Joy of a Completed Set - 1975 Topps

A quick trip to sportlots.com and my 1975 Topps set is now complete with these four cards.

Yeah, I got lazy and didn't bother to make sure I had a good quality scan. I just threw this wonky scan out there.  No attention to detail or respect for craft. What can I say. Life is busy and I have little free time to do a respectable job.

 The same seller had some 1979 Topps cards, but only one that I needed:

 

It is a bit diamond cut, but that doesn't bother me.  My main criteria are sharp corners, smooth edges, and border all the way around.  The corners on this are a little more worn than I would normally go for if I was buying in person. But, this is plenty fine. It isn't like 1979 is that valuable of a set.

This leaves me three cards to go to finish 1979, all commons.  I believe a trip to COMC is in the cards soon, to pick up the three remaining 1979s as well as some inserts for the various modern sets I am working on intermittently.

What I am listening to: Losing My Religion by R.E.M.

January Mini-Show Haul

Last Saturday, I drove up to Edmond to go to the monthly mini-show at Al's Sportscards.  I was up in the neighborhood to buy horse feed and hadn't seen one of the main sellers I deal with since summer, so I stopped in to say hello.  I didn't spend much, but was productive nonetheless.

I actually found a box of 1979s in Al's inventory and was able to get 16 more cards, leaving me a mere 4 to complete the set.  I really like the JR ultimately redeemed character.

I managed to find two more cards towards completion of my 1975 set.  This also leaves me 4 cards from completion.  My intent will be to finish both 1975 and 1979 before the end of February.

I found another 1961 Golden Press card. I also bought 6 cards for my 1956 set, but managed to forget to scan them.  The seller of the 1956s was rather proud of them, asking around $7 each for cards I would normally pay 4 or less for.  But after taking up space at his table, I felt like I needed to buy something.  I left at least 20 cards I needed behind as there is a limit to my generosity.


What I am listening to: Ghost of Highway 20 from the upcoming Lucinda Williams album of the same name (skip forward to around 2:00 if you just want the music:)

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.

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

Another Trade with Night Owl

It seems I trade with Night Owl a lot.  Night Owl is the Dean of Card Bloggers and I suspect most of you can say the same thing. We worked out a fairly simple trade where I sent him some vintage duplicates that I had and I got back a nice stack of 1975 duplicates from him.  1975 is the next set I am going to build after I finish 1973, hopefully, later this year. So, getting a leg up on the effort is always good. Here are a select few that I got.

The late Bobby Murcer is an Oklahoma City native son and is recognized with his name and number emblazoned on the centerfield wall at the Bricktown Ballpark, where Houston's AAA affiliate, the Oklahoma Redhawks, play.

Don Baylor was also a Yankee for a few years and is one of the autographs I got when I busted that box of Upper Deck Yankee Classics a couple years back.

The Captain.  This is a neat card.   It is actually much thicker than a normal card.  I will have to research the 2006 Topps Bazooka set at some point to see if they are all like that.

2013 Topps Archive Robbie Cano.  Robbie is the best position player on the Yankees now and is a free agent after the season. At this point, I am mostly worried about the Yankees giving him too long of a contract to keep him.  The team's tendency to give 8 plus year contracts to players at their peak, ensuring they get to suffer through much of the age related decline (think A-Rod and Mark Teixeira) really annoys me.  I'd be willing to give Cano a 5 year deal with a mutual option for another year, but that would be it.  But, after the Yankee's (so far) pathetic 2013, I wouldn't be surprise to see him handed something longer than that.

Anyways, thanks, NO!  Your cards did finally get put in the mail yesterday.  Hopefully they'll be to you on Monday.

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!

My $30 Weekend

The title of this post has two meanings.  The first is because I just completed a trade with Robert from $30 a week habit.   It was a simple trade. I sent him a stack of 1973 cards and I got a stack of 1975 back. Easy peasy.  While I am not working on 1975 at the moment, it is the set I will start on after I complete 1973. So, hopefully later this year.

I will show the cards that caught my fancy.

Chicken.  What else is there to say?

I had to show this card.  Herb Washington, Pinch Runner.  It seems like he should have been one of the blue collar super heroes in "Mystery Men", one of my favorite comedy movies.

I am only showing Tito to give evidence that he didn't always were a head band on the outside of his hat.

I just love this card.  A nice action shot on a card from the era when action shots were few and usually poorly composed.

One of my favorite Yankee players growing up.

That is it. A great trade. Thanks, Robert.

Oh, in case you are wondering about the double meaning of the blog title, I went to the mini-show at Al's today and spent.........wait for it.............. $30. But, more on that later.

Trade with Thoughts and Sox

This post is waaayyyyy overdue.  I am busier than a one-armed paper hanger at work, and have been having to deal with a lame horse at home this week.  It is generally bed time once I have completed all my chores and had dinner.  I have two trade packs that should have gone out a couple weeks ago, but time has been scarce.   To the intended recipients, sorry about that.  Even weekends have been full.  I will do my level best to get them out to you this weekend.

As you may recall, I have been trying to reduce the number of cards I have around here. Adam over at Thoughts and Sox was good enough to take a number of Red Sox duplicates off my hands. And, I got a couple of Sox back.

Even though I havenn't formally started on 1975 Topps yet, I am always up for trading for some.  I am close to finishing 1971 and have a running start on 1973, so `I expect to start building 1975 in earnest later this year.  Maybe as soon as the summer, but possibly as late as winter.  So, I was pleased as heck when Adam said he could send a couple of 75s my way. Imagine my reaction when one of them was this mint Fisk All-Star card.  I may have cried a tear of joy.

So, many thanks, Adam!