1952 Topps Look 'n See Babe Ruth

It's the beginning of a new year and I've ignored my little blog for too long. So while combing through my recent purchases, I felt like I needed to post something special – something you don't see everyday.

I hope this Babe Ruth fits the bill.

This is the only "baseball card" in the 1952 Look 'n See set. Though Ruth may be the most popular card of the 135-cards made of famous figures, it's not the most valuable. That honor goes to the Dutch painter Rembrandt. Go figure.

Rembrandt: no thanks; Babe Ruth: awesome.

As a collector of poor old baseball cards, I've recently read several articles on how baseball cards are worthless. The reference was to all those cards made in the 1990s. You know, the ones that are probably in the back of your friends' closets. The ones that were supposed to fund college educations and retirements. They didn't, they won't.

The truth: they are worthless. I got rid of mine years ago at a garage sale for pennies. They're not worth the space they take up in your home.

But the cards that do hold their value are those old cards (pre-1980 in my opinion) that your mother threw away. The ones your dad and granddad had before they met their demise in the local landfill.

Supply and demand: There are far fewer of these cards than the glut of those cards in the 1980-90s. Did mom or grandma help diminish supplies by dumping them? Probably. Did that contribute to their worth? Maybe.

But so did the carefree attitude we had for them: Rubber bands, thumbtacks and backs of jean pockets.

Sometimes I wonder what people think when I tell them I collect baseball cards. I wonder if they think I have stacks of cards in boxes in my closet waiting to fund my retirement.

The answer is, I do. But its not the cards they're thinking of. No Derek Jeters. No Clayton Kershaws. Nothing newer than 1980. My cards look more like the one above. Poor. Old. And hopefully, not worthless.

1952 Topps Joe Garagiola

The 1952 Topps design is considered by most to be the best. And when it comes to individual cards, this Joe Garagiola ranks right up there too.

My memories of Garagiola are not as a player but as an announcer with the NBC game of the week. I remember Garagiola and Tony Kubek and Vin Scully and Bob Costas. As a kid, I would have to tune into the Saturday game to get my baseball fix. There was no ESPN and my local team was not on T.V.

Garagiola was a good catcher who was considered a great prospect. He grew up on the same street at another catcher — Yogi Berra. Of his catching abilities, Garagiola once said: "Not only was I not the best catcher in the Major Leagues, I wasn't even the best catcher on my street."

1948 Bowman Bill McCahan

 

What can I say? This poor old baseball card was well loved.

McCahan was a two-sport athlete playing both baseball and professional basketball — a member of the Syracuse Nationals of the National Basketball League.

As a baseball player, he threw a no-hitter in his rookie season of 1947 against the Washington Senators. A second-inning throwing error kept him from the perfect game.

A few observations about this card:

Bill McCahan is not exactly a household name. How did this card survive? I mean, when the card got to a certain point, why wasn't it just tossed in the garbage?

How did it get so worn? My guess is it lived in the back pocket of it's first owner. Or, maybe it was kept in his shoe for safekeeping.

And finally, who would want this old piece of cardboard? The answer: me. And I love it.

1970 Topps Jerry McNertney

Choosing which cards I post is sometimes difficult.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you've probably come to realize I'm partial to the older cards. The older and poorer the better.

So when I came across this 1970 Topps card, I had reservations. It's not of a notable player. It's not particularly rare. It's not valuable. It's got it's share of creases and bends, put I've posted much worse.

The thing is does have going for it is the team: Seattle Pilots. Check out that uniform and cap.

The Pilots were born in 1969 and by 1970 had already vacated the Pacific Northwest to become the Milwaukee Brewers.

New owner Bud Selig didn't get final approval to move the team until only a few days before the 1970 season was scheduled to begin. He had intended to change the team's identity but was left with the old Seattle uniforms and colors.

Milwaukee never did change its colors. Though a different shading, the blue and gold remain. Thanks to the Seattle Pilots.