tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61067828752185361702024-03-06T14:00:24.288-06:00ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsessionarpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.comBlogger970125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-82715440984389286692020-06-10T11:00:00.000-05:002020-06-10T11:00:15.051-05:00The Joy of a Completed Team Set - 1996 Flair GiantsEvery so often I go on a streak of trying to pick up Giants base cards to fill in gaps in my collection. I recently made a list of almost 700 base cards I need from 1990-2019 and decided if I could whittle down the list. I used some of my Sportlots credit from May sales to buy some cards. Singles there can be as low as 18 cents and many sellers offer free or very low shipping if you use their Box feature. With Box, Sportlots collects all your orders and sends them at one time in a flat rate shipping box. I have found this saves quite a bit on shipping and it is my default way to get lower valued singles.<br />
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In reviewing my want list of base cards, I noticed I needed 7 of the 13 Giants in the 1996 Flair set. At this point in my Giants collecting journey, it is rare to need that high of a percentage of normal base cards from a fairly common set. I did a search on Sportlots and found that there were under 10 cards of each Giant available and the only copy of the Bonds card was for sale for $100. <br />
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I still needed the Bonds so Sportlot was no longer an option. I hit up eBay and found a team set for a reasonable price and grabbed it. <br />
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Here is the Bonds, front and back:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUCALtYfRv33E4dr8cXd_O19XdJ-HdUMBbZMae69Bh1mrTWAsyMy-OU3FLxS4wrnworFXQfQEn7yw0MxAgb_eY6jPEnmjtMh3_ksOFx9elAFYl1zOCqQW_IMDSBk2YssrAK31TBPOAUU/s1600/1996+Flair+Bonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="754" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUCALtYfRv33E4dr8cXd_O19XdJ-HdUMBbZMae69Bh1mrTWAsyMy-OU3FLxS4wrnworFXQfQEn7yw0MxAgb_eY6jPEnmjtMh3_ksOFx9elAFYl1zOCqQW_IMDSBk2YssrAK31TBPOAUU/s400/1996+Flair+Bonds.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvOqcPZITIdcPBjmPPwSJYnw9t0DgV3mhk88cHY1EXXXZiQ5C8mlfKZWLCDvwK8S33gKHqia5jGTe75mZOMgCCXzRZ8gNvWY2plPjE2WuJzReVbVLTFeVe2bGOpy9M9mGgi0Fe8XwGR4/s1600/1996+Flair+Bonds+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="749" data-original-width="1060" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvOqcPZITIdcPBjmPPwSJYnw9t0DgV3mhk88cHY1EXXXZiQ5C8mlfKZWLCDvwK8S33gKHqia5jGTe75mZOMgCCXzRZ8gNvWY2plPjE2WuJzReVbVLTFeVe2bGOpy9M9mGgi0Fe8XwGR4/s400/1996+Flair+Bonds+Back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I really enjoy the design of these cards, each on features 4 photos, 2 each on the front and back. The fronts are silver etched foil with the names in gold. There are gold etched foil parallels with silver names as well - I think I have about half of each. The stats are fairly hard to read depending on the photo on the background but these cards are all about the photos.<br />
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Here is the rest of the team set in all its glory:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjXqxT8TXS249Wx9OMcwN-0Hlj6Ocp2WqHouDyMQZvk16kIj4mQ44h4jYIqHu1Pj5YVbxoPNyHHV9s6zwgZDg_fLjsZqe2FyC2An75wIO5sA0F0tb08wYd818E3euQIPacbyczRKO_oU/s1600/1996+Flair+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1150" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjXqxT8TXS249Wx9OMcwN-0Hlj6Ocp2WqHouDyMQZvk16kIj4mQ44h4jYIqHu1Pj5YVbxoPNyHHV9s6zwgZDg_fLjsZqe2FyC2An75wIO5sA0F0tb08wYd818E3euQIPacbyczRKO_oU/s640/1996+Flair+2.jpg" width="460" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHo6r5ZpRIgJfLziDlLlW4Na3TqDDK5kGZdxWUJKHU9UDYXuH1gw2wyE1w95COUKPsFeQvRRzZ8JGmN8lPu3XgkjFZfkqIoc48IiPjRgUZqsVutEThGhTB3LUyfglEIoDQvLjOz9lK74/s1600/1996+Flair+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1151" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHo6r5ZpRIgJfLziDlLlW4Na3TqDDK5kGZdxWUJKHU9UDYXuH1gw2wyE1w95COUKPsFeQvRRzZ8JGmN8lPu3XgkjFZfkqIoc48IiPjRgUZqsVutEThGhTB3LUyfglEIoDQvLjOz9lK74/s640/1996+Flair+1.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZOMNDx6XX8YPlW5iYSR7iUU8Ux9Y2Ptg_O0l7SIToGd9VeG0cShWzwm3X_MOq_7UscbAuC55MlLQ0jswB8fB0WzqutffSvdZVVCzeFB3KFSVpDK0siFt4PrXRAY7rIuvTur9PDlWk_I/s1600/1996+Flair+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1151" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZOMNDx6XX8YPlW5iYSR7iUU8Ux9Y2Ptg_O0l7SIToGd9VeG0cShWzwm3X_MOq_7UscbAuC55MlLQ0jswB8fB0WzqutffSvdZVVCzeFB3KFSVpDK0siFt4PrXRAY7rIuvTur9PDlWk_I/s640/1996+Flair+3.jpg" width="460" /></a></div>
The Flair set was put out from 1993-1996 so this completes my Giants run which is pretty cool. In 1997 the switched to Flair Showcase which got a little complicated with different "rows" of cards that were parallels. This went on through 1999. I have all the Row 2 Giants cards which seem to be the base level but need a few of the other rows if I want the full Giants run there. Flair was back from 2002-2005 (I have that Giants run as well), the back to Flair Showcase in 2006 then the brand ended. I still need 4 of the 2006 variety to complete my Flair run and those are on my lengthy base card list.<br />
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Of that 700ish card list, I have picked up over 150 of my Giants needs so far. I don't see the list going down to zero but it would be awesome to cut it in half by the end of 2020.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-6751173229341365302020-06-09T11:00:00.000-05:002020-06-09T11:00:11.009-05:007 Day Trading Card Challenge #4Time to tackle Challenge #4 - my favorite basketball card in my collection.<br />
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As a reminder, Tim over at Cardpocalypse put together this <a href="http://lovecardboard.blogspot.com/2020/05/challenging-blogosphere.html">7 Day Trading Card Challenge</a>
and here is the whole list:<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_9ad5_6767_d48_6c66" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/f5HYuzA8GTw44PN8zgOJ02GuIe5d0jNIyD7LCHZSxhr4kJyDBowtEGkpEWHKH2s" style="height: auto; width: 484px;" title="" /> </div>
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My basketball card collection is not as robust as my football card collection and is a small fraction of my baseball card collection. I started collecting basketball cards in college, the height of the Shaq era and have quite a few sets from the early to mid 90s. I picked up a couple vintage sets from the late 70s - early 80s and have a pipe dream to collect the 1980-81 Topps set (that is the one with the triple perforated cards and Magic Johnson RC/Dr. J/Larry Bird RC).</div>
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From a player collection standpoint I collect Charles Barkley & Patrick Ewing (stars from my peak hoops fandom), Chris Webber (my favorite Sacramento King), Harold Minor (my neighbor for a year while at USC) and Tiny Archibald (a relatively new PC after reading some NBA books on the 70s and knowing he played on the pre-Sac Kings).</div>
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From a team collection standpoint, I have a modest collection of former Trojans and I pick up Kings cards that tickle my fancy.</div>
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When embarking on this challenge, I thought through my collection and was tempted to pick a Harold Miner card due to the personal connection and he has some sweet cards in a USC uniform. I have more Chris Webber cards than any other player collection and had no more fun as a fan than the Kings peak when they threatened for the title for a couple years.</div>
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Ultimately I went another direction and decided to pick a card that made me the most excited when I picked it up and is still a favorite today, a 1986-87 Fleer Charles Barkley rookie.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAt0CSui5xPvELvB9a92wBhuD4rcT414j6b5eQvemE_xrCo6HPKZcACqNdTk_nCGeby4YuZ8o_kGn0GZFByaPmPEVqRpJYz24IkxsXBmeTdz_KUh1FPoOBwtoTNsaseM5WnfQSdy6vZo/s1600/Charles+Barkley+Rookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="755" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAt0CSui5xPvELvB9a92wBhuD4rcT414j6b5eQvemE_xrCo6HPKZcACqNdTk_nCGeby4YuZ8o_kGn0GZFByaPmPEVqRpJYz24IkxsXBmeTdz_KUh1FPoOBwtoTNsaseM5WnfQSdy6vZo/s640/Charles+Barkley+Rookie.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJLDjp3Y6U-0HjRA-U2VCRKhyLvdi8Ma0aXUYI5OO0K8uir1833IrtgfmvIugn3gpKjYzwtgKhmR-Xvf0gF9GV1rQfdhuUW9occWxTgYMW9QCK7PIKdWziLS4aytxDSmrIZn_NGxCyGA/s1600/Charles+Barkley+Rookie+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="756" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJLDjp3Y6U-0HjRA-U2VCRKhyLvdi8Ma0aXUYI5OO0K8uir1833IrtgfmvIugn3gpKjYzwtgKhmR-Xvf0gF9GV1rQfdhuUW9occWxTgYMW9QCK7PIKdWziLS4aytxDSmrIZn_NGxCyGA/s640/Charles+Barkley+Rookie+back.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
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This set is famous for the Michael Jordan rookie but is stacked with amazing rookie cards. There was a gap in mainstream basketball card production with the 1981-82 Topps set being the last one prior to this set. That set, following up the Bird/Magic rookie year was highlighted by a Kevin McHale rookie card. The 1986-87 set features rookies on 60 of its 132 cards and in addition to Jordan and Barkley showcases HOFers Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Joe Dumars, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Hakeem Olajuwon, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins and James Worthy and other notable rookies like Manute Bol, Larry Nance and Spud Webb. What a set!</div>
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I bought a pack of this for a few dollars years and years ago that in hindsight was probably searched, my top card was a Tom Chambers rookie card.</div>
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So why this card as my favorite. First, when I started collecting Sir Charles, I seriously thought this card was out of reach. I really like the design of these cards with the red, white an blue borders and in Barkley's case an awesome action shot right after a slam dunk. The backs are pretty simple and looks similar to Fleer baseball cards of the 80s. Today this definitely fits the bill as my favorite hoops card.</div>
arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-32632242383524065822020-06-08T11:00:00.000-05:002020-06-08T11:00:03.864-05:00McCovey Monday - 1980 Souvenir ScoresheetI have been having fun trying to add new items to my Willie McCovey collection that are not cards. His vintage cards that I need are either super rare (and if I can find them they are pretty costly) or parallels and hits from 2001 forward (I find it hard to pay good money for a cards /25 when I have the /100 and the /10 already). The main thing I am looking for are vintage items with photos of Willie Mac, ideally pictures I haven't seen before.<br />
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I set up a search for magazines and publications on eBay and have picked up a few cool things that I plan to show in the coming weeks. Today I thought I would start with a unique item, it was the first time I had ever seen it and when I purchased it there weren't any others on sale.<br />
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This is a scorecard from the Willie McCovey Old Timers Game played at Candlestick Park on 9/20/80. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnncKqp6U0rM-QdOwJJSGSbWdpEZa71NQHXbQqtPNISKp1rGapFs8LdaMwyF_xabRpudeHQ5g65Xy6nj5v2PWQEwgk2lwQuqiCrgRMbHLGvZBfZM_L2cHqu9RmBjP9O7xBAkgFNdq8Sk/s1600/McCovey+Scoresheet+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1062" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnncKqp6U0rM-QdOwJJSGSbWdpEZa71NQHXbQqtPNISKp1rGapFs8LdaMwyF_xabRpudeHQ5g65Xy6nj5v2PWQEwgk2lwQuqiCrgRMbHLGvZBfZM_L2cHqu9RmBjP9O7xBAkgFNdq8Sk/s640/McCovey+Scoresheet+Front.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
This is the front of the scorecard and measures about 6 1/4" X 9 1/4". It features an awesome photo of Seals Stadium, the original home of the SF Giants and a cool photo of Stretch in the follow through of his swing with his retired #44 and last name in full view. He played his last game for the Giants on July 6th, 1980 so they must have rushed to put this together.<br />
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A quick side note, I saw Willie's 5th to the last game in person on June 29th at Candlestick. He hit a pinch hit double against the Dodgers to drive in a walk off run in what would be his last extra base hit, his last 3rd to the last RBI and second to the last hit. It was pretty wild.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd6PcnRBXi-gclavSu6sxuvus0Lg2Ais4SUFeZDWx59Mj1uHUx3doVoAMWA7Y2eS8zz-t63ZZbvj5-LBz3g5hcWlqkxJT3ArRDwViWlQUc6krDDcJQJL_cQcTiHqSvIzdqTjXXBjGI50/s1600/McCovey+Scoresheet+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1111" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd6PcnRBXi-gclavSu6sxuvus0Lg2Ais4SUFeZDWx59Mj1uHUx3doVoAMWA7Y2eS8zz-t63ZZbvj5-LBz3g5hcWlqkxJT3ArRDwViWlQUc6krDDcJQJL_cQcTiHqSvIzdqTjXXBjGI50/s640/McCovey+Scoresheet+Back.jpg" width="444" /></a></div>
The back shows the box score of a game on 7/30/59 which is Willie's famous debut against Robin Roberts where he went 4 for 4 with 2 triples. There are also nice round photos of the Giants' starting lineup and manager circling a larger picture of McCovey.<br />
