2011 Card Countdown - Number 5

At one time, this was my favorite card. It has slipped now to number 4, though not because of any faded love, but rather the complete awesomeness of the top 3 cards.


1974 Topps #1 - Hank Aaron Home Run King

It seems to me that the off-and-slightly-rotated centering is the common condition of this card. At some point, I am going to have to get a really nice copy of this card that doesn't have those faults.

Tomorrow: My first tobacco card.

2011 Card Countdown - Number 6

I've approached my set collecting in a haphazard manner. My intent, at the start, was to start with the main set I collected as a kid, 1978, and start working backwards. That didn't last long. As I neared the completion of 1978, I decided to skip forward to 1974. And it is from that 1974 set comes number 6 on my favorite cards of 2011.


1974 Topps #250B - Willie McCovey Washington Nat'l Lea. Variation

As a kid, my collecting wasn't very organized. I don't honestly remember how I acquired most of my cards and I tended to keep them all in a shoe box under my bed. I traded some and played a card tossing game we called Tops. But, there was no master goals. Completing a set never factored in. I was blissfully unaware of error and cards and variations. In short, I was a poor collector.

I am not sure if this led me to be a bit more obsessive as I re-entered collecting as an adult or not. But, suffice it to say, I am much more obsessive now. As I worked on 1974, I made the decision to put together the Traded set. Then, I figured I'd see about the Washington National League variations. Pretty soon, I was going after pretty much all the errors and variations. As it stands, I am one card short of a master set for 1974. There are three versions of card 599, which is an otherwise unremarkable Rookie Pitcher common card. There is a Washington Nat'l League variation, a large print San Diego version, and a small print San Diego version. I only lack the latter to complete a master set. But, for now, I have no intent of chasing it. The few I have seen on EBay have been selling for more than a NM Hank Aaron Home Run King card would sell for. Maybe some day, when I have some spare coin rattling around, I may get one. But, not for now.

In any case, I love this card because it is a Hall of Fame player and an interesting variation card. A brief description of how this variation came about can be found here.

Tomorrow: A card that has already appeared in a supporting role twice in this countdown.

Happy Holidays!

2011 Card Countdown - Number 7

Some people don't like cut autos. I don't mind them if they are done right.


2004 Fleer Greats of the Game - Joe Cronin Cut Auto

This is an example of a well done cut auto card. The picture of Cronin is a tad small, but overall I think the card is well designed. The color of the card compliments the background colors of the auto portion and the overall design is understated, forswearing the over-the-top glitz that a lot of card companies seemed to feel was necessary.

Coming on Monday: A Hall of Famer and an rare variation card all in one.

2011 Card Countdown - Number 8

One of my happiest discoveries this year is that really, really vintage cards don't have to be ungodly expensive, if you are willing to compromise a bit on condition.


1956 Topps Johnny Antonelli

With that realization, I started on a quest to put together the 1956 Topps set. This will be the longest of my long term goals and it isn't even clear if it will be achievable. That Mickey Mantle card may always be out of reach, but as Robert Browning said, a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?

Anyhoo, along the way this year, I started up a Johnny Antonelli player collection. Not long afterward, I found out a guy who went to the same high school I did now runs a company that sets up autograph signings and memorabilia shows in Rochester, NY and Minneapolis, MN. At one of his events this year, he had Johnny Antonelli signing. I shipped off 4 cards, including this 1956, to be autographed. And, with that, it rose to number 8 on my list of 12 favorite cards of 2011.

Coming tomorrow: An autograph of a player inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.

2011 Card Countdown - Number 9

I'm not much for group breaks. They are generally set up for team collectors. Since I am a set collector, there isn't much incentive for me to join. If it is a set I am building, then I already have smatterings of cards from each team already and I am likely to get a lot of duplicates. If it isn't a set I am building, then there is, as you might imagine, even less reason to join the break. So, over the last year, I have joined exactly one break, a vintage break over at Crinkly Wrappers. I had a good time and got some nice vintage cards. Although this was hardly the oldest card I got in the break, it was definitely my favorite.


1975 Topps #1 - Hank Aaron Home Run King

Yesterday, I referred to this as the "after" picture in a pair of #1s. Hammering Hank set the home run record during the 1974 season. Card #1 of the 1974 set celebrates that fact that he will break Babe Ruth's record during the upcoming seson. Card #1 of the 1975 set celebrates that he actually did. If you expect to see that 1974 Aaron on this list, you may be right.

Coming Tomorrow: An auto on a vintage card.

2011 Card Countdown - Number 10

My tenth favorite card of 2011 was this 1973 Roberto Clemente.


This was the second Clemente card from his playing days that I acquired. Interestingly enough, I bought the first playing-days Clemente on the same day and, believe it or not, it was also a 1973. I found a VG Clemente in a $2 box at a show and snapped it up. As I was doing my last circuit of the show, I stopped at another dealer who had a stack of vintage cards he was sorting through. As I was picking out a few cheap 1956s from him, I spied this Clemente. I added it to my stack of cards and he cut me a good price for them all. Since it was a bundled deal, I am not sure how much I actually spent, but it was probably in the $5 to $8 range.

The card, on first glance, looks fantastic. Upon closer look, though, there is a slight wrinkle on the upper right hand corner of the front. Without that, this would be a NM card. But, it is still a sharp looking card and it will be the cornerstone of my 1973 set, whenever I get around to starting it.

Coming up Tomorrow: The "after" picture of a pair of Number 1s.