u/Strict_Process157

As my Clemente card collection grew, I needed to branch out to autographs, original magazines, programs and posters, an award, and that elusive 3000th hit ticket.

Presented here are the tickets from September 29, September 30 (#3000), and October 1, 1972. Interestingly, the 3000th hit ticket is different from the other two tickets. This ticket would be purchased through a secondary market vendor (think similar to Ticketmaster) instead of directly through the team. The ticket is less aesthetically pleasing than the other two tickets, but was valid for admission to the ballpark on that day. While PSA doesn't authenticate rubber stamp dated tickets, this ticket also has the correct year code (1972) and the correct date/event code (930) also printed on the ticket front. It's a real one. For comparison, the last picture is another ticket from my collection and has date codes for the game on 728 1972 (July 28, 1972).

To me, the inscription on the back of this ticket makes it priceless. While I was about 15 months old on this day, I can visualize an 11 year old Matt (me) carefully writing these words on my prized ticket.

I'll spare you a long writeup and include more in the comments if you are so interested (*including Brett).

TL;DR I confirm a fake Nabisco card

After 45+ years of collecting, I have a box of about 350 raw Clemente cards from his playing days. The more valuable ones are in penny sleeves and CardSaver 1 holders and the rest are in penny sleeves and a 300 ct card box. The cards in the box were in no particular order and often just randomly arranged in the box. I had some down time last week (lawn already mowed and wife was on work travel) and I decided to arrange that box or at least just to put similar cards together. I pulled three 1969 Nabisco Team Flakes cards. All three did not contain a complete black, dashed border. These would not be given a number grade by PSA. As I arranged the cards on a desk to find the best one, something didn't seem right with one card. Below describes my process and my conclusion that one card was a fake. I wanted to share with the hopes that my process helps someone else.

What tipped me first was the general feel of one card. Something was off. I gathered all three cards and two PSA graded versions of the same card to make my comparisons (Pics 1-2). The raw cards all prevented a strong LED flashlight from shining through the cardboard and a strong UV flashlight showed no abnormalities among the three cards (front or back).

I next looked at the surfaces of these cards. Since they were on the outside of cereal boxes, I was expecting the observed scratches and on one card, some wrinkles. Visually, the finish (gloss) on the raw cards appeared similar. Not really a better 'at home' way to quantify the surface finish but in most light, they looked the same.

All three raw cards did not contain the full dashed-line, black borders. Measurements were instead done on the size of the outside edges of the black border framing the photograph. From top to bottom and left to right, all cards were 70.6 mm and 42.2 mm, respectively. This was consistent with the size of the PSA graded cards (Pics 3-6).

For closer visual inspection, I grabbed my LED/UV loupe and compared and contrasted the printing structure of the raw cards. Images were photographed using the 4x setting on my phone camera or when using the loupe using the 2x zoom on the phone camera. The three cards were examined side by side looking at multiple regions across the cards.

The black name/team and position box was the first area to show differences among one card (Pic 7). The black color was solid, devoid of printing dots or printing texture on two of the three cards. The white text inside the black box was also a solid (print dot or texture-free) color and the contrast between black and white was a crisp edge. On the third card, both the black and white print appear to have a horizontal printing texture that was most obvious when looking at the black/white contrast at the edges of the white letters. Examination of the adjacent yellowish region above the black box showed that two cards had the typical printing plate dots seen in other vintage cards. The yellow color in the third card did not show printing dots, but instead had diagonally arranged yellow lines. The presence of the solid black and white colors with sharp contrast at their intersection and the yellowish print dots were confirmed when looking at the PSA authenticated cards.

Similar observations were made looking at the cream-colored 'C' shape near 8 o'clock on the card (Pic 8) and the '21' in the center of Roberto's jersey (Pics 9-13). In the cream-colored 'C' shape, diagonal lines can be seen making up the color on one card and a series of printing dots making the off-white color on the other two cards and the PSA cards. It is interesting to note that the putative fake card (diagonal color lines) was copied from an authentic card with registry errors as the blue and red printing colors are seen on the left and right sides of the 'C', respectively. The areas near the '21' also displayed similar diagonal color lines on the putative fake versus well-defined print dots on the other two cards and the PSA cards (Pic 9-10). Both PSA authenticated cards contained registry errors that could be visualized when looking at the ‘21’ (Pics 11-13). Red and/or blue print dots were observed around the ‘21’ as opposed to the diagonal red lines observed on the putative fake card.

At this point, I was sure that my putative fake card was in fact a fake. However, one more thing tipped me off about this card. It felt off. I measured the thickness of the fake card and compared it with the two real raw cards and a raw Al Ferrara card that I also own. The fake card was 0.8 mm thick and the real cards were all 0.4 mm thick (Pic 14-15). BINGO! FAKE CONFIRMED!!!

