Benny Woit's Career Through Cards - A PC Completed

My Benny Woit PC began when I found his 53-54 Parkhurst card at a swap meet for 5 bucks. It ended when I finally landed his autograph. Here is the complete PC and his complete career in cards. Benny was very much an unsung workhorse who didn't light the lamp often (7 career goals) but he was an important cog in a Red Wings machine that won 3 Cups with. Enjoy, I sure did. 

51-52 Parkhurst Card 58 - The Rookie

Here is his rookie. Simple card, posed picture and no stats. The year he spend 2 game with the club in the regular season and 4 games in the post-season. He had 2 PIM in the regular and 2 more PIM in the post-season.

Back side. Those slash marks are on the penny sleeve and not the card. The creases sadly are on-card crease.

52-53 Parkhurst Card 62 - Second Year card

Same picture as before but you can see a backdrop now. Images of a net and some fans in the stands. Benny played nearly a full season and 8 post-season games. He did win his first of three Cups that year.

Here is the back, again card is in rough shape but is complete.

53-54 Parkhurst Card 45 - Third Year card

This is the card that got is all started. I learned he was born in my hometown when I got this card and it began my research into his career. Personally this is my favourite from his career, and I really think its cool that the ref is included in the picture. Despite having the best regular season record, this year the Red Wings lost 4-2 in the semifinals against the Boston Bruins.

Here is the back side. You learn that he has a very hard shot. What you don't learn is the lots of goals he scored were in Junior and the AHL.

1954-55 Parkhurst Card 38 - Fourth Year Regular Version card

This is without a doubt my second favourite Woit card. Here you see an action shot, puck on end, Sawchuk in the background all things awesome. Like the last couple years, a facsimile autograph on the front as well. Card number on the front is a new feature of this year.

Here is the back side of the card. Very similar to the previous year, lots of info and the previous year's stats. There is also a Premium Lucky Version too which I felt I needed to have for a complete PC.

1954-55 Parkhurst Card 38 - Fourth Year Lucky Premium Version card

Same front, just awesome.

Different back. Here is a chance I could have traded my card for a Camera (along with a $1.50 which is about 14 dollars in today's money).

1955-56 Topps Benny Woit Card 9 - Fifth Year Card (last from playing days)

Topps first foray into hockey cards. This is often thought of as one of the best sets of the decade and of all-time. I do like the look of the card and really the best part of the card is on the back.

Here is the back side, loads of cool images, stats and facts. I like that the back does mention he is a bit of a unsung hero and what he brings to the table isn't often found in the box score. .

1956-57 Parkhurst Missing Link Set Card 40 - (My Benny Auto)

This was a set that came out in the early 90's looking at what a 56-57 Parkhurst set may have looked like if that year wasn't skipped. The cards look very nice and retro like but of course they still feel modern because of the thickness of the cards etc. What is different about this over the regular base cards is Benny signed it. I had no intention of tracking this card down because it was modern and after he was done playing but when I found one signed it was almost too perfect. The dealer is very reputable and I got the story behind the signing so I felt good enough to pay the fiver with shipping to land this. I did have a failed attempt at a Benny TTM so this was my best chance apart from paying an extreme premium on a PSA/DNA copy.

Here is the back side of the card, a nice attempt at a retro back. If you look at the previous backs you can see how this one was inspired. Similar but different enough to look like a legit new release. I have two of these now, my other is a Tom Johnson auto but I am interested enough to want to try and get the set now. If anyone has an extra set out there, I will trade handsomely for it....lets say twice BV to help cover shipping etc...

Anyway, there is the career of Benny Woit in cards, check out this write-up for facts and info too. 

A few more 53-54 Parkies - 5 to be precise

I have had these cards for an eternity and have just had no time to share them. My 53-54 project has been stalled a little lately as I have been working on a few other things but my love and desire is still strong with this set. These 5 cards bring my total up to 24 out of 105 which isn't too bad especially considering I have the Horton, Schmidt, Delvecchio and a few other higher BV cards.

However, some of the cards in this post aren't big names and may resemble a playing card with the roundness of the corners. Nevertheless, here they are:

#84 Gerry Couture

 Here is Gerry putting some pressure on the net. Love the old-time skates, and Gerry was quite the scorer in the minors, but did have his A-game during the 1950 Stanley Cup playoffs where he lead the Red Wings in scoring with 9 points and won a Stanley Cup.

#3 Gord Hannigan

 Gord would only appear on NHL cardboard three times, this is his second year card. He played 4 part seasons with the Leafs before disappearing from the NHL.

#77 Jim McFadden

This former Buckaroo won the 1947-48 Calder Trophy as NHL top rookie with a decent 48 points in 60 games and beat out players like Red Kelly and Metro Prystai for the award. Jim would never top those totals over the next 6 seasons but did finish with a respectable pro career including 100 regular season goals and 226 points in 412 games. Jim also won a cup with Gerry in Detroit. 

