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MONARCH-CORONA BASEBALL CARDS

"everything a baseball card should be"




JESUS CHRIST BASEBALL CARD, CELESTIAL LEAGUE

“Jesus pitches so hard, nobody else can catch when he is pitching, so he plays
pitcher and catcher at the same time. He is that quick.”





I made this fantasy card about 10 years ago. It depicts Christ as a ballplayer.
Year after year in the Celestial League, he pitches nothing but perfect games,
and hits a home run every time at bat. He has been the MVP every season since
the league formed. His team has never given up a hit or lost a game.  He pitched
162 perfect games last season, striking out every batter on 3 pitches. He hit a
grand slam home run in every trip to the plate, 777 of them.

Imagine the chagrin of opponents, who can never expect to get so much as a hit
against him.  It seems like it might take some of the fun out of the game!

The card fails to mention that Jesus always leads the league in saves.

Author adminPosted on August 17, 2021


JOE TORRE’S 1961 ROOKIE SEASON AT MILWAUKEE

This card was printed during the Covid shutdown, and is the only card of Joe
Torre I have ever made. It is the 2nd card in the “Peerless” series, the first
card being Stan Musial. Doing the research on this card really made me like
Torre as a person. He is a man of many talents, interests, and intellect.



Joe Torre is famous for his great career as a player, which was followed by an
even greater career as a manager. He is also involved in the highest levels of
thoroughbred horse racing, with some big winners over the years.

Almost 20 years ago, Joe and his wife Ali set up the Joe Torre Safe at Home
Foundation, an organization that helps to educate and prevent domestic violence.
This is something Torre became familiar with as a child, when he witnessed his
own mother suffering physical and mental abuse from Joe’s dad. His father was a
bully, according to Joe. He knows how it affects kids, and even after all of
these years, he cares about that.

Joe always had an uphill climb. When he broke in with the Braves, they already
had All-Star Del Crandall behind the plate. He just kept working hard and won
the job. As a manager, Torre was successful dealing with lunatic owners like
Steinbrenner and Ted Turner, and still produced winning teams.

The son of Italian immigrants and a working class upbringing, Joe is one of
those stories of a determined young man who defies the odds and carves a slice
of the American dream. I’m not a big Yankees fan, but Joe Torre is now one of my
all-time favorites.

Author adminPosted on July 30, 2021


WALTER JOHNSON, WEISER, IDAHO, 1907

Walter reported to the Tacoma Tigers of the brand new Northwest League to start
his baseball career only days after the (April 18, 1906) San Francisco
earthquake – the greatest natural disaster in US history. After the disaster,
the rival Pacific Coast League looked like it was going to shut down, since
several teams affected by the quake had suspended operations. Johnson appeared
only once for Tacoma, in an exhibition game to raise funds for earthquake
relief. Believing the Pacific Coast League would fold, Tacoma manager Mike Lynch
expected to pick up some experienced PCL players for his team – so he fired
Johnson, telling him that he should give up on pitching and try becoming an
outfielder. Crushed, Walter went out to Idaho where he found work installing
telephone wires and pitching part-time for the Weiser team.

(click to view image full size)



It turns out Mike Lynch was as wrong as one can ever be.  Walter was a sensation
in Idaho.  While Johnson was pitching for Weiser, one local wrote this letter to
Joe Cantillon, Washington Senators manager:

“You better come out here and get this pitcher. He throws a ball so fast nobody
can see it and he strikes out everybody. His control is so good that the catcher
just holds up his glove and shuts his eyes, then picks the ball, which comes to
him looking like a little white bullet, out of the pocket. He’s a big,
19-year-old fellow like I told you before, and if you don’t hurry up someone
will sign him and he will be the best pitcher that ever lived. He throws faster
than Addie Joss or Amos Rusie ever did, and his control is better than Christy
Mathewson’s. He knows where he’s throwing because if he didn’t there would be
dead bodies strewn all over Idaho.”

The Senators finally sent a scout and signed Walter, and he became the greatest
Senator pitcher in history.  The Washington Senators would no longer ignore
reports from the potato state.  Five decades later, more fan reports from Idaho
would launch the career of the greatest Senator slugger – Harmon Killebrew.