I have no idea when I purchased this fake card. I did not knowingly purchase a fake. I was dupped, likely on ebay.

What I show here is case-specific for my 69 Nabisco cards, but could be applied to other cards. Fakes will come in many types. Don't assume all fakes will look like my fake card. It is important to have cards from the same set that are known to be real for making your comparisons and ultimate decision.

People gripe about PSA spending a minute or less while looking at your card. I handle a lot of cards. This card felt different. Loupe visualization confirmed that this card was not real in about 15-20 seconds. Make of that what you will.

If you have read this far, thanks!!!

If you have questions about the genesis or function of the print dots, u/RidingPinePSN gave a detailed explanation and examples in the comments section of this post. It is worth a read and maybe a bookmark for the future.

https://www.reddit.com/r/baseballcards\_vintage/s/cpa5u0BoTZ

September 15th is Roberto Clemente day all across MLB. The Pirates will honor Roberto before tonight's game and the players will all wear 21 on their jerseys. All Puerto Rican-born players (regardless of team) are also welcome to wear 21 as their jersry number tonight.

Prior to games, teams will officially announce their nominee for this year's Roberto Clemente Award.

https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-roberto-clemente-award/

A few months back, I posted a photo of my Clemente run collected during the early 80s with assistance from my Grandpap. It wasn't the best photo. I took some better photos of the group this past weekend and wanted to share them.

The plastic screwdown-like case does not compress the 55 and 56. There is a thick piece of black, ornate cardboard that frames the cards. It's thickness is slightly greater than the cards.

Over the next seven days, I'm hoping to post some of my more one-off Clemente items. I'll start today with some Topps posters (and one O-Pee-Chee poster). PSA doesn't holder any of these except for the two smallest on the bottom right. Because is this, I feel that most of these posters are often forgotten. Additionally, the folds are extremely fragile. I have a few really nice copies of these posters that I just won't unfold (even for a Reddit post).

The posters are from left to right, 1968 Topps, 1972 Topps, 1970 Topps (upper right), 1967 Topps (right bottom, #11), and 1968 O-Pee-Chee (right bottom, #4).

For scale, the two small posters are 5x7 inches.

Enjoy.

I've never really considered myself a TTM collector, but I have had some great luck with my first few of attempts.

Last week, I made a post about a 1971 World Series Game 7 ticket that was signed TTM and inscribed by Steve Blass. Joy!

This week, we returned from a week-long trip and this was in our mailbox.

This is the 1969 O-Pee-Chee (OPC) RC of two key members of the 1971 Pirates WS team and the 70's Lumber Company, Al Oliver and Richie Hebner. Scoop and Gravedigger!

Why is this so cool to me? First, I've always assumed that a dual signed TTM card would be a tough process.

It wasn't. Second, the card is not the more common Topps version but instead, it is the tough to find OPC version.

Now that this card has returned, my run of Oliver/Hebner RCs is complete. The card will eventually go to PSA. Currently, PSA has only three dual signed 1969 OPC Oliver/Hebner RCs in their database. This will be #4.

Here is the link to my previous post.

https://www.reddit.com/r/baseballcards\_vintage/s/F9z5E3KEQY

Thank-you, Mr. Oliver!

Thank-you, Mr. Hebner!

Thanks to u/gustin444 for teaching me the TTM process.

Today. I had a great TTM success from Mr. Steve Blass of the Pittsburgh Pirates. More details in the comments below.

I've been dipping my toe in the TTM game. I'm really only sending to Pirates that have had meaning to my life.

Steve Blass!!

What can I say about Mr. Blass? He had super HIGHS and deep LOWS in his Pirates career. However, he always stayed positive and had a great second career with the Pirates as a broadcaster. He was (just like the title of his book) a "PIRATE FOR LIFE".

I had the opportunity to cross paths with Mr. Blass a few times in the late 80s and early 90s. So nice.

For my TTM item, I sent a ticket from Game 7 of the 1971 World Series. In this game, Steve pitched a four hit, complete game allowing only one run as the Pirates defeated the Orioles 2-1.

Blass also pitched a complete Game 3, a Pirate 5-1 victory. Across Games 3 and 7, Blass threw 18 innings, allowed 2 runs, struck out 9, and allowed 7 Baltimore base hits. His 1.00 ERA placed him second in the WS MVP voting behind only Roberto Clemente.

Today, my TTM ticket arrived at my doorstep. He signed it! He also added a personal inscription that makes this a priceless part of my collection.

Joy! Joy! Joy!

How can you really top that?

Steve's personal inscription shows how special this game was to him, the team, and the city. Joy!

Damnit! I wish I could share this one with my grandparents. They thought the world of him.

