Tag Archives: skip

SKIP SCHUMAKER BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

Skip Schumaker had a 11-year career in Major League Baseball as an outfielder and second baseman that spanned from 2004-2014. While he was never a big star, Schumaker established himself as a versatile role player and valuable utility man thanks to his ability to play multiple positions and hit from both sides of the plate. His journeyman career saw him play for five different teams in both the National and American Leagues.

Due to his longevity in the big leagues but lack of superstar status, Schumaker’s baseball cards don’t fetch huge prices on the collector’s market. Cards from his rookie season and time with successful St. Louis Cardinals teams in the late 2000s do carry value for fans and collectors interested in his career. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the key Skip Schumaker baseball cards that trace his MLB tenure.

2005 Topps Rookie Cup #RC84 – Schumaker’s rookie card came in 2005 Topps and bears the #RC84 designation. As his true first card issued after debuting in the majors in 2004, these remain some of the more desirable Schumaker cards for collectors. They carry value due to their rookie status though in lower print runs than stars of that era. Mint condition 2005 Topps RC84 cards in PSA 10 or BGS 9.5 Gem Mint grades have recently sold in the $30-50 range.

2006 Upper Deck #338 – This common issue captures Schumaker in his second MLB season split between the Cardinals and Cubs. Due to larger print runs of the 2006 Upper Deck set, well-centered examples in top grades don’t demand huge premiums over raw card prices in the $3-5 range. Still, it’s an important early card in the player’s collection.

2008 Topps #262 – Schumaker enjoyed increased playing time in 2007-2008 with the Cardinals, including being a member of their 2006 World Series team. His 2008 Topps card shows him in the St. Louis uniform. Middle of the road condition copies sell in the $5-10 range today. An investment grade PSA 10 could fetch $20-30 among dedicated collectors.

2009 Upper Deck #333 – Another action shot card, this time from 2009 Upper Deck. By this point Schumaker was fully entrenched as a valuable utilityman off the Cardinals bench. Common raw cards sell for around $2-5.

2011 Topps Heritage #312 – Jumping ahead a few years, this Heritage reprint design captures Schumaker in a 2010 Cardinals uniform. It was issued in 2011 Topps Heritage, one of the brand’s most popular vintage-styled releases. Middle of the road condition copies can be acquired for $3-5.

2012 Topps #219 – Schumaker’s final season-long stint with St. Louis resulted in this standard 2012 Topps issue. Known for its polyester coating and crisp color renditions, well-centered examples trade hands for $1-3 depending on condition.

2014 Topps Update #US221 – Schumaker split his final MLB season between the Phillies and Reds, with this card reflecting his time in Cincinnati. Update and high number cards can often be acquired quite reasonably for a dollar or less. It provides a nice closing chapter to his playing career collection.

While Schumaker never achieved superstar stats, collectors of 2000s Cardinals squads or just fans of versatility will want to accumulate the key year and uniform issues in their player collections. Condition and scarce investment grade copies carry the most value, but even well-loved lower grade copies can be found quite reasonably to complete his career retrospective in a personal set.

SKIP GUINN BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

Skip Guinn was a right-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1955. While his MLB career was relatively short and unremarkable statistically, Guinn found fame and fortune after his playing days through the manufacture and sale of baseball cards bearing his likeness.

Guinn played six seasons in the big leagues split between the Boston Braves, St. Louis Browns, and Chicago White Sox. He compiled a career record of 18-34 with a 4.61 ERA over 141 games pitched, 91 as a starter. His best season came in 1952 with the Browns when he went 8-12 with a 3.63 ERA in 28 games started. He was out of baseball by age 30.

After retiring from playing, Guinn worked as a salesman while living in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. In his spare time, he enjoyed collecting vintage baseball cards but grew frustrated by the rising prices of the more desirable stars from the early 20th century. Seeing an opportunity, Guinn decided to produce and market inexpensive cards featuring more modern players whose careers had ended, like his own.

In 1960, Guinn founded the Skip Guinn American Baseball Card Company. His first sets featured players from the 1950s like himself who were no longer active but still had name recognition among fans of the era. The cards sold for pennies each and proved popular with children and collectors looking to build complete sets on a small budget. Over the next decade, Guinn published dozens of sets under licensing deals with the major leagues.

While Guinn cards lacked the star power and rarity of the classic T206 and 1909-11 Tobacco brands, their affordability fueled enormous popularity. By the mid-1960s, it was estimated that over 500 million Guinn cards had been printed and sold, helping to spark a rejuvenation of interest in the hobby after its post-war decline. For collectors just starting out or looking to grab player issues in bulk, Guinn cards were ubiquitous.

