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Monday, August 22, 2016

A wrinkly old rookie

It's been a long time since I picked up a beat up vintage card that I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford. However, when this 1955 Bowman Elston Howard RC popped up for basically no money,  I decided it would be cool to add the rookie card of a key Yankee from the '50s and '60s.

Howard gets overshadowed by guys like Mantle and Maris and Berra, but he was a hell of a player. It's easy to forget he was the 1963 AL MVP. He was also the first African American player on the Yankees. He won four World Series rings as a player, and two more as a coach. His life was cut far too short, as he passed away at age 51 in 1980.

I was surprised to see that he never got more than 21% of the Hall of Fame vote. His stats now don't look great, but there's no doubt he was one of the better players on a remarkable team, and played a demanding position, playing it well. Perhaps that isn't enough to make it to Cooperstown, but it was plenty for a spot in Monument Park in the Bronx. Maybe that's enough.

5 comments:

  1. Nice piece of vintage. Howard is one of my PC guys because of his connection to the 67 RedSox

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  2. Howard is definitely one of my favorite Yankees legends. I'd assume he'd have a much better resume if he didn't have to share so much playing time with Berra. As for the HoF, maybe it's time for a recount?

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  3. I love shopping like this. I don't care the least bit about resale value and such, so if it takes condition like that to allow a card into my collection, so be it. Besides, the wrinkles and scars add character.

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  4. If it wasn't for the wrinkly, well-loved stuff, I'd have no "higher end" cards in my collection at all. I've got a 1969 Kareem RC and while it looks like ol' Lew Alcindor has been put through the wringer, it's still one of my favorite cards.

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    1. Same here! The few Mantles I have are all creased 45 times.

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