u/Socio_Prof

My vintage card of the week: The 1952 Topps Willie Mays. This low-grade beauty is definitely one of my favorite cards. I love the design of this set in general, and we all know the set’s impact on the hobby. I’ll never own the ’52 Mantle, but I’m very happy to have the Mays card in my collection. This card features gorgeous colors and a brilliant portrait of Mays. Willie was only 20 years old here, but he looked destined for greatness and wise for his years.

My vintage card of the week: The T206 Piedmont Christy Mathewson Dark Cap. This was my first T206 card. When I was collecting as a kid in the junk wax era, the old tobacco cards seemed absolutely ancient. As I’ve aged, they seem a bit less ancient to me, but also more important to the history of the hobby and the game. When I decided I wanted to go after a T206, this card was my first choice. I think it’s just a gorgeous card, and I prefer its appearance to the white cap version and the portrait. And I’m into collecting pitchers because that’s what I did back in my day. My favorite pitcher of all time is Greg Maddux, and everything I’ve read about Matty suggests he was the Professor of his era—focusing on location and movement to disrupt a hitter’s timing rather than overwhelming a hitter with velocity like a Randy or Walter Johnson. Matty even wrote an article called “Outguessing the Batter” for Pearson’s Magazine way back in the day. Look it up; it’s a good read for baseball history fans.

My vintage card of the week: The 1971 Topps Nolan Ryan. Nolan is the third player (along with Brooks and Hank) who has a full Topps run in my PC. But I’m not going to lead with his rookie card, because this ’71 card is more important to me. I added this card to my collection when I was about 14 years old. I worked at my local card shop in Waco, TX, at the height of the junk wax era. Nolan had just come to the Rangers that season, and when this card came into the shop, I fell in love with the image and the black borders. The owner cut me a deal on it, and it’s been in my collection ever since. I regularly think about having it graded, but I can’t stomach the idea of sending it away for four to six months. It is without a doubt my favorite raw card in my collection.

My vintage card of the week: The 1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie card. I started with my Brooks RC last week, and this week I move to one of the other two players whose full Topps runs have a place in my PC. I’d argue that this ’54 Hank is one of the 5 most iconic baseball cards of all time. The Hammer is a legend, and his legacy transcends sport. He is an American cultural icon. And, in my eyes, he is still the all-time HR king. I have a lot of cards that I enjoy looking at. Many cards that are meaningful to me. But I think this one might be the last one I’d ever sell.

My vintage card of the week: The 1957 Topps Brooks Robinson rookie card. Brooks was my first strong link to baseball history and vintage baseball cards when I was a junk wax kid. I was only two years old when he retired, but my father always spoke fondly of him and was able to secure some personalized autographs for me through a work friend when I was 11 years old. Those autographs sparked my fascination with the human vacuum cleaner and the dominant Orioles teams of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. He’s been a favorite ever since.

Brooks’ stats speak for themselves:16 gold gloves. 2 World Series championships with a WS MVP. 18 all-star appearances with an AS MVP. And, of course, the MVP award in 1964 that cemented his legacy as more than just a defensive wizard. But beyond the numbers and the records, Brooks was the heart of Baltimore and a hall-of-fame human being. A true class act. When I came back to the hobby as an adult, my first collecting goal was to put together the full run of Brooks’ Topps cards. I still get more joy out of upgrading that run over the years than I get from most other collecting goals.