<< <i>Stown: No disrespect intended. However, I do recall ostensibly asking VCP means in our negotiation, not most recent. FYI, their sales were strong in Cleve. and Pa., commanding approx. 10 - 15% above VCP means and well above most recents, albeit 6's, 7's, and 8's. I doubt this is because of a turn in the economy. When you have a product that is exceptional to the competition, that is scarce and displays superlative quality and condition, above average sales is a natural phenomenon. IMO. >>
There are three sides to every story and I'm sure ours is somewhere inbetween.
No hard feelings, promise, and we can agree to disagree on the current pricing direction. However, I fully believe TAAs' value, over time, will increase.
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
macboube how many cards did you end up with after opening all the packs? how many packs did you open? just wondering if you finished raw sets as well. great find, i would love to know more about what you got, if there were any great packs, bummer packs (miscuts etc..), what the collation was like. if this is discussed somewhere else please let me know.
its a great set and you have a beauty there, i would love to hear some stories. mine is only PSA 6 and up so seeing these really is great.
fred
Fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
Fred - The story will be in next mo.'s SMR Mag. Can't say how many packs are opened, however, I can say we expect to complete 7 sets in high grade, all PSA graded. Already have completed two (No. 1 & 3) and are very close on two more that will be top seven. The cello packs contain approx. 60% of the set, including just about every star card and short print card. Yes, some packs are better than others, but if you get just one 10 out of a pack, it is a winner. Have some important subs in right now that we hope will come back huge. Then we will share more with you, and I hope to have something special for the HOF Rookies board, too.
great good luck with, can't wait to see next month SMR. i don't get it so maybe i can pick up a copy from someone.
Fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
<< <i>wow.... the otto graham psa 10 sold for five THOUSAND dollars? thats a ton of money! John >>
John - $4,900 is way cheap. A steal in fact. Even more amazing is the dealer-seller on ebay, Nate Sanders, has just relisted this same card on ebay this a.m. as BIN again for $15,000.00!!!!!!!!! Looks like the recent buyer either didn't pay the $4,900.00 or returned the card, as I believe N. Sanders had a three day return policy. Now that would make me suspicious if a high grade collector rec'd it and returned it after getting a bargain price. Whassup with dat?
<< <i>Fred - I think you may be able to view it online for free. I know at one time PSA had a onetime free viewing thing going. Ck it out. >>
i know but like with a lot of thread it just isn't the same without pictures
Fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
are you interviewed in the mag for the set? i would be love to get a copy from you if possible. let me know fred
Fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
jim very cool story. thanks for sending it to me. fred
Fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
Check the scan out in this Ebay listing for a Rosenberg 9. Does it look even close to a 9 to you? If this card is PSA 9 than all my 9's are 11's and my 7's are 9's! Wow.
"My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. Our childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When we were insolent we were placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds - pretty standard really."
By now I have read the articles about the 1955 Topps All-American find in both Sports Collectors Daily and Sports Market Report.
You deserve a robust "congratulations". My preeminent thought about the whole thing is that often when people make a "find", they don't even know what they have. It sounds like you did and that must make you appreciate and enjoy it more deeply. You're living the dream of many. Keep having fun!
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
The '55 Otto Graham 10 just sold (again) - this time for $7500.00. So Nate Sanders broke even. Hatch bought it as his AA set is up to 8.67. He's only one pt. behind Verno's 2nd set now.
I went and looked at the card in person recently, B4 Hatch bought it. We have 2 or 3 Graham 9's that look as good if not better. It's a PSA old card grading criteria vs. today's standards thing IMO. Oh well.
Two new low pop 9's (both have pops of just two with none higher).
Lassman is a very interesting story. (Note: His real name was Alfred Lassman, not Arnold or Arnie Lassman as the Topps card erroneously calls him). He was captain of the terrific NYU Violets football tream in the late 1920's and a giant of a man for the times at 6'4". He was an All-American under legendary coach Chick Meehan, and played along side of fellow All-American and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ken Strong (who is also part of the '55 Topps AA set). He was seriously injured in a big game against Carneige Tech in 1928, and here is an excerpt from the autobiography of physician Dr. Michael Lepore re. Lassman.........