#69 Jim Peters

More Black Hawks! Like Jim and Gerry, this Jim won a cup with Detroit in 1950 and was actually shipped to Detroit in a trade with a few others guys (George Gee, Clare Raglan etc.) for a player to be named later and some cash(apparently 75G's). Jim does have to his credit 3 Stanley Cups (2 with Detroit '50, '54 and 1 with Montreal in '46).

#68 Don Raleigh

Here is another for the set and my PC. Old Bones can be seen striking this same pose here and here. The addition of this card makes 24 for this set and leaves me only two cards short of a set of Don Raleigh cards from his playing days. I am still missing his 54-55 Parkhurst and 54-55 Topps.

53-54 Parkhurst Alex Delvecchio

Lately my collecting has certainly been more focused in the past and partially that is due to the lockout and partially that is due to my budget. I picked this little gem up in the summer and like the Milt Schmidt, I was very pleased with the appearance. This card was at a buy it now that I felt was a little steep, especially because the seller said it had a bad corner but was still calling it Excellent. 

Personally, I have got to the point were I put NO FAITH in what the seller grades it as and I just do the best I can with the scan and pay for what I see. The price was too much for me, so I went rather low, but not too low to not get a counter and after I exhausted all my counter-offers we arrived at a price that I was willing to pay. The book value is 100 bucks ( in near-mint condition) because it is his third-year card. I personally think the card is a safe EX when it arrived I noticed the bottom half is a little rough, but the back is nearly flawless. The colouring is also pretty great and I am extremely pleased to have this in my collection. Right now this card is counting double (one for my PC and one for my 53-54 Set). I think this is card number 13, but at this stage I am not too sure as my total number is approaching the low 20's so maybe I will just run a few posts with the other cards and leave a final total after the last post. 

Anyway, here is the Alex Delvecchio which currently is the oldest one in my collection.

Love the action shot on the card, Alex has a few neat action shots in the early Parkhurst sets. He has two from the 54-55 set which feature him in action against the Leafs. Any one have an idea whose head is next to Alex? Mostly curious, but also gives me a greater appreciation for this piece of art!

1953-54 Parkhurst - Milt Schmidt

The 12th card I have added to my 53-54 Parkhurst set might be the nicest card I will ever land for the set in terms of condition. I have cropped the card to show what the corners look like and really they are the only flaw on an otherwise flawless card. Even the price I paid was excellent and I would do it again in a heart-beat. I am trying to make sure that most of my cards for this set are around VG or higher, but sometimes when you get the lot deals it is hard to pass up nailing several off the list while sacrificing some condition. Either way, this card will certainly improve my overall set average thus far and I have a few more to share in the coming weeks.

53-54 Parkhurst #92 Milt Schmidt

 As you can see from the front, nice colouring, an awesome card and the second card I have featuring a Bruins captain from that season. The corners have a tiny bit of wear when you look at them up close, but they are pretty sharp!

Back side

The back side is also clean, a little aging on the back, but that is pretty typical of a card from 60 years ago. This card is from Milt's third last season and if you look at his numbers from that year, he was still playing some good hockey at the age of 35.

I love this card and I really am getting into this set more and more! I am sure a few are getting sick and tired of hearing it, but I might even finish this set before the 51 set. Time will tell, but I am catching up with the other set 24 from the 51 set (1 new one to share) and 18 from the 53 set (6 more to share).

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this card as much as I did, it has also inspired me to try and track down a Milt Schmidt auto! Guys like him are true treasures and won't be around for much longer!

53-54 Parkhurst - Jack Stoddard

Here is the 11th card in my quest for the 53-54 Parkhurst set. Without a doubt, this is the nicest card condition wise to date. Slight rounding on the corners and that is all. The surface is amazing, nice gloss and no indentations or bumps. I almost wondered if this card was a reprint.

However, when you look at the back, the paper is aged nicely and it is clearly original.

53-54 Parkhurst #60 Jack Stoddard

Not much to say about Jack. He only spent two seasons in the NHL and one of those seasons was a short 20 game stint before the one mentioned on the back of the card. He would post some decent AHL numbers, but he NHL time was brief to say the least.

I am not sure why he didn't get much of a shot, his 25 points in 52-53 was pretty decent by standards back in the day and he scored 30+ goals twice in the AHL before his NHL debut. I guess it was just that tough to make it in the big leagues back in the Original 6.

This card certainly is a GEM in my eyes and it is nice that some of my cards in this set won't be in rough condition.

