Cooperstown Class of 2025

Yeah.  Yeah.  I know I'm late to the party again.  This post was originally scheduled for two weeks ago... but I got behind in my writing.  However it's not often that one of my favorite players gets voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, so better late than never.

Today's post honors the five new members to this very elite club.  Let's start with the two members voted in by the Classic Era Baseball Committee:

2001 Fleer Greats of the Game Autograph #NNO

Dick Allen played his final game when I was in preschool, so I don't remember watching him play.  However I've looked at his statistics and have read enough articles and blog posts to know that he was a great hitter.  I'm just sad that he didn't get inducted a few years earlier.

2013 Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-DP

Dave Parker is another one of those Hall of Very Good members who has made the jump over to the Hall of Fame... and I'm absolutely stoked for him and his fans.  His career numbers at the plate was super impressive, but I'll always remember him for teaming up with Gary Carter in the 1979 MLB All-Star Game to gun down Brian Downing at the plate.

Moving along to the three guys voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.  Let's start with the guy that many bloggers have been rooting for the past few years:

2016 Archives Signature Series Buyback Autograph

1997 Topps Gallery #178

Out of the five guys in this class... Wagner is the one I'm least knowledgeable of.  I mean... I obviously know that he's one of the greatest left-handed relief pitchers of all-time.  But that's only because I've read that on your blogs.  Regardless... I'm happy there's another lefty headed to Cooperstown.

Speaking of lefties...

1999 Topps Traded Autograph #T33

Even though he spent over a decade with the New York Yankees... I was excited that Sabathia received the call to the hall on his first ballot.  I purchased this autograph back in 2018 for my Left-Handed Cy Young Award Winner PC.  Guess I need to track down another CC auto for my Left-Handed HOF PC.

Last, but certainly not least, the man who inspired this post:

2023 Finest Flashbacks Autograph #183

During the 2000's... Ichiro was one of the greatest and most exciting players in the game.  

Even if he wasn't from Japan, I would have been collecting his cards.  I just loved how he would slap the ball around the diamond like someone was controlling him in a video game.  It just seemed so easy to him.  Then there's the fact that he won ten consecutive Gold Glove Awards for his performance in right field.  If that wasn't enough to lock him in as a first ballot hall of famer... he also helped open the door for a generation of baseball players from Japan.

Congratulations Mr. Suzuki, Mr. Allen, Mr. Parker, Mr. Wagner, and Mr. Sabathia!

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Baskin-Robbins of Card Collecting

The beauty of our hobby is that there are plenty of ways to collect.  Some people enjoy opening boxes in search of a monster pull or build sets.  Others dig through dime boxes in search of their favorite players or teams.  I've discovered that I'm sort of the Baskin-Robbins of card collecting, because it feels like I collect 31 different things or ways.

Last week, I showed off a 90's insert I recently purchased of my all-time favorite athlete.  Today I'm shifting gears and highlighting a graded vintage card of a guy I've been collecting since the very beginning:

1975 Topps #185

Everyone knows Tony Gwynn is #1 on my list, but I started collecting baseball cards before 1983... so there were other favorite players before him.  One of those guys was Steve Carlton.  I became a big fan of him, because I'm a fellow lefty.

This purchase was inspired by Gregory over at Nine Pockets.  A few months ago, he wrote about the behind-the-scenes science going on within the photo of this card.  It was well-written and interesting, but that's not what sent me on a hunt to track down this card.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I enjoy collecting in a variety of ways... and I'll use this card and the other copies I own to explain my madness.  I have one sitting in my 70's vintage binder.  There's also a copy inside of my 1975 Topps Mini set binder... which satisfies the set collector within me.  And there are two more hanging out in my Lefty PC.

But after staring at Gregory's copy, I decided to add one more to the collection.  This time I wanted to add one to my Classic Cards Collection, which contains graded cards of cool looking cardboard.  This card definitely fits the criteria.  Just look at that well-cropped photo of Carlton paired with the gorgeous 1975 Topps baseball card design.  It's my favorite Topps flagship regular issue base card of his from his playing days... and one of sweetest looking baseball cards of the 70's.

It took a little bit longer than expected to find a copy within my price range, but the wait ended when a seller accepted my best offer of $17.  After tax and shipping, this card set me back right around the price of a blaster.

The one downside is on the back.  The card is heavily off-centered.  But that kept the grade down... which made the card more affordable.  So in the end it worked out for me.

Well there you have it... my fifth copy of this 1975 Topps Steve Carlton for a 4th collection.  Hopefully this post explains why I'll sometimes chase a card that I already own multiple copies of.