"The greatest excitement in those days centered around NYU's great football team under the renowned coach, Chick Meehan. This team had achieved national eminence at its pinnacle until Al Lassman, tackle and captain and a potential heavyweight boxing champion, had grave misfortune to suffer a skull fracture in the game with the formidable Carneige Tech team, resulting in permanant brain injury and hemiplegia. From this point it was all downhill for NYU and major football. Al Lassman was one of our great heroes and I still recall how sadly we watched this magnificent human being sadly reduced to the life of a permanant cripple. It was an awful price to pay for supremacy in a sport."
In effect, Lassman was partially paralyzed and tragically died two years later in a somewhay mysterious drowing accident. Lassman had apparently saved the lives of three young boys whose canoe tipped over on a lake at summer camp and then he himself drowned from exhaustion. Some felt he committed suicide, however, nobody seems to know for certain. Note: NYU gave up football for good in 1942.
George "Bad News" Cafego played for Tennessee in the late '30's. The 1938 Volunteer team finished 11-0 and Cafego was SEC Player of the Year. The 1939 squad shut out all of its opponents during the regular season before losing to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl. The loss was UT's first in two years and came with Cafego sidelined by injury.
Tennessee was 24-4-1 in his three years. During the two perfect regular seasons, Cafego earned back-to-back All-SEC and All-America nods. He also was a Heisman candidate, finishing seventh in 1938 and fourth in 1939. He had a lackluster pro career which was likely due to his service in WW II taking away from the prime of his career. He was an assistant coach on Tennessee's staff from 1955-85 under five different head coaches. UT honored the player called the "Ultimate Volunteer" by declaring Sept. 6, 1980, George Cafego Day.
beauties once again, Jim, and nice bio write-up. With each of these players having their own special backstory, you really don't have a "common" within the '55 AA set.
Right on Chuck. Each AA has a special story - eah one fascinating in their own way. Starting to get some subs back, keep your fingers crossed on the Zimmerman.
Well that's certainly interesting that the one-and-only 1955 Topps All-American Otto Graham PSA 10 has been for sale so often in 2009. Thanks for updating it's status. Maybe PSA's (deemed) tougher grading standards will ensure that it stays a POP 1?
I appreciate the Lassman and Cafego biographies complemented with scans of a couple more nice '55 All-American high grade commons. It really brings two brilliant cards to life, raising them from "common" to "uncommon" at least on some level. Nice work.
Happy New Year and thanks for the comments on the Lassman and Cafego. We thought for sure we would have a Graham 10 by now with one of our 9's bumping. As you stated, maybe it is a "PSA destiny" that it remains 1/1. So when it sold previously for under $5K, the sale mysteriously did not consumate, with the buyer failing to pay according to Nate Sanders. I find that somewhat curious, in that its previous recent sale was for over $7500 and its last sale ten days ago was for $7500. Why would someone who won it on ebay for $4900 give up an easy and no-brainer $2500+ gain or quick profit? Is there something fishy in SoCal with this card? I wonder.
Wow - In checking the Set Registry rankings today for the AA's, 7 of the top 11 have updates. Astonishing. I have never seen that many top tier sets updated at once. Very cool, very competitive.
As promised, scans of the two latest GEM MINT 10's & a brief bio of Kaw, and a not so brief bio of Hein.
Kaw, Eddie(Edgar L.) Football b. Jan. 18, 1898, Houston, TX d. Dec. 13, 1971
A dangerous runner and fine punter, Kaw was an All-American at fullback for Cornell in 1921 and at halfback in 1922. In a 41-0 win over Pennsylvania in 1921, Kaw scored 5 of his team's 6 touchdowns, one of them on a 50-yard run. He also had touchdown runs of 35 and 70 yards against Columbia that season, when he scored 15 touchdowns in 8 games.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Kaw also won three letters in baseball. He played for the NFL's Buffalo Bisons in 1924.
