Stickers, Stains, & Stones

Every Sunday I try to set aside some time to sit down and sort.  Today's schedule was a little hectic.  Started the day off with the farmer's market, grocery shopping, and two loads of laundry.  Then I headed over to my friend's house to watch the World Cup Final... which was pretty entertaining.

As soon as the game was over, I rushed home and started sorting and scanning stuff.  Today's post focuses on some PWE's from a pair of bloggers.

Let's start with this gorgeous gum stained card from Jeremy over at Topps Cards That Never Were:

1986 Topps #531

It's funny.  I've opened, sorted, and handled a fair share of 1986 Topps baseball, but today was the first time in 40 years that I noticed that Topps labeled the team leaders card as DEAN OF THE WHITE SOX on the back.  Maybe I noticed it as a kid and forgot.  Or maybe I just don't pay close enough attention to card backs.

Jeremy also tossed in these two cards for my A's collection:

2025 Donruss #7

2021 Topps Green #571 (#'d 366/499)

Two of my all-time favorite Athletics.  Although right now Zuk is managing the Los Angeles Angels who currently have the worst record in baseball.  Still it's a nice addition to my Kurt Suzuki collection.

The next pair of Oakland A's items are from Jim over at cards as i see them:

1968-75 Fleer Cloth Team Logo Patches

1968-75 Fleer Cloth Team Logo Patches

Once upon a time, I was seeking cheap lots of these cloth patches on eBay.  But there are so many variations, I eventually gave up.  I already own both of these stickers, but those are part of my set build.  These two are headed into my A's collection.

Last week, Jim sent me another PWE.  This time it featured one of my all-time favorite cards:

1983 Topps #482

He found this Tony Gwynn rookie card sitting in a quarter bin at last month's Twin Cities Collector Club Card Show.  Twenty-five cents!  It's obviously not in gem mint condition, but it's too iconic of a card to be sitting in a quarter bin.  I'm grateful that he rescued it.

Jim suggested in his blog post that it could potentially be a future wallet card.  Unfortunately, my current wallet card will likely be my final wallet card.  But don't worry, I will happily provide this Gwynn with a loving home in my Damaged Card PC.

While our attention is on Mr. Padre, I wanted to quickly share this rock that I painted at my friend's house on America's birthday:

It's far from a masterpiece, but it is a one-of-a-kind paperweight.  😂

Thank you Jeremy and Jim for these thoughtful care packages.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Extra Time

1994 UD World Cup Toons Finals Qualifiers Holograms #Q21

Congratulations to Spain on their victory over Argentina to win the 2026 World Cup!  I'm not a fútbol expert, but it seemed like they controlled the game from start to finish.  If it weren't for some fantastic saves by Argentina's goalie, this game might have been a blowout.

A special shoutout to Dominic over at Don Cardwell Loves this Blog.  He's dedicated a couple of blog posts to show his support for Spain.  Congratulations!

Graffiti, Broders, and Mascots.. Oh My!

Graffiti is one of those polarizing things in life.  Depending on the location and the content, it can be viewed as an artistic masterpiece or disrespectful vandalization of property.

When it comes to taking a Sharpie to a baseball card, I don't have any problems with it as long as it's your own card and it's not altering the card's condition for personal benefit (for example, taking a black Sharpie to the borders of your 1971 Topps Steve Garvey rookie card, so you can sell it for more money).

For example, let's look at this masterpiece:

1967 Topps #21

This was one of the first cards I saw when I opened up Johnny's (of Johnny's Trading Spot) care package.  It immediately brought a smile to my face.  I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at, but I see horns on the head and the word "idiot" is front and center.  I wonder what Bristol did to upset the artist.

This card was just the tip of the iceberg.  Johnny sent me a huge stack of vintage cards.  Some had red Sharpie tagged on them, while others had corners that looked like mice had nibbled on them:

I picked out a few for my Damaged Card PC, the rest will be headed to my classroom for student use.

Next up were some A's inserts, parallels, oddballs, and Broders:

 

I was especially excited to see the Canseco and McGwire Broders.  Back in the late 80's and early 90's these things were everywhere.  There were always several dealers with them at card shows.  The card shop I worked at even had stacks of them sitting in display cases.

If you're not familiar with Broders, I wrote a short post about them back in 2011.  They might not be worth a ton of money, but every time I see them, they bring back a ton of memories.

The next stack Johnny sent was a pile of MLB mascots:

I'm sure most of you know that I'm trying to collect every card/sticker of Stomper and The Swinging Friar:

2016 Topps Stickers #265

But I think I now have enough mascots laying around to start their very own binder.

Moving right along...

Here's a stack of 1991 Panini Top 15 stickers featuring The Bash Brothers and The Man of Steal.

1991 Panini Top 15 #53

I might have a few of these sitting in binders, but after checking Beckett... I might try and track down the other seven stickers for the team set.

