Vintage Set Needs

Friday, February 10, 2017

The Prodigal BALTIMORE Colt card appears



Back in 2015 I did a long series showcasing the history of BALTIMORE Colts cards and related items. It was the most fun I've had writing this meager blog. Chasing what I needed was a challenge and researching the cards very rewarding. I still lack a few odds and ends and those are listed on a wantlist page linked over in the sidebar.

As I was putting the Colts cards together I had an invaluable tool, a checklist I bought from this company. It was pretty thorough although I found a few small errors which I brought to the attention of the author. As advertised I was sent a free updated list a few weeks ago.

I figured double-checking my cards against the new list would be a good idea. Sure enough, before I even reached the bottom of the first column I hit a snag. My 1955 Bowman Colts group was a card short. I was lacking Tom Keane, card #30.

This card had been left off the original list. I immediately hit eBay and found this copy for $3. And as of Monday all is right with the world, my Colts card collection is back in order.


I love the 'Fake Reverse from Double Wing' play that graces the back of the card. Looks like something we ran at Nutley High in 1965.

Tom Keane attended both Ohio State and West Virginia, played football at both and squeezing a Naval stint in between. From Wikipedia:


Keane was a third round selection and 18th overall pick in the 1948 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams. He played four years with the Rams, where he won the 1951 NFL title. He left the Rams to go play a year for the Dallas Texans. Due to injuries, he started one game at quarterback for the Texans. He then played two years with the Baltimore Colts and finally ending his career with the Chicago Cardinals in 1955. During his career he was selected All-Pro twice and played in the 1953 Pro Bowl.
He later went on to coach for many years in the NFL with the Cardinals, Steelers and Dolphins. He was on the staff of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins squad.

Although he is pictured with Baltimore Keane was already with the Cardinals when this card was issued. I'm glad he's on a Colts card though...it's one more look at the wonderful old school logo that just screams BALTIMORE Colts to me. I'm glad the team that uses this team name in Indiana didn't carry over this sweet logo.

4 comments:

  1. I think I have a Baltimore Colts item that might interest you. It was a gift from Jaybarkerfan's holiday tradeathon. E-mail me (sutherlandct @ gmail. com) if you're interested, maybe we can work out a trade. I do like it but I feel like it should be with a Colts collector - especially a Baltimore Colts collection such as yours.

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  2. Commish,

    You may be interested in this site:

    http://thecowboysguide.com/RetroCards.html

    They make custom cards (front & back) in the style of many sets from the 1950s-70s. It seems they focus mainly on Cowboys, Packers, and Bears, but there are additional Colts cards to supplement the '58, '63, and '66 sets.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the link, Jim. I'll check them out.

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    2. I bought the '67 Cowboys and '67 Packers. The '66 cards are available in a create-your-own wax pack of 10 cards, so I bought 2 wax packs: the '66 Eagles, and a mix of '66 quarterbacks. These are all great cards! I will probably get the '68 Packers next.

      I also bought the '71 Cowboys, but the blue border on those cards does not match the blue of the original Topps cards.

      (You can see some of these '66 Eagles custom cards on my "Eagles' Football (1966-75)" blog.)

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