Similar, But Different

A few years ago, Dion's IP Autos only wrote a post about a cello pack of 2019 Topps on APTBNL that was handed out at an Orioles game he attended.  I commented on that post stating I ran into a lady at the flea market with a bunch of these packs.  That was four years ago.

Last month... I found that vendor and she still had all of those packs.  I ended up buying all of the packs she had.  At first glance, our packs look exactly the same.  The cards come in clear cello packaging, so collectors are able see the top card:

However the packs I purchased were a little different from Dion's.  His pack contained the same cards issued in the flagship packs but included a National Baseball Card Day information card on the back.

The packs I purchased have an advertisement card on the back for Clear, which is a membership program at airports that allows people to get through security faster.

According to Baseballcardpedia, these packs were passed out a participating airports and ballparks to people using the Clear Travel service.

Based on the packs that I've opened so far, the card fronts look pretty much identical to the ones issued in the flagship packs.  But when you flip them over, there's a CP- prefix in front of the card number.

Let's crack open that Freddie Freeman pack and take a closer look at the front and back of each card:

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-4

I'm a fan of Freeman... even if he's now playing for the Dodgers.  He hit a career high... 38 home runs in 2019.  As of this post, he's only hit four in 2024.

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-59

Not familiar with Mr. Stewart, but it looks like 2018 was his best season.  I'm not sure if he's out of baseball or not... but he doesn't appear to be at the MLB level right now.

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-34

Back in 2019, Ramirez was coming off a career high 39 home run season and has had pretty solid numbers every season since.  Currently (as of 5/14/24) he leads the American League with 37 RBI's. 

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-26

Jake Lamb had a stellar start to the 2017 season... but hasn't done much since.  I'm guessing the Diamondbacks roster was super thin if Topps decided to add him to the checklist in 2019.  That being said, he's currently hitting over .350 in AAA for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-10

Kicked off the pack with a future hall of famer.  Wrapping it up with another one.  This guy is a stud... especially when he's standing around the hot corner.

The final card in the pack is the Clear ad card:

I had two packs with Freeman on the front and wanted to know if players were inserted into packs randomly or if there was a pattern.  Sadly both Freeman packs contained the exact same five players.

However... I did open up two packs with Trea Turner on the front and only the first two cards were the same.  The final three cards in each pack were different.  In one of those packs, there was this Ohtani:

2019 Topps Clear Travel #CP-2

I don't really have a lot of 2019 Topps base cards laying around, but I do have Ohtani's base card for those who want to compare the two cards:

2019 Topps #250

In addition to the numbering on the back, it looks like there's one more way to tell the two sets apart.  The Topps logo on the front of the Clear Travel cards are white, while the flagship cards use a foil logo.  According to The Cardboard Connection, the Clear Travel cards also lack the CMP code under the stats that appear on the flagship cards.

As of this post, I've only opened up about ten of these packs.  I originally purchased over 200 of these packs, but flipped the majority of them to a friend to cover the cost of the packs.  It's kind of a shame, because I have since discovered that these are pretty rare compared to their flagship counterparts.  That's why I've scrapped the idea to use them for a summer school math lesson.

Instead... I'll be eventually open up the rest of the packs (except the lone pack with Ohtani showing) in hopes of building the 100 card set.  Some of the duplicates will go into my player collections.  Others will head out to fellow bloggers who collect specific teams/players.

Not sure when I'll get around to opening them up, but if there are players or teams you're interested in... feel free to comment down below to reserve any duplicates.  Need a checklist?  Click here.

Well that's all for today.  Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

It's All Her Fault

Without Mama Fuji's influence... I'm fairly confident I wouldn't be here writing a blog post about cards.  She bought the first packs of trading cards (1977 Topps Star Wars) I remember opening.  When I started collecting baseball cards in the early 80's, she was the one buying me packs of 1981 Donruss and Topps whenever we were at the grocery store or pharmacy.  By the late 80's... Costco was carrying cards and every now and then I'd come home from school with a box of Topps sitting on the counter.

Eventually she stopped buying cards, but she never stopped supported my interest in the hobby.  When my parents retired in Las Vegas, I'd visit them a few times each year.  I'd always set aside one day to hunt for cards at local card shops and Targets.  Mama Fuji was always there with me.

In an alternate world, is there a chance I'd still be collecting cards without her support?  Maybe.  But I doubt I'd be nearly as passionate about the hobby as I am today.  Thank you Mom!

Speaking of the hobby... here are a pair of cards for you (the readers):

1996 Upper Deck Olympicard #66

What's the significance of this athlete?  Well... Tracie Ruiz-Conforto won two gold medals in artistic swimming (solo and duet) for the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics.  Four years later, she would head over to Seoul and bring home a silver medal.

In between those Olympics, she met and married a Penn State football player.  Fast forward to March 1st, 1993.  On that day... Tracie, her husband, and their daughter would welcome the latest addition to their Conforto family:

2023 Topps #419

Thirty-one years later... he's the starting left fielder for the San Francisco Giants.