I enjoyed researching Walter during this early part of his life. There were so
many “what if” moments: What if there had been no earthquake in San Francisco?
What if he had taken his manager’s advice and switched to the outfield? What if
he had just given up on baseball and made his career as a “Wichita lineman”?

Author adminPosted on July 10, 2021July 10, 2021


LEN DAWSON, DALLAS TEXANS AFL 1962 – GOLD STAR SERIES

It was the biggest year ever in Texas football. The football gods, in the guise
of the AFL, had bestowed upon the state two – count ’em – two professional
football teams. For the first two seasons, the Houston Oilers won the AFL
Championship. Then, in ’62, the Dallas Texans under young head coach Hank Stram,
stormed to the top of the Western Division to challenge the Oilers, who had
again led the Eastern Division. The AFL Championship was going to be a Texas
triumph, no matter which team won. Houston, with 35 year-old ace George Blanda
throwing 27 touchdowns and the best offense in the league was favored to win.

(click to view image full size)



The Texans, with upstart Len Dawson at the wheel, were up for the challenge,
which would be played at the Oilers home field in Houston. The game would end up
the longest pro football game that had ever been played. It remains the longest
championship game in pro football history. Two overtimes.

At halftime, Dallas was winning 17-0. During the halftime ceremonies, Len
Dawson, who had been named AFL Player of the Year, was presented with a brand
new Mercury Monterey S-55 convertible. Here is what one of those looks like:



In the second half, Dallas played a conservative game, relying on the run and
trying to eat up the clock. Houston started up their passing game, and put up 17
unanswered points to tie the game 17-17 at the end of the 4th quarter.

The first overtime quarter ended scoreless. Finally, in the second overtime,
Dallas kicked a field goal and won, 20-17.

Dawson had languished with his first team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. In three
full seasons with the team, he only threw 17 passes. He was third string, below
Earl Morrall, Jack Kemp, and Bobby Layne. After those 3 unproductive seasons, he
was sent to Cleveland, where he played second fiddle to Milt Plum. During two
seasons with the Browns, he only threw 28 passes. After the ’61 season, the
Browns acquired Frank Ryan, and released Dawson.

During the years Dawson played college football at Purdue, he had worked closely
with Purdue assistant head coach Hank Stram. Stram had always been impressed by
Dawson, and now he was the Texans Head Coach. When he found out that Cleveland
had released Dawson, Hank called team owner Lamar Hunt and told him “we need to
get this guy”.

It was a pretty good choice. Dawson went on to prove himself one of the greatest
quarterbacks in NFL history. Greatly underrated then and now.

Yes, that was a big year for Texas football, but only a few months later they
would be heartbroken to find out that their champions were skipping town –
moving to Kansas City to become Chiefs.

I really enjoyed making a card of Len Dawson during his season as a Dallas
Texan. His wife, Jackie Dawson, drove the hell out of that convertible for the
next 10 or 12 years.

Author adminPosted on May 30, 2021July 10, 2021


JIM BOUTON’S AMAZING ATLANTA BRAVES COMEBACK AT AGE 39

It was a gutsy thing to even think about. At the age of 39, Jim Bouton decided
he wasn’t quite finished as a pitcher. He won a spot in the minor leagues at
Savannah in the Southern League, and worked himself up to Atlanta. It wasn’t
handed to him in any way – he earned it. He started 22 times at Savannah and
completed 13. His ERA was a very nice 2.77 and he finished with a 12-9 record.

(click to view image full size)



In September, when the rosters expanded, Jim was called up to Atlanta. At the
time, some of the writers were calling it a publicity stunt. Nonsense. The
Braves were heading for 6th place and a 69-93 record. Niekro was the ace, with a
19-18 / 2.88 showing that year. The #2 starter was Preston Hanna, 7-13 / 5.13.
It went downhill from there. It was the weakest staff in the National League.
And here’s Bouton, the only guy in their whole farm system who put up any good
numbers that year. Why not? His name could have been Mudd and they would have
still called him up.

And he did pretty good, especially for a 39 year-old guy who had been out of
baseball for nearly a decade. The ’78 Braves were a bad team going nowhere, but
Bouton was facing big-league hitters, including the Dodgers, Giants, and Reds,
who were fighting for the division title. He started five games, and pitched
well in three of them. He beat the Giants 4-1 on September 14, his first
major-league victory in eight years. After a 2-1 loss to the Reds, their manager
Sparky Anderson said, “We didn’t even hit the ball hard off of him, and we got
two runs we shouldn’t have gotten.”