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The inside of the scorecard is pretty neat as well:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k4tV_4IlcUJvAEOFgqkjHwdQ-ixa54okepDLrLxEgrq_YfzBIRKwJ63NrWCSLItCFtO7e3JX9UOufrEw7yIxG-wzGc9FZL9a1xo7qd4_w6A_VfKtcVZp9fqPR2te9h2oTDTPiAZk924/s1600/McCovey+Scoresheet+Inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k4tV_4IlcUJvAEOFgqkjHwdQ-ixa54okepDLrLxEgrq_YfzBIRKwJ63NrWCSLItCFtO7e3JX9UOufrEw7yIxG-wzGc9FZL9a1xo7qd4_w6A_VfKtcVZp9fqPR2te9h2oTDTPiAZk924/s640/McCovey+Scoresheet+Inside.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Not only does it have a place to keep score, the sides highlight players that I assume were playing in the Oldtimer's game. It appears they were able to drum up the same starting lineup from his debut game in 1959 to play against some other former players including Robin Roberts. I would have loved to see this game.<br />
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Stay tuned for some other vintage McCovey stuff. While they are a little more challenging to scan/photo for the blog, they are super cool to collect and look at.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-46106834704340844312020-06-07T11:00:00.000-05:002020-06-07T11:00:06.021-05:00The Joy of a Completed Vintage Oddball Set - 1961 Golden PressSince I wasn't posting around the first of the year, I never listed my hobby goals on the blog, however one January day I did list out some 2020 Collection Focuses. I like to do this because I have a bunch of different interests in my card collection and by making a list it gives me a reference to look back on when I am doing some shopping. <br />
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I have a list of 8 sets I am hoping to finish in 2020. Most of these had fairly small want lists and I have recently gotten the cards to finish off 3 of these sets. Today I am going to share the 1961 Golden Press set. The final card I needed to finish this off was card #3 Babe Ruth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTies62UAkVHmHdquztBLDQtUXpq5IaVD9-CSuS0G6QZtKj7nlXkvtYZepS7flbNQw7SDtid5LPNtnC4eyhJ8NURDSZzH5rb4a3MQ78I-Z_9NeIkBwbLN16Kw7E06jM9Pv8SfqBZMmeI/s1600/1961+Golden+Press+Ruth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="747" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTies62UAkVHmHdquztBLDQtUXpq5IaVD9-CSuS0G6QZtKj7nlXkvtYZepS7flbNQw7SDtid5LPNtnC4eyhJ8NURDSZzH5rb4a3MQ78I-Z_9NeIkBwbLN16Kw7E06jM9Pv8SfqBZMmeI/s640/1961+Golden+Press+Ruth.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUxS5Fqh6-OPhnxf7xcnUiSs03Tri9G3NmSGTQW0IWtj4B56Cf4nxUWumszUNZqbzLBX5m6UsChz0ST_dTWQAWb9HYFzDpdWkNoBsmngyBZ47t4OfO-FMyn0ywYZH6OSjtWYyWRoqu4g/s1600/1961+Golden+Press+Ruth+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="757" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUxS5Fqh6-OPhnxf7xcnUiSs03Tri9G3NmSGTQW0IWtj4B56Cf4nxUWumszUNZqbzLBX5m6UsChz0ST_dTWQAWb9HYFzDpdWkNoBsmngyBZ47t4OfO-FMyn0ywYZH6OSjtWYyWRoqu4g/s640/1961+Golden+Press+Ruth+back.jpg" width="462" /></a></div>
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This is a 33-card set of standard card size. The 1961 Golden
Press set features full color cards and all of the players are members of Baseball's Hall of
Fame. The cards came in a booklet with perforations for punching the
cards out of the book. The price of the full intact book is fairly pricey but overall I found this set to be pretty affordable. I tried to look for cards in pretty nice condition but as you will see I wasn't too picky.<br />
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I really enjoy oddball cards and this set has that going for it. Additionally, I love the artwork on these cards, they are well done and very colorful. Any set featuring Hall of Famers is great in my book. The backs feature nice write ups about some career highlights and a listing of some key career stats. I found this write up pretty timely as the following year the Ruth's "most famous record" would no longer exist.<br />
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Here is the set in all its glory:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR9IBvKPnTTBQxSgb9flsJ-sJ2-RL9Or-2HHCatIr6AiU-sxVCuLtKmSoPkuHu49aJRJ1Z6SJe9AAyukZGSO18SN7p-5osWEMy5hJOFy_mi-cwk1sDQPUMB6ebIbtxJWdJGS1YjDHLNg/s1600/1961+Golden+Press+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1161" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhR9IBvKPnTTBQxSgb9flsJ-sJ2-RL9Or-2HHCatIr6AiU-sxVCuLtKmSoPkuHu49aJRJ1Z6SJe9AAyukZGSO18SN7p-5osWEMy5hJOFy_mi-cwk1sDQPUMB6ebIbtxJWdJGS1YjDHLNg/s640/1961+Golden+Press+4.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
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Awesome looking set and pretty nice checklist, huh?<br />
<br />arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-84352021199026553952020-06-05T11:00:00.000-05:002020-06-05T11:00:09.495-05:007 Day Trading Card Challenge #3Time to get back on the horse and get a post up.<br />
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As a reminder, Tim over at Cardpocalypse put together this <a href="http://lovecardboard.blogspot.com/2020/05/challenging-blogosphere.html">7 Day Trading Card Challenge</a>
and here is the whole list:<br />
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I am up to #3, the favorite football card in my collection. My collection is a majority baseball but I do have my fair share of football cards and football card pursuits. As a graduate of USC, collecting former Trojan football players was my first team collection, a few years before starting my Giants collection in earnest.<br />
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I am have a solid number of sets in my football card collection. I have decided to go after a lifetime Topps football card collection from my birth year of 1971 up through 2015 when Topps stopped producing football cards. I am waiting for my last group of 1977 cards from COMC to finish off that set and that will leave me only lacking 1993 and 1994 for a run from 1977-2015. I am also about 10 cards short of the 1971 set and under 20 cards from completing Series 1 & 2 of the 1972 set. I haven't looked hard but it seems Series 3 in football is even worse than the high series of 72 Topps baseball. The lowest priced complete set is about $3.5K on eBay and you can get the lower 2 series for under $400 so that high series will be a beast to collection. <br />
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I have shared my 49er collection where I am looking to pick up all the Topps, Bowman, Fleer and Philadelphia base and insert cards. I also collect a few non-USC players in Dwight Clark, Roger Craig and Fred Dean and a small collection of Kenny Stabler. I share all this to illustrate that I have a lot of football cards to pick from to find my favorite.<br />
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I think my pick for this could differ depending on the day but when I was giving thought to which card to pick my mind went immediately to my Ronnie Lott collection. Ronnie was a Trojan and a 49er and I had a chance to meet him in the mid-80s at the height of his Niner career during training camp in Rocklin, CA. I had a few cards in mind but when I was flipping through my Lott binders I decided on this card:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjED0DWEeVmqdUPxoQVOB3kUisMYFgqihYX-NvkyrJMtfvbIHZnB1v5T0Cvs-NnPMMnfjZRTdV05_ZZANRY_OGqh1Ieb8d6zt6OJiM6OB0EDQ0TcVCEVyuTcFtMLymvYY_5_v-L_FWyy_g/s1600/Ronnie+Lott+-+USC+Auto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="1064" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjED0DWEeVmqdUPxoQVOB3kUisMYFgqihYX-NvkyrJMtfvbIHZnB1v5T0Cvs-NnPMMnfjZRTdV05_ZZANRY_OGqh1Ieb8d6zt6OJiM6OB0EDQ0TcVCEVyuTcFtMLymvYY_5_v-L_FWyy_g/s640/Ronnie+Lott+-+USC+Auto.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWubd6dsvww4oYEBJStyerRKQ19AWA6NdFKgAaWCwAPeuM4XHhD0eStd_EGUinzjRsEYdxw3ipqWFcj6FLZd9irtqb9-SmbifrffA63uHPnu0eB9x0sprVV0GWsy9wQFyBa1rwcZUKUo/s1600/Ronnie+Lott+-+USC+Auto+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1061" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWubd6dsvww4oYEBJStyerRKQ19AWA6NdFKgAaWCwAPeuM4XHhD0eStd_EGUinzjRsEYdxw3ipqWFcj6FLZd9irtqb9-SmbifrffA63uHPnu0eB9x0sprVV0GWsy9wQFyBa1rwcZUKUo/s640/Ronnie+Lott+-+USC+Auto+back.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
I prefer on card autos and this isn't the cleanest Lott auto in my collection but I just love this card. He isn't featured in his USC uniform on that many cards and I love the College Greats theme. This card has a great SC logo on both sides and is low numbered to just 20 copies. I hunted this card down and negotiated with the seller like crazy to add it to my collection and got what I thought at the time was a good deal. I think the fun of the chase adds to my liking of this card and for today it is my favorite.<br />
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arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-81281898450551186012020-06-02T11:00:00.000-05:002020-06-02T11:00:00.483-05:007 Day Trading Card Challenge #2<br />
Time to tackle Challenge #2, a card from 2020 with a unique photo.<br />
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As a reminder, Tim over at Cardpocalypse put together this <a href="http://lovecardboard.blogspot.com/2020/05/challenging-blogosphere.html">7 Day Trading Card Challenge</a>
and here is the whole list:<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_9ad5_6767_d48_6c66" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/f5HYuzA8GTw44PN8zgOJ02GuIe5d0jNIyD7LCHZSxhr4kJyDBowtEGkpEWHKH2s" style="height: auto; width: 484px;" title="" /> </div>
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I haven't bought a ton of new cards this year, some retail Topps Series 1, a few packs of Donruss and a Topps Opening Day set with inserts. Somewhat slim pickings, I wish that Stadium Club was out already as it always has great photo selections. My mind instantly went to the Opening Day set I got last week and especially the Spring Has Sprung inserts. However, I showed 5 of those cards in my post and while there were some other great photos in that set I decided to go in another direction.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd8MfDyi6TIsVFhoEhsH7AX5vPy5a8jBpAIVcg2tbADKYTFN9D6_PXA1fTuGbFxiCb2476F47uA3ziv2PG1mrL6eo_HEGK9yRfvqdpbzYQvWj2YWEapJt4XkDZ5DHioHK6vpesUWajCA/s1600/2020+Topps+Opening+Day+Mays+Statue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1056" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd8MfDyi6TIsVFhoEhsH7AX5vPy5a8jBpAIVcg2tbADKYTFN9D6_PXA1fTuGbFxiCb2476F47uA3ziv2PG1mrL6eo_HEGK9yRfvqdpbzYQvWj2YWEapJt4XkDZ5DHioHK6vpesUWajCA/s640/2020+Topps+Opening+Day+Mays+Statue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
This nice looking card is from a different Opening Day insert set, Team Traditions and Celebrations. For some reason the Giants don't seem to get featured in too many of these sets, never a mascot card and rarely featured as a team in Opening Day inserts. this year was different, they actually got 2 cards in this small set, this Mays statue card and one of a cable car at the stadium.<br />
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I picked this as my unique card as it brings back great memories for me. This Willie Mays statue is right out front the main entrance of Oracle Park (I fondly remember it as Pac Bell Park, its first name upon opening). This is always my meeting point when I connect with friends for a game. Any while my favorite player of all time Willie McCovey also has a statue it is located out near McCovey Cove in right field. It is always worth a walk to go see it but this Mays statue is iconic and it isn't every day that a statue is featured on a baseball card.</div>
arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-37387601560190992072020-05-30T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-30T11:00:12.905-05:007 Day Trading Card Challenge #1<br />
Tim over at Cardpocalypse has laid down a <a href="http://lovecardboard.blogspot.com/2020/05/challenging-blogosphere.html">7 Day Trading Card Challenge</a> and while I certainly won't cover it over 7 consecutive days, I think I am going to give it a go and hopefully get through all the steps.<br />
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Here are the 7 different challenges:<br />
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<img alt="" id="id_9ad5_6767_d48_6c66" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/f5HYuzA8GTw44PN8zgOJ02GuIe5d0jNIyD7LCHZSxhr4kJyDBowtEGkpEWHKH2s" style="height: auto; width: 484px;" title="" /> </div>
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Today I have been challenged to share my favorite card acquired during the quarantine.</div>
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When I saw this topic, the first card that came to mind was this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicaU7i4AKoOaQhOg0R-T2t5EK7AbzxeJtz5BK4mLEKh9CykP30oQOa2nRG0TW6VXu0wl_Mw-Z1BUKxkbLQi8yLpgCAjLaGmXH4fmZIAa7N4CYSW0TGI866Z_iPzm9zSGaFd7mm5Lc5yU/s1600/2020+Topps+Project+Rickey+Henderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicaU7i4AKoOaQhOg0R-T2t5EK7AbzxeJtz5BK4mLEKh9CykP30oQOa2nRG0TW6VXu0wl_Mw-Z1BUKxkbLQi8yLpgCAjLaGmXH4fmZIAa7N4CYSW0TGI866Z_iPzm9zSGaFd7mm5Lc5yU/s640/2020+Topps+Project+Rickey+Henderson.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is my first Topps Project 2020 art card. When I saw the first few cards come out I wasn't sure they were going to be my cup of tea. I wouldn't call myself an art connoisseur and the first one I saw that possibly would fit into my collection was an artistic rendering of a 1952 Willie Mays. The card didn't excite or inspire me. A few days later I saw this Rickey Henderson rookie rendition come up on Topps.com and instantly liked it. I am a Rickey collector and think his rookie card is one of the best in the history of the hobby and this one was close enough to the original (not all of these are) for me but different enough where I wanted a copy. </div>
