Striking Black Gold

Those 1993 Topps Black Gold inserts might be my favorite inserts from the junk overproduction era. I remember I pulled a Frank Thomas back then and it was like winning the freakin' lottery (the card is now worth less than a buck, but it was sooo awesome at the time). Foil/shiny cards were fresh and exciting. While '93 was when my interest in collecting was waning-- and I would soon step away from the hobby for a couple decades-- if anything put up a valiant effort to keep me around, it was the luster that Black Gold.

(Coincidentally, "Black Gold" was a 1993 single by the band Soul Asylum, which along with the hits "Runaway Train" and "Somebody To Shove", helped their album Grave Dancers Union go multi-platinum.)

Fast forward to modern times, like I say, they're all worth pocket change, and while I hope to finish the set someday, it's not a big priority. But what if they were actually rare and special today, like how they felt to me as a kid? Then you'd have my attention and I might have to go out of my way for them. Well, buybacks to the rescue, and Topps Archives Signature featured some signed '93 Black Gold cards. After keeping an eye out for several months, I finally landed one...

HOFer Dennis Eckersley! That's a nice card. Yes, it's silly that the black background eats up the majority of the autograph (would have made more sense for Topps to have provided metallic pens instead of the old standby blue Sharpies), but I'm still very much into it.

Here's an angle where you can see the full signature a bit better.

I almost thought a little about trying to build a full signed set of these. But, well, I'm sure any Kirby and Gwynn representatives that might be out there would have been especially tough to find. Then a Mark McGwire Archives Signature of these just recently sold for over $100 and I'm like, yeah nah, maybe I'll just be content with Eck here and call it good.

But wait, while I respect him and his accomplishments, Eckersley is not a guy I collect. How can I shoehorn this card into my collection.

Oh yeah, that's right, I do have a shadowbox display featuring a card of his. So I cracked open the display and swapped out the Eck cards.

That looks pretty good! I'm happy I've been able to work a '93 Black Gold card into a display on my wall. I've now swapped out both cards from the original display I bought years ago. I believe the original Kirk Gibson card (2004 Retired auto, featuring Gibson on the Tigers) ended up with Dennis at Too Many Verlanders (it was made expendable to me when I eventually scored the refractor parallel).

Replaced by the Black Gold card was this 2004 Retired Eck auto which is now available (I've got the refractor, so by my self-imposed collecting rules, I don't need to keep the base auto), so if anyone wants to make me an offer for it, let me know. It's a great card, but no regrets for me choosing the Black Gold card over it.

While it'd be a stretch calling myself a Dodgers fan, as a baseball fan, you've gotta love that Gibson World Series home run (unless you're an A's fan, I suppose).. such an incredible baseball moment. I really love how this display has turned out.. with the alterations making it more special to me.

I've accessed the mainframe! (eTopps)

The whole eTopps thing happened while I was out of the hobby, but it's my understanding it was sort of like a precursor to digital card apps like Bunt in that Topps let you buy cards from them that you could keep in online portfolios and treat like stocks. They weren't cheap, but at least they were real cards that you could cash out and have sent to you (though the shipping fee also wasn't cheap). Basically Topps' first attempt at making money off the idea of cards, without emphasis on physical distribution.

eTopps cards all seem to be encased, and most if not all are refractors. Many are serial numbered, and the unnumbered cards usually have an announced print run topping out at around 3000 or 4000. Because of the high shipping cost, a lot of people didn't bother to be mailed their cards, and I assume the majority of eTopps cards are stored in a Topps warehouse somewhere, mostly forgotten about. People still have access to the cards they bought, though the eTopps program is no longer actively putting out new cards or anything like that.

I recently picked up a few from an eBay seller (eTopps from eBay? eGad!), so let's take a look at them.

I think this is the same Griffey card that Junior Junkie teased last year but hasn't gotten around to properly featuring on his blog yet. Junior on a 1985 Topps design, a refractor no less, just seemed really cool so I eventually had to track down one for myself.