How do either of these athletes relate to Mama Fuji?  Well... Tracie was born in Honolulu, Hawaii... just like my mom.  And Michael shares the same birthday as her.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!  I love you and miss you so much!

And happy Mother's Day to all of the other moms out there... including Tracie Ruiz-Conforto!  I hope all of you enjoy your special day!

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #161: Dollar Deals

Walked around the Branham Flea Market last month and made three purchases from three  vendors.  For the sake of this post... I've decided to split up the first purchase into five one dollar purchases... since that's how it essentially played out.

The gentleman who sold me these items is a regular I've dealt with on numerous occasions.  He has a variety of stuff ranging from magazines to bobbleheads to 7-11 cups... with sports cards sprinkled in here and there.

Purchase #1a:  1990 Barry Colla Don Mattingly Box Set $1

This box set was the first item on his table that caught my eye.  Barry Colla is a local photographer who put out a bunch of player sets back in the late 80's and early 90's.   

Here's a look at the twelve card set that came in the box: 

A few well-cropped action shots... but overall these give off a Broder-like vibe.  Hard to complain though when each card costs less than a dime.

Purchase #1b:  1980 Dodgers Police Starter Set $1

Inside of his display case, he had some Dodgers Police cards in a Ziploc bag.  Half of them were cards from the 1980 set which features some really cool action shots: 

The cards are a little beat up, but the only player missing is the Pedro Guerrero.  I probably will just pull a few of the singles for my binders and pass the rest along to any Dodger collectors who need them.

Purchase #1c:  1982 Dodgers Police Starter Set $1

The other half of the Dodgers Police cards were from the 1982 set.  It contained all of the players, but the playoff highlight cards were missing.  The lot did come with a World Series trophy card... but it's pretty beat up... so I tossed it into the Damaged Card PC before I took the photos.

Here are my two cards that stood out from the lot:

Dave Stewart and Fernando Valenzuela were two of my favorite pitchers from the 80's and pretty much the reason I purchased all of these Dodgers cards.

Purchase #1d:  1991 Marathon Chicago Cubs Lot $1

This stack of Cubs cards were also sitting inside of his display case.  I've never seen them before, but according to Beckett they're part of a twenty-eight card set that was handed out at a Cubs game in 1991.

Maddux was the key to me picking up this lot and was well worth the dollar.

Purchase #1e:  Cheap Vintage $1

The vendor had a small lot of vintage sitting in a box.  Each card was individually priced and I just couldn't pass up these three... 

1966 Topps #4

There's just something special about finding a miscut card like this in the wild.  Like a bruised banana at the grocery store, I'm guessing this card was passed up a few times.  Me?  I'm honored to own it for a quarter.

1971 Topps #544

This is one of those cards I remember wanting back in the 80's.  It's such a great photo of a Bay Area fan favorite.  Sure it has rounded corners and several creases... but the price (50¢) was right.

1976 Hostess #122

There probably won't be many shots of the Oakland Coliseum in the background after 2025, but luckily there are plenty of 70's quarter bin cards like this one to collect.

Purchase #2:  Billy Joel 52nd Street 8-Track $1

When I was a kid, my parents had an 8-Track player in one of their cars.  Not sure what happened to all of their tapes, but my eyes lit up when I saw a stack of them sitting on this lady's dollar table.

Billy Joel isn't my favorite artist... but he's had a fair share of hits.  This might not be considered one of his iconic albums, but it has one of my favorite songs of his:  Rosalinda's Eyes.  Thank you Freaks and Geeks.

 

Purchase #3:  Not A Dollar Deal $8

The final purchase of the day almost didn't happen.  This couple must have bought a storage unit or something, because they had several tables set up and covered with everything from old books to cups and saucers.

My eyes were drawn to some new Panini World Cup sticker albums and comic books sitting on the ground which required me to walk around their tables to get to.  They ended up being kind of pricey, but as I headed out I noticed a shoebox filled with cards in toploaders.

They were $3 each or 10 for $20.  I pulled out these four and he accepted my $8 offer:

2023 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection Relic #CCR-SP

This was the key card in the purchase and the first step towards my Perez sports card trifecta.  His 2010 Bowman Chrome Prospect card is pretty cheap... but an on-card autograph of his is going to set me back about $50.

In hindsight, I probably should have handed over the three bucks and passed on these other three cards:  

2019 Topps WWE Summer Slam Relics #MR-SN

But here are the latest additions to the Japanese Athlete PC.

2021 Goodwin Champions Autographs #A-KG

2021 Skybox Metal Universe Champions Autographs #19

I should have taken a few minutes to look up these autographs of Ken Gushi (auto racing)... since they only sell for around a buck on COMC.  Oh well.  Win some, lose some.

That wraps up my most recent trip to the flea market.  Not sure if I'll be able to make it to any flea markets in May.  Last weekend, I cancelled my trip because it rained.  There's another one in two weeks, but I have my nephew's graduation party.

Not too disappointed though.  I've got several Sportlots packages, a COMC package, and a few more blogger care packages waiting to be cracked open.

Until then... happy Thursday and sayonara!