Another crazy week. Last Saturday the earth started shaking here in the Bay Area. It wasn't anything crazy (4.2)... but it felt like a car crashed into the house. Honestly... I like to think that these medium sized earthquakes relieve some of the pressure building up along the faults. If this is inaccurate... please don't tell me. It's my way of coping.
Some of the other events will be featured in today's This Week in Blogging post...
#1: Most Obscure Player You Collect
Last Sunday, Daniel over at It's like having my own Card Shop wrote about his Tatman PC and asked his readers who is the most obscure player we collect.
My childhood buddy was the first person I thought of. Unfortunately he only has that one trading card that I wrote about here. Then I started thinking about guys I actively search for... and that's why I felt Kurt Suzuki was a better response to his question.
2007 Sweet Spot Signatures #SS-KS
#2: More Than a Toy
I realize most of the people who take the time to check out my blog could care less about Legos, but I really, really, really encourage you to check out Nacho Grande's Lego City:
Although trading cards are hands down my favorite thing to collect... I do enjoy picking up a new Lego set every now and then. My latest Lego addition was actually a Christmas present from another one of my childhood buddies who hooked me up with a very generous Amazon gift card, which I used to purchase this:
I rarely showcase hockey cards on this blog anymore... but Chris wrote a post on Monday that gave me a reason to post this signed Brodeur rookie card. If you enjoy collecting hockey cards or reading hockey related posts, please check out his blog.
Yesterday he ranked his favorite sets of 2020 which came down to these two sets:
Lego Set #10281 Bonsai Tree
I haven't sat down to build it, but I'll show it off in a blog post as soon as I do.
#3: Another Bonds Collector
It's nice to see more and more collectors chasing Barry Bonds cards. Back in October, Daniel announced his quest to collect 762 unique Bonds cards. On Monday The Diamond King showcased the Barry portion of his Steroid Project.
I enjoy collecting his cards too. I went through my binder and scanned three of my favorites:
1992 UD Denny's Grand Slam #20
1996 Leaf Studio Stained Glass #10
1996 E-Motion XL D-Fense #2
Will the next Barry Bonds fan please stand up?
#4: The Brodeur Collection
1990-91 Score #439
#5: Sweet 60's Sampler and Don Sutton
If you're a fan of 60's baseball cards... I encourage you to head over to cards as i see them and read Jim's post. He shows off one Topps card that represents every year from 1960 to 1969. I'll probably borrow this idea at some point. Until then... here's a 1968 Topps card from my collection:
1968 Topps #103
Sadly baseball fans around the world lost Don Sutton on Tuesday.
1998 Donruss Significant Signatures #NNO (#'d 0091/2000)
I mostly remember pulling his Milwaukee Brewers and California Angels cards back in the 80's, but his best years were obviously with the Los Angeles Dodgers... which is why I encourage you to check out Jim and Greg's tributes.
#6: The First King
Before you flood the comments with responses involving Sadaharu Oh or Babe Ruth and all of the other home run kings that preceded him... let me clarify something. Hank Aaron was the MLB Home Run King when I started following baseball and collecting cards... and that was pretty significant to me.
1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes #34
After thinking about it... I'm pretty sure the first Aaron card I ever owned was his 1982 Kmart MVP card. But his 1983 Donruss HOF Heroes card was probably the first I actually pulled from a pack.
I'm planning on showcasing a few of my favorite Hank Aaron collectibles later this week, but in the meantime I encourage you to check out any or all of the following blogger tributes to Hammerin' Hank:
#7: Best of Luck Biden
On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to watch the swearing in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Thanks to distance learning, it was the first time I've had the opportunity to watch this ceremony live in as long as I can remember.
My favorite moment was listening to that beautiful poem written and recited by National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman with my homeroom class. It definitely made an impression on me that will last a lifetime. Hopefully it made an impact on some of my students as well.
If you're a fan of collecting cards featuring U.S. Presidents, you should head over to Bill's Baseball Card Blog. He showed off cards featuring all 46 Presidents on Wednesday. One day, I'd love to pick up the Barack Obama card he showcased. Until then... here's my favorite card of #44:
2008 Topps Campaign #C08-BO
#8: One More Goodbye
Wednesday will be remembered for the inauguration and hopefully a bright and new beginning. However things weren't only rainbows and butterflies.
