Card Of The Whenever: The Return?

 Yes you guessed it I started this post on the 30th of the month with absolutely NO idea on what card(s) I was going to blab er BLOG about. This is always fun at the end of the month.

Hey I have a wacky idea. I'll revisit an old feature I just remembered I used to do on this blog... "The Card of the Whenever". Hmm lets see where did I put that logo?

This card is appropriate in many ways a childhood hero on a card from my childhood showing the hero in his childhood. How cool am I now?

The card is from 1972 Topps Baseball "Boyhood Photos Of The Stars" subset, card number 498 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles. I got it for a whopping 25¢ from a Sportlots auction a few months back. I should hunker down on this subset, heck even the full set.

1972 Topps Baseball #498 Boyhood Photos of the Stars Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles

The card has offcentering problems most noticeable on the back.

March Mystery Post

This post will be a mystery at first since I'm not sure what I'm going to post about. This month of March was lets just say a Family Thing Month. I prefer not to discuss it on my blogs. I try to keep mu family stuff away from here since this blog is primarily for Trading Cards. Even my regular blog Kirk's Knook I try to keep away from discussing some of my personal and family stuff.

While looking through my card hoard searching for something to blog about last night (30 Mar 2022) I came across some stuff I forgot I had. Among the forgotten goodies was this Wax Box Panel of 4 cards from 1991 Topps Baseball.

Wax Box Panel number 3 of 4 if they were numbered that way. The individual cards are lettered as the numbers. This panel has cards numbered lettered I, J, K, L Yes the top left corner is crunched. I think it has always been that way. I think I got this from some sort of trade, or perhaps a large card lot or oddball card lot purchase. It could also have come from my friend's Son's collection I had acquired a few years back.

1991 Topps Baseball Wax Box Card Panel:

I Willie McGee St. Louis Cardinals

J Dale Murphy Philadelphia Phillies

K Eddie Murray Los Angeles Dodgers

L Dave Parker Milwaukee Brewers

I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep this or not, but it does have a Fave Baltimore Oriole (in a different uniform). In fact 3 of the 4 players featured on this panel are in the uniforms of teams I am not used to seeing them in. Dale Murphy I am used to seeing as an Atlanta Brave, Eddie Murray the aforementioned Oriole, and Dave Parker a Pittsburgh Pirate. The completest in me sort of wants to find the other 3 panels, but oddly I don't normally collect box panels anymore.

Checking Off Some Sportlots First 2022 Sportlots Order

 I got some cards from a couple of Sportlots Auctions from two sellers one was in Canada but the cards came fairly quickly as if they were the US. The first Sportlots order for this year 2022. A couple of them were vintage checklists. One unmarked and one partly marked on the back. Plus a couple of 1972 Topps Baseball "Boyhood Photos Of The Stars" (one I apparently have a duplicate of because I already had a scan of it). Anyway you want to see the cards not read by blabbering.

1963 Topps Baseball 79 1st Series Checklist

Cards 1-88 Unmarked

1969 Topps Baseball 214 3rd Series Checklist

Cards 219-327 (Plus Autographed Photos 1-33)

Some marking on back

1971 Topps Baseball 245 Jim Kaat Minnesota Twins

1972 Topps Baseball 344 Boyhood Photos of the Stars

Dave McNally Baltimore Orioles

1972 Topps Baseball 347 Boyhood Photos of the Stars

Tom Seaver New York Mets

Strive For '65 Saturday: From Mom & Pop At Ebay

STRIVE FOR '65 STATUS:

29 May 2021 Strive for '65 | 1965 Set Build | Master Want List Current card count: 300/598 (302/600) 50.2%

Here is the link to my last update from March of 2019. WOW. Somewhere I have a card I got between then and this batch, but I didn't record it here. I'm pretty sure it was in one of my COMC orders. That single card itself didn't get me past the half-way point, and it isn't in the official tally yet. However these six cards from Mom & Pop Cards on Ebay did put my percentage collected over the half-way mark. Yes that is the name of their Ebay store "Mom & Pop Card Shop". Some of their prices are a bit steep but man do they have a great selection of stuff. I also got some football cards from them, but I will only discuss the 1965 Topps Baseball I got from them in this post of course. The prices ranged from $3 to $6 and averaged at $3.83 per card. Not bad and the shipping was FREE.

