Do you remember who Leon Ames was? Well, more specifically, Leon Kessling “Red” Ames? He was a major league baseball pitcher for the New York Giants back in the early 1900s. The reason I remember reading about him is because of the record he held for wild pitches. In fact, I believe he still holds it today. He set the record for most wild pitches in a single season back in 1905.

Perhaps the reason I even remember him at all is because I can identify with him in a way. I mean, had you seen me play little league, you would realize why I was a first-baseman instead of a pitcher! Oh well, in any case, not too long ago I found myself looking up Leon Ames baseball cards. My favorite one I found was in very good condition (the bottom of the quality list), and was from 1910 I believe. It was a #3 in the series, and was a baseball card that had come in a package of Piedmont cigarettes.

I laughed a little bit to myself when I read the back of the card that said, “Piedmont, the cigarette of quality”. It is so funny, but in another way very, almost sad… so much history in that baseball card. What do you think Ames was doing back then… how about the Piedmont people? They were probably so excited about selling baseball cards, surely that would help them sell a ton of cigarettes, fine quality and all. The card was on sale for $55. A little over my budget at the time, but it sure was fun to look at.

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Recently, in my online wanderings, I was looking at baseball cards on eBay. I was browsing through the 1955 Topps section,  and stumbled across a card that for some reason caught my eye. Perhaps I stopped to look because I happened to be a fan of the player featured on the card, even though he played long before my time. Or, perhaps it was the $339 price tag the prompted my curious “click” on the item description tag.

Yes, it was indeed a 1955 Topps issued Brookly Dodgers, (not Los Angeles Dodgers, yet) Sandy Koufax Baseball card. #123 to be exact. It was a rookie card as well I noticed. Not being a huge expert on cards from this era, I could still imagine why the card would be worth so much. After all, it looked as new as the day it came out of the package. Maybe 1955 doesn’t seem like that long ago to some, but for a card made of little more than paper to have survived so long?… I couldn’t help but wonder, who first opened the rookie baseball card?

Was it actually opened back in 1955, or did it lie in a warehouse until 1972? I can’t help but picture a small boy, buying the card with his allowance. He runs outside the drug store, tearing at the tiny package. He pulls out the Koufax card. He looks at it. Is he happy? Was it what he wanted? Or is he disappointed? Who knows. Who will ever know. Right now, there are no bids on the baseball card, but the auction doesn’t end for another 28 days… Perhaps I will watch this item…

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