Your Information Resource for Vintage Baseball Cards
eNews Issue #110 (June 2013) www.oldcardboard.com
Welcome to Old Cardboard, the most complete reference resource for information about collecting vintage baseball cards and related memorabilia. More information about this eNewsletter and its companion website and magazine are found at the bottom of this page.
Contents: 1. Updated Auction and Show Calendar The following is a summary of vintage card events coming up in the next 30-45 days. For the most current listings on additional vintage card shows and auctions, see the Key Events Calendar on the Old Cardboard website.
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June 2013 | ||
19 | Internet | All-Sports Auctions (see website for details). |
20 | Phone/Internet | Sterling Sports Auctions (see website for details). |
27 | Phone/Internet | Collectible Classics Auction (see website for details). |
27 | Internet | Bagger's Auctions (see website for details). |
27 | Internet | Sirius Sportscards (see website for details). |
28 | Phone/Internet | Leland's Catalog Auction (see website for details). |
29 | Phone/Internet | Small Traditions Auction #10 Session 1 "Pirates" (see website for details). |
July 2013 | ||
2 | Phone/Internet | JVSC Auctions (see website for details). |
6 | Phone/Internet | Small Traditions Auction #10 Session 2 (see website for details). |
12-14 | Chantilly, VA | CSA Chantilly Show (see website for details). |
19 | Phone/Internet | Goldin Auctions (see website for details). |
23-25 | Phone/Internet | Hake's Americana & Collectibles Auction (includes baseball; see website). |
25 | Phone/Internet | Sterling Sports Auctions (see website for details). |
7/31-8/4 | Rosemont, IL | National Sports Collectors Convention (see website for details). |
2. Featured Set: 1954 F156 Red Heart Dog Food If you were a kid in 1954 and collected baseball cards, you likely opened many Topps packs searching for a card of rising superstar Mickey Mantle. Unfortunately, a card of Mantle, still early in his Major League career, could not be found in the 250-card Topps issue.
Altogether, the Red Heart Dog Food set includes 11 players (one-third of the set) now in baseball's Hall of Fame (identified in Red Heart Checklist). The cards are listed in the American Card Catalog as set F156. The Red Heart set is made up of three series of eleven cards, each distinguished with either a red, blue or green background on the card fronts. The red-background cards seem to be a little more difficult to find and were apparently produced in smaller quantities. Overall, however, the set is not particularly rare, and it has been reported that the cards were still available from the company for more than a decade after they were originally produced. The Red Heart cards could be obtained via mail by sending the company two labels from a can and 10 cents for each 11-card subset. It is perhaps due to this mail-in process (rather than the cards being distributed with the product) that many of the cards today are found in relatively high grade. The 2-5/8 by 3-3/4 inch cards are printed in strong colors on heavy stock. The card fronts display a hand-colored player image over an enlongated diamond that frames the player's name. In addition to distinguishing among the three Red Heart subsets via the background color, the diamond name panel is also color-coded for each subset. Cards in the "red-background" subset display a green diamond. Similarly, all "blue" background cards contain a yellow diamond while "green-background" cards contain a red name panel at the bottom. In all cases, the player's team is identified in the white border at the bottom of the card. Red Heart card backs contain player biographical data followed by statistics for both the 1953 season and for "Life." An ad for "Red Heart, The Big League Dog Food," as well as a copyright notice by "John Morrell & Co." is found at the bottom.
Many West Coast collectors are also familiar with three Los Angeles Dodgers sets produced by the company from 1959 through 1961 under the name of Morrell Meats (see example at right). As seen in the example, the Morrell Meats cards are brightly printed in a borderless format. A Set Profile, Player Checklist and Full Gallery of the 1954 F156 Red Heart Dog Food set have been added to the Old Cardboard website.
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