Favorites from Rectangle Man

As I mentioned previously, I had traded with Cory over at Rectangle Men. I sent off my 1976 Topps duplicates and he sent back a large stack of cards from 2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, a set that I have wanted to put together. Indeed, he sent me around 50 cards, a third of the set.  So, I am pretty far along with one bubble mailer.

I am not sure when I will get to working on the rest of the set.  I recently bought a 5 acre lot next to me and I have to do a large amount of work to make it safe to use a pasture. So, a fair amount of dinero will be going towards that for most of the rest of the year.  What little I have left for cards will probably go towards the vintage sets I have in process. Hopefully, this coming winter, I will loop back around and work on this.

In any case, I was trying to decide which cards to show (cuz that is what we do) and I decided to show those where I have the  actual vintage card it is based on and determine which I liked better.  But first there is something I want to get out of the way.

I understand that they don't want to issue an exact duplicate card. Thus, different pictures on the front.  But, I am not down with the way they chose to put career statistics on the back.  Specifically, I don't like that they chose to only show the players statistics with one team.  I would have preferred full career statistics.  Maybe it is just me, but I prefer to study the great players entire career.  But, that minor quibble aside, let's get to the cards!

In this case, I prefer the actual vintage card, the 1974 Hank Aaron Home Run King card, although it wasn't a fair comparison.  The 1974 version was probably the most valuable card I owned as a child collector and, thus, is still among my favorite cards of all time.  Sorry, modern Hank.

Two posed fake batting pictures.  Not a lot to diffferentiate them.  I guess I prefer the fake swing picture of the 2003 version to the fake waiting for a pitch picture of the 1977 version.

Toss up. Ole Bert is looking pretty creepy in both pictures, although the 2003 Bert is 1-2% less creepy.

I prefer the 2003 Mickey Rivers as he is wearing the home pinstripes and the photo os taken at Yankee Stadium rather than at Spring Training.

Have to give the nod to 1976 Fred Lynn since it is an action shot.

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2003 Craig Nettles wins versus 1976 although it was close.  The action shot is better than a posed shot in the home uniform.

Is it just me or does 1978 Jack Clark look a little bit like Tim Lincecum?  Anyways, 78 Clark gets the win here.  Posed batting pictures are kinda cliche, whereas posed fielding are somewhat novel.

So, I hope no one has been waiting a week in anticipation for this post.  It is pretty poor. Certainly, Cory's generosity deserves a better effort, but I am busier than a one armed paper hanger.  Work has been crazy and spring has finally arrived in force here and the yard work has multiplied exponentially since last weekend.  I am off to change the oil, filter, and blades on my lawnower.

And Then There Was One

I bought my first cards towards my 1971 set on August 17, 2011.  Over the last month or so, I have been trying to pick up the remaining cards I needed cheaply, mainly off of Ebay. My criteria was that if I can get a decent card delivered for half to 2/3 of Beckett book, I'll go for it.  And I had some good luck.

Earlier in the set building process, I probably would have passed on this Boog because of the centering.  However, my stated desire for my 71s is to have some black all the way around.  And, by God, there is the thinnest line of black on the right side, so I pulled the trigger on it.

I am now down to needing one card, number 594, which is the Cardinals Rookie Stars card (Bob Chlupsa/Bob Stinson/Al Hrabosky.)  Unfortunately, I have been quite unable to find an affordable, quality version of that card.  It has a Beckett book value of $6 and it seems to sell for $9 or better in NRMT condition.  Even cards in VG condition seem to end up closing at $4-$6 delivered.  I'm sorry but I am not that desperate. Yet.

Anyone have that card in EX+ condition or better that you would be willing to trade?

New PC Addition

It seems like it has been a while since I added anything to my Paul Blair player collection.

2001 Topps Archive Certified Auto Refractor.

 I am not sure why it took my so long to add this to my collection, as they seem to come up on EBay with some degree of frequency.  I do recall trying to trade for it on the Diamond Giveaway site back in 2011, without success.  Anyways, it is mine now. It is the 97th unique card in this particular player collection and the 29th with an auto.

A couple days ago I got a big trade pack in the mail from Cory over at Rectangle Men. I really should have posted about it by now, but I have stuggled to figure out how to make it interesting. I think I have my angle, but I have a full weekend planned and probably won't get it published until mid next week. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.

Oh, that big weekend? I am driving up to Kansas City to see the Royals-Yankees game on Sunday! 

The Fleer Autograph Project - Part 22

Cakes

Chris over at Nachos Grande held a contest in which anyone who helped him along in his quest to complete the diamond sparkly Topps flagship set would get an entry in a giveaway. As it turns out, I won second prize, a relic card from a Hall of Fame player.

Since I am only able to hit the blogs I follow about once a week, I was blissfully unaware of my major award until it arrived in my mailbox.  I was wondering why Chris was sending me anything as our collecting focuses really don't overlap anymore. But all was revealed when I opened the envelope.

 A 2010 Topps National Chicle Jim Palmer. I am not sure if it is the idea of having a bat relic for a pitcher with a .174 lifetime batting average or the breeze blown hair in the art work, but this card is glorious.

