Gold Mining - 54 Snider

By now I was hoping to have had my Topps Update box break posted, but since I've yet to buy the box. That hasn't happened yet.  Bosco's does triple trade night tickets from 10 to noon on Saturday so I'll probably grab it then. They're also having a warehouse sale going on this weekend, so I'll see what diamonds I can dig up there.

I feel pretty blessed to live in a place that has two great card shops.  Bosco's which is also a big comic book shop and Don's which is purely sport cards.  The best part is that each shop is different. Bosco's has a ton of wax on the shelves and assorted stuff spread around the card area. Don's is more of a vintage shop. Don does has the latest wax and sometimes some odd ball stuff when he buys collections, but Don's been collecting since he was a kid in the sixties and a lot of the older stuff in the shop is from his own collection.  That being said I also like Don's for its drop board in the shop.  Don puts up cards on the wall and every week the price gets lower and lower until it sells or reaches a dollar. I love going in to see what's cheap on the boards. I usually walk out with a hand full of cheap autos and relics, usually of has beens and never wheres, but occasionally I find a diamond. Sometimes that's a rough diamond.  Don had all taken down most of the cards to reduce prices, so I was flipping through the stacks I came across this guy.

1954 Topps Duke Snider.  It was originally marked at 30 bucks, but had slid down to a ten spot and I really couldn't pass it up.  Sure the corners are dog eared and soft and the back looks like it had been glued onto something and ripped off.  But the front color is still bright.

This is now the third vintage Snider card I own. I also have a '63 and '64.  Welcome to the family.

Contest Pimp says, "If you don't like Duke Snider you're Dumb!!!"

It's contest time again.  Head on over to Cards Beyond Oceans for a chance at a sweet Sports Kings Duke Snider Relic!!!

pimp out.

1963 Topps Baseball Project - Old Blue Eyes makes another appearance and Gil Hodges

Nothing I like more than crossing a card off the checklist of two greats.  Here we get a card of Duke in his Dodger's uni and Gil in his Mets. 

1963 would be Gil's last year as an active player. After 11 games with the Mets he was traded to the Senator's and replaced Mickey Vernon as Manager.  He managed the Senator's till 1967 and in 1968 was back managing the Mets. In 1969 he took the Mets to the World Series and won, beating the Orioles, who were heavy favorites, in 5 games.  Gil passed away in 1972 at the height of his managing from a heart attack while playing golf at the age of only 47.

1963 Topps Baseball Project - Presents the Duke!

I figure I'd keep the HOF 1963 posts going and round out the last of my 3 HOF pick ups for the set.

When you think of Duke Snider you more than likely think of the Dodgers, but in 1963 Duke went to the Mets. I not only picked up this card, but his 64 in the same auction and got both delivered for under twenty bucks.  Not a bad deal if I do say so myself.  This card is probably in the lowest range I wanted for my set.  The corners are soft, theres a little edge damage on the right in the red part. But it has a clean back and decent centering and it's of DUKE SNIDER! For 10 Bucks!!!! 

Like I said I also got his 64 card which I'll feature here.  It's in better shape than the 63, better centered.  This would be Dukes last regular issue card.  Featured in his Mets jersey, Duke was actually sold to the Giants on Opening Day in 1964 and that would be his last year.

Duke has two World Series rings to his name, he was an 8 time All-Star and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1980 with over 86% of the vote.  Duke passed away last year in February at the age of 84.