30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Starting Another Run

A little over a decade ago... I decided to put together a complete run of Steve Carlton's Topps flagship base (and traded) cards.  Next up was Thurman Munson.  In 2022, I completed the Steve Largent run.  A month later, the Tony Gwynn run was finished too.

After putting it off for far too many years... last month I decided to start another run.  This time, the subject is The Man of Steal.  Before Gwynn, Rickey was my favorite baseball player.  In fact... had he not been traded to the New York Yankees back in December of 1984... there's a chance he still would be.

Ultimately, he'd return to the A's in 1989 and help them beat the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.  Unfortunately by then... there was no way he unseat Mr. Padre.  But he'd settle comfortably into the #2 spot which is where he has remained ever since.

Over forty years after becoming a fan... I'm now making a point of completing his run.  Considering all of the teams he's played for over his twenty-five season career... I've quickly discovered this is going to be a lot tougher than anticipated.

Let's start off with what I have...

1982 Topps #610

As of right now, his 1982 card is the oldest in the run.  This is a chance to explain one of the guidelines I've created for myself... which is that the cards in these base card runs are not part of a set or set buildRickey's 1980 Topps rookie card is the perfect example.  I own a complete set of 1980 Topps, but I'm not willing to pull it out for this project.  The same thing applies to a few other cards in this project: his 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1995 cards.

1984 Topps #230
1985 Topps #115
1987 Topps #735

1988 Topps #60
1989 Topps #380
1989 Topps Traded #48T

1990 Topps #450
1991 Topps #670

1992 Topps #560
1993 Topps #750

1994 Topps #248
1997 Topps #96

Over the span of Rickey's career... Topps produced a staggering twenty-nine flagship regular (non-subset) base and traded cards.  As of today, I currently have thirteen in possession, plus three sitting in a box over at Sportlots, and hopefully four more are on their way to my Sportlots box.

Assuming these seven eventually arrive safe and sound, I'll be down to nine cards.  Here's a look at the ones I need:


The four cards highlighted in red were purchased over three weeks ago and haven't arrived... so I'm starting to think I'll need to purchase them again.

His rookie card will set me back a little, but I'm not too worried about that card.  Living in the Bay Area, I'm hoping to find an affordable, lower grade, raw copy for a reasonable price.  Not sure what the deal is with his 2002 and 2003 Topps Traded cards.  If I'm lucky, I'll have to pay $15 for the 2003 card.  Outside of his rookie card, that's about the most I want to pay for a card in this project.

Sadly... that puts me in kind of a bind, because his 2002 traded card currently sells in the $50 to $80 range NO WAY WILL I PAY THAT KIND OF MONEY.  Anyone know what the deal is with that card?  Anyways... maybe the Hobby Gods will help me out and I'll find it lingering in a dime box or quarter bin.

If not... this might be one of those projects that take years... possibly decades to finish.  That's kind of a bummer, but let's wrap things up on a happier note.

Back in December, Gavin showed off this gorgeous custom of Rickey's rookie card on his blog:


Hold on.  My scanner does not do this card justice.  Here's a photo of the custom:


Is this card awesome or what?  It actually looks way better in person.  And it's absolutely perfect for a St. Patrick's Day post.

Anyways... when he first showed it off... I asked him he was planning on selling it.  He didn't reply to my comment... but eventually this card showed up in my mailbox with a note thanking me for supporting his 1991 MusiCards Blog.


He signed the back... and noted that this is a one-of-a-kind custom... and his 1st Green Super.  Can't wait to see what other Green Supers he produces.

He also used the scraps from this custom and a Canseco reject to produce this one-of-a-kind card:


The Green Super was put into a magnetic and will eventually be added to my A's shelf in the office, while this Gold Super will be added to my Sports Card Smorgasbord binder which contains all of the other customs I've received from him and others over the years.

Thank you Gavin for these welcomed additions to my Rickey collection.

Happy St. Patrick's Day and sayonara!

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Cleaning Some Clutter

My classroom is cluttered with cards right now.  The eighth graders are wrapping up the civil rights trading card projects... while the seventh graders are designing trading cards of themselves, the teammates, and for me.

Part of the 7th grade assignment is to interview me.  This gives them an opportunity to learn about me while helping them fill the card back with biographical information and other facts.  Almost every group add strengths and weaknesses... along with an assortment of "favorites" to their list of questions.

I'm not exactly someone who is particularly strong or good at anything interesting to kids... so I have been giving them very vanilla responses like "sorting", "organizing", and "cleaning".

Coincidentally... that's how I spent my Saturday morning.

The goal was to clear my desk, scan some cards, and knock out a blog post.  Let's see if I achieved it.

First up are two stacks of cards... which contain stuff from flea market and card show purchases as well as stuff from bloggers.  In an effort to keep this post short and simple, I'll only be showing off a handful of those cards... all of which are either customs or legendary Japanese baseball players.

Let's start off with this custom card of Shohei Ohtani:


Last year... Nick over at n j w v created a series of home run celebration hat cards utilizing the 1981 Topps baseball card design.  I'm not surprised that Ohtani's kabuto made the checklist.


In addition to Ohtani, he sent a pair of Padres customs.  I'm going to save them for the Cinco de Mayo postThank you NickGreat job on these customs.  Very impressive.

Next up is a custom of the legendary Sadaharu Oh created by Gregory over at Nine Pockets...


