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!

Damaged Card HOF #5: Whittled Down Winfield

Love them or not, damaged cards are part of our hobby.  You can either choose to toss them out or embrace them.  Depending on the damaged card, I prefer to choose the latter.

A few years ago, I decide to dedicate a binder on my shelf for damaged cards that I had sitting within my collection.  Some were acquired through purchases.  Others were pulled in packs.  And some were part of trades.

Unfortunately if I decided to keep every damaged card I stumbled across, I'd need a 5,000ct. box.  That's why I'm pretty picky about which cards I keep in the Damaged Card PC.  I'm even pickier when it comes to my Damaged Card Hall of Fame.

Up until a few weeks ago, there were only four members of the exclusive club.  But today, I'm here to show off the newest member of the club, which was donated to me by Dennis over at Too Many Verlanders:

1974 Topps #456

I'm not sure what the story is behind this Dave Winfield rookie card, but it's safe to say that this card was trimmed.  The best part about the card is it looks like a four year old performed the trimming.  I love it!

A quick glance at the back and you'll receive a deeper appreciation for this beautifully damaged card. You can see that the person tried hard too keep the upper-left and bottom-right corners rounded.  In addition to the damage, the card back itself contains a plethora of interesting facts.  I'm sure most of us knew that Winfield was a three-sport stud.  But did you know that he was born the same day that Bobby Thompson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World?  Or that he was a star pitcher at the University of Minnesota?  Did you know that he was the MVP of the 1973 College World Series?

It's pretty amazing the stuff you can learn from the back of a baseball card.

In addition to the Winfield, Dennis also sent me this Byron Leftwich jersey card:

2004 Leaf Certified Materials Mirror White #52

If you look right under the Jaguars' logo, you'll notice a nice, solid crease running through the card.  Yup!  Another addition to my Damaged Card PC.

The rest of the package was filled with mint condition cards that fit other collections.

First up is this 2009 Topps WBC set that includes seven different cards for my Japanese Player PC:

He also sent me this mint condition Hideo Nomo card:

2002 Fleer Box Score World Piece #NNO

Plus this random assortment of awesomeness...

And rounding out the package were some Raiders and 49er cards for my students:

Thanks Dennis!  I already owed you for the January package.  Now I really, really owe you.  I grabbed some stuff for you on COMC a few weeks ago.  I'll send them your way after I start building my care packages (sometime in June).  

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Damaged Card HOF #4: Krinkled Kid

A friend of mine recently purchased a collection that included this Fleer rookie card of Ken Griffey Jr.:

1989 Fleer #548

You've got to wonder... why would anyone want to do this to The Kid?  Griffey is the epitome of "fan favorite".  And it's not like this card was ever considered a common.  Plus... this isn't your ordinary, everyday crease.  This card is severely creased with multiple veins shooting across Mr. Griffey's face and card back.

At least the previous owner valued the card enough to put it into a screwdown holder:

By the way, this is one of those non-recessed holder, so I'm thinking the guy was hoping to somehow fix this card by flattening it over time.  I've got to give the guy credit for his optimism, even if it obviously didn't help.

But that's okay... this card no longer has to suffer from loneliness and squishiness.  It's new home is in my Damaged Card Binder, where it hangs out with others just like him.

Happy Birthday Mr. Griffey!

As for everyone else... happy Thursday and sayonara!

Damaged Card HOF #3: Ruined Rice Rookie

1986 Topps #161

Creased.  Faded.  Rounded corners.  Chipped edges.  Does it get any better than this?

I recently purchased a binder of vintage football cards that contained some of the biggest names in gridiron history:  Terry Bradshaw, Walter Payton, Steve Largent, Sonny Jurgenson, Dick Butkus, Roger Staubach, Jim Otto, and Joe Namath.

But without a doubt, the Jerry Rice rookie card was the deciding factor in my purchase.  Don't get me wrong.  The other cards are excellent additions to my vintage binder of HOFers.  However... it's not often I add a card to my Damaged Card PC... especially one of this magnitude.

One of these days, I'll write up a Top 5 Damaged Card post and I'm pretty sure this card will be in it.

Happy Birthday Jerry!  Go Packers and Seahawks!  And have a happy Sunday!  Sayonara!

Damaged Card HOF #2: Stephen Strasburg

Outside of cardboard, I have another addiction: Haribo Gummi-Bears.  I routinely buy their five pound bags from Costco and follow a very, very strict routine.   I always... and I mean always save the white bears for the end.   And as I draw closer and closer to those remaining "pineapple" flavored bears, I eat less and less so that I can enjoy the delicious pieces of candy for as long as possible.  Then... when there are only white bears left... I divide them into five or six zip lock bags and the countdown begins.

So, when fans and collectors of Stephen Strasburg frown upon the Nationals' decision to shut down his season after a certain number of innings... let's just say that in a way... I understand.

With that out of the way... let me introduce the second member of my Damaged Card Hall of Fame. It's a 2010 Topps Chrome #212 Stephen Strasburg rookie card:

At first glance, you might be asking... where's the damage?  It's one of those things where the scan doesn't do it justice.  Here's a different angle taken from my camera:

If you look closely, you can see two small creases running across the top of Strasburg's back.  This card is actually pretty special to me, because it was given to me by my nephew.

He gave it to me the same day he gave me the autographed baseball a few months ago.   He's still at the stage where he throws his cards on the floor and sorts them into teams without thinking about condition or future value.

Dang... what I wouldn't give to go back to those days.  The days where I owned my possessions and my possessions didn't own me.   Well... at least I've found a way to appreciate the damaged cards in my collection.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

Damaged Card HOF #1: Kurt Warner & The Other Guy

Remember this card?

Twelve years ago... on January 30th, 2000... Kurt Warner threw for over four hundred yards and added on two touchdown passes to take home his first Super Bowl MVP award. At the time, I worked at a local card shop to supplement my income... and remember how suddenly this piece of cardboard became one of the most sought after cards in the hobby.

Warner went on to lead the Rams to two Super Bowls in three seasons (1999 & 2001)... as he became the field general to The Greatest Show on Turf. In 2008, he took the Arizona Cardinals to their first and only Super Bowl appearance.

But what ever happened to the other guy?

Tony Horne was developing into one of the game's elite returners and led the league in yards per kick return. Unfortunately he suffered a career ending knee injury which limited him to only three NFL seasons. According to Wikipedia, he currently works as a strength & speed coach for some company... but who knows how accurate this information is.

As of now... the 1999 Pacific #343 rookie card of Kurt Warner (& 2nd year card of Tony Horne) has sort of lost its lustre among collectors.

Regardless... I thought I'd pull it out of my binder and let it see some daylight... while I tried to figure out who the heck Tony Horne was.

Okay... time for y'all to debate on Kurt and the legacy he left on the gridiron.

Do you think Warner deserves to be enshrined in the Football Hall of Fame?

Whether or not Warner makes it into Canton will have little affect on the value of my particular copy... since it's pretty beat up. However in honor of Mr. Warner and his career accomplishments, I'd like to enshrine him into my personal Damaged Card Hall of Fame.

As you can see... there's a crease directly under the "t" in "Kurt". Believe it or not... it's actually a lot worse in person, than in the picture.

Plus there's a ton of chipping on the left and right edges.

And to top it off... the upper right corner is dinged.

Congratulations Kurt... whether or not you make it into Canton... at least you can go to sleep knowing you're a HOFer in my (damaged card) book.

Happy Monday everyone... and have a wonderful week! Sayonara.