If not, just remember that the beauty of our hobby is there are plenty of ways to collect... which means you can collect the way you want... and I'll collect the way I want.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Picture Perfect

When it comes to well-cropped action shots on vintage cardboard, the 1978 Topps New York Yankees team set immediately comes to mind.  Roy White, Sparky Lyle, Thurman Munson, Don Gullett, Bucky Dent, Jim Hunter, Chris Chambliss, Fran Healy, and Mickey Rivers all have fantastic looking cards in the set.

But my two favorites are the Ron Guidry and Reggie Jackson cards:

1978 Topps #135

As much as I can't stand the New York Yankees, I've actually been a fan of Guidry since I was a kid.  Back in the early 80's, my family had an Apple IIe with an awesome baseball simulation game.  Seeing his 1978 stats instantly made me a fan.  Plus it doesn't hurt that he's a fellow lefty.

As for Reggie...

1978 Topps #200

The timing of this photo is absolutely perfect.  Look at that swing!  His knee is nearly scraping the ground.  Then there's the pinstripes, stirrups, 'stache, and shades.  It's gorgeous!

Both of these cards set me back about the price of a blaster.  I picked up the Reggie back in December of 2017 on eBay for $14 (free shipping).  Ahh... the good old days when I didn't have to pay tax on purchases.  The Guidry was a pandemic purchase (December 2020).  Surprisingly, I won the auction with a $3.50 bid (+ $4 shipping & 32¢ tax).  I'm pretty sure the ST qualifier turned off any other interested parties, but I don't even notice the stain in the scan:

The stain might be on the front of the card, but I didn't see it there either.

Well there you have it... two more well cropped action shots and two more additions to my Classic Cards Collection.

Happy Throwback Thursday and sayonara!

The Straight & Narrow

If you're a player or team collector... chances are you collect minis whether you like them or not.  On Thursday, Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown showed off a 9-pocket page of Dwight Gooden cards.  If you're a fan of Doc, click the link and check it out.

One of the cards he featured was a 2020 Allen & Ginter mini.  He created a custom frame-like thing to keep the card from sliding around and wondered if this is common for collectors who store cards in binders.

Well... it's common for me.  Until I saw a guy on YouTube use these:

What you're looking at is a BCW Tobacco Card Insert... which is a protective holder similar to a penny sleeve.  Sorry.  This scan isn't doing the product any justice.  Here's a look at the sleeve with a card inside of it:

Obviously this product is meant to protect your vintage tobacco cards and minis, but they can also convert your 9-pocket pages from this:

To this:

And if you're a top-loader kind of collector, they fit into those too:

Any downsides?  Yup.  A couple..  First thing is they aren't as cheap as penny sleeves.  BCW sells them in packages of 25 for $1.49 + shipping.

The other thing that kind of sucks is BCW's shipping isn't cheap.  Back in December, they had these on sale for 97¢ each, so I grabbed ten packs and they charged me $9.13 for shipping... which broke down to about $1.89 a pack/shipped (which is about 7.5¢ per sleeve).

Personally it was worth every penny to this obsessive compulsive collector.  What about you?

Does this product interest you?

By the way... 

#1:  I'm not sponsored by BCW.  This is just a personal product review.

#2:  A special thank you to Xavier (who is one of my blog supporters) for sending me the minis used in this post.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Don't Call It A Comeback

I'm still enjoying my vacation.  However a few things have happened over the past month that I wanted documented for personal reasons.  Plus I wanted to make sure I didn't completely drop off the face of the blogging world... so here's a brief life update post.

Back on March 11th my best friend's family said goodbye to their eleven year old Bernese Mountain Dog.  I was fortunate to see Chibi the week before.  I will forever treasure the last time we hung out as she wagged her tail in excitement when she saw me and tunneled between my legs.

She lived a good life, was well loved, produced many great memories, and will always be remembered.  I was truly lucky to have been a small part of her life.  Rest in peace, Chibi.

In other news... I recently received my second vaccination shot.  It's perfect timing, because the school board voted a couple of weeks ago and we'll be returning to our classrooms in the near future.  It'll be nice to be back in front of students for the first time in over a year.

As for hobby news...

I've been taking advantage of this hobby boom and unloading some stuff taking up space.  Plus a few duplicates and singles that don't really fit into my collection.

I'll start off with some old Junk Wax Era basketball boxes I had sitting in my classroom for years.  They were used for a "mean", "median", and "mode" lesson I'd teach during summer school.  A few months ago, I noticed that the 1990-91 Fleer boxes were selling for almost $200 each on eBay.  That's when I went to school, picked them up, and listed them on Craigslist.

Can you believe someone paid me $400 for this lot?  I assure you that I'm not a flipper, but there was no way I could pass up that opportunity.

Moving along to eBay sales...

2018 Topps A&G #83

Thanks to Nick over at Dime Boxes... I discovered that people are going nuts over this Cryptocurrency card.  It inspired me to dig through my Ginter box where I found this lone copy and flipped it within 24 hours.

