Flashback Friday #6: 1989 TV Sports Mailbag 8x10 Pictures

One of the things about being a "pack rat" is that sometimes you stumble across long, lost purchases. Last night, while digging through a box of old folders and handouts, I came across a package containing four Chicago Cubs 8x10 photos produced by a company called TV Sports Mailbag back in 1989.

I have no idea where these came from... but the Greg Maddux has definitely found a home in my collection.

The colored photos are printed on semi-gloss paper, but aren't of the highest quality. The back of the photos contain the player's name, position, team name, and have the official MLB logo. There's even a photo number for collectors who were interested in building the set.

According to Beckett and the paper inserted into the pack, there are 140 photos in the set. Singles can be found on eBay for around $3 to $9 (shipping included). Cal Ripken Jr. has a book value of $5 and is the highest valued photo in the set.

So if you're a player collector looking to add something a little different to you collection... maybe these are for you. There's a NL Leaders pack with a Tony Gwynn I need for my collection, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to drop $11 for it.

Are there any 80's collectors out there who bothered to build this set?

Where were they distributed? Card shops? Toy stores?

Happy Friday everyone... hope all of you enjoy your weekend. Sayonara!

Hidden Treasures #9: Cards From The LCS

I'm not sure about you... but finding a bargain at my local card shop is like finding a needle in a haystack. Please don't get the wrong idea. I completely understand the hardships of running a card shop and their attempts to compete with the internet. Unfortunately, the ones in my area lack the ability to offer competitive pricing.

In fact, the only things I usually purchase at my LCS are supplies and the occasional oddball insert. But last Saturday, found a guy selling a 1976 Topps football card set on Craigslist, so we decided to meet at the local shop. While I was waiting, I decided to kill some time looking through the owner's 5,000 count boxes. They were labeled 25¢ per card, but he told me he'd only charge me 10¢ per card if I found anything.

Two hours later... which includes the fifteen minutes it took to meet the Craigslist guy... I walked away with 200 dime cards. There were a handful of Tony Gwynn cards I didn't have, along with a handful of cards for my students. But the bulk of the haul was a stack of additions to my 90's insert binders. Here's a sample of my haul:

Greg Maddux

1999 SPx "Star Focus" #SF2

2000 UD Ionix "BIOrhythm" #B12

Nomar Garciaparra

2000 UD Ionix "Reciprocal" #R45

1997 Bowman Chrome "Scout's Honor Roll Refractor" #SHR15

2000 UD Ionix "Atomic" #A10

More 90's Baseball Parallels

1997 Flair Showcase "Row 0" #29 Joe Carter

1996 Donruss "Silver Press Proof" #133 Mariano Rivera

1997 Pinnacle Certified "Mirror Red" #94 Dwight Gooden

1997 Pinnacle Certified "Mirror Blue" #20 Bernard Gilkey

Topps Basketball Black Gold

1993-94 Topps "Black Gold" #18 Shaquille O'Neal

1993-94 Topps "Black Gold" #19 Anfernee Hardaway

1993-94 Topps "Black Gold" #23 Chris Webber

Gridiron Goodies

2000 Bowman Chrome "By Selection Refractors" #B8 J. Smith/T. Pinkston

1997 Absolute "Leather Quads Gold" #16 Hill/Frerotte/Kaufman/Johnson

Hasek & Hull

1997-98 SPx "Bronze" #4 Dominik Hasek

1994-95 Finest "Division's Finest Clear Cut" #15 Brett Hull

In terms of Beckett value, I scored big. But let's be serious... 90's inserts & parallels just don't command the attention they once did. Which is a blessing in disguise, because I'm a huge fan of them and always will be.

Attention Cardboard Collectors: If you want to dump your 90's inserts & parallels of stars & superstars for 10¢ a piece... I'll buy them all day long.

Okay... it's your turn:

How many local card shops are within 15 miles of where you live? How often do you visit them?

Happy Thursday everyone... and sayonara!

It's Just My Luck...

My recent transition from a Los Angeles Lakers fan into a Golden State Warriors fan has been interesting to say the least. Don't worry, I have no regrets. I'm now a diehard Warriors fan who will support them through the thick and thin.

