At the Trade Deadline 48: A Vintage-Packed Envelope from Mark Hoyle

Mark Hoyle is a regular in the comments sections of trading card blogs around the universe, but I don't think he has a blog of his own. I recently sent him a card from my 2016 Topps Update box break, and in return I received an envelope stuffed with vintage cardboard. I think I definitely got the better end of the stick in this exchange.

First up is this Astros team card from 1972 Topps Baseball. I really should make an effort to gather more vintage cardboard. There is so much neat stuff out there from the past, but I find myself so caught up in all of the shiny new stuff that I neglect to chase the older cards. I purchased a complete set of 1975 Topps Baseball back in 2015 and I made a half-hearted start on the 1973 Topps Baseball set in 2014, but beyond that and my Mario Lopez player collection I haven't done much else in the world of old cards.

Speaking of 1973, Mark included a couple of cards featuring my favorite teams from 1973 Topps Football set and 1973-74 Topps Basketball. I have to admit that I don't know a lot about any of these players (they all retired 4-8 years before I was born, and I wouldn't really discover sports cards until 9 years after that), but the cards are definitely cool. Something about the photography on these old sets gives them a character that isn't matched by the ultra-slick stuff produced today.

Here is a six-pack of Astros from the 1972 set. I can't get over the painted-on cap that Dave Roberts is sporting in his photo. That's one thing that hasn't changed much for Topps, as you still get some pretty ham-handed photo alterations on modern cards. Bowman products have a lot of them, but flagship Topps is plenty guilty as well.

The envelope also contained a quartet of 1974 Topps cards. I think my favorite photo in this bunch has to be the Lee May card, although the Larry Dierker follow-through is pretty good. I also like the INF.-OF position designation  on Dave Campbell's card for some reason.

I don't know if 1988 Fleer counts as vintage, but here are a pair of Astros, Goose "Get Off My Lawn" Gossage, and some Dodger taking up more than his share of Mike Scott's card. They may not be vintage, but they are still cool bits of paper.

Thanks for the awesome cardboard, Mark Hoyle! This was a dangerous package for me to receive, as it turned my mind back to an era I'd been ignoring for a while.