Favorite Cards of 2013 - Part 1

I started thinking about this series of posts a while back and even had all the cards identified a couple weeks back. But, I have been remiss in actually doing anything with it due to a variety of reasons.  So, instead of one post per card, I am going to break it down into three posts only.

So, in reverse order, here are 12 through 9:

12.  2012 Topps Archive 3D Babe Ruth

I got this card from the mysterious Napkin Doon.  It seems like your typical 3D insert, but what I like about it is that only background moves when you tilt it back and forth.

11. 1971 Topps #709 (Dusty Baker and Don Baylor RC)

In addition to being the rookie card of two stars of the 1970s, it is a high number card, leading it to a book value of $80.  This was the last big ticket card I needed towards completing the 1971 set.

10. 1960 Fleer Ed Barrow

This card of a rather avuncular Ed Barrow is the most unlikely entry on this list.  But, as the architect behind the Yankee dynasty of the first half of the 20th Century, surely he is a noteworthy person?  And before you answer, consider that the Hall of Fame agrees with me.

9. 2013 Topps Archive 72 Mini Lou Gehrig

I got this card from Night Owl.  This card tickles me to no end. Not only is it The Yankee Clipper, one of the best ballplayers ever, but it is done in the fun 1972 Topps design. I am looking forward to building '72 Topps.

So, there are the first four.   Stay tuned for four more tomorrow.

What I am listening to: "Long I Ride" by Robbie Fulks

A New Blair PC Addition

1971 Topps Tattoo

This is the 104th unique "card" in my Paul Blair player collection.

I don't have much to say at the moment.  A combination of insomnia and being in the middle of a big business decision at work, I am too tired to write much.  I have been thinking of doing a look at the Yankees and how I think they should move forward from this season.  But, I haven't had the energy to get going on it.  

In short, don't hold your breath.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand Done!

One year, nine months, and 23 days after I started, my 1971 Topps baseball set is complete.

I ended up getting this as part of a 4 card rookie card lot and  I was actually able to upgrade another card in my set from this purchase.   The card I had was EX, but this was a NM lot.  So, if anyone out there wants to upgrade cards 576 (EX), 612 (NM), and/or 633 (NM) in their 1971 set, let me know and we'll work out a trade.

Up next is 1973, which I should complete (relatively) quickly.  With a trade with Ted from the now silent Crinkly Wrappers, along with an EBay starter set and a few purchases of individual star cards, I am well along the way.  I actually only need 272 cards, plus the 24 unnumbered checklists to complete that set.  My goal will be to complete it in enough time that I can start 1975 before year end.

Knowing that this card was on the way, I decided to stop at my nearest local card shop on the way home from errands today and maybe pick up some 73s off my want list.  Alas, it was closed.  I haven't been there in almost a year, since I exhausted their supply of 71s and, in the interim, they changed their hours.  Apparently, they are now only open from 12 to 6 Monday through Friday, which will make it hard for me to get there.  I work in downtown OKC and generally don't even get back into Norman until 6 PM. Going there will involve taking time off from work.  That isn't a problem, as I have 4 weeks vacation, none of which I have used yet this year, but it is still a bit disappointing that I can't spend a leisurely Saturday there anymore.

Ah, well. As it just so happens, there is a one day show up in OKC next weekend. I will go to it and, hopefully, Zack from Wichita will be there and I can knock of some 1973s with him.

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?

Close, but No Cigar

I set out 4 goals for this card show.  The first, and most important, was to make that final push to completion of my 1971 set that I have been working on since the summer of 2011. Walking into the show, I needed 19 cards to finish up.  I didn't find all 19, but I did knock off 12.  Most were just high number commons and not interesting in and of themselves.

I debated about buying this card or not. My main criteria for 1971 cards is to have nice clean corners and edges and at least a little black border visible all the way around.  The top edge on this AL Rookie card is a little rough.  Earlier in my quest, I would have taken a pass on it. But, I am at the point that I really want to have this set done and to move on to other things.  So, I got it.

So, I am down to only needing 7 cards to finish, including Bob Gibson and Boog Powell. I had hoped to finish this set this month. But, since I spent my bankroll at the show,  it will have to be April now. I can live with the delay, given the reasons.

What I am listening to: Middle of the Road by The Pretenders

March Mini-Show $30 Haul

 Since I was up in the area buying feed, I decided to stop in at the March mini-show at Al's Sportscards in Edmond.  I was mainly going to check in on one of the dealers who I hadn't talked to in several months and had been having health problems.  He was there and was in good spirits, despite still fighting some health issues. However, as it turns out, I was also able to make some (small) headway on the sets I am working.

A 1968 Topps game card. At 33 cards, it is a pretty small subset.  Yaz here is my 20th card towards completion.

I also found 5 star cards for my 1973 set.  I also had an offer for a nice 73 Nolan Ryan that I passed on in order to preserve my money for the larger OKC show next weekend.  I have heard one of the premier vintage dealers, Roger Neufeldt of Sports Memories of Oklahoma, will be there, and he is my last remaining, non-Ebay chance to knock off the remainder of the cards I need to finish 1971.

Speaking of which....

I actually managed to find one card I needed for my 1971 set.  The Killer acquisition means that I only need 18 more cards to finish the set.   While I am not expecting to find all 18 next week, I am hoping to get most of them.  I have been working this set since August of 2011 and it is time to put it to rest.

Closer by One

My plan to finish off my 1971 set with money I got from selling off my partial Heritage sets ran into a complication when one shipment went horribly astray and the package arrived damaged. I ended up refunding the guy his money and letting him keep the cards.  But, it did put a hole in the budget, so I am still chipping away.  However, the goods new is that, today, another card towards completion landed in my mail box.

Best of all, it was the last of the really expensive cards left on my want list.  Oh, all the remaining cards, being high numbers, are expensive. But, with a book value of $80, this was the most so.

But, having said that, I did fairly well with this.  I have watched card after card in similar condition sell for $60 or more on Ebay. I was able to snag this for about half that price.  The difference?  That little circular flaw next to the S in OUTFIELDERS.  Frankly, that is so minor I am a bit astounded I managed to get this so (relatively) cheap. So, with this I am down to needing 19 more cards to finish the set.  I am hoping to have it done in March.

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

Hey, guys!  How are you? Long time, no talk!

It is has been somewhat quiet for me hobby-wise.  I skipped both the January 5 mini-show in Edmond and the larger January 19 OKC show.  I have sold off all my Heritage cards, although I haven't spent a fraction of the proceeds.  I am loath to spend any of the money I received from the auction until I know the items have been received in acceptable condition.  All, save one, have now made it to their destination.

The one remaining open shipment was to a fellow in Wichita, a mere three hour drive north of here. But it seems to be taking the scenic route.   I dropped it off at the post office on the 22nd. It first appeared in Dallas on the 24th. It is a little odd to go to Dallas, which is as far south of here as Wichita is north, but it is not unheard of, particularly if the OKC sort facility was having issues.  But, that is where things got really weird.  After leaving Dallas on the 24th, it next came up for air in San Francisco on the 26th.  Leaving the Bay Area the 27th, it passed through Los Angeles later that same day.  Four days later, it is not been heard from again.  So, it is getting close to time to refund the buyer.

That said, with all the other shipments safely at their destination, I have started to wake up on the buy side.  I managed to find more dirt cheap 1974/75 Loblaws hockey stickers. But my main activity has been to chip away at my 1971 Topps set. I had been sitting at 36 cards left to go for while, but a visit to COMC and I'm now down to 20 remaining to finish it up.

Le Grande Orange!

Something is wrong with this card. Okay.. two things are wrong with this card.  First, Sparky doesn't have his trademark moustache. Second, he is in the wrong uniform.

I looked up Alston's managerial record and was suprised to see that he stepped down as manager of the Dodgers in 1976 with 4 games left in the season, turning the team over to Tommy Lasorda.  I am still researching it, but have not yet found out his rationale for not finishing the season out. Anyone know?

From here, I'll probably keep chipping away at 1971. There is a mini-show this coming Saturday that I may go to. My goal will be to find that one big '71 I still need, the Dusty Baker and Don Baylor rookie card.  Of course, any of the remaining 71s I need will be more than an acceptable find, but since they are all high numbers, I won't hold my breath on finding any.  So, I suppose the real question is will I be, if I don't find any of my 1971 needs, can I abstain from picking up some other flashy vintage card. I'd like to pocket my money and save it for the March OKC show, but who knows if my recent willpower will last. 

Card Show Goals Achieved

I had three goals for the show today and managed to achieve each one, although the level of achievement varied. My first goal was to complete my 1969 Deckle Edge set. I was fairly confident of getting this done because I knew a dealer out of Wichita had them. And, indeed, I did finish the set.

As I mentioned, I don't have the Joe Foy and Jim Wynn short print variations, but I am not particularly worried about that. I will get them at some point. But, with 33 filled pockets for a 33 card set, I am going to call it good.

I also wanted to add a few cards to my 1960 and 1961 Fleer sets.

I found two 1961s I needed. I am still a long way from finishing the set.  So, finding two was pretty much the lowest level of achievement on that goal. A solid C-.

I also wanted to make some progress on my 1971 set that I have been working on for nearly a year and a half. Unfortunately, Roger Neufeldt wasn't at the show today due to a family commitment, so I was only able to find four 1971 high numbers I needed from a seller out of Lawton.

But, among the four were two Hall of Famers.  Or six Hall of Famers if you consider the fact that Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry, and Juan Marichal are probably on that Giants team card.  So, I was able to knock off about 10% of the remaining cards I needed. I am down to 36 to finish the set.

So, all this only cost me around $25 total. I could have called it good and been reasonably happy with the cards I got. But I found a few cards I needed for other sets I am working on.  And, of course, I weakened and bought a couple nice cards that were priced to move. But, more on that in the days to come.

A Return to Normalcy

After the high of actually possessing two Mickey Mantle cards that were issued during his playing career, you might expect that I would experience something of a letdown. Not true.  As a set builder, every card is a goal unto itself.  And, as a set builder, I find the importance of a card is not measured by it's book or historical value.  On the contrary, the importance of a card to me is measured by when it is acquired.  A star card can be less important than a common if it was acquired earlier in the set building process.

