There are some that call me... Tim???

tim's favorite cards

• It all started for me with this 1968 Topps MILTON BRADLEY #110 Hank Aaron card (pictured). My dad brought home this Milton Bradley board game called "WIN-A-CARD." Inside the box were Topps trading cards! I don't remember if we even played the game, but I remember Hank Aaron, Ed Mathews, & Ed Brinkman because he had a long neck. There were some hot rod cards and football cards too. I found out much later that 1968 Topps Milton Bradley cards are much scarcer than the regular Topps cards. And that got me into collecting cards that were a bit different, certainly scarcer than regular Topps cards. Issues like O-Pee-Chee (Topps cards printed in Canada), Venezuela Topps, Test issues and more. A couple might show up on this page!

"The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived"

• Topps signed Ted Williams to an exclusive card contract from 1954 to 1958. So, these 2 Ted Williams cards, #1 & #250 are his first TOPPS baseball cards. 

• The 1954 Topps 250 Ted Williams is the first Williams card I ever had. Sometime back in the early 1980's, I traded a similar condition 1954 Topps Ernie Banks rookie card  for the Williams & a Nolan Ryan card (I think it was a 1978 Topps). I should be a GM (General Manager) for a big league club! Oops I just remembered; this is the SECOND Ted Williams card I ever had. The first one was a 1955 Topps 5 Ted Williams. I got it at my first card show in Anaheim in the 1970's. I had $50 to spend and spent it in the first minutes I got there! I got the 1955 Topps Williams, a 1955 Bowman Ed Mathews and maybe something else for fifty bucks. Those cards went with the first collection I sold later in the '70s. 

"YAZ"

The "M & M Boys" Mickey Mantle & Roger Maris

Willie Mays

"Tom Terrific"

• I picked up one of these Seaver ROOKIES, a 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan ROOKIE , & a '68 Topps Johnny Bench ROOKIE for $35 each in the early 1980s. The small card shop was called Kenrich & Co. on Las Tunas Drive in Temple City. Same place I got my 2nd Ted Williams card .in a trade for an Ernie Banks Rookie. It's no longer there of course. The Ryan later graded NM-MT 8, which is a few thousand dollars now! Unfortunately, I don't have that card anymore!  "Bummer, man..." ("The Dude")

"General Bench" & "Mr. Cub"

"Squatty Body"

• 1971 was the first year Topps began using actual game photography. Before the cards were "posed shots, profiles or holding a bat or a glove. If you were a Manager then you were "pointing your finger" giving orders like a 3-Star General. So the 1971 Topps baseball cards have some really cool photos of players really "in action." This Munson card might be the best of the '71 Topps cards, with #513 Nolan Ryan right there with it. The 1971 Topps cards with their jet black borders are very hard to find in nice shape. The Munson card in particular is most often found off-center. But condition aside, this card is my favorite with Munson getting "down & dirty" on a close play at home. Great player; he should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But we do have Thurman Munson in our HOF! Check out our Hall of Fame Page

Roberto Clemente - Puerto Rico's Finest 

• Not Roberto Clemente's rookie card, but the portrait is the same image used on his 1955 Topps rookie card. I like that this one shows him making a sensational catch in the background.  It's interesting that Clemente was originally signed by the Dodgers. He was left unprotected  & was "hidden" in the Minor Leagues so no one could see what a talent he was. Of course Branch Rickey, now with the Pirates, took notice. But what could have been for Dodgers fans! Rookies Roberto Clemente & Sandy Koufax on the same team!  Clemente went on to help the Pirates win 2 World Series, while Koufax went on to win 4 with the Dodgers. And both Clemente & Koufax are enshrined forever in Cooperstown. So, in the grand scheme of things, everything turned out quite well for both players!

• My favorite baseball cards of the 1970s are the black bordered 1971 Topps set, and this Roberto Clemente is my favorite card of him . This is also the year that he showcased all of his skills in the 1971 World Series. He also added a HR in the All-Star Game in Detroit. 

• So when I was a kid in school I had this friend Danny Mesorio, who we called "HOSE" (cause he had a big nose) and we had Woodshop together. But instead of learning how to craft things out of wood, we would trade baseball cards, & slug each other on the arm to see who could punch the hardest. We were juvenile to be sure. Well I wanted his 1972 Topps 309 Roberto Clemente & he wouldn't trade it. Instead he would wave it in my face & taunt me. So one day when he did this, I snatched the card out of his hand & proceeded to run around the woodshop (which is not advisable) with Hose and his cowlick chasing after me. Later, when we both got our final grades (D's for dummies) the teacher made a note saying he hoped we had fun playing "Romper Room" during class. Hahahahahaha! I tried to erase the "D" and put my counterfeit skills to good use by turning the "D" into a "B." Easy, right? Not for a dummy. Unfortunately  in erasing the "D" I put a hole in the Report Card. I then ripped it into pieces and flushed it down the toilet (along with my horrendous school portraits). Somehow, my parents still found out, And somewhere, those photos are still out there too. Good grief...

• The 1973 Topps 50 Roberto Clemente is his final Topps card. He died on December 31, 1972, so this photo was likely taken earlier in the year. Yes, Clemente was one of Baseball's All-Time Greats, who could do everything exceptionally well (hit, run, field & throw). But he was also a very compassionate person, one who believed in helping others. That is a very, very, special human being. And that is even more important than hitting, running, fielding & throwing. 

1974 Topps 1 Hank Aaron NEW ALL-TIME HOME RUN KING

• This Hank Aaron card from the 1974 Topps set, really stands apart. Topps made this #1 card up special for "Hammerin' Hank" before he actually broke Babe Ruth's All-Time Record of 714 Home Runs! On the card back it shows that Aaron had 713 HR after the '73 season. Regardless, Aaron did go on to beat the Babe early in 1974, & this card reminds us of that historic event!

• Henry Aaron grew up in the South, and he went on to become Baseball's All-Time Home Run King in 1974. In Atlanta, Georgia. While he got the accolades he well deserved, can you even imagine the abuse he had to endure during his lifetime? He came up to the Major Leagues just a few years after Jackie Robinson, so he had his full share of racism and predjudice. How much hate, only he, or others like him, will ever know. How these players did what they did, is really incredible. Not just the African Americans, but the Latino ballplayers as well. In fact, probably everyone who was not "white" suffered abuse back then. It's a shameful time in American history, & because of idiots like a former U.S. President (whose name ryhmes with "rump," or "dump"), racism has once again reared it's ugly head. The color of our skin, or where we are from does not matter at all. At least it shouldn't. 

Tim's Favorite MICKEY MANTLE Card - I don't have my 1952 Topps #311 anymore, so...

I'll "settle" for this 1953 Bowman Color 59 Mickey Mantle card...

Yes, at one time I did own a 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle. And no, I don't want to talk about it! As iconic as that card is, I still prefer this striking 1953 Bowman Color #59 Mickey Mantle card (pictured). Bowman actually issued Mantle's "rookie card" in its 1951 set. But the Bowman cards at that time were smaller size. Topps changed the game with its 1952 Topps "Giant" baseball set. So, Bowman countered with a larger card size in 1953. And while the 1953 Topps card featured artists portrayals of the players, Bowman used Kodachrome photographs on their cards. Which is better? They are both great! But just look at this card! A very young Mickey Mantle swinging away, the Yankee Stadium background & blue sky... it's a bit of heaven. Absolutely unimprovable & my favorite Mickey Mantle card!

