Collecting All Things Dodgers

Posted By on December 27, 2020

It starts when you are young. For some, it is your first program, for others baseball cards, and some an autograph. Mine started with cards. I got my first pack when I was 7. 1955 Topps. I was living in Minnesota with my mom and we moved back to California that fall. I went to an Angels game with my uncle. And the next day I got a pack of cards from the local corner market. Cost 5 cents. I did not get any stars, but I did get one Dodger. Some guy named Bert Hamric. I also got a Yankee, but who it was I have long forgotten.

It was the beginning of something I still do. But I began collecting in earnest in 1959. I really did not care too much for the 1958 Topps set. At least the Dodgers. The caps were fake since the first LA caps had not even been made yet and almost every Dodger card looked like there was a different logo.

But I loved the 1959 cards. I was living in Highland Park at the time, and there was a little store about a block from San Pasqual Ave School. I would not get lunch and with my 35 cents I would go to the store and get 6 packs for 30 cents.

Back in those days, the entire set would be 7 series. Series one always came out in early March during spring training. Series 1 in 59 had Joe Pignatano, Duke Snider, Steve Bilko, Stan Williams, and Don Bessent. Chances of getting the entire series on the cheap were not great. It seemed that in LA, getting Dodgers in a pack was hard. And you would get a lot of doubles. Norm Larker was also in the 1st series, One way you could tell them apart was the back of the card. Series 1, the back was white. Series 2, it was a dark grey. This alternated with green ink used for the stats.

Ron Fairly and Bob Lillis’s rookie cards were in series 2, as were Johnny Klippstein, Sandy Koufax, and Rip Repulski. Rip was not wearing a cap since he had come over late in the winter and was actually wearing his Phillie uniform. I was having a hard time getting a Koufax. And I actually got mine by pure luck. I got to spend a weekend with my mom, and she was living in El Cajon.

I went to the FW Woolworth store there with 50 cents she had given me. And I found some packs there. The difference was these were clear packs. 30 cards to a package and they cost 25 cents. You could see 6 of the cards easily. I looked through the packs and low and behold in one of them, there was Sandy. I bought the pack and was really happy I finally found him. Ended up getting 2 of them in the package. So now I had trade fodder to get someone I might need later.

A weird thing happened later that summer, we were playing ball at Arroyo Seco Park on the big diamond. someone fouled a ball over the fence into the brush and trees. It was pretty thick back there and a lot of balls had been lost in those trees. Since I was not on the field at the time, I went looking for the ball.

I actually found 3 baseball’s back there and threw them over the fence and kept one for myself. But while I was looking in the undergrowth, I saw what looked like a box that 36 packs would come in. It was, and there was a bunch of opened cards in there and the wrappers were on the ground. Not a single Dodger among the cards, but a lot of cards I did not have at the time.

I figured someone must have either bought a box, which would have been a dollar eighty at the time. A lot of money for a kid in those days, or they stole it. But it added to my collection, so I just took them home and added them to my box of cards.

Over the years, I doubt I ever came close to having the entire collection for the year. Only after I was in the army and you could buy a box that had the entire set in it did that ever happen.

When I was 16. my foster father made me throw all of my cards away. He was pretty dictatorial, so I had to do what he said, and I had nowhere to hide them and there were two big boxes of cards. I did manage to hide what Dodgers I had, but in today’s market, I had some cards that would have brought high dollar prices back.

I had most of the stars of the 50’s. And a lot of early 50’s cards. Some of my cards I had gotten from a buddy in high school who inherited his brother’s collection and gave them to me.

A Mays rookie card, and a Mantle too. Which at one time sold for about 75 thousand dollars. and all of them went into the trash. I ended up giving my Dodgers to one of my cousin’s kids. And never saw them again.

I did not start collecting in earnest again until I retired. I still enjoyed getting them, so why not? I have concentrated on the Dodgers cards, and Topps has kept the old designs alive with what they call the Heritage series.

But my first task was to get the entire 1959 team set in original Topps, not reprints. Not exactly cheap. I bought the Snider first, since he was my favorite player. His card was rated VG, very good, and cost about 8 bucks. I thought I had them all by 2017. I had got most of them off of Ebay. The Koufax was 20 dollars. I knew I could not afford the mint ones, which goes for over 2000.

The hardest to find was Gene Snyder, simply because his card came out in the 7th series. Series 7 cards were always the hardest to get. Series 7 would usually hit the stores the first week in September. Well, they usually were in stores less than 4 weeks, because by the 3rd week of September, Topps football cards were hitting the shelf.

