1974 Bra-Mac 1933 NL Baseball All-Stars #5, Tony Cuccinello

Born November 8, 1907, baseball lifer and the Dodgers first All-Star, Tony Cuccinello.

Cuccinello made that seminal appearance at Comiskey Park, which hosted the 1st baseball All-Star game on July 6, 1933. Today's black-and-white set of 18 players profiles that game's NL roster and features future Hall of Famers like Carl Hubbell, who famously struck out "Murderers' Row" the following year (recapped by 1938 Wheaties #5). Unfortunately, limiting this set to one league also omits AL superstars like Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Lou Gehrig (set checklist). You win some and you lose some.

TRIVIA: Many know that Babe Ruth hit the first homer in All-Star history; his 3rd inning, 2-run shot put the junior circuit up 3-0. But which fellow HOFer had the first RBI? And which HOFer scored its first run? (Answers after the scan.)

Card front (blank back)

ANSWER: AL starting pitcher Lefty Gomez singled in Boston catcher Rick Ferrell in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Trivia bonus: both entered the Hall via the Veterans Committee, Gomez in 1972 and Ferrell in 1984. (Tony Cuccinello pinch-hit for Carl Hubbell in 1933's game, striking out in his only AB, and he appropriately wore #5 that year for the Brooklyn Dodgers.)

There's nothing on the card to indicate who made it, but it's known as one of the Bra-Mac sets advertised in 1970s collectors magazine. (The company's probably a hybrid name of publisher George Brace, photographer George Burke, and a financial partner.)

Burke printed thousands of baseball photos over the decades and his stock of 1930s players proved popular enough to use for sets like these. According to the experts at Net54, Bra-Mac sold their sets directly to collectors for a few dollars per series in the mid-1970s and first advertised them via card collector magazines in Feb/Mar 1974, hence the catalog date.

Value: Tony cost me $3 on eBay, not bad for a NM single from an obscure mid-70s oddball set. HOFers like Hubbell, Pie Traynor, and Paul Waner should cost a little more.

Fakes / Reprints: It'd be a simple set to reprint, but haven't seen or heard of any in the market.

1914 Boston Garter Sepia Baseball (H813-3) #5, Hal Chase

The last of three Boston Garter baseball sets released between 1912 and 1914 is an apparent step down from their larger, hand-colored issues, using no more than a sepia photo with small company logo and simulated autograph. I assume they cut budget for this particular promotion, but still wanted something for shop windows during baseball season.

Actual size approx. 3 3/4" x 6 1/4"

Poor autograph cropping along the bottom edge implies Boston Garter reused this photo from another source, such as a team souvenir book, The Sporting News, or Spalding baseball guide. Chase's card doesn't claim a date or specify a team, but the photo's from his lengthy tenure in New York (1905-1913).

No less than Babe Ruth called Hal Chase the best first baseman of all-time and his fielding prowess included aggressive positioning, confident in his quickness and ability to cover ground others couldn't reach (click through for a closer look).

1914's an interesting year to feature Prince Hal on a card, as he made a midseason jump from the White Sox to Buffalo's new, "outlaw" Federal League team. His career stats show the split, half with Chicago and half with the "Buf-Feds." Why Buf-Feds? Prior to the 1920s, news writers and fans of that era often called teams by city and league affiliation (e.g., "Chicago Americans" instead of "Chicago White Sox").

National, American, Federal, and other pro leagues competed fiercely for fans in that era, so tried to craft allegiances along both geographical and organizational lines. 1914's just 10 years after John McGraw refused to let his New York Giants play the American League champs in what would've been the second modern World Series, so an undercurrent of NL vs. AL remained; NL and AL vs. Feds was just the latest permutation on a recurring theme.

Different tag lines ("Garter has won favor..." & "Holds Your Sock...") appeared on different cards, with parts of another shown on this scan of #8 Nap Lajoie.

Nap Lajoie back (trimmed)

So what's at 551 Tremont Street, former home to the George Frost Company and Boston Garter, these days? Studios for our Boston Center for the Arts, a longtime fixture in the arts and performance community. My favorite part of its complex is the Cyclorama building, a structure first built to house a circular painting of Gettysburg. (Today, it hosts a variety of installations and performances.)