Last Monday was Canada Day.  The next stack of cards would have been perfect for that post...

Growing up, I was brainwashed into thinking that O-Pee-Chee baseball cards were inferior to their American counterparts.

1981 O-Pee-Chee #55

I was a fool.  These days, I absolutely love getting my hands on 70's and 80's OPC cards.

Thanks Johnny for another generous care package!  You really hit me up with a huge selection of items that reminded me of my youth.  And that Bristol is fantastic!  It's definitely going to be entered into my Damaged Card Hall of Fame.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Damaged Card HOF #5: Whittled Down Winfield

Love them or not, damaged cards are part of our hobby.  You can either choose to toss them out or embrace them.  Depending on the damaged card, I prefer to choose the latter.

A few years ago, I decide to dedicate a binder on my shelf for damaged cards that I had sitting within my collection.  Some were acquired through purchases.  Others were pulled in packs.  And some were part of trades.

Unfortunately if I decided to keep every damaged card I stumbled across, I'd need a 5,000ct. box.  That's why I'm pretty picky about which cards I keep in the Damaged Card PC.  I'm even pickier when it comes to my Damaged Card Hall of Fame.

Up until a few weeks ago, there were only four members of the exclusive club.  But today, I'm here to show off the newest member of the club, which was donated to me by Dennis over at Too Many Verlanders:

1974 Topps #456

I'm not sure what the story is behind this Dave Winfield rookie card, but it's safe to say that this card was trimmed.  The best part about the card is it looks like a four year old performed the trimming.  I love it!

A quick glance at the back and you'll receive a deeper appreciation for this beautifully damaged card. You can see that the person tried hard too keep the upper-left and bottom-right corners rounded.  In addition to the damage, the card back itself contains a plethora of interesting facts.  I'm sure most of us knew that Winfield was a three-sport stud.  But did you know that he was born the same day that Bobby Thompson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World?  Or that he was a star pitcher at the University of Minnesota?  Did you know that he was the MVP of the 1973 College World Series?

It's pretty amazing the stuff you can learn from the back of a baseball card.

In addition to the Winfield, Dennis also sent me this Byron Leftwich jersey card:

2004 Leaf Certified Materials Mirror White #52

If you look right under the Jaguars' logo, you'll notice a nice, solid crease running through the card.  Yup!  Another addition to my Damaged Card PC.

The rest of the package was filled with mint condition cards that fit other collections.

First up is this 2009 Topps WBC set that includes seven different cards for my Japanese Player PC:

He also sent me this mint condition Hideo Nomo card:

2002 Fleer Box Score World Piece #NNO

Plus this random assortment of awesomeness...

And rounding out the package were some Raiders and 49er cards for my students:

Thanks Dennis!  I already owed you for the January package.  Now I really, really owe you.  I grabbed some stuff for you on COMC a few weeks ago.  I'll send them your way after I start building my care packages (sometime in June).  

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Damaged Card HOF #4: Krinkled Kid

A friend of mine recently purchased a collection that included this Fleer rookie card of Ken Griffey Jr.:

1989 Fleer #548

You've got to wonder... why would anyone want to do this to The Kid?  Griffey is the epitome of "fan favorite".  And it's not like this card was ever considered a common.  Plus... this isn't your ordinary, everyday crease.  This card is severely creased with multiple veins shooting across Mr. Griffey's face and card back.

At least the previous owner valued the card enough to put it into a screwdown holder:

By the way, this is one of those non-recessed holder, so I'm thinking the guy was hoping to somehow fix this card by flattening it over time.  I've got to give the guy credit for his optimism, even if it obviously didn't help.

But that's okay... this card no longer has to suffer from loneliness and squishiness.  It's new home is in my Damaged Card Binder, where it hangs out with others just like him.

Happy Birthday Mr. Griffey!

As for everyone else... happy Thursday and sayonara!

Damaged Card HOF #3: Ruined Rice Rookie

1986 Topps #161

Creased.  Faded.  Rounded corners.  Chipped edges.  Does it get any better than this?

I recently purchased a binder of vintage football cards that contained some of the biggest names in gridiron history:  Terry Bradshaw, Walter Payton, Steve Largent, Sonny Jurgenson, Dick Butkus, Roger Staubach, Jim Otto, and Joe Namath.

But without a doubt, the Jerry Rice rookie card was the deciding factor in my purchase.  Don't get me wrong.  The other cards are excellent additions to my vintage binder of HOFers.  However... it's not often I add a card to my Damaged Card PC... especially one of this magnitude.

One of these days, I'll write up a Top 5 Damaged Card post and I'm pretty sure this card will be in it.

Happy Birthday Jerry!  Go Packers and Seahawks!  And have a happy Sunday!  Sayonara!