Wally Moon  was in the 7th series that year also, as were Art Fowler, Jim Baxes and a Roy Campanella card showing him in a wheelchair. There were specialty cards and a team set. Those I did not care to have. Last year I realized I was missing Johnny Klippstein. But I found one on ebay fairly easily.

And this year, they began making cards that never were that have filled out my 59 team. Chuck Churn, who never had a card made, Maury Wills, who’s first card was actually a Bell Brand potato chip card. Hard to find, and very pricey, Larry Sherry, which was just added last week. Chuck Essegian, who’s 59 card was a Cardinals card. So now I have all that are available.. Some new versions of the Koufax and the Snider have been made, and there was even a special 59 Campy with the designation coach on it. And they even made a 59 card showing Jackie as a SF Giant.

I also have a couple of autographed balls and one 8X10 photo of Duke Snider. I collect yearbooks when I can find them. I had a 1958 for years, and it was stolen some years ago. I also collect media guides, Mark sent me some of his doubles which I really appreciated. They have quit making those for the public. I haven’t seen a 2019 or a 2020 version.

I have 7 jersey’s, and numerous caps. Including a LA cap with Kersh’s autograph and number embroidered into the cap. It is a fun hobby for me. I know some who still collect. I never really got into the autograph thing because I was rarely somewhere I would interact with players. My first autograph I got on my first baseman’s mitt when the home where I was staying dedicated our events building. It was for crafts and sports and such, and Tommy Davis was there with Norm and Larry Sherry. Tommy autographed my glove. He did the same thing many years later at Dodger Stadium when they used to set up booth’s before Sunday games so the fans could get autographs and they would do it on every level and in the pavilions.

Collecting is fun, it keeps you connected to the team. I also have some minor league cards I got from Bakersfield and Rancho. Try it, you might really enjoy it.

I also started collecting bobbleheads a few years ago. I now have well over 100. Some of them I got as Stadium giveaways. Others I purchased at a store in Lomita when I was out in California. And many my brother has given to me.

I did not care for the early ones because they had little resemblance to the real players. Now they look a lot like them. And some are really nice. Some commemorate a moment in the player’s history. And others, like the Reese Campanella I have, commemorate a moment. In that case, the Campanella tribute in 1959. Within a week of the Dodgers winning the World Series, new bobbleheads were already on the drawing board and being offered for sale on their web site…Happy Collecting!

This article has 59 Comments

  1. Some sad news this morning, even though it is not about a baseball player. 19 year old, Pac-12 offensive player of the year, Ty Jordan was shot and killed Friday in Denton Texas.. So sad to see a young life end this way. Preliminary evidence showed that he accidentally shot himself. Sad indeed. RIP.

  2. Good morning Jeff. I had collected full sets of Topps 1959 and 1960. I went to a local liquor store in Westchester (borders north end of LAX) to get all my cards. I eventually sold them at auction in last year for more than $4,000 each. It was fun to go through them when I was preparing them to be sold. Lots of good memories and reflections on the players included in those collections. I just never looked at them anymore and had no one to pass them on to. When you mentioned that you had your 1958 Yearbook stolen I went out to the garage and found the box with my Dodger stuff. I knew I had some Dodger yearbooks. I thought if I have a 1958 I’ll give it to you. But, of course, I had 1959-1966. No 1958! Damn.

    I haven’t gone through that box in several years. I found my program for the 1959 WS game that Sandy pitched and lost 1-0 to the White Sox. I was 10 years old and my dad was able to get tickets for the game. They weren’t good seats (past the RF fence), but I didn’t care. I was out of school, with my dad, at the frickin’ World Series and Sandy Koufax was pitching. For a ten year old it doesn’t get much better than that.

    Another program was an Angel game in which Roger Maris hit his 59th (I think) HR during his record breaking year. The game was at the old Wrigley Field and our seats were looking down the first base line. And, that’s where Maris’ HR went. Right down the 1B line. I’ll never forget that moment.

    There was a program for the first All-Star game held in LA. Also, found some 60’s Angel and Yankee yearbooks. I forgot that I was a casual Yankee fan. I think that ended when the Dodgers started playing them in the World Series so often. Why I collected Angel yearbooks I have no idea. I was never a fan. But, I enjoyed collecting through my early teens.

    So Jeff, I tried, but couldn’t help you with the 1958 Dodger yearbook. Maybe, someone else in LADT sphere can help you out.

        1. No problem. Best thing about that book was the fact that Campy was still in the book. Also all of the autographs on the cover. Nice introduction of the Dodgers to LA.

