COTW: 1976 Topps Fred Dryer

It is the end of the year and yep I had the entire month of December to think about and plan for some of the recent goodies I've gotten but procrastination, dilly dallying and being sort of nonchalant about the whole blogging thing has once again gotten in the way of posting.

Let us go back a few years, decades to the mid 1970s  and a defensive end football player for the LA Rams who would go on to have a pretty decent acting career. Fred Dryer and one of his playing days cards. I have a couple of others somewhere but this seems to be the only one I have scanned and that was some time ago before I would photoscape card's orientation and proper cropping.

This could have been one of my BBNB (Blogged But Not Blogged) cards. I forgot about that series for this card's post. (I was looking for a quick and dirty post subject and found the images in my pictures folder) I did a quick check of My Collection posts at TCC but didn't find a post about it. I guess it is better in many ways that I didn't. Most of my posts from over there in that thread have obnoxious "image not available" images from Photobucket, because I haven't updated my account over there and am over the super low minimum memory limit they recently (as in last few months) started enforcing.  To be a little honest if it weren't for some of the email reminders and account warnings I wouldn't even think about Photobucket any more. but I do have some remnant photo images over there to do something with.

1976 Topps Football: 252 Fred Dryer Los Angeles Rams

Blogged But Not Blogged: Roman Gabriel WLAF

This is the type of post that I have probably done many times before, I call this type of post "Blogged, But Not Blogged" at least I will call it that from now on. Long story short since Aug 2007 I have been blogging about my card mail days over at TCC on my blog over there, and since July 2012 duplicating those posts in a mail day thread at the TCZ forums. I started the TCC one partly as an attempt to post trade bait but it morphed into more of a mail day posting board. There are many cards I have mentioned in detail at those sites that I have never blogged about here on what I consider to be my official trading card blog. A few times, mostly in the early days, I mentioned a card in my mail day and even scanned it (at least the front) but never blogged about it over here.*

This is the story of one such card:

On Monday (24 Sept 2007) I received an order from Sportlots.com I was waiting on. A Roman Gabriel 1991 Pro Set World League "Collectible" card #24 (Inserted in 1991 Pro Set NFL packs).

I didn't realize it would be coming from Canada. Anyway I thought it was a card I didn't have but it turns out I had it. I have the full World League Set, but not all of the Inserts to the NFL set which are slightly different thus part of my confusion. My older card had a surprise. Little did I know that what I had always assumed was some odd Gatorade spray caught on film, seems to be some sort of damage to the card. I never thought anything of it because it was the only copy of the card I had and it didn't look like damage. This was before the Internet so I had never seen the image "online" before. Oh well. It appears the "spray" is possibly some kind of low ink or dirty printing plate printing error.

Roman is my fave all-time Rams Quarterback (Down Kurt Warner Down). I was told some years ago that when I was 3 or 4 my family was worried there was something wrong with me because I didn't talk much, so I was sent for testing at an Easter Seals Medical Clinic for hearing tests and other such nonsense. I remember some of those visits, but not this particular story. At the time I didn't know the reasoning of the trips to this particular medical clinic. I just looked at them as any other childhood "trip to the vet doctor", except I recall I didn't like going to these extra ear tests. Apparently my folks thought I might be deaf or have some other physical or maybe mental problem. One of the physicians or maybe an assistant or technician there noticed me doodling pictures of little football men (mostly of a quarterback with the number #18 on his chest), and in talking to me discovered that I was a big Los Angeles Rams fan and that Roman Gabriel (#18) was my favorite QB. Well then they found out I didn't have any physical problem, I was just extremely shy.

The subject card of this post is from the 1991 Pro Set World League of American Football insert set from the 1991 Pro Set NFL card set. On the back by the card number these cards were labeled World League Collectible there are 32 cards total. I mentioned a confusion of these cards because Pro Set produced a 150 card WLAF set. I had bought the set whole in one of those small card boxes that has the outer sleeve of the box over the container box.

