Tall Hall

This blog seems to naturally drift towards baseball cards during the summer months, which I guess isn't that surprising.  As I mentioned the other day though, I have picked up a few very nice hockey cards over the past few months that deserve to see the light of day here on the blog.  Today I've got the first of them:

1964-65 Topps #12 - Glenn Hall

I just adore these '64-65 Topps tallboy hockey cards.  It's easily my favorite hockey set of the '60s.  At just 110 cards you'd think it might be one to go for, but some of the prices are just brutal.  Still, it's a set that I'm always passively keeping an eye out for, and I was watching this Glenn Hall here on eBay for a good couple of months before the seller lowered the price to well below a blaster and I bit.

For those who aren't hockey fans or may not recognize the name, Hall is one of the most successful goaltenders in the history of the game.  His accolades include a Calder Memorial Trophy (1956 Rookie of the Year), a record 7 First Team All-Star selections, multiple Vezina Trophy and Stanley Cup wins, and a Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP).  He also holds the record for most consecutive games played by a goalie at 502, which I would argue will absolutely never be broken.  Glenn was a lock for the Hall of Fame, and was inducted in 1975.

Here's the back, with a nice plus-sized cartoon referencing Hall's Rookie of the Year season.  It's hard to display this one any larger due to my current blog format and its extra-long horizontal layout, but you can click the scan for a larger image if you'd care to read the write-up.

What an awesome card, indeed.  The first couple of times I quickly looked it over online before buying it I completely missed the fact that he's holding a kick-ass old-school goalie mask in his glove hand.

I just sorted Glenn away and found that I now have 14 cards from this release in my collection.  Not bad at all.  I'll certainly be on the hunt for some new additions during hockey season here.  Thanks for stopping by and reading, and I hope everyone is enjoying a nice holiday weekend.