Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009. Show all posts

Thursday, August 10, 2023

2009 Upper Deck 1989 20th Anniversary Buyback #102

   

Card Review: 9.2  I'm grading this card slightly lower than I graded the 1989 Upper Deck base card due to the foil (hologram) stamping on the front.  I understand the "20th Anniversary" stamp on the front is what makes this a different card, but from a design perspective, it's not an improvement.  At least it covers up the catcher a little (I think it's Joe Girardi, could also be Damon Berryhill or maybe Jody Davis?), and I've always felt this card could have been cropped a little better.  Either show more of the catcher, or none at all UD.  I guess I'm the only person in the hobby who complains about the photography on '89 UD.

That last sentence sort of sums up why I'm not a huge fan of "buybacks" and don't really view them as "new" or "unique" cards.  This is an 1989 Upper Deck.  That's objectively true.  It's just been altered.  All the online data bases catalog it as a "unique" card from 2019, so I will too, but it doesn't feel honest.  To me it's just a gimmick.  But I'm a slave to my collection, so if it's listed as a "unique" card, I'm going to pick them up when they become available at a reasonable price.

Speaking of adding "new" cards, this is the first new Wallach card post since 2019, when Topps included something like 20 different versions of the same Wallach card as an insert in their Archives set.  The "Green" non-autographed version was the last one I picked up and posted.  The last time I added a Wallach card after the year it was issued, was way back in in July of 2017 when I picked up my first copy of the 1991 Panini French sticker.  For the first few years of this blog, it was almost entirely post like this, now they're few and far between.

I'll be reluctantly counting this as my first copy of this card, rather than my 301st copy of 1989 Upper Deck (which if you were to carbon date it, I'm confident you'd find it is).  As for this buyback "set," I couldn't find much on it.  They were inserted in packs back in 2009.  I don't what packs.  I don't really care.  I don't know how many there are, if they were done for every card in the '89 UD set, just the '89 UD set minus the high numbers, or just for the superstars.  The most informative information I could find on these was from a Rickey Henderson blog, and they didn't seem to know much about them either.  I don't see too many of these pop up on eBay, and when they do, they're usually what I deem to be wildly overpriced.  When this one appeared recently at on only a slightly grossly overpriced "buy it now" option, I went ahead and added it. Feel free to provide any additional information you may have on them in the comments.


Number of this card in my collection: 1



Monday, August 12, 2013

2009 Albuquerque Isotopes #2 (Multi Ad)


Card Review: 8.7  Of the four cards made of Wallach while he managed the Albuquerque Isotopes, this one is my favorite.  The 2010 DAV card is also very nice, but I give this one a slight edge.  In reality, I think all four are great.  New, legitimate, cards being made nearly 15 years since Wallach last played are nothing I'm going to complain about.  The only thing better would be manager cards in the Topps and Topps Heritage sets when Wallach finally finds the right situation to manage an MLB team.  Which will likely be sooner, rather than later.

Number of this card in my collection: 1
2013 update: 5

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

2009 DAV #438




















Card Review: 5.0  At this point, any new Wallach is cool, no matter how lack-luster the effort.  I get that manager cards have always traditionally been a little different than player cards, but between the umpire, the people on the back, it's almost hard to find Wallach on this thing.  That's not meant as a shot at disabled veterans, the  2010 DAV Wallach card was very nice. and obviously these sets are meant to do more than serve as fotter for the critics of adult card collector's.

I have no idea how big this set was, though it must have been big.  I think these were stadium give-aways, but have no way of knowing for sure.


Fun Facts: *The Albuquerque Isotopes are the Triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers
*In Wallach's 1st season as Manager he led the 'Topes to a 80-64 record and 1st place finish.  It was the best record in Franchise history.
*Wallach was named the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year in 2009
Number of this card in my collection: 1
2013 update: 5