Starting a new unit with my students. Dinner with an old buddy. Lounging at a late night board meeting. Chaperoning a school dance. Bonding with my brother. Last week was a little hectic.
But I finally got a chance to scan some cards over the weekend. So I can finally hammer out some posts I've been meaning to write.
Today's post features some quick stories involving cards, high school, and my interest in flawed cardboard. It centers around the only notable MLB player to attend the high school I went to (albeit he was there over a decade before me). I've written about him before, so some of you might already know who I'm referring to.
If you don't, here are a few hints...
#1: He was a standout outfielder in high school and community college who transitioned into a pitcher while attending Southern Illinois University.
#2: He led the MLB in WAR among pitchers in the 80's and had the second most wins behind Jack Morris.
#3: He's the Blue Jays all-time leader in several pitching categories including: games started, wins, and strikeouts.
Yup. You guessed it. Dave Stieb.
Right around the same time he was turning into a perennial all-star, one of my Little League coaches mentioned that he played with him. A few years later I discovered that he attended the same high school. Both of these things stuck with me and molded me into being a fan of his.
Decades later, I have built a small collection of his cards that include a few autographs, a bunch of his base cards, and even a Topps rookie card that Night Owl pulled from a pack back in 1980. However one card that has eluded my collection, but was high on my wantlist is his O-Pee-Chee rookie card.
1980 O-Pee-Chee #42
Technically he handed it off to Night Owl who shipped it to me as part of Angus' care package back in December.
Collectors understand that O-Pee-Chee baseball cards from the 80's and earlier tend to have issues in regards to condition and centering. This card is no exception. It's not perfect, but that's okay. I absolutely love it and is now one of the cornerstones of my Dave Stieb PC.
Angus sent a few other O-Pee-Chee Stiebs...
1981 O-Pee-Chee #5
His second year card is really off-centered. But holy moly... I love seeing O-Pee-Chee printed in the middle of that baseball on the front of this card.
1986 O-Pee-Chee #353
This card is a little off-centered too... and suffers some minor edge issues (common O-Pee-Chee baseball issue).
Neither of these O-Pee-Chee Stiebs are perfect, but that's okay. Check out that cool O-Pee-Chee logos on the backs, the French translation of text, and bright card backs. Pure awesomeness.
The final Stieb from Angus is the cleanest of them all:
1988 O-Pee-Chee #153
Switching gears, but staying in the same lane. Here are a few other cards that Angus sent my way...
2020 Topps Rookie Card Retrospective Logo Medallion #RCR-CA
And check out this cool early 90's food issue:
I know I don't cherish logoless cards as much as some of you do, but oddball issues from my childhood get a pass. In other words, this food issue isn't perfect, but that's okay. It still cool to know that someone found this card sitting in a bag of Wonder Bread back in 1990.
Canseco may have had his share of struggles on and off the field and was obviously far from perfect, but that's okay. This oddball is still cherished by A's fans and card collectors around the world.
Yamamoto fits into two of my PC's: Japanese athletes and athletes born in Hawaii.
1990 Wonder Bread Stars #14
Canseco may have had his share of struggles on and off the field and was obviously far from perfect, but that's okay. This oddball is still cherished by A's fans and card collectors around the world.
Speaking of oddballs, let's check out the lone football card in this post:
2015 Panini Contenders Rookie Ticket Auto #151
You might be wondering why Angus sent me a card of former Cleveland Browns draft pick: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. Well he happens to be married to my friend's cousin's daughter. Back in 2014, he was considered one of the best cover corners in college football. Unfortunately he suffered a knee injury that altered the path of his football career.
Angus also included these two Jordan Yamamoto autographs:
2020 Topps Gypsy Queen Auto B&W #GQA-JY (#'d 20/50)
2021 Donruss Optic Signature Series #SS-JY
Like Ekpre-Olomu his career as a professional athlete might not have been perfect, but that's okay. I still enjoy collecting their cards.
Finally a pair of miscuts that some collectors would discard with their kitchen scraps:
Can't say I was a big fan of Extreme, but I do remember listening to their acoustic ballad More Than Words which reached #1 in the summer of 1991.
