Yankees Rookies Project - NEW EXTENDED GROUP SHOT

1951WheatiesPremium

I am working on a PSA Set Registry user created set called ‘NY Yankees Retired Numbers Rookies.’ It’s really fun and features some really beautiful and iconic cards. While I am curious if anyone else is chasing this fun mini set, it got me to thinking; but before I get sidetracked, the cards are:

1933 Goudey - Bill Dickey (4), Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig
1939 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio
1940 Play Ball Casey Stengel
1948 Bowman - Yogi Berra (3.5), Phil Rizzuto (raw)
1951 Bowman Whitey Ford
1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle
1952 Topps Billy Martin (5.5)
1955 Bowman Elston Howard (7)
1958 Topps Roger Maris (7)
1962 Topps Joe Torre
1969 Topps Reggie Jackson
1970 Topps Yankees Rookies (Thurman Munson) (6)
1976 Topps Ron Guidry (9)
1984 Topps Don Mattingly (10)
1990 Topps Bernie Williams (10)
1992 Bowman Mariano Rivera (10)
1993 Bowman Andy Pettitte (10)
1993 Upper Deck SP Derek Jeter (8)
1994 Bowman Jorge Posada (10)

The ones that I have already have the PSA grade (or condition) listed at the end. I mention that mostly so you can tell that I almost assuredly will never have the Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Ford or Mantle in high grade (or at all - Maybe DiMagg and Ford) but I’d like to try to do the rest in higher grade - maybe 6’s or better?.

But also, because it got me thinking: what is the true rookie card for each player listed?

For example, the 1940 Play Ball Stengel seems so arbitrary. I thought a ‘tobacco card’ from his rookie year as a player like Joe Torre’s - be consistent. And if not, even the earliest Bowman where he’s pictured in uniform as their manager (1951?) than some card with the Boston Bees.

Anyway - I’d love to hear from anyone.

I’ll get some pics up tomorrow morning. Too much trick or treating.

Happy Halloween

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My offer on this was accepted overnight. Woo-hoo! It’s off center (though hoping it will avoid the qualifier) BUT it looks otherwise pretty nice. Other than a few beaters, this is my first ‘nice’ 1952 Topps card. Hoping 6-7 territory but a sharp looking card nonetheless.

1952 Topps #175 Billy Martin

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Almost forgot my point.

In addition to pursuing the set, my intent is to create a display piece. I have some cards I will use from this set and others that I consider a ‘rookie’ or reprentative playing era card (for Ruth and Gehrig, specifically).

So for Joe DiMaggio, for example, I’ll either use one of the 36 Goudey Premium or the 36 ‘Pastel’ (since 36WWG ain’t happening):

LarkinCollector

Ruth is pretty arbitrary too, pretty sure he had cards issued as early as 1916 (though I guess collectors of this set probably don't want to see him in a Red Sox uni). I'm not sure what his first card was in a Yanks uni, but it has to be far earlier than the Goudey.

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@LarkinCollector

Thanks - I have been messaged about the 47 Bond Bread Berra and the 1941 Double Play Gomez/ Rizzuto card.

I recognize the issues likely been raised before. I’ll look around more.

ReggieCleveland

My lone contribution to this thread (and possibly the only Berra card where he doesn't look 45 years old).

Arthur

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1948 Bowman #6 Yogi Berra (new scan)

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@ReggieCleveland said:
My lone contribution to this thread (and possibly the only Berra card where he doesn't look 45 years old).

Arthur

It’s half the reason I mentioned the card by name, Arthur!

1951WheatiesPremium

Stengel - 1914 B18 Blanket - Casey Stengel
Ruth - ?
Gehrig - 1925 Exhibit
DiMaggio - 1936 Goudey Premium, 1936 World Wide Gum, 1936 R312, 1933-1936 ZeeNut Pacific Coast League
Rizzuto 1941 Double Play Gomez/Rizzuto, 1948 Bowman
Berra - 1947 Bond Bread, 1948 Bowman
Mantle - 1951 Bowman, 1951 Wheaties Premium Photo ( obviously )
Ford - 1951 Bowman, 1951 Berk Ross
Martin - 1949 Remar Bread, 1952 Berk Ross, 1952 Topps

After that, there’s pretty much their list. I don’t know enough of modern to do anything other the base of major sets, anyway, so I’ll probably just stick with Topps (and Bowman) for the rest.