College Football Hall of Fame
Mel Hein Date of birth: August 22, 1909(1909-08-22) Place of birth: Redding, California Date of death: January 31, 1992 (aged 82) Career information Position(s): Center Jersey ¹: 7 College: Washington State Organizations As player: 1931-1945 New York Giants Career highlights and awards Awards: 1938 Joe F. Carr MVP Honors: NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 1930s All-Decade Team Retired #s: New York Giants #7 Playing stats at NFL.com College Football Hall of Fame Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963
Melvin Jack Hein (August 22, 1909 – January 31, 1992) was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants (1931-45) and never missed a down due to injury. He is the only offensive lineman to win the NFL MVP award (1938) and he helped the Giants win the championship that season.
Mel was part of the first inductee class into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. In 1969, he was named the center on the NFL 50th Anniversary Team, and was named to the 75th Anniversary Team in 1994. In 1999, despite 55 years having passed since his last game, he was ranked number 74 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
Hein played prep football for the Burlington High School Tigers (now Burlington-Edison High School) in Burlington, Washington, where he played center and defensive line positions. His senior year Hein earned the Skagit County Football MVP, the highest award for a prep player in the Skagit Valley in those days. He was also named to the First Team All-State football team as a senior. It has been said he is the first professional athlete to hail from the state of Washington. Hein is known for wearing jersey number 7, but it is not known what jersey number he wore during his high school years as prep teams might not have worn numbers in those days. Hein is also a charter member of the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). He also excelled as a basketball player in his prep days with the Tigers, playing center on the court, as well.
A consensus pick as the greatest center in football, Hein was the first player to have his famous No. 7 retired at Washington State University. An All-American pick following the 1930 season, Hein helped lead the Cougars to an undefeated record that year and into the 1931 Rose Bowl game against Alabama. WSU lost that game 24-0, but WSU's record in Hein's three varsity seasons was 26-6. Hein was an All-America selection as a senior (1930) and was an All-West Coast pick after having been named to the All-Coast second team as a junior. At WSU, he also played center during his junior year on the Cougar basketball team.
From Pullman, it was on to the New York Football Giants, where he played for 15 years as a center and a defensive lineman. Hein was an All-NFL Center 1933-1940. He was inducted as a charter member into the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, in the summer of 1963. He was also inducted as a charter member into the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978, and was the first alumni athlete inducted into the new Burlington-Edison High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. Add to all of these, his membership into the Washington State Sports Hall of Fame and the Inland Empire Sports Hall of Fame. His jersey number 7 retired by both his college team, the WSU Cougars of the Pac-10 Conference and by the New York Giants.
Eight times an All-Pro center, Hein was the NFL's MVP in 1938 - as a center in his eighth year in the league. The Giants' great No. 7 was the center of two NFL Championship teams - in 1934 (NYG 30, Chicago 13) and again in 1938 (NYG 23, Green Bay 17). Hein was a member of five losing teams in the NFL Championship, too - 1933, 1935, 1939, 1941, and 1944.
Beyond his incredible playing days, Hein coached for four years, both as a head coach and as an assistant. He coached at the University of Southern California during the 1950s.
From 1966-67, he was the supervisor of officials for the American Football League.
In 1969, Hein was voted one of the 11 all-time best professional and collegiate football players in a vote conducted in conjunction with professional football's Centennial celebration.
The Washington State University Board of Regents honored Hein May 14, 1983, with its Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest award bestowed a Cougar alum. Hein is also a charter member of The College Hall of Fame, one of two WSU Cougars honored by the National Football Foundation.
In 1999, he was one of three centers named to The Sporting News All-Century team for college players.
Four more Gem Mint 10's from latest subs. Included is a big hit in Red Grange 1/1, the most spectacular card of Red Grange ever, from any set. Also Ted Coy 1/1, a second Sammy Baugh 10 and another Larry Kelley 10.
