. There is so much I could say about this card's greatness but I could never really do it justice. Let's just say it is a piece of cardboard everybody should own, Dodgers' fan or not. The card running me less than $25 shipped to my door didn't hurt matters either.

Don Newcombe and 1954 Bowman.

I'm an insanely huge fan of 1954 Bowman. My boss and I go back and forth on the merits of the set (it's got Campy in it, which is really all that matters to me) and I shall continue to conduct the train and welcome all aboard for 1954 Bowman Town.

So you can imagine my glee at adding yet another Brooklyn Dodger from this masterpiece of a set. Don Newcombe's offering in the set is gorgeous, with the righty finishing up his motion after releasing a ball in what I imagine to be Ebbets Field (maybe). This is my fourth Dodger from '54 Bowman, joining the aforementioned Campanella as well as Duke Snider and Pee Wee Reese.

I mean, I'm going to HAVE TO put together the team set, eventually.

Check Out This Duke Snider Night Souvenir Book From August 26th, 1960!

Sometimes when my bosses buy collections, random items will turn up that were basically throw-ins to whatever they purchased. A few months back they bought a large collection, and one item that turned up would have probably been sold for $10 to a customer. But instead of putting it out for sale, they decided to let me have it for the small sum of FREE.

Ooooh, oddball vintage! That's a phrase I always love to hear and an item that will always catch my eye. I certainly wasn't turning down a souvenir book from August 26th, 1960 that commemorated Duke Snider Night at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

My favorite part of this entirely awesome book is that the above incredible picture is prominently featured. The Dodgers played two on that day in 1960, with The Duke of Flatbush sitting out Game 1. In Game 2, he went 2-2 with a solo homer, a triple, and a walk as the Boys in Blue beat the Reds 2-0.

Many thanks to my bosses for giving me this sweet gift!

1954 Bowman For $10: Pee Wee Reese

Working in a card shop that specializes in vintage only slightly raises your desire to pick up vintage cardboard whenever the chance presents itself. I've always had a soft-spot for vintage but working with and around it every day has most certainly led me to search out more of it.

My latest acquisition is this gorgeous 1954 Bowman Pee Wee Reese. It was had for $10.50 delivered and features a tremendous portrait shot of Pee Wee holding a bat. The '54 design is great (I still need to track down the Campy) and the prominent Brooklyn "B" is icing on the cake. The seller listed it as VG-EX, but in actuality it's VG at best.

I don't have much in the way of Reese so to add a mid-50s card with really nice eye appeal for half a blaster was too good of a deal to pass up. The back makes mention that Pee Wee was a marble champion as a child. Awesome.

This Is Coming Home With Me Tonight.

I'll be attending the Roy Campanella-Pee Wee Reese Bobblehead giveaway tonight at Dodger Stadium. While I'm not going to acquire every bobble the team is giving away this season, I knew I had to grab tickets and be there tonight, as my love for Campy is well-known and this bobblehead was bound to be amazing. And damn, is it ever tremendous!

It's about time the Dodgers put out this particular bobblehead, and I can't wait to get my hands on it and then display it with the rest of my bobbling friends. I know it's the 55th Anniversary of this incredible moment, but the 50th Anniversary would have been just as amazing a night to deliver this masterpiece.

Anyways, go and get yourselves tickets for tonight if you haven't already purchased them and make sure you add this gorgeous giveaway to your collection.

Trade With The Dutch Card Guy: The Sickest Kershaw, Joc Pederson's Auto, and I WANT YOUR GINTER.

I completed my first trade with Jeroen from The Dutch Card Guy. After winning a card in a contest he held, I took a look at his trade bait and a number of Dodger goodies jumped out at me. We worked out a great deal which allowed me to add these beauts to my collection.

Kid K! It may be hard to see, but this beautiful patch/triple bat Quad Relic from 2013 Topps Museum Collection is numbered 22/25. Yes, that would be 22 as in Clayton's uniform number. I would have wanted the card anyways because, well, look at it, but the numbering did make it a tad more appealing.

Joc! The above REF RC auto, numbered 002/500, is my first hit of the Dodgers' top outfield prospect. I still think there's a fairly good chance Pederson is dealt before ever playing in a major league game with the club, but no matter what transpires, I'm glad to finally own his John Hancock after a few failed eBay attempts.

A brand new Russell Martin is up next. It's so nice of Upper Deck to put "CATCHER" in bold print, as I never would have guessed from the picture alone.

A bunch of random Dodgers were included, and I scanned in my favorites. The Kirk Gibson is of course legendary and spectacular.