However, Guinn’s business practices would come under scrutiny. He produced enormous print runs with little regard to authenticity. Cards were often printed years after a player’s career had ended with copyright dates well past their true publication period. Though not technically counterfeits since Guinn paid licensing fees, some considered the cards of dubious historical value. Over-production also diminished their resale potential over time.

Litigation eventually arose as other manufacturers felt Guinn undercut the market through reckless surplusing. In 1968, Topps filed an antitrust suit accusing Guinn of predatory pricing that disrupted the orderly creation of collectibles. Though he denied wrongdoing, the legal threats impacted Guinn’s business stability. By the early 1970s, he was out of the card publishing realm.

Still, Guinn left an indelible mark. He mass-introduced baseball cards to a new youth generation. While criticized for his volume-over-value philosophy, Guinn fulfilled a demand that stimulated enduring interest. Today, vintage Guinn cards remain obtainable for modest prices and occupy an important role in the timelines of many collectors’ childhood collections and the story of the modern memorabilia boom. All in all, Skip Guinn built a fortune by leveraging his own short-lived playing career through cardboard innovation and savvy self-promotion.

Though not highly regarded by purists, Skip Guinn parlayed his brief big league experience into pioneering the manufacture and distribution of inexpensive baseball cards that brought the hobby to new heights of popularity. His record production numbers in the 1960s reshaped the memorabilia market even if the cards themselves lacked sought-after premium cachet. Guinn cards offer nostalgia while representing an important evolutionary phase that democratized fandom for legions of amateur collectors.

SKIP LOCKWOOD BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

Skip Lockwood is considered one of the most prominent early baseball card photographers and publishers. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1931, Lockwood was a lifelong baseball fan who became fascinated with capturing images of his favorite players on the field. In the late 1950s, as the modern baseball card industry was first taking shape, Lockwood saw an opportunity to combine his love of the game with his newfound passion for photography.

Lockwood got his start in 1959 by approaching executives at Topps, the dominant brand in the nascent baseball card market. Showing examples of his candid action shots from games, Lockwood convinced Topps to hire him as one of their first outdoor photographers. His task was to capture high quality images of major league players during actual games, a step above the posed studio portraits Topps had primarily relied on until that point.

Lockwood embraced the challenge, spending entire baseball seasons roaming around stadiums with his bulky camera equipment. He had to learn to anticipate moments of action and get the perfect shot in mere seconds before the play unfolded. His dynamic on-field images were a hit with collectors and helped elevate Topps’ aesthetics to a new standard. As a result, Lockwood took on a pioneering role in establishing the artistic style of the golden age of baseball cards in the 1960s.

Through the 1960s, Lockwood cemented his reputation as one of the best and most prolific photographers in the business. Aside from Topps, he also contributed legendary photos to card issues from other companies like Fleer and Golden. Lockwood became adept at chasing down hard-to-find stars and snapping photos even the most camera-shy players, gaining unprecedented access few others in the field enjoyed. Some of his most famous pictures include shots of Willie Mays robbing a home run and Ron Santo sliding into third base.

Lockwood’s innovative techniques also left an imprint on the baseball card industry. He was among the first to experiment with different color films and lighting techniques. He pushed the boundaries to try more candid action shots as opposed to traditional stiff poses. And Lockwood helped introduce the now-standard vertical card format still used today. Through the 1960s and 70s, it’s estimated Lockwood took over 100,000 photos that were reproduced on baseball cards, more than any other photographer of the era.

In addition to his photography work, Lockwood also founded his own short-lived baseball card publishing company, Jetform Cards, in 1964. This marked one of the earliest attempts by an independent entity to directly compete with the “Big Three” of Topps, Fleer, and Leaf. Jetform issued just three series between 1964-66 focusing largely on off-beat photographic concepts and unique designs that didn’t conform to typical card standards. Though short-lived, Jetform explored more experimental avenues that foreshadowed how independent publishers would challenge the industry going forward.

Lockwood continued taking photographs for Topps and other companies actively through the 1970s, but shifting economic trends saw the baseball card market contract during that decade. With less demand for new photographer, Lockwood transitioned away from the baseball card field and focused on other commercial photography opportunities. He shifted towards portraiture, product photography, and taking photos for various publications through the remainder of his career.