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However with all the craziness about these Project 2020 cards and the crazy prices they are going for won't allow me in good conscious to pick a card from this set as my favorite. If you aren't familiar, this card that I got for under $20 delivered when it was released, is now for sale of $300+. I also picked up the second one when it was released but I am done with these.</div>
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Let's look at my real favorite card pickup during quarantine:</div>
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This is a 1972 Topps Joe Morgan high number and it finished off my 1972 Topps set and therefore finished off my lifetime Topps run. It was actually one of a lot of cards I got to finish off my set but this was the last card in the package and will ever be remembered as the card that finished my set.</div>
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I am still on cloud nine about finishing the set and suspect it will be my favorite hobby accomplishment of the year.</div>
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Time to dig into the few 2020 cards I have so far to find a card for Challenge #2.</div>
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arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-56309630878801556282020-05-29T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-29T11:00:10.183-05:00Baseball Book Review - From Ghetto to Glory by Bob GibsonI set a goal this year to read 52 books, one per week. I have done this in past years with some success and some failure. I noticed the last couple years I hadn't read too many books despite enjoying reading a lot. To me it is a great way to take my mind off everything else that is going on in my life and around me and just immerse myself in a story.<br />
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I read all kinds of books. I believe this is my 15th book review on the blog so obviously sports books are in the rotation. I actually have a pretty nice sports book collection, maybe I will share it some day with a video or some photos. I also like non-fiction books, with my favorites being biographies/autobiographies and historical fiction. I have read quite a few presidential bios. I also read quite a bit of fiction with Stephen King, John Grisham, Tom Clancy and Jonathan Kellerman being among my favorites.<br />
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This week I finished up my 14th book of the year - From Ghetto to Glory, The Story of Bob Gibson by Bob Gibson and Phil Pepe. Since we are 21 weeks into the year my goal is probably not going to happen. You would think the pandemic would have helped out but it actually cut into my reading quite a bit. All work travel was cancelled and I typically read at airports, on airplanes and in hotel rooms. My TV rarely gets turned on in a hotel, it is either a book or Netflix on the iPad.<br />
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I picked up From Ghetto to Glory at a garage sale last year. While Royals fans are definitely the majority here in the KC area, the Cards have quite a few fans just playing across the state of Missouri from KC. I didn't own a book on Gibson nor had a read one so when I saw it for $1 it was a pretty easy decision to pick it up. I am glad I did, it was a really good read.<br />
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This book was written right after the Cardinals won the 1967 World Series which was also right before Bob Gibson's dominant 1968 season - some argue the best season ever. A quick Amazon search shows he also wrote an autobiography in 1994 which obviously would cover all of his career and more of his life but I am very happy to have read this book.<br />
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Gibson shares some first hand accounts of what it was like to grow up in the era that he did as an African-American, sharing stories of hardships in his life. I have heard accounts talking about his level of bitterness and some reviews show that may have come through in his more recent biography. I found his stories in From Ghetto to Glory informative, lacking anger and sharing some interesting context about how society existed in this time prior to my birth. I learned and better understand what our country and baseball was like in the 1960s.<br />
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There is great baseball content in here as well. He talks in detail about how he approached pitching and went through a pretty long list of NL hitters and shared how he approached them. It is cool to think that he had some much talent and confidence that he didn't care to outline his game plan in writing in the middle of his career.<br />
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The writing style is easy to read and at 200 pages it isn't a long one but it was very enjoyable. Something else I really liked about this book were the photographs that were inserted throughout the book. They are all in black and white and just really cool pictures. I will share a few - my pictures aren't the best from my phone but you should still be able to see how nice they are.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuldlAmhWS29nRNIhqzA_-LfQv7jMfJ30X5zvmAbe2bcVAVl2UpfEhoKk_KcFpPXIKBwEim70_BJMHpNNu1QMsOcPBcNWVyNevHHxLVcqqD_eZQoB1dxMhah4aEtx6ApmsWGFWHxr4rHk/s1600/Gibson+book+-+grip+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuldlAmhWS29nRNIhqzA_-LfQv7jMfJ30X5zvmAbe2bcVAVl2UpfEhoKk_KcFpPXIKBwEim70_BJMHpNNu1QMsOcPBcNWVyNevHHxLVcqqD_eZQoB1dxMhah4aEtx6ApmsWGFWHxr4rHk/s640/Gibson+book+-+grip+pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off how he grips different pitches</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating a World Series Title</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV07BlqnCnZMFAzrC757KSN3jcBSygCp3O7YYqO0Wt3dGcL6ky9qchPJaoeGuDMhyW3rFvRR-4-jslcxI-MwG1dtOvrdomIRvUIEqrpHSCWtnfjc6aIaag11YS1eiFzA7TU2J8Al5tBEQ/s1600/Gibson+book+-+pitching+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV07BlqnCnZMFAzrC757KSN3jcBSygCp3O7YYqO0Wt3dGcL6ky9qchPJaoeGuDMhyW3rFvRR-4-jslcxI-MwG1dtOvrdomIRvUIEqrpHSCWtnfjc6aIaag11YS1eiFzA7TU2J8Al5tBEQ/s640/Gibson+book+-+pitching+pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facing Off Against Future Teammate Roger Maris in the World Series</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I would strongly recommend this book if you can get your hands on a copy. It is a pretty quick read, very entertaining and educational and the pictures are the icing on the cake. arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-35704022192349134992020-05-28T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-28T11:00:08.341-05:00A Sign of Things to Come?One of my annual traditions is buying a hobby box of Topps Opening Day, cracking it open and building the base and insert sets. The box is cheap and I usually pull a full base set out of a box. From there building the insert sets is generally pretty affordable, most of the cards can be picked up for 18 cents on Sportlots. I sell on Sportlots and typically flip the money I make in sales on cards to add to my collection, an odd but effective way of trading.<br />
<br />
This year with the lock down my LCS was closed when Opening Day was released. They eventually started doing curbside pickups but I didn't think a box of Opening Day was worth the trip. The first weekend they opened back up I made a trip hoping to pick up a box and they were sold out. The owner indicated they were very hot this year and he didn't think he could get anymore in at a reasonable price. This is the lowest of the low end, what is going on?<br />
<br />
Fast forward a week to this past weekend and I decided I wanted to pick up some retail Bowman. I knew that hobby prices were going crazy so a blaster or two of Bowman would scratch that pack ripping itch. I stopped by my local Targets and Walmarts throughout the Memorial Day weekend and there were none to be found. A little reading on Facebook led me to discover that people were buying up and buying out all the Bowman retail and reselling them at crazy prices.<br />
<br />
I am not sure where this hobby will settle but right now it is a little too crazy for me. New products are selling at ridiculous prices. Trout rookies are worth more than vintage Mantle and Ruth cards. Topps Online cards sell for $20 then 2 weeks later are reselling for hundreds. I am going to refocus my buying habits on some of the things that aren't spiking out of control and hope some of the other stuff stabilizes at a reasonable level.<br />
<br />
I shared in an earlier post that I was going to forego building a Topps flagship set this year but realized that my crazy retail purchasing got me to within 70 cards of the Series 1 set and that I had all the main rookies. I made a post on Facebook to see if I could pick them up from someone and a guy offered me all 70 for the low low price of $40 delivered. A quick look on eBay showed me I could get the entire set for about $25 delivered. I had to pass. (BTW, if you have Series 1 laying around check out my want list and let's make a trade). <br />
<br />
Let's circle back to the start of this post with 2020 Topps Opening Day. Apparently there must be some chase cards that people are doing after because after my failed attempt at a hobby box I found a full set including the 5 insert sets for $34 delivered - about the price of a box. It wasn't as fun as ripping packs and seeking out inserts through purchases and trades but it did fill a collection want for me and saved me a few bucks.<br />
<br />
Here is an overview of all the cards I picked up in my purchase: <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1oP1hyphenhyphenxkQX0rzvXFuO3IrsU16uxgKySoqPFf0JupvwZrjk_C5x0KYz69oBhWo3BHhmfI1vb1iSnPKttsFjKOZOOf7rwM2aQVnmlxbrX7imzQl29WjSNF_vBohv1ITYZuGoPBy3Tjvh8/s1600/2020+Opening+Day+Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1oP1hyphenhyphenxkQX0rzvXFuO3IrsU16uxgKySoqPFf0JupvwZrjk_C5x0KYz69oBhWo3BHhmfI1vb1iSnPKttsFjKOZOOf7rwM2aQVnmlxbrX7imzQl29WjSNF_vBohv1ITYZuGoPBy3Tjvh8/s640/2020+Opening+Day+Set.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I decided not to share much of this set since it came out quite a ways back but I had to showcase the first 5 cards in the Spring Has Sprung insert set - the photos are awesome and ones I don't ever recall seeing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fuIEvKZpKhsBynUsTiwiIOw8MHgEl6F-DuSNvzYCjj8YVI5gLhmuUC5iiU7ZJeA_nbemYLL_svqktoyfZnxnOxWUQl-RjdphZdgYhcLf5Y0lpo43DUrPznwb_oHUlRGeZva8lPTJeMo/s1600/2020+Opening+Day+Inserts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fuIEvKZpKhsBynUsTiwiIOw8MHgEl6F-DuSNvzYCjj8YVI5gLhmuUC5iiU7ZJeA_nbemYLL_svqktoyfZnxnOxWUQl-RjdphZdgYhcLf5Y0lpo43DUrPznwb_oHUlRGeZva8lPTJeMo/s640/2020+Opening+Day+Inserts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I really hope this is a temporary shift in the hobby but I have a sneaking suspicion that <br />
we will see some lasting changes. Any thoughts on the state of the hobby?arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-81650926309674415342020-05-27T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-27T11:00:07.823-05:00Topps Giant Vintage PickupsI thought I was in my "new normal" but over the last couple weeks I have been in a little funk. <br />
<br />
My job has been very busy, in addition to my normal work (now being done virtually) I am also on my company's task force to help set up new guidelines on when and how we will emerge from this pandemic and start repopulating our physical offices. I am grateful to be working but this task force work is requiring me to work until 6 or 7 PM a couple nights a week (the joy of working in the Midwest for a West Coast based company!).<br />
<br />
It isn't unusual for me to work long hours, I am actually probably working a bit less when you take into account that I don't have to travel and be away from home. The challenge has been the fact that I work all day in my basement room, the same room that I use for my card collecting and blogging. Initially I enjoyed being surrounded in my collection all day but lately I don't want anything to do with my card room after work hours, hence little time with my hobby and no blogging.<br />
<br />
I decided to take last Friday off to give myself a 4 day weekend to separate and recharge. I also hoped to pound out a few blog posts and get back in the routine. Good news, it was a great break from work and I feel recharged. Bad news, stayed mostly away from the card room and no blog posts were crafted.<br />
<br />
Today I got some cards in the mail (by the time you read this it will have been yesterday) and I immediately wanted to share them in a blog post. Don't know why, it is nothing epic or earth-shattering. I was just excited to share them. Hopefully this starts a trend, we'll see.<br />
<br />
I was checking out a couple of card collecting groups on Facebook and saw someone with a big stack of 1964 Topps Giant cards. This is an insert set I recently started collecting by picking up a big lot from a different guy on Facebook. I shot the guy a PM with my want list and he responded back quickly that I was down the line and he was going in the order that people contacted him. I figured I was too late and forget about it.<br />
<br />
