Today I'm going to show off two very unique cards. One is made entirely of metal. The other contains a chunk of metal. Both are heavy enough to be paper weights.
First, we take a trip back to the early 90's when Highland Mint created metal reprints of iconic sports cards.
I always thought that these were cool, so I was pretty excited to see a few of these offered as prizes in Johnny's Trading Spot's contest last month. As luck would have it, I ended up walking away with this beauty:
George Brett is one of the greatest hitting third basemen in the history of the game and back in the 80's, I always hoped that I'd one day land his 1975 Topps rookie card. Obviously this is a replica, but it'll suffice.
Highland Mint didn't cut corners on these collectibles. They used a solid piece of metal and made sure to capture the most minute details.
They secured it in a thick 1/2" lucite holder which does an excellent job of protecting the card. Ultimately I decided to free it, because the card looks much nicer in my hands:
According to the COA, they produced 5,000 of these bronze replicas, which happened to be licensed by both Topps and Major League Baseball.
However Highland Mint has reported that after their contract with Topps expired in 1994, they melted down the unsold stock and there's actually only 3,560 in existence.
If I ever stumble across these at a flea market or card show and they're reasonably priced, I can totally see myself adding a few more to my collection.
In addition to the Brett, John also sent me a bunch of Oakland A's cards for my collection:
Dennis over at Too Many Verlanders also sent me a card containing some metal:
This card is from a 2016 Topps Update 3000 Hit Club Medallion set and it's a beauty. I've always enjoyed manufactured relics and this card doesn't disappoint. In fact, I enjoy this set so much... I'm actually considering putting the entire 20 card set together... assuming I can find a few eBay lots to help me get started.
In addition to the Gwynn, Dennis also hooked me up with a bunch of other singles for my collection. There were a few new Ichiros for my binder, including this one:
2016 Topps Chrome Perspectives #PC9
I was also excited to see this card:
2003 Fleer MLB 3-D Stars
I actually already have one sitting in my binder, but that's why I was so excited to see it. I've always wanted to pop out the pieces and build it:
I'm not 100% sure I built it correctly... but I threw it up on my Ichiro shelf anyways.
Thanks you John and Dennis for these heavy chunks of metal and cardboard. I love both of them!
What about you...
Are you a fan of heavy metal? Do you have a favorite metal card? Or metal band?
Well that's it for now. I'll leave you with one of my favorites...
Happy Flashback Friday and sayonara!
7 comments:
A few Metal issues stick out to me. Old school Fleer Metal was cool. I also liked the one year of Topps Stars N Steel.
Ichiro or QWOP on that 3D card? OUCH!
You know those Highland Mint cards still bring in a good buck, you can always sell it and buy the real thing.. check these out....https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=highland+mint+bronze+george+brett&_in_kw=4&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=34472&_sargn=-1%26saslc%3D1&_salic=1&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=200
I really don't listen to much of anything else in the car besides the three hard rock / metal station on SXM.... Can't say who I like best, though. Many of those bands are still cranking it out, but a lot of the singers can't hit the notes any more.
I just picked up the Highland Mint Brooks Robinson version of that issue a month or so ago. I was surprised how cheap it was considering it the packaging looked to have never been touched. Really nice quality. I have not busted it out of the holder though. I have a couple other metal cards, including a mini Jim Palmer card I think. The Brooks is my new favorite though.
I am not a metal music fan, at least not according to how I define the genre. I used to listen to Led Zeppelin, not so much any more. Favorite metal band? Spinal Tap for sure.
I love the metal card. Do you have any of the ceramic cards from the early 1990s that have the card printed in a piece of rectangular ceramic? The stuff they came up with....0
the lost collector - i do miss me some fleer metal from the 90's. i don't think i ever ripped any topps steel n' stars, but i have singles in player pcs
dennis - lol. had to look up qwop. that's funny. thanks for giving me the opportunity to build an ichiro
john - no way. i'm keeping the heavy metal brett in my collection. already put it into a new holder. thank you for the contest/giveaway.
gca - nice. nothing like starting your day off to some metal. actually... i usually start my day off with sports radio, but maybe i need to give metal a shot
commishbob - you might want to look up 1995 topps legends of the 60's medallions. there's a brooks robinson in that set too. it's a replica of his 1969 topps card. these cards are almost the same as highland mint card. actually... maybe heavier.
sumomenkoman - i think i have a 1982 topps ripken rookie ceramic replica that i picked up at the flea market back in 2013:
http://sanjosefuji.blogspot.com/2013/09/flea-market-finds-45-pogs-coins-plastic.html
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