An Incredible Vintage Mailday

Before I get to the big one that I got in the mail yesterday, I wanted to start off with a smaller one, but one I am still very happy with.

1.  2012 Topps Golden Moments Jim Rice.  You can't go wrong adding cards of any Hall of Famer.  Rice took a long time to get in, but he did, and whatever your feelings are about his inclusion, you can't take him out.

2.  2012 Topps Update Target Red Matt Albers.  I like this one because the Update set is the only set that Albers appeared in with the Red Sox even though he had already been traded for Craig Breslow by the time this came out.

3.  2012 Topps Update Target Red Felix Doubront.  I am a big Doubront fan.  Even moreso now that he has been pitching so well.

4.  2001 Topps Archives Reserve Jim Piersall.  I need to see Fear Strikes Out at some time.  Piersall is of course one of the more colorful characters in Red Sox history.  Unfortunately the time in which he played was not very good at understanding mental illness and Piersall was definitely mentally ill.

5.  2001 Topps Archives Reserve Dom DiMaggio.  Joe's little brother was at least as good as Joe in the outfield and a fine hitter in his own right.  I do think that had he not missed three full seasons of his prime to military service he may be a candidate for the Hall of Fame.  

And now for the big one: 

6.  1940 Play Ball Moe Berg.  I have never before bought a graded card but I made an exception here.  I wanted a pre-WWII card for quite some time and I really wanted a Moe Berg card from his playing days.  I have read The Catcher was a Spy in the past and am fascinated with his career.  He is probably the most well-known third-string catcher in history.  So the competing interests came together last weekend and I splurged a little and bought this.  I don't really care for the graded aspect of it, but I figured if I was going to own an old card, it might as well be protected.  And the price was not much different from a non-graded card.  It is now my oldest card in my collection.