Example.  When I bought a 1971 starter set last summer, it included a very nice version of card 513, Nolan Ryan, which books at $150.  However, since it was part of that initial set of cards, it is less important than the following two cards.

I got these for $3 each, which isn't too shabby considering they are high numbers. My progress on 1971 has been stalled for almost 3 months.  I didn't get a single card towards completing the set during that period. So, I was quite pleased to find these.  I am down to needing 50 cards to complete 1971, 4 of which will be upgrades to poor quality cards I already have.  I had hoped to finish 1971 by the end of the year, but with the holidays coming up, I am quite sure that won't happen.  There is another card show coming up December 15 and 16, which I may go to, but I don't expect to have much of a budget. And if my main (non-incarcerated) source for vintage commons isn't there....well.....forget about any more progress at all on 1971 until the calendar flips over.

One other cheap pickup yesterday:

I now have 27 of the 33 cards in the 1969 Deckle insert set. Luckily, none of the cards in this set are expensive. So, even though I still need Willie Mays, it won't be a hard set to complete.  Actually, the most expensive card in the set is 22B - Joe Foy, a short print variation (22A is Rusty Staub.)  Even that only books at $25 and generally sells on Ebay for less than half that.

So, with that, my collecting activity goes into hibernation and I'll probably go back to featuring interesting cards from 2011 Tristar Obak, with a couple brief interludes when I get some cards back I sent out to be autographed.

What I am listening to:  "The One that Got Away" by Dave Pahanish

August Card Show - 1971

Yesterday was the first day of the August card show. The farrier was out in the morning, so I wasn't able to get to the show until noon time. I was only there for about three hours, but it was a productive and fun three hours, I tell you what.

I'll break this up into three posts.  This first one, as the astute reader may infer from the post title, is about the progress I made on my 1971 set. I ended up picking up a total of 32 cards for the set from three different sellers.  I hit Zach from Wichita and Darryl from OKC and got some screaming deals.  I also bought a few cards from a dealer out of Texas who had some high quality (NRMT+) cards but who's prices were a bit high.  I  probably won't shop him again at future shows,  but in the end it didn't make much difference as I found some absolutely unbelievable deals with a fourth dealer.  bBut more on that later.

So how am I doing on this set?  Very close but also very far. I can start to see the finish line.  I only need one more card to finish the first 4 series. (Aside: I am streaming the Yankees-Blue Jays game while I write this post and I just saw Toronto's Rajai Davis make the most amazing catch to rob Casey McGehee of a home run. It was a thing of beauty. When it comes up on MLB highlights, I'll add a link to it. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.)  For the semi-high number 5th series, I only need 23 more cards.  For the high number sixth series, I need 32 more cards to complete it.

So, overall, I only need 56 more cards to finish the set. But, looking forward, it may be early next year before I finish up.  September and December are the months I need to make my quarterly payments on a bunch of insurance policies and I think my wife and I are taking a vacation in October for our 20th wedding anniversary.  Thinking about it, I may not even be able go to another of the bi-monthly show until February.Wow. I cannot believe I just wrote that.

Up Next:  Fleer.

Added in Edit:  Here is the link to Rajai Davis' catch

Surprise Card Show!

It is still hellaciously hot here and, having had 100+ temperatures and no rain for weeks, the area is a tinderbox.  Yesterday, wildfires broke out south of here and, at their closest, were about 4.5 miles away. Needless to say, I have been stressed and in a poor mood lately.  But today, I got a little pick me up.

I had to head up north to get feed and West Nile vaccines. Just a bit further up the road, so to speak, is an LCS that holds a show the first Saturday of every month.  It isn't a big show, usually just 6-8 dealers.  But, I figured I'd stop in and see what was up. I didn't want to spend a ton of money, since next weekend is the two day bi-monthly show in OKC.  I figured I'd just paw threw a few quarter boxes and call it good.  Well, I had a good visit.

In the quarter boxes I found about 8 Heritage inserts that I will need at some point.  I also found some neat Sportflics cards.

This is a neat little card from 1989. Unlike most 3-D cards, which have two images, this one has three images.  And, unlike most multi-player rookie cards, this one has three players that all went on to long and productive MLB careers.

1991 Kellogg's Baseball Greats cards! I am showing Yogi here, but also got the Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Warren Spahn cards.  I am already a third done with the set!  Maybe I'll build it!

I also found a few vintage cards in the quarter box.

I would have called that a good day, but I found another dealer who had a about 4 cards I actually needed for my 1971 set, including this Tommie Aaron high number card.

With that, I was ready to leave when I spied a stack of 1969 Topps Deckle Edge cards.

 
The guy made me a sweetheart deal on the entire stack, which was 70 cards. Of course, the deckle insert set was only 33 cards in size and the stack I bought only had 24 unique cards. So, I now have a stack of deckles available for trade including several Maury Wills, Juan Marichal, and Frank Howards.  Any one interested?