I'm not the first blog to show off this beauty and I'm sure I won't be the last.  I purchased a few copies from his eBay store last year and was hoping to share it when I unveiled my copy of Oh's 1975 Menko Rocket Robot card.

Unfortunately... I still don't own that Rocket Robot card yet... so I decided to pair it with Nick's Ohtani instead.

The card is printed on clear plastic and doesn't contain any printing on the back:


This allows you turn Oh into a switch hitter... or scan his card with different colored backgrounds:


If you're interested in picking up a copy for your own collection, click here.  It's perfect for any Oh PC.

Last, but not least are some singles for my Japanese PC from Bob over at The Best Bubble.

Here are the three new additions to the Ichiro binder

2002 Topps Pristine #10

I took a break from collecting right around the time Ichiro stormed the hobby... so I never got a chance to experience Topps Pristine and its unique three packs within a pack concept.  It was cool to see Topps bring this product back.  Unfortunately... with triple digit price tags... it looks like I won't be experiencing the thrill of tearing into Pristine anytime soon.

2002 Upper Deck #123

Ichiro looks like he just took a shot to the groin... but the photo is well-cropped and all body parts are intact, so no complaints here.

2022 Stadium Club Box Topper #184

This might look like your standard sized base card... but it's actually an oversized box topper.  Some collectors might frown upon these, but I embrace them.

The next two cards are a pair of die-cut Nomo's from the 90's that look way cooler in person...

1997 Pacific Crown Collection Fireworks Diecuts #FW-16

This card combines jagged edges and colorful foil (similar to 90's Fleer Metal) to produce a really attractive card.  Plus this was produced in the 90's... which means they were reasonably tough pulls (1:72 packs).

1996 Select Claim to Fame #10

Here's another cool die-cut insert from the 90's.  It references Nomo's stellar rookie season and the fact that he was the starting pitcher in the MLB All-Star Game.  But personally... I feel like his claim to fame is the fact that he paved the way for other NPB players like Ichiro and Ohtani to cross the Pacific Ocean and play in the MLB.

The final card for today is this memorabilia card of Nomo's teammate that was also part of Bob's care package:

2005 Donruss Champions Impressions Materials #141

Kaz Ishii was a starting pitcher for the Dodgers from 2002 to 2004.

Thank you Bob, Nick, and Gregory for these generations additions to my Japanese player collections!

And thank you to those of you who stuck around to find out whether or not I accomplished my Saturday goal I didn't.  There are still about 20 cards I need to scan that are sitting on my desk... and I wasn't able to finish writing this post until this morning (Sunday).  That being said... I made a step in the right direction and cleaned up some clutter.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Friday, March 1, 2024

Time Heals

I've written a few posts about Mama Fuji and the positive influence and impact she had on me, my siblings, and my father.  She was he most generous and caring person in my life and I was truly devastated when she passed away nearly five years ago.

Thankfully... time has a way of healing the heart (at least for me).  That doesn't mean that every now and then, I don't have my moments where I reminisce and shed some tears.  It still happens.  It just happens on a less frequent basis.

There weren't any tears this morning, but I've been thinking about my mom all week as today is her special day.  In honor or my mom's eighty-ninth birthday, I pulled out a few cards featuring athletes who wore 89 on their jerseys...

1977 Topps #513

There's a pretty good chance that back in the mid 80's, Mama Fuji and I sat in front of the television together with Dryer on the screen as Officer Hunter.  There's even a better chance that we saw him on Cheers.

1958 Topps #16

Marchetti's career was over before I was born, so I never got to watch him play.  However my parents attended several Green Bay Packers games at Milwaukee County Stadium back in the late 50's, so there's a chance she got to see him play in person when the Colts came to town.

1995 Classic Pro Line Autograph #NNO

When my parents migrated to the Bay Area in the early 70's, they became San Francisco 49er fansBlades played for Seattle from 1988 to 1998, but back then the Seahawks were part of the AFC West.  He faced the 49ers twice, but only had three receptions.  Although I still watched some 49er games with my family in the late 80's and 90's... it wasn't nearly as often as when I was little.  So it's not likely we watched these games together.

2009 Certified Fabric of the Game DC Jersey Number Signatures #63

Although my parents' 49er fanfare dipped when they moved to Las Vegas in the late 90's, they still would watch them play if they were on the television.  This is especially true if they were playing the Packers or Raiders... the two teams Jones played for during his career.  Can't say for certain if my mom ever got a chance to see him play though.

1990-91 O-Pee-Chee Premier #75

I am 100% certain though that she never watched Mogilny play.  Even when the Sharks started playing in 1991 and Team Teal was soaring in popularity, my mom had little interest in them.  That's why I was so surprised to see her rooting for the Las Vegas Knights.  I remember her checking the box scores in the Las Vegas Review-Journal when I was there visiting.  I guess it helps that the Knights were awesome during their inaugural season.  They'd end up reaching the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Washington Capitols.  

The next season they were eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs.  But they shut out the Anaheim Ducks on her birthday that year... and beat the Calgary Flames the night before she passed away.  I never asked my dad about the specific details of that morning, but it wouldn't surprise me if one of the last things she did was check the box score from that game.

Happy birthday Mom!  Hope you're enjoying your special day with Dad.  Sorry to report that your Knights are off tonight... but they are having a pretty decent seasonLove and miss you!

Happy Friday and sayonara!