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
MacBoube here - and for the first time ever, I am offering seven different '55 Topps All-Americans in MINT 9 - check 'em out. Some of the cards in the grade offered here rarely or never have been offered for sale at any auction of any type before. Check 'em out.........
Big Wow...........just noticed that Robert Edwards Auction is already previewing for their April, 2011 gala, and the No. 2 All-American set is featured. I guess J. Verno is not happy being No. 2. What do you think his set (9.02 GPA) will bring next April? Love to hear some numbers from all the experts.
Macboube, I think so many of your beautiful cards hit the pop reports so fast that it sent the entire 55 AA spinning. I was starting to collect the set and when the pops of 9's and 10's were going crazy I essentially stopped. I realized I had cards with no rarity at all in 8-8.5 grades. I got kind of bummed. If I would have been you, I would not have graded them all so fast.
Mick: Just as an fyi - the bulk of our AA's remain unopened, and our grading of indiv. cards from cellos has taken place over a 2.5 yr. period now, as we are still getting some graded. Most of the cards that we put on the market are 6's, 7's and OC's. As you know, centering was an unfound art at Topps in the mid 50's, LOL. We have sold some 8's, but only a handful of 8.5's and just one or two 9's (consider yourself lucky Fletch). Anyway, it apparently has made an impact not only on you, but on PSA HOFer Verno as well. Sorry dudes.
Nontheless - there are still some 90+ sets on the Registry that remain active. Not bad.
I love the story of the find, and I like seeing your cards. Of course there will be those that are negatively affected and those that have advice, but you seem to really enjoy your cards so isn't that what it is all about?
PS- You should get a Espon v300 scanner. I'd like to see your 1/1 gems more clearly.
Macboube, I hope I didn't come off as very negative and if I did I apologize. I guess what I wanted to say was this in regards to all of your high grades....I think most of us are purely intimidated when tons of 10's roll out. My guess on the #2 set: At this point in 2010 it is I believe impossible to overtake your set and therefore gave up trying. Your cards are stunning. Congrats.
<< <i>Mick: Just as an fyi - the bulk of our AA's remain unopened, and our grading of indiv. cards from cellos has taken place over a 2.5 yr. period now, as we are still getting some graded. Most of the cards that we put on the market are 6's, 7's and OC's. As you know, centering was an unfound art at Topps in the mid 50's, LOL. We have sold some 8's, but only a handful of 8.5's and just one or two 9's (consider yourself lucky Fletch). Anyway, it apparently has made an impact not only on you, but on PSA HOFer Verno as well. Sorry dudes.
Nontheless - there are still some 90+ sets on the Registry that remain active. Not bad. >>
LOL...I DO consider myself lucky....now about that Harmon...Merry Christmas, Jim to you and yours!
Successful transactions with FavreFan1971, ffishonn, Davemri, Publius, DavidPuddy, frcarvell, recbball, and many others...
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
Comments
have no idea about the cards...
they must be nice...
Looking for 1970 MLB Photostamps
- uncut
Positive Transactions - tennesseebanker, Ahmanfan, Donruss, Colebear, CDsNuts, rbdjr1, Downtown1974, yankeeno7, drewsef, mnolan, mrbud60, msassin, RipublicaninMass, AkbarClone, rustywilly, lsutigers1973, julen23 and nam812, plus many others...
<< <i>Stown: No disrespect intended. However, I do recall ostensibly asking VCP means in our negotiation, not most recent. FYI, their sales were strong in Cleve. and Pa., commanding approx. 10 - 15% above VCP means and well above most recents, albeit 6's, 7's, and 8's. I doubt this is because of a turn in the economy. When you have a product that is exceptional to the competition, that is scarce and displays superlative quality and condition, above average sales is a natural phenomenon. IMO. >>
There are three sides to every story and I'm sure ours is somewhere inbetween.
