The Buddy System. Scan Heavy.

mattyc_collection

So for some strange reason lately I've been in the habit of looking at cards in pairs or groups. I think in some ways this becomes a 1+1=3 kinda thing, in that be it from baseball or baseball card history, the two cards lend each other a greater sense of context and meaning, and therefore enjoyment and appreciation. I find myself sliding off the cards to baseball reference and poring through stats, that kind of thing. Some were teammates, some just contemporaries whose careers will always be linked, some were rivals, some images and colors just complement each other and give a greater window into the aesthetic beauty of the set, some speak to the classic confrontation between pitcher and batter, or the unique relationship between pitcher and catcher. In all cases the immense talent and skill of the players just seems so awe-inspiring. I would also add that I have had a tremendous amount of procrastination time lately, and there's only so much time in the gym, playing Call of Duty, or reading, that one can take. Here's what I'm talking about, below.


Maybe someone has Seaver & Carew, 51B Ford and Berra, 48L Paige & Jackie, all the T206 Cobbs, or a Thompson & Branca pair to post? I'm sure many other cool combos will come to mind.









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ToneD

It's not a duo but I find myself looking at these three together all the time.



The pitcher vs the hitter..

ThoseBackPages

it just moved.

vintagefun

Another great thread from DM23HOF.

Kinda feel like Kaline should join Banks and Hank though.

Walter, Cy and Ty are perty too.

RookieHOFers

<< <i>it just moved. >>



LMAO

RookieHOFers

aldridgemj

DM23HOF - This is now my favorite thread. This is more than most of us can hope for in our collecting lives. I feel like I just went to the National virtually. Thanks for sharing.

Matt - I love those 1967's.

You both are bringing heat.

mattyc_collection

Aldridgemj-- thank you very much for the kind words. Very happy that you enjoy looking at the cards; they bring me such great joy every day.

Tone, that Walter Johnson portrait is a card I'm longing to group with Cy and Matty to make that famous trio of early pitchers.

But I never thought of the red-green-yellow portrait group shot like that before; they complement each other so well. What a depiction of that era those portraits are. That is one of the most aesthetically pleasing groupings I have ever laid eyes on. I've seen them all so many times separately but seeing them together is something altogether different visually. That is an insane lineup you have there; I remain a huge fan of your cards.

It's funny how 68 featured one of the best pitchers and catchers with Ryan and Bench. How Brett and Yount were both rookie cards in 75, yet with all those multi-face cards in the set (Rice, Carter, Hernandez, Decinces) Yount and Brett would not only become the two biggest cards in the set-- but they were solo cards.

The true rookies of Ruth and Gehrig were for me a major mountain; hands-down the most amazing teammate duo. And that Gehrig rookie is a fascinating and truly rare piece. It came to hobby light that the true 1925 rookie version had a different tint than many 1926 versions of the same image with different tint. So the true number of rookies is even smaller than the already two digit small pop reports indicate. It does not come up for sale often. The complex relationship between them, and how they contrasted each other so starkly while performing at such an equally high level-- rich stuff to think about.

And to think that Mays and Mantle would play the same position in the same city and be rookies in the same gorgeous 51B set and highlights of 52T is also cool to contemplate.

The youth of Aaron and Banks' 54 portraits is really similar and striking.

The 1980 pair is just such a testament to gorgeous design and color coordination within each card of that set; it also makes one think of Ryan facing Henderson.

Very fitting that for the 57 images of Mick and Ted Topps chose a similar pose in similar setting. The two would have one of the closest competitive seasons and a hotly debated MVP race.

The way Cobb and Shoeless were not just fierce hitters and rivals and also friends-- but that they would come to be the big guns in one of the hobby's most beloved sets, namely the Crack Jacks, is so cool... Check this out; it is what comes to mind when I look at those two cards as a pair:

One of baseball’s great rivalries was between Ty Cobb and ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson. During Jackson’s 1911 rookie year with the Cleveland Naps, his American League batting average was significantly higher than Cobb’s. “He was the finest natural hitter in the history of the game,” Cobb said of Jackson. Though Jackson and Cobb were usually friendly with each other on and off the field, Cobb used mind games against Jackson, believing he could influence Jackson to “fall off” his game, so he could pull ahead of Jackson in the ranking. “I never could stand losing,” Cobb once said. “Second place didn’t interest me. I had a fire in my belly.”


During the 1911 series between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland
Naps, Cobb snapped at Jackson and repeatedly turned his back on him
while on the field. Baffled and hurt, Jackson went into a slump, and
Cobb snagged the prize – his season average was .420 to Jackson’s .408.
To this day, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson still holds baseball’s
third-highest career batting average, at .356. Not to be outdone, Cobb
holds the all-time highest batting average – with .366.