Most agree the "best" Boston Garter is 1912's hand-painted set, with their earlier 1914 hand-colored photos as runner-up. Finding this Hal Chase would be a feather in my cap as a collector, but it's not as cool as those predecessors.

Value: Legendary Auctions sold an SGC authenticated Hal Chase for $4200 in 2009. Hall of Famers Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, and Christy Mathewson would easily cost $10K and up.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace and it'd be hard to move a fake today, as most things this rare end up professionally graded and sell via auction houses.

1914 Boston Garter Color Baseball (H813-2) #5, Johnny Evers

A century ago, it was customary for all players to wear "high socks," double-covering their lower legs with white under-stockings and athletic stirrups (usually with team colors) under each heel. They then bloused or rolled the pants at knee-level to keep everything in place on the field. (Video: how to wear high socks.)

Some fans make a point of celebrating high socks in the modern game, as most players now wear shoe-top pants for reasons of comfort and style. But it's worth remembering that baseball's socks didn't come from nowhere. The earliest, 19th-century uniforms reflected upper-crust college uniforms of the day, which in turn adopted their bloused pants looks from an imagined New York aristocracy, the Knickerbockers. Decades later, companies like Boston Garter continued to capitalize on this "high socks = high style" affectation. (I like high socks as much as the next guy, while remembering they're a tiny piece of humanity's ongoing fascination with being young, wealthy, and carefree.)

Actual size is 4" x 8 1/4"

Johnny Evers didn't wear garters on the field, as that mid-calf strap would've been painful anytime he slid, but baseball's high socks style does draw your eyes to the right part of the body. Actual garters clipped to socks (under longer pants) and kept them from sliding down as men went about their day.

Boston Garter printed three different placard sets for promotional use at men's clothiers, available by request for retailers themselves. Today's 1914 issue likely entered circulation as supplies waned from 1912's set of 16 players. As a window eye-catcher for passing customers, cards would've been used mostly during baseball season.

Today, we think of checklist numbering as an aid to collectors, but the bolded This is Picture Number 5 tagline probably helped shops know which players to request from Boston Garter. Early hobby catalogs dated this set to late 1913--just late enough to include that season's hitting and fielding stats--but #12 Buck Herzog also mentions his becoming Reds manager for 1914, which would've happened no earlier than his Dec 12, 1913 trade from New York to Cincinnati. Modern collectors agree on 1914; compare checklists and designs at Old Cardboard.

Value: Boston Garters type cards auction for $2000-5000 each in low grade, running much higher for superstars Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson. The 2004 Robert Edwards auction I used for these images closed at $8050 for two cards, #5 John Evers and #12 Charlie Herzog.

Helmar Brewing's "H813-4 Boston Garter"

Fakes / reprints: 21st-century card producers Helmar Brewing created their own version of 1912's Boston Garter set and may expand to 1914's design at a later date. As a modern-made set, make sure not to confuse them with original Boston Garter ad cards. (Helmar creates new, original artwork for their cards, so compare authentic scans to familiarize yourself with the differences.)

1988 CMC Portland Beavers Baseball #5, Mark Portugal

Back from an off-season European vacation to Lisbon and boy are my Portugals tired.

October's a good time to visit Portugal, if you accept the occasional all-day rain squall that turns pitched cobblestone streets into bowling lanes of tourists in their mid-60s, rolling and sliding from one side to the other. Most locals walk in their streets when possible, because the softer grooves worn by cars provide better footing than the slick black-and-white stones used ubiquitously for sidewalks. Those sidewalks include lots of old patterns and mosaics, which look cool--just ask Wikipedia--but also sprain ankles in wet season.

Interesting that Mark Portugal appears as a switch-hitter on this Portland card. He changed to rightie-only in the majors and swung a good enough stick in 1994 to capture the Silver Slugger for pitchers. (That's an NL award, since the AL gives its Silver Slugger to DHs.)