No hard feelings, promise, and we can agree to disagree on the current pricing direction. However, I fully believe TAAs' value, over time, will increase.
Some cool AA wallpapers I use - unfortunately this will not be used in the JAN SMR feature next month, but some other cool shots will.
how many cards did you end up with after opening all the packs? how many packs did you open? just wondering if you finished raw sets as well. great find, i would love to know more about what you got, if there were any great packs, bummer packs (miscuts etc..), what the collation was like. if this is discussed somewhere else please let me know.
its a great set and you have a beauty there, i would love to hear some stories. mine is only PSA 6 and up so seeing these really is great.
fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
John
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
<< <i>wow.... the otto graham psa 10 sold for five THOUSAND dollars? thats a ton of money!
John >>
John - $4,900 is way cheap. A steal in fact. Even more amazing is the dealer-seller on ebay, Nate Sanders, has just relisted this same card on ebay this a.m. as BIN again for $15,000.00!!!!!!!!! Looks like the recent buyer either didn't pay the $4,900.00 or returned the card, as I believe N. Sanders had a three day return policy. Now that would make me suspicious if a high grade collector rec'd it and returned it after getting a bargain price. Whassup with dat?
<< <i>Fred - I think you may be able to view it online for free. I know at one time PSA had a onetime free viewing thing going. Ck it out. >>
i know but like with a lot of thread it just isn't the same without pictures
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
let me know
fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
http://www.psacard.com/smrweb/backissues/smr0110/55topps.chtml
Also, we received our 30th PSA GEM MINT 10, as this card recently bumped from the grade 9 depicted here:
Congrats on having the #1 set!
View Vintage Football Cards For Sale
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
very cool story. thanks for sending it to me.
fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
http://cgi.ebay.com/1955-Topps-All-American-13-Aaron-Rosenberg-PSA-9-Mint_W0QQitemZ320455691350QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Football?hash=item4a9ca5cc56
I read the SMR article and it was excellent!
You deserve a robust "congratulations". My preeminent thought about the whole thing is that often when people make a "find", they don't even know what they have. It sounds like you did and that must make you appreciate and enjoy it more deeply. You're living the dream of many. Keep having fun!
-Keith
thanks
fred
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
The '55 Otto Graham 10 just sold (again) - this time for $7500.00. So Nate Sanders broke even. Hatch bought it as his AA set is up to 8.67. He's only one pt. behind Verno's 2nd set now.
I went and looked at the card in person recently, B4 Hatch bought it. We have 2 or 3 Graham 9's that look as good if not better. It's a PSA old card grading criteria vs. today's standards thing IMO. Oh well.
Lassman is a very interesting story. (Note: His real name was Alfred Lassman, not Arnold or Arnie Lassman as the Topps card erroneously calls him). He was captain of the terrific NYU Violets football tream in the late 1920's and a giant of a man for the times at 6'4". He was an All-American under legendary coach Chick Meehan, and played along side of fellow All-American and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ken Strong (who is also part of the '55 Topps AA set). He was seriously injured in a big game against Carneige Tech in 1928, and here is an excerpt from the autobiography of physician Dr. Michael Lepore re. Lassman.........
"The greatest excitement in those days centered around NYU's great football team under the renowned coach, Chick Meehan. This team had achieved national eminence at its pinnacle until Al Lassman, tackle and captain and a potential heavyweight boxing champion, had grave misfortune to suffer a skull fracture in the game with the formidable Carneige Tech team, resulting in permanant brain injury and hemiplegia. From this point it was all downhill for NYU and major football. Al Lassman was one of our great heroes and I still recall how sadly we watched this magnificent human being sadly reduced to the life of a permanant cripple. It was an awful price to pay for supremacy in a sport."
In effect, Lassman was partially paralyzed and tragically died two years later in a somewhay mysterious drowing accident. Lassman had apparently saved the lives of three young boys whose canoe tipped over on a lake at summer camp and then he himself drowned from exhaustion. Some felt he committed suicide, however, nobody seems to know for certain. Note: NYU gave up football for good in 1942.
