1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #42 - Floyd Smith

The last of my tall boys (for now) is number 42 in the set and number 6 in my collection, Floyd Smith. Floyd played in parts of 13 NHL seasons in a total of 616 regular season games. He scored over 20 goals twice and over 40 points three times which is very respectable for the time period.


1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #42 - Floyd Smith

As far as my tall boys go, this one is one of the better conditioned ones. Crease free with just a little wear and tear on the card.

I don't know if I like the card or feel bad for poor old Floyd. Floyd was a very good player in the AHL and would be a decent NHL player but apparently he is best noted for who he married? The cartoon is a little tragic if you ask me but still a fun sign of the times.

1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #6 - Terry Sawchuk

Let's get back aboard the Tall Boy Train! Since my last post about my fourth one I have added a 6th so here is number 5 and I will share number 6 in my next post. I find this card very interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, it has been loved numerous times probably by numerous people. I suspect this card could have been handled more than a 1970's pay phone. With that being said, it only adds to the character. What I like more about this card is it happens to be an UER but there might be more than meets the eye here too and I am curious to get YOUR take on it.

So when you look this card up in the "bible" it lists the card as an uncorrected error because on the back of the card his name is spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is on the front of the card "Sawchuk" and on the back they have included a second c spelling it "Sawchuck". How much saw can a saw chuck chuck anyway? Lame? Yeah probably...

But what interests me even more is the front of the card where Terry appears to be wearing a jersey with a number 25 on it. I was perplexed by the situation and did a little research because I always knew Terry to wear 1 or 30. Well it turns out according to Hockey Reference Terry wore other numbers including 29 for the Red Wings in 1968-69 and 24 during the 1964-65 season with the Leafs. I have no idea why he wore 24, Johnny Bower had his number 1 and Terry would switch to 30 the following season so the 24 remains a bit of a mystery to me. However, Terry isn't even wearing 24 in this photo which only adds to my intrigue. So I did a little more digging and it turns out someone else was in the 25 jersey during that season and it was a player named Pete Stemkowski. Pete played about half that season 36 games or so and had 20 points during his "rookie" season that year. So did they put someone's head on someone else's body? No. It turns out Pete was left out of the Tall Boy set and his rookie doesn't appear until the following year. So my best guess is this photo was taken at the start of the season (hence Terry's very tanned neck) and he probably hadn't settled on a jersey and just grabbed the first free one on the pile.

What is also interesting is the following season Topps used the exact same photo and just cropped it so you can't really see the number on the jersey. Enough of my ramblings, on to the cardboard!


1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #6 - Terry Sawchuk

Creases? Sure, but the colour is still sharp and the card has some gloss still!

Not sure why someone wrote 43 on the back of this card but it must have meant something.


Well there you have it, my 5th card from this set. It almost seems like I could actually complete this thing? Well maybe, someday.

1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #15 - Norm Ullman

Here is the fourth Tall Boy in my collection and I already have news, I managed to pick up a fifth! So if you are disliking these posts, the end is extended just slightly and if you like them it has be prolonged just for a bit longer. This post is about HOF'er Norm Ullman.


1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #15 - Norm Ullman

Norm has made an appearance in my collection before as a TTM return so I am definitely a fan of him as a person and a player. I am a pretty big fan of this card and love the look of the old gloves and the colour scheme is just awesome.

 

Here is the back side, same as the previous with facts, stats and a comic. I am not sure if Norm was insulted or flattered by his comic but personally I thought they could do a little better on this one!

1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #109 - Pierre Pilote All-Star

The Tall Boy train continues with this one featuring HOF'er Pierre Pilote. Like my recent additions, this has it's characteristics. This one has a little paper loss on the front from being taped but it is crease free and in pretty great condition otherwise. Totally with the 5 bucks I spent on it.

1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #109 - Pierre Pilote All-Star

Very cool design, I like that they had All-Star cards in the set and the stars at the top and bottom are one of my favourite designs about the front.