In 1951, Ty Cobb said of his friend and rival, “Joe Jackson hit the
ball harder than any man ever to play baseball. I can still see those
line drives whistling to the far precincts.” While Cobb’s approach to
baseball was psychological and scientific, Jackson’s talent was
natural, simple and direct. “God knows I gave my best in baseball at
all times, and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise,”
Jackson said.

Thirty years after Joe Jackson was banned from baseball, Ty Cobb
stopped at a South Carolina liquor store, coincidentally owned and run
by Jackson. Jackson didn’t appear to recognize Cobb, so Cobb asked him,
“Don’t you know me, Joe?” “Sure I know you, Ty,” Jackson replied, “but
I wasn’t sure you wanted to speak to me. A lot of them don’t.”


And here are two of the tougher cards of these great players/friends/rivals...two cards not seen every day... In all grades in all companies, there are only around 175 copies in the world of BOTH of these two cards...

Given the telling anecdotes above, isn't it cool how the Joe Jackson rookie captures his natural grace and ease-- in a downright dapper pose. Meanwhile I think no Cobb card captures his impish, fiery spirit more than the D304, with those eyes...

mattyc_collection

Are there two more unsung studs in baseball and baseball card history than these two guys? Stan's gaudy numbers hang with the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, and Ted Williams. And if some rookie came into MLB today, and proceeded to LEAD HIS LEAGUE IN HOME RUNS SEVEN CONSECUTIVE YEARS, and ALL OF MLB FOR SIX OF THOSE, think of the media fame and how hot his cards would be-- oh, and he dates the hottest movie stars around (back in a time when the stars had real glamour). That was Ralph Kiner. Not to mention a beloved figure who spent his life in baseball. Kiner does not get a remote fraction of the props he deserves, when one considers the power wattage he put on such amazing display.

mattyc_collection

Now when it comes to two hot players and hot cards that crystallize a time (the excessive 80's) and place (New York City), it doesn't get more appropriate than these two images paired below. Curious that both were part of traded sets and in back-to-back years, also back-to-back Rookies Of The Year. And the same team to boot. Same character flaws and weaknesses and same dizzying heights of talent...

mattyc_collection

In terms of strict baseball card history, I am hard-pressed to name a major player after Mantle who has both his RC and second year card so deeply plagued by centering issues-- as much as Rose. Too many of us know what finding a centered Rose RC and 64 Rose is like-- a major challenge. I have to think around one in every 1000 printed came out 50/50. At least it feels that way, ever since I was a kid looking at these two cards...

ToneD

Awesome stuff Matt. You truly have an epic collection. I can't come close to your Ruth/Gehrig combo, but I have always felt these two poses go together quite well.

mattyc_collection

Where on earth did you find a #144 with that centering?!

Those two pair even better than the #53 and the Gehrig, because of the poses. The powder blue and yellow work so great together. And I have to say they really pop off the black matting.

ToneD

I've had the Ruth since '06 and being a centering junkie like you, I had to have it. As you know, so many of the #144 pose are all over the place on centering. Really tough to find a truly centered copy. And these cards really do pop in SGC slabs.

I must say I have really enjoyed watching you pick off so many mid-grade jewels. I'm step for step with you in that regards. For me, the overall eye appeal of the card trumps any grade on the label.

Keep up the good work!

mattyc_collection

Thx, brother. Just peeped the focus gallery; your E101 Wagner does not make any sense. That card is bananas. Looks like a 5 or 6 from the scan. Bold, vibrant color.

ToneD

It's accurately graded. There is a light surface wrinkle in the upper right corner. Plus there is some surface wear on the back. But the centering and registration hooked me. It is a very strong card for the grade for sure. That card got me started on caramels.

YogiBerraFan

mattyc_collection

Holy cow those two cards look amazing together; battery mates. Whitey's RC. Both portraits. Both in pinstripes. Yogi's best looking card, in my opinion. But to have them both SIGNED...wow.

Thanks so much for posting that. One of the coolest and coolest looking images I've seen on the boards.

As a former graffiti writer I have to say the way they write their Y's really has tremendous flavor. Those stylish sigs add a tremendous fresh spin on what would already be an amazing pairing. Great way to start the Saturday!

YogiBerraFan

I got both of those signed myself. I love signed cards but a big part of it for me is that they once held the card in their hands. It makes the cards of people I admire even more special in my eyes.

BPorter26

1960 Yaz & McCovey


Bonds & Maddux

mattyc_collection

Dude-- awesome pairs; what makes that 1960 pair so amazing is that it marks two unique ways Topps denotes a rookie card-- and in the same set! That year was the debut of the Rookie All-Star Cup/Trophy, which I LOVED as a boy in 1987. '87 was the year the trophy/cup returned after a hiatus, which makes your choice of 1987 also rather on point, I might add. I am hard pressed to think of another year in baseball card history when there were two new designs for rookies in the same set like that.