A day or two later he hit me back up with a PM and a picture of 14 cards that I needed for my set. I told him I was interested and he him me back with an offer of $60 delivered and I didn't even counter. If you aren't familiar with the set, it is 60 cards in length. The cards are pretty affordable with a couple exceptions. There are 7 short prints and 2 of them are stars in Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays. There are also Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron in the set. Most of the other stars aren't too bad to pick up so my love of insert sets, vintage and affordability collided and this is now a set I am going after.<br />
<br />
With these 14 cards that you see below, and 3 cards on their way from COMC, my want list is down to 12 cards including all 5 of the expensive cards I called out above. I am sure I will slowly pick those off to complete the set and I already have these oversized cards sitting in a binder in 4-pocket pages waiting to be finished off. <br />
<br />
Here are the cards I just picked up:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q9GUHdZPS-I9oXcT97PLbwPNUhzv0JDMl7A5_0pgVCCCkbtsjG-6-0cHhDcmS4rOn1pIc0yHkmbJ6mgm3SN_n60XGDTm_H-IlL0HuE7tvDtomQ1OXVkLyOlUmfKwAmPtZsM8a75SnKI/s1600/Topps+Giants+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1342" data-original-width="1600" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q9GUHdZPS-I9oXcT97PLbwPNUhzv0JDMl7A5_0pgVCCCkbtsjG-6-0cHhDcmS4rOn1pIc0yHkmbJ6mgm3SN_n60XGDTm_H-IlL0HuE7tvDtomQ1OXVkLyOlUmfKwAmPtZsM8a75SnKI/s400/Topps+Giants+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pair of HOF Pitchers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RFxDBBsP9I1f2HcRcCzLiG7dVmGvZOl23o6-EAy9Fp7jIv-dGa3033VJ6oLN4slHLVcKr0lw0CrXsl_N0Z2pkOMDTjaDlpEH2x7UQ_5Sw-1GFHF-7PnkimQrMkzxELeL3y_qYCaHgp0/s1600/Topps+Giants+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="1600" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RFxDBBsP9I1f2HcRcCzLiG7dVmGvZOl23o6-EAy9Fp7jIv-dGa3033VJ6oLN4slHLVcKr0lw0CrXsl_N0Z2pkOMDTjaDlpEH2x7UQ_5Sw-1GFHF-7PnkimQrMkzxELeL3y_qYCaHgp0/s400/Topps+Giants+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pair of HOF Braves</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TUqZ7x9QtMyrWp_n6EJ_YxgDLztrJ1c4UatM-Xr76_FbjaRfgNCyGP6_4EKmhnYeS1Bp1H5Dk02UrMnPxZ7U0hDiZVGSqBTfkxU53_pQJEl8ot9HTWf3RXqq4ozRg_X8EIsGjcx8B8M/s1600/Topps+Giants+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="1600" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TUqZ7x9QtMyrWp_n6EJ_YxgDLztrJ1c4UatM-Xr76_FbjaRfgNCyGP6_4EKmhnYeS1Bp1H5Dk02UrMnPxZ7U0hDiZVGSqBTfkxU53_pQJEl8ot9HTWf3RXqq4ozRg_X8EIsGjcx8B8M/s400/Topps+Giants+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoot and Killer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6mBiqdWl-KjjxD-Fi073SMQLyymtEXqXEx6bt-IMulAindr0TGcytLvyBAUycvHy5Ti3zqbMxnnoDGQLaUiWd1jtBREYUNwf2r82IREFWYZk4cE5JYnGrOUWEBJAo1ydE1cLLjYCD58/s1600/Topps+Giants+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1341" data-original-width="1600" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6mBiqdWl-KjjxD-Fi073SMQLyymtEXqXEx6bt-IMulAindr0TGcytLvyBAUycvHy5Ti3zqbMxnnoDGQLaUiWd1jtBREYUNwf2r82IREFWYZk4cE5JYnGrOUWEBJAo1ydE1cLLjYCD58/s400/Topps+Giants+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cha-Cha and Yaz to finish off a HOF run</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XM-6tqG1Pu10z9WZNgnf-GlhqITlvShsYbBCk4IlslsDLEuXQe4u1X_cPHG2sylfIeyNurO-OsYdkvbBo4B6te_N5XQQBDLctmkfrFWVjYZpfRPGZTPvxAwSCftqlenJefatoJDuLr4/s1600/Topps+Giants+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1329" data-original-width="1600" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6XM-6tqG1Pu10z9WZNgnf-GlhqITlvShsYbBCk4IlslsDLEuXQe4u1X_cPHG2sylfIeyNurO-OsYdkvbBo4B6te_N5XQQBDLctmkfrFWVjYZpfRPGZTPvxAwSCftqlenJefatoJDuLr4/s400/Topps+Giants+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pair of Great and Underrated Hitters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg822LK3aPRG68Afpj5ZEpu58Ad9kNwsf48OSuSrdXEZeKjcQQd7yXlWze9TK2eOtDxCXVrbNqV26tjo04ek2ZscNMLrroTeDkrXvzeNFhLbnb1gtJrdhEPkRIlDl53CZL0AFUeHoiXcgg/s1600/Topps+Giants+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1600" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg822LK3aPRG68Afpj5ZEpu58Ad9kNwsf48OSuSrdXEZeKjcQQd7yXlWze9TK2eOtDxCXVrbNqV26tjo04ek2ZscNMLrroTeDkrXvzeNFhLbnb1gtJrdhEPkRIlDl53CZL0AFUeHoiXcgg/s400/Topps+Giants+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Friend is One of Seven SPs</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEklJhLI51pPSVtGMMCE9btv6KkIwSY4H7UgxDwD5ITKenAP29AQVfoAQNJnEs6BZmS_cYiW11BBBHvUS9hKKBeuoPkYiLScU8IP8OEF_Xs9TH2XlGFBc0IFjsq0CeljLcP08O91pScX8/s1600/Topps+Giants+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1600" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEklJhLI51pPSVtGMMCE9btv6KkIwSY4H7UgxDwD5ITKenAP29AQVfoAQNJnEs6BZmS_cYiW11BBBHvUS9hKKBeuoPkYiLScU8IP8OEF_Xs9TH2XlGFBc0IFjsq0CeljLcP08O91pScX8/s400/Topps+Giants+7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing it Off with 2 More SPs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I am very happy with these pick ups and happy to share them with you. Hope to be back with some more cards to share soon.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-46772376635063217732020-05-14T12:05:00.001-05:002020-05-14T12:05:14.064-05:00An Epic MilestoneMy collecting roots were founded in set collecting and even as I have expanded into player collections and team collections the mentality of a set collector followed. I look to finish up team sets of different products and all the cards from particular sets for some of the players. If I had to give a generalized summary of my collecting approach it would be "I collect card sets".<br />
<br />
One of the goals I made quite a number of years ago was to collect all the Topps sets in my lifetime. I started collecting in 1979 and had the sets from that point forward. I had also completed the 1978 set when I was younger after buying a vending box of 500 cards for $40 to start it off. My task was to complete the sets from 1971-1977 to finish my lifetime Topps run.<br />
<br />
I bought the 1974 set in its entirety and got an almost full set of 1977. I bought a big lot of 1976 and built the rest. I had picked up a bunch of the star cards from 1975 as it was one of my favorite sets so it didn't take me too long to piece that one together. When I was building the 1973 set my LCS broke up a nice set of 1970 Topps and offered me a great deal to pick up a ton of the high number and was nice enough to allow me to make payments over a few months to stay within my collecting budget. While the 1970 set was prior to my birth, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up the cards I did at the price.<br />
<br />
After finishing the 1973 set, I just needed 1971 and 1972 sets to finish my quest. The 71 set didn't take all that long, especially since I wasn't too worried about the black edges and corners being pristine. Some of the high numbers were a bit difficult and pricey but overall not too bad.<br />
<br />
Then came the 1972 set. If you aren't familiar, it is a beast. There are 787 cards that were released in 6 different series. The 5th series is somewhat tough but the last 131 cards form the last series and they are rare and pretty expensive. While I have a pretty solid budget each month to spend on cards I do feel I am very cheap and seek out low prices on cards. <br />
<br />
With the 72 high numbers there are rarely low prices and at one point I actually gave up trying to complete the set. For a couple years I set goals to knock of large portions of the set and
I got down to only needing cards from the last series. I wasn't
willing to spend the time to seek out low priced cards and wasn't
willing to spend the budget to pay higher prices so I threw my hands up
and ended the quest.<br />
<br />
I so enjoy set building and was so disenfranchised by the 1972 set that I built the entire 1969 Topps set and started the 1957 Topps set instead of going after those dreaded high numbers.<br />
<br />
After a pretty long gap one day I just decided to put on my big boy pants and focus on completing the set. I have slowly been picking up cards, some on COMC, some on eBay, a few at my LCS and a few at card shops when I traveled for work. I started spending more time on Facebook and found some there as well.<br />
<br />
Recently I received this last batch of cards and I can now say that I have completed the set!<br />
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Someone saw me respond to a Facebook post and sent me a message saying he thought he could finish off my set for me. We worked out a price and he realized that one of the cards he had pulled had some hidden damage. He was nice enough to seek out another copy and send me the cards. It made it take a while longer but what would this set quest be without another twist.<br />
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I thought about holding off on posting this for a while because I technically don't possess all the cards. I have 14 cards sitting in my COMC account. Right as the pandemic was heating up I requested shipment of my cards but they have really been delayed on getting orders out. COMC has been reliable for me and I decided to call this one complete. I am so excited to have this full set!!!<br />
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So what is next for this set builder? I am still working on 1957 Topps and have decided to go after the 1968 set. I had quite a few 68s and picked up a couple lots so as of right now I only need 221 of the 598 cards in the set. It doesn't have the same huge issues with high numbers so I hope to complete it sometime next year. I don't know if I have it in me to go after the 1967 set with the high number issues there so we will have to see what is in store.<br />
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For now I will just celebrate my Lifetime Run of Topps Cards!arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-74117776546548610552020-05-08T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-08T11:00:09.154-05:001958 Topps 49er Team SetOne of my plans when I decided to start collecting vintage 49ers was to chart and document my progress in this blog by sharing each team set as it was completed. When I was on my blogging hiatus I made some pretty good progress and didn't get a chance to showcase some of the team sets I completed. Slowly but surly I am hoping to catch up and share my team sets.<br />
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Today I decided to share the oldest set I have completed to date, 1958 Topps. This is a set that is similar in design to the 1959 Topps baseball set with the player picture featured in an oval surrounded by a colorful border. I have completed both the 1958 football and 1959 football sets but build these team sets separate from my complete sets.<br />
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The Niners set includes a team card and 10 player cards. Three of the player cards feature rookies, R.C. Owens, Marv Matuzsak and Matt Hazeltine. Of those players I would rate Owens as the top player, he was a halfback which was a receiver position back then. He earned the nickname Alley Oop and was a top 10 receiver in 2 of his 7 seasons.<br />
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Here is a look at the 49er team set:<br />
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The 49ers had some star power on this team with a few HOFers: Tittle, Nomellini, Perry, and McElhenny. They finished the 1957 season at 8-4 and made the playoffs and followed that up in 1958 with a 6-6 record in 1958.<br />
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You may wonder what the "S" and "R" are stamped on the back of some of those cards. Those are cards that came from the collection my dad gave me from his youth. My dad and uncle share the same first letter of their first name and my dad was called Smitty so I am guessing the "R" was for my uncle's cards and the "S" for my dad - neither of them remember. I am assuming there was a lack of trust between them. Unfortunately my set build has quite a few cards with these stamps including the Jim Brown RC card - oh well not planning on selling the set anyway.<br />
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I have a couple 60s sets to still share and a bunch of 70s as well. I am within striking distance of a few more 50s sets needing 4 cards for the 55 Bowman team set, 2 for 56 Topps, 4 for 57 Topps and 4 for 59 Topps. arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-92123070575273990162020-05-07T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-07T11:00:03.378-05:00Complete Set Showcase - 1987 Conlon Set - Part 3 of 3Time to finish this set off. This is part 3 of a 3 part series going through this very cool 1987
Conlon set. As a reminder, here is a brief write-up about the set from
beckett.com. <i>The second series of 60 Charles Martin Conlon standard-size sepia toned
photo cards was produced by World Wide Sports in conjunction with The
Sporting News. Reportedly 12,000 sets were produced. The photos were
selected and background information written by Paul MacFarlane of The
Sporting News.</i><br />
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If you want to look back at the first part of the set, you can check it out <a href="https://arpsmith44.blogspot.com/2020/04/complete-set-showcase-1987-conlon-set.html">here</a>.<br />
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The second part can be found <a href="https://arpsmith44.blogspot.com/2020/04/complete-set-showcase-1987-conlon-set_11.html">here</a>.<br />
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I decided to break this into 3 different posts and include 4 cards in
