First off, Mile High Card Company is pleased to announce its Fall catalog auction, which kicks off on Monday, November 17th and concludes on Wednesday, December 3rd. As MHCC traditionally does with their year-ending event, this auction has been limited to 577 total lots packed with a broad array of higher-caliber, one-of-a-kind items that include a 1911 Addie Joss Benefit Game Original Panoramic Photograph, the only known 1915 Boston Red Sox Ornate Silk Pillowcase Featuring Tris Speaker, sweet-spot signed baseballs of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Roberto Clemente, and the finest known 1888 A35 Goodwin “Baseball Champions” Premium Round Album as well as spectacular GEM MINT PSA 10 rookie cards of 1957 Topps #24 Bill Mazeroski (1 of 1), 1965 Topps #16 Astros Rookies Joe Morgan (1 of 2), 1966 Topps #288 Dodgers Rookies Don Sutton (1 of 2), 1967 Topps #569 Rod Carew (1 of 1), 1951 Bowman #20 Tom Landry (1 of 2), 1976 Topps #148 Walter Payton and 1981 Topps #216 Joe Montana. MHCC is actively accepting consignments for our Spring auction; please call us at (303) 840-2784, write to us at mhcc@milehighcardco.com or visit us online at www.milehighcardco.com if you have any items you are interested in consigning.

Last night, the Denver Broncos dismantled the San Diego Chargers 35-21. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning completed 25 of 35 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. While that performance would stand as a career day for many signal-callers, it’s routine for Manning, who has averaged 26 of 38 passing for 314 yards and three touchdowns over his 39 games in Denver. Five days ago, Manning threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns without an interception in a win over the San Francisco 49ers, supplanting Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre as the all-time touchdown passing leader. While both quarterbacks will be remembered for being among the greatest in football history, their individual styles could not be more divergent:

Brett Favre: The Brawn

Brett Favre was a bad man! A grisly curmudgeon who mastered his craft in the heart of Dixie, the only thing stronger than the bazooka hanging from his right shoulder was the mean streak lingering in his mind. Yeah, Favre was a tough gunslinger who refused to accept losing and wanted to make you pay the price for being foolish enough to challenge him. Packing one of the strongest arms in NFL history, Farve believed a throw didn’t exist that he couldn’t make and brazenly fired laser-like passes through tight windows that no other QB could match. On those rare occasions when Farve came up short, it only fueled his desire to crush the next challenger. After 20 NFL seasons, the only loss on his resume was to undefeated father time, and he gave that battle a pretty good run for the money. Unable to accept that his best days were behind him, coming out of retirement several times, even the great Brett Farve eventually had to accept, at age 41, that the arm was no longer able to do what the head wanted. He still holds the NFL all-time record for passes attempted, passes completed and passing yards.

Peyton Manning: The Brains

Manning? No, he’s no gunslinger. Peyton Manning is a time traveler … and he lives one second ahead of his opponent. His coded non-sequiturs and comical gyrations before each snap are the product of a painful reality … he knows things! Within that bulbous noggin is a library of football experience, instantly recalled at the mere sight of a defensive formation. Where Farve used brute force to overpower the opposition, Manning instantly calculates a weakness and exploits it. Manning never threw rifle passes, and four neck surgeries have left the 38 year old signal-caller with a very average arm. But while strength is no longer his friend, he’s discovered a more powerful ally … timing. Broncos fans often cringe as his floating passes wobble like a wounded bird, yet land safely in the hands of a teammate almost 70% of the time. Executing an offense that perfectly suits his skill set and wealth of knowledge, the Canton-bound leader has raised his performance to unprecedented levels. Perhaps it’s a fitting tribute to both men that Brett Favre’s all-time TD passing record was eclipsed by such an equally iconic passer as Peyton Manning.

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