But I would genuinely like to hear suggestions (fantasy or decent prices) as to other good choices wherever the ? appears.

I currently have a 1930 Sanella Margarine Babe Ruth and a 1934 Quaker Oats Babe Ruth (8x10), Wheaties Series 1-3 Gehrig and three Joe D. ‘Rookie’ cards that aren’t WWG but want to consider all options for the display.

1951WheatiesPremium

@LarkinCollector said:
Ruth is pretty arbitrary too, pretty sure he had cards issued as early as 1916 (though I guess collectors of this set probably don't want to see him in a Red Sox uni). I'm not sure what his first card was in a Yanks uni, but it has to be far earlier than the Goudey.

Well, there are a few guys (Reggie, Torre, Stengel) whose rookie card has them in non Yankee uniforms as their debut was with another team.

Like I said, I will try for all the cards in the PSA set but will tweak for the display piece...

ReggieCleveland

Are you looking for a manager-only card for Stengel?

Gehrig is '25 Exhibit. That's universally accepted. It's obviously out of the price range for most collectors but he's a tough one to cheat around since he's all Exhibits and strips until the '27 York and then all the '28 cards. The W590 is probably your best bet and an Authentic should be under $1k.

Arthur

1951WheatiesPremium

@ReggieCleveland said:
Are you looking for a manager-only card for Stengel?

Gehrig is '25 Exhibit. That's universally accepted. It's obviously out of the price range for most collectors but he's a tough one to cheat around since he's all Exhibits and strips until the '27 York and then all the '28 cards. The W590 is probably your best bet and an Authentic should be under $1k.

Arthur

Thank you! A tremendous help on Gehrig’s rookie. Yes, probably out of range but good to know.

As to Stengel, I am unsure. I mean, his red border rookie is too scarce and expensive (T210 Old Mill). And I don’t know this era. I mostly collected post war with emphasis on Mickey/Yankees. Part of the reason for the display is to have some different stuff up there. I looked up to see if he was in T206 but couldn’t find a card of him and not sure what other cards there are from his playing days (1912-1925).

I think the card of him managing the Boston Bees is kind of silly - ‘50-‘53 Bowman all seem to be a better choice but if there’s anything from his playing days on a reasonable budget I’d give it a look.

ReggieCleveland

Yeah, he has a good amount of cards from the era. The Old Mill is obviously the big one but like the Gehrig is priced out of most collectors range. After that he's in the myriad of 1916 and 1917 cards with different backs and you should be able to get a nice low-grade example for $300-400.

Arthur

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@ReggieCleveland said:
Yeah, he has a good amount of cards from the era. The Old Mill is obviously the big one but like the Gehrig is priced out of most collectors range. After that he's in the myriad of 1916 and 1917 cards with different backs and you should be able to get a nice low-grade example for $300-400.

Arthur

Are these the different ‘strip’ cardsI see of him? Or are there cards with more photo quality images?

LarkinCollector

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
Yeah, he has a good amount of cards from the era. The Old Mill is obviously the big one but like the Gehrig is priced out of most collectors range. After that he's in the myriad of 1916 and 1917 cards with different backs and you should be able to get a nice low-grade example for $300-400.

Arthur

Are these the different ‘strip’ cardsI see of him? Or are there cards with more photo quality images?

If you want to avoid strip cards, they should all be listed as 'Hand Cut' in the pop player search: https://www.psacard.com/Pop/PlayerSearch?term=stengel&categoryid=0

1951WheatiesPremium

@LarkinCollector said:

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
Yeah, he has a good amount of cards from the era. The Old Mill is obviously the big one but like the Gehrig is priced out of most collectors range. After that he's in the myriad of 1916 and 1917 cards with different backs and you should be able to get a nice low-grade example for $300-400.

Arthur

Are these the different ‘strip’ cardsI see of him? Or are there cards with more photo quality images?

If you want to avoid strip cards, they should all be listed as 'Hand Cut' in the pop player search: https://www.psacard.com/Pop/PlayerSearch?term=stengel&categoryid=0

Whoa!

