RIP - Cobra

 I just heard that Dave Parker died today at the age of 74, a month short of his Cooperstown induction.  His death came a bit over 13 years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

Parker was a giant to me. He was at the top of his game at the time I was closely following the baseball season as a teenager.  He was MVP in the magical (to me) 1978 season that saw an early glimpse of the "We are Family" Pirates. In 1978, the Pirates didn't hit my radar. I was engrossed in the AL East, that saw transcendent seasons from Boston's Jim Rice and my Yankees Ron Guidry.  A race that culminated on the first Monday in October as Bucky "Fucking" Dent and my Yankees dispatched the Bosox in a one game playoff.  The Pirates didn't really occupy any space in my brain until the following year, with the Pirates seven game World Series victory over the Orioles.

This passing has given me a pause since my father had Parkinson's Disease. It is a cruel disease, slowly robbing the person of their coordination and, in the later stages, of their memories.  My family has never been particularly warm and close.  And living half a continent away, I didn't get to experience my father's slow decline. Since I didn't get back to visit but a couple times a year, the progression of the disease was more jarring to me. And, in the end, robbed us of a proper goodbye as he knew he had a son that lived in Oklahoma but he didn't recognize me for being that son.

I don't offer this looking for sympathy. What is done is done and I have made my peace.  I offer it only to say I am pleased that Parker was lucid enough to see his election into Cooperstown, even if he didn't make it to the induction ceremony. Certainly, not being able to attend the ceremony is a loss for him and the world. But, when I think of deserving inductees (specifically but not exclusively Ron Santo) that never even got to experience the joy of knowing they were elected, I take solace in knowing Parker was able to hear and understand the honor bestowed to him.

What I am listening to: Temporary Nature (of any Precious Thing) by Lucinda Williams

The Longest Journey

 I am going to try and post more. Mainly out of a need to distract myself from...well...everything.  I am heading out on Monday to attend this year's National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association's AGG1 Academy and Trade Show (My wife always laughs when I say that and, honestly, I can't blame her)  So, I am going to try and knock out a quick post and work on my next in my hotel room at night as opposed to trying to match some of my co-workers ability to consume alcoholic beverages.

I started collecting in late 2010, by starting on my Paul Blair player collection. Early in 2011, I started building sets. The first vintage set I built was 1978 Topps followed closely by 1974.  Both were completed during the year.  At some point subsequent (I don't remember exactly when) I decided to complete the 1974 master set and I managed to mostly do so.  I finished the 44 card Traded set, the Washington Nat'l League variations, The Jesus Alou No Position, and Apodaco/Apodaca.  The one I never completed was card 599, which came in three variations: Washington, San Diego large print, and San Diego small print. I never got the latter of the three.  Occasionally, over the years, I would remember that was still out there and look to see if I could complete it.  Alas, that last variation was always selling for over $30.  Now, I can certainly afford it, but I always chafed at dropping that kind of coin on a common.  

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I was talking to a friend that collects signed sets.  I am not sure how we got on 1974 Topps, but I mentioned that I was one card short of the master set.  He pulled out his duplicates and this is what he found:

Demonstrating generosity (a virtue seemingly in short supply these days) he sent it to me no strings attached. So, after 14 years, I have finally finished my 1974 master set.  And here are the three variations together.

Take care and stay safe.

What I am listening to: Slip Away by Clarence Carter

New Year's Review

Today is the last day of 2023 and I suppose it is time for reflection on the year and to make some promises to myself for 2024. Logically, there is nothing magical about January 1 with regards to self-assessment and new resolutions.  But, I live a fairly busy life and having a lot of down time at the end of December does give the opportunity to look back...and then forward.  I won't bother you with the personal, though it was generally a better year for me after two lousy years in '21 and '22.  I will stick to the hobby stuff that you are here for:

Overall, 2023 was a good year hobby wise if a bit scattered. I managed to complete two sets during the year:

• 1955 - I started building this set in earnest in 2013, so this was 10 years in the making.  As I reported earlier, the last card I needed was a common, Gale Wade. The second to last card was Jackie Robinson. 
  