    2. Hey Ted, they have 4 of those listed on Ebay, but for a lot more than I paid when I got mine. The 59 is also very hard to find. I have a Life magazine that was issued on the day I was born. Amazing to read that thing and see how much the prices have changed.

  3. Several years ago, I got rid of all my bobbleheads and other memorabilia, except for a Tommy Lasorda Bobblehead and a Sandy Koufax cutout. I also got rid of all except 3 signed baseballs. I kept Steve Garvey, Clayton Kershaw, and Vin Scully!

    I have a collection of 2020 Dodgers baseball cards and every Dodgers Media Guide from 1961 to 2018. I cannot find a 2019 or 2020. Additionally, I have every Baseball America Prospect Handbook back to the beginning (2000).

    The guy who was the biggest collector of Dodger memorabilia was Roger Dodger (the late Roger Sobin). He had a 10 x 20 humidity-controlled storage facility full of boxes upon boxes of Dodger stuff. He had no idea what all he had, but I would guess it ran into six figures. I am sure his son inherited it.

    1. I am pretty sure they have not had them for the public Mark. I looked all year for the 2019. I found it on line, but not in print. They were my bible for history and stats, and when a new player comes to the team, they would do a complete bio on them. I collect for fun. I do not have the millions of cards I used to, but I enjoy the ones I have. Yesterday I got my Red Turkey Mookie Betts I had ordered . And yesterday I ordered a 3 card Cody Hoese set. I already have a Busch rookie. And I have a Heritage Brusdal Graterol on the way. I forgot I have an 88 World Series Program. I used to have all of them except the 59 Series.

      1. I keep watching to see if anyone sells theirs. They had them for the Media… I used to ask and they would send me one but they don’t do that anymore. I did find them online, but it’s not the same.

    2. Mark, I was supposed to help coach little league but that didn’t happen as we all know couldn’t. By proxy you donated your stuff to serve as motivation trophies for the kids. I hope that that’s what it will still be used for even though I won’t be helping with little league in the future. I wouldn’t feel right to ask for it back but I’ll make inquiries to see that is where it’s destined for.

  4. My amazing wife surprised me this Christmas with six replica Dodger World Series Rings in a wooden case. Of course the diamonds are CZ, but they look and feel real. 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981 and 1988. There is a place in the case for seven rings. I am putting the 2020 ring on my Christmas list for next year. Make it a real one Santa!

  5. My collection of Dodgers memorabilia is not as extensive as others, but I do treasure the yearbooks starting with 1957 (last year in Brooklyn) through 2000 when we moved to NC. To my knowledge, 1960 was the only year in which the Dodgers updated the yearbook midway through the season (I have both). Walter O’Malley and his wife Kay autographed the earlier ’60 yearbook for me. I also have the 1966 “Koufax by Koufax” book with his autograph. First autographed baseball was given to me by neighbor who worked at the Coliseum — Carl Furillo home run ball that he had autographed by Carl, Larry Sherry, Don Zimmer, Carl Erskine, Walt Alston, and Pee Wee Reese. On his way out of the Coliseum he met Willie Mays who also autographed the ball. Most of the signatures are faded, but the memory is as fresh as the day the ball was given to me.

    1. That is a special memory. I remember how in awe I was of Tommy Davis when I met him as a kid. Larry Sherry and Norm lived in the neighborhood and we saw them often, so it was not as daunting as meeting the NL hitting champ. But he was a really nice person, and enjoyed giving pointers to kids.

      1. It’s like the James Earl Jones (Terrence Mann) quote from Field of Dreams: “The memories will be so thick they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.” As a kid I was able to attend many games at the Coliseum watching men play the game who were my baseball heroes/role models: Gil Hodges, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, etc. Then, when we moved to NC, my wife (who is also a Dodgers fan – favorite player Maury Wills) and I went to Vero Beach spring training, now we travel to Camelback Ranch to see the veterans and prospects go through their paces.

        1. I saw Maury there a few years ago. He was working with the kids on their stealing techniques. Talked to him for a few minutes about the 62 team.

          1. We were at a spring training game, sitting between home and first base, and I saw Maury sitting between home and third base giving autographs. I convinced my wife to go over and meet him. She said he was terrific, talked with her several minutes, then autographed her Dodgers windbreaker which she treasures — and never again worn.

  6. I had tons of cards from my youth. Mostly bound by rubber bands by team, so they weren’t in ideal condition. I had them in a storage facility in the early 90’s and when I went to move out of the storage facility all the baseball card carrying shoe boxes were gone along with all the electronics. Lesson, never by the padlock used to lock the storage bin from the front desk at the facility.

