A Pair of Surprises

Another card show recap... and another surprise purchase.  Back in June, I picked up a Muhammad Ali pack pulled, on-card autograph for my collection.  Three weekends ago, I found another "biggie" for my PC.

Neither are considered super rare, but neither pop up at card shows on a regular basis either.  But before I get to the big find of the day, let's check out another surprise...

Purchase #1:  Dollar Box  $10

2024 Bowman Draft #BD-56

I was pretty stoked to find this Nick Kurtz in a dollar box.  If you're not familiar with this kid, he had one of the greatest games in MLB history on July 25th.  The twenty-two year old rookie went 6 for 6 with four home runs, six runs scored, and eight runs batted in against the Houston Astros the night before and was definitely the "talk of the show".

As expected dealers were pulling his 1st Bowmans from their cheap boxes and marking them up.  This guy had this lone copy sitting in his dollar box.

Here are the other cards I picked up from this vendor:

1971 Fleer Harlem Globetrotters #72

2024 Topps A&G Mini Rookie Design Variation #RD-6

1976 Topps #204

Not sure I'd normally buy this O.J. Simpson card, but I couldn't pass it up after flipping it over:

This card features 25% of card #205... which is the NFL Interception Leaders.

Rounding out the dollar box was this six pack of football and baseball:

Now for the big surprise...

Purchase #2:  Vintage Billy Ball Oddball  $125

1949 Remar Bread #NNO

I got to experience first hand Billy Ball back in the early 80's at the Oakland Coliseum.  That's why I will always have a deep appreciation for his cards.  The past few years... I have been tracking this particular card for my Oakland Oaks collection.  This was the first time I came across a copy at a card show.

I've bid on multiple copies, but always fall short.  It's a good thing I did, because I was able to pick up this gorgeous copy for a slightly higher price.  After purchasing the Ali, I had zero plans of dropping triple digits on a single card at this show.  But I just couldn't pass up this opportunity. 

Purchase #3:  A Kirby Puckett Rookie Card  $18

1985 Topps Rack Pack

The dealer who sold me the Billy Martin also had a few sealed rack packs from the 80's.  Each of them had a key rookie card featured on the back:

I passed on the 84T Darryl Strawberry and 85T Dwight Gooden, but grabbed the Puckett.  It pairs nicely with this cello pack I purchased back in 2011:

1985 Topps Cello Pack

Well that wraps up the final card show of the summer.  I know that there are two more coming up in September, but I don't have any plans on attending them.  On the other hand... maybe I'll need a distraction from the school year.

If I end up going, you guys will be the first to know.

Until then...

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

Candid, Action, and Posed

Whether or not it's a beautiful sunset, puppies in action, abandoned barns, or vintage sports cards... photography has always brought a smile to my face.  That's why when it comes to favorite cards, one of the first things I consider is the photograph.

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #1

In a perfect world, I'd be showing off my favorite cards from the 2020 Stadium Club set... which is loaded with beautiful photography.  But over two years after its release, I still haven't been able to track down a reasonably priced set on eBay.  So the 1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbos will be filling in.

The oversized set (3.5" x 5.25") contains 48 cards and came in its very own storage box.  I have no idea where or when I purchased this set, but after taking a quick peek inside (and seeing that Griffey)... I was very pleased with the discovery.

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #43

The set is broken down into two parts.  The first 42 player cards utilize Walter Iooss Jr. photography, while the final six cards commemorate historic baseball events dating back to the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.

The majority of his photographs are zoomed in portrait shots like the Ripken and Bonds:

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #15

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #35

That's not necessarily a bad thing, because Iooss has a way of making them come off as artistic.  Plus the card backs feature an additional photograph:

I love this "Endor" card of Bonds running to his spot out in left field.  Here's a closer look:

There are also posed shots, like Gwynn sitting in the dugout...

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #17

And candid shots like The Big Unit on the phone...

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #20

Or Kirby showing off his trademark smile...

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #14

There's even a bat rack photograph for the handful of bloggers with mini collections...

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #24

Anyone familiar with me... knows my favorite photographs are well-cropped action shots like the David Justice...