Friday 23 Apr 2021:

Got a small Priority Mail box filled with some goodies including these 6 cards for my Strive For '65 Set build. As I mentioned above.

Here are the cards:

117 Wes Stock Athletics

126 Los Angeles Dodgers Team Card

271 Don Wert Tigers

299 Jerry Zimmermann Twins

352 Jerry Lumpe Tigers

378 Chuck Estrada Orioles

To the best of my knowledge Chuck Estrada is not related to actor Erik Estrada in any way. When I first saw the back of the card I thought there was some paper loss on the comic image, but it was part of the flames coming off of the fast ball.

The Latest Additions:
Friday 23 Apr 2021:

117 Wes Stock Athletics

126 Los Angeles Dodgers Team Card

271 Don Wert Tigers

299 Jerry Zimmerman Twins

352 Jerry Lumpe Tigers

378 Chuck Estrada Orioles

Since getting this lot I have gotten a few other cards for this build through a Sportlots stores splurge. They will be in my next update sometime soon. Not all those next batch of cards are in yet.

Batting Around: Questions

QUESTIONS

A semi-recent Bat-A-Round got me to thinking about a few things. I decided not to participate in that particular Bat Around at this time maybe later, but it got me to thinking. At first I was going to ask others Why they participate in these blogiverse Bat Arounds? Then I thought about When do they participate? Well then I decided to cancel that idea since the answer(s) is(are) obvious. The reason "why" is they like the subject or idea of that particular BBA. As to the "when" it is at the time they decide to do one. Some people bloggers seem to participate in all the BAs, others only on the rare occasion. I'm somewhere in between. It depends on the subject for me, the level of difficulty, and quite frankly if I feel like making the effort to come up with a slightly entertaining response. Sometimes if the BA is just a sort of question then instead of participating by making my own post I will just make a comment of my views or thoughts on the idea on whichever BA post I saw from that question/round. Some bloggers intentionally start a Bat-Around, while others just make a post that inspires someone else to blog about the same subject or idea. Then a third person will make their own take on the idea and you have a Bat Around. So my original stupid questions I managed to answer just now.

I have another question or two about Bat-A-Rounds.

... and just because he says "I've Got Some Questions" Howie Mandel - Do The Watusi

Screen capture from end of "Do The Watusi" video by Howie Mandel

Anyone know who made the post that became the first Bat Around?

Which blogger coined the term Bat Around? - Had to be a baseball fan, as are most card bloggers especially from when it first appeared. If a football (American Football NFL) fan had coined it the title would be something like Ball Return, or the End Around, Basketball would be Rebound Around, Pass Around? (Good for almost any sport), Hockey Skate Around?

Who made the graphic that has become the BBA logo?

Has anyone thought about keeping track of the Bat Arounds and making a Bat Around Blog? - I think if one is started, it should be sort of an all hands style like "A Pack to be Named Later" so it would live beyond the person who starts it up. I don't blog often enough and have 3 blogs to begin with so I'm not volunteering to tackle that monumental task.

Life is just filled with little mysteries ain't it?

I probably should show a card shouldn't I?

1992 Upper Deck Baseball: 250 Billy Ripken Orioles

Secret Santa: 2018 Haul

Several of the Trading Card Blogging Brethern participated in a Secret Santa Gift Exchange this holiday season. A big thank you to Jon of A Penny Sleeve for Your Thoughts for managing the misfit gang o' traders this year. To see my pirate booty from last year you can follow this link. Any how for this year I had shipped out my Secret Santa package of Bo Soax to Shane of Off The Wall early in the month on Saturday 08 December. Then the next Monday 10 December I received my S. Santa package.

Secret Santa package showing inside note and team bags.

I opened the package carefully, trying not to see the cardboard goodies inside, in search of a note or card that ID'd my S. Santa.