2005 Fritsch Packers Police #2
Green Bay Packers and football fans said goodbye to former general manager Ted Thompson who passed away at the age of 68. Thompson will be remembered for drafting Aaron Rodgers and building the team that won the 2010 Super Bowl.
#9: Mistaken Identity
Not sure how many of you are familiar with Dub Mentality, but it's one of my favorite card blogs. Much like Night Owl Cards and Dime Boxes -- The Low-End Baseball Card Collector's Journey... each and every post is well-written and usually has me reminiscing.
1985 Donruss #424
His latest post features some error cards including some mistaken identities. I was hoping to show off my 1969 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez card... but then I remembered that I don't own one. Instead you get Floyd Bannister posing as Tom Terrific.
And speaking of Dime Box Nick...
#10: 2020 Set of the Year
2020 Stadium Club #115
2020 Big League #51
Nick's selections proves that great minds think alike. These are my top 2 sets as well. Ultimately he chose Big League as his favorite... and based on the comments many of his readers left... he's not alone.
Personally... I like Stadium Club a little bit more. Although I will that the photo on Laureano's 2020 Big League card is way cooler than his Stadium Club card.
#11: An Oldie But Goodie
Are you a fan of 70's oddball issues? Well... The Lost Collector sure is. Yesterday he showed off his 1979 Topps Burger King card of Thurman Munson along with a few other BK cards from the 80's and 90's.
It reminded me of the iconic 1978 Tiger's Burger King set which featured individual cards of these three rookies:
1978 Topps Burger King Tigers #8
1978 Topps Burger King Tigers #13
1978 Topps Burger King Tigers #15
Collectors might not consider these to be true rookie cards... but I prefer these to the multi-player rookie cards from the 1978 Topps flagship set.
Okay, I've done enough writing. It's your turn.
Feel free to comment on obscure players, Legos, Barry Bonds, Don Sutton, Hank Aaron, U.S. Presidents, 70's oddball issues, your favorite 2020 baseball card set, or anything else that tickles your fancy down below.
Happy Saturday and sayonara!
Not a Bonds fan, but do collect his cards (I have a lot). I also collect cards of US Presidents.
ReplyDeleteI love the Stained Glass Bonds. I agree with Johnny, not a fan of Bonds, but collect any of his cards that catch my eye.
ReplyDeleteI'm still thrown by Aaron's passing. I've enjoyed reading the many tributes online.
Thanks for the plug! Aaron's passing hit hard, he was one of the true greats of the game (on and off the field).
ReplyDeleteWell, I certainly have more respect for Aaron than Bonds.
ReplyDeleteI have a football card that is Limas Sweed's front and Justin Forsett's back.
A signed Brodeur rookie card is quite the get.
I wouldn't say my post was a Sutton tribute. It was one of those deals where I had the post written and then I learned about his passing. I had to get something in though, even if it was just a collection of cards.
ReplyDeleteI love '70s Burger King issues. They beat the snot out of just about any other food issue not named Kellogg's or Hostess.
Barry Bonds one of MLBs greatest players. Hank was MLBs greatest all time hitter. TSC & Big League BB are best 2020 sets.
ReplyDeleteI barely even had time to note Ted Thompson's passing in between all the baseball legends we lost. I did read Aaron Rodgers' statement though. (p.s. Go Pack Go!)
ReplyDeleteThe most obscure player I collect is Peter Worrell. I started building a Trevor Williams PC a couple years ago, but that's gone dormant. Nice Brodeur auto, and thanks again for plugging the All-Time Teams series!
I've never ordered a Topps Now card but I'm tempted to pick up one for President Biden (and maybe one of Bernie Sanders since that's the reason I even knew about the inauguration cards.)
I've never seen that Seaver error before but even if you didn't tell me who it was I'd know for sure that it wasn't Tom Terrific. How did Donruss miss that?
Love the ‘78 Tiger Burger King cards!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the Presidents and Baseball post.