ON to the card:

1991 Pro Set Football: WLAF Collectible Insert: 24 Roman Gabriel Head Coach Skyhawks

Original "spray" card

1991 Pro Set Football: WLAF Collectible Insert: 24 Roman Gabriel Head Coach Skyhawks

Regular card

Side by Side

1991 Pro Set WLAF Football: 131 Roman Gabriel Head Coach Skyhawks

* This post is the first one that I drafted for this "Blogged But Not Blogged" series so the introduction is a little longer than other posts in the series. I wasn't sure of the order I would publish them in. As of the 01 April 2018 (now 28 Apr 2018) editing draft of this post two other posts from this series have been published before this one. I have created a "BBNB" label for this series. (OK kids you should be able to figure that one out) I usually cut & paste the original blog or forum posts and then edit and add onto them so things could get a little confusing with these posts. 

For this post the original posting in my "CaptKirk42's Collection" TCC thread (post #21) didn't go into too much detail. So this post is more of a rewrite than a direct copy. The previously posted stories were typical direct copy with some rewriting. It should also be noted that most of the images from the old TCC posts are no longer showing due to Photobucket's change to their third party sharing polices. Free accounts can't do it anymore. So many of these images will be newly uploaded scans, or copies of the original scan/photo. The first 3 images in this post are my original scans. The rest are newly scanned images that I have cropped better and straightened their angles via the free photo editing software "PhotoScape"

Blogged But Not Blogged: Redemption Freed From Fed-Ex Prison

This is the type of post that I have probably done many times before, I call this type of post "Blogged, But Not Blogged". Long story short since Aug 2007 I have been blogging about my card mail days over at TCC on my blog over there, and since July 2012 duplicating those posts in a mail day thread at the TCZ forums. There are many cards I have mentioned in detail at those sites that I have never blogged about here on what I consider to be my official trading card blog. A few times, mostly in the early days, I mentioned a card in my mail day and even scanned it (at least the front) but never blogged about it over here.

This is the story of one such card:

16 Feb 2009:
From TCC Mail Day Forum Post "Finally From Fed-Ex Foulball: A Redemption":

This is quite a story. From the Official TCC Baseball Box Breaking Group I had gotten a redemption card from 2007 SWEET SPOT BASEBALL I don't recall when I logged in the request for it online, but here is it's story.

Back of redemption card

The thing was being delivered via FedEx with SIGNATURE REQUIRED Delivery. Well long story short FedEx attempts to deliver it 3 times when I'm not available.

So about a week or two ago I contact FedEx and take a day off of work (since I had to accept a UPS package with the same sort of deal) and wait. FedEx didn't try delivering that day. The package didn't get on the truck or something. I arrange for a special delivery to my Apartment's Management office on a Friday (which would screw things up some more) only to find that my Management office doesn't sign for any packages, when they had told me on the phone they did.*

I arranged another delivery and take off Monday to wait. Their operator calls in the morning to verify that they will be sending it out and it was on a truck. I wait and wait and wait. When I finally go out to check my regular mail I notice a door tag that says they had attempted to deliver it at 10:00 AM (the other times they had attempted to deliver it was afternoon times 1:30 PM,3:00 PM etc) well I was really really PO'd. I had taken off of work and they try to deliver in the morning around the time I was in the bathroom showering (I should have not showered until after getting the dang thing).

Well I contact them and get directions to their station where they are holding the package. I get there about 15 minutes before they close and they can't find the thing. The system says it's still on the truck. They said they will call me when they find it. Um yeah sure. As it turns out that particular time it was a Manager who had tried to deliver it so it didn't go into the system as it normally would (I found that out today)

Finally today (16 Feb 2009)  I get a call saying the package is waiting and I can pick it up anytime. Fortunately I had the day off for Presidents Day and FedEx was open, that surprised me. OK so I went back out to their station and sprung the package from it's FedEx prison.

I don't have a scan of the card (Not sure when I'll get my scanner hooked back up**) but it is a:

2007 UD Sweet Spots Baseball Dual Signatures of Alex Gordon Royals and Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles Glove Leather black sharpie 4/5.

