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1954 Wilson Franks Ted Williams

MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
Man I love this card. Awesome photo. Cool color. Overall pretty relatively rare. The more I looked into Ted Williams cards the more I realized two things:

1. The guy was a serious baller. Batting .406. Fighter pilot. Can you imagine today's prima dona players dropping their careers to fight in war? Never.

2. The Franks Williams gets serious props from seasoned collectors.

This has quickly become one of my favorite cards. Being a Yankee fan, I have always kept away from adding Sox cards to my collection. But Williams gets the exemption. Impressive man all around.

And Will we ever see a .400 season in this age of microscopic media scrutiny?

Comments

  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    I mean, look at this guy on baseball reference. His numbers are sick! As a Yankee fan I'm hesitant to say it, but if I were putting together a team Williams might be my first pick. Sick hitter.
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 31,160 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Bar none that is his best looking card in my opinion.
  • otwcardsotwcards Posts: 5,291 ✭✭✭
    The Yankees had a pretty good one during the same era.

    A look at their career stats broken into 162 game seasonal averages:

    BoSox: 127 Runs, 37 HR, 130 RBI, 143 BB, 50 K, .344 AVG
    Yankee: 130 Runs, 34 HR, 143 RBI, 74 BB, 34 K, .325 AVG

    Not to take anything away from Williams, but DiMaggio was pretty dasm good, too...
  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    Oh I agree, otw. I am a huge Yankee fan, but just have to give Ted Williams and his 1954 Franks Card his very due props.

    I think Joe D's streak is another record that may never be broken in today's game. Unless a player can put on serious media blinders.

    Back to the card: it really surprised me how low pop it is overall, especially considering crossovers and maybe some crackouts. And being a 1954 card issued with hot dogs, likely not too many still to be slabbed.
  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    Williams walks are INSANE. His OBP is silly.

    Joe D hardly K'd. Neither did Berra. Donny was also sick in terms of not whiffing. Today's players K way too much.

    image
  • captainthreeputtcaptainthreeputt Posts: 1,235 ✭✭
    MattyC is that your card? If so, congrats. I have one, but not as nice as that one. Very envious!!!

    Thanks for sharing,

    Brian
    1911 C55 hockey
    1935 National Chicle
    1961 Golden Press
    1962 Bell Brand Dodgers
    Top 200 cards in the hobby
    Top 250 cards in the hobby
    All time lakers
    All time Dodgers
    1957 Disney Characters
    1965 Donruss Disneyland
    1966 Get Smart
    Brian
  • nam812nam812 Posts: 10,586 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I'm no Boston fan, but two triple crowns and a .406 season should get you at least one MVP (if not all 3).
  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    Nam,

    Yep, the black ink of league leader is just all over his stats. He almost won another MVP while batting .388 way late in his career. Imagine if he had those three PRIME years in MLB instead of flying a damn fighter plane? Crazy.

    Captain,

    Yes, that 4 is mine. Managed to strike a deal for a very fair price. Really got to know the card's idiosyncrasies, its often natural cut (top sloping about a millimeter to right, and up a mm on the bottom left, as in the scan above), usually stained, creased, and corners can be very hurt.

    A PSA 4 was pretty much my ceiling, and one has to pick what appeals most to their eye with this card, because a perfect one will cost $$$$. Staining and creasing were definitely things I didn't want, so that narrowed it down for me.

    Someone got a pretty nice 2 (if creasing doesn't bother them) on ebay the other day. Was a good price.
  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    The interesting thing about the Franks Williams is that having been to several shows this year, I haven't seen ANY raw. Whereas with almost any other 50's card of a star, you can see many raw out there at tables. Now of course that's not to say there are PSA 8 raw 50's stars laying around in abundance, but it seems that the pop of the Wilson Franks Williams is pretty static, which is another factor that makes it a solid buy IMO.

    I compared it to his 1939 RC a lot, and just found the RC was too bland for me at the end of the day, only wanting to spend on one of them. I liked the flavor this issue had, with the random floating pack of hot dogs!
  • addicted2ebayaddicted2ebay Posts: 2,096 ✭✭✭✭
    .400 again...NO
    Love the Franks but my FAVORITE Williams card:
    image
  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    Addicted,

    That is hands-down my close-second favorite Ted card. And that is one AMAZING specimen. What is that, 8K? 10K?

    Centering is staggering.

    Congrats if that is yours!

    One day I will cave in and buy that Leaf in a lower grade centered. Right now after that Ted I have a 9 month moratorium on buying cards.
  • otwcardsotwcards Posts: 5,291 ✭✭✭
    The Franks is an awesome card and even more stunning when clean and in high grade:

    image
  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    Ah. That price wouldve been very good even with a crease.

    That 8.5 Franks is outrageous. That is the best one in the world I think.

    Outrageous card. Mad mad loot!
  • DerekDDerekD Posts: 388 ✭✭


    << <i>

    Someone got a pretty nice 2 (if creasing doesn't bother them) on ebay the other day. Was a good price. >>




    The PSA 2 a few nights ago didn't meet the reserve. It just got relisted at $1500.
  • addicted2ebayaddicted2ebay Posts: 2,096 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Addicted,

    That is hands-down my close-second favorite Ted card. And that is one AMAZING specimen. What is that, 8K? 10K?

