HYee on eBay: More Great Photos

eBay has many sellers that I consistently check out. HYee is one of them. He always has great material to stare at and even make a bid on. Unfortunately, I was just a window shopper last week.

Below is a photo of the Dodger mascot, Emmett Kelly, as the "Bum." This pic was not taken at Ebbets field, but with a traveling troupe called the Cole Brothers- Clyde Beatty circus while in Chicago. This photo sold for a very reasonable $6.50.

Auction Link: Emmett Kelly the Dodger Bum:

Sandy and his giant leg kick. This photo is from 1956, was issued by International News Photos and was taken by photographer Herbie Scharfman of Sports Illustrated. Pics of Koufax in a Brooklyn uniform are very rare. The closing price on this photo was an amazing $837.69.

Auction Link: Sandy High Leg Kick Photo:

I can never get enough of Jackie Robinson in action. Below we see Jackie reaching for a liner that is sure to be a base hit. Fortunately for Dodger nation Jackie snags the ball. Not only that, this pic was taken on September 22, 1953 which happens to be Jackie's first day as a Dodger shortstop. This completed a career infield round-robin as he already had played first, second and third base in Blue. It sold for $152.50.

Auction Link: Leaping Jackie Photo:

Here is another Jackie Robinson photo. This time he is signing for the kids. It sold for an astounding $686.00. Wow. What a price. I wonder is the winning bidder recognized himself in the photo.

Auction Link: Jackie Signing Photo:

Below is a 1950's candy topper plastic bust of Jackie Robinson. I have been personally looking for this item to add to my collection for quite some time. In fact, at the National convention in Anaheim a few years ago I was trolling through some tables and came across a collector who had just picked up an example just like the one below for $75.00. I was beside myself because I was just about to get to that table in a few minutes. This guy had beat me to it. I asked him if he would sell it to me, but he balked. I think he realized what a great deal he found. The reason this particular item is rare is because it includes the clear base. Very few bases have survived the test of time. In the 1990's a warehouse find of these bust were discovered, but they did not include clear bases, so having the base included is pretty special. It sold for $327.12.

Auction Link: 1950 Jackie Robinson Candy Bust:

I may have shown a photo like this in the past. But who cares. How can you not love the Babe in a beard. This photo was taken during a barnstorming tour in the 1930's with the House of David crew. It sold for $224.50.

Auction Link: 1930's Babe Ruth Beard Photo:

Collection: 1984 Union Oil Most Memorable Moments: 30 Homer Foursome

The year is 1977 and the Dodgers had a power hitting team for the ages. For the first time in Major League history a ballclub had 4 players hit 30 or more home runs in one season. It's unbelievable to think that a Dodger club, usually known for manufacturing runs and great pitching, could be such an offensive juggernaut.

Reggie Smith belted 32 home runs while batting .307. In May be hit 8 home runs over a 13 game stretch. Steve Garvey hit 33 homers and recorded 115 RBI's for the season after being convinced by Tommy Lasorda to swing for the fences. Ron "The Penguin" Cey homered 30 times while shattering a record for RBI's during the month of April with 29. Dusty Baker rounds out the group by hitting 30 home runs after a miserable year in 1976 where he suffered from a knee injury.

Artwork by James Zar.

Check out the rest of the set here in my photoalbum.

Collection: 1984 Union Oil Most Memorable Moments: Maury Wills

1962 was the year of the stolen base- at least for Maury it was. The above 1984 Union Oil Most Memorable Moments sheet commemorates the phenomenal season Maury Wills had in 1962. He stole 104 bases that broke the Major League record held by Ty Cobb since 1915. Maury also led the league in triples with 10, recorded 208 hits, scored 130 runs and batted .299. He would win the MVP award.

Wills had become a master at his craft. From the description on the reverse:

He experimented with difference types of leads off first base, kept "a book" on opposing pitchers' pick-off moves and the strength of catchers' arms, and learned how to slide in different ways, in order to avoid tags and preserve his slight frame.

Before Maury Baseball had lost the importance of the stolen base. After Maury pitchers and catchers found their jobs that much harder.

Artwork by Paul Kratter.

Check out the rest of the set here in my photoalbum, or the following link with my post about each sheet.

Card Of The Week: Ken Griffey Jr.

I love bubble gum cards. Not only that, I love Baseball cards with large bubbles being blown in them.

Above is Ken Griffey, Jr.'s 1995 Pinnacle Baseball card. It features one of the largest bubbles I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it is as fake as Barry Bonds records. In order to blow a bubble that large you would need a giant gob of Big League Chew and jaw muscles strong enough to to snap steel. Regardless of the poor photoshop work, though, I've added this card to my collection of players chewing gum and blowing bubbles.

I tend to have a wide variety of collection interest. One the most fun is the chase for cards with weird and usual photos, like bubble blowing ballplayers. Other favorites are players signing autographs or just plain funny pictures.

Collection: 1984 Union Oil Most Memorable Moments: Jerry Reuss & Bill Singer

There have been 6 no-hitters in LA Dodgers history up to 1984. Sandy Koufax recorded 4 of them- one in four consecutive seasons. The other two no-hitters were thrown by Bill Singer and Jerry Reuss. The above 1984 Union Oil Most Memorable Moments sheet celebrates their accomplishment.

On July 20, 1970, Bill Singer pitched his no-no against the Philadelphia Phillies. He struck out 10, walked none and hit 2 batters- well, actually he hit Oscar Gamble twice. The Dodgers won 5 to 0.

Jerry Reuss, on June 27, 1980, pitched his no-hitter against the hated Giants. He had 2 strike outs, 0 walks and faced only 28 batters- just one over the minimum. The only person to get on base was Jack Clark in the first inning courtesy of an error by Bill Russell. The Dodgers decimated the Giants that night 8 to 0.

Artwork by Merv Corning.

Check out the rest of the set here in my photoalbum.

Historic Auctions: Banners and Mats

This is the first time I've run into this auction house. So, I do not know much about them, but they do have a couple of modern Dodger memorabilia items I thought was worth showing.

Below is a banner celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Dodger organization. I'm pretty sure these hung around the stadium in 1990. If you happen to know for sure please let me know.

Auction Link: 100th Anniversary Dodger Banner:

This is pretty cool. Below is a actual game-used batting circle mat used on April 15, 2007 during Jackie Robinson Day at Dodger Stadium. It is authenticated by both MLB and Steiner Sports.

Auction Link: 2007 Game-Used Batting Circle: