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.

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.

A Rare Find: 1974 Laughlin All-Star -- Al Rosen and Jackie Robinson.

My card knowledge is nothing compared to a lot of you fine folks. I didn't collect for much of my life, and what I did collect as a child was basically whatever was purchased for me by my family. I didn't get serious until 2010 or so, which makes 1974 Laughlin a set I had never heard of or seen. But oh, once I did become aware of it, I instantly fell in love. Its design is colorful and phenomenal; it depicts some all-time greats; and it's seemingly quite rare. That's a hard combination to beat.

Al Rosen! The newest addition to my Rosen Collection is one of the more unique cards I own of the Hebrew Hammer. It received an 8 grade from PSA, which matters little to me. Considering how rare this set is -- I had never seen it or even heard of it before stumbling upon this auction -- this is one of those occasions where I actually quite like the grading for cardboard safety purposes.

The card highlights Rosen's two homers and five RBI in the 1954 All-Star Game held in Cleveland. Al picked up a third hit in that game as well.

The seller offered a shipping discount, so naturally I looked to see what else he had available. I found a ton of PSA '74 Laughlins in his inventory, including one I couldn't pass up. Jackie! Graded a 6, it commemorates the 1949 All-Star Game -- played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn -- which was the first to include black players.

Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe also participated in that ASG. Jackie scored three times in that game, as the card alludes to. Seriously, that's such a tremendous rendering of 42. I must see it again and again.

Here's the back of the Rosen. That Comic Sans-like font is spectacular and really works well for the atmosphere the set creates and the time period (1970s) it was released in. It would certainly get the approval of Dan Gilbert.

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 Reader Austin: My First Vintage Newcombe, 1951 Bowman Style.

I completed my first trade with Austin, who commented on my post about Jackie Robinson Night earlier this year. In that post, I mentioned that I only had cards of note for two of the three guys on the statue that the Dodgers gave out that night. I was without anything of Don Newcombe, and Austin offered up a sweet vintage Newk. We met up yesterday and made the always enjoyable in-person trade.

It's about time I finally put in some effort to acquire a vintage Newcombe. From 1951 Bowman, it's an amazing piece of cardboard goodness. The picture of Don, the design of 50s Bowman offerings generally-speaking, and the great color make this an amazing addition to my vintage Dodgers' PC.

MIIIIIINNNNIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSS! Night Owl approved, though they're not '75-related. Victorino's face....good lord.

Thanks for the fantastic trade Austin, and it was a pleasure to meet you!

Jackie, Campy, Newk: These Are Some Of My Favorite Brooklyn People.

I attended Monday's Dodgers/Padres game which celebrated the life of Jackie Robinson. The Dodgers went all-out on Jackie Robinson Day, bringing in his widow, daughter, Harrison Ford, Kareem, Don Newcombe, and others to celebrate Number 42. They also gave out one of the most amazing and beautiful items ever.

Boom. Jackie, Roy Campanella, and Don Newcombe in statue form. I decided to take a picture with cards of each guy. I couldn't pick between Campy's '50 and '51 Bowman offerings, so I went with both. The 1956 Topps Jackie is the only non-modern card I have of him but would have been an easy choice regardless. I have nothing of Newk so a modern-day reprint was the answer.

Here's a better shot of the fantastic statue.

A Classic Campy Piece of Vintage.

The smell of vintage has been wafting all around the blogosphere in recent weeks. It's been making itself comfortable in the Argyled Plaschke household for years, as long as the price to acquire it was right. When the price is right, it's a beautiful thing. Much like this precious piece of cardboard I recently landed:

Oh. Snap. One of the best cards EVER is finally mine and all it took was $15.08 and some patience. Literally everything about this card is perfect in my book: the design, Campy taking his mask off to track down a pop-up, the great color which has thankfully held, and the condition the card's in. A non-obtrusive crease and some edge/corner wear is all that this card has endured over the last 62 years.

The back's in really nice condition as well. This beaut now gives me Campy's Bowman releases from 1950, 1951, 1952, and 1955. '49 is going to be tough and expensive but this tremendous quartet will certainly and most enjoyably suffice.