George "Bad News" Cafego played for Tennessee in the late '30's. The 1938 Volunteer team finished 11-0 and Cafego was SEC Player of the Year. The 1939 squad shut out all of its opponents during the regular season before losing to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl. The loss was UT's first in two years and came with Cafego sidelined by injury.
Tennessee was 24-4-1 in his three years. During the two perfect regular seasons, Cafego earned back-to-back All-SEC and All-America nods. He also was a Heisman candidate, finishing seventh in 1938 and fourth in 1939. He had a lackluster pro career which was likely due to his service in WW II taking away from the prime of his career. He was an assistant coach on Tennessee's staff from 1955-85 under five different head coaches. UT honored the player called the "Ultimate Volunteer" by declaring Sept. 6, 1980, George Cafego Day.
I appreciate the Lassman and Cafego biographies complemented with scans of a couple more nice '55 All-American high grade commons. It really brings two brilliant cards to life, raising them from "common" to "uncommon" at least on some level. Nice work.
-Keith
Happy New Year and thanks for the comments on the Lassman and Cafego. We thought for sure we would have a Graham 10 by now with one of our 9's bumping. As you stated, maybe it is a "PSA destiny" that it remains 1/1. So when it sold previously for under $5K, the sale mysteriously did not consumate, with the buyer failing to pay according to Nate Sanders. I find that somewhat curious, in that its previous recent sale was for over $7500 and its last sale ten days ago was for $7500. Why would someone who won it on ebay for $4900 give up an easy and no-brainer $2500+ gain or quick profit? Is there something fishy in SoCal with this card? I wonder.
Jim
Kaw, Eddie(Edgar L.)
Football
b. Jan. 18, 1898, Houston, TX
d. Dec. 13, 1971
A dangerous runner and fine punter, Kaw was an All-American at fullback for Cornell in 1921 and at halfback in 1922. In a 41-0 win over Pennsylvania in 1921, Kaw scored 5 of his team's 6 touchdowns, one of them on a 50-yard run. He also had touchdown runs of 35 and 70 yards against Columbia that season, when he scored 15 touchdowns in 8 games.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Kaw also won three letters in baseball. He played for the NFL's Buffalo Bisons in 1924.
College Football Hall of Fame
Mel Hein Date of birth: August 22, 1909(1909-08-22)
Place of birth: Redding, California
Date of death: January 31, 1992 (aged 82)
Career information
Position(s): Center
Jersey ¹: 7
College: Washington State
Organizations
As player:
1931-1945 New York Giants
Career highlights and awards
Awards: 1938 Joe F. Carr MVP
Honors: NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time
Team
NFL 1930s All-Decade Team
Retired #s: New York Giants #7
Playing stats at NFL.com
College Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1963
Melvin Jack Hein (August 22, 1909 – January 31, 1992) was an American Professional Football player for the New York Giants. Hein played fifteen seasons for the Giants (1931-45) and never missed a down due to injury. He is the only offensive lineman to win the NFL MVP award (1938) and he helped the Giants win the championship that season.
Mel was part of the first inductee class into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. In 1969, he was named the center on the NFL 50th Anniversary Team, and was named to the 75th Anniversary Team in 1994. In 1999, despite 55 years having passed since his last game, he was ranked number 74 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
Hein played prep football for the Burlington High School Tigers (now Burlington-Edison High School) in Burlington, Washington, where he played center and defensive line positions. His senior year Hein earned the Skagit County Football MVP, the highest award for a prep player in the Skagit Valley in those days. He was also named to the First Team All-State football team as a senior. It has been said he is the first professional athlete to hail from the state of Washington. Hein is known for wearing jersey number 7, but it is not known what jersey number he wore during his high school years as prep teams might not have worn numbers in those days. Hein is also a charter member of the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). He also excelled as a basketball player in his prep days with the Tigers, playing center on the court, as well.
