Card Show Pick Up-1956 Topps Freddie Marsh

This well loved 1956 Topps Freddie Marsh, I picked up at a card show last weekend for a quarter. The show was surprisingly dominated by vintage dealers, and I was well prepared with my 71' and 73' Topps want lists. I will be showing more cards I picked up at this show in upcoming posts.

According to Baseball Reference, Freddie Marsh was traded to the Orioles in December 1954 from the Chicago White Sox. He played two seasons with the Orioles as a utility infielder, playing third, shortstop and second base. In 1955, his first season with the O's he played in 89 games, saw 344 plate appearances, but batted a dismal .215 with two home runs and 19 RBI. His last game came the next year on May 29 1956.

The back of the 1956 issue is dominated by the cartoons. The right side of the cartoon states Fred worked on his cattle ranch during the off season. In the 1950's, most players could not afford to train or play winter ball in in Puerto Rico or Latin America like some of today's players, but had to take jobs to support their families.

The cartoons are the highlight of most Topps issues from the 1950's and 60's. I really like the cartoons on the back of the 1962 issue, they took up less of the card than the 1956 issue, but were done in a more serious, artistic style. This is why I like this years Topps Heritage release so much, Topps did a great job recreating the original cartoons.