PSA Set Registry: Collecting 1959 Home Run Derby Cards A Grand Slam of Vintage Baseball Sets

Table of Content

• Atlanta Braves Legend #3
• Collecting 1959 Home Run Derby Cards
• Graded
• Hank Aaron
• Newsletter
• CARL WILLEY 1959 Topps #95 Milwaukee Braves EX++ (Not reprint)
• Baseball history from Doubleday to Present Day

Shop by tag To enable this, create a smart collection named All Products and set the condition to 'Product price is greater than 0'. You can create a collection through the 'Collections' menu in Shopify admin. Please feel free to contact Kevin Glew at if you have any additional information or comments. Thank you to Greg Rice and Robert Edward Auctions for providing cards for this article. Please note that the Population Report figures quoted and Set Registry rankings reported are those as of April 2019. The fact that the original Home Run Derby episodes were replayed on ESPN in 1988 and 1989 and again in primetime on ESPN Classic in 2009 has also inspired more interest in these singles.

"If you were going to hang on to a card, it would probably be your favorite ballplayer and not the host of the show." Another tough card to obtain in top grade is the single devoted to host Mark Scott. Of the 19 submitted, the five PSA EX 5s represent the highest-graded examples.

Atlanta Braves Legend #3

Though his career was riddled with injuries that kept The Mick out of the lineup far too often, Mantle finished his playing career with a .298 batting average, 2,415 hits including 536 home runs and drove in 1,509 RBI. Filmed in December 1959, “Home Run Derby” was a groundbreaking weekly television series that pitted baseball’s top sluggers against one another in head-to-head battles for long ball supremacy. The show took place at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles (home of the Pacific Coast League’s Angels), chosen because of its near-symmetrical dimensions. Unlike modern derbies, hitters were allowed three outs per inning ; the player with the most homers after nine frames was declared champion. Winners received $2,000, with an additional $500 going to anyone who hit three consecutive big flies (another $500 was awarded for a fourth straight home run; anything beyond that was worth $1,000).

As noted earlier, this set offers 20 cards - featuring 19 players and Scott. Nine Hall of Famers - Mantle, Aaron, Willie Mays, Al Kaline, Eddie Mathews, Duke Snider, Harmon Killebrew, Ernie Banks and Frank Robinson - are highlighted. It's likely that many of the 1959 Home Run Derby cards that have resurfaced and been graded can be traced to Zimpleman. The hobby pioneer is unsure, however, if the way he received his cards was common.

Collecting 1959 Home Run Derby Cards

The PSA CardFacts Condition Census lists the ten finest PSA-graded examples of a particular card. The top five in the census are listed on the specific card's "home page." The entire ten-card census can be viewed by clicking the "more" link at the bottom left of the home page census. ESPN Classic ran the program in primetime in September and November 2009 after a 2-year hiatus, and still occasionally carried episodes in middays thereafter.

This card features the legendary, five-tool slugger in a batting pose staring intensely at the camera. AÂ PSA 6 sold for $4,500 in a Robert Edward Auctions sale in May 2018. The switch-hitting great batted right during the Home Run Derby and is pictured in the follow-through of his right-handed swing. Of the 37 evaluated, there has been one PSA NM-MT 8 and two PSA NM 7s.

Graded

All include Mantle, two of him in the batter’s box and one standing alongside host Scott. A good example is Cleveland slugger Rocky Colavito, the 1959 co-American League home run champion. Stunningly, especially for his feverish local fan base, Cleveland shipped “The Rock” to the Tigers right before the 1960 regular season. Indians home attendance immediately nosedived as a result — and for several seasons.

Episode winners took home $2,000, with bonuses for three or more straight homers in an inning. Hank Aaron won six of seven contests and the most money, $13,500 (or around $132,000 in 2022). The Los Angeles Dodgers will host the MLB All-Star game on July 19 and many batters will look to launch a home run or two at Dodger Stadium in hopes of helping their team win the Mid-Summer Classic. "At the end of the day, I think they attracted stronger interest than we anticipated, but we definitely expected the set to bring a big number in total."

Red Sox Retired Number 4 – Hall of Fame player and Manager Joe Cronin

One of the most elusive cards of Hall of Famers in high grade is the Snider single. "In my opinion, they were issued in pretty similar numbers," said Struss. "The only reason I say that is because if kids had their choice of cards, every one of them would've chosen Mickey Mantle or Hank Aaron. And you see these cards, including the card of Mark Scott, in pretty even numbers." "I don't think that there are a lot of people working on this set because there just aren't enough cards to go around," said Rice. "I didn't really trade any of the sets until 1971 when Crawford Foxwell, from Cambridge, Maryland, had a get-together at his house," remembered Zimpleman, adding that about 30 collectors were present. "I took the sets there and I started trading them for a Goudey Babe Ruth and stuff like that. It was like a bonanza, but I kept one set for myself."