  
  
  
  
• 1969 - I wasn't planning to finish this set in 2023, but I discovered that my bank has rewards program for debit card use and I was able to convert over a years worth of points into a nice pre-paid VISA card.  The last card was Al Downing.
  
  
  

So, the other highlights of 2023 were:

• Fleer Autograph project - I started the year with 15 signed cards from 1960 and 62 from 1961. I will close out the year with 16 and 70.
• Started both 1966 and 1967 Topps baseball - I haven't mentioned it here, but I bought a large stack of 1966 and 1967 baseball commons in low to mid-grade for about $0.02 a card. I am planning on working on 1966, but after I sorted through the stack and separated out the cards in G condition or better, I found that I had about 20% of the 1966 set and 35% of 1967. know I said I would probably never build 1967 as the design doesn't interest me, but 35% is pretty far along. So, I may need to hold my nose and build the set. Hopefully, the high numbers are affordable in G to VG condition.
• Added a few cards to my Paul Blair and Johnny Antonelli collections.  The only one I was actually excited about was a 1960 Topps Venezuelan card of Antonelli that I got dirt cheap.
  
  

What does 2024 portend? I have 5 sets I would like to complete:

• 1958 Baseball - with only 25 cards to go, I am going to prioritize getting this one done.  Having started in 2012 when I bought the Mantle, 12 years is long enough.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 1972-73 Basketball - I started this set in 2018 and have 33 cards to completion.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 1973 Football - I started this set in January of 2020 and have 24 to go towards completion.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 1974 Topps Baseball - Wait, what?  I've said that I've completed the entire Topps run between 1968 and 1979, so what gives?  What gives is that I need one card (599 - San Diego Small Print) to finish the master set.  I rarely see that card for less than $30-$40, which seems excessive for what is essentially a common.  But, I am close enough to completing the master set that I just need to hold my nose and get one.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 2009 Tristar Obak - I started the three Obak sets in 2011.  I finished 2010 and 2011 long ago and only need 7 short prints short of finishing 2009.  They don't come available all that often and when they do, the prices are generally unreasonable.  So, I probably should just be happy to make progress.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Beyond that, I will just let the hobby tide carry me and look back in a year to see what else happened.  Though, I would like to post more of my signed 1961 Fleer cards.  The last I posted was 39 and I have 70, so 31 to go.  I won't get through all of them, but one a month seems doable.

Happy New Year to you.  May your 2024 be your best year yet.

What I am listening to:  Auld Lang Syne by The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin

Trade with Stealing Home

Having given up collecting modern sets, my trading activity has pretty much ceased. And, since starting this blog was, in part, a vehicle for finding trade partners, I have lacked motivation to keep it going on a regular basis.  So, when I do complete a trade, I get pretty excited and have to talk about it.

A while back I had opened a hobby box of 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game, but didn't really like the set.  It was the first GOTG set after Upper Deck took over Fleer and the quality and design was far inferior.  There was a few nice hits, but they weren't enough to overcome the generally poor effort put in by Fleer Upper Deck. One of those hits was a Mike Schmidt relic card. Oscar/Stealing Home was interested in it, so we completed a trade.  He got Schmidt and I got some nice vintage in return.

 This was the main target of the trade.  A major upgrade to my 1974 set that I completed back in 2011.   It isn't often that I am able to upgrade a card in a completed set, so I am pretty happy with this.

Oscar also sent this NM version of one of the 1974 Topps Traded set, which is also an upgrade for me.

This card presents something of a dilemma for me.  It is in better condition than the Rhoden card in my 1978 set.  But, alas, this is the O-Pee-Chee version and, in 1978, the numbering didn't match between OPC and Topps.  This card is numbered 159, while the Topps Rhoden is 605.

