A PC of a Guy I Don't Actively Collect

People who read this blog generally know my favorite teams and the players I actively collect.  But there are plenty of athletes in my personal collection that I fail to mention on this blog.

Hank Aaron is one of those guys.

It's probably because I don't actively seek his cards.  But that doesn't mean I haven't purchased some really cool collectibles featuring him over the years.  The bottom line is he's a legend.  When I started collecting cards back in 1981, I was also becoming a really big fan of the game of baseball too.  A big part of both of those things had to do with my love for numbers... which is why I've been fascinated by baseball statistics since the very beginning.

1974 Topps #1

How does this relate to Henry Louis Aaron?  Well even though I've had a deeper appreciation for high average hitters over home run hitters for as long as I can remember... what nine year old baseball fan doesn't appreciate the all-time home run king?  That's why I've slowly tucked away his cards (and collectibles) as I've encountered them over the years.

And as news of his death quickly spread over our blogosphere, I decided to pull out my boxes and scan some of my personal favorites.  It wasn't an easy task, but I even created a Top 10 list.

But before we get to those... here are a bunch of honorable mentions...

2001 Upper Deck Hall of Famers Bat #B-HA

1964 Topps #9

1968 Topps #3

1972 Topps #87

1968 Topps Game #4

1969 Topps #100

1970 Milton Bradley #NNO

1973 Topps #100

1975 Topps #660

2006 Kellogg's All-Star Autographs #NNO

1989 Kenner SLU Baseball Greats #NNO

2000 Hasbro SLU All Century Team #NNO

1991 UD Heroes of Baseball Hologram #HH1

1996 Hallmark Keepsake Ornament #HK2

2017 Bowman's Best 1997 Best Cuts #97BC-HA

Alright... now that we've gotten those out of the way.  Let's check out my ten favorite Hank Aaron collectibles...

#10:  2001 UD Decade 1970's Game-Used Jersey #J-HA

Yeah... I know memorabilia cards aren't for everyone.  But I enjoy collecting them and if you've followed this blog long enough, you know how much I love this product.

#9:  1967 Topps Posters #15

This is the first of two oddball issues from the 60's on this list.  I really like the simple design and the fact that it's printed on newspaper stock.  It definitely has a vintage feel to it.  I also think it's cool that he has his jersey number written on the knob of his bat.

#8:  1966 Topps #215

Do I really need to explain why this card is so awesome?  Two words: three legends.

#7:  1967 Topps #250

Back in the early 90's, I purchased a few Hank Aaron cards from the card shop I worked at.  One of them was the 1973 Topps card featured in the honorable mentions.  This was another one of those cards.  At the time this was one of the oldest and most valuable cards in the collection.  However it wasn't my favorite.  That honor belonged to the #6 card on this list.

#6:  1972 Topps #299

This was one of the other vintage cards I purchased from the card shop I worked at.  I can't remember ever writing about this card before... which is a shame, because it's so darn beautiful.  Plus the 1972 Topps baseball card set will always hold a special place in my collection since it's my birth year set.

#5:  2015 Topps Museum Collection Premium Prints #PP-HA

This is one of the most valuable baseball cards in my collection.  For the longest time, I wanted to add a pack pulled on-card autograph of Aaron to the collection, so in 2017 I purchased this card for $125 on eBay.

#4:  1983 Perez-Steel Hall of Fame Art Postcards #177

I realize slabbed signatures and oversized items are not popular among many bloggers... but I love this collectible.  It's not my favorite Hank Aaron autograph... but it's pretty darn close.

#3:  1964 Topps Giants #49

This is the 2nd oldest Aaron collectible in my collection and it comes from my favorite oddball issue from the 60's.  It's such a great looking card.

#2:  715th Home Run 16" x 20" Signed Photo (Steiner Certified)

Thanks to an awesome gift card offer, I was able to purchased this photo off of the Steiner website nine years ago for only $117.55 (+ $9.99 shipping).  One day I'd like to have it professionally framed and hang it up in my office.  That won't happen until I move and buy a larger place... which may or may not ever happen.  Until then... I get to look at this photo of my photo.


#1:  1956 Topps #31

If I have a copy of a player's 1956 Topps card... chances are it's going to be my favorite card of his.  This card actually features two legends... since the player sliding into home isn't Hammerin' Hank.  It's actually the Say Hey Kid.

Well that wraps up my Hank Aaron PC.  Like I mentioned at the start of this post... I'm not actively looking to add any new cards of his to this collection.  But that doesn't mean I won't.  Maybe one day I'll stumble across an affordable graded vintage card from his playing days or a cool looking memorabilia card from the late 90's/early 2000's.  If that ever happens... I'll try to remember to share it on this blog.

Until then...

Do you have a favorite Hank Aaron collectible?

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

High Hopes and Heartache

Some losses hurt more than others.  Watching the Green Bay Packers lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday hurt more than any football game I've watched in the past five years.  Why?  It's simple.  Normally I refuse to get my hopes up when it comes to sports.

