Things I Am Sorting Part 10

Yes, I am still working on putting some sets together.  That Pedro Martinez Skybox Molten Metal card is proving difficult and might be spilling over into my other set projects.  I haven't completed any of the sets that I have listed on the Projects In Progess tab at the top of the page, but I have a stack of cards sitting on my desk that need scanning and posting.  

Tonight is going to be an update on my 1999 Topps Gallery Heritage set.  A little bit of logistics first.  When I originally posted the set I had not sorted through my collection yet to see what cards were already here.  I had McGwire and Griffey off the checklist since I had posted them here in other posts.  Here is the checklist minus the Griffey and Big Mac.  

TH1- Hank Aaron 

TH2- Ben Grieve 

TH3- Nomar Garciaparra 

TH4- Roger Clemens 

TH5- Travis Lee

TH6- Tony Gwynn

TH7- Alex Rodriguez 

TH9- Derek Jeter 

TH10- Sammy Sosa

TH11- Scott Rolen 

TH12- Chipper Jones

TH13- Cal Ripken Jr. 

TH14- Kerry Wood 

TH15-Barry Bonds

TH16- Juan Gonzalez 

TH17- Mike Piazza

TH18- Greg Maddux 

TH19- Frank Thomas  

The highlighted cards on the checklist I was able to find amongst my boxes of cards.  So, out of the 20 card set I am looking for a total of 9 cards, or just under 50% of the set.  The better news is that I have found a few of the cards I am missing from the set over the past two months.  

Here is a look at the new cards........

Of the three new cards I picked up for this project this is my favorite card.  There have been plenty of art sets over the years, but Topps did a really good job with this set.  I like that Topps put Maddux in glasses on his card.  Gives him that accountant sort of look that I remember him having while he was playing.  It's hard to believe sometimes that a short guy who barely threw 90 was one of the best pitchers of the steroid era.  This is a really cool card.  

I like the Aaron card too.  Always nice to see the greats from yesteryear in the modern baseball card sets.  I like the Boston Braves markings on the cards, but the Topps Gum ad over his shoulder seems a little bit forced.  

Last card.   

I know there is all the steroid stuff with Juan Gone, but I don't really care.  The guy could hit.  Something about this card feels a little bit unfinished.  The helmet has the Rangers T logo, but the jersey just seems like it isn't finished.  It's a common thing in the art world actually. 

This Titian painting is in the St. Louis Art Museum.  He was commissioned to make the painting, but died before he finished it.  

Same sort of idea between the Titian painting and the Juan Gone card.  The main figure on each is completed, but the edges and details are a little bit vague.  Not really completed.  

Overall, happy to have the three new cards which brings the set completion down to just six cards.  

TH3- Nomar Garciaparra 

TH4- Roger Clemens 

TH6- Tony Gwynn

TH9- Derek Jeter 

TH12- Chipper Jones

TH15-Barry Bonds

A Rainy Saturday Afternoon Spent at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds Buying Cards From Men Behind Wooden Tables

Card shows are some of the coolest events that card collectors could possibly attend.  Yet, I have never written up a single card show on my blog.  In fact, I do not attend enough card shows.  They have them all the time at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, about a fifteen-twenty minute drive from my house, but I just never make it out to them.  I decided this weekend to change all of that and spend some time with a few other people who enjoy collecting cards.

Since I have never written up an appearance on at a card show on my blog I have also never shared my rules for attending a card show:

1. We always eat lunch/dinner before attending the card show
2. We have a cash budget and we stick to the budget
3. We never buy cards of the home team

So, I decided to toss the third rule since I no longer live in St. Louis and there is no home team in Raleigh.  We are all just a bunch of transplants from other cities.  Here's how I did on the other rules:


1.We always eat lunch/dinner before attending the card show

 I went out to lunch at the Cook Out in Cary.  It's a fast food restaurant that is loved by many in the south.  On this rainy Saturday I purchased the Cook Out Tray with a Hamburger "Cheddar Style", that's onions and melted cheese, fries, and a soda.  The picture of the "Cheddar Style" burger is below.

 It's delicious, but wise to pack some breath mints, or gum for afterwards.  Hand sanitizer with a strong scent is also good since the onion smell tends to stick on your hands.  Some complain about the smell of onions, so I think of the gum and scented hand sanitizer as more of a courtesy.  The Cook Out in Cary is alright, it's not as good as the Cook Out on Western Boulevard down the street from NC State, nor as good as the Cook Out in north Durham on Roxboro.  The north Durham location is my personal favorite.

