Recent Acquisitions: Two Topps 1960s Inserts (Killebrew, Clemente)

When I was young, I wanted to collect all the cards.  I wanted complete sets of anything that was of interest.  I couldn't afford to get every complete set, but sets were usually my goal.  I'm not young anymore, and I am more interested in representing various sets in my collection.  Rather than getting all of certain sets, it's nice to have at least one card.

1965 Topps Embossed Harmon Killebrew.

I have a handful of Harmon Killebrew cards, and I've now added this 1965 Topps Embossed insert card to my small Killebrew collection.  I always appreciated Killebrew as one of the few players to have more home runs than local hero Mike Schmidt.  This is my first of the 1965 Topps Embossed set, so this set is now represented in my collection and my binder.  I have a clear memory from the first show Dad and I attended (at Concordville Inn on Nov. 5, 1988, where I got my Brooks Robinson autograph) of one of the dealers having a binder full of the embossed cards.  I remember thinking how much there was to learn about all the different sets of cards that had come out before.

1969 Topps Deckle Edge Roberto Clemente.

Roberto Clemente also figures into that first show, since that's where I got my all-time favorite card, the 1973 Topps Roberto Clemente, the first good card that Dad and I bought.  Being a Pirates fan, and a Clemente fan in particular, you might think I'd have a lot of Clemente cards in my collection.  But I'm unwilling to get any that name him as "Bob Clemente," as most of his Topps cards do.  At least, I don't want the cards that say that on the front.  So it's a bit of a challenge to find cards of him to include in my collection.  His first Topps card called him Roberto, but is very expensive.  Then, at the end of his career, they started calling him Roberto again, so I have his 1971, 1972, and 1973 cards.  I will plan to pick up his 1970 Topps card as well, which again, does call him Roberto.  This 1969 Topps Deckle Edge is a good card for me to add, since on the front, it has a faux signature, which he signed as "Roberto."  The card back does call him Bob, but that's ok -- that won't show in my binder, where the cards are doubled up.

So, 1965 Topps Embossed and 1969 Topps Deckle Edge are now both represented in my collection and in my binder.  In my next post (on Thursday), you'll see another new (to me) set represented in my collection, with more of both Killebrew and Clemente.