    The thing I remember about the Topps card packs from the 70’s was the crappy gum that came inside. Sometime rubbery and other times hard shards of broken glass like gum that I would shove into my mouth anyways. A lot of players had big wads of chew at the time. I think Tug McGraw famously had a immense plug protruding from his cheek. So we tried to emulate those players by shoving a piece of gum from each pack we acquired that day into our mouths at the same time. Good times.

    On the subject of gum, Big League Chew was a popular pouch of bubble gum that was meant to emulate chewing tobacco. Of course, we tried to shove the whole pouch into our pie holes and blow gigantic bubbles that stuck all over face, shirt, ballcap, hair and hands trying to clean it up after the amazing bubble would eventually burst.

    I wouldn’t trade the era I grew up for anything. As a pre-teen the 70’s were amazing. Tons of freedom for our age and packs of kids in the housing tract. I got a Schwinn Stingray when I was 6 and would ride and explore blocks away even at such a young age. My generation got the first video games and TV consoles. We had the most music in High School during the 80’s and didn’t get bogged down with Tech until adulthood.

    Back to the subject, I wasn’t ever a serious collector of memorabilia, but I have some signed pictures, programs and baseballs scatter about, not really on display. I did mount my new Christmas Present a commemorative plaque featuring a montage of CK, Betts, Belli, Seager, Bueller and Turner. A great representation of the core of the Championship team. It makes me want to pull out some of the other framed signature items and mount them as well.

    Nice article Bear, I think most of us can relate to baseball cards and our youth. Cheers!

    1. Hey Bulldog, thanks. I appreciate it. My pic of Duke that is autographed is hanging on my wall next to a picture of Campy, Furillo and Duke. Also my autographed photo of Johnny Lee that he gave me the night I performed on stage with him, and my Alabama photo. Most famous name on my autographed baseball is Rick Monday. Got that at Camelback when Manny was on the team. I have a close musician friend who’s son pitched in the majors, Cameron Loe. He gave her a autographed ball to give me. He has a sports health clinic in Phoenix now. I started collecting the cards again because they just take you back. I like the Heritage cards Topps puts out because you see the players of today on the designs you remember. I have Kemp, Puig, Seager, Martin all on 1959 design cards. I just ordered 3 that are on the design of the 56 cards. Graterol, Smith and Seager. I got a Lux that is on a card that looks like a 52. So that adds some life to the hobby. I also keep a separate book for players who are in the Hall. I have some Ripken’s Griffey Jr’s and players like that. And I keep the reprints I have gotten of guys like Mantle, Ford, Berra.

      1. I have signed and framed photo’s of Tommy and Orel and a signed mounted Tim Wallach card. I have a couple of Ron Cey baseballs singed from when I met him. I also have a black and white signed photo from Tommy John that I got at the Westminster Mall when I was a little kid. Tommy, Cey, Orel and Wallach are all some of my all time favorites. I also have a signed ball from the only Angel that I hold in the highest esteem, the great Bobby Grich. I don’t think I would ever display an Angel though. I also have a “Big Hurt” signed photo.

      2. Totally cool. That gum was always awful. In the 50’s and 60’s it was stiff as a board. But the smell when you opened a pack was so great. I disliked it when it would leave residue on the cards. All that powdery crap. About 5 years ago on Ebay, they had these world champion wall plaques, and they would have baseball cards of the entire team on them. Pretty high dollar stuff and I could never afford one, but the 55 team I really wanted.

    2. Sad news. I have his rookie card.

      By the way any suggestions on the best way to sell card collections? I know eBay is an option but is it the best? I would imagine rating cards for sale is a black art. Saw online a firm (JustCollect) that will buy cards. I’m sure I wouldn’t get the best price but it would be the least hassle.

      1. If there is a baseball card shop in your area, they could help you find a good place to sell. Ebay is pretty much hit and miss. And if any of your cards are of the high dollar type, I doubt you will find a bidder to take them. Auctions are best. Especially for lots. You can compare the prices others are getting for cards like yours on EBAY, but the ultimate price guide is the Beckett book.There are a lot of places that buy lots. But no, you would not get the best price. Complete sets get the biggest money. Most people do not have those. And lots are usually used to fill what players collectors are missing. Pre 60’s cards are the highest dollar cards.

        1. Thanks for the information.

          At one time I had a complete ‘64 but being a stupid kid traded away or used them for my bicycle. Can’t complain; I got the set from my aunt who’s friend was going to throw them out. She said she’d take them as her nephew was a baseball fan. Still have a decent amount of them.

