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Two Kings Mountain sports fans made some big
"finds" over the weekend.
One was worth about $1,500 and the other, though
worth just a dollar, is invaluable to its new owner.
Johnny Cogdell, who just recently starting collect-
ing baseball cards, found a $1,500 Mickey Mantle sig-
nature card in a 60-cent pack at a local sports shop,
King's Collectibles.
David Clippard, a long-time KMHS football fan,
purchased a unique 1940 Mountaineer football sched-
ule for one dollar at the 1-85 Flea Market near
Gastonia. What is so unique about the schedule is that
it was printed on a black and gold automobile tag.
First, Cogdell's find:
Cogdell, 28, said he never got into the sports card
craze as a kid but if he had it to do over again, he
would have. He was introduced to the hobby by a fish-
ing buddy.
"We were in a store one day and he bought some
baseball cards," Cogdell noted. "He asked me if I was
going to buy some so I bought a pack and have been
buying them ever since."
The Mantle card, produced by Score, was the
2,480th of 2,500 signed by the New York Yankee Hall
of Famer. It notes his "Triple Crown" accomplish-
ments of 1956 when he hit 52 home runs, batted .353
and had 130 RBI to lead the American League in all
three categories. He slammed 20 more homers than
runner-up Vic Wertz, out-hit Boston Red Sox star Ted
Williams .353 to .345 for the batting title, and edged
Detroit star Al Kaline by two runs batted in for the
RBI crown. In addition to winning the Triple Crown,
Mantle also led the league with 132 runs, 376 total
bases and a .705 slugging percentage. He was.the
game's last Triple Crown winner.
Cogdell said he didn't realize at first how big a jewel
he had found.
GARY
STEWART
@
Editor
Johnny Cogdell found this $1,500 Mickey Mantle
signature card in a 60-cent pack of baseball cards
at a Kings Mountain collector shop.
"I bought six packs of Wax cards,” he recalled.
"They have about 15 cards in them for 60 cents. When
I first saw the card I said to myself, ‘somebody wrote
on one of my cards.' Then I realized it was Mickey
Mantle's signature."
Thursday, July 18, 1991 -THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Page 3A
Mickey Mantle card, Mountaineer tag Specials finds
Cogdell put the card in his pocket along with the
others, and left the store. A couple hours later he be-
gan to wonder if the card might be valuable and went
back to the card shop.
"The man said he didn't know for sure what the card
was worth but offered me $300 for it," Cogdell said.
"Of course, I turned him down. I started to drive to my
father-in-law's house and passed by James Van Dyke's
card shop on East Gold Street and he was in there. I've
known him for years and thought he might know what
the card was worth. He looked it up in a book and
showed me that it was worth $1,500."
Cogdell, who says he spends $10 to $15 a week on
baseball cards, said many of his friends have aggravat-
ed him about making a trade for the card. One man
even offered him a 1965 Ford truck and a boat for it.
"But, I turned that down, too,” he said. "I have no
idea what it might be worth someday but I plan to hold
onto it."
: kkk
Now, for David Clippard's find:
Clippard has always been an avid follower of Kings
Mountain sports, especially Mountaineer football. As a
high schooler he was manager of the football team and
he's been a big booster ever since.
He was browsing through some items at the I-85
Flea Market and the black and gold car tag caught his
eye. Upon closer inspection he found it displayed a
nine-game KMHS football schedule which showed the
Mountaineers playing Gastonia, Marion, Bessemer
City, Cherryville, North Carolina School for the Deaf,
Forest City, Shelby, Newton and Lincolnton.
He wasn't sure if the number 40 on the player's jer-
sey represented a halfback or the 1940 football season.
He came to the Herald and found that the 1940
schedule in the paper matched the schedule on the car
tag.
Sports Briefs
= ns
David Clippard's Ss 1940 KMHS football
schedule/car tag, purchased for one dollar at a flea
market,
"The man asked two dollars for it," Clippard noted,
"and I said I'd give him two dollars if I knew how the
games came out. I offered him a dollar and he took it."
The 1940 team, which was coached by Cline
Farthing, posted a 4-5 record. The Mountaineers de-
feated Gastonia 12-6, Marion 12-6, Bessemer City 19-
0 and NCSD 25-6; and lost to Cherryville 14-6, Forest
City 7-0, Shelby 18-12, Newton 14-13 and Lincolnton
25-0.
In those days, the Mountaineers competed in the
Western 2-A Conference. Jim Dickey, a guard who lat-
er starred at Catawba College and is a member of the
KM Sports Hall of Fame, made the All-Conference
team along with quarterback Jim Gibson who scored
45 of the team's 100 points, ran or threw for 12 touch-
downs and was named Honorable Mention All-State.
Gibson, who is deceased, went on to play for N.C.
State.
See Stewart, 5-A
Engines will roar and dirt will
fly Friday, July 19, and Saturday,
July 20, when the 14th Annual
South Carolina Peach Festival
Tractor and Truck Pull takes place
on the shores of Lake Whelchel in
Gaffney, S.C.
The N.C. Tractor and Truck
Pullers’ Association sanctioned
event, co-sponsored by The Grassy
Pond Volunteer Fire Department,
Peach festival tractor, truck pull this week
will start each day at 7 p.m. and
expects to draw over 16,000 fans.