Finally, Jeroen also knocked off six Across The Years I needed for my 2013 Allen & Ginter quest. I would love to finish off all of my Ginter needs soon, so if anyone has what I need please let me know and we'll work out a trade.

Thanks for the fantastic trade amigo!

Koufax, Campy, Drysdale and More!

I picked up a team card with some fantastic names on it. Koufax, Campanella, Drysdale, Snider, Reese, Newcombe, Podres....the way a team card should be.

It'll fit splendidly in my Campy Collection, and was had for $5.50 delivered. The coolest thing about this vintage bad boy is that it's from the Dodgers' first year in L.A., which also means it features the last Blue Crew squad to call Brooklyn home.

Whomever previously owned this 1958 Dodgers' team card/checklist made use of said checklist to the fullest.

Trade With The Daily Dimwit: A Triple Threads Treat and A Mess of 2012 Ginter.

I completed my eighth trade with Sam from the wonderful The Daily Dimwit. You can look back at our first foray here, second swap here, third trade here, fourth deal here, fifth exchange here, sixth encounter here, and seventh transaction here. Sam pulled a card many months ago that I had to have, and after a while I found something equivalent to send his way. We expanded our trade and had another great one in the books. You can see what I sent his way here.

The meat of the trade that I saw way back when and knew I had to get. Numbered 11/18, it's a sweeeeeet triple relic from 2012 Topps Triple Threads. I love that there are two blue patch pieces and they belong to the two gentlemen on this card I care about, Messrs. Kemp and Kershaw. Why Dre got center-billing, I do not know. The relics spell out "Bleeding Blue," which accurately describes the 2013 season.

Pee Wee! Wool jersey! Exclamation points!!!! Numbered 193/199, it's just the second Reese relic to call my collection home, joining a slice of bat. I told Sam to save this bad boy for our next trade but he sent it along anyways. A kind gentlemen, you are. You'll be getting something extra next time, of course.

Billy Wagner was a fantastic relief ace and I'm stoked to land his John Hancock. On-card and as an Astro, to boot. See Sam, not everyone hates Houston.

3 awesome Bisons and a pair of Kid Ks. Matty wearing 42 in mini form is NAILS.

Koufax and Verlander make a great pairing. I already have the A.J. Ellis Spring Fever auto, so the base card is a much appreciated throw-in. My first Hanley and Adrian Gonzalez cards as Dodgers were nice surprises as well.

Sam also took a big bite out of my remaining 2012 Ginter needs, sending me 4 of the World's Greatest Military Leaders, 23 of the What's In A Name? behemoth subset, and the last 3 SPs I needed to complete the Base Set (SPs included).

Thanks for yet another phenomenal trade Sam!

Trade With Life and Baseball Cards: A Potpourri of PC Pickups.

I completed my first trade with Charley - better known as lonestarr - from Life and Baseball Cards. Charley sent me a huge bubble mailer full of great cards. Though I'll only be scanning my favorites, everything he sent is much appreciated.

First up, a new Russ Martin hit. This will go very well with the red parallel /180 and the sick patch /25 I already have from '09 A Piece Of History.

Next, an awesome new Kevin Love hit, and it's numbered 152/249 while featuring two full lines of stitching and a third partial line. It's got two wonderful things going for it on top of all of that: it feels really patch-y, and it's a bright purple. Colorful swatches are the best swatches.

My first Amare hit! Serial-numbered 221/499, this sweet two-color patch puts me two-thirds of the way to a STAT Trifecta. I'm short the auto. Eventually, it shall be.

A BCCG 10 of Chargers' running back Ryan Mathews. I have high hopes for Mathews, so this funky piece makes for a cool addition to my small collection of Mathews cards.

A slew of PC cards checks in as the penultimately scanned goodness. I love the Love/Westbrook dual, as well as that all three Love cards picture him in his UCLA uniform. Charley added three Kemps, three Kershaws, and two Martins (three when you include the relic high above) to my main PCs. I now have 130 unique Kid K cards and 191 unique Russ Martins.

And finally, some random awesomeness. The Mathews Platinum RC is a massively thick card.

I'm putting together a package with Charley's end of the deal, and I can't help but feel like Sheldon Cooper: whatever I send just won't be enough.

Thanks for the great trade Charley! I hope you enjoy the cards I'll be sending your way!

Trade With The Daily Dimwit: CAMPY! BRUUUUUUCE!

