Archive for New York Yankees
Upgrading the ’56 Mantle
Posted in Vintage Upgrade with tags baseball, baseball cards, Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, Topps on December 10, 2015 by Cardboard IconsThere certainly is no shortage of iconic Mickey Mantle baseball cards. He wasn’t the best player — although he certainly is in the conversation — but he is the king of the hobby. Hands down. And along with that status comes a large following for his vintage cardboard.
Many factors could play into which is your favorite. I mean each of his cards from the 1950s and 1960s has a certain aspect that draws in a particular collector.
For me, that card is the 1956 Mantle. Of course his 51 Bowman and 52 Topps cards are more desirable, but next in line is the 56.
I added this 56 Mantle to my collection early last year for less than 10 percent of high book value, which is a standard formula I like to use when buying poor condition vintage.
Well, not all “poor” condition cards are created equal. A deal arose in COMC.com that I could not refuse. I went about 12-15% of high book for this one, but look at this upgrade.
The original Mantle I owned was creased beyond belief and had four “corners.” My new one has some issues, mainly some minor creases, but presents so much nicer.
Today I am heading to the post office to ship off the old Mantle as it has already found a new home, somewhere in Arkansas. Congrats to the new owner.
When your LCS has an HOF rookie card you’ve been seeking, you must buy it
Posted in Hall of Fame Rookie Cards, Hall of Famers with tags baseball, bassball cards, Bill Dickey, New York Yankees on October 24, 2015 by Cardboard IconsI have an addiction to buying baseball cards. Yes, I said it. I had about 40 minutes of free time Saturday while juggling a bunch of family stuff so I utilized every minute I had and made a trip to one of my local card shops, the one that has lots of vintage.
I really wasn’t sure what I was seeking, but I wanted to see a vintage Ted Williams card I almost bought a few weeks ago when I last was there. During that trip I opted for rookies of Dom DiMaggio and Bobby Doerr instead (Post here). I probably would’ve bought the Williams today, but it was gone and I found something else I wanted.
As soon as a I stepped up to my favorite vintage showcase my eyes locked on a 1933 Goudey Bill Dickey rookie card.
As fate would have it, this was a card I had been seeking for years. Sure, they’d been available on line at various prices and condition. But I was so happy with my last purchase here that I decided that if I was going to add Dickey to my collection, this was the perfect way to do it.
Big thanks to Stevens Creek Sports Cards in San Jose for stocking a fantastic selection of vintage cards. Buying cards in person is something this hobby seems to lack at times.
In Memoriam: Yogi Berra May 12, 1925-Sept. 22, 2015
Posted in In Memoriam with tags baseball, baseball cards, New York Yankees, Yogi Berra on September 23, 2015 by Cardboard Icons 
An auto a day … #1
Posted in An Auto A Day with tags baseball, baseball cards, Jeff Nelson, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners on August 19, 2014 by Cardboard IconsSo, a few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the National Sports Collector’s Convention in Cleveland. It was my second such event. During my multiple days in Cleveland I happened upon a dealer who had dozens — literally dozens — of three-row boxes in which every card was priced at $1. And among these cards was a ton of autographs.
Well, as I alluded to in an earlier post, I bought about 100 signed cards, some duplicates. And my intent was to show them off in one Thrift Treasures post, but I changed my mind because I love these cards and what they represent. Instead I’ll show them off individually along with some interesting facts about the player. The goal is to post one a day.
We’ll start with a 1996 Leaf Signature Extended Autographs Jeff Nelson.
I’m a sucker for successful relief pitchers, the underdogs of all major league rosters. And I have a fascination with the 1996-1998 Donruss/Leaf Signature series cards as I find that they were important series in our hobby’s history.
When these cards were produced, he Donruss Trading Card Company was doing something that no other company was doing at the time — offering certified autographs of Major League players. We’d been seeing prospect signatures for nearly half a decade by 1996 thanks to Classic/Score Board, but no sets with established major leaguers in their MLB uniforms. And while by today’s standards the player selection in these large signature series would be considered watered down due to the abundance of middle relievers and mid-level players, I think it’s actually a fascinating as these continue to be some of the only certified card for many of these guys.
Today I showcase Jeff Nelson, the large right-handed reliever who spent much the majority of his career with two teams, the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees.
Nelson broke into the majors in 1992 as a member of the Mariners and spent four years in Seattle before heading to New York and becoming an integral part of their multiple titles. In fact, Nelson has four — yeah, FOUR — World Series rings (1996. 1998. 1999, and 2000), all as a member of the Yankees, and had a career strikeout ratio of 9.5 per 9 innings pitched.Like it or not, he was an important part of the Yankees Dynasty and a member of 1998 team, which is considered to b the best — or second best — team in the history of the game. Nelson ended his career in 2006 after 15 seasons in the Bigs.
Nelson has two rookie cards — 1992 Donruss and 1992 Fleer Update — and just one certified autograph, the one shown above.
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