Here's a less rainbow-drenched picture of it.

Numbered 713/999. With this card, I almost feel like I'm about ready to stick a fork in my Griffey PC and call it good. A glaring hole for me is his 89 UD rookie, but once I snag one of those, I'll file him away in my Hundred Card Club, thereby giving me an excuse to stop accumulating his cards.

Next up is Paul Goldschmidt on a minor league card. I love how his Mobile Baybears uniform could pass for a Padres uniform if I squint my eyes. ...[wistful sigh].. Goldy on the Pads.. that'd be sweet.

Numbered 123/743. Oh look, it's an error card (The Diamondbacks aren't in the AL, dummy!) I miss the days when card companies would actually fix errors. When was the last time a "corrected" card was actually put out?

Next is Andrew McCutchen. This is a pretty sweet RC and easily the top card of my modest McCutchen McCollection now.

The design seems to be somewhat of a "modern reimagining" of 1966 Topps.

Numbered 263/999. Bittersweet to see the Pirates fall to the Cubs in the NL Wild Card game. I like both teams. The postseason for me this year isn't really rooting for a certain team.. only rooting against the fucking Cardinals. As long as St. Louis doesn't win I'll be happy. I realize I'm jinxing it saying this. You're welcome, Cardinals fans.

The final card in my recent eBay buy was this Ichiro. Like with the Griffey, there's something about a 1985 Topps refractor that really appeals to me, so I had to throw this one in my cart too.

I was happy to hear he recently re-signed for 2016. Ichiro is a guy I never really collected much. (Can't collect everybody! Plus I always hated the reluctance to use his last name. Seems like such a diva move for an otherwise humble guy.) But now that he's approaching 3000 MLB hits, I feel myself relenting and may have to start a little PC for him. (Yes, feel free to send me your unwanted Ichiro cards!) This card is a pretty good start.

Numbered 742/749.

Warning for epileptics out there, here's a strobing picture of this card in action for the heck of it:

So there are some new additions for me.

I previously had one eTopps card in my collection, and I posted about it back during the early days of this blog...

It's the Kirk Gibson card in this neat shadow box display. I still have this thing, though it hasn't been displayed since I moved nearly two years ago, instead just buried under some packaging supplies. Anybody want to make me an offer for it (trade or sell)? If the Dodgers advance in the playoffs, maybe I should pop it on eBay. The thought of mailing glass scares me, though. I'd have to package the hell out of it to be reasonably confident it wouldn't break in shipping.

It's a pretty cool piece. If I can't find anybody to take it off my hands, I really should get around to hanging it up. I don't hate the Dodgers as much as most Padres fans seem to. Honestly I'd be fine with them winning it all this year, though they wouldn't be my first choice. At this point, I guess my top pick would be the Cubs. It'd be cool if the Back to the Future Part 2 prophecy came true (though that is not a good movie, apart from the hoverboard stuff. I rewatched the trilogy recently. The first one holds up, and the third one is worth watching, but that middle one.. blah.) Plus my mom's side of the family is from Chicago, so I've got some roots there.

But again, as long as the fucking Cardinals don't win the World Series I'll be happy.

Thanks for reading!

nice Dodgers 1988 WS display piece

There was this shadow box that showed up on eBay not long ago commemorating Kirk Gibson's dramatic home run in the 1988 World Series. What caught my eye was the inclusion of a Kirk Gibson 2004 Topps Retired Signature Edition certified autograph. Anyone who's been reading this blog for a while knows that I'm bonkers over this set, and my current foolish obsession collecting goal is to obtain all 76 autographs in the set. And I needed that Gibby. Also included were an Eckersley auto from the same set (I already got that one) and a commemorative postcard signed by Gibson.

I just recently started using an eBay sniping site (head nod to the site Gixen and user Junichi for letting me know about it in a previous comment).. very handy and less stress than trying to be around to place a "live" bid near an auction's end. So I entered a sniping bid basically just a bit over what I had recently paid for just the Eckersley card alone. I ended up with the winning bid (just 3 cents under my max bid) and got it. Cool.

