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Hollywood bum (another edition of "What Tha?")


Well, no one has much of an idea about how to store '75 minis, Lineage or otherwise. I was afraid of that. This might cause me to be "innovative," which means my card supplies should be looking for a place to hide.

No big deal. After all, the blog has been invaluable for receiving collecting help. I don't know where I'd be without my readers, especially those who comment. A lot more stupid about cards, I know that.

For example, in the last post I noted how the Koufax base Lineage card has a different photo than the '75 mini Lineage.


I wondered about other players in the set possibly having two different photos. As usual, you guys came up with some examples, like Adam Jones and Mark Teixeira. I'm sure there are a number of other ones that I could find, if I could just get myself to tackle the task.

But one of the comments from Lifetime Topps caused me to stumble across something else.

He said:



The question part of the comment caused me to go back and look at the mini Koufax, because after reading the comment, the back of my brain knew something wasn't right.


There's the mini card again.

And here's a close-up of his uniform:


Yup. That's "Los Angeles" all right.

Now, here's a close-up of his cap:


B?????????

As in Brooklyn?


Is he a member of the "Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers"? Had Koufax gone Hollywood yet remained a Bum? What is going on?

I know Koufax was good, but I'm pretty certain that he didn't pitch for both Brooklyn and Los Angeles at the same time.

"Perhaps," I thought, "Topps found some photo where Koufax was goofing off and dug up an old Brooklyn cap and wore it for a gag."

But that would be highly unlikely, especially since I've seen a photo of the '75 Lineage Koufax pose on at least one other card.

It appeared on the titanicly hideous diaper/uniform auto-relic card in Topps Marquee:


Take a close look at the photo -- if you can even find the photo.


OK, it's pretty blurry, because it's a swipe of a swipe of an image. But you get the idea. That's the same photo. But there is no "B" on his cap. That's an interlocking "L" and "A."

So why in the world would Topps place a "B" on Koufax's cap when he's wearing a Los Angeles uniform? Is there some still-bitter Brooklyn Dodgers fan working in the art department at Topps? Is there a stealth variation of the correct version of this ca...

You know, I've got no answer for this one. I think if I think about it any more, I'll go as loopy as the people manufacturing baseball cards.

I give up.

Comments

Cardhobbyist said…
Cues the X-Files Theme song.....
Clearly it's the Los Angeles Dodgers of Brooklyn. I knew Anaheim didn't think of it first.
Anonymous said…
Whoa. Some funny business going on.

Next thing this makes me wonder - did they photo-shop the other picture as well? In other words - in the regular card, where his cap is a B and the jersey says "Dodgers", is he really during his stint with LA!!!

This actually made collecting the 75 minis much more interesting.
Wrigley Wax said…
I've got the base set, and when I saw the Koufax card, my first thought was that the stadium sure looks like Dodger Stadium. But then I saw the B on his hat and I was confused. It's definitely not Ebbets Field. Topps wouldn't ever try to pull a fast one on us, would they? I guess the Koufax mini gives us the answer.
Andy said…
Amazing catch, there. I would never have noticed that.
That's probably a SSP. As in stupid short print. A company with the storied history and reputation of Topps would NEVER try to pull a fast one on collectors. *clears throat*
Stealing Home said…
that's some existentialist shite, bro.

"In existentialism, the individual's starting point is characterized by...a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world."
Don said…
Both photos are photoshopped. I found both original photos on Getty Images and they clearly show show Koufax with a LA cap on. Don't know why they changed the cap, as both photos are color and did not need to be colorized. For an example of a colorized photo look at the Joe Morgan card from Linage (I think the rookie cup card). The photo on Getty is a black and white photo.