    Centering is staggering.

    Congrats if that is yours!

    One day I will cave in and buy that Leaf in a lower grade centered. Right now after that Ted I have a 9 month moratorium on buying cards. >>



    No not mine, wish it was! I have a NM-MT looking 48 but it has a Authentic grade. I really hope to see a .400 season someday or even a triple crown would be great. Pulling for Cabreraimage
  • CWCW Posts: 1,221 ✭✭✭
    It's been a long time coming, but I finally picked one of these up. I actually found this thread when I was seeking info about the natural, slightly angled cut to this card's top and bottom edges (great info, btw, MattyC! -- your PSA 4 Williams looks fantastic, too! Thanks for creating an informative thread about a cool card).

    image
  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    You have some sick collection CW. Congratulations on an awesome addition. The card is a monster to have in any grade. Was that the 5 that recently went off on ebay thru Rick?
  • GriffinsGriffins Posts: 6,076 ✭✭✭
    Nice card Chuck!
    The Wilson Williams 2 on ebay used to be mine, I sold my set (and about 25 other sets) to Marty a couple of years ago. Great guy to deal with, and unbelievably fair.
    The thing that bothers me about that card is the cropping- it goes against the rules of the first hour of any basic photo class. I prefer the '49 Leaf or
    '52 Bowman over the Wilson.

    Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's

  • lightningboylightningboy Posts: 1,483 ✭✭✭
    A look at their career stats broken into 162 game seasonal averages:

    BoSox: 127 Runs, 37 HR, 130 RBI, 143 BB, 50 K, .344 AVG
    Yankee: 130 Runs, 34 HR, 143 RBI, 74 BB, 34 K, .325 AVG

    Not to take anything away from Williams, but DiMaggio was pretty dasm good, too...

    Dimaggio was great all around. But, hitting wise, if Williams didn't lose so many prime years in the Service, those numbers would be more lopsided in his favor.

  • MantleMarisFordBerraMantleMarisFordBerra Posts: 1,706 ✭✭✭


    << <i> But, hitting wise, if Williams didn't lose so many prime years in the Service, those numbers would be more lopsided in his favor. >>




    That's the one thing I can't get over...dude lost 5 of his PRIME years to service. He would have challenged Ruth's lifetime HR record if he had played those years. What a great American Hero...baseball's real life John Wayne.
  • bobsbbcardsbobsbbcards Posts: 3,254 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I prefer the '49 Leaf or '52 Bowman over the Wilson. >>


    Made me look!

    I couldn't for the life of me remember a 1952 Bowman Ted Williams card, so I was relieved when I realized that Anthony was the drunk one. image

    imageimageimage
    bobsbbcards PSA Registry Sets
    bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
  • GriffinsGriffins Posts: 6,076 ✭✭✭
    Sorry, meant '52 Redman, but '51 Bowman works too

    Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's

  • cpamikecpamike Posts: 5,566 ✭✭✭
    Chuck, congrats on the pickup!!!

    BTW Matty I missed this thread the first go around, but congrats to you on your Williams addition too. Didn't you have a thread where you were decided on which Williams card to pick up or am I sniffing too much glue again???
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep."

    "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

    Collecting:
    Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
  • MauriceMaurice Posts: 1,136


    << <i>BTW Matty I missed this thread the first go around, but congrats to you on your Williams addition too. Didn't you have a thread where you were decided on which Williams card to pick up or am I sniffing too much glue again??? >>


    http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=864342
  • cpamikecpamike Posts: 5,566 ✭✭✭
    Thanks Maurice. I'm not losing it after all.
    "The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
    But I have promises to keep,
    And miles to go before I sleep,
    And miles to go before I sleep."

    "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

    Collecting:
    Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
  • CWCW Posts: 1,221 ✭✭✭
    Thanks, guys -- definitely one of my favorite cards now.

    And, yep, Matt, that was the recent card sold on ebay. I wasn't happy with the zero feedback bidder bidding the card up during the day of the auction, but he did bow out at a point where it didn't matter. At least the underbidder had high feedback. Still, you're always leery about shills, etc. On this card, I had to take a chance.

    PSA was pretty tough on this one, too. No wrinkles, just a small surface bump near the signature that's tough to see. It's amazing to think these cards were packaged with hot dogs at one time. Love the minimalistic look of the Wilson Franks Williams. Sometimes, as they say, less is more.

    If someone chose to only collect Ted Williams cards, they'd have a pretty kick ass collection.



  • MattyCMattyC Posts: 1,335 ✭✭
    CW,

    It's true, Williams has so many gorgeous cards. I think it was the right move to go strong for the one you landed-- the Wilson Franks Williams rarely pops up in such nice shape. Great acquisition!

    PS: when are you gonna get around to selling that CJ Cobb of yours? You must be sooooo tired of that card by now.

    CPA,

    Yep, I remember getting educated on all the key Williams issues. In the end I had to agree with Maurice-- the floating hot dogs are just so fresh. CW is right, the packaging of this card just adds to its overall mystique.
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