1961 Topps MVP Subset

This is an Index to our postings on the 1961 MVP Subset

471. MVP -- Phil Rizzuto
472. MVP -- Yogi Berra (90th Birthday)
473. MVP -- Bobby Shantz (Wall of Fame Profile)
474. MVP -- Al Rosen
475. MVP -- Mickey Mantle 
476. MVP -- Jackie Jensen 
477. MVP -- Nellie Fox 478. MVP -- Roger Maris
479. MVP -- Jim Konstanty480. MVP -- Roy Campanella
481. MVP -- Hank Sauer
482. MVP -- Willie Mays (A-Rod at 659 HR)483. MVP -- Don Newcombe
484. MVP -- Hank Aaron
485. MVP -- Ernie Banks
486. MVP -- Dick Groat

 

 

 

 

Card Show Report: Valley Forge 2016 02 27

Just a couple of highlights from this weekend's Card Show at Valley Forge.

1951 Bowman Eddie Waitkus

Card collecting wasn't dead at the Valley Forge convention center this weekend. It was very alive - or at least Autograph Chasing was. Much of the large crowd was likely due to Brian Dawkins being at the show, but I would like to think that while there some of the patrons took a look at some cards and other memorabilia

For a year or two I sponsered Eddie Waitkus' Baseball-Ref page. He is better known as the subject the story Malumud's "the Natural" was based. 

1961 Topps MVP Ernie Banks

Slowly working on putting together the 1961 MVP Subber. The above Banks card was an upgrade $7.

1962 Topps LL Ws Whitey Ford, Frank Larry, Steve Barber, Jim Bunning

I picked up a LOT of HoF League Leader Cards. This is thee earliest of the bunch. All went for $1 or $2, I think this was from the Dueces.
 
1967 Topps

1967 Topps Duos Twin Terrors Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew

Our research into the 2016 Heritage/1967 Topps led us into a couple of purchases of the original cards. Mostly Hall of Famers and Subset cards like the Special of the Killer above.

1967 Topps #103 Checker Mickey Mantle 

The 1967T bounty included this Checker for $2. Little steep for a Checklist except this one features a floating head of MICKEY MANTLE - and it is UNCHECKED.

1954 Topps Johnny Podres 

I have been working on 1954T at the last couple of shows. Checked about a half dozen commons on Saturday, plus this semi-star. Podres went for $5. I also picked up a more significant 1954 Card of one of a fellow Dodger teammates, which I am teasing here for a future post.

1971 Topps Johnny Briggs, Rick Wise, Jim Lonborg, Dick Drago

There was a dealer that had 1971 Topps for a dime a pop. I picked up 40 of them. The selection was solid and included HI NUMBERS, Dick Drago in the bottom right is card #752 which is the last card in the set.

1956 Topps Mickey Vernon

Local Hero and Gentleman Mickey Vernon. Just one of the many pickups I made while thumbing through cheap bins $2.

1976 OPC #500 Reggie Jackson

This is for an upcoming Phungo Pheature $2.

 2015 Topps JJ Hardy

I spent a record almost no time in dime bins for current cards, We will return to this card at a future post.

1974 Topps Washington Padres

2 Bucks for a team card of club that never existed.

HoF 90th Birthday Yogi Berra: 1961 Topps #472 MVP

On Tuesday May 12th Yogi Berra will celebrate his 90th birthday. 

1961 Topps #462 Yogi Berra MVP

The 1961 Topps MVP subset honors 16 MVPs of the 1950s. Yogi Berra along with Catching Contemporary Roy Campanella are the most decorated players in the subber, each having won three MVPs during the era.

Yogi's three were in 1951, 54 and 1955. Berra didn't lead the AL in WAR any of those years, but his 59.5 career mark does rank 5th among catchers all-time.

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1961 Topps #462 Yogi Berra MVP (b-side)

The reverse of the card mentions the 3 MVPs, and Yogi's HR Record for catchers which was 318 at the time. He went on to hit 40 more Home Runs to finish his career with 358. Since then Berra has been passed by Mike Piazza, Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk and now ranks fourth all-time.

Yogi's granddaughter Lindsay is a reporter with MLB.com. She authors an entertaining Twitter feed @lindsayberra which occasionally has great historic pictures and other info for Yankees fans. 

Sources and Links
Phungo Yogi Berra HoF Index
Baseball-ref
cardboard connection

1961 Topps #482 Willie Mays 1954 MVP

Regardless of your thoughts on Alex Rodriguez climbing up another rung on the Lifetime Home Run Ladder the occasion does give us an opportunity to re-examine the careers of baseball legends of the past.

A-Rod is currently (2015 04 27) standing at 659 Home Runs, one behind Hall of Fame Centerfielder Willie Mays.

 1961 Topps #482 Willie Mays 1954 MVP

When he retired Mays' 660 Career Home Runs ranked #3 on the list behind Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

The above card honors Mays' 1954 MVP season when he finished 3rd in NL Home Runs (41) behind Ted Kluzewsk (49) and Gil Hodges (42). Mays may not have won the HR title that year but he got his MVP for leading the league in Batting Average, Slugging, OPS and OPS+ while being a member of the NL Pennant Winning New York Giants who went on to sweep the Cleveland Indians in the World Series.

If one uses WAR as the MVP barometer the BBWAA got this one right. Mays led the League in WAR for All players,  His Offensive WAR tied Duke Snider but he exceeded the Duke in dWAR

Willie May received 2/3 of the 24 first place MVP votes. Seven of the eight remaining top votes went to Ted Kluzewski, with Mays teammate Alvin Dark mysteriously getting the last #1 vote (3.6 WAR)

1961 Topps MVP Subset
Apparently Topps Airbrushed Mays' cap. I guess they wanted a photo from the year that the MVP was awarded, but did not want to show the defunct New York Giants logo. Or perhaps they could not for legal reasons.

Regardless it is the rare airbrushing of a card for a player who did not switch teams until a decade later

FTC (For the Collector)
I laid down $9 for this card at a show in 2009. That is probably a bit of an overpay for a card in such marginal condition.

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 1961 Topps #482 Willie Mays 1954 MVP

Nice text, there is acknowledgement of Mays' military service in the year immediately prior to his MVP.  Also note that here on the back of the card Topps elects to use the New York Giants team name.

1954 was the first of two MVP awards for Mays, the second coming in 1965. To honor the award Topps placed Mays on card #1 in 1966. This year's Heritage set that homages 1966T paired Mays with current Giants star Buster Posey on Card #1

History Changes

Career Home Run Leaders (games through 2015 04 26 - from Baseball-ref)

The leader board as of press time on April 27 2015. 

Sources and Links
Phungo HoF Index - Willie Mays
Baseball-ref

Philly Show 9/28

The Phily Show is all weekend but Team Phungo has been to busy to pitch the event. Hopefully we will be able to make an appearance on Sunday.

1961 Topps #473 Bobby Shantz

For those of you that collect autographs there are a number of former players appearing on Sunday. These players include a number of folks that we have been featuring in our 1964 Phillies retrospective. Scheduled for Sunday are Art Mahaffey, Bobby Wine, Frank Thomas, Costen Shockley Tony Gonzalez and Bobby Shantz  

If you think you will be at the show let me know via email or twitter - would love to meet fellow collectors.

Reviews of Past Philly Shows
2013 December
2012 December
2010 September
2010 March
2009 December
2009 December (special 1959 Topps Edition)
2009 Septembe