          2. Yeah I remember hearing that on an ESPN program years ago. Thought I had it but it’s the Topps ‘64 rookie card.

          3. I always thought the 64 should have been his rookie card because the 63 had him with 3 other players as they made those multiple player cards. He was on the card with Al Weis, Ken McMullen, and Pedro Gonzalez, a 2nd baseman for the Yankees.

      1. Boston is probably a great place for Kike.

        I think he ends up there. One of my sons-in-law is a big Redsox fan, but he rooted for the Dodgers in the 2020 World Series, so I will root for Jeter, Alex, Conner, and probably, Kike!

        He’s the one in the back with me:
        Fami
        All people in the picture (except for the Mighty Quinn – he thinks he is a people) have had COVID-19! This was a public service announcement.

  10. Better a BoSox fan than the hated Giants. My son in law loves the Gnats. And he made my daughter cross over to the dark side. A couple of my grandkids too. I am afraid they will need therapy sometime in the future. I am pretty sure Kike is not coming back, and I am ok with that. I have seen a lot better players than him leave, and they hurt a lot more than he will.

    1. I converted my wife early on. She is from Napa and lived in Marin quite a bit. All of her friends back home are big time Giants fans. She’s loves to send them pics of us in Dodgers gear, at the games, etc.

  11. Dodgers now Red Sox:

    Alex Verdugo.
    Jester Downs
    Conner Wong
    Kike’ Hernandez?

    Red Sox Now Dodgers
    Moodier Betts
    David Price
    Joe Kelly

    So at what point do we become Red Sox fans and vice versa?

      2. He was traded for Hanley Ramirez. and Randy Choate in 2012. Deadline deal that i whole heartedly agreed with. In his 3 years with the Marlins he only won 13 games and lost 27. Avg ERA was over 4. In 2015 when he went to the Yankees it turned around. ERA was still over 4 but he went 14-3 and pitched 167 innings.

  12. Thanks Bear. That was a fun article for me for to read. I collected baseball cards as a kid and most of them were from ’54 thru ’60. I’m sure there were a couple of thousand cards in my collection. Unfortunately, when my father got remarried, my step mother wanted me to get rid of all my “junk” I had left in the house. My wife and I did not have much room in our apartment so I gave all my cards to 3 young boys who lived across the street from my dad’s house.

    The only things I have now are 1949 and 1959 Dodgers yearbooks. ( I have no idea where I got them) And I have a Baltimore Orioles team “autographed” ball on which I can only make out about 6 names. I’m guessing the ball is from 1955. My uncle had connections at the Baltimore courthouse and got us a pair of very good seats

    1. 49 yearbook? WOW…that would be pretty cool. I have about 7 yearbooks but most of them are relatively new. I have close to 30 media guides. I also have some cards that are made of porcelain. One of them is a 54 Hodges, and Berra and Ford and Satchel Paige.

        1. No kidding. They are pretty cool though. I had one of Willie Mays that I gave to our guitar player as Mays was his favorite player.

          2. Hamilton I think They were all copies of Topps cards. You can find them on ebay. Most are pretty expensive now. They have a Mantle collection of 10 of them. The Hodges was really cool. There is one on Ebay for 9.95 and 2.98 shipping.

  13. Excellent stroll down memory lane Bear. Brought back memories of collecting cards, trading them and playing a marble or dice game where we spread out in the positions by team. I forget the details. But I had shoeboxes of cards and we all traded for Guys we didn’t’t have. Looked for years for those cards and don’t know their fate. I keep hoping that some day I will stumble on them. Like finding a buried treasure. That better happen sooner than latter.
    Very nice post Bear.

    1. Thanks Phil. We had a game where we would flip them against a wall or door. You would win all of the cards that were out there if you landed on top of one of the cards with a flip. One time I was down to just one card, a 59 Carl Furillo. I flipped him and won the pot, about 50 cards, and from there won all of my cards back, and most of the other kids. I never played using my Dodgers again. Too close for comfort.

  14. Ha-Seong Kim apparently has multiple five year offers he is mulling over. Posting deadline is January 7. Same date as Sugano.

    1. This shall prove to be interesting. The Padres are going for it, but I have a lot of confidence that AJ Preller can screw something up BIG TIME!

    1. They got 5 players including the Catcher Mejia. Snell is a 5 inning pitcher. And he has not had but one good season, 2018. He is also injury prone.

      1. He’s a 5 inning pitcher in a Rays uniform. Doesn’t mean the Pads will treat him the same way.
        The Rays did get some good stuff for him though and this is the way they always operate. Probably a win-win. Patino could really be something.

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