TRIGGER WARNING: A lot of you are going to be very angry that this card is not in the top 5. I'm sorry. This was a tough damn choice for me. I promise that you will only see epicness from here on out. Imagine an alternate universe where we all have 6 fingers on each hand and use a base 12 number system. This card is definitely worthy of the Top 6 in that universe. Ok, here we go:
Stan The Man Musial. Arguably the best ballplayer alive. His Rookie card is in the 1948 Bowman set. Can you believe this is his first Topps card? Stan was in a few Bowman issues in the early '50s, then when Bowman went away, he signed a contract with Rawlings. Apparently Topps wouldn't pay him enough until they finally ponied up the cash in 1958 and get him in the final series of '58 Topps. Stan is visible in Topps team cards in 1951, 1956 and 1957 though. This is the first real Topps card of Stan, although his first base card (not subset) is in '59 Topps.
Even though this is an All-Star subset card, it does have Stan's 1957 stats on it so I think this counts. Damn, he torched the Giants that year. This is not a terribly rare card, high numbers from 1958 are not hard to find. Also, this card is actually triple printed. Stan and Mickey Mantle both were triple printed in the high number series in '58 which might be why it sold so well. You can get your own Stan Musial "First Topps Card" for not all that much scratch if you really want one. This one set me back a fiver.
Here's the complete list of Top 20 posts. See if you can guess what cards are coming up!
#20 - Wantlist Fail Part 1
#19 - Dollar Box Gem
#18 - At Least He's a Hall of Famer Now
#17 - Thurman Inaction
#16 - Cocktail Hour
#15 - Kid Stuff
#14 - Clubbed Cub
#13 - Cheapest High Number I Could Find
#12 - '59, Dude!
#11 - Look at the Whistler
#10 - Heartbreaking Taunt
#9 - '54 Ford With a Beat Up Chassis
#8 - King of the Bums
#7 - Joy of a Completed Page
#6 - HOW THE HELL IS THIS NOT IN THE TOP FIVE?!?!
#5 - Oh, because this one is...
#4 - Awwww, come ON.
#3 - Admit It, You Knew This Was Coming
#2 - Wantlist Fail Part 2
#1 - Feat of Clay
5 comments:
The 1958 Topps AS subset is a good looking one, I think this card may have been double printed which makes it a bit easier to find - Regardless it is a real bargain. This may be the only 50s era First Topps Card that can be found for $5-$10 without any real digging.
Phungo 2cents on 1958 Topps AS Musial ->
http://phungo.blogspot.com/2012/03/phun-cards-1958-topps-476-stan-musial.html
I gasped when I saw this card. I can't wait to see the top 5.
I agree, the top five are going to good. Nice call on the base 12!
Awesome card, just awesome. The 'vs. team' stats on the back are great. I loved reading those and the ones on the back of the team cards that showed each pitcher's record versus every other team. I'd read them endlessly. (I was a lonely kid apparently).
Ok, I'll be that guy.
HOW THE HELL IS THIS NOT IN THE TOP FIVE?!?!
Post a Comment