30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Panini Doesn't Totally Suck

When I was a kid, my parents would drag me to their friends' annual Kentucky Derby party.  It was an excuse for them to hang out, drink, and gambleMe?  I'd play video games or watch movies with the other kids.

That's pretty much the closest I've ever come to being interested in horse racing.  I didn't bother watching the race yesterday and couldn't tell you anything about the event other than it costs betters a lot of money due to a disqualification.

But last month during a baseball card therapy session, I pulled this really sweet card out of a box of 2012 Panini Golden Age:


2012 Panini Golden Age
Museum Age Authentic Collection #20

The card doesn't explain the origin of this piece of leather, but I'll go out on a limb and assume it's a piece of Secretariat's saddle or something.  Regardless of where it came from, it's still a really cool memorabilia card... and easily the best card I pulled from the nine boxes of Panini Golden Age I opened last month.

There are only a handful of Panini products I'm interested in and Golden Age is one of them.  There's a lot of stuff from my childhood... and I really enjoy the on-card signatures.  That's why I went a little buck wild last November and purchased three boxes of 2012 Panini Golden Age, three boxes of 2013 Panini Golden Age, and three boxes of 2014 Panini Golden Age.  All nine boxes were part of Steel City Collectibles' Black Friday Sale, which set me back $212.55.  They were part of a shopping spree I went on after winning $1,200 on a slot machine back in November when I visited my parents.

My original plan was to review the entire break, but I'm trying to limit the length of my posts.  So instead... I'll just show off my favorite cards from the break:

Before Jay LenoConan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon... there was Carson.  Each box of Golden Age promises one memorabilia card.  This box topper was a bonus and is numbered to 50:

2014 Panini Golden Age
Authentic Material Box Topper #6

My only complaint about this Carson is that the swatch doesn't match the photo.

2014 Panini Golden Age #48

I'm not a huge fan of Panini baseball cards, but this card doesn't need an MLB logoOne day I hope to make the trek across the country to CooperstownOne day.

2013 Panini Golden Age
Historic Signatures #TSM

The Smothers Brothers were a little before my time, but this card makes my list because Tommy is a fellow San Jose State Spartan.  Go SJSU!

2013 Panini Golden Age
Museum Age Memorabilia #19

Muhammad Ali was one half of the "Thrilla in Manilla".  Frazier was the other.  The two legends fought each other three times with Ali taking two of the boutsFrazier's lone win happened to be the first loss of Ali's distinguished career.


2012 Panini Golden Age
Historic Signatures #RB

I'm a fan of baseball trivia... and Blomberg's claim to fame is he's MLB's first designated hitter.  Whether or not you're a fan of the DH, he's a part of baseball history and now a part of my collection.

2013 Panini Golden Age
Museum Age Memorabilia #27

Chris, the Pedestrian Collector, wrote an excellent post back in April where he created a timeline of his celebrity crushes.  I'm pretty sure Elizabeth Montgomery was one of my first celebrity crushes.

Before I close things out with my second favorite card from the break, if there's anyone out there who is building any of these sets... email me your wantlists and I can probably help you outPanini's collation sucked big time with this product.

And if you have spare singles laying around... here are my current set needs:




Okay.... here's my second favorite card from the break...

2014 Panini Golden Age
Historic Signatures #MAJ

What little boy wouldn't love watching a television show about a bionic man with the speed of a cheetah, the strength of a gorilla, and the eyesight of an eagle?  I've wanted to add this card to my collection for a few years now.  Now I just need the Lindsay Wagner autograph to go with it.

Okay... that's it for now.  Today's questions of the day...


How interested are you in horse racing?  Who's you favorite The Tonight Show host?  And are you a fan of the designated hitter?

Look forward to reading and responding to your answers...

Happy Sunday and sayonara!


Extra Innings

If you're like me... you enjoy collecting autographs and memorabilia cards.  Here are the leftovers from my nine box break that didn't make the original post:


2012 Panini Golden Age Historic Signatures

2012 Panini Golden Age Museum Age Authentic Collection

2013 Panini Golden Age Historic Signatures

2013 Panini Golden Age Museum Age Memorabilia

2014 Panini Golden Age Historic Signatures

2014 Panini Golden Age Museum Age Memorabilia

17 comments:

Corky said...