A few more 53-54 Parkies

The more I see from this set, the more I am in love. As I mentioned a few posts back, I picked up a lot of 5 53-54 Parkhurst cards, and here are what would be cards 7-10 of my set. The set has 100 cards so I guess that makes me 10% done!

#89 Real Chevrefils

 Real had his best season in 56-57 when he scored 31 goals and was named to the NHL's Second All-Star team. However, injuries and his demons would get the better of him and by the age of 27 he was no longer in the NHL.

#62 Nick Mickoski

 Broadway Nick spent 8 seasons with the Rangers before being trade with Allan Stanley to the Black Hawks in 1954. Nick was considered to be a pretty strong all-round player and in 1956 he played in the NHL all-star game.

#5 Tod Sloan

 Maybe the best player in the lot, Tod played in three all-star games and won two Stanley Cups. Tod also finished in the top 10 scoring three times in his career with his best season coming in 55-56. That year, he scored 37 goals and added 29 assists for 66 points. His 37 goals were good enough for 4th that season.

#36 Earl Reibel

This was the only rookie card in the lot, and Earl came into the NHL after leading the Edmonton Flyers in scoring during the 52-53 WHL season. Earl had four great seasons with the Red Wings before dropping off the map. His best season was in 54-55 where he LEAD the Red Wings in scoring. That is right, he had more points than Howe, Delvecchio and Kelly. Reibel managed to score 25 goals and 66 points that season which was good enough for 4th in the NHL that season. Reibel also won the Lady Byng in 1956. I am not sure what happened to him after the 57 season, but after the age of 28 he was out of the NHL.

That was the rest of the lot with the Al Rollins card. I hope to land a few more from this set in the near future and maybe even a few in better condition. As you can see, this lot was on the rough side, but then again with shipping it was about 3 bucks a card, more than worth it to me!

53-54 Parkhurst - Al Rollins

With 5 cards in the 53-54 set in my collection including the 5th most expensive card (Tim Horton), I guess you can say I am a long way from completing the set, but I am making progress. Well a little while ago, I landed 5 more cards bringing my total up to 10 which of course is 10% of the set. Here is what I would call card number 6.

53-54 Parkhurst #82 Al Rollins

I think it is safe to say this card is fair at best and most likely poor (The back is perfectly clean). Still, there is something cool about this card. I don't know if it is the landscape layout, the autograph that I will never own, of just the pose of Al as he drops the blocker and paddle down to try and stop one of the legendary greats. I am loving this set more and more with each card I get.

53-54 Parkhurst Harry Howell - Auto Rookie

I mentioned earlier that I picked up two "Buy It Now" autos from a dealer on eBay, well here is the second and I would say more exciting auto. Since I am actually trying to build the 53-54 Parkhurst set, this auto counts as three different cards to me. Sure it is a part of the set, but it is also a rookie of a HOF defenseman and it is an autograph. The card does have some rounded corners and the crease you see is only visible on the front side of the card. In all the card is in pretty weak shape (g-vg) but the autograph more than makes up for that to me!

Like the previous Howell auto, the signature looks 100% legit both in the scan and in person which is awesome and the fact that this is a rookie card made this card far more valuable to me as a collector than what I had to pay to get it. Thanks again Ralph, I certainly will keep watching your postings!

53-54 Parkhurst Pick-ups

Back in the summer I got a chance to pick up my first 53-54 Parkhurst card. It was a Benny Woit card and it represented the first time I ever actually saw a 53-54 Parkie.

Since then, I have fallen in love with them and picked up a few more.

Lee Fogolin

Lee is another player from my hometown and would raise a son (Lee Jr.) who would also make the NHL. Lee Sr. was good enough to make it to two all-star games in his career. His son would win two Cups with the Oilers in the 80's.

Cal Gardner

Love this card, it looks like a nice piece of artwork. Look at Cal's intent look and the captain's patch on a beautiful Bruins sweater. The scans on this card and the next card seem to show sides that aren't even but that isn't true. Both cards are even cuts, but of course have a little rounding on the edges and the odd crease or two. Both Cal and Lee cost me 1.99 on eBay which are steals in my opinion.

Tim Horton
I am most proud of this card. For a card that is almost 60 years old and books for 300, I felt paying 25 for this was a steal of a deal. There are some round corners on it, and a crease across the middle of the card which certainly lower the value. But, this is another case of you need to see this card in person to truly appreciate it. The glare from the toploader certainly ruin the scan, but you will have to take my word on the impressiveness of this little piece of cardboard.
Here is the back shot. Again you can see a little damage on the corners and the crease is more obvious on the back.

So with these three, it brings my 53-54 total up to 4. Not sure what I will do in the long run if I am just going after singles or the set, but in the meanwhile if I am seeing them at a good price, I am going to grab them.

I should also add, I have an Andy Bathgate RC coming soon....Will share when it arrives...