It appears that Joe Coleman not only appears on a Red Man Chewing Tobacco card, but he uses the product as well.
Neat little set these Red Man cards. This is the only one I own other than the three Billy Pierce examples I posted earlier this month. Coleman is one of only two Orioles to appear in the set's four year run. The other is Sam Mele who was shown as an Oriole in one version of his '54 Red Man and as a member of the White Sox in another. I read someplace that the Oriole version is more common but I think that is a mistake. I can't find one on line for any price and yet the ChiSox Mele is readily available. I need to do more checking.
Joe Coleman won 13 games for the Birds in 1954, second to Bob Turley's 14 wins that first year of the relocated franchise. He won 52 games over 10 seasons with the Athletics, Orioles and Tigers. He is the father of the Joe Coleman who pitched in the majors for 14 years beginning in 1965 and who twice won 20 games. He is also the grandfather of Casey Coleman (the 2nd Joe's son) who last pitched for the Cubs in 2012 and is still in their system.
Love the color on these cards. Have the whole set of redsox 52-55 except for the 52 williams
ReplyDeleteI read this at the PSA site concerning the artwork on these and found it interesting:
DeleteIt is not known who supplied the artwork that graces the front of every Red Man Tobacco card but, whoever it was, they surely did a phenomenal job in portraying the players and managers in the sets. It is believed that actual pictures were used as the basis for the drawings but no known pictures to date can verify this belief. Red Man has been bought and sold a number of times since the cards were issued and any archival information that may have existed is long gone.
Very true. Phenomenal artwork. The color just jumps off the cards. Some years seem to be a little different than others.
DeleteA Sid Gordon escaped me on ebay recently. Card hunting never ends.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya. I chased a '58 All Star Mantle for years and I refused to budge from what I wanted from the card and what I would pay. Finally got one and it made it much more satisfying than just compromising on price, etc.
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