Bouton finished 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA in his three weeks back at the top. After
the season he retired again, saying that he had achieved his goal and had
nothing left to prove to himself.

His first book, Ball Four, is still my favorite baseball memoir of all time. He
was the first one to take the reader into the clubhouse, the team bus, and the
bullpen. Many thought he was one of baseball’s “bad guys” but he turned out to
be one of the “good guys” in the end. That’s why I made this card, because he
was good for baseball, and also because he had the guts to make what can only be
regarded as a remarkable comeback.

Author adminPosted on May 26, 2021July 10, 2021


SANTO & WILLIAMS, 1960 CHICAGO CUBS ROOKIE STARS, PASTIME SERIES

It was a pretty good season for rookies at Wrigley Field in 1960. The hapless
Cubs were at their lowest point ever, but somehow they were finding some talent
in their farm system. If things went well, the lowly Cubs might, within a few
short years, evolve into a baseball dynasty.

(click to view image full size)



These two Hall Of Famers later joined Ernie Banks and some other great players
(Kessinger, Beckert, Jenkins, Hundley, Holtzman to name a few) to make up the
best team to ever fail to make the NL playoffs. The whole infield from Hundley
all the way around to Santo made the NL All Star team in that 1969 season.

The Cubbies were in first place for most of the year. Then, on September 9th, a
photo was published in the New York newspapers of a black cat crossing in front
of Santo, who was in the on-deck circle at Shea Stadium during a game against
the Mets.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The manager was Leo “the Lip” Durocher. That was 1969, the year of the Miracle
Mets.

However, this card is set 9 years earlier in 1960.

The Cubs started off in ’60 with Charlie Grimm as manager, but he was let go
early and Lou Boudreau took his place. What a switch, from laid-back fun-loving
banjo-playing Good Time Charlie to an intense no-nonsense Boudreau.

This was the season when Santo won the starting job at 3rd base.  Talk about
Brooks Robinson til you’re blue in the face – I’ll take Ron Santo any day.  He
was the most reliable third baseman of the era.

And Billy Williams?  He would have to wait another season to break in as a
starter, but once he made the lineup, he was consistently excellent.  He was
probably the the most underrated guy in baseball during his career.

The 1960 Cubs ended up in 7th place, then in ’61 finished in 7th again, this
time with 4 different managers.

I created this card in 2009 when I was making the Pastime Series. I found out in
researching this one that Santo started off as a catcher. I also found out that
he drove his Rambler station wagon from Houston to Chicago at midseason of 1960
when he was promoted to the big leagues. The first day he arrived in the windy
city, the car was stolen!

I can vividly remember that summer of love in 1969 when the Cubbies were on the
verge of winning it all. Fergie Jenkins, perhaps occasionally under the
influence of a mild marijuana habit, was eating up the innings and piling up
victories. Bill Hands was having his one and only 20 win season. Ken Holtzman
was on his way to a 17-13 record. The old “Tinker to Evers to Chance” double
play combo had been supplanted by Kessinger to Beckert to Banks. Catcher Randy
Hundley was showing some power, with a career-high 18 home runs. Power, average,
and solid fielding were all displayed by the two players above – Santo &
Williams. The boys from Chi town were knocking at the door to baseball destiny….

Then, it all fell apart. And we had the Miracle Mets instead.

Author adminPosted on May 17, 2021July 10, 2021


LEGENDS: MAURY WILLS, MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

I started working on this series (Legends Series) during the summer of last
year. The first card I made was Maury Wills of the 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers.

(click to view image full size)



Wills made baseball history that summer with 104 stolen bases in just 118
attempts. He broke an “unbreakable” record set by Ty Cobb. Maury also batted
.299 and scored 130 runs. He was voted National League MVP, edging out Willie
Mays (who had a remarkable 49-141-.304 season).

Maury was a great athlete during his high school days at Cardozo H.S. in
Washington, DC. He played quarterback on offense and safety on defense for the
football team. In his senior year, the team was not only undefeated, none of
their opponents scored a single point against them all year!