I know some folks don't like 1970 Topps, saying that it is a boring design. But, I like it real well.  These two cards increase the number of 1970 cards I have by 40%.  I will be collecting the set at some point, although by my rough calculation in may not be until late 2014 / early 2015.  Nonetheless, I am quite pleased to have these.

 I'm kinda tickled with the idea of a Yankees fan getting a bunch of Dodgers and a Red Sock in a trade. If I was to hate any other teams, it would be the Dodgers and Red Sox. But, see, when you are a Yankees fan, you don't need to carry around a deep seated hatred of any other team.  The only emotion you can really ever conjure up with regard to other teams is pity.

All joshing aside,  this was a great trade. Thanks, Oscar!

2011 Card Countdown - Number 5

At one time, this was my favorite card. It has slipped now to number 4, though not because of any faded love, but rather the complete awesomeness of the top 3 cards.


1974 Topps #1 - Hank Aaron Home Run King

It seems to me that the off-and-slightly-rotated centering is the common condition of this card. At some point, I am going to have to get a really nice copy of this card that doesn't have those faults.

Tomorrow: My first tobacco card.

2011 Card Countdown - Number 6

I've approached my set collecting in a haphazard manner. My intent, at the start, was to start with the main set I collected as a kid, 1978, and start working backwards. That didn't last long. As I neared the completion of 1978, I decided to skip forward to 1974. And it is from that 1974 set comes number 6 on my favorite cards of 2011.


1974 Topps #250B - Willie McCovey Washington Nat'l Lea. Variation

As a kid, my collecting wasn't very organized. I don't honestly remember how I acquired most of my cards and I tended to keep them all in a shoe box under my bed. I traded some and played a card tossing game we called Tops. But, there was no master goals. Completing a set never factored in. I was blissfully unaware of error and cards and variations. In short, I was a poor collector.

I am not sure if this led me to be a bit more obsessive as I re-entered collecting as an adult or not. But, suffice it to say, I am much more obsessive now. As I worked on 1974, I made the decision to put together the Traded set. Then, I figured I'd see about the Washington National League variations. Pretty soon, I was going after pretty much all the errors and variations. As it stands, I am one card short of a master set for 1974. There are three versions of card 599, which is an otherwise unremarkable Rookie Pitcher common card. There is a Washington Nat'l League variation, a large print San Diego version, and a small print San Diego version. I only lack the latter to complete a master set. But, for now, I have no intent of chasing it. The few I have seen on EBay have been selling for more than a NM Hank Aaron Home Run King card would sell for. Maybe some day, when I have some spare coin rattling around, I may get one. But, not for now.

In any case, I love this card because it is a Hall of Fame player and an interesting variation card. A brief description of how this variation came about can be found here.

Tomorrow: A card that has already appeared in a supporting role twice in this countdown.

Twin Brothers from Different Mothers, Princess Bride Edition

Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Generations - Florida Marlins Edition

Meet the new Florida Marlins manager:



Here is an interesting note: The oldest player on the 2011 Florida Marlins is Randy Choate, who was born on September 5, 1975. Jack McKeon had been fired from his first MLB managerial stint 44 days earlier, after 2 and 2/3 seasons at the helm of the Kansas City Royals.

Fact.

Mail Call - May 4 Edition

Just a quick hit today. I still have those two big trade posts to do. I've got them outlined, but I need to fire up Photoshop to cut up the card scans and actually compose the text. I wasn't planning to do a post on this new arrival. It is just one of the final cards I need to complete my 1974 set. But, when I looked at it I saw something interesting, See if you can catch it.


Did you see that? If so, good for you. If not, maybe the back will yield a hint.



See that line in small print that reads "Traded to San Diego Padres, 11-12-73.*" Glenn was traded from the Cubs to the Padres early enough that Topps was able to put him on the correct team for the base set rather than adding him to the later Traded mini-set.

Got it? Now let's look at the front again.


