Baseball Card Blogs » Old Baseball and Football

My First Exposure to Baseball Card Collecting

jont — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:38:00 +0000

In my garage when I was a kid was this wooden toy truck my grandfather (a really handy guy!) made for my brothers and sisters and me. It was about 4 feet long and 1.5 feet high, and the back lifted up so as to "dump" stuff out of it. (Really, it was so big, we kids could ride in the back!)

Anyhow, one hot summer day, I was playing in there and found in the back of the truck a couple 1970 Topps baseball cards which I suppose my older brother must have bought and stored there in the truck. The only card I recall specifically was a nondescript portrait card of Chicago Cubs outfielder Al Spangler, who had had a few fair years earlier in his career w/ the old Houston Colt 45s. (See old pal Al's stellar career stats here.) Oh, some dudes have it up in their ebay stores here.

Well, I admired that nothing card, turned it over and found the blurb and stats on the back, and I was hooked. I went to the 7/11 and bought my first cards. The cards had been in that toy truck for a while, so the first cards I bought were now the 1971 Topps baseball cards w/ the tough black borders. I was off and running!

Favorite Sports Cards

1972 Topps football High numbers

jont — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:04:00 +0000

I have been auctioning off my nifty little stack of 1972 Topps HI #s on Ebay. Check out my auctions:
Ebay auctions

1971 Topps Football Cards

jont — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:27:00 +0000

I'm working on putting together the 1971 Topps Football set. I need about 45 cards.

I need the following cards. No wrinkles unles they are short ones that can count as corner wear. Some border on all 4 sides on front. No writing or pinholes. Here are the ones I NEED:

8
10 20
27 41
72 89
106 118
135 136
137 142
144 150
156 157
158 168
171 180
184 185
186 188
193 194
196 199
200 204
211 214
215 216
217 222
232 240
242 244
254 258
260 261

I have the same to trade and lots of vintage cards. Would buy cheaply.

Favorite Sports Cards

My Complete Sets

jont — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:43:00 +0000

Here are the few sets I have owned at one time or another . . .

Baseball:
1964 Topps giants
1969 Topps
1970 Topps
1971 Topps
1972 Topps
1975 Topps
1976 Topps
1977 Topps
1990 Donruss

Football:
1969 Topps
1970 Topps
1971 Topps
1971 Topps coins
1972 Topps
1977 Topps
1978 Topps

1960's complete sets

Washington Redskins Over-the-hill Gang 1971 1972

jont — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:55:00 +0000

The Washington Redskins was the team I loved to hate back in the seventies. When George Allen took over the Washington Redskins, he held the philosophy that said The future is now. Thus he acquired many veteran players to fill his roster, instead of waiting for the younger players to bloom.

And what a laundry list of old stars he got: Billy Kilmer, Marlin McKeever, Jack Pardee, Myron Pottios, Maxie Baughan, Diron Talbert, John Wilbur (yes, this list is thick with recycled Rams - George's old team), Clifton "Sticks" McNeil, Boyd Dowler, Richie Petitbon, Alvin Haymond, Speedy Duncan & big Ron McDole.

The average age of his starters was 31, and his plan paid big dividends, as the Skins finished second in the East at 9-4-1 in 1971 and won the East & went to the Super Bowl only to lose to the unbeaten Dolphins the next year.

I admit, as a Dallas Cowboys fan, I hated George and the Redskins back then. George was just too prissy and too much like football's Richard M. Nixon for my taste. Still, there was nothing like that rivalry back then, George matching wits with Tom Landry. Those two games between them each season were just nail-biters for me - wondering, among other things, would Larry Brown be able to be contained on the ground and Charley Taylor through the air? would Calvin Hill and rugged Walt Garrison be able to bust through the Redskins' stingy defensive line?

Today, I would give anything to turn back the clock and have old George squatting down on the sideline, maniacally licking his thumbs the way he always did, so I could love to hate him just once more. Here's to you, George Allen, and to your great Over-the-hill gang.

1971 Topps Redskins

Alex Rodriguez an A-Hole ?

jont — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:21:00 +0000

It's guys like this that make today's game unwatchable for a baseball purist like me. This prissy guy has always made me want to chuck up. Anyhow, that's why I collect cards of the old-time guys, back when a homer meant something. Get 'em by the lot !

What sports cards am I getting rid of?

jont — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:17:00 +0000

The cards I have been auctioning off on Ebay lately are:

1954 Bowman football

1967 Topps Baseball

1972 Topps baseball

1974 Topps Baseball

I auction a big-time premium superstar whenever I feel like it.

Slowly, slowly getting rid of all my cards because I need the money and space. Will later concentrate on amassing complete sets of some of my favorite years.

My auctions

Most dignified football card

jont — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:14:00 +0000

My choice for most dignified-looking card would have to be the 1971 Topps Errol Mann. Now, as a kicker, good old Errol never scored a touchdown; but if he did, just by looking at this card you can tell he would never have done an annoying endzone dance or showboated at all after his touchdown, like all those guys do today, as if it were their first time ever to score; Errol would have calmly, and with great dignity, merely handed the ball to the ref. Go, Errol! It's never too late to make a comeback & join that 1000-point club - you are so close!

Dazzling homepage

The Blubber Game

jont — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:05:00 +0000

Did you ever invent any games to play with your baseball cards or football cards? I invented a dumb game to play with football cards. It was called the Blubber Game. Here's how it was played.

1. Divide all years of my Topps football cards into the 26 teams (yes, there were only 26 then)

2. For each of these 26 stacks, I amassed the heaviest 24-man squad I could (11 on offense, 11 on defense, a kicker & a punter)

3. I then did the above for the other 25 teams

4. Then I would choose two of these teams to "play" each other

5. This team's center would be matched up against that team's center; this team's heaviest guard would be matched up against that team's heaviest guard & the smaller guard against the smaller guard, etc., as represented below:

Packers:

C G G T T TE WR WR QB RB RB K P DT DT DE DE MLB LB LB CB CB S S

Rams:

C G G T T TE WR WR QB RB RB K P DT DT DE DE MLB LB LB CB CB S S

The heaviest player would win each of the 24 face-offs (belly-offs?). In case of a tie, the taller player would win - the 1967 Topps Cotton Davidson was good to have for ties, because his height was erroneously listed as a lofty 6'10"!!! Whichever team had the most heaviest players would face another team of 24, until all teams but two were eliminated, & these final two teams would compete in the Super Belly Bowl, for the coveted Lardass trophy.

The biggest guys back then when I was doing this were guys like Buck Buchanan, Bubba Smith & Bob Brown; but having been to many sportscards shows, I had lots of cards of big guys from the past, like Ernie Ladd & Big Daddy Lipscomb, just to name two.

I know it was a goofy game to play, but I was a pretty goofy kid, & I'm sure I'm an even goofier adult . . .

Homebase

The Naughtiest Baseball Card of All Time?

jont — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:17:00 +0000

What's the naughtiest baseball card of all time? My choice would have to be the 1972 Topps Billy Martin card, in which Billy is casually shooting the finger as he grips the knob of the bat.

I'm sure he's not intending that finger for you and me because, by the look on his face and in his eyes, he had probably worked up a big-time irritation for the photographer, just like he did way back when with his own pitcher Dave Boswell ... or with Reggie Jackson ... or with Jim Brewer ... or with Clint Courtney, just to name four guys he tusselled with.

See the card here.

Are you aware of any other naughty cards? Leave a comment below.

Homebase