Sketch cards

I like to create my own sketch cards of baseball players. I keep many of them, give a few away and even sell one from time to time. I realized that I didn’t have any of the Sultan of Swat so I created one based on a photo of him from his later days as a Yankee.
What I like about sketch cards is that you can create art of a player and it fits into a top loader! Easy to store and display.
While sketch cards are very popular in non-sports cards, the 2005 Topps Gallery sketch cards by Murray Olderman were really the first mainstream sports sketch cards to be packed out. It will be interesting to see if sketch cards carry over into the sports realm. Sketch cards that are signed by the player?





(Babe Ruth sketch card)

Card trivia and autographs

I like to mix things up a bit from time to time. I try not to have a serious techical grading article every issue os this week's installment of the BGS Grading newsletter "The Report Card" features card trivia.


This is the second card trivia piece I have done for the Reort Card. The first trivia turned out to be very popular and I received some very positive repsonses. I really enjoy researching card trivia and I will continue to add trivia to the list so look for a part three in the near future!


I received two great former Lookouts interviews back this week. One from Tony Roig and one from Hillis Layne.


(Hillis Layne signed card)



(Tony Roig signed card)


I am adding portions of their interviews to the webpage on the page titled "Engel Memories".

Lookouts interviews

I received back this week an interview with former Chattanooga Lookouts Gene Verble. One of the most interesting things that happened to Gene didn't happen as a Lookout in Engel Stadium.
When Gene was with the Senators in DC, he was assigned to sit next to President Truman as a guard. Gene's job? To make sure Mr. President didn't get hit by a ball!


(Above is a signed card of Gene Verble)

98th PHILADELPHIA SPORTS CARD & MEMORABILIA SHOW

Well, anonther Philly show is in the books for us. The Philly show, once called the Ft. Washington show is now in Reading, PA. After two days of grading cards it's back to Dallas in the morning.
Reading is the home of Jesse Levan. Lookouts fans will remember Jesse as not only a "hometown" hero in Chattanooga but also the man who was banned for life from baseball. The "foul ball scandal" of 1959 resulted in Waldo Gonzalez being banned for a year from professional baseball and Jesse Levan recieving a lifetime ban.
Jesse died in 1998 and is buried here in Reading.
I met with the man who produced the 1978 Reading Remembers card set that features Jesse. The card uses the same image as the 1957 Chattanooga Lookouts team-issued photos. Joe showed me his copy of the photo which he says Jesse gave it too him.
I did not have a complete set of the Reading Remembers set. Joe happened to have one with him which I bought. Thanks Joe!

(Above is Jesse Levan in his 1957 Lookouts uniform)