A Sandy Koufax Rookie Year Pickup!

This post is titled very carefully as I know not everybody considers rookie year items that aren't Topps or Bowman to be actual rookie cards. I am more lenient in my definition of rookie and fully consider today's Dandy Sandy score to be a full-fledged rookie card.

I really love the 1955 Golden Stamps set. A number of different teams are featured; you can buy them already removed from the book or buy a full and complete book; and the Dodgers' offering features Campy, Jackie, Hodges, Snider, Podres, and a host of other great and memorable players. The Koufax is a beautiful in the stretch shot with blue sky in the background that works oh so well on a Blue Crew card.

This PSA 4 was had on eBay for less than other lower-graded copies had sold for. I wish it had been slabbed better by PSA considering how easily these can slide around the holder without interior ridges being present. It moved in transit and arrived pinched at a corner, an extremely annoying thing I will live with (what with the grade already being on the lower end of the spectrum to begin with).

It's a most welcome addition to my minor and modest Sandy Koufax PC.

Attending The Burbank Card Show!

I attended the Burbank Card Show in Ontario, California two days ago (branding has a way, kids). It's the first show I've been able to go to since before Covid hit and I was excited to be in that environment again. I was going to make the journey despite not anticipating being a buyer. My pessimism on buying was twofold -- one, the show was likely going to be mostly ultra-modern and finding a Zack Wheat was unlikely. Two is the fact that I am currently trying to sell a bunch to finance a super rare Wheat card I have on hold. So if you've ever seen something on my site or you have general collecting interests, e-mail me or drop a comment. Who knows!

I met up with some friends, saw some old friends and acquaintances, and was treated to a nice dinner. That alone would be a win in my book. Add in seeing some truly awesome and unexpected vintage gems and meeting a former major leaguer (albeit it a Giant 😉, but a Giant who had a minor league deal from the Dodgers once upon a time) and it was a great day indeed! But I snagged some stuff too!

I assisted some of my friends in finding cards for their business and in doing so found a couple I wanted to buy myself. My efforts to help them ended up persuading them to give me the four cards I eyed for free as a thank you for my help. I'm a cheap date, really.

All four came from the former major leaguer's table (Ryan Sadowski, super nice as were his folks) and all four hit different areas of my vintage collecting passions. First up, a trimmed but beautiful 1966 Topps Sandy Koufax. It was in Ryan's $10 bin originally and even with the trim at the upper left it presents nicely.

Next up, long-time friends of the blog may remember I have a very soft spot for 1800s Allen & Ginter. It was one of the earliest vintage areas I became interested in as 2010 Ginter got me into collecting cards in general. I could not pass up setting aside another card from the $10 bin in this 1889 N19 A&G Pirates of the Spanish Main. William Fly is the English Pirate featured and even with some paper loss on the reverse and some specks of p.l. on the front it is gorgeous as can be for a 134-year-old piece of cardboard.

Fly was killed by hanging in Boston and his body was put on display to warn other pirates. Here are his reported final words:

"Our Captain and his Mate used us Barbarously. We poor Men can’t have Justice done us. There is nothing said to our Commanders, let them never so much abuse us, and use us like Dogs."

Another $10 gem now in my clutches is this trimmed strip card of President Teddy Roosevelt. It hails from the 1924 W562 Strip Card set featuring Presidents and Presidents alone. I picked up an 1800s card of Honest Abe a while back and Teddy was just a cool find in the midst of so many sports cards at Sadowski's table. I am not going to start collecting Presidential cards and if I ever did they would most definitely be of the 19th century variety. Into the random vintage PC it goes!

The final item I desired and worked off like a child laborer is this Jack Dempsey....something. I have not been able to identify it yet but whatever it is, it has certainly seen better days from a condition standpoint. Pinholes, creasing, minor paper loss, and a dog bite -- what hasn't happened to old Jack here. It's a stellar item nonetheless and I really liked it when I dug it out of the $15 pile. It is indeed a fine addition to my very modest Boxing PC.

Well, there's my show recap. Fun, free-ish cards, free food, and friends made for a stellar 14-hour day. Hopefully more shows will be in my 2023 future and word is a big one is coming to Anaheim later this year. Whether I am still a Californian by then remains to be seen, but one way or another I'll be at another show this year!

Mike Trout HR Ticket Tracker: # 11 Paired With SBs # 18-19

Another notch in the long-term belt that is my Mike Trout HR Ticket Project. This was a very nice gift from my ex and I sent it in to be slabbed. It came back much higher than I expected and it'll be a really nice Trout addition despite coming against my beloved Blue Crew.

