Memorial Day

Eddie Grant, infielder for a variety of teams, served the US Army during the first World War. He enlisted and then became a Captain. He was involved in the Meuse-Argonne offensive where he lost his life.



Please take a moment to remember Eddie Grant, both for his baseball career, but more importantly for the sacrifice that he made on the battlefield.

Then remember the other service men and women that also lost their lives during their time in the military.

Images lifted from the Library of Congress

1972 Topps Milt Pappas

I have been working on restoring the email service to my wife's BlackBerry for the last 2 + hours. I don't have much to say except that it took two Sprint tech reps and myself and lots of frustration. It now works.

Celebrate with me by looking at Uncle Milty...

1972 Topps, Milt Pappas (card #208)

Others are collecting this set. I just happened to find this in one of my binders this evening.

Again, I am drawn to the colored glove. I feel better now.

Early Ty Cobb Box Scores

I was poking around issues of the Sporting Life at LA84 Foundation. I was doing some research on the 1904 Tennessee Alabama League. I found the box scores for Ty Cobb's first two games with Augusta, of the Southern Atlantic League.

I captured portions of the .pdf image, then pasted them together to preserve the paper's name and date. Click on the boxscores for clearer images.

This is not a new discovery to the world. But it is new to me and I thought that I'd make it a bit more widely available.


This is just a nice image of a player that accompanied an advertisement.

Huggins & Scott May Auction Catalog

Time for another auction catalog post. The latest Huggins & Scott Internet Auction will be held on May 26th and 27th.

I received this catalog a about a week and a half ago. Quite a nice selection of cards, uniforms, signed balls. Not only from baseball, but several sports. They also offer an interesting selection of Americana. Movie posters and broadsides, revolvers, swords, longarms. Well, just one revolver. But a lot of swords. And a few lots of rifles. Hartland figures. And much more.

The catalog is 116 pages of gloss covering 740 lots. As usual, they divided the auction to end on two dates. I'm guessing that it is easier for them, and the bidders, to have a separation so all parties aren't scrambling at the end.

I've looked at auction catalogs in a variety of ways before. This time I'm going to focus on games. Games of games.

First up, a 1962 Roger Maris Baseball Board Game.

Lot # 287
Opening Bid: $200
Current Bid: $200



Next up a 1940s-1970s Multi-Sport Games and Cards Collection
Lot # 290
Opening Bid: $150
Current Bid: $170



And finally a 1950s "Knockout" Electronic Boxing Game
Lot # 195
Opening Bid: $100
Current Bid: $130

Crack open the bank accounts and keep the browsers open.

Bids current as of the afternoon of Monday, May 25th.
And yes, I lifted the images from their site.
Images used with permission.

Prizes From Last Month

I won a contest from the guys over at Community Gum.

Okay, I'm a slacker. It has been over a month since I won and I'm just now posting about it. I'm such a slacker that I stole the image from Community Gum's site.

They bought a boatload of junk wax and invited readers to guess how many Andre Dawson cards would be in the haul. I guessed 5. I was correct, sir.

The guys over there got my cards out the door right quick.

Now, I'm wondering if I add them to my cheapo HoF cards. They aren't player relics, but it would fill two spots that I'm trying to fill. At this point I'm going to declare them HoF relic cards and go on with my life.

Contest Links

No, not mine. But there's four of them to enter.

Three are no cost. The fourth? Well, yeah.

Big D's Custom Card Contest

Enough Already's Giveaway Time!!

1st & Goal Sportscards

Gint-A-Cuffs II - The Monster demands a Mate!

More Authenticated Ink

Last year I wrote about some Auth/Ink cards. --David was seeking more information about them. I didn't find much, but today I found a new mess of them on ebay.

I snagged some of the images from this seller's auctions.

If you've been following the NHL's playoffs, you know the name Tim Horton. Hockey player who started a coffee and donut shop in 1964. Now there are over 3,500 Tim Hortons in the U.S. and Canada.

This upcoming weekend is the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Richard Petty, along with Junior Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Bill France, Sr., and Bill France, Jr., will be a member of the first class.

Director extraordinaire. My favorite film of his is The 39 Steps. A detailed review and analysis can be found here. You can watch it online here.

Mr. Cobb, how we knew you. I've been doing some research on Mr. Cobb. Many people, myself included, only thought of him as a mean tempered, spikes-a-flyin', embittered, but very good ball player.

