Trading Cards

One in a series of baseball-themed advertising trade cards published in 1887 by Tobin, this card featured a caricature of Charlie Ferguson, who was a well-regarded pitcher for the Philadelphia Quakers team. Sadly, it turned out that 1887 was the final season that Ferguson played--he died from typhoid fever in April 1888. -------- "Philadelphia. 'Not Onto It.' (Ferguson.) Tobin N.Y." "A. W. Schrader, manufacturer of all kinds of mineral waters, also bottler of lager and porter. Private families supplied at short notice. 726 and 728 Adams Ave., Scranton, Pa. Telephone connection."

A Japanese baseball menko card. As Wikipedia explains, " Baseball menko are an early type of Japanese baseball card, originally designed for use in the children's game of menko , but now avidly collected by baseball fans and card collectors. ('Menko' is both the singular and the plural form.)" For more information on baseball menko, see John Gall's fascinating book, Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card . For another example, see Flyers Menko Card .

A Japanese baseball menko card, which is a collectible sports trading card that was originally used in a children's card game . For additional illustrations of baseball menko, see John Gall's delightful book, Sayonara Home Run!: The Art of the Japanese Baseball Card . For another example, see Giants Menko Card .

One in a series of sports trading cards printed on the back of Wheaties cereal boxes in 1952. See also Ned Day, Famous Bowling Champion .

One in a series of sports trading cards printed on the back of Wheaties cereal boxes in 1952. For another Wheaties card, see Gretchen Fraser, Sun Valley Skiing Champion .

This "Paul Winchell" trading card is no. 18 in a series of 36 "Television & Radio Stars of N.B.C." cards published in 1952 The description on the back of the card identifies ventriloquist Paul Winchell as the star of the Paul Winchell-Jerry Mahoney Show on NBC-TV (the show ran from 1950 to 1954) . Winchell's puppet (also called a ventriloquist's dummy or ventriloquial figure) was named Jerry Mahoney, and the back of the trading card explains, "Jerry, the sassier half of Winchell, is one of the most valuable puppets in the world. He is insured for $10,000. Winchell lives in New York with his wife and small daughter, who accepts Jerry as a living member of the family." Paul Winchell died in 2005, but his puppets--Jerry Mahoney and another one named Knucklehead Smiff--live on in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution.