I love 1956 Topps. Other than the beautiful 1953 set, I can't think of any other base Topps set that looks like pure works of art. The horizontal card format works great with the action shot/foreground portrait combo. On this particular card, the "Davey" signature is a playful touch. Dave Pope, who made only three errors in his four-year career, is leaping for a fly ball against an endless gaping gray maw. It does occur to me that outfield fences used to be made of solid concrete with no padding, which: holy crap. If you don't think running into concrete full-tilt takes its toll, do some research about former Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder Pete Reiser. Yet just over the top of this 10-to-12-foot behemoth wall, we see something not unlike a palm tree poking out. There's something better out there, and it's just out of reach.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Vintage Fridays: Dave Pope, 1956 Topps #154
I love 1956 Topps. Other than the beautiful 1953 set, I can't think of any other base Topps set that looks like pure works of art. The horizontal card format works great with the action shot/foreground portrait combo. On this particular card, the "Davey" signature is a playful touch. Dave Pope, who made only three errors in his four-year career, is leaping for a fly ball against an endless gaping gray maw. It does occur to me that outfield fences used to be made of solid concrete with no padding, which: holy crap. If you don't think running into concrete full-tilt takes its toll, do some research about former Brooklyn Dodgers outfielder Pete Reiser. Yet just over the top of this 10-to-12-foot behemoth wall, we see something not unlike a palm tree poking out. There's something better out there, and it's just out of reach.
I love '56 Topps, too. I have a post all planned out on it for a couple days from now. I also have that Dave Pope card, although mine is so beat up you can't make out the palm tree.
ReplyDeleteThat collision is gonna leave a mark... ouch.
ReplyDeleteNaive confession: I didn't realize ALL the 1956 Topps were horizontal. This beauty is made all the better by the palm tree. Great post.
ReplyDeletePatricia - The thing that always bugged me about horizontal cards is that they don't display well in binder pages. Of course, I checked out a friend's vintage collection, and he had special pages for the 1955 and 1956 Topps (which were slightly larger than today's cards) - they displayed horizontally, two across and three down I believe. It was a good look.
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