The 1965 photo that became one of the most valuable football cards ever created sold for a whopping $66,000 late last week in Huggins & Scott's Summer Auction. The black and white image of Joe Namath taken in the hallway of a hospital became his iconic rookie card in Topps' 1965 AFL set. While the card itself can sell for big bucks, the photo offered in the auction … [Read more...]
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1934-36 Batter Up Cards Offer Unique Challenges
Young baseball card collectors had some choices during the mid-1930s. Goudey Gum Company was producing them, although their 1934 and '35 sets weren’t nearly as comprehensive as their landmark 1933 issue. Massachusetts-based National Chicle was also trying to sell gum and during the years 1934-36, they came out with a couple of sets: the Diamond Stars issue … [Read more...]
Bespectacled Honus Wagner and Mel Ott
He looked much different than he did 36 years earlier when his soon-to-be famous baseball card had briefly appeared inside packages of cigarettes. A frozen moment in time is our Photo of the Day from RMY Auctions. The World War II era image captures an aging Wagner catching up with veteran Mel Ott as the latter moved in on one of Wagner's records. Wagner was … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Preparing for the World Series That Wasn’t
It’s not quite “Dewey Defeats Truman” but the newspapers got ahead of themselves during the pennant race of 1934. Oh, the New York Giants looked like a sure thing all right. With 14 games left in the season, they still held a 5 ½ game edge on the St. Louis Cardinals. Sometime in the days leading up to the end of the regular season, a photographer for International News … [Read more...]
Five Cool Pre-WW2 Baseball Cards You Can Afford
One of the best things about the sports card hobby is that you can participate on any level. You can buy common cards for a dime. A current pack for a buck or two. A 1960s Hall of Fame rookie card for a couple hundred. Or, if your budget permits, you can chase the investment quality stuff for a lot more. For many collectors who would like to chase more vintage cards, … [Read more...]
Vintage Photo of the Day: Mel Ott, Teen Big Leaguer
Mel Ott was just 18 but already had 35 big league games under his belt when he stepped in front of a camera for this photo on April 12, 1927. Small but powerful, Ott was a tremendous prospect. Little did anyone know at the time, however, that he would become one of the most feared hitters in baseball history. This 7x9 3/4" photo is our RMY Auctions Vintage Photo of the Day … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Mel and Lou Before the 1936 World Series
We’d call it a ‘Subway Series’ today. Nearly seventy-eight years ago, the New York Yankees faced the New York Giants in the World Series with future Hall of Famers dotting the roster of both clubs. Today’s RMY Auctions Photo of the Day is this shot, taken on the first day of the Series, September 30, 1936 and showcasing friendly rivals Lou Gehrig and Mel Ott, posing for … [Read more...]
Vintage Photo of the Day: Card Playing Giant Hall of Famers
Do baseball players play cards anymore? Years ago they did—a lot. Our Vintage Photo of the Day from RMY Auctions is this wire service photo from 1934 showing several members of the New York Giants in the middle of a game of poker. Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott, two Hall of Famers, are pictured along with others whose names are scripted in pencil on the back. The photo appears … [Read more...]
Cool History: Autographed WWII Era Giants Bat Includes Rare Ott Signature
In 1945, Mel Ott was on the tail end of an unprecedented career and serving as player-manager for the fifth place New York Giants. Although he was only 36, he was in the 20th year of a major league career that began when John McGraw put the then-17-year-old Ott into left field for the fading 'Irish' Meusel. Following the 1926 season Ross Youngs, a hall of fame outfielder in … [Read more...]
Reward Now Offered for Return of Stolen Mel Ott Bat
A $5,000 reward is now being offered for information leading to the return of a valuable game used bat stolen during this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. The circa-1930s Mel Ott bat belonged to collector Scott Foraker, who had dropped it off for grading at the booth of JT Sports’ John Taube, PSA’s bat authenticator during the August 1-5 show at the … [Read more...]