And right about now... things are beginning to look thinner & thinner.

If you're a basketball fan, then you've heard about the trade that sent Monta Ellis, Kwame Brown, and Ekpe Udoh to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. Now, I've been listening to ESPN and KNBR's breakdown of the trade... along with a variety of fans' opinions... and it seems like it's a trade the Warriors had to make, but one the Bucks will benefit more from.

But I'm not here to debate whether or not the Warriors screwed up... I'm here to show of my newly started Ekpe Udoh PC:

I started collecting Udoh a few weeks ago, because he's not on anyone's radar... but at the same time, he's been the most effective and efficient big man on the court for Golden State this season. Up until last week, he was the only player on a losing team in the NBA's top 50 "+/-" stat category with a +150. That's almost twice the total of Stephen Curry who was ranked second on the Warriors.

But thanks to yesterday's trade... I no longer have a reason to collect him. And it seems like I'm not the only collector being affected by trades. My buddy Charles over at Hoopography has a nice 2008 Bowman Chrome "Blue Refractor" rookie card of Jesus Montero, who was traded from his beloved Yankees to the Mariners in January. Montero is batting .333 in Spring Training, so my guess is he'll still have a fair share of followers.

On the other hand, Udoh is a mystery. If he gets the opportunity to play some decent minutes... who knows... maybe he'll blossom into a solid starter. The again... maybe he sits on the bench behind Ersan Ilyasova who had been on an amazing run until this past Monday. I guess only time will tell.

As for now... I'm currently trying to figure out which current Warrior I want to collect next. Then again... maybe I'll just stick to the legends like: Chris Mullin, Rick Berry, and Tim Hardaway.

Happy Hump Day! Sayonara.

PC Addition: Will Clark Autographed Cachet

I've been an Oakland A's fan since the 70's and a San Diego Padres fan since the 80's, which means I don't have a lot of love for the San Francisco Giants.

But over the years, I've grown to admire a few of their players... and Will Clark is one of them.

Clark is a local legend here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In his first regular season MLB at bat (April 8th, 1986), he faced Nolan Ryan and sent the second pitch over the center field wall for a home run. It was the first of six that Clark would launch off of Ryan... which is the most The Ryan Express gave up during his career to any one hitter.

But that wasn't his only significant home run. A few days later, he hit a home run in the fifth inning off of Bob Knepper in his first regular season appearance at Candlestick Park. And although I can't confirm it... I've read that Clark smacked a home run off of Fernando Valenzuela in his minor league debut.

The gentleman known to many as "The Thrill" went on to have a solid MLB career playing on four teams over 15 seasons. While with the Giants, he was an all-star for five straight seasons (1988 to 1992), won the Silver Slugger Award in 1989 & 1991, and was one of the elite first baseman in baseball.

So when I walked into my local card shop a few weeks ago and saw this autographed cachet for $4, I knew I had to add it to my collection:

It commemorates one of the most impressive League Championship performances in MLB history when he batted .650 with 13 hits (6 extra base hits), 2 home runs, 24 total bases, and 8 RBI's to become the 1989 NLCS MVP.

And today Will Clark is celebrating his 48th birthday. Happy Birthday Will!

Everyone else... Happy Tuesday and enjoy the rest of your week. Sayonara!

Blog Trade #19: Starting Nine

When I started my Steve Carlton project last year, I figured his 1965 Topps rookie card would be the final piece of the puzzle. But thanks to Max @ Starting Nine that won't be the case.

Okay... you're probably staring at the huge ding at the top. Some will shake their head at the flaw... but I'm completely fine with it. Let's face it... I'll never be able to afford a high condition Carlton rookie.

Thank you Max for helping me out with my project. I'm down to needing only two more cards to wrap up this project:

1972 Topps Traded #751

1987 Topps Traded #19T

Oh... and thanks for the extras too:

90's Numbered Shark!

Japanese Refractors!

More Japanese PC Additions!

I look forward to future trades. Have a good evening... and sayonara!