Cards for Customs, Part 3
October 17th, 2011 by slangon
Today, we’re going to take a look at the last batch of cards that reader Michael sent me in exchange for doing up a custom set of 1938 Cubs cards.
First off is a second year Gibby, which I guess is a little appropriate since the Cards won their 18th National League Pennant clinched another World Series berth last night. It’s funny. Looking at the back of this card, I don’t think anyone would guess that this guy would eventually be enshrined in Cooperstown.
| Games | IP | Won | Lost | Pct | Hits | Runs | ER | SO | Walks | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | 13 | 76 | 3 | 5 | .375 | 77 | 35 | 28 | 48 | 39 | 3.32 |
| LIFE | 13 | 76 | 3 | 5 | .375 | 77 | 35 | 28 | 48 | 39 | 3.32 |
By comparison, here’s another Major League pitcher’s first year stats, in the same format used on a 1960 card back.
| Games | IP | Won | Lost | Pct | Hits | Runs | ER | SO | Walks | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | 16 | 90 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 71 | 37 | 35 | 94 | 48 | 3.50 |
| LIFE | 16 | 90 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 71 | 37 | 35 | 94 | 48 | 3.50 |
That pitcher is Ollie Perez. Go figure.
Michael also sent along a couple of random rookie cards that I’ve been passive-agressively pursuing forever.
This one was extra cool for me just because 1984 was when I really started to collect and there were 2 cards that I wanted more than anything from that set. First and foremost was the Darryl Strawberry card, which I was lucky enough to pull from a pack at some point, although it took forever. This was the other one, which I never did pull.
Hall of Famer rookie card? Check. Guy who was a key component to the Mets 1986 World Championship? Check. Leon Roberts? Check. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to Gary and his family for a complete and speedy recovery. Get well soon, Kid.
Aside from the fact that Yaz is on this card, this is one of my favorites. I always love these multi-player cards from the 50’s and 60’s. I can’t help but laugh at the horribly punny alliteration. I’ve also noticed lately that I’ve been developing a new found appreciation for the 1964 set. You don’t hear many people talk about it, but it’s pretty durn nice. I’ll have to keep my eye on that and maybe expound on it in the future.
This one really blew me away when I was rummaging through the top loaders. Out of all the original Bowman sets, the ’53 is one that I don’t have any examples of. When looking at images of them on the interwebatory picture galleries, they initially struck me as a little boring, but seeing one up close, they’re really beautiful. A scan does not do it justice. Even with the dings and creases on this one, the beauty of the photograph is incredible. Aside from the actual quality of the photographic reproduction, the composition of the image is awesome. Plus it’s Campy. This is actually my very first Campanella card, unless you want to count a few random inserts from the last year or two. Overall, just a beautiful card.
So that does it for the cards that Michael sent, but we’re not quite done yet. He also sent along 2 very interesting items, which I will show here in the next day or two. Stay tuned.
I love that Sox Sockers card! So cool!