This puppy ain't going anywhere (Cal Ripken Jr PC) so don't ask to trade for it. Not sure what it's BV is or if it is even listed as having one.

UPDATE: 26 NOV 2009 Added the scan. Hadn't gotten round to posting the scan here (meaning TCC as this is a cut/paste copy of my original post there), but it has been in my Photobucket# for a few months.

From TCC Blog post "Redemption Freed From Fed-Ex Prison":

After a long game of cat and mouse with FedEx delivering the package with "REQUIRED SIGNATURE" I finally got my redemption. In the mail day page  I gave most of the horrid details of trying to get the thing. (as reposted up above) Anyway it is:

2007 UD SWEET SPOT BASEBALL Sweet Spot Dual Signatures

ALEX GORDON (Royals) and CAL RIPKEN JR (Orioles)

Glove Leather Black Sharpie #4/5

Not bloody likely for trade at anytime. If I ever get around to finding a price for it, I might consider selling if I like the price, or if someone offers a really ridiculous amount for it.

Notes:
* When I first moved into my Apartment 01 Aug 2008 the management office would accept and sign for packages for tenants and then notify them of the package. I think by a notice shoved onto your door. They quickly stopped sometime within my first few months of living at the apartment complex. Looks like I was in my apartment for just 6 months when this package arrived. Update since around the holidays of last year (2017) the leasing office accepts some FedEx packages on behalf of residents now.

** Wow I had forgotten I had gone a while (several months it seems) without my scanner hooked up. I probably hooked it up shortly after this mess. I still don't have a printer hooked up, or my regular stereo set up. I have been in my apartment for nearly 10 years (come Aug 01). Yeah 10 years without a printer and a stereo. I print stuff at work when I need to and scan papers there. The lack of stereo only means I can't play vinyl records. I have portable and other tape and CD players to use. I don't listen to music as intently or as often as I used to several years ago. Those are stories for another time if at all.

# Photobucket has banned free 3rd party hosting. So any attempt at linking images at PB look like this:

This image is intentional this time only. If it appears anyplace else on my blog it is not intended.

Blogged But Not Blogged: Rookie Ram Circa 2010

This is the type of post that I have probably done many times before, I call this type of post "Blogged, But Not Blogged". Long story short since Aug 2007 I have been blogging about my card mail days over at TCC on my blog over there and since July 2012 duplicating those posts in a mail day thread at the TCZ forums. There are many cards I have mentioned in detail at those sites that I have never blogged about here on what I consider to be my official trading card blog. A few times, mostly in the early days, I mentioned a card in my mail day and even scanned it (at least the front) but never blogged about it over here.

This is the story of one such card:

This card I have shown a few times online. I am surprised I never showed it here.

27 Apr 2013:
One of the first mentions of the card I'm gonna show I posted about on TCC in a post called "Football Break plus a couple of Harper Sketches".*  I also made a small rant about it. "Sort of tired of the card companies making all these minute variations of cards that you have to search 20 different levels of variations just to realize your card is considered the "base" version (even if they do seal it in a hinged case)." Strange I didn't show it on that post, but showed the Bryce Harper sketch cards.

28 Apr 2013:
From TCC Forum post #81 in CaptKirk42's Collection thread. 

Got some cards from a group break over at TCZ (a sort of younger cousin of TCC cause there are loads of TCC folk there). I'll only show two of the cards from the break I got about 14 more I had Rams/Ravens plus draft teams of Bears/Vikings. Products were:
2012 Panini Absolute
2011 Donruss Elite
2010 Panini Plates & Patches

I got at least 2 cards from each product, most of it was Elite base.

Here are my two fave cards. I'll let the cards do the talking both are from the 2010 Panini Plates & Patches. 

89 Danny Amendola Rams Base #d 016/499

And the Sweet one:

Mardy Gilyard Rams Auto (blue sharpie on cut card)

3 color GU (Gold, White w/stitching, Blue) #d 470/699

Notes:
* The Bryce Harper sketches I mentioned in the original TCC post I blogged about here at Curly W Cards.