 2. We have a cash budget and we stick to the budget

In this case I had right around $35.  There might have been a few extra ones floating around in my pocket after buying an attendance ticket at the Carr Building.  Here's what I got:

That's eight cards for $35-$40, or roughly about $5 a card.  Considering that included a cool Stan Musial Heritage relic, a Topps Heritage autograph, two Cardinals autographs, a Juan Gone autograph, a jumbo Lindor relic, and a sweet autograph of local Durham Bulls favorite Mikie Mahtook I am going to consider this a great day at the office.  It was also great to see a bunch of local collectors I have met over the past year or so hanging out at the local card shop.

Overall, a really fun afternoon and something I will go back to when the next card show hits Raleigh sometime in December.

The Hobby Equivalent of Hitting A Home Run

I was really excited to get home this evening, empty my mailbox, and make a few scans of what I picked up over the weekend.  On the surface the cards I picked up are pretty nice cards, but the are the completion of a project that I took up recently and polished off quickly.  Let's take a look at my three new cards which are all from the Bowman Flashback Autograph set....

I traded for the Baerga and Olerud and bought the Gonzalez.  All three cards helped me complete the seven card Bowman Flashback autograph set.  Here's a quick look at the four other cards which have been picked up over the previous two weeks weeks since the release of the 2015 Bowman product.

It has been a long time since I put together an autograph set.  While it's a smaller set, I feel really great about this accomplishment and love looking at all of these cards all together.  Thanks to everyone who helped by trading me some of these cards.  I couldn't have done it without the generosity of a few awesome collectors.  Thank you!

Juan Gone. Something Different.

30 Year Top 50: 2001 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia

#14-This is the highest entry on my countdown list for the former Playoff company which produced the Playoff, Skybox, and Donruss lines between 2001 and 2005.  The Playoff Absolute Memorabilia set was a groundbreaker in many ways.  The set actually ran the full of Playoff's existence in the baseball market from 2001 through 2005.  One of the biggest "innovations" pushed by Playoff was the use of sticker autographs.

2001 Playoff Absolute Sammy Sosa

The Playoff Absolute set was released in June of 2001 and was widely acclaimed and extremely popular.  The boxes were high end, but one of the first innovations offered by Playoff through this release was the inclusion of a box topper which was an Official Major League Baseball signed on the sweet spot.  Really cool idea, except Playoff stamped the baseballs with a "Playoff" stamp.  If you could sit with me in the card shop while I open my box of these back in 2001 I pulled a Gaylord Perry. I kept it for a few years and then decided having a baseball stamped "Playoff" wasn't cool.  Playoff would continue to use box toppers in this product and others and they were very popular collectables and the box topper concept was copied by Topps and Upper Deck.  

2001 Playoff Absolute Tools of the Trade Cal Ripken Jr. Jersey

The base cards in the Playoff Absolute set were pretty straight forward and definitely leaned towards a more modern foil looking design.  There were inserts which came with and without relics which Playoff kept consistent throughout the entire span of Playoff Absolute sets.  Tools of the Trade was the most popular relic set which debuted in the 2001 set.  The relics cards generally ran two to three a box in the 2001 set, but they are difficult to find on the secondary market.  When the cards from the 2001 set do appear they can run a little bit higher than the average relic card of the player appearing on the card.  

2001 Playoff Absolute Home Opener Souvenirs Juan Gonzalez Dual Base Card

Base cards are generally a little lame since they are communal property in baseball and really don't belong to a specific player.  Further, card companies might chunk up a base from a game that a player played in, but might not have reached base.  Playoff did their bases in the 2001 Playoff Absolute set a little bit differently.  First, they reached an agreement with Major League Baseball to purchase the bases used int he open series of games for each time.  They dated the cards and a quick check of Baseball Reference will show you that Juan Gonzalez hit two home runs and went 2-4 with two K's in a win against the White Sox.  Of the few base cards I own this base actually has a really good probability that it was actually touched by the player pictured.  

2001 Playoff Absolute Rookie Premiere Materials Albert Pujols Base

The 2001 Playoff Absolute set also had some pretty sweet rookie cards.  They were all short-printed and all relic cards with the first twenty-five cards of each player coming with an autograph.  The Albert Pujols above is the best card in the set, but there are other quality rookies included in the set too.  For example, I originally pulled a Roy Oswalt rookie card which did have an autograph.  Some may be disappointed that the card isn't scanned and pictured above, but it was a sticker autograph.  Similar to the ball with the stamp, I held onto the Oswalt sticker autograph for a few years and grew tired of it.  I sold the card and used the money to buy the Pujols card pictured.  