each scan. To add a little more that just show the cards, I thought I
would share one fact I found interesting from reading the backs. I hope
you enjoy.<br />
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Favorite Fact -The Koenig card back tells an alternate explanation for Babe's called shot, I hadn't heard this version of the story. <br />
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Favorite Fact -Back in the early 1900s players had thin skin and did something about it. I can't believe a guy would go into the opposing team's dugout, mid-game and punch someone out. Funny that it was the wrong guy.<br />
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Favorite Fact -A dude named Hub owned Babe Ruth. 30 times up with 15 strikeouts - I wouldn't have guessed someone did so well against the Babe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkDRlavSjteuj3tHKeEIBUm-jEZpOLMSKMFTyg1MhsmCO5KDC2HQThl3FtbIOhbC3JCBWqoYrRAR0g7JG39jTAicQLKNxG5ZoNJoDnKNJzCso7lT-MU1x8V5ZjEjMwyO5WRY_leIkMX8/s1600/1987+Conlon+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1398" data-original-width="990" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkDRlavSjteuj3tHKeEIBUm-jEZpOLMSKMFTyg1MhsmCO5KDC2HQThl3FtbIOhbC3JCBWqoYrRAR0g7JG39jTAicQLKNxG5ZoNJoDnKNJzCso7lT-MU1x8V5ZjEjMwyO5WRY_leIkMX8/s640/1987+Conlon+14.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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Favorite Fact -The Ernie shore no-hitter/perfect game in relief of Babe Ruth is a great story but one I had heard before. I like the fact that Amos Rusie was able to transition from the 50' mound to the 60'6" distance and still be a strong pitcher.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSw0ARqb30SCVWXR4dpdfdXbj2o_yAC0g2FY5YXHRIIXPvsjQWQbpiZ6yrJ7_WJHCJs6YlsErxrU-PkhEUNExQYYKRMzgvZCGItWS8zPweBRs_ZdnVJJcQmA6_t7-hc8Koip2IDH8RSD8/s1600/1987+Conlon+15+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="1403" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSw0ARqb30SCVWXR4dpdfdXbj2o_yAC0g2FY5YXHRIIXPvsjQWQbpiZ6yrJ7_WJHCJs6YlsErxrU-PkhEUNExQYYKRMzgvZCGItWS8zPweBRs_ZdnVJJcQmA6_t7-hc8Koip2IDH8RSD8/s640/1987+Conlon+15+back.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Favorite Fact -I had no idea the great George Sisler came up as a pitcher and certainly didn't know he outdueled the great Walter Johnson. I looked up his pitching record and he pitched in 15 games during his first season and a total of 24 games throughout his career.<br />
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There you have it, the entire 60 card set. When I picked these cards up it was definitely for the awesome Conlon photography on the front. In the end, I got a lot more enjoyment from the backs. The stories, the nicknames and most important (and impressive) the writing made these card backs a joy. Hope you enjoyed a look through the set.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-58561329360381336452020-05-06T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-06T11:00:07.124-05:00Just for the "F" of It #19 - 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Philip Hughes Auto 0344/1485Back when I lived in Southern California, I frequently attended an LCS called MVP Sportscards in Laguna Hills. The store is still there and on the infrequent times I make it to Orange County I always stop in. It is run by a great husband and wife team and they had the perfect variety of cards for this collector. They had boxes of all the new stuff, singles of new and vintage cards and stocked boxes of oddball cards from the late 90s and early 00s. <br />
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I used to go in weekly and typically would buy a box of cards and perhaps some singles. When there wasn't anything new to get, I would dabble in some of the cards that were a few years old. I had lots of fun opening up cards a few years old and one of those boxes was a box of 2004 Donruss Elite Edition. As I recall, each box had multiple hits and today's Just for the "F" of it card is one of the hits from that box.<br />
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The owner was a long time resident of the area and was instantly excited when I pulled this card:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqn_c8hl3FXx9wGqa-LFGUCKgybZrrcC6iZDkxdqrh0EioUIv6yik5u1frx1IN7TAoMaY02Up8AzV3taiQyxSmTcMH8NbFoASuBkmDCLrbs8p8CBhe_7GAtzfSw3VqA8lhyeSBmMzgR4/s1600/Phil+Hughes+Auto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="754" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPqn_c8hl3FXx9wGqa-LFGUCKgybZrrcC6iZDkxdqrh0EioUIv6yik5u1frx1IN7TAoMaY02Up8AzV3taiQyxSmTcMH8NbFoASuBkmDCLrbs8p8CBhe_7GAtzfSw3VqA8lhyeSBmMzgR4/s640/Phil+Hughes+Auto.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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Philip Hughes was a draftee of the Yankees and wasn't real well know, at least to me. But the owner knew him because he grew up locally and was a pretty highly regarded prospect. You can see from the write up on this back of his card that he went to high school in Santa Ana which is in north Orange County.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXzM4R7wWwTm5Ry2iVprsWHiu9K0KiIx6QVXg1zgk_nMKWPmMJnfztW4L4SgLVb-21n-zfIViZ_HFRZGHCMxwKE2AGTwgLZjYJ9V4k4J1QID6L-jH6ITqgcDqTGBwiOH9F_umYiGwbJQ/s1600/Phil+Hughes+Auto+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="758" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXzM4R7wWwTm5Ry2iVprsWHiu9K0KiIx6QVXg1zgk_nMKWPmMJnfztW4L4SgLVb-21n-zfIViZ_HFRZGHCMxwKE2AGTwgLZjYJ9V4k4J1QID6L-jH6ITqgcDqTGBwiOH9F_umYiGwbJQ/s640/Phil+Hughes+Auto+Back.jpg" width="462" /></a></div>
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Because he was a local guy, I decided this card would be a keeper. Hughes ended up having a decent career playing 12 seasons with the Yankees, Twins and Padres. One year with the Twins he won 16 games and earned some Cy Young Award votes. He retired after the 2018 season.<br />
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Recently I discovered that Phil is a fellow card collector which adds to my desire to keep this card in my collection. He has a popular Youtube channel called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4zH7QBYi7MT4d5HuhFulCg">Phil's Pulls</a> that I have been watching for a few weeks. He has over 37k subscribers and primarily breaks newer stuff. Recently he started breaking some 90s stuff which has been fun to watch.<br />
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I have always appreciated the relationship I built with MVP Sportscards and the help they gave me with my collection. I am also happy that they were in tune with the local high school baseball scene and demonstrated the enthusiasm over a Yankee draftee that results in me keeping this card, just of the fun of it.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-87440189225688090382020-05-05T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-05T11:00:02.000-05:00A 2020 RainbowWhen I decided to pare back on my 2020 set collections I decided to dive a little into my Giants collection. I want to try to pick up at least one of each parallel throughout the year and when 2020 Donruss came out I decided to try to go after a rainbow of one player. I looked through the checklist and decided Maricio Dubon would be the guy. He was acquired by the Giants midyear last year in a trade for Drew Pomeranz and plays 2B and SS. This spring the Giants were trying him out in CF and were projecting him to be an almost every day player at a variety of positions. The team brass and many of the guys that cover the Giants are very high on him and I was pretty excited to see how the season panned out. Their excited translated to me and I hope I get to see him in action this year.<br />
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I am cheating a bit as I am one parallel short of completing a full rainbow plus I haven't secured a 1/1 press plate yet. I have yet to see a Press Proof /5 come up for sale for Dubon and I decided not to wait on one to show these off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1IJJvADS-XGhYKfsZvhEYx4AOqFWQ5EKhPfGtzQ0rkoF_YFv9RWLm_QiHNXpMNVsQqqgDt_pFO1YzA9Mt8mLScT-Qkk_h4NTo4Tl8Ek2vi0SGHaFDNjkUeEh1r6Bohg9b32MBrv6eZo/s1600/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1139" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1IJJvADS-XGhYKfsZvhEYx4AOqFWQ5EKhPfGtzQ0rkoF_YFv9RWLm_QiHNXpMNVsQqqgDt_pFO1YzA9Mt8mLScT-Qkk_h4NTo4Tl8Ek2vi0SGHaFDNjkUeEh1r6Bohg9b32MBrv6eZo/s640/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+1.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
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The first scan shows off the base card, an Artist's Proof 04/10, a Baby Shark and a Career Stat Line 231/434. This picture works out well without the licensing, nice selection. The silly parallels like a Baby Shark actually made me want to pursue this rainbow.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1VUt4AGmV-zXa6IzaTwJFfh6OAIac2V4NwvXCrryCTnRVNbLK8W8WwpsusWcBBxhIkObfEpmDmnhkeZkc2bXuMBLdh1fJsTTAqadmMnS5_nR3-FIUAopIvsqJ5ivzcRvRittsjqvR3g/s1600/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1134" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1VUt4AGmV-zXa6IzaTwJFfh6OAIac2V4NwvXCrryCTnRVNbLK8W8WwpsusWcBBxhIkObfEpmDmnhkeZkc2bXuMBLdh1fJsTTAqadmMnS5_nR3-FIUAopIvsqJ5ivzcRvRittsjqvR3g/s640/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+2.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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These are Holo Blue, Holo Orange, Holo Purple and Holo Red - a true rainbow of colors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmCPbLtAAvKoP7T8h5_bJL67xYYS0ci9lIOCQe4khlhNfEPi5-16hXSn3vIG7a2xCUbmz6IKjKW4QEqfwu68wnhTo3fPU1TIGXJm9qnrJCQWEj_nFuDn0ZijP-0VYAvo9giWe8MsHMh0/s1600/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1144" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmCPbLtAAvKoP7T8h5_bJL67xYYS0ci9lIOCQe4khlhNfEPi5-16hXSn3vIG7a2xCUbmz6IKjKW4QEqfwu68wnhTo3fPU1TIGXJm9qnrJCQWEj_nFuDn0ZijP-0VYAvo9giWe8MsHMh0/s640/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+3.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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This quad has an Independence Day, Look At This 23/25, Holo Pink and On Fire 28/75.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpO5gNLJE5WPndjZbQLglBVvkJ5MYQukfu1nbzNR9q6A6pHTT0_nbjBnpOeUQFmAgsRApZzTXoaaKhhN6QBMSEI-nq8naMYuElBrAjqAQCGMtZtXFO2h9dhrcCD6eE6m5JqSVBSlnpW0I/s1600/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1136" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpO5gNLJE5WPndjZbQLglBVvkJ5MYQukfu1nbzNR9q6A6pHTT0_nbjBnpOeUQFmAgsRApZzTXoaaKhhN6QBMSEI-nq8naMYuElBrAjqAQCGMtZtXFO2h9dhrcCD6eE6m5JqSVBSlnpW0I/s640/2020+Donruss+Dubon+Rainbow+4.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
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Finally One Hundred 085/100, Presidential Collection 30/50, Season Stat Line 083/106 and Yellow. I had to overpay for the last one which was the Presidential Collection. I missed the first one that popped up and ended up paying more than the price of a blast for this one. The Yellow one was tough to track down I think they are Walgreen's exclusives.<br />
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I am thinking of going after a Topps Chrome rainbow this year as well, just need to figure out which player.<br />
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<br />arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-78152079353968358012020-05-04T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-04T11:00:03.995-05:00McCovey Monday - 1964 Topps VenezuelanStarting in 1959 Topps began printing cards for the Venezuelan market. They were typically the same design on the front with some design changes on the back that varied by years. Usually the set was smaller, for example the 59 set was just the first 196 cards of the set.<br />
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Although Willie McCovey first appeared in 1960 Topps, he wasn't in the Venezuelan parallel set until 1964. He actually has 3 cards in the set, the HR Leaders, a Friendly Foes multiplayer card with Leon Wagner and his base card. In 1964 they paralleled the first 370 cards.<br />
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I don't have the HR Leaders card in my collection but do have the other two. Here is a look at the fronts, they look about the same as the regular Topps issue. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGX7PZjXiUp1xSMsXOQ_tfSuXnRweuOT89STioq3RgOaXbpKvNNw8W8tU_tLWNIXYQzQoOV33DX1pXM-SLfhkljJziHZnpPt2Q3VHQ39cqcXbsOqSHs2vgb5HFwmPzWqXTWO_h5V4bG0/s1600/1964+Topps+Venezuelan+McCovey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1513" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGX7PZjXiUp1xSMsXOQ_tfSuXnRweuOT89STioq3RgOaXbpKvNNw8W8tU_tLWNIXYQzQoOV33DX1pXM-SLfhkljJziHZnpPt2Q3VHQ39cqcXbsOqSHs2vgb5HFwmPzWqXTWO_h5V4bG0/s400/1964+Topps+Venezuelan+McCovey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It is when you flip them over that you can see the difference. 1964 Topps is known for its nice orange backs while the Venezuelan parallel is black. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_K-8JgRAw1EcjLs91l4w2JxofEo0U-hkXbfeXWqgMWfe_PEu4fc4wfHicTxu09-8b5EXM6eP6qeJLZvR4RO6j2KVknMXz6IWgnAayW6WtrgfwshZG5QIxp7-Z_5qkKQNtBITpe7JU-Y/s1600/1964+Topps+Venezuelan+McCovey+backs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1145" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_K-8JgRAw1EcjLs91l4w2JxofEo0U-hkXbfeXWqgMWfe_PEu4fc4wfHicTxu09-8b5EXM6eP6qeJLZvR4RO6j2KVknMXz6IWgnAayW6WtrgfwshZG5QIxp7-Z_5qkKQNtBITpe7JU-Y/s400/1964+Topps+Venezuelan+McCovey+backs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I feel fortunate to have cards in this good condition. Many of the copies of these cards that I have come across appear to have been glued into books and have paper loss and/or residue on the back.<br />
