Making Progress of a Pre-War Set

I haven't spent much time the past few years trying to complete some of my older Reds team sets, mainly due to the price of the cards. I still prefer vintage over modern cards but when you're talking about shelling out a hundred dollars or more on a card that's not a hall of famer then it becomes a hard pill to swallow. I haven't been able to find a copy of a 1941 Play Ball Johnny Vander Meer for less than $100. Perhaps it's due to the fact that it's a high number card in a pre-war set or that it's his rookie card. I knew that out of the four Reds cards that comprise this set, Vander Meer would be the toughest to track down. Last week I stumbled across a listing on eBay for this copy that, I feel, is in decent shape for its age. No creasing on this card and it was for $50. I finally pulled the trigger and bought it today so now I just have to wait for it to show up within the next week to place it in the binder. I'm glad to finally have a card of the only player in major league history to throw back-to-back no hitters. I'm hopeful that by the end of the year I'll be able to add the Derringer and McCormick to my collection.

More Autographed Baseballs

Aside from my autographed team baseballs and the three baseballs from individuals affiliated with the reds that weren't players (Marty Brennaman, Marge Schott, and Hal McCoy), here are the other autographed baseballs in my collection as well as a rundown of why I have them:
Tom Browning - Only Red to throw a perfect game
Johnny Vander Meer - Only pitcher to ever throw back to back no hitters
Chris Sabo - 1988 National League Rookie of the Year
Tommy Helms - 1966 National League Rookie of the Year
Eric Davis - Tied for most grand slams in a month (3)
Frank Robinson - 1956 National League Rookie of the Year and Hall of Famer
Barry Larkin - 1995 National League MVP, 12 time All-Star and future Hall of Famer
Ken Griffey Jr - future Hall of Famer
Joe Nuxhall - youngest player ever in professional baseball (15 years 10 months 11 days old)

Although Robinson (and probably Griffey) was elected to the Hall of Fame not as a Red, he did spend time with the club and made it in to my collection.