John – Page 2 – Post War Cards

Exploring Mickey Mantle’s Home Run History Through 14 Iconic Baseball Cards

November 14, 2024 by John

With his awe-inspiring home runs and incredible power at the plate (and seven World Series titles), Mantle solidified his status as one of the sport’s all-time greats. In this post, I’ll share 14 great Mickey Mantle baseball cards. These vintage gems, released by Topps, Nu-cards, and Laughlin during his playing years, offer a unique glimpse into Mantle’s home run-hitting prowess.

1959 Topps #461 Mantle Hits 42nd Homer for Crown

The first card on the list is from the 1959 Topps set, and it’s part of one the greatest subsets in hobby history, the Baseball Thrills. It discusses his season-long battle with Rocky Colavito for the home run crown, Mantle’s third and the first for which he had real competition.

1959 Topps #461 Mantle Hits 42nd Homer for Crown – Reverse

1960 Nu-Card Baseball Hi-Lites #22 Mickey Mantle Hits Longest Homer

A bit of an oddball release, the Hi-Lites are many baseball history fans’ favorite set. This card highlights an April 17, 1953 game in which Mantle hit a ~565 ft homer against Chuck Stubbs that left Griffith Stadium.

1960 Nu-Card Baseball Hi-Lites #50 Mantle Hits Longest Homer at Stadium

Nu-Card included another Mantle blast in their Hi-Lites set, this one from a May 30, 1955 game during which Mantle nearly hit a ball out of Yankee Stadium. The card says the ball was still rising when it hit the roof and may have reached 600 feet on the fly.

1961 Nu-Card Scoops #422 Mickey Mantle Hits Longest Homer

Nu-Card released another baseball history set in 1961. This card highlighted the same homer that the 1960 Hi-Lites #22 card did, but the details were printed on the back.

1961 Nu-Card Scoops #422 Mickey Mantle Hits Longest Homer – Reverse

1961 Nu-Card Baseball Scoops #450 Mantle Hits Longest Homer at Stadium

Again, the Nu-Card mimicked a card from the previous year. This was about the same monster home run Mantle hit at Yankee Stadium in 1955.

1961 Topps #44 American League 1960 Home Run Leaders

Topps introduced cards for statistical leaders in their 1961 set. Lucky for us, Mantle led the American League in home runs in 1960 with 40, edging out teammate Roger Maris. Ernie Banks hit 41 in the National League that year.

1961 Topps #307 1960 World Series Game #2 Mantle Slams 2 Homers

Mickey Mantle had a legendary performance in Game 2 of the 1960 World Series that Topps commemorated in a nifty subset. In this game, Mantle hit a two-run home run in the 5th inning and a three-run shot in the 7th inning. The Yankees won this game 16-3 over the Pirates, but the Pirates won the series in seven games.

1961 Topps #406 Mantle Blasts 565 ft. Home Run

Topps featured Mantle’s famous home run at Griffith Stadium off Chuck Stubbs in their 1961 set, just as Nu-Card did twice before. Topps wrote it up as a “Baseball Thrills” card on the back.

1961 Topps #406 Mantle Blasts 565 ft. Home Run – Reverse

1962 Topps #53 1961 American League Home Run Leaders

Mantle didn’t lead the league in Home Runs in 1961 when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s record with 61. However, Mantle still hit an impressive 54 to finish second to his teammate.

1962 Topps #318 The Switch Hitter Connects

Looking at the front of this card, you wouldn’t be sure if it’s referring to home runs, but the back shared that Mantle was running neck and neck with Roger Maris in the home run race in 1961 when an injury sidelined him in September.

1962 Topps #318 The Switch Hitter Connects – Reverse

1964 Topps 331 A.L. Bombers

This card is cool because it features four formidable hitters: Maris, Cash, Mantle, and Kaline. The back highlights Maris for his record-breaking 61 home run season, Cash for being a dangerous hitter who hit /361 in 1961, Mantle as a triple crown winner in 1956, three-time MVP, and slugger of 15 Worlds Series home runs, and Kaline as a great hitter who won the AL’s batting title at just 20 years old.

1965 Topps #3 American League 1964 Home Run Leaders

Mantle was third to Harmon Killebrew and Book Powell in the 1964 American League home run race. Killebrew hit 49, Powell 39, and Mantle 35.

1965 Topps #134 Worlds Series Game #3 – Mantle’s Clutch HR

History has a way of repeating itself, and in the 1964 World Series, Mantle hit his 16th World Series home run, beating Babe Ruth’s previous record, in Game 3 of the series against St. Louis. Mantle hit the shot in the bottom of the ninth to win the game, and he reportedly called his shot to on-deck hitter Elston Howard, telling him to go to the clubhouse because he was going to hit a home run. Ultimately, however, The Yankees lost this October battle with the Cardinals four games to three.

