Conlon Collection Series 2 Box Break - Pack 3

Here is pack 3 of my 36 pack box break.  I will probably take a break for a couple days to get some contest results in, launch a new contest and share some recently acquired cards. 

Pack 3

This pack introduces new banners in "75 Years Ago Highlights", "Nicknames" and "Why Not in Hall of Fame?"  We also have our 2 Cardinals and for the first time 2 umpires make an appearance.

Here are the stats:

Series completion - 45/330
Duplicates - 0
Giants in this Pack - 1 (Mathewson)
Total Giants - 3
HOFers in this Pack - 6 (Sisler, Cochrane, Gehrig, Plank, Johnson, Mathewson)
Total HOFers - 16

Favorite Card Front:
Not sure exactly why this one jumped out at me as my favorite.  I am a fan of the old school Cardinals logo and this guy just looks like a 1920’s ball player.  He has a buzz cut or no hair at all, some nice big ears sticking out and is wearing his hat high on his head.  Overall just a great photo and my first non-action favorite.

Favorite New Facts Learned:
Riggs Stephenson card back:

I had heard of Riggs Stephenson before but really wasn’t aware of how good he is.  The front of the card says “Why Not in Hall of Fame?” and I am not sure he is a HOFer but I should have known a little more about him that I do.  He hit over .330 7X and has a .336 lifetime average.  He played in 2 World Series hitting .378 and .444.  He was more of a doubles hitter than a HR hitter but most were in the 20s and 30s.  He lead the league with 46 doubles in 1927 and had 49 in 1932.  It appears injuries played a part in his career topping 137 games only once in his career but did appear on 3 different MVP lists with a high of #5 in 1932.

Mickey Cochrane card back:

I have heard lots about Mickey Cochrane and was well aware that Mickey Mantle was named after him.  I had even heard that his nickname was Black Mike.  What I didn’t know is that his really name isn’t Mickey or anything resembling Mickey.  It is Gordon Stanley Cochrane.  Apparently his intensity lead to the Black Mike nickname which evolved into Mickey.  Goes to show you can learn something new about even the most famous players.

Walt French card back:

Another name that I am semi familiar with but in reading the back it is obvious he was an amazing athlete.  He was an All-American halfback and actually was a dual pro athlete in football and baseball.  He was Deion and Brian Jordan about 6 or 7 decades earlier.

Another great pack and so fun to open and study.