1911 T205 James Delahanty

It's been a few years since I started writing this blog. As a matter of routine, each card gets scanned by a flatbed scanner before I head over to my desktop computer ( or occasionally my laptop) where I compose each entry.

Until now.

This is my first post using my iPad and an app called BlogPress.

Today I give you this wonderful card of one of the Delahanty brothers. Another 100-plus year old card. Oh, how far we've come over the last century.

But I'd put the quality of this card up to any produced today, wouldn't you?

1943 R302-1 M.P.& Co. Dolph Camilli

Having been a player during World War II, Adolph Louis Camilli simply went by Dolph. Good choice for the 1941 National League MVP.

You don't see these old cards everyday and so when I saw this affordably-priced example on eBay a few weeks back, I snapped it up.

This set was produced by the Michael Pressner Company of New York. From all accounts, they were a novelty and carnival supply company, whatever that means. I think they made those toy trinkets you could win at the fair if you could knock over those milk bottles or get the rubber ball in the peach basket.

There were a total of 24 cards in the set and they were sold at candy stores in strips of eight. They're significant since they were one of very few baseball card sets produced during the war.

Personally I think they are great. They remind me of "Bazooka Joe" comics. I read where someone called these cards among the ugliest ever produced. I disagree.

So they don't have fancy graphics or real photography. I bet the kids loved them in 1943, a diversion from what was happening overseas.

Similar cards were produced in 1949 using the same cartoon figures. One difference between the sets is that the later was numbered.

1911 T205 Charles O'Leary

I'm a huge fan of the white-bordered T206 baseball card.

But I think I may be a bigger fan of the gold-bordered T205. Bold colors, player bios, stats, facsimile signatures and team nicknames add to the sets appeal. Some even classify these cards into three subsets: American Leaguers, National Leaguers and minor leaguers.

AL cards have this diamond design. NL cards have more of an airbrushed portrait look and minor leaguers have an ornate frame.

So far, I have three American Leaguers.

A few days ago I bid on a different T205 card. I had never heard of the player and the card was an absolute beater. It looked like it had been run over by a truck. My kind of card. As a veteran of eBay, I figured my bid would hold up.

Not even close. I was outbid that same day. With days remaining in the auction. I couldn't believe it! I didn't understand.

But then I figured it out: The card was of a minor leaguer. There are only a dozen players in this subset and they demand a premium.

And here I thought I was the only one out there looking for poor old baseball cards.

1954 Topps Phil Rizzuto

I checked my mail twice yesterday.

Once on my way to work and once after getting home. That's unusual for me, I'm lucky if I grab my snail mail but once a week.

But I was waiting for something special. After nearly a week, I was hoping my poor old 1954 Topps Phil Rizzuto was on its way. And when I opened up my mailbox a few hours ago, I was hoping to see one of those padded yellow envelopes I'm sure you've all seen before. That signature yellow usually means another one of my acquisitions has arrived.

But no yellow envelope. How could it be? It should have arrived days ago.

After digging a little deeper, I found it. It wasn't yellow this time but white. It was a standard envelope with cardboard used as reinforcement.

I knew it had arrived. And like a kid in the proverbial candy store that feeling came over me.

Ah, for the simple joys of life!