The boxes of 2001 Playoff Absolute have all but dried up and many of the relics, inserts, and autographs are very difficult to find.  The degree of difficulty in assembling this set at this point would be extremely difficult, but single cards do pop up every once in awhile.  They are definitely worth tracking down and would be a great addition to your collection.  

Like the 2001 Playoff Absolute Set?  Be sure to check out the four versions of the set which were released between 2002 and 2005.  The other four sets have many of the same pluses and minuses as the original, but the set did evolve a little over the years and there were some good improvements and innovations made on the cards.  

2005 Playoff Absolute Mark Prior Tools of the Trade Mark Prior Autograph

Let's start with the negative first, since there is only one:  Sticker autographs.  I really try to avoid them and really find them unattractive.  Cards with sticker autographs, such as my Mark Prior above, might be limited in quantity or might even feature a player way cooler than Mark Prior.  However, try trading a player's autograph on a sticker and then try trading, or selling, a player's card with an on-card autograph.  On-card autographs are always more competitive on Ebay or easier to trade.  Spend a few extra bucks and avoid these cards.  

One of the best innovations made by Playoff mentioned in the 2001 write-up above was the use of box toppers in their products.  While the stamped baseball wasn't my favorite I did enjoy other Playoff box toppers like the oversized autographs in the Studio boxes and the framed pictures in the 2002 Playoff Absolute set.  

2002 Playoff Absolute Signing Bonus Mark Buehrle Autograph

While the autographs are on stickers and the jersey pieces aren't real, I always thought these were really cool looking pieces.  When have you seen anything like it?  While I really enjoy collecting the Topps cards today, Playoff was really creative and was always looking for new ways to wow collectors.  The box toppers were really cool, but they did die off after the 2003 set which featured a piece of etched glass.  They always kind of reminded me of paperweights.  I pulled a Randy Johnson which I sold.  

2005 Playoff Absolute Mark Grace Fielding Glove Autograph

Playoff also carried their creativity and innovation into their cards.  Buying a box of these cards meant laying down some serious dollars, but the best part about buying this high-end product was the fact that you always had a good chance to walk away with a really unique card.  For example, I love this Mark Grace fielding glove card.  The piece of relic is a bit odd looking and is probably a piece from the stuffing, but it's unique.  Again, when have you seen anything like this?  Not from Topps.  

2005 Playoff Tools of the Trade Kevin Brown Jumbo Jersey

Playoff was also one of the first companies that offered collectors jumbo relics.  These pieces has stitches, dirt, buttons, patches, and more.  I always thought it was awesome to offer collectors buying premium products better pieces of jersey than just the usual little square swatch.  

In summation, I really miss the Playoff company.  I understand that there are collectors who don't dig modern, or relics, or autographs, or sticker autographs, or innovation, or creativity in the production of baseball cards.  However, I never minded Playoff because there was always a market for the cards and products that I did not enjoy.  I didn't like the stamped baseball box topper in the 2001 Absolute box, so I sold it.  Same with the Oswalt sticker autograph and the same with the paper weight box topper.  Go on Ebay and see if you can find any of those items.  I would guess not and if they are there you will pay a premium.  Topps could learn a lesson or two by looking at a fe of these products.   

30 Year Top 50: 2005 Prime Patches

#16- One of my personal favorites on the list and one of the best relics set of the past 30 years. The Prime Patches set was released late in 2005 and was one of Donruss last hurrahs into the world of baseball cards. Many people compare it to the 2001 Pacific Private Stock set. Both sets were relic based releases that were critically seen as a means for both companies to dump their baseball relic inventory.

While many of the cards share the appearance of many one pack/box products, the Prime Patches cards actually came with 4 packs per box and each pack with three cards. Two of the cards were autographs or relics.  Boxes are still floating around, but are often very pricey.  I would suggest collecting the singles of the players or teams that you

2005 Prime Patches Juan Gonzalez Bat/Jersey/Pants Autograph

While the set did have autographs, they were all sticker autographs and there seemed to be plenty of missable players included in the run of autographs.  However, some of the autographs are still cool to own.  Imagine if this Juan Gone autograph were actually on the card.  That would be an incredible card, but even on a sticker it has a nice place in my collection and is one of my favorite pieces I own from the set.

2005 Prime Patches J.D. Drew Jumbo Jersey

While there are simple pieces of jersey and bat in the set one of the best parts about collecting these cards is the availability of jumbo jersey pieces.  After nearly fifteen years of relic cards, there are plenty of half inch by half inch squares out there on the market.  I love sets that offer collectors a chance to own something unique.  If it's going to be plain, than at least give a larger piece of jersey.  