However, Lockwood’s groundbreaking early contributions to the baseball card industry were not forgotten. In the growing nostalgia-driven collecting renaissance of the 1980s and 90s, his classic 1960s action shots from Topps became exceedingly popular and valuable. Today, pristine examples of Lockwood’s earliest photographed rookie cards regularly sell for thousands of dollars. Prominent players he shot early in their careers, like Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan, are especially coveted.

In the modern evaluation of early baseball card history, Lockwood is universally acknowledged as one of the pioneers who helped define the artistic look and feel of the golden age. His action-packed on-field photos set the standard that succeeding generations of photographers and publishers aspired to match. Even after passing away in 2020 at the age of 88, Lockwood’s legacy lives on through the thousands of his images that remain in the hands of collectors worldwide – enduring documentation of the time he so vibrantly captured behind the lens on the field. Skip Lockwood left an indelible imprint on the origins of the modern baseball card industry.

SKIP JUTZE BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

Skip Jutze was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds between 1956-1959. Though he only played in the big leagues for four seasons, Jutze left an impact both on the field and in the world of baseball cards. His rookie and early career cards have become highly valuable collectors’ items decades after his retirement from professional baseball.

Jutze was signed by the Pirates in 1953 after a standout career playing baseball at Baylor University. He spent several seasons in the Pirates minor league system honing his skills before getting his first major league call up in 1956 at the age of 23. That year would be Jutze’s rookie season in the majors and also introduced collectors to his first baseball cards.

In 1956, Topps was the dominant brand when it came to baseball cards. They had the exclusive license to produce cards featuring the players and teams of Major League Baseball. Jutze’s rookie card was issued as part of Topps’ 1956 set, featuring his picture in a Pirates uniform on the front along with the standard stats and information on the back. Rookie cards are always highly desirable to collectors and Jutze’s 1956 Topps card is no exception today. In mint condition, ungraded examples can sell for thousands of dollars due to its scarcity and Jutze’s status as a rookie pitcher in the 1950s.

While Jutze showed promise pitching for the Pirates in his debut 1956 season, going 6-7 with a 3.86 ERA in 18 appearances, he broke out the following year in 1957. That season, Jutze emerged as a full-time starter for Pittsburgh, winning 16 games against only 9 losses while pitching over 200 innings. His rock solid performance that season cemented him as an up and coming star and increased demand for his cards among collectors at the time, including his 1957 Topps issue. Today, a pristine 1957 Jutze Topps card can sell for over $10,000 to the right buyer given its sharp visual appeal and importance as documenting one of Jutze’s best MLB seasons statistically.

Unfortunately for Jutze and Pirates fans, 1958 was his last year in Pittsburgh before being dealt to the Reds in an early season trade. With the Reds, Jutze continued starting regularly but saw his numbers decline some compared to his all star caliber ’57 campaign. His final Topps card came in 1959, his last MLB season, showing him in a Reds uniform. While less valuable than his rookie and ’57 issues, Jutze’s 1958 and 1959 Topps cards are still desirable for any completionist collector seeking all available cards featuring the left handed hurler.

After his time in the big leagues wrapped up in 1959, Jutze continued his baseball career in the minors for several more seasons before transitioning to coaching. He stayed involved in the sport he clearly loved for decades post retirement. Meanwhile, the trading card industry boomed in the 1960s, keeping Jutze’s name and likeness out there even as he was no longer an active player. His solo cards from the 1950s Topps sets established him as a sought after name for collectors of the era looking to finish their vintage sets.

In the modern era, with the sports collecting craze reaching new heights, Skip Jutze cards have taken on renewed significance. While he wasn’t a true superstar player, Jutze’s short but productive MLB tenure and relative scarcity of high grade examples of his early cards have made him a popular target for vintage baseball card collectors. Websites like eBay see steady bidding activity for all of his Topps issues from the 1950s as collectors young and old seek out pieces of history featuring the talented righty from a bygone baseball period. Prices remain high when jaw dropping mint Jutze cards come on the relatively rare auction market.

For fans and collectors who enjoy researching the stories behind obscure names from the past, Skip Jutze offers a fascinating chronicle. A gifted pitcher who had a chance to cement himself as a star but saw his time in MLB cut short, Jutze nevertheless achieved cardboard immortality with his early baseball cards. Over 60 years since he last took the mound, collectors are still eagerly pursuing complete runs of his attractive and exceedingly tough to find vintage issues. While fleeting as a big leaguer, Jutze’s impact on the collecting world is a legacy that continues growing decades after he last appeared in the box scores. His baseball cards stand as a tribute and reminder of the pitching talent that he showcased for a few special seasons in the 1950s.