I completed my fourth trade with Sam from the fantastic and entertaining The Daily Dimwit. You can read about the first here, the second here, and the third right here. A terribly thin draft of this post was accidentally published this weekend. Damn you Blogger! Anyhoo, this time around I sent Sam an assortment of Astros. His end of the deal can be found here.

The main attraction on my end is the sweeeeeet Roy Campanella Bat Relic from 2011 Topps Lineage you see above. It's my first hit of Roy, and I've thankfully been able to build a very nice Campy PC without breaking the bank.

Next up, another Jay Bruce relic. I'm a huge Bruce fan. Always happy to pick up hits of his.

Finally, Sam and I were working towards including this Pee Wee card, but I couldn't come up with enough, so I told him to not worry about it and if I could scrounge up enough I'd inquire about it in the future. Well, Sam's a swell dude, so he sent it along anyways.

It's fantastic to begin with, being that it's Reese and a mini. But it is not your regular, run of the mill mini. Sepia. #'d 25/99. Awesome.

Finally, I was fortunate enough to be a winner among many winners in one of Sam's contests. My prize is below. It's been added to my Trade Bait, where it will hopefully find a home with someone who will appreciate it more than I ever could.

As always, much thanks Samuel!

A Hall of Fame Dodger Shortstop Meets His Successor

Pee Wee Reese spent sixteen years with the Dodgers - the entirety of his big league career. He missed three full seasons while off fighting in World War II, and was a vital member of the Dodgers throughout his tenure with the club, sporting nine seasons of 4.5 WAR or better. While my youth precludes me from having seen countless shortstops to man the position for the Dodgers since Reese hung up his cleats, it's safe to say the void at SS has been a major one.

$5.74 for some '50s Goodness

Outside of Maury Wills (overrated but better than most of the other Dodgers to man the position) and a few good to very good seasons from the injury-plagued and injury-prone Rafael Furcal, I can't remember the last decent shortstop the Dodgers have had, particularly in my lifetime.

That will all hopefully change with Devaris Strange-Gordon. After a cup of coffee that recently resulted in a trip back to AAA, Gordon will hopefully work on his shortcomings and be a fixture with the club beginning in 2012. Because the alternatives are not pretty (come on, we all know it's just a matter of time before Juan Castro's corpse makes its semi-triumphal return).

015/199, $5. USA! USA!

All I'm hoping for (and I think all anyone can hope for) is a guy who walks a fair amount, plays good defense, and steals bags at a high rate. His speed will mean nothing if he's the next Juan Pierre and is only successful about 75% of the time. As long as he can reach and maintain an 80% or higher level of stolen-base efficiency, his blazing speed and tiny wheels can be an asset to the club.

Gordon's four minor league stints featured wOBAs over .350 in three of the four campaigns, a very good sign. Of course, he sported high BABIPs in those seasons, but his incredible speed can account for much of that, as he'll certainly beat out more than his fair share of ground balls and rack up the infield hits.

If Gordon can work his BB% up to the ten percent mark and consistently work free passes, his lack of pop can be negated (as it already is based on the fact that he's a shortstop). He can certainly be a very productive player by smacking doubles and triples, limiting his caught stealings, and not becoming Hanley Ramirez with the leather.

Was this all just a poor excuse to mask the fact that I wanted to post these cards and needed a way to tie them together? Perhaps. Or maybe, just maybe, I might be dabbling once again in actual analysis. You know, what this here blog was originally intended for.

My contest remains open, so join in if you have yet to! Bonus Question # 2 drops Monday.

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Oh, and the Reese came in a large lot that also included a few cards from my Cheap HOF Vintage post - the Killebrew, Mathews, and Schoendienst. This was part of that lot as well.

Trade With The Daily Dimwit: Kemp, Koufax, Russ Martin, Carlos Santana, and A Host of Others

BONUS QUESTION # 1 for the contest debuts tomorrow. So come and get your free points! And again, if you have yet to enter said contest, you can do so here.

I completed my third trade with Sam from The Daily Dimwit, and it was a doozy. You can find the first here and the second here. This latest trade took months to complete, and we did not even work on it for much of that period, just letting it sit as we each found cards the other would like. You can see what I sent Sam here.

Sam sent me some great cards, and they are so fantastic I'll give him a pass for spelling my last name wrong on the bubbler he sent my way. He's not the first to do so, and he certainly won't be the last.

Now, on with the relic-y (and non-relic-y) show.

052/180

I actually have two Hansons, so one is available.

Just need a Blake Smith RC to complete the Trifecta.

1798/2011

Thanks for another great trade Sam!