Vintage Goods from Commishbob

I've been enjoying the work of Commishbob over at The Five Tool Collector for a long time now, but until recently we'd never interacted personally.  Well, that all changed when Bob dropped an impressive array of vintage Red Sox cards in the mail destined for my address!

With just a dozen total cards Bob packed quite a punch!  He must have looked over my collection on Zistle, or else gotten incredibly lucky, as all 12 cards were new to my collection.

Not only that, but 11 of the 12 were '50s and '60s Red Sox cards.  On the list of things that will make me appreciate a trade package, '50s and '60s cards of my favorite team that I didn't have are really high up there!

The other thing that really struck me is what tremendous shape these are in for the most part, despite their age.  I slotted the '59 Topps cards into their binder already, and let's just say they are putting their "page-mates" to shame.

Speaking of the '59s, this package really re-fueled my desire to complete a low grade set.  Staying focused on any one thing is a challenge for me as far as collecting goes, but I'm over the 10% threshold at this point.  May not sound like much, and I don't have any of the big stars yet, but at least some pages in the binder are starting to get multiple cards on them at this point...

This is an interesting card, as Jerry Zimmerman never actually played a single MLB game for the Red Sox.  He was released by the Red Sox, and the Orioles, before catching on and making his big-league debut with Cincinnati in 1961.

There were a couple of '64 Topps cards to be found as well, a set that is sorely lacking in my vintage boxes.

And a nice, well-loved copy of Galen Cisco's 1962 Topps card.  Looks like Galen was maybe having a rough day when they snapped this photograph.  At least he's wearing his hat, which is more than you can say for many of the players in this set.

Frank Malzone's '64 Topps release is probably the most visually appealing card in the package.  I just love the classic pose on this one, combined with the stadium backdrop.  The way Frank's cap extends past the upper border of the photo really makes him seem to pop.

Ditto with this Gary Geiger.  Gary came to Boston in the trade that sent Jim Piersall to the Indians.  Though I've heard the name, I don't know much about Gary.  In reading about him for this post, it seems he led somewhat of a sad life.  Ultimately, he never reached 60, and it seems like alcohol may have been the culprit.

In 5 MLB seasons, Ed Sadowski barely hit above the Mendoza Line (career .202 hitter).  This sure is a minty fresh '59 Topps card though, looks amazing!

We round out the baseball portion of this package with yet another '59, Mike Fornieles.  The righty from Cuba is probably most well-known for throwing a one-hitter in his MLB debut back in 1952.

There was a lone hockey card to be found in this package, and it was this fantastic 1990-91 Upper Deck promotional card of Patrick Roy.  Upper Deck released Roy and Gretzky promos for their inaugural hockey set.  When I picked up the Gretzky last month, I put out the call to anyone with an extra Roy, and Bob answered quickly!

Bob, it was truly a pleasure receiving these unexpected and awesome cards.  Each and every one was a perfect fit for my collection, and all were honestly cards I would have picked out for myself eventually at a shop or a show.  You really hit the nail on the head, thank you!  I hope the small grouping of O's I sent back your way brings you even a fraction of the enjoyment that these brought me...