1967 Laughlin #61 Yankee vs. Cards World Series 1964

This 1967 Laughlin card featured a description of the 1964 World Series on the back, including Mantle’s 3 HRs, bringing his career total to 18.

1967 Laughlin #61 Yankee vs. Cards World Series 1964 – Reverse

It’s cool that we can explore Mickey Mantle’s home run legacy through baseball cards. Despite a hobby hiccup when the 1968 Topps Game card depicted Mantle hitting a single (Mays is on the home run card), it’s clear that baseball card manufacturers duly recognized Mantle’s home run-hitting achievements. Happy collecting!

The 1980-81 Argus Publishing Reggie Jackson Cards

November 13, 2024 by John

Reggie Jackson is known as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but did you know he also had a passion for classic cars? In the early 80s, Argus Publishing released a unique set of three cards featuring Jackson alongside some of the vehicles from his personal collection.

I first learned about the card that was released at the 1980 Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show from the December 1980 issue of The Trader Speaks.

Here’s a PSA-graded copy of the card showing a 1932 Ford Highboy

Hot Rodding Magazine featured a photo almost certainly taken during the same photoshoot as the card pictured above on the cover of their March 1980 issue.

I looked for the set in my Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, and it showed a pair of other cards; however, unlike The Trader Speaks, they said ~10k of each were printed.

The next card is the 1981 SEMA card with Jackson’s 1932 Ford 5-window.

And the last card is titled 1981 Super Chevy Sunday, featuring Jackson’s 1944 Chevy.

I found a seller on eBay offering the following uncut strip of all three cards. However, I don’t know if it’s a production-proof item or a magazine insert; let me know if you know about this one.

Dick Perez’s Original Artwork For The 1984 Donruss Mike Schmidt Diamond Kings Card

November 12, 2024 by John

Here’s the original artwork Dick Perez painted for the 1984 Donruss Mike Schmidt #23 Diamond Kings card.

Ron Oser Enterprises offered it in a lot with a few other signed Perez originals in April 2001. The lot’s description was a little unclear, but I believe the piece is 11” x 17”.

Here’s the final card, followed by a side-by-side comparison.

A Fascinating Letter from Sy Berger to Fred Corcoran Extending Ted Williams’ Contract with Topps

November 11, 2024 by John

In the middle of 2023, @TJisonline shared an incredible item with me: a letter from Sy Berger, the mastermind behind Topps Trading cards, to Fred Corcoran, the agent of baseball legend Ted Williams. It dates back to the intense bubble gum card war of the 1950s. I thought I would use it to explore the story of Ted Williams’ association with Topps, Bowman, and eventually, Fleer during this era, shedding light on the fierce completion that unfolded and the impact it had on a few of the most popular baseball card sets in the hobby.

If you don’t know a lot about Ted Williams, his Wikipedia article is a good starting point. He’s known as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, finishing his career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and 1839 RBIs. He was a 19x All-Star, 2x AL MVP, 2x Triple Crown Winner, 6x AL batting champion, and the last player to hit over .400 in a season. His career also peaked during the Topps/Bowman card wars.

However, Teddy Ballgame’s 19-year MLB career was interrupted twice for military service, from 1943-45 for WW2 and 1952-53 for the Korean War. But first, after WW2, in the post-war era, Williams had cards in the 1948-49 Leaf, 1950 Bowman, and 1951 Bowman sets.

Topps wasn’t a real competitor to Bowman until 1952, but the Navy had called Williams back to serve on active duty for the Korean War on January 9, 1952 (he played just six games in the 1952 season before returning for refresher flight training). So, Williams wasn’t in either Bowman’s or Topps’ 1952 or 1953 sets because of his military service. Williams did have a few oddball cards those years, namely 1952 Berk Ross, 1952 Red Man, and 1952 Wheaties.

Williams returned to baseball in 1953 and hit .406, but with only 110 at-bats, he wasn’t qualified for the batting title. At this point, Sy Berger, a Red Sox fan, was desperate to sign Ted Williams, and at the time, exclusive deals were around $100-125 annually.

In December 1953, Berger managed to sign Ted Williams to a five-year contract with Topps because he offered Williams more money than the standard fee: $400 per year. Bowman had to stop production of William’s 1954 Bowman card #66, and Topps double-downed on their star, making him the first and last card of the set (#1 and #250).

Berger would give Ted Williams premium places in their following three sets; Williams was card #2 in 1955, #5 in 1956, and #1 in 1957. That’s when the letter this article was motivated by comes into the picture, and here it is:

1957 Sy Berger Letter to Fred Corcoran – Ted Williams Topps Extension

You can see that it’s dated October 1, 1957, and is from Sy Berger to Fred Corcoran (Ted’s agent). It references the agreement to extend William’s exclusive deal with Topps for the 1958 season. I suppose this means the original contract was for five years, but both parties had to renew or review it yearly.