Portugal himself pitched an exactly average 100 ERA+ by SABR metrics (career stats), peaking with an 18-4, 139 ERA+ season in 1993. After a sub-par 1999 with Boston (his final big-league work) Cincy invited Mark to spring training in 2000, but he couldn't stick there and retired at 36.

(If you retire to Portugal, make sure to visit Porto and spend an afternoon touring the port wineries. In the words of eBay, A+++ WOULD TASTE FROM AGAIN.)

Value: This #5 lists for $2.74 at COMC, high for an 80s card, but you can't beat the convenience. I assume team sets would run $5-10.

Fakes / reprints: Mark Portugal had a nice long career in the majors, but it's hard to imagine anyone profiting by faking his minor league cards.

1972 Puerto Rican Baseball Stickers #5, Santurce Team Photo

As of this writing, it was just ten years ago that Major League Baseball, then collective owners of Montreal's Expos, sent the squad to Puerto Rico for 22 home games in an effort to drum up ticket sales for a team that Quebec's ownership barely cared about. Many of Montreal's fans still bought tickets, but when corporate purse strings "can't afford" $50,000 on September call-ups to stay competitive for a Wild Card spot (details of this self-sabotage at Wikipedia), you can tell a team's doomed. Is it any wonder that former Expos owner Jeff Loria shows his current Miami Marlins the same fiscal unpredictability?

Uncut Santurce team photo (set #1-9), front

Here's that photo with identifiable player names.

Puerto Rican baseball, however, didn't begin or end with Montreal's farewell tour. Many current and future big leaguers spent formative years on their sun-bleached infields as amateurs or Winter League pros. This three-panel group photo technically includes the type card for today's 1972 Puerto Rican Baseball set, a multi-faceted release of 231 "stickers," paper-thin cards that more closely resemble stamps. As the picture's watermark attests, a Huggins and Scott near-set auction provided the only scans I've seen of its #5, the middle panel of Santurce's roster. Puerto Rico's Winter League fielded six teams in 1972 (league profile) and this shot shows another squad, the Ponce Leones (Lions).

1972 Ponce team (set #10-18)

Numbered backs include "Baseball de Puerto Rico" and "Printed in Spain" notes. While Puerto Rico gained a measure of government autonomy from colonial Spain in 1898, shared business interests continue to this day and apparently helped make this set possible.

Uncut Santurce team photo (#1-9), back

Sticker packs cost 5 cents and captured a variety of player poses reminiscent of Pee Chee subject folders from my middle school days.

Pack wrapper (5 cents)

Local icon Roberto Clemente got his own 9-sticker photo in Pirate uniform, indicating just how much Puerto Ricans loved their native son. The best-known MLBers from this set are #64 Mike Schmidt, considered a pre-rookie in 1972, and #222 Satchel Paige, whose notoriously long career included several stints in the Caribbean. Other HOFers are #132 Goose Gossage, #166 Frank Robinson, #195 Tony Perez, and #197 Orlando Cepeda.

Many collectors would've mounted their stickers in this brightly-colored album, leading to considerable back damage for those removed later and now circulating in the baseball hobby as singles. (Almost all you encounter will be VG or worse.)

The face of Winter League ball--related in part by the history of its Caribbean Series-- changed as minor league affiliations became more codified and scouting resources improved throughout the majors. Local Caribbean economies waxed and waned, so individual leagues sought a more reliable source of funding and ultimately evolved into baseball's off-season farm system. (I noted last week that Cuba will soon allow foreign teams to sign its citizens without defecting, a sea change in political and sports policy that includes a return of national representation to the Caribbean Series for their first time in 50+ years.)

Value: I purchased the complete team set (#1-9) for $57 on eBay in late 2018. When these do appear in the market today, I've seen uncut 3-card panels and team sets. No one's slicing the team photos into hodgepodge singles anymore.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace, but the demand for superstars like Clemente make it possible. I recommend buying from dealers who carry and know the Caribbean market.

1982 TCMA Omaha Royals Baseball #5, Don Hood

Born today in in 1949, veteran pitcher Don Hood. (His mustache followed just 3 years later.)

