Fleer Autograph Project - Part 49

What I am listening to: Over the Top by Motörhead

Fleer Autograph Project - Part 48

Today, the card below arrived and becomes the 48th card from the 66 card 1963 Fleer baseball set that I have autographed.

 I found this card by chance when I did a Google search for "1963 Fleer Autographed."  It had just been added to inventory at an online retailer named Mickey's Cards out of Arizona. I was able to get this for less than $20 delivered. I consider that a bargain given that Donovan died 18 years ago, in 1997. Naturally, I have now liberated it from the plastic jail you see above.

This project is going to slow down considerably from here on out.  Of the 18 cards I yet to have in autographed form, only 4 have living subjects (Willie Mays, Al Jackson, Rich Rollins, and Bill White.)  I thought I had Mays last year, but the signing was delayed several times and finally never happened.  I have plans to get Jackson and Rollins. White is harder.  I understand he doesn't do autographs through the mail anymore, so I'll have to wait for one to come up at auction.

Of the 14 cards of deceased players, I have no clear idea how it will go. For every reasonable Dick Donovan, there is a Gene Oliver.  There was an EBay auction a short time ago for an autographed '63 Fleer Oliver that closed at $111.50.  That is way too rich for my blood at this time.

 So, in summary, I have line of sight to 50, but not beyond.  I feel pretty good about this given I started this project on a lark a few years ago.

What I am listening to:  Children of Children by Jason Isbell

Card Show Haul - Closing Bookend

And, so that is it. My card show haul.  I had been there about 2 hours when I got a text from my wife asking "Are you still at the show?"  That was my cue to leave and, since I was done anyways, I headed home.

So, here is the closing bookend:

The first is, as I understand it, is from Jeter's third to last game on September 25, 2014.  It captures the image of Jeter after he hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth against Baltimore.  The second image is, I believe, from his final game three days later when he hit an RBI single in the top of the third inning and was promptly pinch run for by Brian McCann. That is the image of Jeter walking off the field for the final time in his playing career.

What I am listening to: You Got to Me by James McMurtry

Various Player Collection Additions

Recently, I added a couple new items to my Johnny Antonelli player collection.   This 1958 Hires card was an EBay win.  I actually already have this card, but bid on this one because the tab was still intact. My previous Hires Antonelli didn't have the tab

This next Antonelli card I did get at the show for the exorbitant price of $1.  This is my second 1961 Johnny Antonelli.  There was actually two versions of this card.

This version is card number 142B, showing Antonelli with the SF Giants.  Version 142A shows him with the Cleveland Indians.  What is odd is that he was traded from the Giants to the Indians. You would expect, chronologically, the Giants card would be A and the Indians B.  But, it is the reverse.

What I am listening to: 24 Frames by Jason Isbell

Card Show Haul - Vintage Sets

The show ended up being quite fruitful with regard to working on vintage sets.  Two of the three main vintage sellers were there and I made a little progress on a lot of sets.

I managed to pick up 8 more cards towards my 1979 set; leaving me 17 to go to completion.

I managed to find this 1978 TCMA The 60s Sandy Koufax in a dollar box.  I have a good deal of the 293 card set, with about 40 to go to completion.  This set, and other 1970s TCMA and SSPC sets, are what I intend to work on during the long dry spells in the quest to finish pre-1973 Topps sets.

I found 3 1975 Topps cards, leaving me only 6 to go to complete the set.  The Munson however, is not one of the three.  The scanning process doesn't make it obvious. but it is actually a mini. I don't really intend to ever collect the 1975 minis, but how could I pass up acquiring the card of one of the Yankee's iconic players for a mere buck?

I found five more 1961 Fleer cards leaving me 6 to go to completion.  The Ross Young is one of the more expensive cards in the set with a book value of $40.  Why? I'm not sure, but the best explanation is that it is the last card in the set, and like the 1952 Topps Andy Pafko, it is hard to find in good condition because of damage from the rubber bands that held stacks of cards together back in the day.  Alas, two of the remaining cards I need are Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, which both come in at a $120 book value.  I'm hoping to find both for under $30, so it will probably be a long search.

I picked up four more cards from 1961 Golden Press, leaving me 12 to go. It is just a small 33 card set that, as I understand it, came together as pages in a book; explaining the perforation chads along the edges.