I ran across some of his letters on the web, but I've misplaced them. After investing in Coca-Cola, his returns were nothing to be scoffed at. He put the money to good use, assisting in building a hospital in Royston, Georgia and starting the Ty Cobb Educational Foundation, which has presented over $12,725,000 in scholarships.

Why am I interested in Ty Cobb? Well, I'm researching the 1904 Tennessee Alabama League. A young Cobb played for the Anniston team in Alabama. Most of the information then says that he returned to Augusta to play with them.

I found a newspaper reference that he stated that he was now (July 1904) playing for the Sheffield team. I then found the box scores that prove he did play for Sheffield. I thought that I was breaking new ground, until further research has brought me in touch with a newspaperman who did similar research in the 1960s. Apparently a few of us know about it, but it hasn't been widely reported or documented.

I'm still gathering information and corresponding with other researchers (Go SABR) and don't quite know the best way to document and present 'my' find. The Mad Guru (Rain of Error) has been very generous with his advice. Thanks.

So, I don't know much more about the creative force behind the Auth/Ink cards, but I've found a few more that I like.

A Friend Of Mine

... gave me this card. He knew that I collected baseball cards. We talked about which players I liked. He said that he was getting rid of all of his cards on ebay, but wanted me to have this one.

1985 Baseball Immortals, Enos Slaughter (card #194)

If you look closely, you can see a big crease and a very frayed corner. That's okay. I don't mind.

Because, you see, a friend of mine took some of his time to dig through his collection and share one of them with me.

Thanks, Andy.

1933 Goudey - Dale Alexander

I wrote about Dale (and his schoolmates, Joe and Horace) a few months back. I figured that I'd like to get a Dale Alexander card. Some of them are very expensive.

A few weeks ago I bid on, and won an ebay auction. I paid $10.28 for this card and $3.50 for Shipping and Handling. Less than $14 delivered. And it came from an ebay gift card. No money out of my pocket.

1933 Goudey, Dale Alexander (card #221)

I have very few old cards. A 1909 T206 Cy Barger. A 1911 T205 Gabby Street. A 1936 Goudey Wide Pen Mickey Cochrane. A 1948 Baseball Greats Hall of Fame Exhibits Mickey Cochrane. Some cards from the 1950's. That's it.

I don't know what a 1933 Goudey should look like. You can see from the images above (scanned at 600pi and then reduced down to 96dpi) that it looks good. Almost too good. It is off center. Some good corner wear. But the face of the card has a nice sheen to it. The card was the correct size (2-3/8" x 2-7/8"). The ebay seller had interesting spelling and grammar in his auction listing. ALL SALES FINAL!

The seller has a good rating, but something about the card doesn't quite feel right to me.

I contacted a few other bloggers to see if I could get a high resolution scan of another 1933 Goudey to compare it with. My good blogging friend, dayf, was more than quick to help out.

He posted a very nice entry about the authenticity of some 1933 Goudeys and granted me permission to link to his images. So, we'll give this a go.

Mind you, when I scanned these Sunday evening, it was almost Monday morning. Even as I type this, it has just turned into Tuesday. I find it hard to focus my eyes and be discerning after a long day of work, meetings, a bit of the telly and then some blog reading. Yes, I know how to correct that. Quit work, ditch the meetings, unplug the tube and don't surf the web. Phooey on that.

So, let's get on to the comparison....

The following images have been scanned at 600dpi.

DALE FRONT:

REAL FRANK FRONT:

DALE BACK:

REAL FRANK BACK:

The details are all scanned at 1200dpi:

DALE:

REAL FRANK:

FAKE MELVIN:

DALE BACK:

REAL FRANK BACK:

FAKE MELVIN BACK:

Matthew, of the wonderful Number 5 Type Collection blog, recently wrote about his experience with a counterfeit card.

David Rudd Cycleback wrote a book about Judging the Authenticity of Early Baseball Cards.

I read both of these and started thinking, "What do I have?" Then I remembered that my eyes hurt and I couldn't quite decide.

I've felt the card, but I don't know the stock that the originals were printed on. I've smelled the card. It smells like cardboard. I'm stumped.

So, I'm looking to my readers to assist me. What do I have?

Gint-A-Cuffs 2, Old Planter Boogaloo

Coming soon to a blog near you.

In about five weeks the Topps Allen & Ginter 1887-2010 World Champions Color Picture Cards will be loosed upon the public.

