I did a nice job staying away from eBay during Lent. I
promised myself I wouldn’t go nuts once Easter came and spend wildly, picking
up everything I saw to make up for lost time. I did, however, treat myself to
two vintage cards.
The first is now the oldest card in my collection, by at
least 10 years. It’s my first true Goudey – a 1933 Goudy Lynford Lary. Lyn was
a decent player for the Yanks in the early 30’s, manning SS or 3B. In 1931, he
actually drove in 107 runs, although much of that can be attributed to always
hitting with men on base…Ruth, Gehrig, Dickey, Sewell, Combs, etc. He played
for the Yanks for 5+ seasons before stops in Boston, St Louis, Washington, Cleveland,
and Brooklyn, playing 12 years total. Interestingly enough, this card also
serves as his Wikipedia photo.
The card was actually listed as a 1934 Goudey, but upon
research (aka looking it up online), it’s actually a 1933. Not sure if that
helped keep the price so low on eBay, as
I only paid a few bucks for it. It also came in this neat little top
loader just for Goudey cards.
The card stock is awesome, and despite some creases, the
color is really nice. The back is a little stained, but everything is readable.
It’s a truly awesome addition to my collection.
Nice. My oldest card is a '33 Goudey, too.
ReplyDeleteNice! I absolutely love the old Goudey cards.
ReplyDeleteSWEET!!! My oldest cards are from the 1909-11 T206, but I love the Goudeys. I look for inexpensive ones of the Goudeys along with 52 Topps when I attend a show or surf the internet.
ReplyDeleteWow, I need a T206. That would be awesome.
Delete:).
DeleteGreat card - I don't have a Goudey in my collection, great addition! And it's a Yank to boot! I knew nothing about Lyn Lary before reading your post, so I had to do some quick research.......
ReplyDeleteMy cardboard-inspired tale for your Mr. Lary card above:
We're both Yankees fans, LC, so I know you know what I mean when my first thought after looking at Mr. Lary's career path was - "Wait, he went to Boston in '34 after being a Yankee? Terrible...."
It's true. He was traded in mid-May. What's even worse is that he improved his HR total by 200% in '34 from the previous year. He went from ZERO to TWO. Okay, I know that mathematically that doesn't work out, but you know what I mean, right? Can it get worse?
Yes.
BOTH of the only home runs that Lary hit in '34 were AGAINST his former team! Grrrrr! The first was on 6/6/1934 against Johnny Murphy. Murphy pitched a CG and the Yanks trampled the Sox (15-3) but Lyn did get the best of 'ol Murph in the 7th inning. Interesting side-story on Murphy, apparently he was a great teammate:
"Those were the days of beer and laughter, and nobody laughed it up like the incomparable Lefty Gomez. To hear Lefty tell it, he couldn't have crossed Fifth Avenue without (Johnny) Murphy to hold him up. Actually, there isn't a pitcher working today who wouldn't envy Gomez's record for throwing complete games, but when Lefty did falter it was almost always Murphy who picked him up. To Gomez, Murphy was the beloved St. Bernard plowing through the Alpine blizzards with a case of rum and lemon peel on the side." - Red Smith in To Absent Friends (1982)
Good stuff.
Did the Green Monster exist in '34? Because Lyn Lary batted right, so I envision the ball clearing that hideous wall....the Allies would storm the beaches of Normandy exactly 10 years later, too, by the way. I'm not implying anything.
The second homer came later that year, in the Bronx, against Red Ruffing in the 4th inning. It was July 3rd, and no doubt the mood was probably quite festive in Yankee Stadium. The festivites may have faltered a bit, though because after allowing 6 runs, Ruffing came out of the game after that inning. The Yankees ended up losing to the Sox on that day, 10-9. Stinks. Lou Gehrig DID go deep that day, though - so there's somethign for us to hang our hat on! It would be the 22nd long ball of the 49 he would hit that year, a career high that he would match one other time in 1936.
Ryan - amazing info! Thanks for digging up so much good stuff.
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