Sunday Dodger Videos: Puig, Scully and Oklahoma City's Champagne Celebration

After a little short, here are this Sunday's Dodger videos.  I can't promise that I'll continue posting this up regularly, but I'll do my best.

As you know, the Dodgers Triple-AAA club called the Oklahoma City Dodgers clinched their division championship this past week.  Hopefully this foreshadows something similar in Los Angeles.  Watch the team celebration below.

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This is really cool.  A YouTuber has shares some vintage home movies and it includes footage from a Dodger game at Ebbets Field (at about the 1:04 mark) in 1942.  Per their description:

At the dawn of the video era, my father Max Blitz, was already an enthusiast of home movies. Recently we dug up some of those fragile old celluloids.

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ICYMI:  Watch Vin Scully's recent press conference where he talks about his decision to continue broadcasting for the 2016 season.  He also mentions that next year may be his last.  On a positive note, it's nice to hear that he can now watch the Dodgers on tv; having switched from Direct TV to Charter. 

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So do you miss Yasiel Puig?

Have no fear, this youtuber has put together over an hour of highlights.

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Photo at the very top is of several Oklahoma City Dodger players celebrating, via @okc_dodgers.

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My 1951 Topps Red Back Set

Since we are in the midst of a holiday weekend, I though I would delve deep within my collector cabinet to share a vintage complete set.  Featured here is my 1951 Topps Red Back set.  As you may know, this is considered Topps very first Baseball card set. 

Since this is a Dodger blog I thought I'd start by sharing pics of the four Dodger players that are available.  Above are Gil Hodges and Duke Snider.  Below is Preacher Roe and Gene Hermanski.  Notably absent are fan favorites Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson.

I won't hold that against Topps, though.  The set only consist of 52 cards, so they couldn't include them all.  Still, you would think kids would want all the big name stars.

I'm sure you noticed the gameplay notations on the corners.  This set was an very early attempt at a sports themed gaming card set.  I'm not exactly sure how it's played, but I imagine you would shuffle the cards to find pitch outcome.  Unfortunately for Topps the concept did not catch on with kids.  Children didn't care for the game, but they apparently loved the player cards.  So much so, they finally decided to make a large scale Baseball card set to compete with Bowman the following year.

As you can see, they are smaller than your typical Baseball card; measuring 2" x 2 5/8".  Cards have rounded corners, the exact same design on the reverse of every card, and were distributed in both packs of two perforated cards and as a complete set.  Unopened complete sets are extremely rare and can sell for a large premium.  In 2011 REA sold one of these unopened sets for $7,638.  Red Back sets in NrMint to Mint condition typically sell for $700 or more.  A frugal collector not concerned with condition can put together a set for just a few hundred dollars.

I also have an unopened Red Back pack to go with my set.  You can see it that on the right. 

There appears to be two different backs to the set, but I doubt one version is rarer than another.  As you can see in the pics above, one uses a more white cardboard stock while the other uses a brown cardboard stock.

As for the complete set you can see a scan of all the cards below the fold.  BTW, although there are 52 cards in the set it is considered complete at 54.  There are two variations that make note of the player changing teams:  #36 Gus Zernial and #52 Tommy Holmes.