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Set spotlight......1951 to '53 Dormand Postcards

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mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
My collecting interests have changed in the 40 years I have been actively chasing sports cards in that there was a time I was chasing every card I could find. Regardless of the manufacturer, year or player, if it was made I wanted to have it. I soon came to the realization that my wallet would never let me obtain my goal of collecting all the Topps sets ever made as well as those from Fleer, Bowman and others. As I have aged I am now focusing my collection on hand collated card sets I had as a child which would be the 1971 to ’78 Topps baseball sets. Although I have left the dream of complete set ownership behind, my love for vintage cards remains. There are many sets available that will not break the bank and allow a collector to enjoy owning cards of Mantle, Berra and the like and one such set is the Dormand postcard series from the early 1950’s.

Louis Dormand was a photographer who made postcards that not only featured baseball players but various land marks and locations throughout the New York area. If you were on vacation in the New York area in the 1950’s and sent a postcard back home to your friends you most likely sent them a Dormand card. His high quality Kodachrome images are what set him apart from other postcard manufacturers in that the photos were of high quality with exceptional images. For the baseball series, Dormand shot his photographs mainly at Yankee Stadium and photographed players in order to sell them postcards in which they could send to fans who request them. He included not only Yankees as his subjects but Dodgers, White Sox and even Bobby Schantz of the Philadelphia A’s. The typical cost to the players was ten cents per card or less depending on the amount that was ordered. Dormand would eventually open up his inventory to the general public and allowed anyone to purchase his post cards directly from him and would even sell his cards at the souvenir stands at Yankee Stadium.

The Dormand sports series consists of 45 total cards with players such as Mantle, Sain and Rizzuto offered in different poses. These cards are normal postcard size with a Rizzuto and Mantle being made in a larger format. There is varying levels of toughness to these cards as the Mantles, and some of the lesser known players among the easiest to find. The cards of Elston Howard, Casey Stengel and Roy Campenella are tougher to find with the Bill Skowron card being the toughest of the 40 player subjects to obtain. One interesting note about scarcity is that the Gil Hodges card was once thought to be one of the scarcest 1050’s era cards ever issued with auctions prices for those that were found in the hobby reaching the low four figures. A number of years ago the Dormand family was cleaning out his work area and found a stack of several thousand Gil Hodges cards that were never delivered to the Dodger great. These cards were sold in various lots via a well-known auction house and prices for the Hodges cards are among the least expensive in the set. There are two “official” poses for Johnny Sain that you will see in the checklist but there is another one available that was produced by Dormand for Sain that is more or less an advertisement for Johnny Sain’s car dealership that he once owned. The card front is split in half with a photo of Johnny Sain in his Yankee uniform on the bottom and one of his dealership on the top. While not technically a part of the Dormand sports series, many collectors still chase this one to add to their collection.

A quick Ebay search will show most of this set available for purchase but I caution as these prices are all over the board. It is not uncommon to see a card for one player selling in the twenty dollar range while the same exact card selling in another auction for nearly five times that amount. Mantles can be had for under a hundred bucks depending on the condition with many of the other players, minus the Skowron selling for much less. I recently purchased an exceptional Pee Wee Reese for twenty dollars so it does pay to be patient and shop around.

One final word on these cards are that these are post cards and were intended to be mailed through the postal system so finding nice, exceptional condition cards can sometimes be a challenge but it can be done. Personally, I like to collect these cards that have been mailed because many of these were sent directly from the player and include an autograph on the back. This is a great way to obtain a good quality autograph of some of the best players from this era without having to pay the higher prices that these players can command. A collector has to decide what condition is right for their collection and go after these cards. This exceptional set has all the makings of a good set for collectors who are fans of the ‘50’s era. This set has a small amount of cards, won’t break the collector’s budget and includes some greats of the game as its subjects. A true, quality set that is attainable and attractive all at the same time.
The following is the player checklist:

(Checklist taken from Keymancollectables.com)
101
Phil Rizzuto
116
Johnny Sain
101
Phil Rizzuto (Jumbo 6 x 9)
117
Jim McDonald
102
Yogi Berra
118
Gene Woodling
103
Ed Lopat
119
Charlie Silvera
104
Hank Bauer
120
Don Bollweg
105
Joe Collins (Patch on Sleeve)
121
Billy Pierce
105
Joe Collins (No Patch on Sleeve)
122
Chico Carrasquel
106
Ralph Houk
123
Willie Miranda
107
Bill Miller
124
Carl Erskine
108
Ray Scarborough
125
Roy Campanella
109
Allie Reynolds
126
Jerry Coleman
110
Gil McDougald
127
Pee Wee Reese
110
Gil McDougald (Signature Variation)
128
Carl Furillo
111
Mickey Mantle (Batting Left)
129
Gil Hodges
111
Mickey Mantle(BL Jumbo 6 x 9)
130
Billy Martin
111
Mickey Mantle (Bat on Shoulder)
132
Irv Noren
113
Mickey Mantle (BS Jumbo 6 x 9)
133
Enos Slaughter
112
Johnny Mize
134
Tom Gorman
113
Casey Stengel MG
135
Eddie Robinson
114
Bobby Shantz
136
Frank Crosetti CO
115
Whitey Ford
138
Jim Konstanty
116
Johnny Sain (Pose Variation)
139
Elston Howard
140
Bill Skowron


(Checklist taken from Keymancollectables.com)

Some cards from my own collection. Pardon the terrible scans as my scanner does not do these cards justice. I will try and rescan with a new scanner I just purchased.















 

Laxcat

New member
Sep 6, 2013
264
0
Those are cool. I was wondering if that is what you meant the other day. Here are a few of mine.
 

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mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
Those are cool. I was wondering if that is what you meant the other day. Here are a few of mine.

Yep, your cards are exactly what I meant. I could use a few of those in my collection and I was hoping you had a Skowron in the bunch so we could do some trading! LOL. Thanks for posting these. Do any of them have autographs on the back?
 

Laxcat

New member
Sep 6, 2013
264
0
[MENTION=2442]mchenrycards[/MENTION]

The Rizzuto and the Slaughter are signed on the back.
 

mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
Awesome stuff. Love these threads! Keep using the "Set Spotlight..." thread title format :)

#SetSpotlight

Thanks for the kind words and "set spotlight" it will be. I am going to attempt to do a set spotlight once a week (usually on the weekends when I have time) to feature some lesser known cards or sets. I know Laxcat has been showcasing many of his great sets as well and hopefully others will too. Thanks for reading.
 

Laxcat

New member
Sep 6, 2013
264
0
I'll start using Set Spotlight as well. I think it will help people that are looking for info on sets of this era. I don't post in Vintage b/c I consider vintage to be pre war.
 

mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
I'll start using Set Spotlight as well. I think it will help people that are looking for info on sets of this era. I don't post in Vintage b/c I consider vintage to be pre war.

I think there are a number of modern collectors who dont visit the vintage section because that isnt their area of interest. I think my point of view (and I think yours as well) is to post items here on this section of the bards to expose modern collectors to great older card sets. I think using set spotlight in your titles that features older card sets is perfect.
 

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