Here are my most recent purchases from this summer...
Card #121 Gus Niarhos Red Sox C
Card#199 George Zuverink Indians P RC
Both were purchased at Sportlots Auctions.
Card #130 Sheldon Jones Giants P
Card #84 Vern Stephens Red Sox SS/3B
Card #120 Bob Chakales Indians P RC
Card #112 Henry Majeski Philadelphia A's 3B
These were purchased at my local monthly card show.
Just need 2 more to reach my 10% completion of the set.
I really don't anticipate to complete this set, but will purchase cards when I see a great deal.
All the above cards were purchased on the average of $5 each.
As you can see, they are not top condition. I do have a few cards that have some paper loss. Most of the time I will try and get the best condition for the price I'm willing to pay.
The one card that will be hard to get, at the price I will pay, is the Mickey Mantle.
One just recently sold for $1.3 Million........
I do have a reprint 52 Mantle subbing in for now. (not included in my total)
The 2016 Topps MLB All-Star Rookie Team is comprised of eight position players, one right-handed starting pitcher, one left-handed starter, and one relief pitcher.
The team:
C - Gary Sanchez, Yankees
1B - Tommy Joseph, Phillies
2B - Ryan Schimpf, Padres
3B - Alex Bregman, Astros
SS - Corey Seager, Dodgers
OF - Trea Turner, Nationals
OF - Nomar Mazara, Rangers
OF - Tyler Naquin, Indians
RH SP - Kenta Maeda, Dodgers
LH SP - Julio Urias, Dodgers
RP - Seung Hwan Oh, Cardinals
Their 2017 cards will have the rookie trophy cup on them.
Back in August, Mark Kaz over at This Way to the Clubhouse wrote about some cards he picked up at the Convention. They are from the 1989 Topps Baseball Talks Collection.
It is a set of 164, oversized cards measuring 5.25in by 3.25in. On the back is a record which plays audio clips about the player. The narrators are Joe Torre, Don Drysdale, and my favorite MEL ALLEN (How About That). I remember Mel from the This week in Baseball TV show. Watched it all the time when I was a kid.
In order to listen to the recording, you had to buy the SportsTalk player (sold separately) which came with 4 cards: Checklist, Hank Aaron, Don Mattingly, and Orel Hershiser.
Here is the TV advertisement :
I do not know why, but I do not remember this product coming out.
WELL.... after reading Kaz's blog, I went to youtube to see what I could find. There was the above commercial, plus other listings of cards being played. After watching a few of those and hearing Mel Allen again, I said to my self, "self, I need one !"
So eBay was the next stop. First, the SportsTalk Player.... found one at reasonable price with shipping.
The box was a little tattered, but still in good shape. The player still in its wrapping and cards loose in the box, but still in their nook.
With excitement running through my veins, I opened every thing up....
Put the 4 AA batteries in, popped in the Aaron card in anticipation of hearing Mel speak......
NOTHING....... UGH....Ok I must have done something wrong.
Checked everything out, made sure the card was in properly (which is the hardest thing to do, making sure the middle of the record is over the spindle). Still nothing....
Wasn't going to give up on hearing Mel again (yes I know I can hear him on youtube), so I took the card out, turned on the device and the turntable did not spin. So like all guys, I was determined to fix it. No I did not have to take it apart, though it was still an option. I just gave the turntable a little forced nudge and presto, it worked. Put Hank back in (wonder if the kids back than had the same issues as this old guy does, trying to get the card lined up right) and shazam, there was Mel talking with Hank. Fabulous !!!!
At the start of summer, I had a chance to visit my LCS.
As the owner was finishing up with a customer, I browsed around looking at all the great items he has. But there was one card I was really there to see.
Its a 1933 Worch Cigar Babe Ruth.
He purchased it from the original owner, and he even still had the envelope it came in.
The set had 167 postcard size cards. They were a promotion by the Worch Cigar Company of St Paul MN. The owner sent in for a card from the company, not knowing which card he was going to get. Later, to his surprise, he received this Babe Ruth card.
Once the LCW owner had the card in his possession, he sent it to PSA for grading.
This is a fabulous card, and one that is well out of my budget.
A few months ago, I had found some Card Time for myself, and was sorting through a box of miscellaneous cards. I don't recall why, was I sorting them or just looking to see what was in there.
Here is one card I found:
COOOOOOOOOOOL !!!! How did I miss collecting this sub set?
It is the 1994 SP Holoview FX sub set.
The cards are highlighted with a 3D player hologram at the bottom of the card.
As you move the card, the hologram head moves and changes facial expressions.
There are 38 cards and were inserted 1:5 packs of 1994 SP Baseball.
Also comes as a Die Cut RED parallel version that was printed inserted 1:75 packs.
I'm only collecting the regular blue version of the sub-set.
The checklist includes Alex Rodriguez RC , Ripken, Griffey Jr, and Gwynn.
Micheal Jordan is also in the set, since he was in the midst of his attempt at baseball.
I than proceeded to search through other boxes to see if I had others. NONE !!
Since than I have acquired a few more cards, but still missing just under half of the set -- including the higher valued cards of Rodriguez, Ripken, and Jordan.
This was a big error on my part during the collecting years of the mid 90's.
It is one of those - could have, should have, would have moments.
The collecting goes on.
Baseball Words of Thought....
Manger HUGH JENNINGS (Tigers mgr 1907 -1920) once said --- "If he's played that many games without an error, he isn't going after the hard ones. The fellow who never makes a mistake is the fellow who never does anything" -- after being told of a minor-league prospect had played 87 straight errorless games.
(YES I'm still here. Though I still try to keep up with the readings of the other blogs, I've been terrible at writing on my own. Hoping to get back at it a little more.)
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