George Kell

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good. Nice overall condition with rounded corners and one very light creases.

Comments: That old Red Sox hat is much better than the one they wear today.

Billy Martin

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good to excellent. A few soft corners, especially the bottom left.

Comments: This is quickly becoming one of my favorite cards in my collection. It's great to see a young Billy Martin in a Yankees uniform.

Ralph Kiner

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good to excellent. Corners are a bit soft but no real creases on the card.

Comments: Hit 35 homer with 116 RBI in first season with the 1953 Cubs.

Jim Gilliam

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Good to very good. There is a pretty good crease in the top right corner but other than that it's in pretty good shape.

Comments: When Jackie Robinson moved to third base and the outfield in 1953, it was Jim Gilliam who replaced him. He played so well, he was named NL Rookie of the Year.

Frankie Baumholtz

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Good. Has a pretty rough top edge and a few light creases.

Comments: Reading the back of the card, Baumholtz was also a professional basketball player.

Dee Fondy

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Good. It looks like this card may have some water damage. The front looks pretty good but the back has some slight staining.

Comments: Fondy had a good year with the Cubs in 1953 hitting .309 with 18 homers and 78 RBI.

Eddie Yost

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Good. It's got a few creases but still a nice card.

Comments: I really think those zipper-front uniforms of the 1950s were cool!

Bob Lemon

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good. I'm not sure on this one, the card could be excellent but for the pinhole in the top right corner.

Comments: According to the card's back: Lemon led the league in wins in 1950 with 23; in 1951 he led the league with 14 losses.

Duke Snider

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good. It has a crease in the top-quarter of the card that goes through the bat horizontally. However, it does not go through the card.

Comments: Again another attractive card, I am constantly surprised by the quality of this small set of 1954.

Mickey Mantle

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Poor to fair with lots of creases, dings and some major wear.

Comments: Hey it's Mickey Mantle. When looking at buying this card I saw several (in better shape) selling for $800 to $2,000-plus. And while $xxx  is not what I would usually spend for a card in this condition, it is a pretty scarce card from a not-so-east-to-find regional set. At least that's what I keep telling myself when I think about its price.

Gus Bell

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good to excellent with no creases and slight corner dings.

Comments: Notice that Bell plays for the Redlegs not the Reds. It was the 1950's after all, and back then it wasn't a good thing to be called Red because of its communist connotation.

Harvey Kuenn

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Good with scuff marks in the bottom-right quarter.

Comments: The back of this card states that Harvey Kuenn was the rookie of the year for 1953.

Billy Pierce

 
Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good. It would probably be closer to excellent if it didn't have writing on the back.

Comments: I wonder what the "RL" on the back stands for. Could it be a kid's initials? Too bad, a nice card otherwise.

Jim Hegan

Where purchased: eBay

Condition: Very good to excellent with no creases and slight corner dings. This card has vibrant color.

Comments: This is a pretty nice card. The red background really pops.

Alvin Dark

Where purchased: Kit Young Cards. While they are a large mail-order and eBay seller, I actually bought this in person from their warehouse.

Condition: Good to very good with a few light creases and some damage to the upper-right corner.

Comments: This is the first Red Heart I ever owned. I saw it in a catalog and didn't want to spend too much so I got this one of Alvin Dark. At least I had heard of him.