1954 Red Heart Mickey Mantle

Again, lots of problems with this card of the great Yankee.

This is the latest of the 1954 Red Heart cards I've purchased over the last few weeks. This is my sixth Red Heart overall. Only 27 more to go.

You see, I'm trying to complete the set and I know it's not going to be easy or cheap. You can follow my progress at my new site: 1954 Red Heart Baseball Cards.

You too can watch as I slowly build this set and drain my wallet at the same time.

1909 E254 Colgan's Chips Rube Waddell

These cards came in small tins which included small mint or violet gum. I'm not sure what violet gum is, but I think it refers to the color of the small round gum pieces. I assume the mint chips were green while the violet chips were purple.

In my opinion, Rube Waddell was one of the premier pitchers of the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was well documented in the Ken Burns' "Baseball" documentary that Waddell was an odd fellow. He is said to have left the dugout, on occasion, to chase a firetrucks as they passed along the ballpark.

Whether his actions were a reaction to alcohol, or whether he was just a little off, or whether he had some sort of mental illness, there's no arguing Waddell's numbers. He ranks tenth all-time in career ERA with a 2.16. In 1946 he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

1963 Topps Sandy Koufax

Here's a great card, with a great pose, of a great player.

Sandy Koufax had a pretty good year in 1962 leading the league with a 2.54 ERA. He also had 14 wins and 7 losses. Oh, and he pitched a no-hitter.

I'm not sure where I got this card, but it's been in my collection for years. It was the first Koufax I ever had.

Does it look like he's wearing a jacket under that jersey? I feel hot just looking at him.

Gotta go turn on the air conditioner.

1952 Red Man Ewell Blackwell

This card has several issues.

First, it's missing its bottom tab. And second, it's got some sort of staining in the bottom right corner.

These cards were issued with Red Man Tobacco and included a tab along their bottom which were intended to be cut off and sent in for a premium. Obviously this one is missing.

I hope the bottom stain is something like soda or coffee and not tobacco juice.

This card, for all its flaws, does have beautiful artwork.