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #33

But the coolest Iooss photo in this set is on the back of Mike Piazza's card:

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #31

Here's a closer look...

Now that's a sensational sunset card if I've ever seen one.  Looking at photography as beautiful as this makes me as giddy as Ramon hanging out with his bro...

1994 Upper Deck All-Star Jumbo #32

So if you enjoy photography as much as me, you might want to consider picking up a copy of this set.  They're way more affordable than 2020 Stadium Club sets.  But just remember... they aren't your standard sized cards (for those who dislike oversized cards).

Happy World Photography Day and sayonara!

Keep the Bologna

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans are expected to consume around 150 million hot dogs tomorrow in celebration of America's birthday.  Considering Oscar Mayer is one of the best selling hot dog brands, I figured I'd take the time to share a baseball card set the company produced back in 1994 to honor some American and National League baseball's superstars.

However before we start breaking down the set, I wanted to quickly thank Peter over at Baseball Every Night.  Last Friday he wrote about the John Kruk in this set... which inspired me to head over to eBay and purchase the complete 30 card set.

1994 Oscar Mayer #14

Based on what I read in the Sports Collectors Digest 2008 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, Oscar Mayer included one of these discs (2.5" in diameter) into specially marked packages of bologna.

I originally fell in love with this set, because it's an oddball food issue with a nice design and well-cropped photographs.  Plus there's a creative action feature built into the card that I'll share in a little bit.  Before we check it out, let's look at the two boxes this set came in:

Oscar Mayer also offered collectors the opportunity to purchase American League and National League boxes which contained 15 cards (half the set) each.

Based on the order form included in each of these boxes, collectors could send in 3 UPC's and $1.95 for a box with a limit of 5 boxes of each league for every household or address.  Attached to the order form were a list of the players included in each box as well as directions for the previously mentioned action feature:

The same information was included on the back of the boxes:

Although each league was given their own box, the checklist is numbered as one set of thirty discs.  The first fifteen discs feature American League players and the National League players make up the final fifteen discs.

Here's a look at the set in its entirety:

At the time, each league had 14 teams... and Oscar Mayer made sure to include one player from each franchise.  With a 30 card checklist, that meant two lucky teams had two players representing them in the set:  Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.

Although all thirty players on the checklist were indeed familiar names in the league... only ten of these guys went on to be inducted into Cooperstown:  Ken Griffey Jr., Paul Molitor, Kirby Puckett, Cal Ripken Jr., Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell, Tony Gwynn, Greg Maddux, Mike Piazza, and Ryne Sandberg.

If you're a player or team collector... singles are pretty affordable on COMC.  Personally I wanted the complete set, so I opened my wallet and pulled out $10.45 ($4.90 + $5.10 shipping + 45¢ tax).

One of the cards I picked up from the 8 for $1 card show box was an extra Frank Thomas... which allowed me to do this:

This is the pop-up feature that's built into each card.  As you can see, in addition to the card becoming three dimensional... statistics and player trivia are also revealed.  

I didn't photograph it, but the answer to the trivia question appears on the back of the question.

In case you're wondering... once you decide to utilize the pop-up feature, the card will never be the same.   The other major flaw is the lack of team logos on the player's photographs.  But personally, I think the pros outweigh the cons and was very happy to add this 90's oddball set to my collection.

What about you?

Any thoughts on these cards?  Anyone planning on eating hot dogs tomorrow?

I'm more of a burger guy myself.  Have a safe and fun 4th of July!  Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Top 10: Black MLB Players

In celebration of Black History Month, every February I teach a unit on the Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's.  And one of my favorite projects is having my students design trading cards of their favorite Civil Rights leaders.  Due to distance learning, I'm running a little behind in my curriculum, but I hope to assign the trading card project by the end of the month.

In the meantime, I thought I'd borrow one of Night Owl's ideas for a post.  Last week, he showed off his top 10 favorite Black Dodgers players.  I figured I'd tweak his idea and list my Top 10 Black MLB players.  Although the Top 3 spots are sort of no-brainers... I actually spent the better part of an hour flipping through binders before finalizing my list.

Let's start with the honorable mentions (in no particular order)...

