Mira Foundation Button

This is button was (apparently) put out by the Mira Foundation.  A quick google search shows that the Mira Foundation is still very much an active group.  Per their web page, "The MIRA Foundation is totally dedicated to helping disabled individuals by pairing them with dogs bred and fully trained to respond to their adaptation and rehabilitation needs. All of MIRA’s services are made available free of charge to individuals with one or many visual or motor disabilities, and to children presenting an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)." 

Occasionally I'll do a "Montreal Expos" search on ebay to see if anything interesting pops up.  It's rare that I find something Tim Wallach related, but that's how I found this button.  The listing made zero mention of Tim Wallach in the title or description.  But that's definitely Wallach.  This is easily my biggest success to date on the generic "Montreal Expos" search.  I love odd ball items like this and really don't have very many of them. 

The button is two inches in diameter and has a generic silver back.  I have no idea how these were distributed or wha it's from.  My best guess is about 1986 or '87.  I'm basing that guess on Wallach's stirups and nothing more, so it's not exactly "scientific."

1991 Starshot Pinback Badges #152

          

Card Review: "Not a Card" This item shows up on a good number of online databases and checklist as a "card."  I don't consider it a card.  It may be numbered and part of a set, but it's a pin.  I'm not trying to shove this round pin through the square card hole.  It's sort of cool, and I'm more than a little surprised that the first one I came across was still intact in its original package.  I'm not about to start hoarding these, but if I ever come across a loose button, I'll be inclined to pick it up.

I don't remember ever seeing these as a kid.  I remember the 1990 MVP Pins that came packaged with a Score card but I never saw these "Star Shots."  If you know anything about them, i.e. how much they retailed for, where they were sold, and many years they were put out for, I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

1990 M.V.P. Collector Pin

I remember buying this at a Toys R Us as a kid.  I actually bought, or was bought by Mother, two of them.  Which at the time felt like a huge windfall, even at the clearance price of $0.90 apiece.  My father was a RNA and my mother taught art in public schools, so while I was far from poor and never in need growing up, I never had the most expensive bike on the block either.  So when my mother agreed to buy two, one to open and one to save, it made an impression that has stuck with me even 24 years later.

Wallach's mere inclusion in this set felt like a major victory for me at the time.  You may notice the backs have a striking similarity to the backs of Starting Lineup figures at the time.  But while Starting Lineup treated the Expos and Bluejays like 2nd class teams only producing one figure for each team, this set of MVP Pins went ahead and treated them like real teams.  For whatever reason I had a terrible time scanning and taking pictures of this thing, so if you have question about the checklist feel free to ask.

The pin from the package I opted to open has somehow survived on cork boards and in desk drawers through three moves as a kid, two college dorms, countless apartments, law school, and now sits in a drawer in my office.  I've never seen one of these open or sealed show up on ebay.   So it's nice to have it in hand, because this is the sort of thing that would really drive me nuts if I knew it was out there and I couldn't find one.  So if your a player collector, maybe you won't want to look too closely at the checklist on the back if you don't already have one.

1991 MLB Baseball Star Buttons

 Card Review:  Not a card  Some people count these as cards, some don't, most don't care what they are.  This was sent to me by a generous reader awhile back.  I'm just now getting around to listing it as it's own item.

I've haven't really been able to find much on these, as far as what they were, who made them, etc.  Below, the 3rd picture is lifted from an ebay listing, and not from my personal collection.  It looks like they came two to a pack.  One blue NL player and one red AL player.