Vintage Bowman Tigers: Well-Loved, Maybe Too Loved

In my pursuit to finish my Tigers team sets from my favorite vintage Bowman years, I found a couple needs at my LCS.

I found this 1951 Bob Swift and the rest of the cards in this post in a box of really battered vintage. We struck up a deal for a price tag around 10 percent of BV. So, each of these were two bucks or so. Now, Swift here, besides being an awesome card of a catcher in gear, is probably in the best shape with only a few creases. But great color. Perfect to me.

Pat Mullin is worse for wear. He has one of those hole punches. I see this a lot in super-bargain-priced vintage. Maybe kids used to punch holes to hang them from string or something ridiculous like that? I have great skill in being able to see past condition flaws like this. I love this cards despite all the character. The shadowy looming stands creates a stark contrast for Mullin's practice swing. The color is still great on this card.

Last in this bunch is Mr. Fire Trucks. RIP, kind sir. This card's condition is borderline for me. Maybe a bit too much character even for me. Color fading creates the most issue for me. I care little about centering or creases or rough corners or even hole punches because those things don't really hide the design of the card. Fading, though, is a bummer, especially when it comes to art cards where color is so important. That's what these sets were all about. But, heck, it's Trucks. I couldn't pass this up. Might have to upgrade someday, but for now, it's a great filler.

Would you pick these up for a couple bucks a piece if it was your team? Where does your tolerance for condition with vintage end?