To get to Lake Whelchel, take Exit
95 off I-85 and turn left over the
bridge. The lake is approximately a
half mile behind Overnite
Trucking.
In action both nights will be
modified tractors, 2 wheel drive
trucks, super stock tractors, 4
wheel drive trucks and mini-rod
tractors.
Also on tap at the Peach
Festival's most attended event will
be a special appearance both nights
by the "Car Killer," a World War II
M-4 military tank with a 1990 Ford
Ranger body, a 557 cubic inch en-
gine and a 9 speed transmission
which can take it up to 60 mph.
Concessions will be available on
site and will be provided by the
Grassy Pond Volunteer Fire
Department. No coolers and no al-
cohol will be allowed.
Tickets are now on sale at the
Cherokee County Chamber of
Commerce. Adult admission is $8
in advance and $10 the day of the
event. Tickets for children 6-12 are
$4 in advance and $5 the day of the
Pull. Children 6 and under get in
free with a paid escort.
See Briefs, 4-A
OUT ON CLOSE PLAY - Kings Mountain's Chris Hutchins is
tagged out at the plate as he tries to stretch a triple into an inside-
the-park home run in Sunday's game with Bessemer City in the
District Dixie Boys 13-14 Tournament at KM Middle School. KM
won 20-5.
KM to battle Gastonia
for Dixie's 13-14 crown
Kings Mountain's 13-14 year old
Dixie Boys will battle Gastonia for
the District III championship
Thursday at 7 p.m. at the
Macedonia Baptist Church field.
The winner will earn a trip to
Whiteville next week for the state
championship.
Gastonia forced another meeting
for the title by taking a 6-4 win
Tuesday night. Kings Mountain
had beaten Bessemer City 20-5
Sunday and Gastonia 4-2 Monday
in the double-elimination event.
Kings Mountain, which drew an
opening round bye, broke a 5-5 tie
with five runs in the fourth inning
Sunday against BC at the Kings
Mountain Middle School field. KM
then put the game away with 10
runs in the fifth.
Duane Patterson relieved starter
Brian Lefevers in the second in-
ning and pitched the rest of the
game to get the win. Kings
Mountain batters collected 19 hits
in the five-inning contest with
Chris Hutchins leading the way
with 3-for-4, including a triple.
Kevin Melton, Patterson and Bryan
Leftwich added two hits each and
Travis Queen, Jeremy Oliver,
Sidney Bridges, Sharee Hopper,
Shannon Marr, Michael Bell,
Kenny Bridges, Dean Clark and
Nate Champion added one hit
each.
Kings Mountain built a 4-0 lead
after three innings and then fought
off a Gastonia rally in the sixth to
defeat Gastonia Monday night at
Macedonia. Sharee Hopper pitched
6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball to get
the win. He struck out seven.
Kings Mountain collected only
five hits, with Patterson going 2-
for-2 and Hopper, Hutchins and
Leftwich adding one hit apiece.
Kings Mountain took advantage
of seven bases on balls and some
Gastonia errors, but-also got timely
hits. Hutchins' double followed a
pair of walks to give KM a 2-0
lead in the first. After a walk,
Patterson tripled to make it 3-0 in
the second; and after an error and a
walk Leftwich singled home a run
to make it 4-0 in the third.
Wachovia Cup winners named
T.W. Andrews High School of
High Point has won the Wachovia
Cup for the fifth time in six years,
while Ledford, East Mecklenburg
and Polk County high schools also
took home top awards in their clas-
sifications.
Andrews won the Cup in the 3-
A classification for the second
straight year and fifth time since
1986. Ledford won the 2-A title for
the first time and Polk County and
East Meck won the 1-A and 4-A,
respectively, for the first time.
The Wachovia Cup recognizes
schools that have the best overall
interscholastic sports program in
North Carolina. It is sponsored by
the North Carolina High School
Athletic Association and Wachovia
Bank of North Carolina.
The top 10 in the 4-A were East
Meck, Jordan, Chapel Hill, Page,
Sanderson, Freedom, Millbrook,
Richmond, Grimsley and Apex.
The top 10 in 3-A were
Andrews, T.C. Roberson, D.H.
Conley, Statesville, High Point
Central, Sun Valley, West
Henderson, Western Guilford,
North Rowan, Southeast Guilford
and Northwest Guilford.
The top 10 in 2-A were Ledford,
Charlotte Catholic, NCSSM,
Clayton, Clinton, Mount Airy, East
DAvidson, Southwestern
Randolph, West Stanly, Starmount
and Surry Central.
The top 10 in 1-A were Polk,
Hendersonville, Swain County, St.
Pauls, Manteo, Currituck, Lejeune,
Swansboro, Southwest Onslow and
East Montgomery.
clk Stevens
yore we JHE,
yaw rR
8:00 AM "TIL 9:00 PM
RAZZLE
DAZZLE
SALE!!
A SUPER SALE, YOU DONT WANT TO MISS!
THE EARLIER YOU SHOP THE MORE YOU SAVE!
DOORS OPEN AT 8:00 AM SHARP