As a collector who entered the sports card collecting hobby in the early 80's... I'm getting to the age where guys I pulled out of packs of cards are starting to get up there in age. Unfortunately... it means that every now and then I hear the sad news about an athlete from my childhood passing away.
Last week was a rough one as two guys I admire for the contributions they made on the field/court died on the same day.
Monday afternoon I saw the news about Pete Rose pop up on ESPN. Although I really only got a chance to see him play towards the end of his playing career, it was when he was chasing and breaking Cobb's all-time hits record.
1986 Leaf #260
He wasn't only the MLB Hit King... he was also one of the most popular athletes in our hobby. I didn't really have my fingers on the hobby pulse back then, but the card collecting kids in my neighborhood sought his cards.
When he broke the Cobb's record at the end of the 1985 season, I only owned a handful of his cards. Most notably... this one:
1982 Fleer #640
This card has stood out to me since 1982. Back then, I just thought it was a cool father-son photo. Later on this card took on a different vibe as there was a chance that Pete Jr. might end up having an MLB career himself.
Here's another 80's card of Rose that I really like:
1986 Fleer Future Hall of Famer #1
I never pulled a copy myself from a pack, but I did eventually add the complete set of six cards to my collection. Out of the six guys on the checklist, five of them were first ballot hall of famers. Part of this card's allure is Fleer all but guaranteeing collectors that Rose would be inducted one day.
I'll wrap up the Charlie Hustle portion of this post with five cool cards of him sitting in the collection:
Let's start off with an oldie, but goodie...
1970 Kellogg's #2
Outside of the cards sitting in my Topps sets, I only own a handful of vintage Pete Rose cards. This one is my favorite. I absolutely love the 1970 Kellogg's design.
Pete Rose's signature will never be considered rare. He's right up there with Bob Feller in regards to baseball players with the most autographs floating around out there. But that's not a bad thing. It means you add his signature to your collection without breaking the bank.
Five years ago, I added this card to my collection for $21 ($17.50 + $3.50 shipping):
1982 Donruss #1
A few months earlier, I added this autograph to my collection:
1969 Topps #424
This card has some sentimental value to me, because it was purchased right after my mom passed away.
Not sure how deep I covered it, but I was devastated emotionally at the time. She was one of my best friends and was the main person who got me into the hobby. Ironically... the hobby helped me deal with her death.
I know most of you aren't fans of slabbed cards, so let's wrap things up and transition back to 80's oddballs...
1986 Meadow Gold Milk Carton
I don't remember seeing these back in the 80's, but I did find this milk carton at a card show a few years ago for two bucks:
I'm such a sucker for food issue cards. By the way... does anyone else kinda see Tom Brady in the Rose caricature on that milk carton?
Rounding out the Roses is this color matched box bottom:
1986 Topps Box Bottom #N
It's not quite as cool as Night Owl's O-Pee-Chee version, but it's pretty darn cool.
Rest in peace Mr. Rose! I'll always admire how you played the game. You remind me of my father... who always believed in giving his employers his best effort. And like my mother, you definitely played a role in me becoming a card collector. Thank you for that.
Eight hours before I heard about Pete, I heard about Dikembe Mutombo. This one hit me a little differently, because he's only six years older than me.
1991-92 Upper Deck #3
When he was a twenty-five year old rookie for the Denver Nuggets, I was a nineteen year old college student opening packs of 1991-92 Upper Deck basketball in hopes of pulling his slick looking rookie card. Not having any prior knowledge of his brain tumor, the news of him passing away wasn't only sad... it was shocking.
Rest in peace Mr. Mutombo! I'm so happy that you played during the peak of my NBA fandom. You will forever be remembered for blocking shots... and wagging your finger.
That's it for today. Gonna try and hammer out a post highlighting my past three trips to the flea market before following the Seahawks, Packers, and Padres a little later in the afternoon.
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
10 comments:
Voting for the auto DK Rose. Not sure why you have so many cards of him as a Red.
Great cards, great tributes.
*Theme of Twilight Zone music playing* the day that Pete died I went to the baseball reference site & who's picture was showing none other that Padres pitching sensation Eric Show as well all know gave up #4192
That milk carton absolutely looks more like Brady than Rose.
The Padres Went Yard Yesterday almost as many times as Pete did in his career. Mutombo was a Legendary Human Being and his Presence on Earth will truly be missed. Rose on the other hand, well he sure had alot of base hits.
I have that same Meadow Gold panel (going to feature it on my blog at some point). Good observation on the Tom Brady thing! As for Mr. Rose, you did him well with your tribute. It's a tough loss for the game.
Super sad for sure. I know a guy who got Rose’s auto a few days before he passed. He was signing until the end. I hope he gets serious consideration for the Hall.
That milk carton is super cool
A wonderful post and some great cards you’ve shared. It reinforces to me that they can mean more than just the tangible pieces of cardboard they are. They hold stories and have the ability to thrust us back to a time or place. I love that about this hobby.
elliptical man - based on comc inventory... there are 3x more reds cards of rose in stock compared to phillies. but most of my baseball memories of rose involve him with your favorite team.
ginko-5 - yeah, i've been enjoying all of the other blog tributes out there.
poison75 - whoa. that is weird. i'll have to dig through my ttm/ip binder and see if i have an autograph of show
johnnys trading spot - glad it isn't just me :D
xavier higgins - shame the padres bats went silent their final two postseason games :( i watched a few mutombo highlight videos this week. loved that guy's personality
gregory - love your food series posts. can't wait to read about rose on your blog.
sumomenkoman - that's crazy. i heard he was at a show signing the day before he passed away. he loved the game so much. and he really did seem to love talking with his fans about the game
matt - thanks. it's one of those "different" collectibles in the collection
bamlinden - well stated. that's exactly why i love collecting cards.
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