Purpose of my blog

I want to share my collection of Roberto Clemente memorabilia with others, including my loved ones. I realize there may be a time where I will pass it on and I want others to know of my motivation and the items' significance before I forget myself. I also wouldn't mind finding some kindred spirit collectors out there who would like to share stories and knowledge about Clemente or just collecting in general.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Rookie card - 1955 Topps #164

 I added this beauty to my collection earlier this year. It wasn't graded and generally I don't care about grades. I like the card to have good visual appeal and for it to be genuine. The picture is full of color with no creases. It is off center, but I actually like that because it proves that it is authentic. The dimensions of the card are correct so there was no trimming. The corners and edges are great. I got it for half it's worth if you ask me, and these things do not go down in value, unless the zombie apocalypse starts, in which case I am still taking this with me.
There is some small staining along the left edge but it is minor. This card is 60 years old. Also, it should be noted that Roberto had not yet even played a season in the major leagues. This card was a high number though, so I am guessing that it came out in a later series which allowed Topps to add him to the list of active players. He really must have made a good impression to lots of people back then to get a card so soon. His rookie statistics were really not so great, but he was only 20 years old and new to the culture of the United States. Topps also had a great deal of competition back in this time, which affected the players they could show on their cards. There were only 210 card numbers in the set and 206 actual cards. 4 were not issued, probably due to miscommunication and the competition. The card was made though and the rest is history. It is a must for my collection and I'm glad I was finally able to obtain one.

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