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"

Washington Wednesday: Funny Sonny Mystery

A Funny Sonny Mystery

Some months back {looking in email history and saved text messages*} I had gotten an email from someone with an offer to sell me a card. I'll call him "Bob" to protect the guys identity and spare some of the embarrassment. In addition I couldn't remember his name until I located my communications with him. 

Out of the blue I get this email from "Bob":

"My grandfather left me certain baseball and football cards including a Sonny Jurgensen from the 1969 season. His # was 6 and was QB for the redskins. He was the leading passer in the NFL in 1969. The card is probably 1970 T.C.G. It also has an autograph on it but I doubt that its real. Would you like to purchase it? I can take pictures of it with my phone and send it to yours to prove that it's real or I can sell it to someone else. Its up to you."

OK he got my interest, one of my all-time fave players and a vintage card probably signed in person sometime within the last 40 years. I let his comment about Sonny being number six slip. Probably should have torn him a new one for that, but I'm a nice guy. Actually it turns out #6 was the card number, good thing I didn't go all Chuck Norris on the guy. OK so I had to find out what this was all about.

I replied:

"Yes I am interested in it and yes I would like to see pics of it first."

Bob:

"Took the pics just need a number to send them to

My number is  xxx-xxx-xxxx"

He sent a blank Message asking for me to send him my cell number.

I don't normally do text stuff like I said but I replied:

"My cell number is xxx-xxx-xxxx"

Bob replies:

"Hope u got the two pics. As u can tell they're in good condition and the real deal so whats ur offer cause I'm dealing with several people on this card"

The rest of this conversation took place with text messages.

"Bob" said:
"Good right?"
and
"What do u think?"

'Bob' sent a couple of pics of the card (I cropped them here a little).

Cell phone picks of the card, I got a kick out the back "dining room table w/Mom walking in" shot. That at least is what it looks like. Also looks like there is one of those weird white-fade-out dots on the back or it's paper loss. The black spot on the bottom I think is the shadow of his thumb.

Seeing these pics I said:
"Yes very cool. It is a 1970 Topps "Super" or Giant"
At the time I couldn't remember if Topps called them Super or Giant they call them Super.

So he says: "I know and there's only 35... Its in great shape so what do u think?"

My comeback that goes for the jugular.
"I have one already in just as good shape as that one. I have to burst your bubble there were way more than 35 made, and the "autograph" is one of those facsimile autographs. Its worth about $5-$10."

He concludes the conversation with a simple "Ok. Later"

Here is my copy of the card:

1970 Topps Football Super 6 Sonny Jurgensen Redskins

(Front and Back)

So yeah the guy thought that this card: was more special than it was. He thought it was number 6 of only 35 special Sonny Jurgensen cards, or he was playing me for the uninformed super fan who didn't know his card history.

*For the record I rarely text message. I receive text Messages from the Nationals for the game updates and I have entered the occasional contest via text like when NBC had that game show "Deal Or No Deal" and had a win from home thing where you picked a case (out of 4 they showed on the screen) and then text in the number with your guess and if you picked the right number you had a chance to be picked randomly from the right guesses. Oh and when I'm waiting for a tow truck I let AAA text the 4 digit call number for my situation.

A Little Eye Candy

Not sure of the history of this particular card, so I can't give many details about it. I'm not even sure when it was made or the series it may have come from. Kathy Ireland got her claim to fame by being a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and was the even more prestigious cover model on the 25th Anniversary Issue. She still has that cute "innocent/not-so-innocent girl next door" look about her. About all I can say about this card is I got it from Ebay (of course) in June of 2008 and paid $10 delivered Max. I think I got if for $5 - $7 can't remember the exact price. Even though it looks black in the scan her facsimile signature and the partial borders are gold.