The fact that Hood spent time back in AAA Omaha after several big league seasons says something about the pre-specialist era of relief pitching. 1980s franchises couldn't find a lasting role for his skills, so Don retired at age 33 after spells as both starter and bullpen man (career stats). These days, experienced lefties go a long way as situational relievers, aka LOOGYs.

Pinstripe Birthdays noted that Don came to New York after Goose Gossage broke his thumb brawling with Yanks DH Cliff Johnson, a "revenge trade" reminder that many transactions are about more than compiling on-field skills. That post also features Hood's 1979 Topps card and its alternate--but still impressive--lip caterpillar.

KC Royals History profiled the whole 1982 Omaha set and my favorite photo's probably Mike "I'm still badass in triple-A" Armstrong. The glasses, the pose, the grrrrrrr. Throw in fan favorite Buddy Biancalana and you've got a quality team set.

Value: Sellers at COMC ask ~$3 for this #5, but fans can find 27-card team sets for less than $20, given a lack of future stars.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace.

1999 Fleer Mystique Destiny Baseball #5, Orlando Hernandez

Born today in 1969 1965, Orlando Hernandez, half-brother of Livan and son of Cuba.

El Duque hit the Yankees in a big way in 1998, as the 28 32 year-old "rookie" went 12-4 during the regular season and then made his first of 4 straight trips to the World Series. Orlando notched 9 postseason wins by the end of 2001, making this card bio a little eerie in its prognostication.

Hernandez stands out both as ballplayer and--intended or not--negotiator. Thanks to his (or his agent's) successful handling of the murky waters of defection, Cuban capture, and the US State Department's "humanitarian parole" rules, El Duque sought and signed a contract with New York first, dodging the amateur draft most players are subject to.

These angles of Orlando's story stand to change, however, should Cuba follow through with their announced plan to allow players to sign foreign pro contracts without first defecting to another country. With more money expected for local leagues and from foreign contracts, I think béisbol stands to gain from a straightforward scouting process and freer flow of skill throughout North and Central America. Ideally, we'll see politics move to the back burner for excellent players seeking a stage elsewhere.

1947 Campo Alegre Cuban Baseball #5, Jorge Comellas

Infamous (notable, notorious, revered, reviled, etc.) dictator and baseball fan Fidel Castro would've been just 21 years old when this sepia set of profile photos hit Cuban souvenir shops. Like earlier Havana-made efforts from the 1920s and 1930s, its "cheap" look reflects a mix of photo reproduction costs (expensive) and desire to capitalize on the sport's exploding popularity (expansive). As with most ephemera, their construction hoped to catch the eyes of buyers instead of lasting for decades, so few survived to reach modern markets. In fact, this scan from CubanBall.com's profile is the only #5 I've seen.

Card front (black bank)

This set's 50 subjects (checklist at CubanBall.com) played during Cuba's pre-revolution era, when foreign money and gangsterism held influence throughout Havana. (Indeed, Castro spoke out against this back-scratching corruption, making headlines as early as 1947 itself.) Amidst the country's political and social heat, American baseball scouts found Cuban racial integration favorable to tryouts and signings in the wake of Jackie Robinson's debut, as stateside teams added more non-white players. While helpful in a business-of-sports sense, some critics continue to find MLB's actions in Central America more exploitative of the area's poverty--pushing native sons to "escape" with a baseball contract--than supportive of local teams and fans.

UPDATE: Forgot to mention S.I. September 27 story about Cuba's announcement that athletes can sign pro contracts without defecting, a sea change in country policy that abolished paid leagues following Castro's rise to power. Not clear how (or if) this will change MLB approach to player scouting; it might just become more visible.

Owners of this gatefold album could stick all 50 players to a pair of 2x6 grids, with manager spots reserved for #1 Miguel Gonzalez above Deportivos and #2 Adolfo "Dolf" Luque (1920s MLB star) above Campo Alegre. I assume albums prove even more elusive than individual cards and appear only at auction.