Secret Santa Note

I caught a glimpse of some of the front and back cards of the two team bags that were waiting inside. I waited until Christmas Eve before I opened the team bags to see Exactly what was inside. What was inside? A Rock! NO NO NO WRONG HOLIDAY CHARLIE BROWN! Right there were two team bags one Filled with Some B'More O's and the other filled with a Mix of Washington Teams with a Sweet Walter Johnson card showing on the top.

My Secret Santa was Adam of Cardboard Clubhouse and he sent a nice batch of Washington and B'More cards. In total there were 44 cards and one card sized book. The team breakdown is 22 Orioles (1 was a logo), 23 Washington cards of Baseball, Football and Hockey: 4 Senators, 2 Redskins, 2 Capitals and 15 Nationals (1 in team USA uniform, 1 Notre Dame Uniform?).

Lets see the cards shall we? Starting with the Orioles stuff.

Top Row: 1982 Topps 232 Terry Crowley
1986 Topps 365 Mike Flanagan
1987 Topps 120 Eddie Murray
Middle Row: 1989 Topps 757 Brady Anderson
2016 Topps Heritage (1967 Topps Design) 669 Mychal Givens
2016 Topps Heritage (1967 Topps Design) 125 Zach Britton
Bottom Row: 2017 Topps Heritage (1968 Topps Design) 159 J.J. Hardy
2015 Panini Donruss: The Rookies: 13 Christian Walker
2012 Topps Archives: (1954 Topps Design) 32 Adam Jones

Top Row: 1989 Sportflics 134 Craig Worthington
2012 Topps 125 Adam Jones
Bottom Row: 1990 Fleer: Sticker: Baltimore Orioles Team Logo
2015 Topps Update: All Star Game: US159 Darren O'Day

2018 Topps Big League: 44 Trey Mancini - This is my first Big League card a big thanks to Adam for it.
2018 Topps 587 Chris Davis
2016 Topps Update US182 Hyun-Soo Kim

Front and back of Collect-A-Book

1991 Impell JBC Collect-A-Books 9 Ben Mcdonald

A Winning Hand of Cal Ripken Jr.s

1994 Topps Team Stadium Club Finest: 8 of 12
1991 Topps: 150
2016 Panini Donruss: 181
2015 Topps: Highlight of the Year: H-27 Final Season Appearance 2001
1989 Topps: Big: 286

Now we get into the Washington Stuff:

REDSKINS

1988 Topps 8 Doug Williams
2018 Panini Classics: 190 Clinton Portis

CAPITALS

1991 Pro Set: 511 Peter Bondra
1993 Stadium Club 234 Keith Jones

SENATORS
A few reprints and retro cards.

2010 Topps Update (Thank God for TCDB never would have known it was from the update set): Vintage Legends Collection: VLC-50 Walter Johnson - Front 1951 Topps Design.
2011 Topps 1916 Sporting News CMGR Reprint CMGR-19 Walter Johnson
1911 Turkey Red T3 Reprints (reprint date unknown argh 1982 Renata Galasso?):
99? Walter Johnson with Turkey Red Add on back
No 15 Norman Arthur "Kid" Elberfield

NATIONALS

Top Row: 2015 Topps: 207 Bryce Harper
2018 Donruss: 192 Bryce Harper "Mondo" variant
2018 Topps Heritage: 1969 Design: 230 Ryan Zimmerman
Middle Row: 2016 Topps Heritage: 1967 Design: 73 Jonathan Papelbon
2016 Topps Heritage: 1967 Design: 518 Jayson Werth
2016 Topps Bowman: BP140 Chris Bostick
Bottom Row: 2015 Donruss: 178 Jordan Zimmermann
2016 Topps: Washington Nationals Team Set: WN-15 Matt Den Dekker
2009 Upper Deck Baseball Series 2: 947 Shairon Martis RC

Top Row: 2017 Topps: 327 Danny Espinosa
2018 Topps: 355 Joe Ross
Middle Row: 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter: 106 Yunel Escobar
2015 Topps Allen & Ginter: 266 Drew Storen
Bottm Row: 2011 Contenders: Draft Ticket: DT88 Brian Dupra in Notre dame Uniform?
2015 Panini Donruss: USA Collegiate National Team: 13 Nicholas Banks USA team Uniform

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.