C.J. Abrams Topps Heritage

 This post I am showing C.J. Abrams' 2022 Topps Heritage card, and the chrome parallel that is serial numbered to #/999. It is also his "Rookie Card", technically his first flagship Topps card should be his RC but the rules for rookie cards have changed in the last few years and are totally confusing.

So here we go the 2022 Topps Heritage design is based on the 1973 design:

2022 Topps Heritage Baseball 501 CJ Abrams Washington Nationals

2022 Topps Heritage Chrome Baseball 501 CJ Abrams Washington Nationals #162/999

A Sharp Chrome Autograph

 Yes once again I am doing a quick and dirty post. I really should plan things more or work on some of my stuck in draft mode for 20 years posts. OK not really I haven't been blogging for 20 years (yet, it is about 3 years away on my regular blog and this one I have only been blogging for 11 years), but I do have several draft posts that have been stuck for a few years.

This is a card I got about a year or two It's a 2021 Topps Chrome so I couldn't have gotten it earlier than that. At first I thought I might have posted about it before, but it looks like I haven't.

2021 Topps Baseball Chrome RA-SSH Sterling Sharp Washington Nationals RC

on card Blue Sharpie

Senators Singles: Robles First Career Homer

2018 TOPPS NOW: 738 VICTOR ROBLES

This month's quick and dirty blog entry to get under the wire of my self proposed posting minimum is from an Ebay purchase of a Topps Now card yadda yadda yadda. It is a rookie card the commemorates one of our young outfielder's first MLB career Home Run.

2018 Topps Now: 738 Victor Robles RC Washington Nationals

Mammoth 1st Career HR is a 427-Foot Shot

I mentioned on my regular blog that I really hate when the Topps Now card backs don't give any more info on the event being commemorated. Sometimes you need more than just a front of card headline. For instance it would have been nice for them to mention this HR was hit in Miami off of Trevor Richards.

Rookie Duo of Juan Soto

For this quick and dirty end of the month post I am showing two cards from one player. Not my normal sneaky Senator's Singles end of the month post. One of the Nats hot youngsters currently Juan Soto. Juan made his Major League debut on 20 May 2018 vs The Dodgers and unfortunately struck out. However he would start the next game knocking in a 3 run homer his first at bat bottom 2nd, and go 2 for 4 vs The Padres in a 10-2 win for the Nats

Here are the cards both are from the 2018 Topps Baseball Update Set: I got these from Sportlots one seller two auctions (Rookie Debut for 25¢ and the other for 75¢ plus $3.98 shipping for both)

2018 Topps Baseball Update: US104 Juan Soto RC Rookie Debut 20 May 2018

2018 Topps Baseball Update: US300 Juan Soto RC

Senators Singles: 1060 Dan Dobbek RC

1960 Topps: 123 Dan Dobbek RC

As we get to the end of the month and of the year I have to make another quick and dirty one card post. This one is from 1960 Topps Dan Dobbek Rookie Star Outfield

1960 Topps 123 Dan Dobbek

Senators Singles: 2018 Topps Gold Label Class 2

2018 Topps Gold Label Baseball: Class 2

97 Victor Robles RC

This episode of Senators Singles features a hot rookie from this past 2018 season Victor Robles. At age 21 he isn't the teen sensation that Juan Soto is (or was since Juan turned 20 on 25 Oct 2018) but he is mighty impressive during his time as a rookie. Victor appeared in only 21 games during the 2018 season and had 59 at bats. His 3 line average for 2018 is: .288/.348/.525

The card is from a very confusing set, many of the sets are now confusing with all the damn parallels, short prints and weird inserts the card companies love to produce now-days in the overproduced underproduction era. This is the 2018 Topps Gold Label Baseball: Class 2: "base" card for Victor Robles RC number 97. The Class 1 cards are considered "base" while Class 2 and Class 3 are considered "parallels" but each level has a base, black, red, blue and gold card thus adding to the confusion. I got the card from a Sportlots auction for the opening bid of 25¢ plus $3.25 shipping