With regard to the 87 shot, it looks like Maddux is pitching to bonds in that pairing! I wonder if there was another year in which the best pitcher and hitter of the same era had rookies in the same year of cards? I wish Topps have Bonds that awesome FUTURE STAR logo the way they hooked up Bo Jackson's insane looking card.

Cooptown

Great topic! I thought I was the only one who thought like this. In the mid 1980s, I loved Don Mattingly but really liked and respected Wade Boggs - even though I hated the Sox. I remember going to a Yankees game in Yankee Stadium and booing every Sox player but cheering for Boggs when he was at bat. People thought I was nuts. So even though they were different years, I always thought of my 1984 Mattingly and 1983 Topps Wade Boggs as buddies. So I will submit those two, even though I am missing their pics.

dberk12

You guys are killing it! Great topic. I need to purchase a card scanner.

The '48 Leaf set would look great with DiMaggio/Ruth or Paige/Spahn/Feller. Perhaps the '54 Topps set with Teddy Ballgame beginning and ending the set? The '57 Frank Robinson is one of my favorites and would look great with any other parings from the set.

yankeesman

I don't have any of these to scan, but I always think of the T206 Tinker, Evers, and Chance together. They are on my want list but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. Some day!

Stone193

Sweet cards guys!

This card is iconic. I happened to notice something - I wonder how many others have thought about.



The Babe pitched and batted lefty but "signed" righty.

mattinglymint23

He's not as good a hitter but my uncle writes lefty and throws, bats, paddles and tennises - everything else - righty.

Awesome thread DM23!

mattyc_collection

<< <i>Great topic! I thought I was the only one who thought like this. In the mid 1980s, I loved Don Mattingly but really liked and respected Wade Boggs - even though I hated the Sox. I remember going to a Yankees game in Yankee Stadium and booing every Sox player but cheering for Boggs when he was at bat. People thought I was nuts. So even though they were different years, I always thought of my 1984 Mattingly and 1983 Topps Wade Boggs as buddies. So I will submit those two, even though I am missing their pics. >>



Coop-- here's a funky one for your request; imagine if Donny was in the set or even just traded with Strawberry?

I was born in '76 so I remember Boggs & Mattingly being so linked-- between their batting titles races and their rival teams. I also remember being in shock when Boggs won a title with the Yankees, and meanwhile the beloved Donnie Baseball missed out. Even though Donnie The Man dropped SCIENCE on the Mariners in his one playoff appearance. Which was all we could have asked of him. Too much emphasis gets placed on rings, which are a team function and beyond the control of any one man. I have tremendous respect for Boggs. Remember trading so many cards for his 83T when I was in the third grade.

Boggs also had one of the greatest acting debuts-- in Cheers.

That said, when both were healthy, I would take Donnie over Wade. Donnie had more power while also hitting for high average and K'ing so few times. Donnie's glove was also insane, no knock on Boggs' there either. There's one old highlight of Donnie online making a play in the outfield, alongside some sick assist to home from first.

ClockworkAngel

I thank you for making this thread Matty, as it allows me to indulge myself in photos and scans of my cards...

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And my favorite...

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mattyc_collection

How could I forget 84FB legends?! Great pair.

You know the spot 75s hold for me-- what a group of regs and minis! But where's the Rice to complete the HOF rooks in that set?

DezHood

Great thread topic!!! My favorite pair:

baz518

Not sure what these guys have in common, but they sure seem like buddies in my collection... and they definitely represent my era (born in '77) and my focus (unopened).

mattyc_collection

Now we have football and packs getting in the mix-- very fresh. The two Bird/Magics are dope.

I think 1950 Bowmans have to be among the most slept on sets of all time. The cards are just gorgeous. Even commons can be stared at for hours. 1950 Spahn, Jackie, and Ted are sick cards.

vintagefun

Do these guys count?

Not sure how the Bears managed this one.

ClockworkAngel

<< <i>Now we have football and packs getting in the mix-- very fresh. The two Bird/Magics are dope.

I think 1950 Bowmans have to be among the most slept on sets of all time. The cards are just gorgeous. Even commons can be stared at for hours. 1950 Spahn, Jackie, and Ted are sick cards. >>



That is just an awesome pair. Two legends and rookie cards same team same set

ClockworkAngel

<< <i>Do these guys count?

Not sure how the Bears managed this one.

>>



Referring to this pair

BPorter26

I'm really enjoying this thread. As a kid I really got into the 1982 Topps football cards, probably because they finally went away from the air brush and finally had the logos on the helmets. If you own one you must own the other (RL and LT)

Cooptown

Matty-Love that 1983 Mattingly. I never knew a non-homemade custom card like that ever existed. Scarce?

I could talk Donnie Baseball all day, every day. Best glove I have ever seen in person.