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Topps stopped with the Venezuelan parallels in 1968 and overall Willie Mac had 7 cards and I have 5 of them. In addition to the missing 1964 HR Leaders card, I still need to track down a 1966 HR Leaders card.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-5451797676239960212020-05-03T11:00:00.000-05:002020-05-03T11:00:09.687-05:00A Blue WaveOne of the players I have been collecting the longest is Vida Blue. If I recall correctly it all started with Rickey Henderson followed quickly by Willie McCovey. Next I started adding Dave Winfield cards to my collection which was then followed by Jim Rice and Vida Blue. Rice was abandoned a couple years later but my quest for Vida Blue cards has continued. <br />
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Vida's rookie card was in the 1970 Topps set and he had player era cards through 1987. I have most of those missing just a few postcards and rare oddball issues. Blue played in the Senior League and had a few cards from there in the early 90s and also appeared in some of the oddball sets put out throughout the 90s. Fleer and Topps included him in some of the sets celebrating Super Teams, Great of the Games and post season success in the early 2000s. He was included in some of those annoying (to player collectors) sets that featured stamped and autographed buy-backs for both Donruss and Topps. Again, I have most of these cards minus the 1/1s and ultra rare cards.<br />
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From 2006 to 2010 he only made 1 appearance in a major release in Topps Triple Treads, I have his base and all the parallels minus the Sapphire /25 and the Platinum 1/1 but have yet to pick up one of the relics he shared with Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers (this is something I should rectify). He popped up in Limited in 2011, an unlicensed release where he had a numbered base card, jersey card and relic - all of which I was able to secure.<br />
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2012 and 2013 were great years for a Vida collector as he appeared in Topps Archives, Five Star, Triple Threads, Ginter, Gypsy Queen, Museum Collection, Tier One and Tribute. There are some gaps in my collection here as many of the hits are low numbered but it was really nice to add to my Vida collection. Since then he has only appeared in 2016 Prime Cuts and has completely disappeared from Topps releases. Topps has seemed to focus mainly on Hall of Famers but I have been disappointed that he hasn't been included at all.<br />
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I have a daily eBay search of Vida cards that pops up in my email inbox daily looking to fill some of the gaps in my collection and I was pleasantly surprised to see this card pop up a couple weeks back:<br />
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Topps included Vida in a Throwback Thursday release this year. There are weekly releases you can purchase on Topps.com that feature new cards on old designs, this one being the 1971 Topps basketball design. I think this is a great looking card and I picked one up from a 3rd party seller on eBay. It was the first new Topps card of Blue since 2013 and one of my first adds in a while.<br />
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What was really cool about this beyond having a new Vida card was that it started a minor Blue Wave of new cards I was able to add to my collection:<br />
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In addition to the new Topps card I have been able to add 3 new items to my Vida collection in the last week or two. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXHsIXFbNTuw3yvrzQgQ-z0GbIXsQe_4dSfxkpE5c-qfKeo9uspuoNhQz2uFgEoH7hnZqSGvXEgBWIzJuATPfokqrB30G_JqTsB9nMPrjNa3Y3d2_g2G_NSjB_Sax6dxburGUr9KJcb8/s1600/Vida+Blue+Ted+Williams+Postcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNXHsIXFbNTuw3yvrzQgQ-z0GbIXsQe_4dSfxkpE5c-qfKeo9uspuoNhQz2uFgEoH7hnZqSGvXEgBWIzJuATPfokqrB30G_JqTsB9nMPrjNa3Y3d2_g2G_NSjB_Sax6dxburGUr9KJcb8/s640/Vida+Blue+Ted+Williams+Postcard.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
First up is this postcard. This wasn't totally new to me as two of them have been listed on Ebay for quite some time. I had them saved as a possible future purchase but the price magically got lowered right at the time the Blue Wave started. These were put out in connect to Ted Williams, there are 2 versions of Vida but this is only one I have seen. It happens to be autographed which is nice but wasn't necessary. I recognize Vida's auto but just in case, a COA was included with the postcard:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagljrdhMEZ21i5_PuH1jsPazr5iAppYiUgAF8UmVw4e4IUnrHarjcv-wzpX_vfa9ddA4A5vRqAFRgry8ogohb8W5J2xGWuMrHrDmommD7ah73fVZJNHv0MvNr22DialRbzUEsJr_3sys/s1600/Vida+Blue+Ted+Williams+Postcard+COA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagljrdhMEZ21i5_PuH1jsPazr5iAppYiUgAF8UmVw4e4IUnrHarjcv-wzpX_vfa9ddA4A5vRqAFRgry8ogohb8W5J2xGWuMrHrDmommD7ah73fVZJNHv0MvNr22DialRbzUEsJr_3sys/s400/Vida+Blue+Ted+Williams+Postcard+COA.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next up is the oddball card I have never seen and know nothing about:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-aPUr70AtBQ-5z53nGYx4GLA96uNSZb0JcnI8TbGLhUXqZRQBrSnj8NFpEdt8YmUH3v3PTX7F3ZhTT1rsPZG9aHhLoC9Kdsz-Eykgc79jd5jGgoXmzgwphJfTlRcP3JA-VedKruuH3U/s1600/Vida+Blue+Campbell+Soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-aPUr70AtBQ-5z53nGYx4GLA96uNSZb0JcnI8TbGLhUXqZRQBrSnj8NFpEdt8YmUH3v3PTX7F3ZhTT1rsPZG9aHhLoC9Kdsz-Eykgc79jd5jGgoXmzgwphJfTlRcP3JA-VedKruuH3U/s640/Vida+Blue+Campbell+Soup.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2xcMLXzJX3B45ocv-6Pl82BjDgCBiISAaRQlR6tFercbMROroySWjdNNRTOgK_0UAFPpIQ4aHPB6EjpcCLkTtakCHn7VpWkPYhgJe_AyZ7NQ2EXPgHVw7mNpm_zvxCMsGN-AG0gGX6U/s1600/Vida+Blue+Campbell+Soup+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2xcMLXzJX3B45ocv-6Pl82BjDgCBiISAaRQlR6tFercbMROroySWjdNNRTOgK_0UAFPpIQ4aHPB6EjpcCLkTtakCHn7VpWkPYhgJe_AyZ7NQ2EXPgHVw7mNpm_zvxCMsGN-AG0gGX6U/s400/Vida+Blue+Campbell+Soup+Back.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
It looks to be an oddball from 1999 put out by International Sports Marketing and licensed by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni but not MLB. The front references the Campbell Soup Company and a Legands of Baseball Tour. This is part of a 13 card set, I would like to see a checklist of this set. I am super happy to have this card in my collection - it is great to add new cards and even better when I didn't even know they existed.<br />
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Next up is an oddball item that looks to be perhaps a placemat:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDvo9BAPGeKqD098yHRphpJnArLd-egyn92ewqlhTBeiWuZYqUiteLCg0Wem-kwjdVWgXPdHcDQdbmZIlnCEfpG76mAVEAP_w-GfVHqTfi0BsHEqJrj98fOBqSOj32Z0LDnoI_pvbWQY/s1600/Vida+Blue+HFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDvo9BAPGeKqD098yHRphpJnArLd-egyn92ewqlhTBeiWuZYqUiteLCg0Wem-kwjdVWgXPdHcDQdbmZIlnCEfpG76mAVEAP_w-GfVHqTfi0BsHEqJrj98fOBqSOj32Z0LDnoI_pvbWQY/s640/Vida+Blue+HFS.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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As you can see from the first photo, these are fairly large in size. It was put out by Home Federal Savings bank as a promo in the early 80s. I hadn't heard of this item either so it was great to add it to my collection. Luckily it came as a lot with several other Giants:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PzVmdaaG7tYgZpFA9tC1HgQipY3KG8q80xTJgS3QKxXkXr1D0q-wbhybAIwevEnVlK13oq3pIGjleXWhZjKeOtpAoWY6wSZuGjn_2Ti6chAogK0PIPy9M_In6FSCp1It3Ge8FLn3Y8w/s1600/Bob+Knepper+HFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PzVmdaaG7tYgZpFA9tC1HgQipY3KG8q80xTJgS3QKxXkXr1D0q-wbhybAIwevEnVlK13oq3pIGjleXWhZjKeOtpAoWY6wSZuGjn_2Ti6chAogK0PIPy9M_In6FSCp1It3Ge8FLn3Y8w/s400/Bob+Knepper+HFS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7F0hyphenhyphennzg2vzvG5vI-YpZ3co4T4wjo2Q_Cpg-mDZ3OuuDp8irLFRCS1J5yMHZjCVnzjuVGMYNzdudW181P7_CZigMydW2fWSP87vutBb4-szTE2hUnhV6VvygCYYuITkU2pWEJIk5azFo/s1600/Jack+Clark+HFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7F0hyphenhyphennzg2vzvG5vI-YpZ3co4T4wjo2Q_Cpg-mDZ3OuuDp8irLFRCS1J5yMHZjCVnzjuVGMYNzdudW181P7_CZigMydW2fWSP87vutBb4-szTE2hUnhV6VvygCYYuITkU2pWEJIk5azFo/s400/Jack+Clark+HFS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Bob Knepper and Jack Clark are also from Home Federal Savings and as mentioned I didn't even know HFS had put out a set of these.<br />
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Now I do have a release from Eureka Federal Saving on my checklist and even have a copy of the Willie McCovey in my collection. The EFS release came out in 1980 and I was able to pick up 4 of these in this lot: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hDj8_J7JNfuVrJtk-XAauUrFeKTm7BflpkAMFBHBx1rllzOdCBpZWoUQY1SJ4b2eqfLg393skGOhs3FywUk0yD_mEBSxVpjCYj7NcBjTmIpZNXIId_RoCK5dPUQm4wzF0fRJgr3M_IA/s1600/Bill+North+EFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hDj8_J7JNfuVrJtk-XAauUrFeKTm7BflpkAMFBHBx1rllzOdCBpZWoUQY1SJ4b2eqfLg393skGOhs3FywUk0yD_mEBSxVpjCYj7NcBjTmIpZNXIId_RoCK5dPUQm4wzF0fRJgr3M_IA/s400/Bill+North+EFS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvb9CNMeSEZrN4jtIc_vIkHIAiyXQk431Ml-Oqo4mcx9w_ycwpJI01gCpJjZNOkXXY3Q1fRRNNXhLYvA-fxLOOEeYpJN409L4wXnsl71Ob2qqfLeadgMEdodqa22g6jMTAlC4sgSKlgI/s1600/Gary+Lavelle+EFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvb9CNMeSEZrN4jtIc_vIkHIAiyXQk431Ml-Oqo4mcx9w_ycwpJI01gCpJjZNOkXXY3Q1fRRNNXhLYvA-fxLOOEeYpJN409L4wXnsl71Ob2qqfLeadgMEdodqa22g6jMTAlC4sgSKlgI/s400/Gary+Lavelle+EFS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjUOYq8YrgtiDrBjIxBTsS5gsmmhcfRQgWdvPowQn7OFod10mnPw54VhMTytJJuregBh08bLTDHMLriCB9pQOzKCZsoseYwFnFOUvpxhjkzKUMDQfdQ_2LIGQhnGLaAdFeb-PNDnQgWk/s1600/Milt+May+HFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjUOYq8YrgtiDrBjIxBTsS5gsmmhcfRQgWdvPowQn7OFod10mnPw54VhMTytJJuregBh08bLTDHMLriCB9pQOzKCZsoseYwFnFOUvpxhjkzKUMDQfdQ_2LIGQhnGLaAdFeb-PNDnQgWk/s400/Milt+May+HFS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GzShK7kV1-bhN4H-Tvtjw5vw1PcO1MUGMGCw-bE2u0ifo2E7FKAbtmqQpdxKcrUHj8BHpZeShFrdvql5Q5ckf567X_ax3A1q9kvyCz-gfwTtPL2amLbaSp4aZgiyEly7F76LNYOB9iY/s1600/Rennie+Stennent+HFS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GzShK7kV1-bhN4H-Tvtjw5vw1PcO1MUGMGCw-bE2u0ifo2E7FKAbtmqQpdxKcrUHj8BHpZeShFrdvql5Q5ckf567X_ax3A1q9kvyCz-gfwTtPL2amLbaSp4aZgiyEly7F76LNYOB9iY/s400/Rennie+Stennent+HFS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I am aware of 8 of these in the EFS checklist and with the McCovey I now have 5 of the 8 only missing Al Holland, John "The Count" Montefusco and Johnnie LeMaster. I would love finish off that team set and figure out how big the Home Federal Savings set is and how many are part of that.<br />
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After picking up perhaps 3-4 new Vida Blue cards in the last couple years, it was pretty awesome to bring 4 new items into the collection in the last couple weeks.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-24917731188293311312020-05-01T10:59:00.001-05:002020-05-01T10:59:10.787-05:00The Joy of a Completed Insert Set - 2017 Topps Update Heroes of AutumnFrom 2006 to 2019 I collected not only the Topps Flagship and Update base sets but went after most of the insert cards. I didn't try and track down all the relics and auto but the normal base cards were typically in my sight.<br />
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If the inserts were released in hobby packs, I wanted to collect them all. With respect to the retail only inserts that started coming out in Target and Walmart packs I would pick and choose. For example, I see no reason to add a 20-30 card insert set of a single player like Rhys Hoskins or Ronald Acuna Jr. - both solid players but not in my collecting wheelhouse. If they end up doing a 30 card Buster Posey retail insert set I will be all over it.<br />
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As I look back there are a couple retail insert sets that come to mind that I regret not completing, the 1st HR cards of 2015 and the MLB Debut cards of 2016 come to mind. I am sure I have a few laying around and I suspect on some rainy day I will dig them up, look at the checklist and create a want list.<br />
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Yesterday I got a card in the mail that finished off the 2017 Topps Update Heroes of Autumn insert set. It is a 25 card set that was released in retail packs but I couldn't find any info on if there was store exclusivity or what the insertion rate way. I can tell you that these don't seem to be plentiful on the open market and are not each to track down.<br />
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Quests to complete sets like this one are fun at times but I think the growing number of insert sets and the increasing costs of the hot rookies that seem to be included in each set are the top drivers that resulted in a stop to my insert card collection in 2020. I will spend my time and resources going backwards all the way to the 80s All-Star Glossy sets and start dabbling in the vintage inserts from Topps.<br />