One of the great mysteries in baseball card history is why Maury Wills didn’t
get his own Topps baseball card until 1968. He did appear on cards in the
ill-fated 1963 Fleer set and on Post Cereal cards. How Topps could ignore a
National League MVP and record-breaker year after year is beyond comprehension.

Probably, Maury would have never made it to the major leagues if not for Bobby
Bragan, who became manager of the Spokane Indians in 1958. Bragan took an
interest in Wills, and helped him become a switch hitter.

His batting improved dramatically in 1959, when he batted a solid .313 and stole
a ton of bases. An injury to Dodgers shortstop Don Zimmer precipitated Wills
being called up to the big leagues. By the end of the season he had won the
starting job. For the next six years in a row, Wills led the NL in stolen bases
and made numerous All Star teams. And he still didn’t have a Topps card!

He was exciting to watch. Fans in LA, and often in other stadiums, yelled, “Go!
Go! Go!” as soon as he reached first base. Usually, he took off, daring the
opposing catcher. Usually he made it!

Off the field, Maury was a pretty good banjo player. In Los Angeles, he was
often seen playing in jam sessions with some of the top bands of the era. He
made friends with famous celebrities, including Sammy Davis Jr., Miles Davis,
Doris Day, Bill Cosby, and other Hollywood stars of that era.

Wills is still alive and kicking in Sedona, Arizona. He was on the ballot for
the Hall Of Fame for 15 years, but never quite made it. In spite of that, he is
one of baseball’s greatest legends.

I printed 200 of these on our AB Dick press using some thick 22 point card
stock, the same thickness used back in the early 1960s.

Here is a “rookie card” of Wills, issued by Post Cereal in 1962:





Author adminPosted on May 15, 2021July 10, 2021


WHITEY FORD, BINGHAMTON TRIPLETS / MILLER PRESS

This card was actually created by my Dad when we had Miller Press. He loved
Whitey Ford. I thought of this one when I heard yesterday that Whitey had passed
away.

We printed this card at least 15 years ago.



Ford was a wily pitcher with great control and very cool under pressure. He
didn’t “dominate” hitters like a Koufax or Gibson, he just beat them. He was a
frustrating pitcher to face, because he never gave you what you wanted. He knew
who could hit the high ones, who could hit the low ones, and who could be
suckered with a low outside throw. He wasn’t the kind of man who made the same
mistake twice.



Of course he is in the Hall of Fame. But in the pantheon of great Yankees, he is
overshadowed by other names, the men who swung the clubs. It shouldn’t be
forgotten that the historic run of great Yankee teams through the 50s and into
the 60s could not have been accomplished without the steady left arm of Edward
C. Ford. He appeared in 11 World Series and was an All Star 10 times. His career
earned run average ERA of 2.75 is the best of all pitchers with 200 or more
victories.

Hearing about how he passed away while watching the Yankees playoff game brought
a tear to my eye. That’s how he wanted to go.

Rest in peace, Whitey Ford.

Author adminPosted on October 10, 2020June 24, 2021


FRANK HOWARD, 1970 WASHINGTON SENATORS, THE MAJESTIC SERIES

After spending most of the last several years goofing off, I have decided to
make some more Monarch Corona cards. I doubt my legacy is ever going to be about
the fish I have caught or even the newspaper stories I have written over the
years. The thing that becomes your legacy is more likely to be your passion –
and mine is still baseball cards after all of these years. And since I am mostly
retired, there is time to dabble in the cards. Plus, we do actually need some
fresh print samples.

So I have decided to make a new series called the “Majestic Series” and one of
the guys I’ll start with is Frank Howard:



Opposing pitchers were scared to death of Frank Howard. Among those was Sam
McDowell, ace starter for the Indians. Twice during the 1970 season, with Howard
at bat for the Senators, McDowell was switched temporarily to 2nd base in order
to avoid facing big Frank! Sudden Sam’s averse reaction to Howard blossomed
during the ’68 season (ironically the Year of the Pitcher) when Frank went 8 for
12 against McDowell with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs. Sam walked him six times that season,
as Howard compiled a 1.750 slugging percentage against the Tribe’s ace.