April 15th, I can't wait.

The Night I Killed It, With Old-School Vintage Flavor.

It all started with a single piece of vintage goodness, at a very reasonable price. It was a card I had never thought much about, but after stumbling upon it, I needed it. Not just wanted it, but needed it. It features one of the greatest players of all-time, from one of my favorite vintage sets, and was less than half of what a blaster of Heritage or Ginter runs you. It was an easy buy, but it lead to so much more.

That one measly crease - which does not obscure Hank's face one bit - helped me to net this beauty for the price I was able to land it at. That's character for you folks; it drives prices down so you and I can benefit and reap the rewards and fruits of our tireless labor with day after day of eBay searches for wonderful deals. The card has retained it's fantastic color, and again, Hank is fine. There's just something about this card that speaks to me. Twice the Hank, a great array of colors, and an entirely insensitive old Braves logo just work so well together. $9.50 shipped. Killer.

I always try and check to see if the seller has anything else that might interest me, be it a PC item, minor PC item, tertiary PC item (damn, I collect too many players), or simply a trade bait possibility. These potential pickups are contingent upon the seller offering up a nice rate on combined shipping. This seller most certainly did not disappoint, with a can't-miss offer of 25 cents for any additional card purchased that same day. And he had about 19+ pages of items ending within minutes. I had outstanding trades to complete, so I did what any diligent eBayer does: I went to work.

First up are a couple of cards I'll be keeping. The Don Newcombe is just an amazing card, and that's considering he is not in Dodger Blue. It does appear he had a smoking problem, what with that hole in his neck

I have few Johnny Podres cards - I think this makes five in total - so I'm happy to add another. I like 1960 Topps, if that isn't clear. Probably because it's such a colorful set.

A pair of Pirates that have made their way to the Treasure Room, as part of a large deal that has a sweeeeeet Johnny Bench hit coming my way.

A pair of Senators that wound up in Texas with the man who enjoys himself a good play at home. Another Brian, another trade that needed finalizing.

Finally, five more '60 Topps that I was too lazy to scan separately. I recognized four names and know the Phillies are a highly-collected team, so the Mahaffey was picked up too. It's also a RC, which never hurts. The Phillies have a home coming to them shortly.

To recap, that's 12 cards dated no more recent than 1962, and for $21.84 when the dust had settled. A 1960 Hammerin' Hank Aaron cost me a puny $1.82 when you break everything down. What a night, and all made possible because the class I should have been in at the time was cancelled due to my Professor's place of residence flooding. The only problem with this transaction was being charged over five bucks shipping and finding the cards shipped in a PWE.

The seller was made aware of this fact.

A Pair of '56s In The Mail Is A Day I Enjoy: Newcombe and Rosen

The Newcombe was somehow set at a BIN price of $1.99, which shocked me, but not enough to prevent me from quickly pulling the trigger. For whatever it's worth, it books for $50. My only gripe was that for $3 shipping, the seller sent the Newcombe in a plain white envelope.

Really?

Some people.

The Rosen came in at a smooth 99 cents in another awesome auction victory, with a couple of bucks to ship it. In a bubble mailer, I might add.

Bonus points to you, random eBayer.

Compared to the Newcombe seller, you're a bonafide mensch.

My Rosen collection is slowly coming to a close in terms of the vintage Rosen I need, with both 1952 offerings - Topps and Bowman - the main cards to allude my grasp thus far.

Links On A Saturday Morning

Hong-Chih Kuo, rehabbing his elbow, threw a scoreless inning and K'd 2 for Class A Inland Empire. [Kuo Impressive In One-Inning Rehab Stint]

Jackie Robinson and Don Newcombe. [Newcombe Honors His Idol Jackie In LA]

The Anaheim Ducks are having a fan appreciation sale Saturday, today, with prices slashed slashed slashed. I went last year, got a lot of great deals. Probably won't make it there this year. [Ducks Holding Fan Appreciation Sale]