Golden Age is one of the sets that I dig because of how the sets cover sports and more. You did really well, the Secretariat saddle and Johnny Carson shirt relic are wonderful hits. Will you be trying to redeem the Biletnikoff? I know Panini has worked with people before.

JediJeff said...

I pulled am expired redemption from a blaster of GA about 5 months after it's date. Luckily, Panini flipped it into a Konerko autograph for me.

tomrobak said...

All very interesting things, I wasn’t aware of this product before reading, once again Fuji you showed an old man something interesting. I do agree with you on Panini baseball cards and that you should make it to Cooperstown, my son took me about two years ago, our second trip. Also this year there is a new exhibit, Shoebox Treasures, dedicated to the story of baseball cards, opening later this month.

Jon said...

They sure sent you some good boxes! That Secretariat was selling for quite a bit a few years back, but with the SCC continuing to flood the market with boxes, the price has dropped considerably in the last year or so -- still a great card though. Love the Lee Majors, I have bid on, and lost out on, more copies of that card than I can remember. And I would have been able to help you finish your sets, had I not donated all of my duplicates to a thrift store right before Christmas. I had been trying to give them away on the blog for years, never had any takers, and I was just getting tired of them taking up space, so off they went.

acrackedbat said...

I grew up with Carson. my grandmother loved him but I never cared for his humor. I was probably to young to understand most of it anyway. Nice topper though. Brings back fond memories of my GM. I love Golden Age which surprises me a bit since I'm not a Ginter fan. It a product Panini should consider doing again.

Brett Alan said...

Horse racing: I might watch a Triple Crown race if it's convenient, but that's about it.

The Tonight Show: Johnny, I guess. I did make a point of tuning in Headlines when Jay Leno was there. For late night hosts I prefer early Letterman or Craig Ferguson. Right now I don't watch much late night, but when I do it's Colbert or Seth Meyers.

DH: Don't like it, but I actually prefer the status quo. The David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez types who can't field can still have a great career, and I can still enjoy Noah Syndergaard's home runs. Just don't bring the DH to the NL.

Jafronius said...

Very nice Secretariat and Carson relics! Carson was the best; I didn't mind Leno and thought Conan deserved better. Not much time these days to watch Fallon but at this point his bits are made for YouTube. I don't like the DH but I'm resigned to it going to the NL eventually. I agree with Corky in that you buried the lead..will you be trying to redeem the Biletnikoff?

sg488 said...

No,Carson was the best,and no.

night owl said...

You could pinpoint someone's age within 10 years with the answers to those 3 questions.

1. Not any kind of avid horse racing fan, but I do appreciate the significance of the event. I get annoyed at younger folks (and Michael Wilbon) when they trash the Derby as some weird, antiquated ritual.

2. Johnny Carson WAS the Tonight Show. Like many, I felt like I had entered some magical adult club when I was able to stay up to watch Carson. Letterman is more my era and humor but Carson made the institution.

3. Hate the DH. Teach pitchers to hit. They're not inept. They're athletes, they can hit. But I know I'm fighting "progress." There will be a universal DH someday soon.

Commishbob said...

1) Yes...I used to be a regular at Sam Houston Raceway. They've struggled lately to draw good fields and I don't really care for off-track betting. 2) Johnny Carson was the king. No one else compares although Steve Allen was a genius (I never saw him do the Tonight Show, he was before my time.) 3) Yes, I'm fine with the DH... I just think it's dumb that the leagues have different rules.

BTW...Secretariat is the greatest athlete ever. I need to post my Ron Turcotte signed stuff.

SumoMenkoMan said...

Wow, you nailed some beauties there for sure! Never a huge fan of horse racing and I imagine the majority of people are at the Derby for the pageantry only. The race is a distraction! Ha. I’m okay with the DH....quartebacks don’t play safety.

The Lost Collector said...