That same day (02 June 2008) I got a  sexy Manon Rheaume card a 1993 Ballstreet card. OK so it's not as sexy and she's not in a swimsuit (neither is Kathy on that card), she's wearing a long sleeved sweatshirt and khaki shorts. Apparently that was an insert/freebie or attached to an issue of Ballstreet Magazine. So maybe the Kathy Ireland card is a similar deal (a card that was an insert to a magazine)

I didn't scan the back of the Manon card. I had scanned the front a few years back and it is in my photobucket but forgot I had it there., but not the back. I don't like to use my photobucket for the images in my blogs because PB gets blocked at work and I sometimes like to do edits and check how things look at work from a different machine than the one I post stuff from.

[Update: work no longer blocks photobucket but I still tend to forget what I have there and neglect it. I would delete most of the stuff there but I don't know what (if any) images I have linked from there to this or other blogs I have]

EDITED: To add scan of Manon Rheaume card back.

1968 Topps Baseball

 

Card 278 Checklist 4th Series (for cards 284-370)

I was going to make this a post about just one card I had gotten recently (Jim Brewer), but I figured I'd talk about the whole set for this particular year. 1968 Topps Baseball. I think I had a ton more of these things when I was a kid than I do even now with buying what seems like a ton of them one or two cards at a time every few months. I'm not sure exactly which year was the first year I personally ripped open a trading card wax pack, but I do recall 1968 as being one of the first years I remember having cards from. I think 1970 or 1971 was the first year I personally opened a pack, or "bought" one. When you are a kid your "purchases" are usually really your parents or an older sibling "buying" the item for you while you wait impatiently to rip open whatever package it is you are about to get. I also recall that for the '68 cards the background pattern for some of the cards was really funky. the detail in the pattern of the dots or splotches seemed to vary. I couldn't decide if they were going for the look of a cork bulletin board or burlap sacks.

 298 Jim Brewer Dodgers

The most recent '68 card I've acquired.

114 Ron Swoboda Mets

Yes my card is cut off like that on the bottom (miscut)

 159 Don Kessinger Cubs

 235 Ron Santo Cubs

Ron also appeared on card #19 in the 

Insert Game cards Topps Released in 1968

(That is for another post)

While I'm mentioning Ron Santo Cards

1971 Topps 220

 1973 Topps 115

Stand Them Up!

1968 Topps Football Stand-Up Inserts

#10 Sonny Jurgensen

In the 1960s and 1970s Topps used to have some interesting and fun extras inserted into their card packs. 1968 was no exception for the Football series. In addition to the regular cards for 1968 Topps made a series of "Stand-Ups" for their football series that are similar to the 1964 baseball standups. These cards are perforated, or "cut out" so that you can punch out the outer edge of the card and with a couple folds stand-up your cards. Each card has a head and shoulders head shot of the player so in their "stood up" mode they would look like busts. The baseball cards from '64 on the other hand had the players in action poses so the baseball ones would appear to be playing if you had enough of them spread out.

I recall as a kid I had some of these, and maybe one or two of the baseball, of course being a kid I had punched them out and played with them. I don't recall which ones I had or how many. It has been ages since I've had any of my originals. Thanks to ebay I managed to find a few in decent shape and uncut. I just have four and each one seems to have some centering issues. If they were punched out it wouldn't be as obvious on a couple of them.

I have my two fave 1960s/70s quarterbacks:
#4 Roman Gabriel
#10 Sonny Jurgensen

plus
#12 Billy Kilmer
#11 Alex Karras (who went on to become an actor).

As with many cards in the 1960s and 1970s Topps often used the same photograph of a player multiple years. For some reason they seemed to use an old pic of Sonny Jurgensen in his Green Philadelphia Eagles jersey, so that photo has to be from 1963 at the latest. Also Billy Kilmer is shown in a Red jersey (he was previously on the 49ers till 1966) but was a Saint at the time these cards were released.

#4 Roman Gabriel

#11 Alex Karras

#12 Billy Kilmer

So to finish my set I need :
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

I prefer unpunched cards, but to fill-in gaps in the set I'll accept better conditioned "punched out" ones. To have my set complete they all must be unpunched.