1) 1969 Topps Set (All Graded PSA 8 or Higher)
1969 Topps Mickey Mantle
This full Topps set sold in auction on eBay for $19,800. The seller had 100% positive feedback, and offered free shipping. This 1969 set features the Rollie Fingers and Reggie Jackson rookies, as well as the final regularly issued Mickey Mantle card.
2) 1952 Topps Mantle, Graded PSA 4.5
Here’s our old reliable. The greatest post-war Continue reading
It would be some 20 years before “Hammerin” Hank Aaron became the all-time home run king. His rookie card was released one year earlier by Topps. It was now 1955, when “‘Dem Bums” from Brooklyn would be crowned World Series Champions for the first and only time. And Bowman Gum re
leased it’s first ever Hank Aaron baseball card.
The 1955 Bowman set has the dark borders, imitating the wood (or faux wood) frame of a t.v. from that era. That being the case, the cards are much more susceptible to signs of wear and won’t grade out as highly as some other Bowman cards. But….this is Hank Aaron’s one and only Bowman card we’re talking about here (at least from the original version of Bowman, pre-1989).
And you can find this card readliy on eBay and at a decent price, in any condition or grade.
So what do you think? Is this one of the best Hank Aaron baseball cards of all-time? I’d say so.
Hey collectors! Just a quick heads up that 2011 Bowman Platinum is live now! A quick look in the forums shows that people already seem to be clearing out their local Wal-Marts of retail boxes. And there are hits to be found in some of those boxes, in addition to the guaranteed hits you’ll find at your local hobby shop in the hobby boxes.
Nick Swisher hit a bomb into the second deck of Yankee Stadium today, although it wasn’t enough to put the Yanks on top of the A’s. But after hearing about this, and watching the recent home run derby display in the desert, it got me to thinking: ”who has hit the longest home runs in the major leagues so far this year.”
The guy who currently tops that list shouldn’t be a surprise. It was many people’s favorite to win the recent derby, the Fresh Prince!. In late April, Fielder whacked a 486 foot shot in Minute Maid Park to lead his Brewers past the ‘Stros. According to espn.com, it was the ninth-longest homer in that park’s history.
Then, there was this mammoth shot in Arizona hit by the younger Upton against the Cards, which traveled 478 feet. Check out the video below, courtesy of MLB.com.
Tied for 3rd on the list for 2011 tape shot homers is a name that might not roll off your tongue right away; not just yet anyway. The Angels’ first baseman, Mark Trumbo, in his first full MLB season, hit a 472 foot dinger on May 30th (which was matched by Mitch Moreland on June 20th), at the Rangers’ Ballpark at Arlington. If you haven’t yet heard of Mark Trumbo, you will. He’s put 18 homers over the fence so far in 2011.
So….what are some of the coolest Mark Trumbo baseball cards out there? Well, how about this triple autograph for one? It features Nolan Ryan and Vlad Guerrero in addition to Trumbo. A seemingly odd mix of MLB athletes, but a very cool bunch nonetheless.
This 2006 Bowman Sterling gold refractor, graded BGS 9.5, is one of the cooler Trumbo cards out there in my opinion.
There are also many auto cards out there featuring Trumbo, but almost all are sticker autos. Not for long. Once he’s made his mark, he’ll most likely be featured in on-card autos from Topps in 2012.
A lucky subscriber to my email feed will win this 2011 Allen and Ginter John Papelbon Red Sox relic card. I just got this card today, and being that I’m a Mets fan and collector, I plan to send this card to one random subscriber to my email feed. All you need to do is enter your email address on the right hand side of the blog here, press subscribe and you could win this card. No strings attached. And you can unsubscribe at any time. Of course, I hope you enjoy the blog and continue to receive the feed, but there’s no requirement to do so. Best of luck and happy collecting. (Click on the images below to see a full view of the card). I’ll announce the winner at the end of the month.
There was a lot of hype around two New York Yankees recently. Both Yankees were in the news for different achievements just prior to the midsummer classic. Each one has been a career Bronx Bomber. One is a guaranteed future Hall of Famer. The other is well on his way to that status. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that I’m talking about Derek jeter and Robinson Cano.
Derek put hit number 3,000 over the left field fence in Yankee Stadium wrapping up a
month of hype prior to that event. And Robinson Cano garnered his recent hype for a much different feat. Cano was the somewhat unlikely hero of the 2011 HR Derby. Cano’s highest single season homer total was 29, reached just last year. He was up against competition with much more accomplished single season performances…..and he beat them all.
But Cano is more of a contact, than a power, hitter. And in that respect, he’s much like his recently acclaimed teammate. Will Cano someday reach the milestone that Jeter recently passed? It’s certainly not out of the question.
Through Derek’s first six full MLB seasons, he connected for a hit 1,187 times. His single season high, during that span, was 219 in 1999.
Mr. Cano, through his first six full MLB seasons, swatted the ball 1,075 times. A difference of just 112 hits in total between these two Yankees during comparable time spans. (Cano’s single season high has been 204 hits in 2009.)
Cano is on-track to get near 200 hits again this year. If he can stay healthy, we may, just may, be looking at the next New York Yankee to reach the 3,000 hit plateau.
references: baseball-reference.com