I don't care for horse racing much as a whole, but I'm glued to the TV for the Derby. I doubt I'll be very interested in the next two since there won't be much of a shot at a Triple Crown (with all due respect to Country House). I will bet on them though.

Tonight Show-type shows have never been my thing, but I do think Letterman was very funny and his banter with guests was better than his rivals. I know it's not the same brand, but I'd say Kimmel is my current favorite late night host.

Pitchers hitting is dumb.

GCA said...

I still call up Carson on YouTube now and then. He's just classic. Letterman is OK, but I was never a big fan. Stopped watching (and staying up that late) when Leno took over. I think Fallon is hilarious, but only watch him on YouTube too.

Not into the horses. I have friends that get into it, but don't mention it any other time of year.

I never understood why pitchers couldn't practice hitting with the rest of the team. Do they really have to spend all their time throwing? SMM said Qb's don't play defense, but to me it's like saying the ball is dead if the QB has to run because the QB is a passer only, not a RB. Hitting is a function of all players.
I understand why they made the DH - for more scoring and home runs. But these days, most scoring IS home runs. Reversing that would make the game more interesting to me, but I know that won't happen.

Baltmoss68 said...

I appreciate horse 🐎 racing of all types. Love seeing a horse and rider working together it’s incredible.
Johnny Carson is my favorite, I even watch re runs sometimes. And I agree about the magical adult club comment!
I can take or leave the DH. Arguments on both sides are reasonable.

Steve at 1975BaseballCards.com said...

They don’t totally suck — they’re redeemed for me with some phone cards that I’ll post one of these days. And for non sports autographs I like them (that Lee Majors is cool).

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

Wow.

Fuji said...

corky - yeah, i entered it in and expected them to ship it since i know they're live. it's been a few weeks and i haven't heard anything. lol. maybe it's b/c i talk smack about their baseball products.

jedijeff - nice. they're pretty good about honoring expired redemptions. hopefully they'll take care of me, since i know that biletnikoff signed the cards for them

tomrobak - oh man, that exhibit sounds fantastic. as for making you aware of this product... i'm glad to help. i'm constantly learning new things about cards... and 99% of what i learn comes from reading blogs

jon - the secretariat relic is one of my most unique relics in my collection. i noticed one sold for only $20 or $30 a few weeks ago. oh well... i wasn't going to sell it anyways. lol. i guess the timing was off. i'm hoping i find someone at the june card show with these. my goal is to put all three sets in one binder.

acrackedbat - yeah... golden age seems to have a little bit for everyone. i remember carson, but wasn't necessarily a huge fan. i did enjoy conan for a few years though.

brett alan - i don't stay up for it, but i'll watch highlights of colbert and meyers. i went to a giants game either last year (maybe the year before) and there was a guy who had a hoodie that said something like "let pitchers hit" on it... with a madbum outline. it was pretty cool.

jafronius - fallon is pretty funny. i watch his highlights as well on youtube from time to time. and yeah... i totally redeemed the biletnikoff. haven't heard anything from them yet.

sg488 - a seven word comment? nice. ;)

night owl - lol. that's what i was aiming for. i'm trying to triangulate the age of my readers. letterman was always cool. i enjoyed his musical guests way more than any other late night talk show hosts. yeah... i have a feeling the dh is coming to the nl soon.

commishbob - your comment brought back memories of my buddies and i attending races at bay meadows. totally forgot about watching the races and placing bets. hmmm... maybe i should track down a turcotte autograph to pair up with my secretariat relic

sumomenkoman - i think you're right about the derby... my parents were more interested in the party than the actual race

the lost collector - oh man... kimmel is hilarious. if i had to pick a favorite, he'd get my vote

gca - lol. i think the dh is one of the best debates in sports. it's pretty split between bloggers and probably among baseball fans in general

baltmoss68 - yeah... night owl nailed the magical adult club comment. although it wasn't carson for me. letterman was my guy back in the day.

steveat1975baseballcards.com - nice. always looking forward to seeing athletes with phones on your blog

johnnystradingspot - :)