My most obscure is probably Chris Getz, not including all the Michigan players. Although Getz is a Michigan guy I started collecting him before I started the Michigan stuff.
ReplyDeleteI like that stained glass Bonds, that's a pretty cool looking card. Can't say I'm a fan of him but the card is awesome.
I could probably get behind either of those sets for tops for 2020. Just as I can get behind these TWiB posts that you do. Love them!
The Yankees Burger King cards are very familiar to me, as I lived in the area where they were available. It was always exciting on a Saturday night before my parents went out that my Dad would take us for Burger King and we'd get cards. But I don't know the other team issues as well--I had no idea all those players had stand-alone rookie cards. It's amazing that--assuming the Hall does right by Whitaker--that one set will have three HOF rookie cards! And, yes, I do consider things like that to be rookie cards.
ReplyDeleteGreat Burger King set of Tigers. Legos were big for a much younger brother. I had no skills for making anything with them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, Fuji.
ReplyDeleteI guess I have to say Ty Hensley is my obscure player collection. He wasn't obscure when it started as a Yankees first rounder, but I guess 9 years later it falls into that category.
I think my most obscure player collection is Isiah Kiner-Falefa, though he's not quite as obscure after winning a gold glove.
ReplyDeleteI have a 1978 topps master set going which includes the burger king variations from the tiger, ranger, astros, and Yankee sets, plus the zest willie montanez card. I added "new" 1978 design cards from the all-time fan favorite and archive releases as they came along as well.
ReplyDeleteThat 1996 Leaf Studio Stained Glass of Barry Bonds reminds me of Uno and Simon Says.
ReplyDeleteThe Lego bonsai tree looks like a great set. My favorite set in recent years is the Saturn V rocket.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out!
My obscure players are Brandon Laird and Yuta Tabuse although they aren’t obscure in Japan. I cant even tell if Suzuki signed that card. Is it faded?
ReplyDeletejohnnys trading spot - did you grab the biden topps now card?
ReplyDeletethe diamond king - i guess technically... i'm not a fan of bonds either. but i was always excited to see him step into the batter's box. i think that's why i love collecting his cards
nachos grande - of course. trying to spread the word that legos are just as cool as cards ;D
elliptical man - i think everyone has more respect for aaron than bonds. that wrong back sounds neat. i've thought about buying a few on comc before, but never did
night owl - yeah...i throw words like that around carelessly. but it was a nod to him... and you showed off some cool dodgers cards.
unknown - no love for mays, ruth, williams, or gehrig? hank... and all four of these guys are simply legends.
chris - so bummed the packers lost. really thought they had a chance to go all the way. the bernie card is definitely a classic. i bet it's the highest purchased one
cincicuse bill - all of those burger king cards from the late 70's were awesome.
jeff laws - thanks. glad you like these twib posts. if you keep reading them, i'll keep writing them
brett alan - i think whitaker will get in... and you're right. it'll be quite the trifacta of rookie cards
runforekelloggs - you should give legos another shot. it's quite therapeutic
the lost collector - is hensley still playing? i only know his name because of blogs
gtt - you've mentioned him before. at some point i'll need to grab his autograph for my hawaii pc
gcrl - had to look up these zest cards. never heard of them before, but i kinda want to get my hands on the campy
peter k steinberg - i loved playing simon says when i was a kid. i think i drove my mom crazy playing that thing
adam kaningher - oh... i have the saturn v rocket too. i probably won't build that until retirement. i think that's the largest set i own.
sumomenkoman - lol. yeah. it's completely gone. and it's not like it's been sitting in the sun. as for laird... i only now the name b/c of you.
Not sure how I feel about having those BK Tigers rubbed in my face. LOL. Love that obscure signature. Gave me a good chuckle! Also, I was blown away by young Amanda Gorman's poetry. I've read it a few times since. What a beautiful young mind!
ReplyDeleteI need that obama for my set haha
ReplyDeleteacrackedbat - lol. don't think of it as rubbing them in your face. think of it as exposing you to awesome new cards for you to chase ;D
ReplyDeletematt - the good news is he's cheap. can't be more than $5 or $10.