Way cool tool!

Thanks very much! Had no idea...

LarkinCollector

It's a pretty tiny link hidden under the regular Pop search box I use it a lot to find 'earliest issued' cards vs what's listed as RCs in some of the registry sets.

ReggieCleveland

That player search is missing a LOT of cards.

Tim, the M101-4 is a large set (200 players, I think?) from 1916. They aren't strip cards. The cards can be found with different advertising on the back. I don't remember how many possible backs there are but it's a lot; maybe something like 20+? Sporting News, Famous & Barr, Boston Store, Globe Clothing, Gimbels, Successful Farming, off the top of my head. The front is the same for each player but the backs can be found with different advertising. The Ruth is commonly referred to as his rookie. It's a nice set.

Arthur

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This one?

If so, good to know the ‘name’ of the set.

There’s a show nearby tomorrow in Parsippany that I hope to sneak over to tomorrow afternoon.

LarkinCollector

@ReggieCleveland said:
That player search is missing a LOT of cards.

It's far from perfect, but better than randomly searching eBay for earlier issues. I wish there was an 'aliasing' feature to pick up misspellings, maiden vs. married surnames, nicknames, and so on. It's really awful when trying to get one complete list of all the cards from the "other" Babe:

Mildred "Babe" Didrikson/Diedrikson Zaharias

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Here's some Hi Res of Billy Martin...

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@LarkinCollector said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
That player search is missing a LOT of cards.

It's far from perfect, but better than randomly searching eBay for earlier issues. I wish there was an 'aliasing' feature to pick up misspellings, maiden vs. married surnames, nicknames, and so on. It's really awful when trying to get one complete list of all the cards from the "other" Babe:

Mildred "Babe" Didrikson/Diedrikson Zaharias

Agreed - a misspellings hack would be great. I have reaped benefits in the past...

ReggieCleveland

I've had much better luck using VCP as a player checklist resource. For the most part, they have everything, even if there's no sales data.

Tim, that's the set.

Arthur

1951WheatiesPremium

So, I decided that since the 1940 Playball doesn’t really work for me (I’ll get it for the Registry Set one day), I’d go with the first item issued with Casey Stengel on it as a Brooklyn Dodger.

1914 B18 Blanket - Casey Stengel Brooklyn Dodgers

Came with Egyptienne Straights...

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Also added the 48 Bowman Scooter...

Stone193

Good show Tim.

I always wondered if the Scooter was photoshopped onto that pic?

You've got some really nice projects going on buddy.

1951WheatiesPremium

@Stone193 said:
Good show Tim.

I always wondered if the Scooter was photoshopped onto that pic?

You've got some really nice projects going on buddy.

Wonder no more:

1951WheatiesPremium

Just because folks like pictures, the Mantle rookie:

1951 Wheaties Premium Photos Mickey Mantle G

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The current card holding the place of Lou Gehrig:

1951WheatiesPremium

After some incredible gets, we’re down to a handful still needed. Have a bunch at PSA now.

Here’s the newest grabs:

1951WheatiesPremium

Some results are in for many of the cards in the thread (along with a few others that were part of the sub and fit the theme.)

ReggieCleveland

I've seen a trimmed 1922 W575-2 Ruth (slabbed PSA authentic) sell for ~$1k a few times in the past 6 months or so. If you don't want a cartoon strip card I think that's your best bet. You won't find an earlier Ruth cheaper than that.

Arthur

ETA: The W575-2 set is kind of flying under the radar. Also known as the "auto on shoulder" as each player has a small facsimile signature on their shoulder in the photo. All the other Ruths from 1921-1922 go for $3k-$5k in bad shape and there's many more of them than the 575-2s. Bang for your buck-wise you won't do better.

1951WheatiesPremium

Slipped a few new scans of the recent sub poppage (two posts up).

Note to self: clean scanner glass...

brad31

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@Stone193 said:
Good show Tim.

I always wondered if the Scooter was photoshopped onto that pic?

You've got some really nice projects going on buddy.

Wonder no more:

Very cool that same photo was used as the basis for the background of his ‘55 Topps.

1951WheatiesPremium

@brad31 said:

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@Stone193 said:
Good show Tim.