Value: Haven't found a type card myself, so assume that set rarity also means prices fluctuate. 5-decade vet Minnie Minoso (#33) and Negro League star Martin Dihigo (#48) would command premiums from modern collectors.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any in the marketplace, but they're possible. If you're unsure of Central American set authenticity, try an expert source like the Net54 postwar baseball forum and include scans when possible.

1976 Caruso Tucson Toros Baseball #5, Mike Weathers

I'll never get tired of the Tucson Toros, thanks in large part to their infamous 1980 toreador uniforms. But you know who else felt that nostalgic glow this summer? The current Tucson Padres, who ordered a new batch of the "Tequila Sunrise" Toros outfits for throwback games in June.

1980 TCMA Tucson Toros (various)

The best part? They had to use TCMA's 1980 minor league baseball cards as a design reference, because no one in the organization could find an original kit. (Note all the scanned shots in this TV report.)

Tucson's KGUN on the uniform's history & washroom perils (3 min)

Prior to their Astros affiliation--one inspiration for those gaudy duds--Tucson's earlier look featured a horned bull on the jersey and stripes on the cuffs, as modeled by 1976 type card Mike Weathers.

Card front (blank back)

Mike's green face isn't a scanning artifact, card publisher Caruso really did tint the whole front. Most of their other sets stuck to white--compare to a 1975 PCL team--so the effect's a little weird. (I assume that stars-and-stripes bunting marks America's bicentennial, a popular stylistic choice for 1976.)

Caruso printed 20 Toros in this set, most of them future big leaguers (in bold).

1. Bob Picciolo
2. Don Hopkins
3. Keith Lieppman
4. Gary Woods
5. Mike Weathers
6. Angel Mangual
7. Bob Lacey
8. Rich McKinney
9. Harry Bright, Manager
10. Wayne Gross
11. Jim Holt
12. Leon Hooten
13. Alan Griffin
14. Gaylen Pitts
15. Craig Mitchell
16. Tom Bradley
17. Rick Lysander
18. Charlie Hudson
19. Jeff Newman
20. Charlie Sands

In eBay's correct, Caruso didn't make the only 1976 Tucson Toros set. This similar black-and-white set looks like a team-printed version, probably numbered by uniform. (From what I can tell, it lacks a #5.)

Value: Today's #5 cost $3.50 on eBay, a little higher than I usually pay, but 1970s minor leaguers aren't easy to come by if MinorLeagueSingles.com doesn't have them. Team sets likely run $20-30 for lack of MLB stars.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen any Caruso reprints in the marketplace.

Fifth Anniversary Giveaway: the Envelope Please

Thanks to the long list of nominees for my fifth anniversary giveaway theme, Almost, But Not Quite. They covered the gamut from famous to personal, beginning with one of my favorite games, being a big fan of LA's two World Series wins in the 1980s.

1. The Bash Brothers, 1988

1988 Fleer #624, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco

For his nomination, reader Stealing Home relived the heroics of Kirk Gibson, who set the World Series tempo by overcoming McGwire's game 1 grand slam and nigh-unhittable Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley for a 5-4 Dodgers win and eventual 5-game title win.

The Bash Brothers didn't have to wait long for a title, overcoming San Francisco just one year later, but 1988 wasn't quite it.

2. A Pitch-Out Is Werth A Thousand Words, August 23, 2010

Richard Nebe grabbed this sharp play by Phillie catcher Jose Quintero.



Michael Jordan said great players motivate themselves by using every failing, criticism, or perceived slight to push their performance forward. If this 2010 lapse made Jayson Werth what he is today, it was worth it. Because otherwise...ouch, man, ouch.

3. Angels One Strike Away, 1986

Dave Henderson's homer is the flip side of Mookie Wilson's World Series grounder through Bill Buckner's legs, as this two-strike, two-out blast sent Angels pennant dreams into extra innings and on to eventual defeat.



Thanks to MLB Classics, you can watch this entire game on YouTube and this crucial 9th-inning at-bat starts about 2:29:30. ("You're looking at one for the ages, here!" - Al Michaels calls Hendu's tying homer.)

Jeff also made this nomination for its image of 40 year-old Reggie Jackson standing on the dugout steps, Mr. October poised for one more World Series, only to be denied at the last.