Thank you, Mr Blass!

To celebrate what would have been Roberto's 50th birthday, the US Postal Service produced over 119 million 20-cent stamps beginning in August of 1984 to commemorate his life. The stamps were released on August 17, 1984.

I am posting two cool cards from my Roberto collection. These cards will always occupy a special place in my collection. They are the 1964 Topps Giants and 1972 Daily Juice Co. cards of Roberto. What makes these two cards special is that they contain the 20-cent Roberto stamp and are postmarked on the first day of issue, August 17, 1984 from a Post Office in Carolina, PR (Roberto's place of birth). I am unable to find any documentation for how many cards were stamped and postmarked in this fashion.

If anyone knows any more information about baseball cards being stamped and postmarked in PR, please let me know. I see tons of first day covers posted for sale on ebay, but never see cards.

Prior to today, I've never visited this sub, so please be gentile.

I am posting two cool cards from my Roberto Clemente collection. These cards will always occupy a special place in my collection. They are the 1964 Topps Giants and 1972 Daily Juice Co. cards of Roberto. What makes these two cards special is that they contain the 20-cent Roberto stamp and are postmarked on the first day of issue, August 17, 1984 from a Post Office in Carolina, PR (Roberto's place of birth). In addition to cards, the USPS also issued first day covers stamped and postmarked from Carolina, PR as well as Pittsburgh, PA and Cooperstown, NY.

I am unable to find any documentation for how many of the baseball cards were stamped and postmarked in this fashion. I am also unable to ascertain the provenance of the two Clemente cards. I do know that, over the years, the Clemente family has released their copies of Roberto's cards to the public through auction houses. I am the owner of one of the 1972 Daily Juice Co. cards from one of those releases. I guess one can speculate if the cards were provided by the family.

Can any of you collectors help to shed any light on numbers of cards (or even first day covers) were prepared in PR on that day?

I'll link my original post in the comments. There is more detail provided there if anyone is interested. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

To celebrate what would have been Roberto's 50th birthday, the US Postal Service produced over 119 million 20-cent stamps beginning in August of 1984 to commemorate his life. The stamps were released on August 17, 1984. The Clemente stamp was part of a series of four baseball players immortalized on stamps in the 1980s. The other three players in this series were Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Clemente was also immortalized on a second US (33-cent) stamp in 2000. Several other nations have also issued stamps honoring Roberto.

Today, I am posting two cool cards from my Roberto collection. These cards will never be sent to a grading company or part of a set registry, but they will always occupy a special place in my collection. They are the 1964 Topps Giants and 1972 Daily Juice Co. cards of Roberto. What makes these two cards special is that they contain the 20-cent Roberto stamp and are postmarked on the first day of issue, August 17, 1984 from a Post Office in Carolina, PR (Roberto's place of birth). I am unable to find any documentation for how many cards were stamped and postmarked in this fashion. I am also unable to ascertain the provenance of the two Clemente cards. I do know that, over the years, the Clemente family has released their copies of Roberto's cards to the public through auction houses. I am the owner of one of the 1972 Daily Juice Co. cards from one of those releases. I guess one can speculate if the cards were provided by the family.

I am also posting photos of Roberto's Granada stamp, a set of 1989-issued USPS stamp cards, his stamps issued during his playing days, and my 1972 Daily Juice Co. card owned by the Clemente family.

Please enjoy my cards. Below is more info on the Clemente stamps.

This is a SABR article about the Clemente stamps.

https://sabr.org/journal/article/roberto-clemente-postage-stamps-across-the-world/

These are the Postal Museum web pages about the Clemente stamps.

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/roberto-clemente-walker

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_1999.2004.365

First post on this sub, so be gentle. Please, I need some help!

Something is eating the leaves of my hardy hibiscus plants. I've had plants in pots near the pool for seven years. I've never had this happen and this year, they are being devoured by worms. Flowers are not being bothered by the worms.

So far, I have used soapy water spray, blasting with a stream of water, and a neem oil spray. I've tried these individually and in combos. What can I safely put on these plants and not be detrimental to pollinators?

Do I remove the damaged leaves? On some plants, there won't be much left.

I live in zone 5B. Thank in advance!!

I was sitting in section 107 today. I got to see one of my childhood heroes (The Candyman) throw the first pitch on the 50th anniversary of his no hitter. A beautiful day for baseball and an absolutely abysmal team took the field.

A few weeks back, I posted the ticket from the first game at Three Rivers Stadium. At the time, I didn't bother to post a photo of the back.

Today, I am posting the photo of the back!

PLEASE READ THE STATEMENT TO THE FANS ON THE BACK OF THIS TICKET!! In particular, read the the second paragraph. WE DESERVE BETTER!