The San Jose Sharks taught me about heartache.  Sure... they've stunk in recent years... but from 1997-98 to 2018-19 they made the playoffs 19 out 21 times.  During that run, there were a handful of seasons where I truly felt they'd reach the Stanley Cup Finals... and possibly win it.  And that's when I learned that high hopes lead to heartache.

I still get excited when my teams play and I'll always cheer for them no matter if they're playing well or poorly.  I just try to avoid getting my hopes up.

Sadly... I didn't try hard enough, because along comes Mr. Rodgers and his MVP numbers, a solid trio of running backs standing behind him,  one of the best receivers in the game lining up to catch his throws, and their best defense in years.  And just like that... I started thinking there was a chance they could win it all.  The result?  Heartache.

Oh well.  I still love them.  Aaron Rodgers is still my favorite Packer.  And I will continue to collect his cards even if the Packers don't win another Super Bowl in my lifetime.

Both of these Rodgers were sent to me in a PWE from Elliptical Man and I was pretty excited to see them.  Not a lot of people send me football cards... and when they do... he's isn't usually included.  And since I don't really open up new product anymore, it's nice to see some newer Rodgers enter the collection.

The key card in the PWE was actually a short print for my 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter set build:

This Billy Williams leaves me needing only fifteen more short prints.  I'm pretty surprised how much progress I've made with this portion of the set:

I'm not sure how many people out there are sitting on 2020 A&G... but if you have any available for trade, please let me know.  I've got a ton of base, a few SP's, and a stack of inserts.

In addition to those three cards, he also sent me some 49ers (for my students), a trio of MJ's and a trio of Ray Lewis cards for my collection:

Thank you Elliptical Man for the A&G set help and the new additions to my collection.  I also appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my blog posts.

And since I don't write football posts very often, I figured I'd also show off the next mystery pack from the Online Dime Box.

After opening the really nice baseball and non-sports mystery bags... I was starting to get my hopes up.  And after seeing these fifteen cards... I was faced with more heartache.  Just kidding.  These mystery bags are a dollar each and this one delivered about a buck's worth of entertainment.

The two Jeff Bryant cards will get tossed into my Seahawks box.  He was a solid defensive end who played his entire career in Seattle.  The Gold Zone Natrone Means will go into my box of 90's parallels.  The pair of Garcon cards will eventually make their way out to Greg over at The Collective Mind.  And the rest will either be taken into my classroom or tossed into one of the boxes sitting in my garage (waiting to be taken to Goodwill or sold on Craigslist).

Well that's it for today.  Congratulations Tampa Bay and Kansas City fans!  Try not to get your hopes up... because only one of these teams will become the Super Bowl LV Champion.

Happy Monday and sayonara!

TWiB: 70's Oddballs, Obscure Players, Legos, and a Pair of Kings

Another crazy week.  Last Saturday the earth started shaking here in the Bay Area.  It wasn't anything crazy (4.2)... but it felt like a car crashed into the house.  Honestly... I like to think that these medium sized earthquakes relieve some of the pressure building up along the faults.  If this is inaccurate... please don't tell me.  It's my way of coping.

Some of the other events will be featured in today's This Week in Blogging post...

#1:  Most Obscure Player You Collect

Last Sunday, Daniel over at It's like having my own Card Shop wrote about his Tatman PC and asked his readers who is the most obscure player we collect.

My childhood buddy was the first person I thought of.  Unfortunately he only has that one trading card that I wrote about here.  Then I started thinking about guys I actively search for... and that's why I felt Kurt Suzuki was a better response to his question.

2007 Sweet Spot Signatures #SS-KS

I realize he's not exactly unknown... but he's not exactly a superstar either.  Plus... I get to use this topic to show off my "obscure" signature of his.

#2:  More Than a Toy

I realize most of the people who take the time to check out my blog could care less about Legos, but I really, really, really encourage you to check out Nacho Grande's Lego City:

Chris also has a second blog dedicated to Legos.  If you're interested... click here.

Although trading cards are hands down my favorite thing to collect... I do enjoy picking up a new Lego set every now and then.  My latest Lego addition was actually a Christmas present from another one of my childhood buddies who hooked me up with a very generous Amazon gift card, which I used to purchase this:

Lego Set #10281 Bonsai Tree

I haven't sat down to build it, but I'll show it off in a blog post as soon as I do.

#3:  Another Bonds Collector

It's nice to see more and more collectors chasing Barry Bonds cards.  Back in October, Daniel announced his quest to collect 762 unique Bonds cards.  On Monday The Diamond King showcased the Barry portion of his Steroid Project.

I enjoy collecting his cards too.  I went through my binder and scanned three of my favorites:

1992 UD Denny's Grand Slam #20

1996 Leaf Studio Stained Glass #10

1996 E-Motion XL D-Fense #2

Will the next Barry Bonds fan please stand up?