I realize that seems a bit harsh. It isn't intended that way. Sure, there is a little bit of the kitsch about the card. But, kitsch is good.  My wife and I have a collection of drink glasses from The Kahiki, a (former) polynesian supper club in Columbus, OH. (Note: if it sounds familiar, that is because after the owners closed the restaurant, they opened a frozen foods business and you can find Kahiki products in your supermarket's freezer case.)  So, Chris, don't take my comments as a dismissal of this card.  It has already been placed in an honored position in my mojo binder, on the same page as my Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia relics.

Thank you!

May Card Show Haul

I went up to the monthly mini-show at Al's Sports Cards in Edmond today. I wasn't going to buy, but rather to check in on Bill, the seller from Wichita, who has been having some health issues.  He is doing good and we made tenative plans to get together for lunch while he is in OKC for treatment.   I took a quick look around and saw that one dealer, who usually has decent vintage selection had a "15 for $1.00" box. I thought I'd take a quick look. I am glad I did.  It was, for the most part, modern cards (1990s to present) that he probably took in as part of a purchase of more valuable cards.  But, I did find something that interested me.

This is card #1 of the 296 card (including variations) TCMA The 1960's set, printed in 1978.  But, I found more than just Smokey Burgess here.  Indeed, I ended up getting 255 cards from the set for a grand total of $15. They are all in NRMT/MT condition, which is pretty cool considering they are 35 years old.

I didn't sort through them at the show. I just took the whole bunch, figuring that I could probably find a home for any duplicates. However, I was quite pleased to find, when I got home, that I had 255 unique cards.  Not a single duplicate. Not surprisingly, they are all commons, the likely detritus of a set being broken up to separate out the star cards.

I really like these cards. They have something of a 1953 Bowman feel on the front.  And appreciate the fact that it is not an expensive set to build.  I put up a want list for the 41 remaining cards I need over there in the right sidebar. Take a look and let me know if you have any for trade. In the mean time, things will be quiet around here. Some sizeable surprise expenses leaves me a little light for a while.  I am skipping the bigger OKC show next weekend and am not sure how hard I will push to finish my 1971 set, even though I am down to needing two cards.  So,  in order to keep my vast readership interested, I may have to do a deeper look at this set in the weeks ahead.

Cards from Night Owl

I hate trading.  Not really, but kinda. A month or so ago I found a 1963 Johnny Podres in a dollar box and sent it off to Night Owl.  No reason other than as a thank you for all the reading pleasure his various blogs give me.  Once the envelope is dropped in the mail, I forget about it.    But, a bit later a bubble mailer shows up with a bunch of nice cards.  Too many nice cards given that I only spent a dollar and a stamp on what I sent you.

I know NO doesn't like Mark Teixeira, but I do. His production has been down the last three years, but I am not convinced that it is an age-related decline.  His power numbers remain good. I think the drop off may have to do with more teams playing Tex, a dead pull hitter, in a shift. Consequently, less hits are getting through the right side of the infield.  That said, it still isn't clear NY is getting their money's worth out of the big contract that gave him.

Speaking of big contracts, CC got one last year and I am afraid it may end up being an albatross before too long. Last year, CC looked less  dominant.  His pitch speed is down and he took a couple trips to the disabled list.  He is still a great pitcher, by virtue of his great control and ability to eat innings.  But, it isn't clear that he is going to pay back his large contract for many more years.

I love Brett Gardner.  Not much power, but a solid leadoff man and baserunner.  Plus, he is a Gold Glove caliber outfielder.  He has been playing centerfield while Curtis Granderson has been on the DL. I am hoping they leave him there when Grandy comes back.  Curtis, another favorite, just looked lost in CF last year.  I can't count how many times he started in on a flyball and had to stop short and head back in the opposite direction in a hurry.  Gardner is just a more natural center fielder.

 Ah, two Robbie Canos.  The heart of the Yankee team the last few years.  Robbie stands to cash in big this coming off-season as he hits free agency.  I expect he'll re-up with NYY before then, but I expect that it will come with a big payday. I am fine with the Yankees giving him a big check, but for goodness sake, don't sign him for more than 5-6 years.  Learn from that lousy contract you gave Alex Rodriguez. You know, the one you'll be paying through 2017.

Mini!

I believe Andruw is now in Japan.  He did well for the Yanks in 2011. Not so much in 2012.  Although, even at his worst in pinstripes, he was still better than he was during his mercifully short stint with the Dodgers. Hoo-boy!

Another mini!

I am looking forward to collecting 1972 Topps.  It is a fun looking set.  I hope to get to it in 2014.

A real 1975 Topps mini!

My second one. The first was Paul Blair which is part of my Blair player collection.  I don't think I'll ever try to put the set together. I once asked my local LCS if he had any '75 minis and he did not.  I would imagine it would be well nigh impossible to complete the set and that would frustrate me to no end.  But, I sure do like this card and it will take a place of honor in my vintage/mojo binder.

Thanks Night Owl!