After World War II, the Bowman Gum Company quickly became a viable competitor to Topps. Both companies produced sets early in the postwar era but Bowman would eventually get swallowed up by its rival. Topps, of course, ceased printing cards under the Bowman label after 1955 until reviving the brand back in 1989. But while Bowman's first run lasted only from 1948 through … [Read more...]
“The Boy Manager”: 5 Fun Cards Of Lou Boudreau
The Boy Manager would have been 100 on Monday. Lou Boudreau, who managed the Cleveland Indians to their last World Series title in 1948, was born July 17, 1917, in Harvey, Illinois. A Hall of Fame shortstop, he became the youngest manager in baseball history when he was hired for the 1942 season at the age of 24. Critics derided him as the “boy wonder” and the “boy manager,” … [Read more...]
5 Great Cards of Baseball Pioneer Larry Doby
He was the first player to go directly from the Negro Leagues to Major League Baseball. His struggles as the first black player in the American League are sometimes overlooked by the focus on Jackie Robinson but they were every bit as real. The vast majority of his Cleveland teammates were chilly at best in those early days. On the field, he struggled too, in the … [Read more...]
Tommy Brown’s Historic Home Run Still Stands
It’s a story my dad has told me many times. He was a Dodgers fan growing up in Brooklyn during the 1940s, and he used to say when a member of the home team homered at Ebbets Field, radio broadcaster Red Barber would call it “another Oldie Goldie.” That was in deference to Old Gold cigarettes, one of the Dodgers’ sponsors. After the player circled the bases, Barber would roll … [Read more...]
Rare Ty Cobb Tobacco Tin Leads off Wheatland Auction
One of a small number of surviving century-old Ty Cobb Tobacco tins headlines Wheatland Auction Services’ August sale which launched Thursday. The 4-1/2"-tall tin, which features an image of the Hall of Fame slugger on the front, is recognized is considered one of the most desirable tobacco artifacts, baseball or otherwise. It’s often referred to as the “King of Tobacco … [Read more...]
Baseball Cards of the 10 Forgotten 1945 All-Stars
Much has been made recently of several Kansas City Royals players questionably leading All Star voting at their positions. As many as seven Royals could start in the July 14 game with talk of revising fan voting. All the same, this wouldn't mark the first time deserving players have missed their All Star chance. Seventy years ago, in the waning days of World War II, baseball … [Read more...]
Blank-Backed 1949 Bowman Robinson, Berra Uncovered
A group of five apparently one-of-a-kind blank backed 1949 Bowman baseball cards, including Jackie Robinson’s first Bowman card and a Yogi Berra, have been authenticated by Sportscard Guaranty (SGC). New Jersey-based vintage card specialist Just Collect recently acquired them from an Atlanta man whose collection also included cards spread across several different years and … [Read more...]
Collectors’ Choice: Most Popular Baseball Card Sets, 1900-1949
Every collector wants to believe that he or she is getting in on the best baseball card sets of all time when they collect. Or at least, the very best sets they can obtain on their given budget. And, when a collector accumulates what he or she truly desires, they are right on target regardless of what the set is worth or whether anyone else recognizes the achievement. Their … [Read more...]
Robinson Rookie Cards Still Hobby Gold
On October 23, 1945, baseball changed forever. World War II had ended just months earlier and a new era was coming. Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey believed it was time to integrate baseball. The Kansas City Monarchs shortstop he’d been watching was the man he’d been looking for. Just three years later, kids were about to find an … [Read more...]