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Anyway, how about a look at this entire set. I really enjoy the subject matter, I love celebrating the history of baseball and the heroes of the playoff season are certainly worthy of some attention. Here is the 25 card set in its entirety:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyeyhxWhx-KsU82vao9qmXZIwFDfoptS4JR0iZESKFtpIe0GsJnQFX3iNxaBgIi2Vn7UVzTEV6EYgPyFL_-3XIJ1pwDptHFvjxzc1PHcl24xsLU4gzu9Vk7iXz8aU5TJudxKyzUTLIw4/s1600/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="1600" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVyeyhxWhx-KsU82vao9qmXZIwFDfoptS4JR0iZESKFtpIe0GsJnQFX3iNxaBgIi2Vn7UVzTEV6EYgPyFL_-3XIJ1pwDptHFvjxzc1PHcl24xsLU4gzu9Vk7iXz8aU5TJudxKyzUTLIw4/s400/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoqoWyL8pFnnD5pWG4W-9agrjTHtVvm9xCAxh3pZpGgnVmPaajUJ1lTq0wHiBV0B-E23jAcmfy4DDp6WBQ_-_lgBWSss0bu71I3BQjnxfbfwAFBJ3sbyzNVLGZd39TKI0jVi_6OXufsQ/s1600/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1600" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoqoWyL8pFnnD5pWG4W-9agrjTHtVvm9xCAxh3pZpGgnVmPaajUJ1lTq0wHiBV0B-E23jAcmfy4DDp6WBQ_-_lgBWSss0bu71I3BQjnxfbfwAFBJ3sbyzNVLGZd39TKI0jVi_6OXufsQ/s400/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6k4S7g2Qseg6ng8UNIuHDiQwjKbWHRXGa_8oYJaIUkMom3sUgDfP7zklJtRVOCluuS4zmaUmA0N8QBSowj5mfVbkeNBUfcQFN8l7GvuczgYcXx6mbuiqViu-TvY8eluCm3HY0Mgqj3g/s1600/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1486" data-original-width="1600" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6k4S7g2Qseg6ng8UNIuHDiQwjKbWHRXGa_8oYJaIUkMom3sUgDfP7zklJtRVOCluuS4zmaUmA0N8QBSowj5mfVbkeNBUfcQFN8l7GvuczgYcXx6mbuiqViu-TvY8eluCm3HY0Mgqj3g/s400/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMMlfecMX1U0gm07qMLAZMD5Y9nCxIrD3QaLLf8NGCr5c582bql5ixAnrLCjYSYQ09kD9O8AsrjSxxXA6SrE2pE9-rDnmsTzDT_aYCobqlFMIMlhxacoBuBeeCZrfP12RZ3vYQyr8Jus/s1600/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1477" data-original-width="1600" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMMlfecMX1U0gm07qMLAZMD5Y9nCxIrD3QaLLf8NGCr5c582bql5ixAnrLCjYSYQ09kD9O8AsrjSxxXA6SrE2pE9-rDnmsTzDT_aYCobqlFMIMlhxacoBuBeeCZrfP12RZ3vYQyr8Jus/s400/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPQujz4eNdYesQR3jhDgDuCPCErPbi5Q0xbic5gxnc31CHefBnrMfuMxrmcZZPsIJcBwWkEY8C2ZVSsf0ZRdVGNsW2y_W8WK1smdk3bzIfsxe9zD9E_g3fP6fEMOL8covNYMA8Hnkjpo/s1600/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="1600" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPQujz4eNdYesQR3jhDgDuCPCErPbi5Q0xbic5gxnc31CHefBnrMfuMxrmcZZPsIJcBwWkEY8C2ZVSsf0ZRdVGNsW2y_W8WK1smdk3bzIfsxe9zD9E_g3fP6fEMOL8covNYMA8Hnkjpo/s320/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I enjoy this design, an action photo of each player takes center stage and is the star of the card. The border features some leaf silhouettes which fits nicely with the theme and the misty transition to the border works for me. The scans make the names a bit hard to read but they look fine in hand. From a player selection point you could certainly argue for players to be added like Joe Carter and Bill Mazeroski but the only one I don't see as fitting in great is Anthony Rizzo. I am guessing they wanted to include a Cub since they had won the year before.<br />
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Here is an example of the back. I am sharing George Brett as he is the card I got yesterday to finish off the set:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxemR2lTkFZb6DZkKeEjlJNjhG4N0RQmY2cGYHbRka0svwXlHldoT5qm7RFtaGDrKhSAwRRKNsm5T21NRNtsYGC_am0mMwe4Ek8TQsB4aHryWUm4cbUGDXkHqqtQ5XZtuzPAkWN7A564/s1600/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="755" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxemR2lTkFZb6DZkKeEjlJNjhG4N0RQmY2cGYHbRka0svwXlHldoT5qm7RFtaGDrKhSAwRRKNsm5T21NRNtsYGC_am0mMwe4Ek8TQsB4aHryWUm4cbUGDXkHqqtQ5XZtuzPAkWN7A564/s400/Hereos+of+Autumn+Set+back.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
Finishing off this set clears off my want list back to 2011 with the exception of a few 2019 Update inserts that will eventually get here from COMC. I have about 9 Walmart Exclusive Blue Back inserts from 2010 on my want list and if I ever track those down I will be done back to 2006.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-13522848522359164572020-04-28T11:00:00.000-05:002020-04-28T11:00:02.609-05:00Some Significant 1957 Topps Set ProgressLast week I sold a few thousand baseball cards from a collection I bought a couple years back to a fellow collector. We met about an hour south of where I live to make the exchange. I typically have people come my way for a sale (and I expect to travel to the seller when I make a local deal) but I agreed to meet that far away for two reasons, 1) I needed to clear some space in my card room and 2) I am teaching my son to drive and this would get him 2 of his required 50 hours to get his license.<br />
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I was a little sad to see these go, there was quite a few good inserts and parallels along with some base cards from the late 70s and early 80s but I was happy to get the cash. I decided on the ride home that I wanted to flip these cards for something I would enjoy in my collection. I got home and posted my 1957 Topps want list up on Facebook in hopes of whittling down the want list. My hope was to secure a nice volume of non-star cards and I had someone reach out to make exactly that happen.<br />
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I couldn't believe that I was able to pick up 56 cards of the 407 card set in the condition I am looking for from the same seller. The cost of these was just over $2/card delivered which I felt was an amazing deal. Here are all the cards:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8ECVnuJlG6GDM9aJ8XHbkJz2PYl7_ewe3__OxXgcy-rVM3V9ug3q-kbX4sKg3bWYUTo7SjRY0ZDUBYzF2cWfXfNnuAC3WtgWAjlo5LLTWKoYMoims6iJ1GUuR-2TdbKpMGuCAk7-BAc/s1600/1957+Topps+facebook+pickup+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8ECVnuJlG6GDM9aJ8XHbkJz2PYl7_ewe3__OxXgcy-rVM3V9ug3q-kbX4sKg3bWYUTo7SjRY0ZDUBYzF2cWfXfNnuAC3WtgWAjlo5LLTWKoYMoims6iJ1GUuR-2TdbKpMGuCAk7-BAc/s640/1957+Topps+facebook+pickup+3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqj4F2irA7gQldwquekm5dFS6ATu0ELxs2W3O1d9Bo-2cYMfUReLmqfvIkjNwlw2-f85X1pegLIYpb7rRabV2kTDhVZiyU3R4ypAKKJ7zLsRGWMAzhPj0SjS3v1wOAk_S8IAqWitHaDM/s1600/1957+Topps+facebook+pickup+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqj4F2irA7gQldwquekm5dFS6ATu0ELxs2W3O1d9Bo-2cYMfUReLmqfvIkjNwlw2-f85X1pegLIYpb7rRabV2kTDhVZiyU3R4ypAKKJ7zLsRGWMAzhPj0SjS3v1wOAk_S8IAqWitHaDM/s640/1957+Topps+facebook+pickup+5.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I have a couple smaller orders coming in that I will share soon, one of which has some more star power. Once those come in, this set build that started less than 2 years ago is down to a 68 card want list. I am progressing much faster than I ever expected. However I still have some very big hitters to go with a Mickey Mantle, Brooks Robinson, Ted Williams, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax and Yankee Power Hitters (featuring Mantle and Berra) among the cards I need.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-9188301630396231272020-04-27T11:00:00.000-05:002020-04-27T11:00:05.305-05:00McCovey Monday - MagazinesRecently I hatched a plan to expand my Willie McCovey collection by picking up vintage magazines that feature him. I bought a group of magazines on Facebook Marketplace over a year ago that featured one with Willie Mac on the cover and, while I have done some eBay searches I have yet to pull the trigger on bringing home more but that is about to change. Here is the one I do have:<br />
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This is a Sport Magazine from 1960 and McCovey is one of 6 people they are spotlighting for the season which, at this point, had been underway for about a month. Stretch had started with a bang winning the ROY award in 1959 despite not playing a full season and there was excitement about what his first full season could bring. <br />
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Quite a while back a fellow collector sent me this full page picture that has been pulled from a magazine that I also keep with my collection. While it isn't a cover, I really enjoy having things like this in my collection as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjau-fI4V4YOuq_oxeGEUfs81SDdCELmVpNU_c7fRUI_UM_SjOit2_-TaEwQwEyhplsuCsnEs31mUKWZT5pxxwd5tEbInBOaqMpb38HMwHzfdpQGsgssghPViQ-2w3HN9y5Pt2qTrXE9js/s1600/McCovey+Magazine+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjau-fI4V4YOuq_oxeGEUfs81SDdCELmVpNU_c7fRUI_UM_SjOit2_-TaEwQwEyhplsuCsnEs31mUKWZT5pxxwd5tEbInBOaqMpb38HMwHzfdpQGsgssghPViQ-2w3HN9y5Pt2qTrXE9js/s640/McCovey+Magazine+pic.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I imagine this is Willie looking back to the umpire after a called strike upset with the call and based on his stature and that stare I suspect he got the next call.<br />
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With McCovey being featured on so few new releases and many of the cards I need being rare and/or expensive, I think this is a good way to add to my collection. Plus I have found reading these old magazines is great. In addition to learning quite a bit, I love the art and style placed into magazine articles from the 60s and 70s.<br />
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I think my next step will be to do some searching and try to create a checklist of magazines where McCovey appeared on the cover. This should help me with some direction and focus.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-198303966876787422020-04-26T11:00:00.000-05:002020-04-26T11:00:00.686-05:00The Joy of a Completed Team Set - 2004 UD VintageI am up to 36 binders to store my Giants collection and that doesn't count a few boxes with auto and relics in them. Despite having an extensive collection like I have, I still get great joy in completing team sets, particular ones that have been challenging to finish off. <br />
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In 2004 Upper Deck released their 4th and final edition of UD Vintage, printing sets with throwback designs and cardboard stock. A few years back I set out to complete a bunch of runs of Giants base sets and the 4 years of UD Vintage was part of that quest but I fell 2 cards short. I had forgotten about that incomplete quest until recently and sought out to finish them up. I was able to track down the final card from 2004:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4WGKjXk1WWrDWW8dU_h2zco5Em2Nnv4gBhHkckgcD0_lsORZhYCD5fQeA8t9_LnTJ9S8IkLESQjoP2IS1bZfObwJ3VHzvVfMOdPJOKEr3KosVw6lHReS_BKp2yA30cqfQT4RIDQj62M/s1600/2004+Upper+Deck+Vintage+Cruz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="766" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4WGKjXk1WWrDWW8dU_h2zco5Em2Nnv4gBhHkckgcD0_lsORZhYCD5fQeA8t9_LnTJ9S8IkLESQjoP2IS1bZfObwJ3VHzvVfMOdPJOKEr3KosVw6lHReS_BKp2yA30cqfQT4RIDQj62M/s400/2004+Upper+Deck+Vintage+Cruz.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
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This card is part of the 90 card subset that was issued with lenticular technology and features the majors leading sluggers. These were numbered 351-440. These were pretty hard to come by with listed odds of 1:12 packs. I can't imagine trying to put this set together. This Cruz card was hard to find and set me back about $10 with shipping, worth it to me to finish off the team set.<br />
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Here is the Giants' team set in its entirety:<br />
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As you can see, the Cruz was one of two Giants in the 3-D Sluggers subset. Fully absent from this set is Barry Bonds which is odd. I checked and he is in the Upper Deck base set for the year so I am not sure why he isn't here.<br />
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The Giants only had base cards, the two 3D Sluggers cards and one update card. There were some other subsets. Here is a full breakdown of the 500 card set:<br />
<ul>
<li>There was an initial 450-card set released in hobby boxes </li>
<li>Cards numbered from 1 through 300 were
printed in higher quantity than the rest of the set. </li>
<li>In that group of
300 the final three cards feature checklists. </li>
<li>Cards numbered 301 through
315 are Play Ball Preview Cards</li>
<li>Cards numbered 316 through 325
are World Series Highlight Cards</li>
<li>Cards numbered 326 through 335 were
players who were traded during the 2003 season </li>
<li>A few leading 2003
rookies were issued as Short Prints between cards 335 and 350</li>
<li>As mentioned above, cards 351-440 were issued
with lenticular technology and feature 90 of the majors leading
sluggers </li>
<li>The set concludes with 10 cards made in the style of the 19th
century Old Judge cards. Those cards were issued in "Old Judge Packs"
which were issued as one per box "boxtoppers"</li>
<li>A 50-card Update set of cards 451-500 was issued in factory set format and
distributed into one in every 1.5 hobby boxes of 2004 Upper Deck Series 2 </li>
</ul>
I am down to needing 1 card to finish up the full run, a 2003 Barry Bonds #269 which is also a 3D Sluggers printed with lenticular technology. I looked at my usual sources, eBay, COMC and Sportlots and couldn't find one for sale however there were two sold fairly recently on eBay for what I would call reasonable prices. I set up a search in hopes of finishing the full run.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-83636913672173389852020-04-25T13:54:00.000-05:002020-04-25T13:54:14.342-05:00My Favorite Players of All Time - AL Central EditionI am trying to find some ways to entertain myself a bit as I blog and
enjoy my collection so I thought I would continue my posts where I
will declare my favorite all time player for each team in baseball.
