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.

Trade With Coot Veal and the Vealtones: Vintage Dodgers Are The Best.

I completed my second trade with Dustin from Coot Veal and the Vealtones. Dustin contacted me about some Dodgers' bait he had and after a handful of e-mails we had worked out a deal complete with both new and old cardboard.

Vintage! Vintage first, because of course vintage first. This '57 Podres immediately caught my eye from a trade bait post Dustin put up and I just had to have it. That Brooklyn B had a lot to do with my desire to acquire.

Floating heads! Would you believe it wasn't Wally Moon that attracted me to this 1962 Topps Leaders card? Mr. Clemente has a strong and growing hold on me.

We round out the vintage portion of this trade post with a well-loved 1952 Bowman of Carl Furillo. It pairs nicely with the well-loved '52 Bowman Campanella I have.

Moving on to more recent cardboard we start with a triple relic of Don Drysdale. It's a bit creased but I'm not passing on game-used Drysdale cards. It's #'d 42/99.

I was able to add many a new Matt Kemp card, starting with this manufactured coin thing from 2013. It's also numbered, 47/99 to be exact. It's....heavy.

The rest of the Kemp pickups plus 5 new Clayton Kershaw cards for my Kid K PC. I'm closing in on 400 unique Bison cards and should be there by the end of 2015.

Dustin also added a pair of new Russell Martin cards along with a pair of much appreciated and needed Allen & Ginter inserts and a relic I sent to Stupienski.

Thanks for a wonderful trade Dustin!

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.

The Worst Conditioned Card In My Collection.

Another Fuji-inspired post. His latest inquiry involves the worst conditioned card in our collection. I have a few that I thought about but settled on my Dodgers' Sluggers card featuring Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, and Duke Snider.

It's got creases, paper loss, soft and rounded corners, ink spots, writing, and is generally well, well-loved.

There's not much of a story behind it, other than I didn't expect my bid to hold, it's a card I had long wanted to add to my collection, and I think every card collector should have a copy in their collection.

Please keep voting for me! Thanks amigos and amigas!

And last but certainly not least, Happy Birthday Mom!

Dodgers' Sluggers, Well-Loved.

A card that any Dodgers' fan would love to have, and one I needed, no matter the condition. And as you can plainly see, this one is no spring chicken. Rounded, rough, and frayed corners, surface scratches everywhere, worn edges, and creases. I still love it. Sadly, there is no equivalent when looking at the present-day Dodgers. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and a bunch of nothing, really. I'd throw-in Jerry Sands, but beyond Jerry, A.J. Ellis is a stretch power-wise (though 2012 has been a pleasant surprise) and everyone else is terrible.

I'd love to pick up a second, cleaner copy to replace this one in my Campy Collection, and have this low-grade version just be part of my larger Dodgers' PC, or even my small Snider PC.

I probably overpaid for this, but it was one of those bids you place - well, I've found myself placing them, I won't speak for anyone else - where you don't actually expect to win, but you can't possibly see the card selling for so little, so you bid. I certainly had no expectations of my last-second bid succeeding, but it did.

My First 1952 Topps Card and Four Other Vintage Beauties Were How Much?

As many of you know, I am a huge Al Rosen collector. Two cards, however, have been alluding me for quite some time, and both were produced in the same year: 1952, oh what a glorious year it was. I had yet to procure Mr. Rosen's Topps or Bowman offering from that year, and after a long hiatus - well, long for me - from eBay frolicking, I decided to take a shot at knocking off one of them for a reasonable price. Condition was not an issue, so off I went.

This is what I returned with. I absolutely, positively, unquestioningly love this card. And then comes the beauty of eBay: many sellers offer excellent discounts on shipping. And where there's vintage smoke, there is often vintage fire.

For a measly fifty cents or so more (less than three bucks to ship in total), I was able to tack on these four vintage pieces of cardboard. A distinctly Dodger theme will follow. And then not follow. But mostly follow.

My fourth Dodger from this set (joining Campy, Podres, and Don Hoak), and the second vintage Furillo I own. I really, really, really adore 1955 Bowman. Enough to use the word adore on a card blog.

A Roseboro rookie card! My third vintage Johnny. The first vintage card I ever owned was the first of the Roseboros. 1962 Topps. Both excellent cards.

Cheap and a vintage Dodger. So yes, it was easy to bid on this. My first vintage Clem. Granted, I think of this when I think of Clem. But still.

Does your mother sew? Boom!

And finally, a super duper easy purchase considering the price and the player, and this being my first vintage-y piece of goodness of him.

So, these five cards, all from the same seller on the Bay, ran me about how much, would you say?

"Trade" With Baseball Savvy: Vintage. And Darren Dreifort.

I helped set up Lakers Savvy, a new Lakers blog that will be coming to a computer near you at some point soonish, a while back. It's the brainchild of Howard Cole, who runs Baseball Savvy. I told Howard no payment was necessary, that I was happy to help as much as I could. When he eventually offered to send cards my way, I couldn't turn them down. I mean, when someone offers you cardboard, and vintage cardboard no less, you jump on it.

Howard was kind enough to send me five cards, and all five now have a permanent home in my collection. Without further adieu, let's get to 'em:

1955 Bowman Don Hoak

This thing is in near mint condition. A beautiful looking set from Bowman, and my first from the set which I one day hope to put together. The Dodgers portion of it, of course.

1960 Topps Carl Furillo

1961 Topps Dodgers Team Card

1973 Topps Steve Garvey. Third Base. Awesome.

1995 Donruss Gold Leaf Rookies Darren Dreifort

This bad boy is my first Dreifort, well, anything, if memory serves. And it's signed. The best part of this card is how Howard came to procure it. This is how he told the story: "I paid $55 million for this one, over five years." Ah, it's the little things in life that bring me so much joy.

Thanks again for the cards Howard, and good luck with Lakers Savvy.