Trout led the Angels to a tight one-run victory in June of 2012 with his 11th career round-tripper and career stolen bases numbers 18 and 19. PSA graded it an 8 and in addition to being a beautiful ticket aesthetically-speaking the Dodgers decided to highlight Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and Sandy Koufax having their numbers retired as the first numbers hung in the rafters in franchise history.

A sweet cherry on top of this ticket-y goodness!

Kershaw/Koufax Greatness, PSA 10!

My buddy Davy sent me a really nice "just because" some time ago and within that was this beautiful addition to my Kid K Collection.

Any card featuring these two iconic Dodger southpaws is good in my book, but the 2019 Topps Chrome Greatness Returns subset is one of the nicer options available. It arrived already entombed in its plastic PSA 10 case, a sweet cherry on top of the wonderful gesture.

Thanks as always bud, love ya!

I Finally Own A Sandy Koufax 1955 Topps Rookie Card (Slabbed a PSA 3)!

There are certain cards every collector should own within the confines of his or her collecting interests. As a vintage collector and lifelong Dodgers' fan, a rookie of the one and only Sandy Koufax is one of those must-have pieces of cardboard. It took me far too long to obtain one but I finally pulled the trigger and landed an eye-appealing copy at a reasonable price.

Considering how much key rookie cards have jumped in price in recent years I find Sandy's rookie to still be relatively affordable in low and even mid-grade. Compare Koufax with some of the other luminaries and it's surprising, although in fairness while the last six years of his career were legendary it's peak and nothing productive before that. The longevity was not there and it took Koufax a while to get to those six years, so maybe it's not all that surprising.

Either way it benefits me and this gorgeous PSA 3 rookie is now mine and the obvious central cog in my quite modest PC of the The Left Hand of God.

Sandy Koufax Pickup: An Absolutely Gorgeous 1956 Topps White Back, SGC 4!

I recently pulled the trigger on a card I've always liked and wanted but never put much thought into actually buying. The price was right to start with, and when factoring in that eBay was running a 10% back in eBay Bucks promotion, the time to act was clearly the present.

This is one of the nicest VG-EX 4's I've ever seen. The front presents more in the 5.5 range and the overall grade is brought down by a couple of minor, minor back imperfections. I really like the '56 Topps set and this Koufax has been somewhere on my radar for years.

I've always liked it more than his rookie aesthetically-speaking although I'm warming to the look of the 1955 Topps offering more and more. This is without question the nicest vintage Koufax I have in my modest Sanford Braun collection.

This is also my first look in-person at the new SGC holders. I am a big fan.

Koufax 1998 Donruss Signature Series Significant Sigs Auto: BGS 9.5-9 AU!

Every Dodgers' collection needs within it an autograph of the one and only Sandy Koufax. Longtime readers may remember I was once vying to acquire one via a contest that, shall we say, through nefarious means didn't go as I thought and hoped it would. So landing one remained a high priority. Thankfully, enough eBay patience paid off and I bought one raw for a pretty solid deal. It was sent in to BGS through Penguin (thanks as always buddy!) and it returned months ago.

On-card and complete with that beautiful Brooklyn B! This beaut hails from the Significant Signatures subset of 1998 Donruss Signature Series. I like the simple end of windup shot of Sandy and the overall design is just very appealing. This might be the greatest auto set ever in terms of the checklist. It tempts me when I don't need to expand my collecting interests in any way, shape, or form.

A later in life Sandy is found on the reverse along with the 0423/2000 serial number. The card earned quad 9.5s to garner the BGS 9.5 holder, but the John Hancock did get a disappointing 9. I say disappointing because while Penguin has explained to me BGS's reasoning, the auto being slightly darker in a couple spots in my mind does not constitute streakiness. I've seen far worse autos get a 10.

I'm not parting with this card barring anything unforeseen, so it's not a deal-breaker by any means, but my personal opinion has always been that if there is not a break in an autograph, no full streaks, and it doesn't run off of a sticker, it's a 10. So in my mind this 9.5-9 is really a 9.5-10.

Unlike the folks at Beckett, that signature has tremendous 10 eye appeal any day of the week and twice on the high holidays. And I seriously love this card.

Collecting Cutch & My 1st SuperFractor!

A while back I got a really great bubbler full of cardboard from Brian, formerly of Pirates Treasure Room and now the proprietor of Collecting Cutch. He sent a ton of great stuff and I've highlighted my favorites below.