Honorable Mention:  Vida Blue

1977 Topps Cloth #4

Honorable Mention:  Bill Madlock

1994 UD All-Time Heroes 125th Anniversary #74

Honorable Mention:  Willie Mays

1993 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes #54

Honorable Mention:  Derek Jeter

1997 Metal Universe Magnetic Field #5

Honorable Mention:  Andrew McCutchen

Pittsburgh Police Pirates Charities #NNO

Honorable Mention:  Dave Parker

1980 Kellogg's #23

Honorable Mention:  Ken Griffey Jr.

1991 Score 100 Hottest Players #5

Honorable Mention:  Hank Aaron

1983 Baseball Card News #4

Honorable Mention:  Roberto Clemente

1994 Action Packed Minors #69

Honorable Mention:  Tim Raines

1990 Topps TV Glossy All-Stars #55

Honorable Mention:  J.R. Richard

1979 Kellogg's #19

Honorable Mention:  Mookie Betts

2019 Topps Chrome Refractor #50

As with practically any list I've created for this blog... it's bound to change with time and will vary depending on my mood on the day I write the post.  Several names on the honorable mention list started in the Top 10, but ultimately was swapped out at some point.  And even now that I've settled on my list... I question whether one guy is too high, while another is too low.  But if I continue going back and forth... this post will never get published.

So here we go...

#10:  Dave Henderson

1992 Leaf Gold #232

The last time the Oakland A's won a World Series title, Hendu was a key member of that team and was always a fan favorite in Oakland.

#9:  Barry Bonds

2002 UD Vintage Day at the Park #DP5

I know he's not very popular among baseball fans... but this guy provided Bay Area fans with highlights on a regular basis for a solid decade.  I'll always be thankful for that.

#8:  Kirby Puckett

1995 Select Certified Mirror Gold #33

When I played Little League... I was the chubby kid who hit for average... which explains my strong affinity towards chubby MLB players with high batting averages.

#7:  Frank Thomas

1992 Fleer All-Stars #11

It felt like collectors had to choose between Griffey and Thomas back in the 90's.  I went with The Big Hurt.

#6:  Dwight Gooden

1992 Score 100 Hottest Players #25

Like Griffey and Thomas in the 90's... there seemed to be a line drawn between Clemens and Gooden fans.  Doc was my guy.

#5:  Ozzie Smith

1984 Topps Milton Bradley Championship Baseball #NNO

I grew up watching The Wizard's highlights and backflips.  And up until creating this list... I didn't realize just how much he meant to me and my childhood.  This might just kick off the start of a new PC.

#4:  Dave Stewart

1990 Sports Illustrated for Kids #133

Any A's fan from the 80's will likely be a big fan of Stew.  He was the heart of the A's starting rotations for years and won 20 or more games four straight seasons.  The fact that he was born and raised in Oakland is a bonus for this East Bay legend.

#3:  Jackie Robinson

1997-98 Fleer Million Dollar Moments #17

Jackie Robinson is the only player to make the Top 10 that I didn't have the pleasure of watching play.  But when you're the gentleman who will forever be remembered for breaking the color barrier... you're worthy of being ranked this high on the list.  That moment in sports history is something that has been celebrated way before I even became a baseball fan.

#2:  Rickey Henderson

1981 Fleer Star Stickers #54

The first baseball games I remember attending involved Rickey playing in the outfield next to Dwayne Murphy and Tony Armas.  Had the A's never traded him to New York, there's a good chance he'd be #1 on this list.

#1:  Tony Gwynn

1988 Fleer Baseball's League Leaders #16

Obviously we all know Gwynn could hit.  But he was also a very likable guy who was loyal to the San Diego Padres.  And as much as I love Rickey... Gwynn is not only my favorite Black baseball player... he's my all-time favorite baseball player.

Well there you go.  My list of favorite Black MLB players of all-time.  I'm positive I've missed some guys and accidentally left them off of my list.  Plus there were a few guys like Rod Carew who I wasn't sure fell into the category of Black players.  I tried to do some research, but came up short.

Anyways... feel free to write in some of your favorite Black MLB players down in the comment section below... especially if they weren't listed in this post.  Maybe you'll inspire me to update my list at some point.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!