2018 Topps Gold Label Baseball: Class 2:
97 Victor Robles RC Washington Nationals

Confusing is right when I first saw the card I thought it was a gold parallel. It has gold foil on the lettering and at some light angles everything does look gold. I knew from ordering it the card was a Class 2, but being unfamiliar with the set design and the seller calling it a "scarce" rookie card I thought it was a bit more special than it really is. I also thought at first it might be a "black" parallel since part of the design that at first appeared gold to me, looks to be more of a gray. Upon searching the Internet for some black parallels (TCDB doesn't even have a checklist for the Black parallels yet)  they are obviously black not gray or brown. Both the base and the black are not serial numbered the other parallels are serial numbered for Class 2 the reds are #/50, Blue #/99 and of course the dang gold ones are #d 1/1.

Oh I had thought of adding another Robles card or two to this post, but then it wouldn't be a Senators Singles Post now would it?

New Kid on The Block: Juan Soto

Near the beginning of this season on 20 May 2018 the Nats welcomed New Kid on The Block...

...NO NO Not those guys.

This New Kid is named Juan... Juan Soto.

...NO NO Not HAN SOLO,

JUAN SOTO.

Ah that's better. Juan is only 19 and he has been doing some fantastic things for the Nats this season, and gaining on some of those records by teens. Bryce Harper should be shaking in his booties with some of the things Juan has done this year. He hit a 3 run homer during his first Major League at bat, on the very first pitch. He also hit a homer "before his debut" that is he homered in a game that was postponed from earlier in the season about 2 weeks before he was brought up in May.

 2018 Bowman Baseball: BP52 Juan Soto Washington Nationals

 2018 Bowman Chrome Baseball: BCP52 Juan Soto Washington Nationals

 2018 Topps Now Baseball: 235 Juan Soto Washington Nationals

Opening Day Like Its 2008 Or Something

Eek it is the end of the month. Lets see, Spring Training 2017 has started and right now with 3 games under their belt the Nats are 1-2 .333 as are the Braves and Marlins, the Mets and Phillies are both at 2-2 .500 so nobody in the division is doing that poorly or that great with the Spring Training only about 4 days old.

OK so Nats Opening Day 2017 this year is 03 April home vs. The Marlins. If I had planed things out I should have shown a Josh Willingham, Nick Johnson or Ivan Rodriguez card. But I didn't so I won't I will show a couple of Opening Day Cards I scanned a while back but haven't posted yet ...til now.

Opening Day 2008 (Oh Wow I didn't even think about this) was on 30 March vs. The Atlanta Braves and was the first regular season game at Nationals Park in SE DC.The Nats won 3-2 with a Walk-Off homer by Ryan Zimmerman. The Opening Day Roster was:

1. Cristian Guzman SS
2. Lastings Milledge CF
3. Ryan Zimmerman 3B
4. Nick Johnson 1B
5. Austin Kearns RF
6. Elijah Dukes LF
7. Ronnie Belliard 2B
8. Paul Lo Duka C
9. Odalis Perez P (LH)

The Nats came in last place in the NL East that year, their usual spot for several frustrating years, with a 59-102  .366 record. Fortunately the Nationals have been doing much better in recent years.

OK so the two cards I'm a-gonna-show are of two players who have been long gone from the Nats. For one of the two players 2008 would mark his last MLB appearance and for the other 2008 was spent in the minors having made his Major League Debut in Sept of 2007.

DMITRI YOUNG

 2008 Topps Opening Day 117 Dmitri Young Nationals

ROSS DETWILER

 2008 Topps Opening Day 200 Ross Detwiler RC Nationals

Unintentional Double Purchase: 1963 Style

 

Here is one for the Oops Files. In one of my sportlots bidding sprees I purchased a card that it turns out I already had in my Zistle as owning. I didn't check first like I try to do to keep from doing this sort of thing. Yep I already own the card in I guess high very good condition. What lured me in was it is a RC and confusing the auction heading with another one that was marked as a "short print". Oh well it only cost me .25¢ I won two other auctions from that seller so I save some on shipping at least.