My first SuperFractor! This beaut is the Super for Russell's 2009 Bowman Chrome offering, which just so happens to be one of the best Russ cards out there in terms of the photo they chose. Play At The Plate would be proud. Here's the full shot of that play between Martin and Nyjer Morgan, commemorated on Russ' 2009 regular Bowman card and seen on this 1/1 Black Plate I picked up eons ago. I might get this graded just for giggles.

Gorgeous! This sweet logo patch-auto, numbered 3/5, hails from 2011 Topps Marquee and the Acclaimed Impressions subset. I'm always thrilled to add a high-end Bison John Hancock to the collection. If it also brings with it a sweet piece of the "Los Angeles" from a Blue Crew uniform, it's icing on the already sweet cake.

Here's a triple auto, numbered 19/25, out of the sticker dumpster fire that was 2012 UD SP Signature Edition. It also features Andrew McCutchen and Shane Victorino; I don't think I'd ever use the word "superstar" to describe Victorino. Really good to great for stretches, yes. But superstar, nope.

Three more new additions to the Mattycakes' PC.

Brian added a cool 10 cards to my Kid K PC. The above jumbo is my favorite.

The Sega CardGen with the old-school Brooklyn throwback is just nails.

ManBearSeag! I dig the 1967 Topps set so the Heritage is right up my alley.

Vintage Koufax! There is literally little better. Drysdale came along for the ride too!

A Gerrit Cole auto appeared. (Go Bruins!)

As did a cool Gil Hodges numbered out of 99.

And some miscellaneous Koufax cards, with the silver GQ mini #'d /199.

A pair of less super-fractor-y Russ cards. That Martin Konami Mini is awesome.

And finally, a lot of random goodness. Look, that famous Campy pose again.

Red-themed Kenley and Duke Gypsy mini are the highlights.

An endless amount of thanks Brian!

One Of My Rarest Campy Cards: 1967 Topps Venezuela Roy Campanella "Retirado," PSA 2!

Roy Campanella's last playing days card is his 1957 Topps offering. We all know what followed and Topps made note of that with the '59 card of Roy in his wheelchair. There's also the '61 MVP card but unfortunately Campy's injury led to a shortage of cardboard in addition to everything else. Thankfully one card can serve to rectify that, and it's not even from the good old US of A.

The '67 Venezuelan set, as cursory internet research will reveal, was broken down into three subsets and retailed for six cents a pack (packs contained four cards and gum). Campy was found in the middle series which featured retired players, hence the bold RETIRADO across the front. I love everything about the card, from the action pose to the bright coloring to the simple yet aesthetically-pleasing design. I'd love to one day add the Jackie and Sandy cards from the same series.

The card is always strong as it's not easy to find and I haven't run across a lot of high-grade copies. Recently a PSA 5 sold for nearly $600; a PSA 3 for almost $360; and a raw copy in 2.5-VG range sold for an accepted Best Offer off of a $250 listing. There is also currently a PSA 4 up for auction that already has met its opening bid of $100. I was beyond happy to land my raw copy for a stellar price and send it in for slabbing through work. The front presents as a gorgeous VG-EX with no creases, obviously, and strong color.

So what could possibly downgrade the card into a PSA 2 GOOD holder? As you can see there's a small amount of paper loss on the back in a couple of spots. This matters not one iota to me and in fact is the only reason I could afford to splurge on the beautiful addition to my Campy PC.

For anyone who critiques Topps for recycling the same old poses, it's nothing new for any of the card companies as I assume it's a lot cheaper than licensing a new photo or outright purchasing it. This familiar Campy pose can also be found -- or a pose similar to it can be seen -- on his 1949 Eureka Stamps release; 1951 Bowman card; 1952 Berk Ross offering; and the Action Pose in 1952 Wheaties.

It's a truly tremendous pose, by the by. I love it.

Trade With The Underdog Card Collector: Every Emerson Etem Ever.

I completed my third trade with my good buddy Zach from The Underdog Card Collector. You can see the first here and second here. Zack and I have developed a good friendship since we first exchanged e-mails and our trades are always fun. Zach let me know he was revamping his cardboard ways and was parting with his Emerson Etem cards. I love Etem and saw him drafted live so I'll always have a fond spot in my collection for him and was more than happy to send The Underdog stuff he'd enjoy to get my hands on all of his Etems.

