#15, Thurman Munson, #15
82FootballWaxMemorys
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Hi,
After reading an excellent new book on Thurm, thought I'd start a thread dedicated to cards of the Yankees 1st Captain after Lou Gehrig which were issued during his lifetime. Latitude extended for the 1980 issued Yankees Team Card and cards that depicts his 1970's cards.
I Highly recommended "The Captain and Me". If you've read Dan Epstein's solo authored books, like Stars and Strikes, you know he makes 1970's Baseball reading a fun and sometimes hilarious experience.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
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Loved the Munson playing days guest appearances. All but the 78 Doug Ault were before my time.
a fraction of sec later:
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
9
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
As I recall when I got this nearly 2 decades ago it was the only one in the PSA pop report...
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
**Classic Card! **
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
One of my personal favorites:
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
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It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Given the new book figured I toss in my favorite Blomberg card which to me screams the wacky mid 70's.
Never saw him play. Before the book only knew him as answer to a Baseball trivia question. Seems like really decent person who's potential never panned out due to injuries.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Man that is a sharp 72! I'm a bit jelly
Nice centering on that 71 Munson. That is one tough card to find above a 6
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
Awesome unopened material.
I was going to send this for grading years ago, given current (future?) PSA situation not sure if or when I ever will.
Scanned on my previous scanner and by that time the dust on the bottom of the glass was pretty bad. The actual panel does not have all the snow.
**Grade estimations appreciated **- rough estimations given I don't have a back scan handy - thanks
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
I recall getting the K-Mart set as child in the summer of 1982. This card at the time had great impact on me as it referenced the sad day of Aug 2, 1979.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
The Doug Alt 1978 card has always been one of my all-time favorite cards. It's just a beautiful card. As long as I have loved that card I never realized Thurman was in that card.
I decided I needed some Munson frankly because they are iconic cards and because im a yankees fan. so I decided to settle for some decent 6's for now with the intent on upgrading at some point. choosing the right 71 was tough. tried to get one as centered on front as possible, while retaining minimal chipping. target grade was a 6 so that was kinda tough but I think I did ok.
myslabs.to/smzcards
Here’s my copy of the classic two player rookie...
...to the best of my knowledge, this is the first significant card I bought with my own money. I think it was around $10 and I loved it and held it (too much) and it’s still raw and one of my favorites...
...and I always felt the ‘71 OPC was the much nicer card back. Love a rough cut card and if you’re going OPC, well, I think it’s fun to go full Canadian, ya hosers.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Never knew the OPC on the 1971's was so jarringly different. Never seen the back on any from that year before - so much for being a card collectors for nearly 40 years
Was never a fan of pics of disembodied heads without necks though. Always found thoseimages to be clunky looking and a tad creepy.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
@dictoresno your technical 6 1971 has 7 eye appeal!
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Classic Pose.
Back when I purchased this one I could have reached out a bit more and bought a 10, but no I was satisfied with a 9
One of the things that I find interesting are the last 3 stat lines. 3 consecutive years with triple figure RBI's and less than 20 HRs. That means when there were ducks on the pond, Thurman was driving them home with regularity
Reaching 100RBI's in today's games with less than 20 HRs is pretty much an anomaly. 30HRs and less than 100 RBI's not being unusual. Says to me lack of clutch hitting.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Great card!
'78 was a great year for cards. That's where my collection began as a kid; just a couple '78s sprinkled in with '79s and ups.
Anyone know the venue name where the 1970 Rookie pic was taken?
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Kellogg's Breakfast time
Outside of Kellogg's not too many cards issued during Thurman's lifetime have him pictured in Road uniform. I wonder where they were taken?
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
I was a Dodgers fan, growing up in the 70s/80s so the Yankees were sort of taboo, but I always liked Munson cards. I started buying packs in 1978 and that Ault was also one of my favorite cards. I am a huge fan of the trophy cards and have never really thought about this until now, but Munson is probably the only guy to appear on 2 Topps trophy cards!
I think Cal Ripken was the only guy to be on the team 2 straight years (not sure how that is even possible), but he was in a time when there were sadly NO trophies (1981 & 1982).
New card related trivia question to impress your friends with, unless I am trying to lay claim to one that is already in circulation.
I believe I got this a year ago from the blog of the Co-author of "The Captain and Me". Great shot and Don Baylor in the background.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
One of my favorites.
Why is the small batters box circle so close to the batters box ?
Those dirt circles in the grass on either side of home plate are called fungo circles, where coaches used to hit practice ground balls with a fungo bat during infield practice. They are dirt so the grass doesn't get worn out where the coaches stand.
I think only a few parks still have them.
My favorite and my
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
I'm reading it currently and it's great! Highly recommended read!
www.questfortherookiecup.com
My contribution to this fantastic post. As you can see by my user id I'm a Yankees fan and Thurman Munson was the reason why. I was a catcher growing up in the 70s and Munson was my favorite player. I'd never been out of the Southeast until in my early 20s but was always a Yankees fan thanks to him.
www.questfortherookiecup.com
Yankeesman
I hadn’t seen a signed 71 before. Yowza. Congrats on that card!
Thanks! It's the keystone of my Topps Rookie Cup autograph project. Took me forever to win one!
www.questfortherookiecup.com
scratch on the case on the right
If scratches or abrasions are not too deep, I've had good success with PlastX+elbow grease+a very soft cloth like the one in this kit;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M35VXJ8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
of course proceed at your own peril/risk and do not use the sandpaper pads
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Thurman must have bucked the system against George.
Since 1973, the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club has enforced an appearance policy regulating how their players must be presented. It states that players must have their hair cut above the collar of their baseball jersey and no beards are permitted.
I recall reading The Boss has issue with Thurm's beard-age but those 76 Topps and Hostess cards are great.
There's also the 1975 SSPC with full beard
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
While slightly thinner, the stock used on the 1980 Team card sheets was far superior for photo resolution than the standard grey. I greatly prefer these hand-cuts over the regular issue.
I love this team photo taken early in 1979. Thurm gets a nice showcase in a left corner spot and in the same row seated next to Catfish is a very happy looking Yogi. Although 1980 issued card it's my favorite team card of any 1970s Yankees team.
Too bad Reggie and Mickey Rivers are MIA,
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
No one did
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
That's a great looking 7. I'm in the same boat with you on the 8. Figured I'd get around to picking one up one day. Oh well.
www.questfortherookiecup.com
Really nice 7. Is the issue the top left corner? It’s a really nice card. Slightly more snow than some but I’d love to own that!
Yes I feel it it the top left corner + the snow and the print defect on near Thurmans nose on the card back.
It presents really well as centering is almost perfect at least as 71 Munsons go. Front Picture registry/focus also is spot on.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
The 75 Mini is a Difficult card to find centered, mine while a PSA9 is no exception, although it's decent as the card goes. I also have a nice raw one which has similar centering, got it as a kid. It was the first card I ever spent $10 or more on.
Like many 1975 and 1976 Yankees cards this pic was taken at Shea Stadium were they played during the 1974 and 1975 campaigns.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
In a couple of hours it will be Aug 2, 2021
I was only a small child on Aug 2, 1979 and still feel a sense of loss on that date every year. RIP Thurm.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
What could have been: 1980 Thurman Munson - courtesy of waxpackgods.com
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)