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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
No doubt about it, Sandy Koufax knew strikeouts. In 12 major league seasons (1955-66) he threw 2,396 of them. That puts him at #42 all-time, #15 among left-handers. His career record is 9.3 K's per nine innings; good enough to lead the NL six times and the major leagues three times.
But Koufax also knew strikeouts from the other end of the bat.
In his rookie season of 1955, Koufax never went to bat without striking out. In his 12 games that year, Koufax was 0-for-12, with 12 K's. Those whiffs included six times caught looking, a missed bunt and a fouled bunt.
Moreover, the Dodgers' record in Koufax's dozen games in 1955 was 2-10. The only games Brooklyn won when Koufax pitched in 1955 were the complete-game two shutouts he threw. To be fair, as a bench-sitting bonus baby, Koufax was mostly used in '55 as a mop-up pitcher in games in which the decision was already determined.
It was seven games into his second season, June 3, 1956, before Koufax ever got on base or put wood to ball in a meaningful way. His former teammate Russ (The Mad Monk -- one of baseball's great nicknames) Meyer, then with the Cubs walked him in his first AB. Koufax also grounded out and was struck out looking by Meyer in that game, and walked again in the ninth off Vito Valentinetti. Koufax won the game 4-3 for his first victory of 1956.
Koufax's first major league hit came in his next game, June 8. He started in Cincinnati but was not in on the decision in a 4-6 Dodgers loss, Facing Johnny Klippstein, Koufax struck out in the third and in the fifth got a ground-ball single.
He got one more hit in 1956, off Willard Schmidt in St. Louis in his July 22 4-3 win over the Cardinals. That brought his career BA to .071.
0-for 1957
Once again in 1957, Koufax went hitless. In 26 at-bats over 34 games he had neither a hit nor a walk, though he did score one run. On Aug. 1 at Wrigley Field, Koufax reached first base on a throwing error, worked his way around on singles by Jim Gilliam and Carl Furillo and scored on a Gil Hodges home run. He won that game 12-3.
At that point in his career, his batting average was .032.
For the 1958-64 seasons, Koufax hit .090, between .064 and .122. He averaged just under 65 strikeouts per season.
In 1958 he got his first extra-base hit, the first of nine doubles he'd rap in his career. The initial two-bagger came Aug. 7, again in Chicago, in his 3-1 win over the Cubs. Serving up the double was Marcelino Solis.
Koufax never hit a triple. He had two home runs, both in Milwaukee. In 1962 he had a solo shot off Warren Spahn, and in 1963 he hit a three-run blast to take a 1-3 lead against Denny Lemaster.
In 1965, the reason(s) for which I've found no explanation, Koufax went nuts with the bat. He more than doubled his lifetime BA by hitting .177. It was second on his Cy Young seasons and the Dodgers won the World Series that year against Minnesota.
Koufax had not appeared in the 1955 or 1956 World Series against the Yankees. He was 0-for-2 against the White Sox in 1959 and 0-for-6 versus New York in 1963. He got his lone post-season at bat in the 1965 Series against the Twins, an RBI single off Jim Perry in Game 5. He was again hitless in the 1966 Classic versus the Orioles. Overall, in 19 at-bats in four World Series, Koufax hit .053 with one walk and eight strikeouts.
For his regular-season major league career, Koufax batted .097. He struck out 386 times in 776 at-bats, walking 43 times.
Surprisingly, Koufax has only the fifth-lowest batting average among Hall of Fame pitchers, though those below him were all primarily relievers, with far fewer at-bats. The numbers . . .
Pitcher AB H BA SO
Tommy LaSorda 14 1 .071 4
Hoyt Wilhelm 432 38 .088 166
Bruce Sutter 102 9 .088 50
Satchel Paige 124 12 .097 32
Sandy Koufax 776 75 .097 386
As hapless as he generally was with a bat, Sandy Koufax was masterful with the ball. It was his pitching that earned him legions of fans, three Cy Young Awards, an MVP, three World's Champion rings and a pair of World Series MVPs. All that, and one of the best nicknames of his generation: The Left Hand of God.
It is one of baseball great misfortunes that arm troubles forced him to cut short his major league career at the age of 30.
It's fitting that Warren Spahn was included in so many baseball card sets during the "bubblegum wars" years of 1948-1955. He was one of the most dominant pitchers in the major league for nearly two decades and may have been the best left=handed pitcher of all time.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Spahnie was a true egalitarian when it came to bubblegum cards. He appeared in Bowman's initial baseball card set in 1948 and in the Leaf set of 1949. Spahn was in the Bowman issues of 1949-53, as well.
When Topps came along in 1951, Spahn was in the Brooklyn company's Red Backs set. He would then be found in every regular Topps set, and many of their auxiliary issues, every season through the end of his major league days in 1965.
The only gaps in this opus appear in Spahn's absence from the final Bowman baseball card issues of 1954 and 1955.
Spahn was one of my favorite Milwaukee Braves when I was a kid; we were both lefties. To this day, I'd still like to replace the 1953 Bowman card I had in my youth. I'd like to find a nice, bright VG card, perhaps with an autograph to match my Eddie Mathews '53B.
I'm surprised it has taken me so long to create some Warren Spahn custom cards. I've been squirreling away vintage pictures for many years.
Here's what I came up with in the format of 1954 and 1955 Bowman cards.
In the coming days I'll be working on at least two, and perhaps as many as four, more Spahn customs. I'll showcase them here when they're ready.