This absolutely stunning jumbo patch-auto rookie -- numbered 2/5 -- out of 2013-14 Panini Prime is by far the crown jewel of this batch of Emerson goodness and I can't get over how amazing the logo patch is.

This is my second copy of Etem's 2013-14 Dominion auto-patch rookie but I adore Dominion so I'm always happy to see a card from the now-defunct high-end set. It's numbered 01/99, the auto is on-card, and the patch features four colors.

I'd always wanted to grab one of these gorgeous '13-'14 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket auto-patch combos as the gold signature on a black background looks amazing. I finally have one thanks to Mr. Malone and this beaut is numbered 077/100 with a three-color patch full of stitching.

Panini Playbook out of '13-'14 is a really cool set and the Long Beach native's entry in it was thankfully in the box I received. Numbered 10/25, the left side features a combination shadowbox/cut-out display that allows me to touch that awesome two-color patch and the huge seam running through it. The right side with his John Hancock has the same set-up and that two-color sweater piece is a nice counterpart to the patch.

I'm just noticing this is one of the rare Emerson autos where he didn't inscribe his number; I actually really dig that he almost always does include it.

Another card I already owned but was more than happy to pick up another copy of. Numbered 05/50 it hails from '13-'14 Prime and features two single color sweater pieces, one two-color piece, and a nice two-color patch.

More Dominion! This 2013-2014 1/1 Black Printing Plate is a welcome sight and my second plate of the first-round pick.

A BGS 9.5 of Emerson's 2013-14 Upper Deck Series 1 Young Guns RC, another second copy addition in this massive cardboard swap Zach and I undertook. My first YG is not graded so picking up a slabbed version is a nice find.

The final Emerson entry is this jumbo nameplate patch piece out of 2013-14 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Debut Threads, numbered 086/100.

It wasn't all hockey cardboard falling out of the box of goodies, as two great Sandy Koufax Heritage cards came along for the ride.

Zach, I can't thank you enough for the huge boost to my Etem PC and yet another awesome trade! I hope you enjoy the return package and now that I know you also collect Sabres going forward expect a few Buffalo cards whenever we next trade that are in fact part of this epic trade!

Contest Winnings From Junior Junkie!

I recently won a fun contest from T.J. who runs The Junior Junkie. He was offering up a $5 credit to COMC and thankfully I ended up guessing well enough to emerge victorious. Along with the COMC gift card was a handful of live pieces of cardboard that T.J. was kind enough to include.

The Kemp and Kershaw are both new and needed additions to my PCs and the Dirtbags' alums are always welcome to join in on the fun. Plus Piazza! My childhood favorite is a guy I can never get enough of. Also, JJ sent along a pretty sweet Blue RC Parallel /399 of Alex Gordon, a guy I'm happy I nabbed a slew of autos of a few years back.

Many thanks T.J., appreciate it!

The Kindness of Others: A 1957 Topps Brooks Robinson Rookie Card, For Free!

Working at a card shop (that specializes in sweet, sweet vintage no less) has its obvious perks. I see product come in and get first crack, can pick between cards of the same condition when I buy, and get to see amazing things walk in the door and even hold them, like Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente autographs.

A regular customer who has sold us some 60s sets and star cards came back in recently. He was showing my boss some stuff and ended up selling us some star cards. He walked over before making the deal with my boss and extended his hand, telling me he wanted me to have something as he knew I'd appreciate it and he preferred that to selling it for basically nothing, considering the condition it's in. So for nothing out of pocket, I'm now the proud owner of a beautiful 1957 Topps RC of Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson! I think I shook his hand at least three times.

The card number, write-up on Brooks, stats, and cartoon are still perfectly intact so for me the trimming is irrelevant. I am in no position to afford a Brooks RC in even VG or VG-EX condition anytime soon (and it's actually not something I'd chase ordinarily) so adding this beat one to my collection is a fantastic thing for me.

 
It seems apparent to me I have to one day put together a trimmed set of '57s considering I already have a great head-start with the Koufax and Campy you see above that reside in my collection.

Moments after he gave me the Brooks he came back over to me and asked if I collected 1960 Topps. I told him I collected and loved any and all vintage, and he then gave me the pair of 1960 Topps cards you see above: Hall of Famer Robin Roberts as well as New York Yankee Ken Hunt.

I was unfamiliar with Hunt but after some quick research I learned he hit 25 homers in 1961, is the stepfather of Butch Patrick of The Munsters fame, and is buried just a few feet from Roger Maris in Fargo.