1986-87 O-Pee-Chee Album Stickers #115-129
At first glance, this sticker is a monstrosity of a miscut. But check out who is featured on it. Two members of the Hall of Very Good and two of the greatest hockey players to play the sport. How awesome is that? I'd have to do some digging, but I'm guessing this is the single greatest miscut hockey sticker/card in my collection.
1991-92 Pro Set MusiCards #174
Both of these stickers/cards are not perfect, but that's okay. I'll make sure to provide a loving home for both of them.
Thank you Angus for sending me these awesome cards and stickers! They might not fetch high grades from PSA or Beckett, but that's okay. They're still awesome and I promise to cherish them in my collection.
As for the rest of you, here is your question of the day:
What's a favorite card or collectible in your collection that is far from perfect, yet you're perfectly happy to own it?
I look forward to reading and responding to your comments (hopefully sooner than later). Until then...
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
Extra Innings
Red Cardboard is back behind the keyboard and he's giving away a vintage Mickey Mantle! So click the link, follow his blog, and enjoy his posts!
10 comments:
Angus sure knows how to pack a punch.
As for the question of the day.....I am drawing a blank. I try to send my less than perfect cards to this guy I know out west :), and it has been a while since I worked on my "flaws". Oh well, I guess I ain't perfect either :)
Cool stuff. I recently saved up for some less than perfect star cards for my 1955 Bowman set build. Just happy to have them.
Wow, some good stuff temporarily in my possession!
My 1955 Sandy Koufax rookie has been folded, ripped, bent, taped ever since I acquired it in a trade in high school. It's still as cool that I have it as it was 40 years ago.
I need to finish my set of Musicards. Think Angus had what I needed left.
And I was totally into that song More Than Words
That Angus can be a bit of a slacker when it comes to mailing card packages.
Fuji, I've been enjoying the slow release of stuff from the package. It always makes me wonder what else was in there that I have forgotten about. (I can remember at least one more cool thing.)
I had been looking for the Stieb rookie card for a while, and was very happy to see it turn up at a show.
Why did I send the Ekpre-Olomu card? Because it was a double! I wouldn't have sent the only one in my collection! More seriously, I remember you writing that you had an autographed college card of his, and that you didn't have one of him in a Browns uniform.
My Mike Schmidt RC is very Off center and very banged up but I wouldn't have it any other way! Figuratively and literally! I couldn't afford a better conditioned one!
My 1967 Mickey Mantle has a crease right along the YANKEES team name.
Very happy when I got it about 30 years ago and I have no intention of ever upgrading it.
johnnys trading spot - that guy out west appreciates those less than perfect cards. as for not being perfect, that's okay. nobody is :D
jeff b - best of luck with your 1955 bowman set build. i'd imagine that if i ever started a vintage set build, i'd have to target less than perfect cards
night owl - lol. yeah. still have one or two more posts of stuff from him (or you depending on the perspective). that koufax sound like a beckett article in the making
matt - i have a small stack of musicards. if you shoot me an email, i can go through them to see if i can help
angus - thanks again for all of this cool stuff. the stieb cards has started me on a mission to collect all of his 80's opc cards. you crossed off the two hardest ones, so it should be a pretty easy task from here on out. i think i know what you're talking about in regards to one more cool thing. if we're on the same page... i'm planning that post in about a month when i'm on break.
crh614 - that's awesome. i've never owned a schmidt. there was a time when i was trying to acquire a complete run of topps sets from 1972 to 1987. got all of them except the 1973. then the hobby boom happened and vintage prices soared. maybe one day i'll open up the wallet and buy the set. but if i do, i'll be a little picky with my schmidt. i don't need it to be super high grade, but it can't be an outlier in the set.
kcjays - i feel like any vintage mantle i add to my collection from here on out will have creases too. that's if i ever add another vintage mantle to my collection :D
Gotta love the generosity of the blogging community and the hobby in general. Congrats on some great acquisitions!
Q: What's a favorite card or collectible in your collection that is far from perfect, yet you're perfectly happy to own it?
A: I have a Larry Doby rookie that looks like someone stubbed out a cigarette on the card's background. I crack up laughing every time I imagine a group of ten year olds smoking and trading cards.
Post a Comment