People have also been paying good money for 1990 Marvel Universe holograms...

1990 Impel Marvel Universe Holograms #MH1

A few years ago I purchased a bunch of these sets for around 25¢ each.  The past few weeks, I've managed to sell two sets ($200 & $220).  It looks like these sets are starting to settle... as I've been forced to lower my asking price, but I hope to move most of these at a huge profit margin to help recoup some of the money I've spent on card purchases over the past 40 years (without digging into my personal collection).

My two largest eBay sales were PSA 10 Shaquille O'Neal rookie cards that I purchased on COMC about a decade ago for under $3.50 each.  Each fetched over $300.  I'm hoping to move a few more, but like the Marvel hologram sets prices have begun to slowly drop.

It would be cool to flip a few more of these, but I'm honestly not in any rush to move them.  It's not like I'm trying to liquidate my collection or anything.  That being said... I have significantly cut back on hobby purchases.

In fact... this Hideo Nomo is the only card I've purchased since the first week of February:

2004 Topps Chrome Refractor #92

I have wanted a refractor version of this card for at least ten years... and a recent post over on Night Owl Cards motivated me to track down this copy on eBay for $3.60 (tax & shipping included).  It's funny... if I saw this sitting at a show in a box with a $3.60 price tag... I probably would have walked away.  But my recent eBay sales have allowed me to splurge a little.

Although I haven't been purchasing cards doesn't mean I haven't added some new stuff to my collection.  I'll round out this post with a trio of PWE's and a couple of care packages from some fellow bloggers and a supporter of the blog.

Let's kick things off with the infamous Menendez Brothers' rookie card:

1990-91 Hoops #205

This is one of those cards that became an overnight sensation a few years ago.  I was hoping to stumble across this card in a dime box when I eventually return to walking around flea markets and card shows.  

But thanks to P-town Tom (Waiting 'til Next Year) I don't have to live in hope.  He's generously donated a copy to my Sports Card Smorgasbord binder.

Next up is an awesome custom card created by Gregory (Nine Pockets):

Back in September, he showed off some of his 1974 Topps All-Star non-sports customs and I had suggested he create a Battlestar Galactica version.  The result was these two beauties on one card.

And another nice addition to my Sports Card Smorgasbord binder.

Gregory also sent along a few wax stained gems:

My Damaged Card PC is starting to get out of hand, so I've had to be much more selective in what I add to the binder.  None of these managed to bump any of the current cards, so if any of you are interested in any of these... just let me know down in the comment section and I'll send them your way.  Just make sure to thank Gregory.

The final PWE was sent to me by Elliptical Man (The View from the Third Floor).  Inside were a variety of cards, but the one that stood out to me the most was this card:

2020 A&G Reach for the Sky #RFTS-2

It was the last card I needed for my Reach for the Sky set:

When it comes to card collecting, there are few things more satisfying than crossing off the last card you need for your set build.

Here are the other six cards he sent in the PWE:

I'm in the process of creating a late 80's binder... and the Carlton will be one of the inaugural additions.  And who doesn't appreciate a new Ryan Leaf rookie card?

Next up was a 400ct. box sent to me by another Tom, who I'll refer to as Reader Tom.  The box contained 106 cards for my 1984 Topps baseball set build, including these big names:

With Tom's help, I was able go from 76.3% completed to 89.7.  Just look at all of the red:

And rounding out my new card acquisitions is this beautiful hall of fame autograph for my Lefty PC:

2003 Topps Retired Signature Edition Autograph #TA-WS

Gavin (Baseball Card Breakdown) held a contest that involved a little investigative work and the movie The Shining.  If you're interested in reading the details, click here.  Simply put... luck was on my side and I won.

He had three different prize packages to choose from, but to me this card was a no-brainer.  Warren Spahn is one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all-time.  Unfortunately... he passed away in 2003... so there aren't a ton of certified, pack pulled autographs oh his out there.  The good news is he was one of those athletes who enjoyed signing for his fans, so there are plenty of autographs out there at very reasonable prices.

As cool as the Spahn is... the highlight of the package was this bonus autograph he included:

I'm not sure of the story behind this card, but it's the latest addition to my Blogger Autograph PC.

It's extra special, because it comes with some of Gavin's artwork.

And rounding out his care package was another one of Gavin's customs:

This is probably the 20th custom created by Gavin that's been added to my Sports Card Smorgasbord binder over the years.  You've gotta admire his creativity... and of course generosity.

Thank you P-town Tom, Gregory, Elliptical Man, Reader Tom, and Gavin for these generous additions to my card collection.  And thank you for all of those who have taken time out of their busy schedules to come back and check out my blog.

I'm not ready to come back on a regular basis, but my plan is to write "life update" posts from time to time.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!