Conigliaro Rookie card question

MuckyMutt

I've been selling off quite a few of my 1964 Topps baseball cards on Ebay. I had/have several Tony Conigliaro rookie cards. Does anyone know why this card seems to be so darn popular? No matter what else I have out for sale, whenever I put a TonyC up for auction it gets about 10X the hits and bids. I'm not complaining - I just don't understand why this one card is so popular. I'm just glad I have 4 more.

WinPitcher

Tony C was a great ball player on his way to the HOF when he was beaned in the face by a jack hamilton fastball.

he was the youngest player to win a HR title 32 in 65 at the age of 20 or 21 I think. he has a tremendous following as he was a Red Sox.

he also at the time was the youngest player to achieve 100 home runs.


he made a comeback of sorts after the beaning and had 1 or 2 good years but vision problems ended his career early. he recently died at a tender age too.

Tony C also had a brother play in the big leagues Billy.

I had 4 or 5 of his 1971 cards in Nice near mint/mint condition and I kick myself in the rear as i sold them rather cheaply on ebay 2 years ago.

Steve

MuckyMutt

Steve - I know well the short history of Tony C. I really liked him when I was a kid, and remember the beaning. But there were quite a few really good players back then that didn't make the Hall that aren't nearly as popular as I think they should be. Must be the Red Sox following that keeps his cards popular.

Onlypsahockey

Tony C. bio: a local legend.

Tony Conigliaro was the quintessential Boston ballplayer. Born in Revere, Massachusetts toward the end of World War II, Conigliaro rose rapidly to stardom.


His handsome face and raw talent made New England women swoon. Ascending to the major leagues just a year after signing a contract with the Red Sox in 1963, Tony C wasted no time finding a niche in baseball.



He hit a home run in his first major league game. For the season, he hit .290 with 24 home runs over the first five months, but after breaking his arm in August, he saw the Rookie of the Year award go to Minnesota's Tony Oliva. When Conigliaro hit 32 homers the following season, he become, at age 20, the youngest home run champion in the history of the American League. He had also become the youngest person to reach 100 homers.


Off the field, Tony C's popularity allowed him to pursue another interest: singing! He cut several records on the RCA and Penn Tone labels.


But Tony C's life would never be the same after August 18, 1967. During a night game at Fenway Park, Conigliaro was hit in the face by a fastball from California Angels' pitcher Jack Hamilton. He suffered a broken cheekbone and temporarily lost the sight in his left eye, causing him to miss the 1968 season.


Conigliaro returned in 1969, winning the Comeback Player of the Year award. In '70, he belted 36 homers and it appeared, his career was back on track. But vision problems continued to bother him and he left the big leagues in 1971. He attempted a brief comeback in 1975 but it failed.


In 1982, Conigliaro suffered a heart attack while returning from an audition for the Red Sox telecasts. He was never the same and on February 24, 1990, this seemingly indestructible hero died.

lawnmowerman

Man, thats a sad story!

Matt

WinPitcher

But there were quite a few really good players back then that didn't make the Hall that aren't nearly as popular

They get hit in the face with a fastball?

lol

He was a local boy that made good. His 65 Topps allstar rookie card always sells above SMR. his 66 Topps card sells strongly too.

Steve

A761506

I can't explain it, but there are several players whose cards generally shoot the moon like that. I know that Norm Cash cards generally go over SMR in most years, and he's right around the same calibur player as Tony C. Sort of like a cult following.

Speaking of Tony C rookies, I have no plans of selling either of these, but figured they would be appreciated in this thread.




In case you are not familiar with the issue, this is from the 1964 Topps Banquet set.

WinPitcher

Ron Santo too..............

SD

Stone193

Mucky

I wrote a little thing on Tony C. back a ways ago. Vargha had sent me a really nice graded Tony C. card.



His career was kind of a heartbreaker.

Important take-home message for me:

"I didn’t want to bore anyone with statistics – anyone can look those up – I just wanted to talk about a person with such great promise – the hand that God deals us – the courageous way people deal with this and how fragile our existence can be. Tony C. did a lot of living in a very short time! This is something that doesn’t easily fit on the back of a baseball card."

mike

bobsbbcards

Josh,

Awesome cards!!

Bob