Unlike the regular base cards, the All-Star cards have no cartoon and are all facts and info. 53 points in 70 games is/was very impressive especially when you consider Stan Mikita lead the league in scoring with 89 points. Pierre was not only a first team all-star but he also won the Norris that year.

1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #82 - Ted Lindsay

Tall Boy number two that was recently added was that of Peyton Manning HOF'er Ted Lindsay. This card would never have been created if not for a comeback after 4 years of being out of the game. He did come back just for the one season before retiring again for good. In case you were wondering, he managed to score 14 goals and 14 assists in 69 games which was higher than his previous season's totals.

1964-65 Topps Tall Boys #82 - Ted Lindsay

 

Like my checklist, this one has received much love in the form of touching. It may have also been dropped, kicked, hugged or even spent an afternoon in a pocket. Either way, it has creases which is why the 75 dollar card was very easily purchasable for 5 bucks.

 

Here is the backside and again you can see some drag marks across a rough surface like a floor or sandpaper. No stats because he missed the previous few seasons but a cool comic which all of these cards feature. Ted's second last season was in 59-60 with the Blackhawks which is why it says "he desired to finish career in a Red Wing uniform".

1964-65 Topps "Tall Boys" #54 - Checklist

Here I go, much less time between posts! This card is one from the LCS. I stopped in one day with a pocket full of change and I spotted a number of Tall Boys. Using some recycling money and a few bucks I had in my wallet I was able to add 4 more tall boys to my collection. Originally I had just one, Jim Mikol rookie which I must say is in amazing shape compared to these but the latest additions all carry a bit more "book value".

The first of my pick-ups is the first checklist from the set.

1964-65 Topps "Tall Boys" #54 - Checklist

I actually love checklists, especially vintage ones. I have almost won one of the 66-67 Topps ones a couple of times but sadly still waiting on a victory there. But back in the day of course checklists were often checked so their value is often inflated due to the fact that unchecked ones are pretty scarce. This one is checked but despite its heavy use, it is pretty amazing still. Beautiful colour on the front and no creases!

Here is the backside. Again lots of checks, in fact I think they completed the Series 1 set by the looks of it and maybe had some issues finding card number 47. A little wear on the corners but other than that I just loved this card and had to have it.

Book price on this in great shape and sans-checkmarks is $300 and the second checklist is actually $450 because it is short printed. I thankfully bought it for pennies on the dollar due to all those horrible checkmarks which I personally like and feel it adds character. I don't think I would ever pay for an unchecked one but then again I supposed if I wanted to chase a mint version of this set I would need to consider that route. Still, it is a beautiful work of art that has been loved and will continue to be so. What are your thoughts on vintage checklists? Love/Hate? Do the checks bother you?

1964-65 Topps Jim Mikol Rookie - My First Tall Boy

Ignorance is sometimes just ignorance. I never thought much of the old 64-65 Topps, in fact I pretty much felt it was one of the most overrated sets of all-time. When Fleer Power Play hit the market in 93-94 I was only that much more irritated at their large size, hard to store and otherwise foolish look. In fairness though, I never had held an original tall boy in my hands and I guess I was basing my opinion on very little.

Well this past fall, I finally held my first tall boy and it was AFTER I won it in an auction. I didn't go out looking to buy this card, but when I won a different auction I started looking at what else the seller had and this gem was there with only moments left so I threw a bid in and stole it!

64-65 Topps #36 Jim Mikol Rookie

This card is in amazing shape! No creases, solid centering and the corners are pretty decent.

I love the card backs. Good use of space and don't let the numbers fool you, those are Mikol's AHL numbers with the Cleveland Barons. He finished tied for second on his team behind AHL legend Fred Glover. Jim Mikol didn't have a HOF NHL career and actually only ever had one NHL card made during his playing career. Despite that fact, I still really like this card and I must say I have more of an appreciate of the Tall Boys now that I have one in my collection and even though I am still not a die-hard, I can appreciate them enough to say they aren't the most overrated set of all-time, but maybe just a tiny bit overrated.