The card(s) came in a PWE with a Batman Forever Stamp.

I will mention the other two cards they were football  and the BatStamp again on my regular card blog but not here since they are not Curly W Cards they aren't even DC sports. Turns out the incoming copy (listed as "Sharp" in the auction) what I would call Excellent or Near Excellent is in better shape than the one I had. So it is an unintentional upgrade.

The card is 1963 Topps Baseball 69 Bud Zipfel Senators.

1963 Topps Baseball 69 Bud Zipfel - My Original copy on the left, replacement on right.

(Front and Back)

Here is my original copy front and back:

Followed by the replacement copy front and back:

So all was not lost.

2013 Washington Nationals Media Guide

An Ebay Pickup from a while back (May 2015), been lazy with the scanning of things for ages:

Its the 2013 Washington Nationals Media Guide. The "yearbook" that covers the Nats 2012 Championship Season. Several franchise records were met or broken that year. Several players received awards and Skipper Davey Johnson won Manager of The Year. It was the Rookie year for Bryce "Homerin'" Harper.

I picked up my copy from Ebay for $5.99 plus $5.00 shipping not bad. The book is in excellent condition. I love it.

A Couple of Infield Autos

A few weeks back I got a couple of auto cards from a seller on Sportlots from two auctions both for the opening .25¢ bid. I forget what the final postage was. Some of those dealers don't give much of a break on shipping. Anyway it wasn't until I logged them onto my Zistle and TradingCardDataBase lists (or attempted to) that I noticed one of the was not an "officially certified autograph". What the heck it looks close enough to real sigs I've seen of the player that I believe it to be a real in-person or through the mail auto.

First the "Unofficial Autograph" card. It is a 2007 Topps Turkey Red Baseball Chrome Gold Variant serial numbered to 1999 with an autograph signed on-card with a black sharpie. Card #127 Ryan Zimmerman.

 2007 Topps Turkey Red Baseball Gold 127 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals

#d 0347/1999 w/black sharpie autograph "uncertified"

(Front and Back)

Next is a "Certified Autograph" 2011 Topps Chrome Baseball Certified Autograph Issue signed on-card in blue sharpie. Card #33 Danny Espinosa RC.

 2011 Topps Chrome Baseball Certified Autograph Issue

33 Danny Espinosa RC Nationals on-card autograph in blue sharpie

(Front and Back)

All the dust looking specks on the front of the cards is from the scanner glass. I didn't wipe it down before scanning.

For the Zimmerman front image I had to adjust the brightness/contrast some so I could see the auto on my computer. The chromeness of the gold foil doesn't scan well. Maybe I should have brightened up the Espinosa also.

Goodies from LCS (part one)

Went to my LCS - House of Cards Silver Spring, MD on Saturday (29 Mar)

Picked up a bunch of stuff I had mentioned here the main focus of that post of course was the Team Set. The main focus of this post is the 8 Senators cards I picked up including that Upgrade of the '65 Don Blasingame. So lets get to the cards:

As I said I picked up an upgraded copy of the 1965 Topps Baseball 21 Don Blasingame, got it for $2

Card #2 is the only card that is older a 1960 Topps Baseball 470 Washington Senators Coaches: Ellis Clary, Sam Mele and Bob Swift $4

1969 Topps Baseball
199 Jim French $2

461 Mike Epstein (Name in Yellow) $2

1971 Topps Baseball
93 Senators 1971 Rookie Stars: Norm McRae and Denny Riddleberger $2

Didn't realize I had it already until I went to log it in on Zistle, oh well that means one for the '71 set binder and one for the Senators team binder.

559 AL 1971 Rookie Stars: Terry Cox Angels, Bill Gogolewski Senators and Gary Jones Yankees $3

1970 Kellogg's Baseball24 Mike Epstein $2

Ugh has paper residue glued to the back that I didn't notice till I got home need to upgrade. Chalk up another card to upgrade.

1971 Kellogg's Baseball 34 Mike Epstein $6