I picked up this 1956 Al Kaline for $5.  I am not sure why the seller (who tends to price high) had it for such a low price.  It appears to be a little off color, but the discoloration is uniform and the card has great eye appeal.  The seller had a large number of 1956 cards with him and I could have made significant progress on my set.  Except I managed to leave my 1956 want list at home. However, that didn't turn out to be a major issue.

Since I couldn't work on my 1956 set, I decided to have the seller put together a 1972 starter set for me.   I now have about 235 cards towards the 787 card set.  Among the cards he pulled for me are the 4 cards above, which includes the infamous Billy Martin card. (If you don't know why it is infamous, please look closely at his hand.)  This set will undoubtedly be a long haul to completion, with over 260 high number cards.  I expect that it will take a minimum of two years, since I'll only be able to get small groups of high numbers at a time....when I can find them.

So, that was the bulk of my card show finds. I did get one card towards a player collection, but will save that for a PC specific post.

Card Show Haul - Modern Cards

I didn't make huge progress on the various modern sets I am working on, but I did take a small chunk out of the remaining cards (all inserts) that I need to complete my 1994 Ted Williams set.

This card is the last card I needed to complete the 500 home run club insert set.

The next three cards didn't complete the Locklear Collection insert set, but it did leave me with only one to go.  I like this insert set real well. It is the nicest "painted" card set I have ever seen.  A lot of people like the Donruss Diamond Kings cards. I didn't, but I can't see how anyone could disagree that these are better looking.

This card is part of the 17 card Milestones insert subset.  It is, believe it or not, the first card from this insert set that I have.  I should have looked at the odds of getting these various inserts when I busted the box a while back. I have to assume these are the inserted at the longest odds.

With these five cards, I am down to 21 needed to complete the set; all but 5 of which are from the Milestones insert set.

I also picked up a few other modern cards that caught my fancy.

I really don't have much need for contemporary sets. With limited funds,  they just get in the way of my vintage sets.  But, if there was a current set I would collect, it would be 2015 Stadium Club. I really like this image.  The first African American to play for the Chicago Cubs getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom from our first African American President.  What is not to like about it?

 This card, a Bowman reprint card of Warren Spahn, plays to my love of black and white photography. Although, I have to admit that Spahnie looks kinda creepy in the picture.

Last, but not least, a single from a set I will likely put together: Swell Baseball Greats. Actually, this set is the second of three Swell sets issued between 1989 and 1991, comprising of 420 cards total.

So, that is pretty much it for the modern cards I got at the show. And that is also it for this post.  I'll move on to the vintage in the next post.

What I am listening to: I Wanna Be Rich by Jenny Kerr

Card Show Haul - Opening Bookend

There was a card show this weekend up in Oklahoma City. Normally, I wouldn't go since it is so close to the holidays, but December of 2015 is a magical month.  I get paid every two weeks, which means 26 paydays a year.  This December is one of two months I get three paychecks.  Since we budget based on two checks per month.......free money!  Now most of that extra check is put towards more mundane matters, but I did take some a little of that and drove up to the show.  I made some progress on about 6 different sets I am working on, started another set, and picked up a handful of cards that caught my fancy.

So, let me throw up a bookend to hold this set of posts together:
 

 Now, I will grant that this 2012 Triple Play Derek Jeter is a silly card, but it made my smile and it cost less than a dollar, so I bought it.

A Visit to the Card Shop

Other than the oddball lottery ticket in my last post, I have done nothing hobby-wise since summer.  The time and money just hasn't been there.  However, I did take advantage of some birthday money, and the fact that my wife was at a horse show on Saturday to visit one of the local card shops.  My main goal was to make progress on my 1979 set, although I did also want to see if I could find one of the remaining cards I needed for my 1975 set.

I managed to find 49 cards I needed from my 1979 want list.  After I got home, I was surprised to see it included three of the key foundational players for the great Detroit Tigers teams of the 1980s. I also managed to finish the All-Time Record Holder  and 1978 Record Breakers subsets.  The subset I didn't manage to finish was the 26 card team prospects subset that occupies cards 701 to 726.  What is frustrating is that the one card I lack, #724 Cardinals Prospects, doesn't include any big names.  The subjects are Tom Bruno, George Frazier, and Terry Kennedy.  This card is, essentially, a common.

