In light of Topps Lineage starting to show up online I thought it would be fun for me to show off some of my older players autographs I have. I was born in 1981 so I never got a chance to see any of these guys play, but a guy I work with is always telling me stories about the Pirates from the 60s and 70s.
Here's some autos:
Ralph Kiner was an absolute powerhouse when he first into the majors, winning 7 HR crowns in a row. One of my favorite lines regarding Kiner was when he wanted more salary and the team said "we finished in last place with you, we can finish in last place without you."
Pictured are 2004 Donruss Playoff Absolutely Ink AUTO/BAT 53/100
2010 Topps Tribute AUTO/BAT 20/99
Next up are 3 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Signature cards. All 3 of these guys were part of the 1960 World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Bill Mazeroski is still the only player to hit a walk off HR in Game 7 of the World Series. I was at Maz's statue unveiling and celebration last September and he is one of the most humble guys I've ever met. He thanked all his team mates for allowing him the opportunity to play at such a competitive level and couldn't believe that a kid from Ohio had gotten that blessed to have a statue in his honor.
Elroy Face 120/125
Dick Groat 18/175
Bill Mazeroski 19/25
I really like the design of the Sweet Spot Classic AUTOs. They feel very classy with the vintage photo of Forbes Field in the background and a nice classic shot of the player to the right of the card. As with everything else, there are parallels to these signatures based on color stitching of the ball or a bat barrel or a piece of glove. None of the balls, gloves, bats are game used.
I am a big fan of Ralph Kiner and have just recently begun collecting his cards. As a Mets fan there were so many years of "Kiners Corner" when I was a kid watching the Mets games.
ReplyDeleteI have 3 Kiner autos and 5 relics (all bats).
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