TJisonline picked it up to pair with (then) three of his 1958 Topps Ted Williams cards, #s 1, 321, and 485. The Red Sox team card and checklist, #312, is a fourth “Williams” card, of sorts, in the set. He picked up the letter from a local estate reseller/dealer who supposedly bought a lot of items from Fred Corcoran’s daughter (who was Ted Williams’ goddaughter).

1957 Sy Berger Letter to Fred Corcoran With Cards

At this point, another company was looking to enter the sports card market. The Frank H. Fleer Corporation wanted to grow its gum market share, and they targeted Williams for a single-player set since Topps had the exclusive MLB license by that point. Williams was the only player with the popularity to carry an entire set. Williams signed with Fleer for $5k per year for four years, which deprived Topps collectors of Ted Williams cards for the remainder of his playing days. But fans could grab Topps Ted Williams Manager cards from 1969-1972.

1959 Fleer Ted Williams #80 – Ted’s Goals for 1959

All that said, Topps did sign Ted Williams in 1991 for inclusion in their 1953 Reprint Series. In January 2008, Heritage Auctions sold the contract pictured below for $286.80. So, we have some idea of what a 1953 Topps Ted Williams card could have looked like.

1991 Topps Archives #319 Ted Williams 1953 Reprint

This letter from Sy Berger to Fred Corcoran amplifies the intense competition and significant impact of the bubble gum card wars on the hobby. It helps provide a bit more historical context and another glimpse into a pivotal era when the hobby really developed.

Also, if you want to learn more about cards from this era and the competition between Topps and Bowman, I recommend picking up a copy of Dean Hanley’s The Bubble Gum Card War.

Happy collecting!

1955 Topps Doubleheaders Uncut Panel

November 11, 2024 by John

What’s super cool about the 1955 Topps Doubleheaders uncut panels is how clearly they show the continuous artwork designed into the backgrounds on the cards!

Mastro offered this particular copy in their April 2006 catalog. Here’s the complete description:

Collectors of individual ’55 Topps “Doubleheaders” cards appreciate the items’ clever design and 2-in-1 player format, but they might remain unaware of yet another eye-catching feature: when placed side-by-side in the correct sequence, the collectibles’ backgrounds merge into a realistically constructed stadium-setting tableau. That marvelously artistic detail is graphically revealed in the very scarce uncut panel of six “Doubleheaders” cards here offered. In this still-attached half-dozen, which clearly shows that multi-play-er paintings were neatly sectioned to create the original single-card images, the items’ subjects can be seen standing in front of a dugout, a batting cage, and consistent rows of seats. A great display piece! The panel’s cards include: #’s 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20 and 21 Skowron/22. The uncut relic measures 4-3/4″ x 12-1/2″, and presents an EX condition appearance with irregular border cuts and natural handling faults confined to the periphery.

If you want to see all the baseball panoramas featured in the Doubleheaders set, check out this post on The Topps Archives called Double Your Pleasure, which features Roger Nisly’s compiled handiwork from various auction catalogs over the years.

Pacific Takes On The Goliaths

November 10, 2024 by John

Who remembers when super premium packs were just $5.99?

Anyway, the December 1996 issue of Sports Card Trader had an excellent article about Mike Cramer taking on the industry’s goliaths that I wanted to share.

But, before I share the article, it is interesting that the back cover features an advertisement for Pacific Trading Cards…

The article is still a great read, though!

Cramer also recently published a great book called Cramer’s Choice: Memoir of a Baseball Card Collector Turned Manufacturer. I encourage you to pick up a copy for your own Hobby Library; I’ll post a longer review of it in the future as I did for True Mint and Mr. Mint’s Insider’s Guide.

1935 R89 And R90 Gum Inc. Mickey Mouse Uncut Sheets

November 9, 2024 by John

Who doesn’t love the mouse? These four sheets from Gum Inc. were auctioned off together in April 2004 and included three from the R89 Mickey Mouse set, and one from the R90 Mickey Mouse with the Movie Stars set.

Each panel includes 24 different card designs that were fully printed on both sides.

The lot included two sheets from the 1935 R89 Gum Inc. Mickey Mouse set, which included card numbers 49-72. One sheet was described as VG/EX condition, while the other was described as EX/MT. The other R89 sheet included cards 73-96, including the popular Walt Disney at his drawing board card 92.

The fourth sheet in the lot was a 1935 R90 Gum Inc. Mickey Mouse with the Movie Stars one, which included card numbers 97-120. At the time, it was thought to be the only uncut full sheet of R90 cards in existence. Unfortunately, the sheet had some significant damage and obvious surface paper loss.