No Logo... No Problem!

I can't remember the first time I stumbled across a logo-less card, but it was probably one of those mid 80's oddball issues that I've grown to love and embrace over the years.

However... even back then, they were still considered second rate pieces of cardboard.

Just check out this Gibson...

1994 Nabisco All-Stars Legends #1

Is there a single person out there who believes Gibby looks better without a Cardinals' logo on his hat?

Probably not.  And if there are a few of you out there, you're definitely in the minority.  The fact is... I  would rather see a team's logo instead of a blank jersey or hat.

But if you're on a strict cardboard budget, then logo-less cardboard is a great alternative.  In honor of Flashback Friday, I present some very affordable HOFer autographs from the 90's:

1994 Nabisco All-Stars Legends #2

A few months ago, I was in the process of building my 1998 Donruss Signatures "Significant Signatures" set, when I came across this set on eBay.  I entered a small bidding war with two other collectors and when the dust settled, I emerged the victor with a $21.50 bid.

1994 Nabisco All-Stars Legends #3

Tack on $3.34 for shipping and I walked away paying less than $25 for four on-card, certified autographs of players enshrined in Cooperstown.

1994 Nabisco All-Stars Legends #4

Each of the cards were accompanied by these COA's from Nabisco:

Now I realize that these aren't for everyone.  Heck... logo-less cards are one of my biggest sports card pet peeves.  But the fact is... I love bargains.  And anytime I find certified on-card autographs of HOFers for around six bucks each, there's a good chance I'll pick them up.

What about you?

What are you thoughts on 90's Nabisco autographs and/or logo-less cardboard?

Happy Friday and sayonara!

The Smooching Outlaw

My parents signed me up for baseball when I was five or six years old.  I started in t-ball and played up to high school.  Never once did I think I was capable of playing in the pros... but I definitely dreamt about it.

I mean... what little kid didn't?  MLB players travel all over the country, drive nice cars, and get paid tons of money to play the sport they love.  And back in my youth... if you were really good, you might just get attacked by The Kissing Bandit.

If you watched sports in the 70's or 80's, then you know who I'm talking about.  And if you didn't... let me introduce you to Morgana:

Morgana was the sporting world's version of Dolly Parton.  As you can see from her trading card, her honkers were huge.  She became known for running out onto the diamond and kissing star players like George Brett and Cal Ripken Jr.

A few weeks ago, I watched a great ESPN documentary on her... which inspired me to pick up the 1990 Pucko Utica Blue Sox team set, which happens to contain The Kissing Bandit's rookie card (insert idiotic winking emoji).

Sadly the video isn't posted on YouTube... but I found a few highlight videos.  Enjoy.

Thanks for the mammaries, Morgana!  Happy Hump Day and sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #84: Here Comes The Sun

When it comes to summer... I truly have mixed emotions.  On one hand, I get a chance to switch gears and teach fifth graders... which is awesome, because they're like a breath of fresh air.  On the other hand... I hate the heat.

I'm serious.  I like sticker autographs more than 90º temperatures.  The good news is as long as it doesn't reach triple digits, it's pretty good treasure hunting at my local swap meets.

Here are my latest finds...

Purchase #1:  Abbey Road LP  $5

No name.  No title.  Just one of the most iconic album covers of all-time.


Purchase #2:  2009 Las Vegas 51's Cosmo SGA Bobblehead  $2

Bobbleheads are cool.  Mascots are cooler.  Bobbleheads of mascots are the coolest.


Purchase #3:  1995 Fax-Pax Presidents Flash Cards  $1

I love stumbling across cards I've never seen before.  In this particular case, I almost walked away without checking them out... but after taking a few steps away... I turned around and decided to see what they were.

Inside there were forty-one flash cards that look like this:

They're a little larger than your standard trading card, but I have no problem adding this card to my Ronald Reagan collection.

Purchase #4:  WWII Japanese Airplane Models  $4

Two more models for my Japan PC.  The seller had a bunch of sealed model airplanes for $2 each.  I probably should have bought them all and flipped them at my next flea market, but I was too lazy to carry them.