4. LA's Future Stars, Eventually, Maybe

GCRL echoed Reggie's dugout step frustration as an indelible image, but kept his nomination close to home with LA's parade of mid-80s AAA "almosts."

1982 Topps #681, Dodgers Future Stars

The Dodgers farm system seemed unstoppable in the early 1980s, as Steve Howe (1980), Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Steve Sax (1982) all took home Rookie of the Year trophies and a 1981 World Series win helped shift the New York power balance away from the Bronx (and towards Shea Stadium) for several years.

What LA's 1988 team won with smoke and mirrors, 1981's squad helped take with promising young stars. Next up, Mike Marshall! Candy Maldonado! Greg Brock! Except...not really. The hyped superstar promise never materialized as superstar performance, leaving fans with that empty feeling you get when "dessert" turns out to be a tray of burned cookies.

5. The Curse Of Todd Van Poppel, 1991-2004

1991 Studio Bust #32, Todd Van Poppel

The younger version of blog reader Fuji invested in TvP cards, a mid-90s prospect who did his best work a half-dozen years later as middle reliever for the Cubs. If your career high point is middle relief in a city far removed from your "future Nolan Ryan" expectations, you too might inspire a page like The Curse Of Todd Van Poppel.

6. I Shake My Fist At You, Alex Gordon, 2006

"...to the last, I grapple with thee; from Hell's heart, I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee." - Moby Dick, Herman Melville

2006 Topps #297, Alex Gordon

Night Owl returned to purchasing cards in 2006 and cascaded dollars and enthusiasm upon pack after pack until all checklists were checked...save one. Still missing from his collection is #297, this Alex Gordon RC now valued in the four figures thanks to Topps' last-gasp decision to pull a player with no MLB experience, which should've precluded his appearance in non-minor league sets.

Did Topps make a mistake or calculated gamble that a "pulled" Gordon would generate disproportionate collector interest? Keith Olbermann added his own context (and a rare proof scan) in The Heritage of Alex Gordon, which explains without making people like Night Owl feel any better about the situation.

7. Billy Ashley, 1992-98

Given its AAA level, winning the 1994 Pacific Coast League MVP award should mean big league stardom lies ahead, not that fans and front office executives now have a measuring stick for future frustrations.

"Guess I won't be needing this..."

Greg Zakwin nominated this "sure-thing" Dodger superstar for finishing with below-average fielding (-1.5 career fWAR), slugging (91 OPS+), and on-base percentage (.302) in parts of 7 MLB seasons. Even his Baseball-Reference page sponsor laments that Billy's prodigious minor league power never clicked anywhere else. Then as now, buuuuuuummer.

8. Montreal Expos, 1994

Speaking of things from 1994, check out the solid, young lineup fielded by Montreal's Expos, where Pedro Martinez was just 2nd or 3rd-best on his team's pitching staff.

Mark Aubrey notes how far ahead of MLB competition Montreal stood at 74-40 (a full 3.5 games better than AL-best New York), only to be derailed without a post-season by the MLBPA strike. They'd never finish first again. I felt bad for them then and doubly regret it now that Les Expos have gone the way of the Seattle Pilots and St. Louis Browns.

9. Roger Clemens, Sept 18, 1996



Thanks to a friend with tickets in Detroit, Potch could've attended this Tigers game, one of the last Roger Clemens would pitch in Boston red-and-grey. If he'd made it, all would've enjoyed the Rocket's second 20-strikeout performance, a taste of history and achievement that made me feel slightly better about his 20 punch-outs against my Seattle Mariners ten years earlier.

The Real, Not-Almost Winner

With so many good choices, I had to randomize the winner or risk getting sentimental and declaring all 9 nominations a winner. Thanks to Random.org, here's who doesn't have to wonder what could've been!

Our number generator selected #4 (retired for Duke Snider), so that means Dodgers fan GCRL wins the selection of vintage cards from his favorite team. I'll go out on a limb and assume that team is the Dodgers.

Congrats to him and thanks to everyone for sharing and following along these last five years!