See it now? Topps did not airbrush him into his new uniform. He is still clearly kitted out as a Cubbie. Maybe you are laughing at me for my (not so) startling discovery, but I never noticed this before on the San Diego version of this card.

* A marginally interesting additional note: We can pinpoint down when Topps went to press with the base set in 1974. The 44 card Traded mini-set includes the date that the trade featured was made. Most of the trades featured in the Traded set were dated in the first week of December. The earliest trade featured, however, was Larry Gura being sent from the Cubs to the Rangers as the player to be named later from the earlier deal that sent Mike Paul from Texas to Chicago. The Larry Gura Traded card was dated November 13, the day after the Beckert deal. So, it would seem Topps went to press late on November 12 or early on November 13.

Mail Call - April 29 Edition

So, I've been pretty busy trying to finish my 1974 set. Having plumbed the depths of COMC, I shifted my focus to Sportlots, Sportsbuy and EBay. Over the last week, I have purchased enough 74s to be within 2 of completing the set, including all error cards and variations. I have received about half of the recent orders so far, but have been too wrapped up in other things to bore you with daily run-downs of the various arrivals. However today, in addition to a small lot I purchased on Sportlots, came a trade pack from Baseball Dad over at All Tribe Baseball. I feel it is important to pay notice to the generosity of the collectors I come into contact with. I wouldn't have probably made a post on just the 74s I have received. But, whenever someone sees fit to take the time to gather and ship me cards without money changing hands, well, that is worth taking the time to acknowledge. I had sent Dad some of the Topps Series 1 inserts he needed and I got some cards I needed including 4 Heritage and the very last card I needed to complete the 2011 Series 1:



In addition, he sent along some interesting Pirates cards:



1993 Topps BlackGold Andy Van Slyke. I've never seen a card from this set before. And, while I am not normally a fan of shiny, this card has a delightful design and I am going to try and research the set a bit more when I have some time.



I am not sure what to say about thus 2004 Donruss Studio Stars Jason Kendall. It is an odd card, but in a good way. I am not sure if I should hand it to the cashier the next time I try to cash a check at Target or if I should take it on my next business trip to see if it opens the door to my hotel room. In all seriousness, though, I do like this card. I just can't seem to articulate why. I've been thinking about why for a good 15 minutes and just cannot put words to it.

So, big thanks to Baseball Dad. I definitely feel like I came out on the better side of this trade.

Oh, and for you vintage fans, here is one of the numerous 74s that I have received in the last week. The Felipe Alou no position error card. I've had the regular card for several months now, but have been ignoring the errors and variations until recently.



Oh, if you are wondering what the remaining two cards are that I need to complete 1974, they are 599A, the San Diego version of the rookie pitcher card and 608A, another rookie pitcher card with Bob Apodaca's name misspelled as Apodaco.

Mail Call - April 25th Edition

So, I mentioned earlier about putting an order in at COMC for more cards towards my 1974 set. They arrived today and here is some of what I got:







Three Hall of Fame inductees. This was the last of the special Aaron cards I needed. It appears to me that Topps used the same picture of Aaron three straight years.



Six more of the team checklists and 2 more base set checklists.





Two more of the Washington Nat'l Lea variations. I was slightly disappointed with these two cards. These cards are in great shape except for a a gum stain on the back of one and some paper loss on the back of the other. I recall the gum stain from when I was ordering, but I must have missed the paper loss on the other. The damage shows clearly on the card images on the packing list, so I must have not inspected the images of the back for that card. The fronts are clean and all the corners are sharp, so I am not going to obsess about it.



And finally, the father of a major part of what is wrong with country music today. Okay, maybe that is overstating it, but Tim McGraw isn't my cup of tea. With country music, I prefer Western Swing throwbacks like Asleep at the Wheel, outlaws like Willie Nelson, and just about the entire alt-country scene centering on Austin, Chicago, and Seattle.

