how christy found a new home

Is it this?

Or these guys?

Well, how about the story of how this card found its way into my collection:

As I posted the other day when I revealed the back of this card, the shop I got this from has a Facebook page. He had posted that he got this, along with a few other vintage cards, from a guy who stopped by the shop. I almost disregarded the other cards (amongst them a 1956 Hank Aaron, a Mantle and a couple league leader cards with big names on them from the early 60s) and immediately asked him where these had come from. He told me and I asked him in a message how much he was asking for the Mathewson. He said he was going to put $500 on it but he would take $400. The card books high at $1200. I felt this was a more than fair price but I could not spend that much on one single card, no matter the age or player. I couldn't not own it either though. Hmm...what to do...what to do... Well thinking nothing short of robbing him for it, I decided to take the legal way and do the only thing I knew how to... Trade for it! Yes, coming up with that much in trade value (plus cards that he can actually sell) would be a daunting task. I don't really have much on that front. No big old cards worth hundreds or auto/relics numbered to 3 of say, Babe Ruth. So what do I do? Then I remembered the 'in the works' 1954 Topps set. Good old Topps, you've finally done right by me. I had to come up big and make it worth his while but at the same time, not destroy my set in progress. This is what I ended up pulling out:

Yep, Ted Williams card 250, Whitey Ford and Billy Martin. All went bye-bye. Like I mentioned, Christy books at $1200. The above three cards book at $1300 (Ted at $1000, Ford at $200 and Billy at $100), which are high book even though these aren't. Those plus the couple of Red Sox and Yankees relics I added in and the Christy was mine (plus that Jays printing plate I showed the other day too). The logic being that while T-206 cards are incredibly awesome and instantly add luster to any sales showcase, the market for them is somewhat limited. They are old and expensive and many collectors either don't care for anything older than this year or they just don't have the cash to plunk down on a card like that. Yankees and Red Sox cards however, sell like mad up here and having those three vintage cards in his case should prove to be a good deal for him. He is a great guy and I've made deals with him before but never for anything this big (the last trade we did involved a 300 or so count box of Sox/Yankees in which I traded for a 1970 Hank Aaron he had priced at $20). They sell, so he wants 'em. I usually save some of the good ones for you Sox and Yankee fans on here, so no need to think I'm cleaned out.

So back to my story. This is where the 'replacements' part comes in. I obviously couldn't have holes in my set that I really really want to finish, so I simply replaced them. For as cheap as possible. The cards that you see scanned above are the replacement cards. The Martin and Williams came today and Ford came on Tuesday. I paid $100 for Ted (which was graded until about an hour ago), $30 for Ford and $15 for Billy. Meaning I essentially paid $145 for the Mathewson, when on eBay they never go lower than $300. These three cards are also in about the same (or in the case of Ted, better centered) condition as the three I traded out. I think overall this turned out good for him but way better for me.