"Nowbatting, number 19... Fred Lynn"

tim's favorite baseball card set: 1953 Bowman Color

• You just can't improve on these simply designed cards. Bowman used Kodachrome photography, & for the first time you actually got to see an actual photo of what the players actually looked like! No artists rendering from a photo, or "colorized" black & white photography. The images speak for themselves. Bowman also utilized "combination" cards, depicting more than one player on one card (see above card #93). For more on the Bowman Color baseball series see our Bowman Gum Page

#4 & #99

SANDY KOUFAX 

 "The Pistol"

Pete Maravich was "Showtime" all by himself- before the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980's. A magician with the basketball, "The Pistol" thrilled fans wherever he played. He is still the All-Time NCAA leading scorer (though I heard someone this year (2023) is close). But it doesn't matter. Pete Maravich is a legend, & one of the  NBA's 50 Greatest Basketball Players of All-Time. It is sad Maravich died so young (he was only 40 years old). He had just finished playing a pick-up game at The First Church of the Nazarene gymnasium, walked outside & a friend asked him how he felt. Maravich said "I feel great" & collapsed. It was an undetected heart defect that was the cause of death.  I drive by that Church often and think of Pete Maravich every time. I know he found religion later on so hopefully he found some peace at last. That's all I want, inner peace. Unfortunately, religion doesn't do it for me. A quiet bar with a  pint of good Ale does it for me.. Rest in peace, Pete Maravich.

• Like with hockey cards, basketball cards also had some drab releases in the 1970's. But the 1971 & 1972 Topps Basketball cards were an exception. Bright & colorful, with brightly colored team names & bold backgrounds, these cards are just stunning. This is my favorite Pete Maravich card. I like the between-the-legs dribble too. 

I really like the O-Pee-Chee cards. The main reason is they are scarcer than Topps, & sometimes, because of the card stock used, the images and color are better than on the regular Topps cards. So, while the 1972 Topps 79 Red Sox Rookies is very easy to acquire, the O-Pee-Chee is scarce in comparison. While known as "CARLTON FISK'S ROOKIE card, it should be noted that Cecil Cooper was no slouch. He was a terrific hitter, & he just happened to be on a team that was loaded with talent. He made a name for himself in Milwaukee though, helping the Brewers get to their first ever World Series in 1982. 

Fast forward 10 years Topps (& O-Pee-Chee) came out with this extremely cool Carlton Fisk In Action card. It's a little known fact, but the 1982 Topps 111 Carlton Fisk card won Topps "Card of the Year." I didn't know this until just a couple years ago. I've always loved this card. During the 1970s & 1980s, Fisk was my favorite catcher. Like Bench, Fisk was in charge behind the plate. He will always be remembered for the Game 6, extra inning walk-off HR in the '75 World Series, but Fisk was much more than that. I also really liked when he schooled  a young Deion "Prime Time" Sanders when he was with the Yankees. Sanders had earlier popped up & didn't run to first base. Fisk told him TO RUN because he felt Sanders was disrespecting the game. This is an opposing players telling Sanders to run to first base. This is why Carlton Fisk is in the Baseball Hall of Fame & "Prime Time' is not. It's how you play the game.

 "Where have you gone, Joe Di Maggio, our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you...woo-woo-woo... What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson, "Joltin Joe" has left and gone away... hey-hey-hey... hey-hey-hey..." ("Mrs. Robinson," by Simon & Garfunkel)

Joe Di Maggio was probably our Greatest Hero in the late 1940's thru early 1950s. His name alone is iconic. The New York Yankees. 56-game hitting streak (still a MLB record). 3 MVP Awards. 2 time Batting Champ (.381 in 1939 & .352 in 1940). 9 time World Champion. He was a class act on the field & off the field. Husband to THE Marilyn Monroe. "Mr. Coffee." You can go on & on. Even his baseball cards are iconic, like this 1948 Leaf #1 Joe Di Maggio. Leaf gave "Joltin Joe" the honorary number one card, & that is saying something when you have players like Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson (ROOKIE), Honus Wagner, & BABE RUTH in the same set! 

By the way... I actually got to meet Joe DiMaggio in 1980 prior to the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. He was dressed in a suit & tie, hair trimmed and combed. Class. Reminded me of my grandfather, who was also a classy guy (what happened to me is my Dad's fault). And "Mr. Di Maggio," as I called him, gave me his autograph, which was elegant and... you could actually read it! I can't tell you what a thrill that was! I still can't believe it, 43 years later!

Gallery of Cards from the tim collection!