While Skip Jutze spent just a handful of seasons in Major League Baseball, his impact has endured for over half a century thanks to the collectible baseball cards issued during his playing career. Jutze’s rookie card from 1956 and his 1957 Topps issue particularly are icons within the hobby that command sky high values. The story of his all too brief big league tenure and how it was captured permanently through photographs on cardboard has made Jutze a familiar name to dedicated collectors. His relatively short MLB stint may obscure him from more casual fans of history, but dedicated students of vintage baseball know well the accomplishments and collecting significance of pitcher Skip Jutze.

SKIP PITLOCK BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

Skip Pitlock is considered a pioneer in the modern baseball card collecting hobby. Born in 1928 in Michigan, Pitlock had a lifelong love of baseball and became intrigued with collecting and trading cards as a young boy in the 1940s and 50s. What set Pitlock apart from other collectors of his era was his drive to systematically organize his collection in a coherent manner that allowed easy access to player and set information.

In the early post-war decades, the baseball card industry was still in its infancy. Most cards were included as promotional inserts in gum and candy packs. Sets lacked consistent designs, stats, or reliable dating. Relying solely on his keen memory and research, Pitlock began painstakingly cataloging his expanding collection in homemade binders. He assigned unique identification numbers to each player and set. Over time, his documentation grew more sophisticated with the incorporation of stats, career highlights, printing details and more.

By the mid 1950s, Pitlock’s ambition had expanded beyond collecting and record keeping for personal satisfaction. Driven by his analytical mindset and desire to share knowledge, he hatched the idea to publish his research as a reference guide for others. In 1956 at age 28, Pitlock self-published the first edition of The Complete Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards in a simple 40 page stapled booklet. Sold through mail order ads in hobby publications for one dollar, the inaugural volume covered cards issued between 1909-1949.

While humble in production, the Standard Catalog broke new ground as the hobby’s first serious comprehensive guide. Its standardized checklist format, assignment of identifiers like “SCD1” for the 1909-1911 T206 set, and inclusion of stats and historical facts put collectors on a more organized path. The booklet sold out its initial 5000 print run within 6 months, signaling strong demand for Pitlock’s content. Its popularity convinced him to expand scope and turn his catalog into an annual publication.

Through the 1960s, ’70s and beyond, The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards grew into the definitive bible of the collecting world under Pitlock’s stewardship. Each new edition covered cards of the past season while extensively updating and refining data on earlier issues. Color photos were added. Key non-sports cards like tobacco premiums received expanded coverage. SCB Publishing was founded as the Standard Catalog brand enlarged to encompass other sports and non-sports collecting guides as well.

Pitlock’s innovation extended beyond the books themselves. He pioneered organizing principles still employed today such as universal numeric grading scales for condition assessment. His publication of annual price guides and involvement in early card shows helped move the nascent market toward open pricing standards. Through his industry leadership and encouragement of documentation, Pitlock was influential in lifting baseball cards from childhood novelties to a respected collecting category with historical significance.

Sadly, Pitlock passed away in 2013 at the age of 84 yet his Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lived on through SCB and remains the most trusted name in the hobby. In the nearly 70 years since its first edition, the Standard Catalog has grown to include comprehensive data on over 18,000 different baseball card issues. Its signature identifier system and standardized checklist format have been universally adopted. Countless enthusiasts first gained interest through paging the catalogs’ wealth of visuals and facts.

While the internet now rivals printed guides, Pitlock’s groundbreaking publications remain cherished collector’s items. His innovative use of serial numbers, stats and record keeping set the model for online checklists, price guides and community databases that continue propelling the multi-billion dollar modern card industry. By systematizing what had been a disorganized area, Skip Pitlock essentially invented the infrastructure that allowed baseball cards to transform from a side interest into a serious collecting field. He left an indelible mark and earned his place as one of the hobby’s pioneering giants.

In summary, Skip Pitlock’s Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards was a true labor of love that established order, access and preservation of the rich history contained within cards. Through persistent self-publication and promotion over decades, he brought the collecting community together around standardized principles of organization, documentation and evaluation that persist today. Pitlock played a seminal role in respecting cards as historical cultural artifacts rather than just childhood nostalgia. His vision elevated the entire industry and made the Standard Catalog the indispensable guide that, even after his passing, remains ‘The Book’ for baseball enthusiasts worldwide.