A T206 Ty Cobb "Bat Off Shoulder" card with a Uzit Tobacco back sold for $120,000 late Sunday night, as Robert Edward Auctions put the wraps on the sale of one late collector's expansive T206 set. Graded SGC 4, the "Bat Off Shouler" is the only pose of Cobb in the T206 set that was printed with an Uzit advertising back. Only a small number of copies … [Read more...]
The Original Dodger Bulldog – A Look at 5 Classic Don Drysdale Cards
Don Drysdale pitched during an era where intimidation was as much a part of the game plan as video rooms and data analysis are now. Today, the sheer admission of intentionally throwing at a hitter can land a player a suspension--one reason it’s a question that is often side-stepped in press conferences by both players and managers. During Drysdale’s career, he embraced this … [Read more...]
1971 Milk Duds Set Not a Dud With Collectors
Bubble gum and baseball cards are forever linked but, as most collectors know, there have been many other food products involved with cardboard memories of the national pastime. Bread wrappers, candy bar wrappers and backers, popcorn holders, even meat products are among the edible goodies that have used baseball cards as incentives. But not all food-related baseball items are … [Read more...]
The Southpaw Survivor – 5 Cool Warren Spahn Cards, Vintage and Modern
Prior to his military service, Warren Spahn had little reason to believe he’d retire as the winningest left-handed pitcher in baseball history. In his rookie season with the Boston Braves in 1942, Spahn was only used in four games (two starts), yielding a discouraging 25 hits and 11 walks in 15 2/3 innings pitched. When duty called, Spahn hung up his spikes and spent three … [Read more...]
1933 Goudey Lajoie, Other Pre-War Cards Top Hunt Live Auction
Goudey kept kids hunting for a card that didn’t exist in 1933. Nearly 88 years later, the gambit to gain more sales that resulted in a make-good filler of a guy who had long since retired is still being chased by collectors. The 1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie was sent to collectors who wrote the company after the season, wondering why the heck they couldn’t pull a #106. … [Read more...]
Hundreds More T206 Cards from David Hall Collection Now at Auction
There are impossibly scarce variations, one-of-a-kind miscuts, a Ty Cobb printing error that turned the famous back from red to orange and dozens of hard to find backs. The latest edition of the auction series that is spreading T206 treasures from the famed collection of David Hall across the hobby is underway. Heritage Auctions has launched Part VI of the ongoing … [Read more...]
The Man Behind the Curtain. 4 Classic Jack Lambert Cards
The "man behind the curtain" is a phrase that invokes memories of The Wizard of Oz, a scene where the trusty watchdog named Toto pulls the curtain back to reveal the man behind this frightening persona. In 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers discovered their own man behind the curtain—a second-round draft pick from Kent State named Jack Lambert—who would punish ball carriers who … [Read more...]
9 Career-Chronicling Cards of the Late, Great Bob Gibson
Remembered as one of the fiercest competitors to ever take the mound, Bob Gibson’s trademark tenacity and grit was likely forged long before he ever dreamt of becoming a major leaguer. Months before his birth, Gibson’s father passed away from tuberculosis, leaving his mother Victoria to raise seven children without a dad in a post-depression Omaha, Nebraska. Born Pack Robert … [Read more...]
Action Shots Threw a Curve in the 1941 Double Play Set
The 1941 Double Play baseball card set is one of the few wartime issues that was printed. Stuck somewhere in between the bounds of pre-war and post-war, the cards were distributed in the same year the United States entered World War II. The set was created by Gum Products, Inc. Pictures are in black and white or, as sometimes described, in a sepia tone. The popular 1940s … [Read more...]
7 Career-Chronicling Phil Niekro Baseball Cards
Catching knuckleball specialist Phil Niekro was an adventure. "Niekro struck out a hitter once and I never touched the ball," recalled Bob Uecker. " It hit me in the shinguard, bounced out to Clete Boyer at third base and he threw out the runner at first." "Knucksie" carved out a 24-year career baffling hitters with his fluttering tosses. Sometimes he was virtually … [Read more...]