I always wondered if the Scooter was photoshopped onto that pic?

You've got some really nice projects going on buddy.

Wonder no more:

Very cool that same photo was used as the basis for the background of his ‘55 Topps.

Love the ‘55 Topps Rizzuto!!! Great card of the Scooter!

1951WheatiesPremium

Scooped another Scooter! This time, though, it’s his actual rookie card:

1941 Double Play - Lefty Gomez #61 and Phil Rizzuto #62

jay0791

Not 100% sure

The 55 Scooter has only partial NY showing on jersey by arm.

The right arms are also in different distances from pants

Mouth slightly open more on the 55

The 51 WP and 48 Bow you can see all on the NY clearly in shot

Man do I love the 51 WP's

1951WheatiesPremium

@jay0791 said:
Not 100% sure

The 55 Scooter has only partial NY showing on jersey by arm.

The right arms are also in different distances from pants

Mouth slightly open more on the 55

The 51 WP and 48 Bow you can see all on the NY clearly in shot

Man do I love the 51 WP's

For the ‘55 Topps Rizzuto? I think some of the difference is attributable to the fact that it is an artists work and not the actual photo - I think it is too similar to not be ‘inspired by’ or ‘borrowed from’ but different enough where Topps probably didn’t have to pay to use it!

@jay0791 - 51 WP? Not my name sake set? You collect them? Or just like the look?

jay0791

Yes I think so also. I just love the 56 look also. Just not a exact match Actually I love most of the artist cards. the 53 IMO is the nicest topps set ever.

I collect many things NY Yankees. My focus is on Topps 51 to present and 48-55 Bowman.
However I will also buy other cards I like. If I saw a nice 51WP I might buy it if price was fair.

1951WheatiesPremium

So after playing around with several different layouts, I decided on basic numeric order displayed within a rectangular structure. I will probably add some space so that the left and right of each card in the row is flush to the edge so it’s more ‘even.’ I think the navy background works.

Still planning - comments welcome.

(PS - Extra points if you spot who is missing...)

ahopkins

Reggie?

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@ahopkins said:
Reggie?

Yes. He’ll be lower left, left of Pettitte...

ahopkins

I do love all those cards with the exception of that Rivera. I just can't come to like let alone love that card. Such a dominant player but an undominant rookie card.

1951WheatiesPremium

@ahopkins said:
I do love all those cards with the exception of that Rivera. I just can't come to like let alone love that card. Such a dominant player but an undominant rookie card.

Collars and khakis are not appropriate for baseball cards but it does make it rather unique...

...and my original dislike for the card has turned to some actual fondnesss. Nowhere near my favorite in the picture but I do love Mo...

ahopkins

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@ahopkins said:
I do love all those cards with the exception of that Rivera. I just can't come to like let alone love that card. Such a dominant player but an undominant rookie card.

Collars and khakis are not appropriate for baseball cards but it does make it rather unique...

...and my original dislike for the card has turned to some actual fondnesss. Nowhere near my favorite in the picture but I do love Mo...

Maybe put it dead center and build everything around it. The Stengel Rivera side by side makes for an awkward juxtaposition. Man, I love so many of those other cards though. Congrats on this very cool project.

1951WheatiesPremium

@ahopkins said:

@1951WheatiesPremium said:

@ahopkins said:
I do love all those cards with the exception of that Rivera. I just can't come to like let alone love that card. Such a dominant player but an undominant rookie card.

Collars and khakis are not appropriate for baseball cards but it does make it rather unique...

...and my original dislike for the card has turned to some actual fondnesss. Nowhere near my favorite in the picture but I do love Mo...

Maybe put it dead center and build everything around it. The Stengel Rivera side by side makes for an awkward juxtaposition. Man, I love so many of those other cards though. Congrats on this very cool project.

Well maybe I can slide it down a row...

1951WheatiesPremium

Latest addition:

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New addition:

doubledragon

Nice addition. A masterpiece.

1951WheatiesPremium

With several new pickups and holes filled, I’ll have to now focus on finding something more representative for Ruth and Gehrig. But I’ve got some cards here that, as presented, I hope you’ll appreciate in totality and even a little individually as it’s a pretty decent photo...