#4:  The Brodeur Collection

1990-91 Score #439

I rarely showcase hockey cards on this blog anymore... but Chris wrote a post on Monday that gave me a reason to post this signed Brodeur rookie card.  If you enjoy collecting hockey cards or reading hockey related posts, please check out his blog.

#5:  Sweet 60's Sampler and Don Sutton

If you're a fan of 60's baseball cards... I encourage you to head over to cards as i see them and read Jim's post.  He shows off one Topps card that represents every year from 1960 to 1969.  I'll probably borrow this idea at some point.  Until then... here's a 1968 Topps card from my collection:

1968 Topps #103

Sadly baseball fans around the world lost Don Sutton on Tuesday.

1998 Donruss Significant Signatures #NNO (#'d 0091/2000)

I mostly remember pulling his Milwaukee Brewers and California Angels cards back in the 80's, but his best years were obviously with the Los Angeles Dodgers... which is why I encourage you to check out Jim and Greg's tributes.

#6:  The First King

Before you flood the comments with responses involving Sadaharu Oh or Babe Ruth and all of the other home run kings that preceded him... let me clarify something.  Hank Aaron was the MLB Home Run King when I started following baseball and collecting cards... and that was pretty significant to me.

1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes #34

After thinking about it... I'm pretty sure the first Aaron card I ever owned was his 1982 Kmart MVP card.  But his 1983 Donruss HOF Heroes card was probably the first I actually pulled from a pack.

I'm planning on showcasing a few of my favorite Hank Aaron collectibles later this week, but in the meantime I encourage you to check out any or all of the following blogger tributes to Hammerin' Hank:

Padrographs

Johnny's Trading Spot

Run-Fore!-Kelloggs Baseball Cards

Collecting Cutch

The Diamond King

Night Owl Cards

cards as i see them

Infield Fly Rule Cards

The Lost Collector

Nothing If Not Random

It's like having my own Card Shop

Baseball Cards Come to Life!

#7:  Best of Luck Biden

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to watch the swearing in of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.  Thanks to distance learning, it was the first time I've had the opportunity to watch this ceremony live in as long as I can remember.

My favorite moment was listening to that beautiful poem written and recited by National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman with my homeroom class.  It definitely made an impression on me that will last a lifetime.  Hopefully it made an impact on some of my students as well.

If you're a fan of collecting cards featuring U.S. Presidents, you should head over to Bill's Baseball Card Blog.  He showed off cards featuring all 46 Presidents on Wednesday.  One day, I'd love to pick up the Barack Obama card he showcased.  Until then... here's my favorite card of #44:

2008 Topps Campaign #C08-BO

#8:  One More Goodbye

Wednesday will be remembered for the inauguration and hopefully a bright and new beginning.  However things weren't only rainbows and butterflies.

2005 Fritsch Packers Police #2

Green Bay Packers and football fans said goodbye to former general manager Ted Thompson who passed away at the age of 68.  Thompson will be remembered for drafting Aaron Rodgers and building the team that won the 2010 Super Bowl.

#9:  Mistaken Identity

Not sure how many of you are familiar with Dub Mentality, but it's one of my favorite card blogs.  Much like Night Owl Cards and Dime Boxes -- The Low-End Baseball Card Collector's Journey... each and every post is well-written and usually has me reminiscing.

1985 Donruss #424

His latest post features some error cards including some mistaken identities.  I was hoping to show off my 1969 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez card... but then I remembered that I don't own one.  Instead you get Floyd Bannister posing as Tom Terrific.

And speaking of Dime Box Nick...

#10:  2020 Set of the Year

Yesterday he ranked his favorite sets of 2020 which came down to these two sets:

2020 Stadium Club #115

2020 Big League #51

Nick's selections proves that great minds think alike.  These are my top 2 sets as well.  Ultimately he chose Big League as his favorite... and based on the comments many of his readers left... he's not alone.

Personally... I like Stadium Club a little bit more.  Although I will that the photo on Laureano's 2020 Big League card is way cooler than his Stadium Club card.

#11:  An Oldie But Goodie

Are you a fan of 70's oddball issues?  Well... The Lost Collector sure is.  Yesterday he showed off his 1979 Topps Burger King card of Thurman Munson along with a few other BK cards from the 80's and 90's.

It reminded me of the iconic 1978 Tiger's Burger King set which featured individual cards of these three rookies:

1978 Topps Burger King Tigers #8

1978 Topps Burger King Tigers #13

1978 Topps Burger King Tigers #15

Collectors might not consider these to be true rookie cards... but I prefer these to the multi-player rookie cards from the 1978 Topps flagship set.

Okay, I've done enough writing.  It's your turn.  

Feel free to comment on obscure players, Legos, Barry Bonds, Don Sutton, Hank Aaron, U.S. Presidents, 70's oddball issues, your favorite 2020 baseball card set, or anything else that tickles your fancy down below.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!