In fact, Hodges smashed a game-winning homer in front of some 92,000 fans in Game 4 of the 1959 Fall Classic, one of the largest single-game crowds in big-league history. “That is a great, great set,” said sports card dealer Steve Novella. “I would love to get my hands on them as often as possible, but it’s been years since I had some.” The Florida-based dealer noted that Home Run Derby cards “got hotter when the show was on ESPN,” which revived the episodes in the 1980s. This renewed exposure, coupled with the strong player selection, rarity of the cards and our continued fascination with home runs, has driven prices up in recent years.

Hank Aaron

Some players wore golf gloves during the show—a notable addition because the batting glove was still years away from being a normal part of a player's gear. The 1980s also ushered in a new era for the sports collectibles and memorabilia market, and few were a bigger draw than Mickey himself. He was unquestionable the biggest draw in the industry up until his death and he frequently insisted that lesser-known former teammates accompany him so that they too could capitalize on the recent boom. Mantle's hard living eventually caught up to him as he underwent treatment for alcoholism an eventually required a liver transplant.

Nineteen players, including nine future members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, participated in the series — "almost all the power hitters of the era." Other than the regular cards and reprints, however, there is not a lot memorabilia that exists revolving around the program. Perhaps the most common item of the era to supplement one’s “Derby Display” shows up in the April 9, 1960 issue of TV Guide — a program ad picturing Mantle and Mays.

1959 Home Run Derby Reprints MILWAUKEE BRAVES Team Set

Table of Content

• Home Run Derby Reprints - MILWAUKEE BRAVES Team Set
• Fantasy Sports Updates
• Baseball history from Doubleday to Present Day
• Prices By Grade
• ESPN revival
• Join the Community and Listen to Voices of the Past

Shop by tag To enable this, create a smart collection named All Products and set the condition to 'Product price is greater than 0'. You can create a collection through the 'Collections' menu in Shopify admin. Please feel free to contact Kevin Glew at if you have any additional information or comments. Thank you to Greg Rice and Robert Edward Auctions for providing cards for this article. Please note that the Population Report figures quoted and Set Registry rankings reported are those as of April 2019. The fact that the original Home Run Derby episodes were replayed on ESPN in 1988 and 1989 and again in primetime on ESPN Classic in 2009 has also inspired more interest in these singles.

He doesn't recall any other kids having sets when he was growing up. Though the show was short-lived (it ended with host Mark Scott’s tragic death in July 1960), it was nonetheless chock-full of memorable performances. Among the 19 players to take part were future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Gil Hodges, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Duke Snider. The sluggers to make the most appearances were Aaron , Mantle , Mays , Jackie Jensen , and Killebrew .

Home Run Derby Reprints - MILWAUKEE BRAVES Team Set

The show was filmed at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles in December 1959. The player with the most cumulative home runs after nine innings in each episode was the winner and would move on to face another challenger. The winner of each episode received $2,000 and the runner-up $1,000.

While averaging 36 home runs each year from 1954 to 1973, Aaron was on the inevitable path to potentially top one of baseball’s most heralded marks – Babe Ruth’s career 714 home runs. At the conclusion of the 1973 season, Aaron sat on 713 career home runs and, sadly, endured an off-season wrought with racism, hate mail and even death threats at the notion that he, a black man, might top Ruth’s mark. But, still not finished at the age of 39, Aaron tied The Babe on his first swing of the 1974 season off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jack Billingham in Cincinnati. As he rounded the bases, he was greeted between second and third by two white college students who congratulated the slugger all the way to home plate.

Fantasy Sports Updates

The PSA CardFacts Condition Census lists the ten finest PSA-graded examples of a particular card. The top five in the census are listed on the specific card's "home page." The entire ten-card census can be viewed by clicking the "more" link at the bottom left of the home page census. ESPN Classic ran the program in primetime in September and November 2009 after a 2-year hiatus, and still occasionally carried episodes in middays thereafter.

But with Gil Hodges entering Cooperstown this summer, the former first baseman and slugger and manager ratchets that total to 10. The 1959 Home Run Derby baseball card set consists of 20 cards measuring 3-1/8" by 5¼". The 1959 Home Run Derby baseball cards were promotional cards released to publicize the Home Run Derby. The original Home Run Derby cards can cost as much as $1500 in Near Mint condition. The winner received a check for $2,000 and was invited back for the next week's episode against a new opponent ; the runner-up received a check for $1,000.