Now that I am getting real close to completing 1974, I am shifting into overdrive. Today, I placed an order each at Sportsbuy and Sportlots. When those shipments come in, I believe I will be down needing two four cards to complete 1974. And one of those cards has an active EBay auction closing this week.

What Does Two Grand Buy You These Days?

The answer to the question in the title is, first, not that. That was just a tease. My employer paid bonuses for the first time in I can't remember when. So, how did I spend my ill-gotten gains?







Yeah, exciting, huh? Stupid life interfering with more important things.

I did spend about $55 at COMC on more cards for my 1974 set (I'm down to 17 cards to complete it) and I sprung for a box of 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game, which is a set I've decided I liked enough to put together. The teaser card at the top is from that set.

Mail Call - April 18 Edition

So, a few cards arrived yesterday from an Ebay purchase to help fill in my 1974 set.

HOFer Gaylord Perry


HOFer Joe Morgan


Boog
(I always say this in my best Jack Black voice. Purse your lips tightly together, let the 'B' explode out, then draw out the 'oo', ending with a quiet 'g')


Nate Colbert (Nat'l Lea. variation)



Bucky Dent


One of my favorite childhood memories is the one game divisional playoff in 1978 between the Yankees and Red Sox in Fenway Park. My recollection is that I was cursing Bob Lemon for not pinch hitting for Dent, when it was his turn to bat in the seventh inning with two on and the Yankees behind 2-0. I cursed even louder when Dent hit a foul tip off his own foot. However, history vindicated Lemon when Bucky went on to hit a three run dinger over The Green Monster, giving the Yankees the lead. The Yankees, of course, went on to win it all, defeating the Royals in the League Championship and the Dodgers in the World Series.

Hunting and Gathering at the Card Shop

Two more for my 1974 collection. I've already been through all the shops commons and minor star cards so, in this visit, I went after the last two big ticket cards I needed.


The Ryan isn't as high a quality as the rest of my 1974 set, but with a $40 book, I am a little leary of going after anything up in the NM/MT range. The owner of the shop did have a graded Ryan, but at $60, I passed. I paid $15 for this one and it seems to be of the same general quality as those selling in the same range on COMC.



This is my favorite card of the set. I actually had this card as a kid. I paid $30 for this, against a book value of $50. Centering, a slight rotation issue, and a tiny spot on the lower right corner (which is only visible with close inspection) are the only weaknesses here. It has 4 sharp corners and a nice smooth, glossy surface. With five cards in transit from an EBay purchase, I am down to 46 43 cards to complete the set, including 8 more unnumbered team checklists and (by my count) 10 7 more of the Washington Nat'l Lea variants. Beginning of May, I'll probably visit COMC and try and fill out some more of the dwindling space in the binder.

Does it Get Any Better?

I am sitting here sipping a Maker's 46, the Yankees have men on 2nd and 3rd with one out in the bottom of the 10th against the Orioles, and I just scored a pretty decent deal on 5 cards I need for my 1974 set.

Just about perfect.

Added in edit: The Yankees Win!

Another Day...

...another show and mail call.

The show was a small affair. Just a half dozen or so tables set up inside a card shop up in Edmond, a bedroom community to the north of Oklahoma City. I normally wouldn't have driven up for it, but one of the sellers at the big show last weekend said he would bring some of his 1974 Topps cards with him. He did not disappoint. I picked up another 34 cards from him, along with 6 more that I got at the Norman card shop on my way home. Within my haul was another of the Washington Nat'L Lea variations and the following 5 Hall of Famers.







With this, I think I am down to 49 cards to finish 1974 set(33 base set, 8 Team Checklists, and 8 Washington Nat'l Lea variations). Alas, I have some of the bigger money cards stil to go, like Hank Aaron, Nolan Ryan, and (potentially) a new Dave Winfield rookie card.

Also today, arriving in today's mail was the one Million Card Giveaway card I requested delivery for (out of two I actually had in my portfolio.)


Another good day.