Purchase #5:  Nike Team USA Hockey Jersey  $15

I normally avoid purchasing clothing at the flea market, however this was too good of a deal to pass up.  Unfortunately... it's a little too big and way too warm to wear right now.  Did I mention how much I hate the heat?

Happy Monday and sayonara!

I'm Back... in the Blogworld AGAIN!

Projects have been graded.  Report cards were turned in.  The eighth graders have graduated and have moved on.  Graduation and end of the year parties are in the rear view.  And another school year has come and gone.

Now don't get the wrong idea.  I can't afford to take the summer off.  I'll be teaching fifth graders how to multiply and divide fractions for the next seven weeks.  But it's ten times less stressful and much less time consuming... which means I can get back to writing posts.  I'll also have more time to read everyone's blogs.

And best of all...

I'll be able to finally put together everybody's care packages.  To top it off... I'm going to try and run at least one (maybe two) contests this summer.

Speaking of contests... I won another contest last month over at Nate's blog:  Big 44 Sports Cards.

To kick off summer, he sent me a little shine:

Love refractors.  Always have.  Always will.

Over the past three weeks, I've been out in the sun a lot and have gotten a lot of color.  As luck would have it... Nate sent me some of that too:

Last... but not least... my favorite thing about summer is going to baseball games, tailgating, and barbecuing burgers.  However, you won't see me throwing this Hamburger on the grill:

It doesn't really fit into my collection... but I'll make sure to send it to Mr. PATP for his Rangers PC.

Thanks Nate for the generous prize package!  Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Very Significant Set Completion

The mid to late 90's feature some of the greatest autograph sets in our hobby.  The sticker autograph was still in it's infancy stage and weren't the industry standard.  Nope.  Players actually held and signed the card.

These days, 95% of the autographs I purchase are hard signed and most of those are from that era.

One of my favorite sets is the 1998 Donruss Signature "Significant Signatures" set.  Eighteen different players are featured in this set... most of whom have a plaque hanging up in Cooperstown, New York.

I started picking up singles from this set seventeen years ago, but didn't actually target this set until last year.  That's when I discovered that many of these autographs could be picked up for less than $25.  Last month, I purchased the Duke Snider... which was the final piece of the puzzle.

I'm proud to present my latest set completion...

The Berra was one of my original purchases from the late 90's.  I held onto this card, along with a few others when I sold of my collection in 2002.

This is one of my favorite cards in the set, because he's the only Oakland Athletic in the set.  Sadly, Hunter passed away less than a year after this product was released.

There are two variations of the Sandy Koufax, Ozzie Smith, and Nolan Ryan cards.  Each of these players have a regular version and a "refractor" version.  I won't even attempt to explain how each of these cards were distributed, because I've heard and read a variety of stories... and have no idea which of them is correct.

But as you can see... they are very easy to differentiate.  I actually have two different "refractor" versions of the Koufax.  One is serial numbered.  The other isn't.

The Koufax is hands down the most expensive autograph in the set.  I paid over $100 for each of the autographs pictured above.

Mattingly holds the distinction of being the only player in the set that isn't a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

I have only purchased one pack of 1998 Donruss Signatures in my life... and I was fortunate enough to pull the Stan Musial.  Unfortunately it was damaged.  That card is the centerpiece of my Damaged Card PC and the card you see above is a replacement I picked up last year.

Like I mentioned earlier... there are two versions of the Nolan Ryan...

and two versions of the Ozzie Smith.  As you can see, the non-refractive Nolan Ryan is the only card short printed to 1,000 copies.

Back in 1998, collectors who were fortunate enough to pull the Billy Williams card could send it in to Donruss and receive the Koufax "refractor" autograph.  Donruss would stamp the Williams and send it back to the collector with the Koufax.  If you look closely you can see the word "redeemed" stamped at the bottom of the Williams' picture on the back.

There are only two cards I'm still trying to chase down in this set.  One of them is a "non-redeemed" Billy Williams autograph.  And the other is a "blue ink" Catfish Hunter.

There are supposedly non-autographed versions of the Koufax, Ryan, and Smith... but I've never seen any of these, so I'm not going to actively chase them.

Well that's it for now.  Thank you for taking a few minutes and checking out one of my collection's prized possessions.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!