Center stage in my mind in putting this series together was the idea of having a go to reference visually documenting the history of hockey cards. The ability to flip through the evolution of a sport and hobby at our fingertips and share our memories and experiences with one another along the way. With that kind of target there were inevitably some broader, and increasingly specific, ideas that created some excitement for me. Today’s entry is one such occasion as we leap back 60-plus years into the early era of cards as a hobby and check out some 1959-60 Parkhurst!
1959-60 Parkhurst
Let’s set the stage a bit so we have some context for hockey cards in and around this time. Point form in effect!!!:
- Parkhurst was the only company to produce hockey cards for the Canadian market for the 1951-52 to 1960-61 seasons
- Parkhurst had rights to produce cards for at most the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings, and some seasons only Montreal and Toronto.
- The 59-60 set in today’s spotlight contained only 50 cards and featured only Montreal and Toronto, the third consecutive season with this number and team coverage.
- Coaches and executives from the teams were also featured, including Punch Imlach, Ken Reardon, Toe Blake, Frank Selke, and King Clancy.
- Noted rookies included Carl Brewer, Punch Imlach (first card!), Gerry Ehman, Bill Hicke, Ted Hampson, and Gary Edmundson
My entry into the set comes from the Toronto side of the equation in the Leafs legend Bobby Baun:
What a stunning contrast in eras, no? The sharp, glossy photography of our modern releases was born out of low-tech player photos superimposed onto a very basic background. Absent the red, blue, or yellow hockey stick-esque element, it’s quite low key! No judgement here, as the additional elements blend in quite nicely and don’t create a visual overload of unnecessary flash. A simple white circle in the upper left of the colouring “swoop” provides our card number, with player position dropping in seamlessly below. A nicely placed team logo in the upper right corner keeps the white background from swallowing the card up, while player name is quite simply type-set in a manner that anchors the foundation of the overall presentation.
While I would have been thrilled to have a better conditioned sample, I’m also not terribly upset either! Reason being is that the state of this guy here reflects the life of a card in the 50’s and 60’s: something to be handled and played with! No one looked at these as financial investments. These were noisemakers for the spokes of your bike! They were game pieces to be flung at walls in playing with friends to see who could get “closest too”. They were rifled through in grubby hands as trades were made to complete sets. They were stored in shoeboxes or held together with elastics, banging up corners or being creased all to hell as they travelled from house to house. The scars reflect a life well lived as part of someone’s childhood. Can’t begrudge that kind of history!
As for the back of the card? About as simple as you could get: Under the heading of player name unfolds their basic demographics followed by a summary of stats from the previous year’s season and playoff stats. Under that third of the card, we have the remaining two-thirds taken up with French and English rundowns of a “mystery word” contest that could land a luck winner and a friend tickets to a Stanley Cup Final game (presumably the 1960-61 Chicago-Detroit final, a seemingly less desirable experience than the Leafs-Canadiens or Toronto-Chicago finals that preceded or followed it, but I digress…). The red and black print on brown card stock doesn’t look all that bad to be fair, while the font does have that old-school vibe as well. Has a real nice pop to it!
Previous “Ultimate Set Build” Articles
1980-81 O-Pee-Chee
80-81 Base
20008 UD Champs
Champ’s Mini Signatures
2016-17 Upper Deck Parkhurst
Rookie Red Parallel
2017 Upper Deck Toronto Maple Leafs Centennial
Maple Leafs Marks
Well wishes and positive energy to you all. In these dark and dreary days of negative messaging and news all around let’s make an effort to add some positivity into the mix. Support yourself, yours and any random people in general you cross paths with during the run of your day. What you share can take on a life of its own and go further than you could ever begin to appreciate. All the best!
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Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
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Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Facebook: ShawnMcShawn
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Previous “Devil In The Details?” Articles
Centering
Corners
Previous ”The Display Case” Posts
#1: The “Frankenstick!”
#2: Your desk has the right to remain collectable!
#3: Have Pads, Will Travel
#4: Pick a Pekka (Rinne) Autographed Mask
#5: Ted Lindsay Gets Kronwalled?
#6: The Only Thing We Have To Fehr Is Fehr Himself
#7: “Hungary” For Team Canada Swag
#8: The Soldiers Kid and “The Kid”
#9: Fan Appreciation & Player Humility Via The '72 Series
#10: Bobby Orr and....Birth Control?!?!?!
#11: Johnny Bower The “Portrait” Of Health At 88!!!
#12: Scotty Bowman – Stick Detective!!!
#13: Touch 'Em All Joe!!!
#14: Joey and Sergei's European (Lockout) Adventure!!!
#15: I’d Give The Jersey Off My Back For You…
#16: The Case Of The 1940’s Era Leafs
#17: Scrapping The History Of The Isles...
#18: Gretzky “Re-Signs” in Edmonton
#19: Gilmour Is Such A Caricature!!!
#20: Toys In The Attic
#21: The Right King Place At The Right King Time
#22: Momma Bear Takes On A “Killer”!!!
#23: Leafs Lunch Stool
#24: The 50 Goal Stub
#25: Scoring From The Rafters
#26: Junior Jersey Mail Order Mayhem!
Previous “Who Am I?” Articles
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#58
Previous Random Hockey Musings
Oh? Canada? A Hockey History…
Industry Blow To Topps Possible Foreshadowing For The NHL, NHLPA & UD
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