Card #29: Jim Bolger
Career beginnings: Signed by the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 1950. Jim appeared in 2 games for the Reds in 1950 as an 18 year old. The Cubs acquired him from the Reds at the end of the 1954 season as part of a 4 player trade.
Awards/League Leader/Titles: None
Career Line: .229 6HR 48 RBI
Loved to face: Vinegar Bend Mizell (.450 9 for 20, 2 2B)
Hated to face: Ruben Gomez (.067 1 for 15)
How did Jim fare in 1959? 1959 was Jim's last season in the majors, and he struggled with two different teams (Cleveland and Philadelphia), hitting just .073 in 55 ABs.
About the card: This card arrived via the generosity of CommishBob, the original '59 Topps blogger. Even though the corners are rounded and there are dirt marks on the back, this card is good enough for my '59 set, so it probably will not be upgraded.
The green background with white lettering on the front is one of 13 different color combinations that I've discovered so far. The photo of Jim is actually quite good, and the signature is very legible.
The cartoon on the back depicts Jim sliding into 3rd base, honoring his league leading 16 triples in 1953 in the South Atlantic League (Sally). The shoes actually look like shoes on this card(compared to the Dick Drott "boots"), and it almost looks like there is a face drawn on the bottom of the left shoe.
eBay auctions: I performed a search for Jim Bolger cards on eBay, and I found a wide spectrum of prices. The lowest was $1.99 shipped, and the highest was for a PSA 9 that was listed for $350 (!) or OBO.
thanks for reading, Robert
I always wonder who it is that can put a set like this together in PSA 9 condition. I can't imagine what it would cost. But to be honest, I bet I have more fun with mine, just flipping through the plastic sheets and pulling out cards to read closely.
ReplyDeleteJim's a legend on the Bolgersphere.
ReplyDelete