Change needs to happen. Here is the text from the ticket back.

Dear Fans:

With the opening of THREE RIVERS STADIUM, a new era begins for the City of Pittsburgh and for the Pittsburgh Pirates. You have every reason to be proud of your new ballpark - the finest, most modern arena in the country. And we hope you will always have reason to be proud of your Pirates.

The Pirates have given you Major League Baseball in the City of Pittsburgh since 1887 and today's players are determined to make their own history. We hope that this team will always be worthy of your marvelous support, for a ballclub belongs to its fans.

Sincerely,

(Daniel Galbreath)

PRESIDENT

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

I was sitting in section 107 today. I got to see one of my childhood heroes (The Candyman) throw the first pitch on the 50th anniversary of his no hitter. A beautiful day for baseball and an absolutely abysmal team took the field.

A few weeks back, I posted the ticket from the first game at Three Rivers Stadium. At the time, I didn't bother to post a photo of the back.

Today, I am posting the photo of the back!

PLEASE READ THE STATEMENT TO THE FANS ON THE BACK OF THIS TICKET!! In particular, read the the second paragraph. WE DESERVE BETTER!

Change needs to happen. Here is the text from the ticket back.

Dear Fans:

With the opening of THREE RIVERS STADIUM, a new era begins for the City of Pittsburgh and for the Pittsburgh Pirates. You have every reason to be proud of your new ballpark - the finest, most modern arena in the country. And we hope you will always have reason to be proud of your Pirates.

The Pirates have given you Major League Baseball in the City of Pittsburgh since 1887 and today's players are determined to make their own history. We hope that this team will always be worthy of your marvelous support, for a ballclub belongs to its fans.

Sincerely,

(Daniel Galbreath)

PRESIDENT

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

I love watching u/madcapscards and others collect the four-eyed cards. I knew that if I went through some of my old cards I'd find at least one somewhere. Found it today. Two Pirates so technically eight-eyed.

Sorry I'm posting this a few days late.

On July 28, 1972, Dock Ellis threw a complete game against the Mets. He allowed seven hits and one run that evening while striking out seven. The victory upped his record to 9-4 while Tom Seaver fell to 12-8 with the loss.

I recently unearthed these tickets from that game. As you can see, the Gunner, Bob Prince signed these for some lucky person. The '25 years' inscription is a reference to the 1972 season being his 25th year broadcasting the Pirates. What a cool ticket x2!!!

Here is a link to the boxscore from that game.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197207280.shtml

I've written about the influence of my Grandpap on my collecting in the early 80s. He thought that Mickey belonged in my collection. We found a vendor at one of our local flea markets that we trusted to get fair deals. He had sold us a few nice Clemente cards previously. From what I vaguely remember he had a LOT of Mantle cards. I had a very limited budget of tooth fairy money, birthday card money, and a small amount of money from allowance and odd snow shoveling jobs. The 53 Bowman card with Mick, Hank Bauer, and Yogi was much cheaper than most other cards. We zeroed in on that card and a deal was made. No idea what price was paid. What I do remember was that the 64 Mantle was a throw in with the deal. It ain't perfect (it is far from it), but the top half looks great. It was well loved before I became the owner. What a great gesture!!!

When I got back into collecting for the third time in the 2000s, I wanted the HR leaders card with Maris from the famous 61 Season. I snagged that at a local show to add to my Mick collection.

"Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.” -Roberto Clemente

Today all of Major League Baseball celebrates the legend of Roberto Clemente on September 15th. This annual event also marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. However, Roberto was also celebrated by the city of Pittsburgh during his lifetime.

On July 24, 1970, the Pirates hosted Roberto Clemente Night at the brand new Three Rivers Stadium. This event was planned as an opportunity to give Clemente and his family awards and gifts. At Roberto's request, it was also a way for fans to make donations to the Childrens' Hospital of Pittsburgh.

This is the SABR write-up for Clemente Night.

https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-24-1970-roberto-clementes-defense-stands-out-on-his-night-in-pittsburgh/

Today, I'm posting photos of an original program from the evening and a poster that was given to celebrate the day. To the best of my research, there were three versions of this poster.

1. with a printed Clemente autograph

2. with a genuine Clemente autograph

3. with a Phil Dorsey signed Clemente autograph

My poster has version 3, the Dorsey version of the Clemente signature.

I've made a previous post sharing one of the coolest things that I own in my Clemente collection. An original award presented on the field to Roberto during the ceremony in his honor. Please also give that post a read.

https://www.reddit.com/r/baseballcards\_vintage/s/ULOygUdyO4

This is another interesting SABR article about Clemente. This article is well worth your time.

https://sabr.org/journal/article/roberto-clemente-baseball-rebel/

Enjoy.