2005 Prime Patches Jim Thome Patch

Of course, there are also plenty of truly unique pieces in the 2005 Prime Patches set too.  Anything from buttons to patches can be seen on the relics cards and in many cases the set includes a little bit of everything for collectors to chase.   While the big pieces are nice, there are also some really nice smaller, and very unique, patch cards in this set.  One of my favorites is a Mark Prior I picked up this summer.  

2005 Prime Patches Mark Prior Bat/Shoe/Hat/Fielding Glove

While the pieces are quite small I love the hat patch with the New Era logo.  Really cool card, and while it's a Cubs player I despise, probably won't trade this one.  There are plenty of other cards like this one available on Ebay or COMC, but they often come with a pretty hefty price.  

30 Year Top 50: 1999 Upper Deck Century Legends

#28- The Upper Deck Century Legends, or Upper Deck Legends, set was issued several times during the late 90s and early 2000s.  The 1999 release is my favorite for one simple reason: Awesome Autographs.  The base cards were nice enough and there are some other nice looking inserts, but the autographs in this set alone make it highly collectible.

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Rickey Henderson

Again, the base cards are nice and you can see from the picture above, they have better photography than the Upper Deck Retro set.  Now, on to the autographs.  There were two types of autographs available in the set.  There were modern superstars and older player Hall of Famers.  For the most part.  Every set has a fluffy filler autograph you dread pulling which in this set is Don Larsen, not so bad, or Bucky Dent.  

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Don Larsen Autograph

Get past those two autographs and the rest of the set is great.  I think I actually own 75% of the autograph set, maybe more, and rarely part with one.  I have a clear favorite autograph card which you can view in a moment, but I am going to post my favorite three modern autographs I own from the set and my three favorite Hall of Fame autographs I own from the set.  In no order.  

Modern Autographs:

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Tony Gwynn Autograph

Tony Gwynn flys under the radar a lot of times on people's lists of great players from the modern era.  He was also, and still is, a great signer.  I love his autograph and he's pretty easy to find out on the secondary market.  I have several Gwynn on-card autographs, but really enjoy this one.  

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Juan Gonzalez Autograph 

Juan Gone is a little bit trickier to find than Tony Gwynn, but I also love his signature.  In the late nineties Gonzalez signed for several sets and had lots of on-card signatures.  As his career deteriorated he signed more cards, but they tend to be stickers and feature him playing for the Royals.  Yuck.  

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Ken Griffey Jr. Autograph

My personal modern favorite from the set and favorite autograph by a Griffey in my card collection.  Ken Griffey Jr. has one of the best signatures in all of baseball and I love the way it looks on this card.  I am not big on the fact that he signed his name over the little crest in the corner, but beggers can't be choosers.  Awesome card.  

HOF Autographs 

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Carlton Fisk Autograph

If I owned a Harmon Killebrew I would have put it here instead, but that's one of the 25% of the set I am missing.  I own a 2000 Upper Deck Legends Killebrew which is nice, but I would love this one.  Now, Carlton Fisk.  Again, the best autograph of this player that is in my collection.  I love on most of the Hall of Fame players how Upper Deck put a sepia picture instead of the color photograph.  

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Eddie Mathews Autograph

Eddie Mathews died at the start of the autographed card boom in the mid to late 1990s.  He does have a few certified autographs floating around out there, but this is my only Mathews autograph.  Great signature still, and even though I do love the old fashioned pictures, I like the 70s Braves hat.  Which leads us to what everyone saw coming:

1999 Upper Deck Century Legends San Musial Autograph

I own several and pick them up when I see them in great condition with a good signature.  Musial is getting up in years and his signature has really regressed.  This is an awesome card and can be found with the classic Stan Musial autograph on it.  In the past thirteen years I have traded one copy, it was for an overwhelming return which was sold and reinvested into more Musials, and rank this card as one of my personal favorites in my collection.  

Like the 1999 Upper Deck Century Legends set?  Not in my Top 50 Countdown is the Upper Deck A Piece of History 500 Home Run set.  This multi-year set started up in the late 90s and much to Upper Deck's credit, continued every time a player crossed the 500 Home Run marker.  Really tough to find and really expensive, my collection is home to approximately two of these cards.  

Upper Deck A Piece of History Ken Griffey Jr. 500 Club 

This is the best card from the set that I own.  I know, life is rough, but they rarely come up on secondary market websites and when they do you have to be willing to pay a premium in trade or money.  

Upper Deck A Piece of History Frank Thomas 500 Club 

I also own the Frank Thomas card.  While it is a cool card to have in my collection I wish Upper Deck had taken a little artistic license and put Thomas in a White Sox uniform.  After all, weren't 480 of his home runs hit as a White Sox?  The Gary Sheffield card is like this too.  He is a Met on his card.