Bob Hooper Purchase

I won #84 Bob Hooper in an auction in eBay a few days ago, and it arrived today.  I was pleasantly surprised that no one else bid on it, so I was able to grab it for the starting bid of $29.99.  I guess it's because the signature is personalized and kind of ugly and the card isn't in great shape either, but Hooper died in 1980, so the pickings are kind of slim.  He is one of two Canadians in the set, the other being #137 John Rutherford.  Incidentally, they are both from the same part of Ontario.  Their hometowns aren't that far from each other.  I don't know who "Larry" is; I wonder if he had brothers named Curly and Moe?

This purchase brings me to 103/274 (37.59%) on the set.  I'm trying to convince myself to sell off a few other pieces of my collection to fund more purchases, but that will probably have to wait until after finals.  I'm looking into moving some 1950's and early 1960's signed Topps cards I have, and a few unsigned 1933 Goudey's I've been holding on to.  

Sam Mele Return

I had one 1949 Bowman come in yesterday, #118 Sam Mele.  He signed it in a little under a month. I think I mailed it out on 3/20 or thereabouts.  This is the first time that Mele has ever signed the card I sent him in the four times I've written.  The first time, he signed two index cards but kept my '49 Bowman, the second time, he kept my '65 Topps and wrote "No card Scott" on my letter, and then the next '49 Bowman I sent him never received a response.  I think what made the difference is I hand wrote my letter.  Usually I type them because my handwriting is atrocious, but I guess that's what he prefers.

This is the 11th signed 1949 Bowman I have.  I'm not actively trying to complete the set like I am with the 1953 Topps, although if I ever win the lottery (or get a job) then I'll try to polish it off after I'm done with the '53 set.

Smokey Burgess Purchase, Carl Scheib, Frank Lary and Steve Mura Returns

I picked up #10 Smokey Burgess off eBay for the 102nd addition to my 1953 Topps project.  I'm now 37.23 % of the way there.  Burgess was a Phillie at the time, which meets my new goal of 1 new Phillie by the end of the year.  On the return side of the ledger, I talked myself in to picking up Carl Scheib's card from the 1949 Bowman set.  He signed it for free at his home in a little over a week. He was card #25, and is the 10th signed '49 Bowman I have.  Frank Lary signed his 1961 Topps card, #243 in about six months at his home in Alabama.  Lastly, Steve Mura signed his 1979 Topps rookie card, #725, in about a week c/o home.  He also included a signed custom card.  The front of the custom is his 1983 Topps card and the back is a logo commemorating the Cardinals 1982 World Championship.  I'm not sure if I'll complete the card; I haven't found a working address for Jim Beswick, and Broderick Perkins seems to be hit-or-miss, with very long wait times when he does sign.  If anyone has had success with either of those two, let me know!  I'd love to complete it.

Group Picture

Since I don't have any new acquisitions on the horizon for my 1953 Topps project, I figured now would be a good time to post a group picture of what I do have. 

That's all 101 of them.  I looked at the spreadsheet I've been using to keep track of this project, and thus far it's cost me $2209.09!  That's an average unit cost of $21.87, though it's dragged down by the cards I bought for a few dollars and got signed TTM.  Those have pretty much dried up by now, so that cost will rise as I get further and further in to this project.  It's been a labor of love though; I've had a lot of fun putting it together, and it's been a pleasure working with the other collectors who have helped me to plug holes in it.

Spring Update

With 4 days to go until the Spring Equinox, I figured now would be a good time for another update on my goals for the year.

• Get to at least 100 signed 1953 Topps.  With my most recent purchase, I've exceeded this one.  I'm currently at 101 (36.86 %).  I'm going to shoot for 125 by the end of the year.
• Add at least six new Hall of Famers to the set.  I've added three so far this year: Whitey Ford, Warren Spahn, and Dick Williams.  I don't count the Mathews because I ordered that one in 2014 and it just took a while to arrive.  I'm taking the advice of another collector and focusing on adding tough cards, so it looks like it might be a while before I make any more progress on this one.
• Add at least two more Boston Braves.  In between the Spahn, the Johnny Logan and Ebba St. Claire purchases, I've exceeded this one.  The Philadelphia Phillies are another team who I don't have very many from, but there were only 9 Phillies in the set that year.  If I can pick up one additional Phillie, I'll be happy.
• Get at least two more 1949 Bowmans signed.  I exceeded this goal pretty early in the year.  I am currently trying to talk my self into picking up Carl Scheib's card, but other than that I don't really have any plans to add to this set soon.  I'd like to pick up Dave Ferriss's card from this set as well, but his card is very pricey.  Apart from those two, there aren't really any signers left from the set who I don't already have.  Sam Mele signs for everybody but me; I've lost two '49 Bowmans and a 1966 Topps sending to him already, and I've decided to cut my losses.  Ralph Branca, Yogi Berra and Red Schoendienst are all still alive but haven't signed in years, and to my knowledge there isn't anyone else still alive and signing who I don't have.       

Eddie Mathews and Dick Williams

The last two: #37 Eddie Mathews and #125 Dick Williams.

Last week I picked up a Dick Williams, and my Eddie Mathews  that I ordered in November finally got back from PSA.  Mathews and Hank Aaron hold the record for home runs hit by a pair of teammates, and he was the only man to play for the Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves.  He was also on the cover of the first issue of Sports Illustrated.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.  Williams was featured prominently in The Boys of Summer, although he is more famous around here for leading the "Impossible Dream" 1967 Red Sox to the World Series.  After being fired from Boston, he lead the Oakland Athletics to two consecutive World Series.  He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.

I'll post an update tomorrow on my 2015 goals.  I've taken a good sized chunk out of them recently, but I just got back from a wedding so I'm too tired to assess it now.

     

George Shuba and Ed O'Brien

Two more here: #34 George Shuba and #249 Ed O'Brien.

Shuba became somewhat famous for a photograph taken in 1946 of him shaking Jackie Robinson's hand as Robinson crossed home plate.  At the time the two were minor league teammates; they wound up spending seven years together with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Shuba was the last living man to have been on the field when the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series.  O'Brien and his brother John (#223) were both bonus babies with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Neither amounted to much, although they did become the first set of twins to play in the same game in the majors.