This is a neat display, but again, I really just wanted it to scrap out the Gibson card (which I don't think I've seen for sale elsewhere yet). But I liked the concept of this display. Some things about it I wasn't crazy about, though. The Gibson card features him in a Tigers uniform, so it doesn't really fit the theme. Plus, since the postcard thing-- ("Gateway cachet" is apparently the medical term for this particular type of memorabilia item.. and it's not actually a postcard, but an empty envelope)-- is also signed by him, it seems a bit redundant to have 2 autographs by the same guy in one display.

So I looked around for a nice-looking Gibson card I could swap in. I found just the ticket in a 2005 eTopps card. It commemorated the home run in question, and featured a photo from that famous trot. Plus it was in one of those encased "uncirculated" cases, so it fit the feel of the display (and matched the encased Eck). And it was a refractor, so it was all purdy n' shiny. According to the seller, only 714 were made and most are kept in online portfolios (I think this is my first eTopps card.. I still don't totally get the concept).

So I got the card and swapped it in there. Pretty pleased with how it turned out.

While I'm not a huge Dodger fan, as a baseball fan, I definitely have a reverence for that magic moment. So I'll proudly prop this puppy on my wall for the time being and admire it when it catches my eye. While I'm not anxious to part with it, I'll let it be known to y'all that I'm open to trade offers. I'm specifically looking for "upper tier" guys I still need from the 2004 Topps Retired autos.

Here's the original details from the seller:

THIS ONE FEATURES:
A GATEWAY CASHET ENVELOPE CELEBRATING THE 1988 WORLD SERIES HOME RUN BY KIRK GIBSON IN GAME 1. 
THE ENVELOPE HAD BEEN PLACED IN AN ACRYLIC SCREW DOWN HOLDER. 
IT FEATURES A SILK INSERT SHOWCASING DODGER STADIUM AND THE OAKLAND COLISEUM. 
IT IS POSTMARKED OCTOBER 15, 1988 THE DAY THE FAMOUS HOMERUN WAS HIT. 
THE NEXT 2 CARDS ARE A 2004 TOPPS CHROME CERTIFIED AUTOGRAPH BLACK CHROME REFRACTOR. (ed. note: the cards aren't really refractors, as I could tell from the photos.)
EACH OF THESE CARDS HAS A SEAL FROM TOPPS AND ARE WHAT ARE CALLED ENCASED.
IF THE SEAL IS BROKEN, IT VOIDS THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE AUTOGRAPH. BOTH SEALS ARE INTACT.
THERE IS ONE AUTOGRAPHED BY KIRK GIBSON AND THE OTHER AUTOGRAPHED BY DENNIS ECKERSLEY.
EACH OF THESE CARDS HAS A TOPPS HOLOGRAM STICKER ON THE BACK OF THE CARD.
I MADE THESE SHADOW BOXES MYSELF.
I USED BRAND NEW CARD CASES THAT DO NOT HAVE ANY SCRATCHES (EXCEPT FOR THE ENCASED CARDS IN THIS AUCTION).
I USED A 2 LAYER VELCRO TAB SYSTEM TO ADHERE EACH ITEM TO THE BACKING. (ed note: I was able to take the velcro off the Gibson auto card without too much trouble or any damage to anything, and stuck it on the the refractor I swapped in.)
THIS CREATES A FLOATING EFFECT FOR EACH ITEM.
THEY WILL NEVER PEEL OFF OVER TIME.
THE BACKING WAS CUSTOM ORDERED FROM A FRAME SHOP WHICH HAS A TEXTURED FINISH.
THE FRAME INSIDE IS AN 8X10, BUT, THE ACTUAL FRAME ITSELF IS 9X11.
I CLEANED THE GLASS FROM BOTH SIDES.
EACH PIECE IS READY TO HANG.

Oh, and here's an attempt to show you the glory of the refractor, though it kinda turned out terrifying.

Kirk Gibson is being attacked by flying rainbow banshees! Save him!