Figure it is a good way to think about baseball and dig into my
collection to share some cards that probably haven't made their way onto
the blog.<br />
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I started with the <a href="https://arpsmith44.blogspot.com/2020/04/my-favorite-players-of-all-time-al-east.html">AL East Division</a>. Next up is the AL Central Division.<br />
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Chicago White Sox - Frank Thomas<br />
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The Big Hurt, one of the best pure hitters I have ever seen. I am a pretty big guy and generally relate well to big guys. While I am not one to hold PED use against players (Bonds and Clemens certainly belong in the HOF) Thomas has never been accused of using anything while playing through the era where upwards of 70% of players were alleged to be juicing. The guy won 2 MVPs, hit over 40 HRs five times, ended up with 521 tying my favorite player of all time in Willie McCovey and led the league in walks four times. When I think of the Sox, Frank Thomas instantly comes to mind.<br />
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Honorable Mention - Shoeless Joe Jackson, Harold Baines, Mark Buehrle & Carlton Fisk<br />
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Cleveland Indians - Kenny Lofton<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lWY8VaGcSQco_pukThfZe3QcV4Fhi-9xf8t-zeyM351rSqea-tCT5uPTw-ieRTGLh_m3Qx5wySWJodjeqJbg-1c7du4II6JJkykWgDyK6OI7LNn_HEwC02MA0-9XwqzPdaFnrKvTDlM/s1600/Kenny+Lofton+1993+Topps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1136" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lWY8VaGcSQco_pukThfZe3QcV4Fhi-9xf8t-zeyM351rSqea-tCT5uPTw-ieRTGLh_m3Qx5wySWJodjeqJbg-1c7du4II6JJkykWgDyK6OI7LNn_HEwC02MA0-9XwqzPdaFnrKvTDlM/s640/Kenny+Lofton+1993+Topps.jpg" width="454" /></a></div>
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I had a hard time thinking through the Indians and coming up with a favorite. There are quite a few guys that I like but nobody rose to the surface initially. Then this card came to mind and to me it fully represents who Kenny Lofton is - hustling, running fast, helmet flying off - plus the rookie cup, and my pick was instantly crystallized. I remember him coming to the Giants in mid-2002 for virtually nothing and being excited then being disappointed when he left via free agency that winter. He started with the Astros and hit 8 different teams over 7 years after leaving the Indians but returned for his last few games. The Indians are where I best remember him and he was a great one.<br />
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Honorable Mention -Jim Thome, Bob Feller & Manny Ramirez<br />
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Detroit Tigers - Al Kaline<br />
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Al Kaline is Mr. Tiger and just recently I got that too often sadness that comes over me when one of the baseball heroes I admire passes. There are tons of players I like and respect throughout the history of the Tigers, some all time greats, some flashes in the pan but nobody surpasses Kaline - to me he is the best. He seems to have been highly respected by his peers, I can't recall an article or book that speaks poorly of him and up until his death he turned out awesome autographs for collectors and fans.<br />
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Honorable Mention -Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Jack Morris, Chet Lemon & Mark Fidrych<br />
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Kansas City Royals - Mike Sweeney<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyMWXWqhCjCwJuvubeRItU-w8ZIForcl2ZtSfKyqLB8Gobdt2U9J2d6TQMXKl8i_GU4dUZ7D4c6RUixLit66Z1eLgVNIZAQAwTp9tCPI8MpL3TtGzJdXQyHj58SW_DGnpDA7rUacI4w10/s1600/Mike+Sweeney+Autographics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1145" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyMWXWqhCjCwJuvubeRItU-w8ZIForcl2ZtSfKyqLB8Gobdt2U9J2d6TQMXKl8i_GU4dUZ7D4c6RUixLit66Z1eLgVNIZAQAwTp9tCPI8MpL3TtGzJdXQyHj58SW_DGnpDA7rUacI4w10/s640/Mike+Sweeney+Autographics.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>
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I now live in the KC area and grew up in the late 70s and early to mid-80s when the Royals were at their peak but for some reason a guy playing in between those two eras stands out as my favorite. I recall Sweeney as being the face of the Royals and as a 5-time All Star on a team with little national exposure a guess he was. I heard an interview with him later in his career and took a liking, to the point of starting to collect his cards. I pulled this cool auto of him in his catchers gear (he last caught a game in his 5th season but was primarily known as a first baseman and DH) as one of my almost 200 cards of his to share and for the first time realized they spelled his last name wrong.<br />
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Honorable Mention -George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson & Salvador Perez<br />
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Minnesota Twins - Kirby Puckett<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvzzvwC6cN9hHnb8vL20vhHYxVl05U0uk0692S1pWNVsGt21ghqcvfnaN0BCgu6BAaezPxeWjNRiAtQuYwtkC4r9wJ1wDoVz84UAj4WdCvotjI2ATve7j9VC6QLMXB92Jsaww0ppXtMQ/s1600/Kirby+Puckett+A+Cut+Above.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1600" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvzzvwC6cN9hHnb8vL20vhHYxVl05U0uk0692S1pWNVsGt21ghqcvfnaN0BCgu6BAaezPxeWjNRiAtQuYwtkC4r9wJ1wDoVz84UAj4WdCvotjI2ATve7j9VC6QLMXB92Jsaww0ppXtMQ/s640/Kirby+Puckett+A+Cut+Above.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I attended an Oakland A's game with my best friend and his dad during Puckett's rookie season. I vividly recall my buddies dad yelling out "look at that little pudge run" when he was chasing down a fly ball in center field. I was instantly impressed with him as a player and followed him from that day until the day he prematurely was forced to retire. I loved the way he played the game, one of the greats.<br />
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Honorable Mention - Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Brad Radke & Tony Oliva<br />
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If you missed my AL East edition you can check it out <a href="https://arpsmith44.blogspot.com/2020/04/my-favorite-players-of-all-time-al-east.html">here</a>.<br />
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Up next is the AL West. <br />
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<br />arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-90743523900763021142020-04-24T11:00:00.000-05:002020-04-24T11:00:08.172-05:00A New Vintage Set QuestYesterday I shared some matchbook covers that I won in an auction recently. During that same auction I bid on and won some cards from a set I have been thinking about building, 1961 Fleer. My goal was to finish off my 1960 Fleer set and my 1961 Golden Press set prior to starting this set. I see these sets in a similar light as smaller sets and somewhat of oddball sets featuring retired baseball greats. But seeing 3 lots of these cards at a pretty reasonable price made me decide to start putting this set together without finishing the others up.<br />
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I picked up 36 total cards and 32 different cards which is more than 20% of the 154 card set. Not a bad start. Here are all 36 cards:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZFKHa4_ILz-WWSlse6HNxQqb2CAgZOp88cnuxMOntdNLQBpj1yaP73O_yybSn98G4Y7ZX3wNdHHRpI1SPFqeVdJLWm1NVeYGpFlrVumLUhuvCcHwU2PjM2oGUJvCoUP8Ov3_C3G9nfI/s1600/1961+Fleer+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZFKHa4_ILz-WWSlse6HNxQqb2CAgZOp88cnuxMOntdNLQBpj1yaP73O_yybSn98G4Y7ZX3wNdHHRpI1SPFqeVdJLWm1NVeYGpFlrVumLUhuvCcHwU2PjM2oGUJvCoUP8Ov3_C3G9nfI/s640/1961+Fleer+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Boy, my photography skills need some work - those are some crooked pictures. While I generally like some scenery in the background on cards, I am okay with the solid colors, they are bright and make the players stand out. It will be interesting to see once I get closer to completing the set if there is a pattern to the colors.<br />
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Whenever I see these cards I always wonder, "why 5 stars, could it have been 4 or 6 - who made that decision". Silly I guess but it would be great to hear from card designers what went into the decisions. I really enjoy the variety of players in this set. There are going to be some tough (expensive) cards in this set build like Babe Ruth and Ted Williams but I don't think it will be crazy expensive.<br />
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Here is a look at the card backs:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0tOD9sfQTEOKjgTiUmyO2XRUoCgJPAAjzTacN5SrUFo8xM3OJhGrTWrBLo10TWIIXyCZkuwt4AwwyFi8jK7GWkXzxEsRSzOTRbdw0gfeI9XFT47wpc6SMiS0tdeOPyi1158QLqOGZf8/s1600/1961+Fleer+backs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK0tOD9sfQTEOKjgTiUmyO2XRUoCgJPAAjzTacN5SrUFo8xM3OJhGrTWrBLo10TWIIXyCZkuwt4AwwyFi8jK7GWkXzxEsRSzOTRbdw0gfeI9XFT47wpc6SMiS0tdeOPyi1158QLqOGZf8/s400/1961+Fleer+backs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The trophy surrounding the number is kind of cool. I really like the write ups and the career stats and everything is pretty easy to read.<br />
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I ended up with 4 extras, if anyone is looking for them let me know. Also, outside of the Giants team set featured <a href="https://arpsmith44.blogspot.com/2014/11/completed-giants-vintage-team-set-1961.html">here</a>, I don't think I have any more of these in my collection so if you have some available for trade or sale drop me a line.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-90944102202251621262020-04-23T11:00:00.000-05:002020-04-23T11:00:00.140-05:00Unique Oddball NY Giants PickupI have spread my wings a bit on where I am seeking out cards these days. I am not buying many new cards and while I still look frequently at eBay, COMC and Sportlots I am consistently looking for ways to get deals on card and bring unique cards into my collection. I have shared a couple Facebook pick-ups recently and another source for cards for me have been some online auctions. I have bid on and won a few things over the last several months. This week I got a small package that included the item I wanted to share today.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil00aMf1pOnuahDbksujnCi-mlxRX3VotItKT8vZgMB_RPox0WxhSNA9q6Jvw9zrwnEgXWfn6WtaEgjrrl9NLotqzdO2qRQpTn4ZCN5ZNErjC5jytdfZ2wzqx64gjrhIUPx0k_2aL-QYU/s1600/Koenig+matchbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil00aMf1pOnuahDbksujnCi-mlxRX3VotItKT8vZgMB_RPox0WxhSNA9q6Jvw9zrwnEgXWfn6WtaEgjrrl9NLotqzdO2qRQpTn4ZCN5ZNErjC5jytdfZ2wzqx64gjrhIUPx0k_2aL-QYU/s640/Koenig+matchbook.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is a 1935-36 Diamond Match matchbook cover of Mark Koenig. Koenig had a 12 year baseball career and his last 2 years were with the Giants. He played all over the diamond but was primarily a shortstop throughout his career. He was a career .279 hitter without much power hitting only 28 HRs in his career with a lifetime .367 slugging percentage. If you struggle to read upside down, I decided to snap another pic in the other direction:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5WaLCw2RY3wBvrYLRvKtofP1DlaVOv933tgP9YoN1dod-5eK-RodMQ5smQIVcjZX9QPRVSBnA9JsfV5aDyiA-P0X1_K3wvLMR0Q66UJpOUh84tE25gAe_DOvrKz4a8JSgdQUYyHnY14/s1600/Koenig+Matchbook+upsidedown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5WaLCw2RY3wBvrYLRvKtofP1DlaVOv933tgP9YoN1dod-5eK-RodMQ5smQIVcjZX9QPRVSBnA9JsfV5aDyiA-P0X1_K3wvLMR0Q66UJpOUh84tE25gAe_DOvrKz4a8JSgdQUYyHnY14/s640/Koenig+Matchbook+upsidedown.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
I also took a picture next to a standard sized card in case you happen to be someone who isn't familiar with matchbooks:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQpwA9rld_jAqzzbDB99qVtmk1v2gFFlIApjweRgVdSv-IQY3ox5mDQMNJ54TMJ8nnQKcVgY8uguRrDBFuZOQqS8adaAdOj-28xQiEYzuFPZKykHZ2tWROo3oZ1ZyrSC8msavhGXfW0A/s1600/Koenig+Matchbook+size+comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQpwA9rld_jAqzzbDB99qVtmk1v2gFFlIApjweRgVdSv-IQY3ox5mDQMNJ54TMJ8nnQKcVgY8uguRrDBFuZOQqS8adaAdOj-28xQiEYzuFPZKykHZ2tWROo3oZ1ZyrSC8msavhGXfW0A/s640/Koenig+Matchbook+size+comparison.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
I really enjoy adding items to my Giants collection from their New York days and this item still leaves me short of 20 different cards/items in my collection from the 30s.<br />
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I was able to bring this home in a lot of 2 matchbooks for just a $5 bid plus the shipping. Here is the other matchbook of a more familiar name:<br />
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I will probably just hang onto the Ethan Allen matchbook even though it doesn't fit into my core collection, it is a pretty cool item.<br />
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If you know of any pre-1950s affordable Giants items to seek out, please let me know.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6106782875218536170.post-38606862314803117712020-04-20T15:55:00.002-05:002020-04-20T15:55:58.416-05:00McCovey Monday and Contest ResultsSlacking a bit on my posting after a nice little stretch of posts so I thought I would knock out a quick McCovey Monday post showing my newest addition and share the results of my recent contest.<br />
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First up the Willie Mac addition:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrh0by9LjJGQ8avm3FYB8g8FQfMkPwtlnpyntCHmkN6mWbqKLskIl9foBRdL5IpAjo_frjVoYVY5t8NbJOFyYiAsgpVQOemAKbDrhanhnuBueXHwV7uFZt2Pip18_JiDVM-NpN9Qn5hk/s1600/McCovey+Patch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrh0by9LjJGQ8avm3FYB8g8FQfMkPwtlnpyntCHmkN6mWbqKLskIl9foBRdL5IpAjo_frjVoYVY5t8NbJOFyYiAsgpVQOemAKbDrhanhnuBueXHwV7uFZt2Pip18_JiDVM-NpN9Qn5hk/s320/McCovey+Patch.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>
What is that, you say? If you guessed that it isn't a card you are correct. This is a patch that was used on the sleeves of Giants jerseys last year to memorialize the career of McCovey who passed on Halloween of 2018. It is pretty small, about 1 3/4" in diameter which is cool because it will fit in a card slot in one of my McCovey binders. I have been meaning to seek one of these out for some time and glad to have one in my collection.<br />
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My goal in having the contest was to drum up some more comments and view. While that post had more, not sure I am seeing it on other posts but I am surprisingly okay about that. Some of my satisfaction in the past came from views and comments and while I enjoy getting comments I have found my joy almost solely comes from sharing my thoughts and collection along with documenting my collecting journey.<br />
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Now on to the results. The winner was the person who guessed closest to the exact price I paid for a trio of cards <a href="https://arpsmith44.blogspot.com/2020/04/some-giant-facebook-pick-ups-and-contest.html">shared in this post</a>. The amount I paid was $64 delivered so the winner is P-Town Tom of <a href="http://tilnextyear-tom.blogspot.com/">Waiting 'til Next Year</a> who guessed $63.43. Great guess Tom. I feel that was a pretty good price and even a better guess. <br />
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Thanks to all who participated in the contest. Tom I will look to dig up some cards to send you way as a thank you. Shoot me your mailing address when you have a chance.arpsmithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15906792508761334151noreply@blogger.com7