Baseball history from Doubleday to Present Day

It led to a popular 1960 TV show and a baseball card set that is highly sought after by collectors. Please keep in mind that, in some cases, PSA started recognizing certain varieties within specific sets long after the company began grading the issue. As a result, some of the population data may not reflect accurate numbers since there may have been significant amounts of cards graded before PSA began noting the variety on the PSA label and in the PSA database. As more and more hobbyists re-holder their previously-graded cards to reflect the new information, the more accurate the data will become.

That’s the only thing that kept Willie Mays and me from being teammates – fifty dollars.” The Boston Braves signed Aaron as a free agent in 1952, and he was shipped to the Eau Claire Bears of the Northern League. Mantle was unfortunately struck down my infection during the race for Ruth's record and finished the season with 54 dingers while Roger Maris topped The Babe on the final day of the season in Boston. But, during the chase, just as Mantle had experienced in New York after replacing the beloved Yankee Clipper, Maris struggled with the press and was portrayed as surly and "not a true Yankee" as many believed Mantle should have been the one to top Ruth's record. However, Mantle stood by Maris and helped him through all of the unwarranted criticism. Mickey played 18 years with the New York Yankees and lived a hard life of partying and carousing, not wanting to miss out on anything as he assumed he would suffer an early demise just as his father had and his grandfather before him.

Mickey Mantle

There has been just one PSA 8 and four PSA 7s, one of which fetched $5,700 in a Robert Edward Auctions sale in May 2018. "AMC was supposedly a sponsor of the Home Run Derby in the Pittsburgh area, and I assume in another area Esslinger beer was distributing the cards too," said Struss. "So I don't think all the cards were distributed by AMC. They were probably given to them by Home Run Derby for being a sponsor and advertising for themselves." In 2007, Robert Edward Auctions sold an uncut sheet that presented all 20 cards with ads for Esslinger beer (a Philadelphia-based company) and a TV station on the bottom for $3,525. "I've been told that a collector in New York remembers getting them from a Zenith dealer," said Zimpleman.

There were also umpires along both foul lines to help judge fly balls that were close calls. Here are some recent auction prices realized, rounded to the nearest dollar, for some 1959 Home Run Derby cards . The legacy of this “colorful” show, and its card set, will continue resonating for decades, a perennial vote of sorts on one’s All-Star ballot. While some frown about those and other Home Run Derby elements, it appears many more celebrate them.

Prices By Grade

When you are not batting, talk baseball with the host while the other takes his licks. If you are looking for the glitz and glamor of Today's HOME RUN hitting contests, then you better look elsewhere. This charming little series is nothing more than two guys hitting baseballs on a summer day, trying to best the other guy. Although the competition is serious, and for serious (well, serious for the day!) cash, no one seems to take it too seriously.

Yet, all that info aside, after so many decades it likely will continue to be known as a 1959 offering. Several all-star batters will take similar swings on Monday during the fan-favorite Home Run Derby, an All-Star Game staple since 1985.

In later years the intro, as well as some comments at the close of the show, were narrated by former Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Ross Porter. Jensen was the only player to hit four and subsequently five home runs in a row, doing so in the fourth inning of the final episode. Baltimore Orioles10–11One pitcher for the show was former major leaguer Tom Saffell and the catcher was minor leaguer John VanOrnum, later a San Francisco Giants' coach. Art Passarella, a former American League umpire who would go on to a TV acting career, served as the plate umpire.

Any pitch hit in that direction had to clear the wall or hit the top of the trees that stuck out over the wall to count as a home run. The winner's award of $2,000 doesn't sound like much now but if one adjusts for inflation that amount would be equivalent to almost $16,000 in 2013 dollars. Hank Aaron, due to his success over several contests, earned the equivalent of a bit over $100,000, which isn't too bad for a day's work. 1959 Home Run Derby cards of Jim Lemon, Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison.

Join the Community and Listen to Voices of the Past

Each show would end with the host presenting each player with their prize checks , and would award separate checks for consecutive home run bonuses. These were actual bank checks, not the jumbo "display" checks typically used today. For example, if the winner hit three homers in a row, they would receive one check for $2,000 and another for $500 instead of one check for $2,500. As an incentive for throwing good home-run-hitting balls, the pitcher who threw the most pitches for home runs also received a bonus, according to the host. Home Run Derby is a 1960 television show that was held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles pitting the top sluggers of Major League Baseball against each other in nine-inning home run contests. The show was produced and hosted by actor/broadcaster Mark Scott and distributed by Ziv Television Programs.