Checklist of my custom baseball cards, 1951-56

Until now, there has been no place where all of my custom cards could be found in checklist form.  It is my intention to update this posting as new cards are created. Similar checklists for my other baseball, non-sports and football custom cards will also be posted.

Custom card availability. Unless noted, all of my custom cards are available to collectors for $12.50 each, postpaid for one or two cards; $9.95 each for three or more (mix/match). To order, email me at scbcguy@yahoo.com for directions on paying via check/money order, or to my PayPal account.

1951 Bowman
325 Satchel Paige, Browns
326 Kevin Saucier, Browns

1952 Bowman
253 Satchel Paige, Browns

1952 Topps
408 Satchel Paige, Browns
409 Rogers Hornsby, Browns
410 Duke Markell, Browns
411 Luis Marquez, Braves
412 Nellie Fox, White Sox
413 Jack Daniels, Braves
414 Johnny Logan, Braves
415 Sam Hairston, White Sox
416 Gene Conley, Braves
417 Bill Sharman, Dodgers
418 Bob Hope-Bing Crosby
419 Paul Pettit, Pirates
420 Buzz Clarkson, Braves

1952 Red Man
27 Mickey Mantle, Yankees

1955 Red Man
26 Ernie Banks, Cubs

1953 Bowman black-and-white
65 Jackie Robinson, Dodgers
66 Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Dodgers


1953 Topps
253 Richie Ashburn, Phillies
261 Jim Pisoni, Browns
267 Harry Hanebrink. Braves
268 Stan Musial, Cardinals
271 Quincy Trouppe, Indians
281 Bob Hope, Indians
282 Bing Crosby, Pirates




1953 Johnston Cookies Milwaukee Braves
26 Joey Jay
27 Harry Hanebrink

1954 Bowman
225 Charlie Pride, Memphis Red Sox
226 Hank Aaron, Braves
227 Ernie Banks, Cubs (w/bats)
227 Ernie Banks, Cubs (portrait)
228 Warren Spahn, Braves

1954 Topps
251 Charlie Pride, Memphis Red Sox
252 George Crowe, Braves
253 Jack Faszholz, Cardinals
254 Mickey Mantle, Yakees
255 Bobby Thomson, Braves
256 Ralph Kiner, Cubs
257 Ralph Branca, Tigers
258 Joe Adcock, Braves

1955 Bowman
322 George Crowe, Braves
323 Sandy Koufax, Dodgers (belt to cap)
323 Sandy Koufax, Dodgers (letters to cap)
324 Duke Snider, Dodgers
325 Roberto Clemente, Pirates
326 Warren Spahn, Braves

1955 Topps
123 Sandy Koufax, Dodgers (green)
123 Sandy Koufax, Dodgers (yellow)
175 Richie Ashburn, Phillies
186 Charlie Grimm, Braves
203 Mickey Mantle, Yankees
209 Bob Hazle, Redlegs
211 Bobby Thomson, Braves
212 Johnny Logan, Braves
213 Ralph Kiner, Indians
214 Ralph Branca, Yankees
215 Phillips Paine, Braves
216 Bob Thorpe, Cubs
217 George Crowe, Braves
218 Nino Escalera, Redlegs
219 Luke Easter, Indians
220 Joe Adcock, Braves

1956 Topps
7     Paul Pettit, Hollywood Stars
9     Bill Mazeroski, Hollywood Stars
12   Satchel Paige, Miami Marlins
341 Casey Stengel, Yankees
342 Charley Peete, Cardinals
343 Frank Robinson, Redlegs
344 Tom Gastall, Orioles
345 Charlie Grimm, Braves
346 Tommy Lasorda, Athletics
347 Bill Mazeroski, Pirates
348 Stan Musial, Cardinals
349 Bob Hazle, Braves
350 Stu Locklin, Indians
351 Brooks Robinson, Orioles
352 Rocky Colavito, Indians

'53T custom for long-time pro Quincy Trouppe

For a guy who played professional baseball all over the Western hemisphere nearly year-round for more than 20 seasons between 1930 and 1952, there are surprisingly few decent photos of Quincy Trouppe . . . and even fewer baseball cards.

All of Trouppe's career-contemporary baseball cards are Latin American issues and very tough to come by in today's hobby market. 

Since he played only six games in the major leagues, for Cleveland in 1952, it's easy to see why Topps, Bowman and other U.S. card companies omitted Trouppe.

I've recently completed a 1953 Topps-style custom card of Trouppe. It's based on a press photo I had for many years that was promulgated on the occasion of Trouppe becoming the first black man associated with the St. Louis Cardinals when they hired him as a scout in 1953. During his tenure as a Cards scout he is said to have recommended Ernie Banks and Roberto Clemente to the team, which rejected his advice.

Working up the back biography was not altogether an easy task. The internet resources that exist are not at all consistent concerning Trouppe's baseball travels and other biographical details.

Beyond my usual go-to resource, baseball-reference.com, let me recommend a pair of sites that I found useful in gathering data. James A. Riley's 1994 The Biographical Encyclopedia of Negro Baseball Leagues offers this: Trouppe bio. #1.

On the Laurens (Ga.) County African-American History blog in 2009, Scott Thompson posted this: Trouppe bio. #2.

I suppose a guy could use Trouppe's 1977 autobiography, 20 Years Too Soon: Prelude to Major League Integrated Baseball, to settle data disputes, but I've learned that you can't take what is written in such books as gospel, either. Still, I'm going to put the book on my winter reading list simply because I'd like to hear about this amazing athlete's career in his own words. 

Further complicating internet research is the fact that the ballplaying Trouppe had a son, Quincy Troupe Jr. (who spells the surname with only one p), who is an accomplished poet and writer. I spent a couple of hours working on an autograph element for the back of my card before noticing the spelling discrepancy. From various sources on the 'net I gather that Quincy Trouppe's surname probably started out as "Troup," the name of a prominent slave-holding family around Dublin, Ga. Shortly the "e" was added, and Quincy added a second "p" while playing in Latin America because he liked the way the locals pronounced it as "troo-pay".

While my custom card creation has slowed some in the past couple of months while I worked on disposing of my three-decades' accumulation of baseball cards and collectibles, with winter setting in I expect to increase my card output. Watch this blog for new releases.