Diversity is a Great Thing

Last night, I read a really interesting blog post over at Getting Back into Baseball Cards... in Japan that discussed how collectors across the Pacific aren't as obsessed with card condition and grading nearly as much as those here in the States.

He wasn't saying that all collectors over here are obsessed with those two things, but pointed out that neither of these things seem to be as important to the average Japanese collector.

There's a huge part of me that wishes I could permanently turn off my "care for condition", because it'd definitely save me money.

Right before Christmas, I finally added Jose Altuve's 2011 Topps Update rookie card to my collection.  Raw copies typically sell for $15 to $18 on eBay, but I decided to pay $63.89 for this:

Why would I pay four times as much for a slabbed card?  Well... there are a few reasons:

#1:  I enjoy collecting graded rookie cards.

#2:  This was a spur of the moment purchase that involved combined shipping.

#3:  When it comes to the majority of my card purchases, condition matters.

That doesn't mean that I don't have an appreciation for well loved cards.  I totally do.  In fact, I have a special name for them: "cards with character".

My 1952 Topps Jerry Coleman is the perfect example:

I purchased this card off of COMC back in 2017, because it's what I envision a 1952 Topps baseball card looks like when I close my eyes.  There are creases all over the place and even a small tear.  I love everything about this card and have no desire to replace it with a graded copy.

But that's just the way I collect.  Sometimes I wanna purchase a card with character for my collection, while other times I enjoy buying a new graded card.  It's who I am as a collector.  But that's the beauty of our hobby.  There are countless ways to collect.  Buy what you want to buy.  Collect what you want to collect.

Diversity among our collections is a great thing.  So is accepting each other for who we are and the different ways we collect.  Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Who Digs the Long Ball?

Do you enjoy collecting cheap oddball issues of hall of famers and home run hitters?  If so, then I have the set for you.  It's from an era where 33 and 44 card box sets could be found in just about every corner retail store.  I remember going into stores like K-Mart, Long's, and 7-11 and seeing them at checkstands.  There were even gas stations in my area that sold them.

One store that I didn't have in my area was a Circle K.  That's one of the reasons it took over three decades for me to discover this:

Your eyes are feasting on the 1985 Topps Circle K All-Time Home Run Kings set.  Two weeks ago Anthony over at SABR's Baseball Cards Committee featured the Orlando Cepeda and it immediately reminded me of the Topps Glossy Send-Ins from the 80's.

1985 Topps Circle K All-Time Home Run Kings #24

1989 Topps Glossy Send-Ins #38

You'll notice that there's a brownish tint on the Cepeda.  That's because Topps used the same glossy finish used on their Tiffany sets back in the day.  Seeing the Cepeda, led me on a journey to see who else was in the set.  I discovered that I've actually picked up a few singles here and there over the years.  After that, I looked into complete sets and found four sets on eBay for $9 (+ $4.50 shipping).

Do I need four sets?  No.  One of them will be broken up and put into my player binders.  Another will go into my collection of 80's boxed sets.  Yes.  I collect these.  The other two?  Not 100% sure.  Maybe I'll give them away in a contest or something.

Until I figure out what to do with the extras, let's take a closer look at the thirty-three card set...

The checklist is composed of the top career home run leaders from back in 1985.

Hank Aaron kicks things off, because he was the All-time Home Run King back in 1985.  Babe Ruth was second on the list, so he earned the #2 card.  The rest of the set is numbered in the same manner.

I had no idea that Frank Robinson (#4) and Harmon Killebrew (#5) were so high up on the career home run list.  They've since dropped to #10 and #12 thanks to Barry Bonds (#1), Alex Rodriguez (#4), Albert Pujols (#6), Ken Griffey Jr. (#7), Jim Thome (#8), and Sammy Sosa (#9).  Mark McGwire also slid in between them at #11.

The first two 9-pocket pages feature only hall of famers... twelve of which were elected on their first ballot.

Billy Williams who once held the #18 spot has since dropped out of the Top 50 All-time.  He's currently ranked #51.  In fact, if Topps were to produce a 2019 version of this set, Willie Stargell and Stan Musial (then tied for #16, now #31) would be the final players from this set to make the current Top 33.

Not So Random Fact of the Day:  Carlos Delgado would be card #33 in the 2019 set.

Frank Howard, Norm Cash, Dave Kingman, and Rocky Colavito are the first four guys in the set who aren't enshrined at Cooperstown.

Not So Random Fact of the Day #2:  Harold Baines, who was recently elected, finished his career with 2 more home runs than Cash and is currently #65 on the list.

While comparing this list with the updated list of all-time home run leaders, I noticed that Tony Perez actually jumped over Colavito and Cash after hitting eight more home runs during his final two seasons.  He wasn't the only one.

Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, and Dave Kingman also leapfrogged people by the time they wrapped up their careers.

