Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Best wishes for a safe and Happy New Year!

1971 Topps #552 Buddy Bradford

Finally got the last variation I need to complete all the variations of baseball cards in the 1971 set produced by Topps.

Just got the #552 card of Buddy Bradford of the Cleveland Indians.

The card on the left has a couple of black smudge marks over his left shoulder.  This was corrected and the new card is shown on the right.

1970 and 1971 Topps Scratch Offs

In 1970 and 1971, the Topps Company issued a Scratch Off baseball game card in certain series of baseball cards.  The fronts featured one player from each of the 24 teams on a red, yellow or blue background.

I guess Topps didn't have any new ideas for 1971 as that set of 24 was the same as 1970!  The same players were included and the front and back of each insert was exactly the same.  The only difference was the inside of the 1970 set had a white background while the 1971 set had a red background.

1971 Topps #306 Jim Nash

Got my next to last variation in the 1971 Topps Baseball Card Set.

This is the card of Atlanta Braves pitcher Jim Nash.  The card on the left has a "black blob" on the left side while the card on the right has the blob airbrushed away.

As you may recall, the same type of variation occurred in the Jim Nothrup card of the same set which I discussed previously.

One more variation in the 1971 set to go!

The BIG Lot

Growing up in Dunellen, New Jersey we had a car lot on main street called "The Big Lot".  As I would walk by delivering newspapers weekly in the mid 1960's, I would always check out the cars.

Before it was the Big Lot, it was called "Garden State Auto".  I found this picture on ebay of the car lot from the late 1950's or early 1960's, and won it.

It looks great with my cars.  While the car lot is long since gone, all the houses and buildings are still there and look just about the same today as they did 50 years ago.

New Matchbox Variation

Just picked this up recently.  It's not a rare one but just was hard for me to find at a reasonable price.  It is the one in front.

Notice the difference?  The one in front has "open" stps (uder the door), while the one in back has "closed" steps.

1971 Topps #515 - Carl Morton

Just picked up another variation from the 1971 Topps Baseball Card Set.  Just need 2 more!

This one is of Carl Morton, a pitcher for the Montreal Expos.  He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1970. 

The card on the left has a small black line above his head.  This is from a hair being on the printing plate.  The card on the right is after the hair was removed.

Carl pitched in the major leagues from 1969 to 1976.  Carl passed away on April 12, 1983. from a massive heart attack in the driveway of his parents home, in Tulsa Oklahoma after jogging with his son.  He was only 39 years old.

1970 proved to be the most unlucky in the history of the Rookie of the Year Award in the majors.  1970 American League Rookie of the Year Thurman Munson died in a private jet crash in 1979.  It is the only time in baseball history that the rookies of the year from the same year would come to early deaths.

1970 Topps Baseball Card #588 - 7th Series Checklist

Here is another baseball card variation.

These are the two versions of the 7th Series Checklist from the 1970 Topps baseball card set.

The card on the left lists #666 as "Adolfo" Phillips while the card on the right has "Adolpho" Phillips.

1971 Topps Baseball Card #127 - Danny Thompson

Here are two 1971 Topps Baseball Cards of #127, Danny Thompson. 

The card on the right is missing the black ink on the reverse.  It is not a variation but just a printing error.

Danny played in the major leagues from 1970 to 1976.  He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1973.  He passed away in 1976 less than 10 weeks after playing his last game.  He was 29 years old and left behind a wife and two children.

1971 Topps Baseball Card #42 Boots Day

Here is another 1971 Topps Baseball Card variation I recently added to my collection.  This is card #42 of Montreal Expos outfielder Boots Day. 

The card on the left shoes the top of a light tower behing his right ear.  The card on the right has the light tower airbrushed away. 

1971 Topps Baseball Card #371 Jack Hiatt

I'm working on completing all the baseball card variations in the 1971 set issued by Topps.

Here is the latest one I have added to my collection, the card of Houston Astros catcher Jack Hiatt.  The card on the left is the normal card and the one on the right has a white circle next to his position of catcher.

New Baseball Collectible

Last month, my wife and I went to an antique store in southern New Jersey.  There were many great items there.  Here is what I picked up for my collection:

It is a baseball collectible that you would find in your local candy store in the 1940's or 1950's.  You paid one penny to play.  You would punch out a circle and get a baseball play that corresponded to  a prize of a certain number of pieces of candy.  Everyone got at least one piece of candy and the top prize was 20 pieces for a home run!

This one is in great condition and has not been punched yet.

New Collectible!

Here is something new just added to my collection.  In 1969, Topps inserted small decal versions of players in certain packs f baseball cards.  On the right is the decal insert of Mel Stottlemyre, a pitcher for the New York Yankees.  On the left is the actual photo that was used to create the decal.

ZOE

October 22, 1998 - May 17, 2012

Our beloved pug, Zoe passed away this morning.

Zoe was a very special member of our family.  Regardless of how she felt or what kind of day she had, she was always there sitting in the kitchen to greet me and put a smile on my face when I walked through the door when I came home from work everyday.

Zoe was a smart pug.  When we would take her for a walk, we would ask her "Zoe, do you want to go for a walk?"  She got so familiar with the word "walk" that when she heard it said in conversation, she immediately thought she was going for a walk.  We had to start saying "W" instead when we used the word walk as to not excite her.  So when I went for a walk, I would say to my wife "I'm going for a W."

Zoe traveled with us many times up to Vermont to visit my wife's son at college.  She never gave us a problem on the 7 hour drive.  When we got there, she made herself right at home.  She loved sitting in her bed by the fireplace there.

Monday evenings were a special night for us.  I called it "Castle and Creamsicle Night."   I would spread the blanket out in front of the TV and we would watch our favorite TV show, "Castle" and share a creamsicle.  (Alright, I spread out a blanket and watched TV with Zoe practically every night and we shared many creamsicles on other nights but Monday nights were special.)

When she was left alone in the house, we would either leave the TV on for her or play music for her.  She was a fan of HGTV and in music, liked country music, loved Christmas music and developed an affinity for Frank Sinatra.

As she got older, she slowed down.  Some nights when I sat on our blanket, she would come over to me with a little sadness in her eyes.  It was like she was asking me "Why can't I walk around the block anymore and why can't I go up and down the steps like I used to?".  What could I do.  I would pet her on the head or rub her chin and talk to her in a soft, calm, reassuring voice.   She would look at me and the sadness was gone.  She would lay down on her side or back and I would rub her belly.  Immediately, she started making that purring/snoring sound that pugs make.  All was once again right in her world.  It was the best I could do. 

I started carrying her up and down the main stairway.  When we were beginning the trip at the top or the bottom of the stairs, her little paws would grab my arm as if to say, "I'm ready."  She never gave me a problem carrying her.  She had no trouble with the outside steps, just the main staircase.  When I would carry her, her little head would twist around and she looked everywhere.  My guess is that since she always saw the world from about 6 inches off the ground, seeing it from 4 or 5 feet high was a spectacular sight.

I imagine right now she is laying in her bed, bright sunshine on her. (It is a beautiful sunny day here).  She is content, napping comfortably with one eye ever so slightly open, keeping a watch out for me to enter and take her on a long “W”.  I told her it would be the first thing we would do when I got there.

Crashmobile II

Finally found and won an auction on the elusive red base and green wheel version that I have been looking for.  Here it is!