Frank Howard was a very large guy, about 6-7. Although by all accounts he had a
very kind and gentle personality, he could knock a horsehide well into the
middle of next week. Originally a Dodger, Frank was the National League Rookie
of the Year in 1960. He did pretty good in Los Angeles, but he was dissatisfied
there and told the team he would retire from baseball in the spring of 1964.
They talked him into staying another year, then swapped him to Washington for
Claude Osteen after the ’64 season. As a Senator, he became a legendary slugger.

This card was printed January 12th of 2020 on the AB Dick press. I made 200 of
them, and some have been added to our printing sales kits. In honor of Frank, we
have also donated $100 to St. Jude’s Childrens Research Hospital, a charity
Frank has been active with for the past few years.

Author adminPosted on March 28, 2020April 26, 2021


ROCKY COLAVITO, CLEVELAND INDIANS 1955 COLOR TV SERIES

It wasn’t easy for Rocky Colavito to break into the Cleveland Indians outfield.
Not only did they have sluggers Ralph Kiner and Larry Doby in the lineup, they
also had Al Smith, who batted .306 and led the team in stolen bases. On the
bench were perennial All Star Dale Mitchell, veterans Gene Woodling, Hoot Evers,
Wally Westlake, Dave Philley, and Harry Simpson. Every one of them were solid
starting-lineup outfielders. In fact, that version of the Tribe arguably had the
best group of outfielders ever assembled on one team. So Colavito was way down
on the list.

On this card I mention that Rocky was considered for a pitching role because of
his tremendous arm. After slamming 38 HRs at Indianapolis, such speculation
ended. However, it is a good bet that he would have made an outstanding pitcher.
During his major league career, Colavito appeared as an emergency relief pitcher
twice, once for Cleveland in 1958 and then with the Yankees ten years later. In
5.2 innings he gave up just one hit and no runs, with a couple of strikeouts.

I created this card in 2011, when I made a series of 16 Color TV cards.

Because the size of the cards is small, it’s hard to say some of the things that
go through your mind when composing the write-up. If there had been room, I
would have pointed out that Rocky had just been married. I might have mentioned
that his best friend was rookie pitcher Herb Score.

Author adminPosted on December 11, 2019August 5, 2020


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RECENT POSTS

 * Jesus Christ baseball card, Celestial League
 * Joe Torre’s 1961 rookie season at Milwaukee
 * Walter Johnson, Weiser, Idaho, 1907
 * Len Dawson, Dallas Texans AFL 1962 – Gold Star series
 * Jim Bouton’s amazing Atlanta Braves comeback at age 39
 * Santo & Williams, 1960 Chicago Cubs Rookie Stars, Pastime Series
 * Legends: Maury Wills, Most Valuable Player
 * Whitey Ford, Binghamton Triplets / Miller Press
 * Frank Howard, 1970 Washington Senators, the Majestic series
 * Rocky Colavito, Cleveland Indians 1955 Color TV series
 * Moonlight “Doc” Graham, 1906 Scranton Miners
 * Billy Sunday, 1887 Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Diamond Series
 * Nolan Ryan, 1981 Houston Astros Classic Series
 * Bart Starr, 1972 Green Bay Packers. Gold Star Series
 * Frank Robinson, 1966 Baltimore Orioles, Classic Series
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 * Roberto Clemente & Bill Mazeroski, 1955 Pittsburgh Pirates, Pastime Series
 * Jim “Orator” O’Rourke, Bridgeport 1904, Diamond Collection
 * About the author
 * Checklist: Glory Days Football, black borders
 * Checklist: Baseball Tobacco Road Series
 * Checklist: Baseball & Football Rookie Stars Series


COPYRIGHTS AND FAKES:

The images on this site are protected by U.S. copyright, and may not be
reproduced without written consent of the owner. Printing and selling these
images is not only a violation of copyright law, but may also constitute mail
fraud and wire fraud if such counterfeit items are offered for sale as
authentic.

I say this because it has happened once, several years ago. An eBay seller
decided to steal my designs (along with those of other card makers) and print
them on a home printer for sale online. He no longer sells on eBay, and was
forced to offer refunds to customers who purchased those pirated cards.

If you have a Monarch Corona card, and suspect it may be a fake, the easy way to
test it is to take a cotton swab and lightly moisten it. Gently rub the tip over
a portion of the card where the ink is heavy. If there is a transfer of ink to
the swab, it is a fake. Home printers use water-soluble inks. A genuine card,
printed on a press, will have no visible ink transfer.

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