If you take a look at the checklist featured on the back of the box, you'll see that Lee May is card #34 in a 33 card set.  That's because Topps didn't include Joe DiMaggio (who would have had card #31) in this set.  I'll go out on a limb and guess this had to do with contract issues or a lack thereof.

Where is Lee May ranked today?  He's currently shares the #90 spot with Luis Gonzalez.

Okay... this post is starting to drag on forever.  Let's wrap things up with three more "random" facts related to this post.

Not So Random Fact of the Day #3:  Miguel Cabrera currently has 465 career home runs.  If Topps were to produce a 2020 version of this set and he hits 10 more in 2019, he'd tie Stargell and Musial for #31 all-time.  Those three guys would make up the last three players on the checklist.

Not So Random Fact of the Day #4:  Albert Pujols is the only other active player who would make the 2019 checklist.  He's currently #6 on the all-time home run list.

Not So Random Fact of the Day #5:  When this set was produced there were only thirteen members of the 500 Home Run Club.  Since 1985 the club has more than doubled.  Fourteen more people have joined the club.

Well that's it for today.  If you like what you see, you can typically find sets on eBay in the $5 to $7 range and singles on COMC in the 75¢ to $1.50 range.

Here is today's question of the day...

Do you dig the long ball?  Who will be the 28th 500 Home Run Club Member?

Miguel Cabrera?  Giancarlo Stanton?  Mike Trout?

I'd love to see Cabrera reach this milestone (needs 35 more), but if I were a betting man, I'd go with Stanton who happens to be 65 home runs closer to 500 than Trout.

Well... that's it for today.  Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Jack of All Trades

What kind of collector are you?  Set builder?  Vintage collector?  Autograph hound?  Rookie card hoarder?  Player and/or team collector?  Graded card guy or gal?  Some or all of the above?

I'd fall into the latter, because I literally collect a little bit of everything.  However if you were to analyze my hobby purchases over the past few years, I'd guess that more than 75% of my budget is spent on autographs and vintage singles/sets.

I started collecting autographs in the 90's with products like Signature Rookies and Be A Player.  My deep appreciation for vintage didn't come until I returned to the hobby a decade ago.  I guess you could say I'm trying to make up for lost time.

Last week, I received a fat PWE from (vintage specialist) Mr. Hoyle that contained a bunch of Money Ball Era Oakland Athletics.  But neatly folded between them was this Bert Campaneris:

1967 Topps Poster Inserts #2

If you're not familiar with Campy, he's a fan favorite who was an integral part of the Swingin' A's that won three World Series Championships back in the 70's.  And although he's known best for being a shortstop, he was the first player in MLB history to play all nine positions in a single game.  Sort of a jack of all trades.  He is also one of thirty guys in MLB history to hit a home run on the very first pitch thrown to him.

But getting back to this vintage piece of baseball memorabilia... isn't this 5x7 Campy gorgeous?  Printed on something closer to newsprint than standard cardboard and aged to golden perfection, this collectible is the epitome of awesomeness and it's one heck of an addition to my A's collection.  That's why I felt the need to show it off three different times in this post.

As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Hoyle also included some Money Ball Era A's in his PWE:

Here are two cards that really stood out:

1999 Topps Gold Label Class 1 #23

1999 Topps Gold Label is just about the furthest thing from a vintage piece of cardboard.  It's shiny, features gold foil, and I'm pretty sure this card features more plastic than cardstock.  That being said... I absolutely love the two action shots of Giambi superimposed on the Oakland Athletics logo in the background.

2001 Pacific #311

When it comes to baseball card manufacturers, Pacific is the student in the back of the class that never talks to other students, raises their hands, or draws any attention to themselves.  They're just there.  Well... at least to me.  Sure they produced some popular inserts like the Christmas ornaments and the Cramer's Choice Awards, but they're base cards always featured way too much gold for my liking.

Well after seeing this 2001 Pacific Mark Mulder, that's starting to change.  I've never taken the time to search for my favorite card of him, but I'm going to guess that this has to be a contender.  It features a decent card design with fantastic photography.

Are these two cards as beautiful as the Campy?  Sure.  In their own way.  See... as much as I love and deeply appreciate vintage cards, I'm just not ready to be labeled solely a vintage collector.  I prefer to be a jack of all trades.

That being said... I did run out yesterday and purchase my second Beckett publication in as many months:

By now you've heard about Night Owl's published article in the February 2019 issue of Beckett Vintage Collector.  If not, he wrote an excellent piece about the 1976 SSPC set.  I won't spoil anything for you guys, but I highly recommend finding yourself a copy.  It's really well written and filled with interesting information regarding the Topps lawsuit and set history.  But my favorite part was going back and forth between the article and COMC as I looked up cards as he discussed them.

Congratulations Greg!  This is quite the notch on your Card Blogfather belt.  And thank you Mr. Hoyle for this generous PWE filled with Oakland Athletics goodies.  I've added your name to my hit list and will start getting some Boston stuff together to send out.

Until then...

2009 Topps American Heritage #51

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day and sayonara!