A consensus pick as the greatest center in football, Hein was the first player to have his famous No. 7 retired at Washington State University. An All-American pick following the 1930 season, Hein helped lead the Cougars to an undefeated record that year and into the 1931 Rose Bowl game against Alabama. WSU lost that game 24-0, but WSU's record in Hein's three varsity seasons was 26-6. Hein was an All-America selection as a senior (1930) and was an All-West Coast pick after having been named to the All-Coast second team as a junior. At WSU, he also played center during his junior year on the Cougar basketball team.
From Pullman, it was on to the New York Football Giants, where he played for 15 years as a center and a defensive lineman. Hein was an All-NFL Center 1933-1940. He was inducted as a charter member into the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, in the summer of 1963. He was also inducted as a charter member into the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978, and was the first alumni athlete inducted into the new Burlington-Edison High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. Add to all of these, his membership into the Washington State Sports Hall of Fame and the Inland Empire Sports Hall of Fame. His jersey number 7 retired by both his college team, the WSU Cougars of the Pac-10 Conference and by the New York Giants.
Eight times an All-Pro center, Hein was the NFL's MVP in 1938 - as a center in his eighth year in the league. The Giants' great No. 7 was the center of two NFL Championship teams - in 1934 (NYG 30, Chicago 13) and again in 1938 (NYG 23, Green Bay 17). Hein was a member of five losing teams in the NFL Championship, too - 1933, 1935, 1939, 1941, and 1944.
Beyond his incredible playing days, Hein coached for four years, both as a head coach and as an assistant. He coached at the University of Southern California during the 1950s.
From 1966-67, he was the supervisor of officials for the American Football League.
In 1969, Hein was voted one of the 11 all-time best professional and collegiate football players in a vote conducted in conjunction with professional football's Centennial celebration.
The Washington State University Board of Regents honored Hein May 14, 1983, with its Distinguished Alumnus Award, the highest award bestowed a Cougar alum. Hein is also a charter member of The College Hall of Fame, one of two WSU Cougars honored by the National Football Foundation.
In 1999, he was one of three centers named to The Sporting News All-Century team for college players.
Several 9's, too.
I'll post some scans after p/u'd from PSA.
Pete
How 'bout a Kelley 10 for your Heisman set? Or you would settle for a Harmon 9? LOL
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started
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I think so many of your beautiful cards hit the pop reports so fast that it sent the entire 55 AA spinning. I was starting to collect the set and when the pops of 9's and 10's were going crazy I essentially stopped. I realized I had cards with no rarity at all in 8-8.5 grades. I got kind of bummed. If I would have been you, I would not have graded them all so fast.
PS- the cards are spectacular that you own
Nontheless - there are still some 90+ sets on the Registry that remain active. Not bad.
PS- You should get a Espon v300 scanner. I'd like to see your 1/1 gems more clearly.
-FC
I hope I didn't come off as very negative and if I did I apologize. I guess what I wanted to say was this in regards to all of your high grades....I think most of us are purely intimidated when tons of 10's roll out. My guess on the #2 set: At this point in 2010 it is I believe impossible to overtake your set and therefore gave up trying. Your cards are stunning. Congrats.
Mickey71
<< <i>Mick: Just as an fyi - the bulk of our AA's remain unopened, and our grading of indiv. cards from cellos has taken place over a 2.5 yr. period now, as we are still getting some graded. Most of the cards that we put on the market are 6's, 7's and OC's. As you know, centering was an unfound art at Topps in the mid 50's, LOL. We have sold some 8's, but only a handful of 8.5's and just one or two 9's (consider yourself lucky Fletch). Anyway, it apparently has made an impact not only on you, but on PSA HOFer Verno as well. Sorry dudes.
Nontheless - there are still some 90+ sets on the Registry that remain active. Not bad. >>
LOL...I DO consider myself lucky....now about that Harmon...Merry Christmas, Jim to you and yours!