Graffiti, Broders, and Mascots.. Oh My!

Graffiti is one of those polarizing things in life.  Depending on the location and the content, it can be viewed as an artistic masterpiece or disrespectful vandalization of property.

When it comes to taking a Sharpie to a baseball card, I don't have any problems with it as long as it's your own card and it's not altering the card's condition for personal benefit (for example, taking a black Sharpie to the borders of your 1971 Topps Steve Garvey rookie card, so you can sell it for more money).

For example, let's look at this masterpiece:

1967 Topps #21

This was one of the first cards I saw when I opened up Johnny's (of Johnny's Trading Spot) care package.  It immediately brought a smile to my face.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at, but I see horns on the head and the word "idiot" is front and center.  I wonder what Bristol did to upset the artist.

This card was just the tip of the iceberg.  Johnny sent me a huge stack of vintage cards.  Some had red Sharpie tagged on them, while others had corners that looked like mice had nibbled on them:

I picked out a few for my Damaged Card PC, the rest will be headed to my classroom for student use.

Next up were some A's inserts, parallels, oddballs, and Broders:

 

I was especially excited to see the Canseco and McGwire Broders.  Back in the late 80's and early 90's these things were everywhere.  There were always several dealers with them at card shows.  The card shop I worked at even had stacks of them sitting in display cases.

If you're not familiar with Broders, I wrote a short post about them back in 2011.  They might not be worth a ton of money, but every time I see them, they bring back a ton of memories.

The next stack Johnny sent was a pile of MLB mascots:

I'm sure most of you know that I'm trying to collect every card/sticker of Stomper and The Swinging Friar:

2016 Topps Stickers #265

But I think I now have enough mascots laying around to start their very own binder.

Moving right along...

Here's a stack of 1991 Panini Top 15 stickers featuring The Bash Brothers and The Man of Steal.

1991 Panini Top 15 #53

I might have a few of these sitting in binders, but after checking Beckett... I might try and track down the other seven stickers for the team set.

Last Monday was Canada Day.  The next stack of cards would have been perfect for that post...

Growing up, I was brainwashed into thinking that O-Pee-Chee baseball cards were inferior to their American counterparts.

1981 O-Pee-Chee #55

I was a fool.  These days, I absolutely love getting my hands on 70's and 80's OPC cards.

Thanks Johnny for another generous care package!  You really hit me up with a huge selection of items that reminded me of my youth.  And that Bristol is fantastic!  It's definitely going to be entered into my Damaged Card Hall of Fame.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!