And that means that it will be time for Gint-A-Cuffs 2, Old Planter Boogaloo.

I'll be your commissioner. Again.

What does that mean for you? Another chance to get in on the best box break competition since, well, the original Gint-A-Cuffs.

You want parallels? We got 'em. Wood. Cloth. Bazookas. NoNos. Black Border. A&G Backs.

You want Top Loaders? We got 'em. With Autos.

Lords of Olympus? Got 'em.

World's Greatest Wordsmiths? Got 'em.

This Day In History? Got 'em.

National Animals? Got 'em.

Monsters Of The Mesozoic? Got 'em.

Sailors Of The Seven Seas? Got 'em.

All that, and more.

Please note that by mentioning the various card possibilities available in the 2010 A&G set, it does not mean that you will get them in your box. Probably not. Fair warning.

Now, leave me alone. I have to go and figure out some sort of scoring method. Perhaps a tweak of last year's rules. More than likely I'll have to scrap that and start a fresh.

Any scoring ideas will be received and given the weight that I feel is necessary. Beardy, having created this monster last year, will be relinquishing some of his duties so that he can more fully concentrate on winning. Again. I'll still be relying on him for some pointers, but I've found out that his bribes are full of hot air and I ignore them.

Speaking of bribes I was rather disappointed in the bribe department last year. You all are big boys and girls. Step it up this year. Please.

We're working on several goodies for prizes. And perhaps some other goodies, too.

I'll be taking this over to the Gint-A-Cuffs blog now. Please leave your scoring comments over there.

Thanks.

Catching some ZZzzz's

So, I'm a bit late to this party. Other bloggers have already posted on it. The sports media has beat it to death. I thought of creating a Sominex or Mattress King card, but I soon realized that it might be a nice idea, but I don't have the time right now to do it.

I've seen Ken Griffey, Jr. play twice in person. First in Chicago, on the south side. Then in Cincy as a member of the Reds. Him, not me.


I guess that it just isn't Jr. that likes to visit the land of Nod...


Even die hard fans need to do it at some point.


Maybe this is what Jr. really wants. A slumber party at his future residence.


Mariners' new ball cap?


Perhaps Jr. could talk to Mariano Rivera and see if he could borrow his entrance song...




Or he could just use The Chordette's 1954 song, Mr. Sandman...




Or maybe he could just try going to bed earlier at night. It works for me.

Photo Credits:
Ken Griffey, Jr.

Players on Bench
Loser Dodger card
HoF Slumber Party
New Ball Cap

Sharing

I didn't know this but Yogi and Angie share a birthday.

1947-66 Exhibits Yogi Berra

2009 - Caroline and Angie

I'd rather be married to Angie than to Yogi.

Happy Birthday, Angie.
....

You, too, Yogi.

Yogi image lifted from this ebay auction.

Chilhowee Park Base Ball Park

Ronald A. Allen's Same Old Smokies, an excellent look at the history of baseball in Knoxville, TN (1865-1954), states that several teams played at the Chilhowee Base Ball Park over the years.

Here's an image from a Sanborn Fire Map of Knoxville, Tennessee (1917). It shows the Base Ball Park at Chilhowee Park in east Knoxville.

Here's the same area as shown by Google Maps.

And another image from the Sanborn Fire Maps. This image was taken with the camera on my BlackBerry. The McClung Historical Collection will allow non-flash photography when an item is too large to photocopy.

The photo came from this book. I'm still trying to figure out the year references on the Sanborn Fire Maps. This one appears to be 1924, but the books look upgraded, with some dates added here and there as corrections and additions are made.

Note the two Sanborn maps. There is a roller coaster type ride in each of them, but they are different. The first one is labeled "Roller Coaster". The second is labeled "Figure 8". There's also a "Dodge Em" at the 'toe' of the boot shaped lake/pond.

This park interests me because I live in the Knoxville area. Seeing the maps of the park brings the history a little bit closer to home. I've been to Chilhowee Park a few times in the last decade. The Tennessee Valley Fair is held there, as are antique shows and the computer expos. But I've never seen a ball game held there. And I don't think I will.

A tip of the hat to agate type for running a few of these types of posts lately.

Colorful Gloves

I believe that it was --David, over at Tribe Cards, that sent me a big old stack of Expos/Nationals. Looking through them I noticed that there were several different colored gloves pictured.

I don't have any comment, witty or otherwise. I'm not even going to identify the cards.

Enjoy.