Red Sox Collection - 1949 Bowman Johnny Pesky

After straying completely off-base with a random non-sport post a week or so ago, today I'll go with something that's a bit more in my collecting wheelhouse; my Red Sox collection.  I'm not sure what it is, time of year maybe, but I've been focusing quite a bit on Red Sox cards lately.  A month or so back I scored a card that instantly became one of my oldest and most prized Sox cards:

This 1949 Bowman Johnny Pesky is a great reminder to myself that this hobby is a journey, not a race.  I've wanted a copy of this card for a few years now.  It fits into my collection on a few different levels.  Besides being a new Red Sox card, it's also the fourth card in my very modest Johnny Pesky collection.  This is the oldest of the four Peskys I own, and it's likely the oldest I'll ever own (there's a '48 Leaf Pesky that's way outside my price range).  Add to that the fact that I'm a huge fan of vintage Bowman baseball cards and this one was a must have.  The thing is, this card just doesn't pop up very often, at least not in a condition I'm satisfied with for a price I'm willing to pay.

Finally, after a couple of years of waiting patiently I decided on this one, and for $35 shipped I'm more than satisfied with the condition.  This is the first '49 Bowman I've ever owned.  I have to say that I like the '50 and '52 sets a bit more, but adding a card that's now more than 60 years old to my collection is pretty cool nonetheless.

Here's a look at the back.  Not a lot of difference here between the '49 set and the later Bowman sets of the 1950s.

What's your oldest card of your favorite team, baseball, hockey or otherwise?