McCovey Monday #76 - 2015 Topps 5X7 1952 Design

My favorite player of all time is Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.  I have amassed a collection of over 1200 different  McCovey cards since I started collecting him in the late 1980s.  I will show off one of my favorite cards every Monday.  Stretch was one of the most feared hitters of all time and I am excited to show off my collection.

I usually only share Willie McCovey cards in my McCovey Monday posts but I am going to switch it up a little today.  How many of you are the on the Topps.com mailing list?  You get a few emails each week advertising wall art, t-shirts or special jumbo sized cards.  I usually glance at these and sometimes do a deeper look at the price then dismiss the idea.  The only purchase I have made is a sweet movie-like poster at the beginning of the playoffs last year featuring Bumgarner, Posey and Pence.  I bought 2 copies and got them frames, one went to dad and the other is hanging in the man cave.

Well Topps got me again recently.  Right around the same time they introduced a full run of reprint Rickey Henderson Topps cards in 5X7 format and a 10 card Giants set of 5X7s in a 1952 Topps design.  The set features 9 current day Giants and one retired legend:

This card looks spectacular.  I love the use of the 1952 design.  While it is a reused picture, I really like the multiple bats on his shoulder showing is size and strength.  They even used a proper period Giants logo on the McCovey card which differs from the rest. If you look closely in the bottom left corner you can see that the set is limited to 49 copies.  I got #42, I guess Willie Mac's jersey number of 44 would have been cooler but I am very happy with this set.

Here are the rest of the Giants that were included:

Overall I think the player selection was pretty good.  Ishikawa's inclusion is questionable but with his walk-off homer to send the Giants to the World Series I see why he is included.  I would have probably replaced him with Angel Pagan or maybe Santiago Casilla but I am not going to quibble.  There was also a cover card for the set which doesn't look too bad in its own right.

I have decided the McCovey goes in the player collection binder and the rest in the Giants binder. If I can ever find another McCovey super cheap I may pick it up but for now I am quite happy with this collection addition.