These pickups got me into visual range of completing the 1979 set, with only 33 cards to go for completion with Dave Winfield and Nolan Ryan being the two biggest names left on the wantlist.

And the one card I wanted to get for my 1975 set?

Boom! There it is! With that, I have 8 cards left to go to complete 1975.  At this point, I don't expect to complete it by the end of the year (or 1979 for that matter.)  But, I do plan on making a push to complete both in January.  Afterwards, I plan to start two new sets:1972 Topps and another one. I haven't decided on the second one yet, but it will be something that is relatively easier to complete.  1972 Topps will be a bear to complete.  It is a large set at 792 cards, and a popular one. Consequently, the high number series are ungodly expensive. More so, I think, than it's immediate predecessor 1971. It took me almost two years to complete 1971, and progress was sporadic.  I could go months without making any headway. I expect 1972 will be much the same The "easier" set will be used to fill in the time gaps band give me something to do during those down times.

Anyways, if I don't post again any time soon, y'all have a happy holiday season!

What I am listening to:  Doing it Right by The Yawpers

The Oddest of Oddballs

I've not done anything hobby-wise in well over a month.  Life has been busy and, at the beginning of October, my wife and I took our first real vacation in around 5 years.  It wasn't Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but we had a great time. We went back to Ohio and spent a weekend at Cedar Point riding roller coasters, walking through haunted houses, and having a generally good time.  We spent time with family (mine in Cleveland and my wife's in Mansfield), went to the Haunted Prison Experience (at the Ohio Reformatory, where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed) and spent a day running around Columbus before coming home.

So, I haven't had much time (and less money) for hobby activity. But, I did manage to pick up this one oddball for my Paul Blair player collection.

Strictly speaking,it isn't a trading card. It is a lottery ticket.  But, for $6 delivered I figured why not. As near as I can figure, this 1999 Maryland lottery issue featured six different players (Blair, Boog Powell, Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray, Brooks Robinson, and Rick Dempsey. I haven't yet separated the three tickets yet, though I am considering it.  Anyone want the Powell and Weaver?

What I am listening to: Dragula by Rob Zombie

Fleer Autograph Project - Part 47

This Ebay pickup is the 47th autographed 1963 Fleer card in my set.With 66 cards in the set,I am now officially under 20 cards to go although I don't expect to ever complete an autographed set.

What I am listening to:  Drift Away by Dobie Gray

.August Card Show Haul

Two weekends ago was the bimonthly OKC card show.  It is being organized by a new person and information has been hard to find about it.  Where the previous organizer always listed the show on the Beckett show calendar, the current doesn't. I ended up calling around to a couple of the local card shops to see what they knew. One shop had no idea and the other gave me the date, but seemed unsure.  I wasn't really sure if I would find the show until I pulled into the parking lot. Luckily, it was going on, and the three main vintage dealers I buy from were all there.  Needless to say, it was a productive outing.

I picked up a total of 8 cards towards my 1956 set, including the two star cards above.  They were in a discount box, but still had nice eye appeal.  I know have 227 cards from the 340 card set.  That means I have officially crossed the 2/3 complete milestone.

I picked another 5 cards for my 1961 Fleer set.  Only 11 to go to complete it. Alas, the Ruth and Williams are among those 11. I'd like to try to complete this set before the end of the year, but finding those two cards within my budget may be a challenge.

I got 20 more cards for my 1975 Topps set. Only 9 left to go.  Woo-hoo! Single digits!  The remaining cards I need are mostly stars, but the only major card I have left is the George Brett rookie card.  I also hope to complete this set by the end of the year. And, yes, I really am that lazy when it comes to fixing scanning issues.

Lastly, I was also able to locate an additional 20 cards for my 1979 set.  I still need 78 cards to finish this 726 card set. I am sneaking up on the 90% complete milestone, but completion still feels a long way off.

Anyways, I am going to hit a bit of a dry spell for the next few months. My wife and I are taking our first vacation together in 5 years and we are in the midst of some home renovations.  I'd tell you to  expect posting activity to slow around here, except that it is already pretty slow.  Anything slower would qualify as comatose.


What I am listening to: Guitars, Cadillacs by Dwight Yoakam