Vintage pickups

I won another card from Greg Morris auctions the other day, and then set bids for a bunch more ending shortly and wound up winning a few to join in on the flat-rate shipping. Might as well get a post out of 'em, right?

A couple big boys from 1975 Topps to kick things off.

Nice pair of dueling All-Stars.

I ended up winning a couple Jim Rice rookies that ended around the same time, but I'd stop short of saying it was an accident; the cheaper creased card on the right can get thrown in the player collection.

Then I got Yaz from another eBay seller, and Vida Blue is also on the way, making the Reds team card with Sparky Anderson all that stands in my way of a complete 1975 Topps set. I'll have to grab one soon to wrap that up.

Back to the Greg Morris stuff, here's a pair of HOF Giants. I'm hoping to finally finish off 1964 Topps in the next year or two.

I'm not too picky with condition if it's a good deal, though I shy away from "Poor/Good" beaters when I can.

A couple more notable names and Bennie Daniels, notable for being the set's final card. Around this same time, I also knocked off more needs in my forthcoming COMC order that should push me over 80% complete when that shows up.

This Willie Montanez rocking the glorious ASR trophy was the initial win that prompted this round of pickups. Funny enough, I ended up losing all the proceeding 1972 Topps needs I bid on, but oh well, I got this one at least, and the few '75s and '64s to go with it. My '72 set currently sits at 95%, so I should be able to wrap up that one this year if I keep at it.

Planning on hitting a local card shop later this week for the first time in years with a blogger meetup scheduled for the local cardsphere crew and a visiting guest of honor from San Jose, so maybe I can score some needs then. Regardless, it'll be great to hang in person with some blogging buddies, assuming the inclement weather in the forecast doesn't spoil our plans.

coVIdNTAGE

 Time to show off the vintage from my big COMCOVID shipment.

I miss finding pre-Topps beaters for cheap at the card show. This well-loved pair of 1950 Bowman cards each ran me a buck-something. Love the artwork on these!

Bob Scheffing and Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones. Sure, in a perfect world I'd love to have these in EX/NM or whatever, but I don't mind wear on really old cards. Adds to the character. These cards lived. Kids in the 50s shoved these pieces of cardboard into their pockets, played with them down by the schoolyard, and at least in the case of the Jones, apparently ran them through the wash.

These non-sport tobacco minis were each under a dollar.

1968 Brooke Bond History of the Motor Car #48 -1967 Ferrari P4, 4 Litres

1925 Wills Life in the Tree Tops #28 Young Kestrels

I wanna say I saw some of these History of the Motor Car cards on somebody's blog, and went out to find one for myself. This was a year ago, before I started doing my Vintage Frankenset, so that didn't play a factor, but serendipitously I had an opening at #48, so this Ferrari will be pulling into a parking spot there.

Sadly the same can't be said for the Young Kestrels or above 1950 Bowman cards, as their numbers are already filled, but I suppose you can never have enough old-ass cards, right? Pulled the trigger on the 1925 Kestrels back in September 2019 for 75¢ from COMC seller MashingDingers, who I recognize as a Twitter acquaintance of mine (who has expressed an interest in writing a guest post, so who knows, might be a Baseball Card Breakdown collaborator at some point), but I don't think I bought it because it was from him, but probably just trying to find the oldest/cheapest card available that caught my eye.

I wanted to pick up some more Pumpsie Green cards and did just that by grabbing his '61 and '62 Topps. I remember reading his SABR bio while waiting at the vet during the final days my previous pup Annie's life, so there's an additional emotional component towards getting a little PC going for him, the first black player for the Red Sox.

Here's an unassuming 1969 Topps card that I heard about and had to score myself a copy. The highlight of this Mel Queen card is the back..

Both pitching and batting stats! Seems like Topps is usually too lazy to make a special back like this for 2-way players, so the extra effort is appreciated.

Lastly for this post, I picked up a couple cards for vintage sets I'm building. Bob Purkey is a nice semi-high number I found a good deal on for my '64 Topps set that's just over ¾ of the way complete, but one of the cards in this shipment I was most excited about is this particular Gene Baker for my '57 Topps set that's also inching towards 80% complete.

According to TCDB, 1957 Topps #176 Gene Baker is the only card in the set with error and corrected variations listed. As for which variation this one is..? Welp, it's actually a "missing link" between the two! Check it out:

The variation involves a printing flaw with the player name on back. Apparently some of the pressings had a bit too much red ink or something, flooding the last letter of text in the player's first and last name. "EUGENE W. BAKER" became "EUGENF W. BAKEP". I found a curious copy on COMC where the troublesome letters in question are not at their full errored state, but also not quite their fully formed correct versions either. The last E in Eugene has a shorter bottom compared to the top, and the R in Baker has a noticeably thinner tail.

The corrected variation is common and typically sells for under 5 bucks in average condition. I paid $1.25 for mine last fall. In researching around for this post, all recent completed listings on eBay show the error selling for comfortably in triple digits... except for one that sold for "just" $57, but in my opinion it's a fake. Take a look:

Really looks like some dipshit used a red pen to obscure the R in an attempt to increase the value of his 1957 Topps common. You can tell the coloring seems just a little off right there. And notice how the last E in Eugene is conspicuously full. If it was an authentic error variation, both the R and that E should have been affected (Correct me if I'm wrong, but they sure seem to go hand-in-hand). Yep, pretty sure this particular "error" card was faked. Lame. I feel bad for whoever bought it.

Anyways, I don't intend to drop $100+ on the error card-- no offence to Gene Baker who was an All-Star in '55 with the Cubs and got a ring as a bench guy on the 1960 Pirates-- but I'm glad to score what might be an even scarcer variation. What do you guys think, should mine be added to TCDB as a 3rd variation for the card, or would that just piss people off and I should continue to appreciate it as a printing-flaw oddity, not a true variation?

Thanks for swinging by and going down this Baker street with me.

a vintage advantage

Expect to see plenty of vintage on this blog in 2021 as my interest in current cards continues to wane (I don't plan to attempt ripping much if any current product this year). I've revived my goal of completing a page of each vintage Topps baseball set, and I've been filling out my new vintage (non-flagship) frankenset. Plus I've also got a few vintage setbuilds in varying stages of advancement, and sometimes I just pick up random singles for PCs or whatever. Such as...

Check it out! I hadn't picked up a playing-days Clemente in a while, and when I saw this '62 Post with a low opening bid, I took a run at it. The first four cards in this post were from the same seller, taking advantage of combined shipping. Not in perfect condition, but just right for my collection.

Clean back, too.

And here's a '61 Post Willie Mays. I threw bids on a handful of cards from the seller and this was another that I ended up with after the dust settled. Again, not in mint condition, but considering the fair price, works just fine for me. Helps kick up my little PC of the Say Hey Kid.

Some light pencil marks on the back that I've resisted the urge to try taking an eraser to.

I also snagged this '60 for my Minnie Minoso collection.

Looks good.

Here's the main card I was after from the seller. Bobby Richardson was one of the few notable rookie cards missing from my 1957 Topps setbuild. Took me a while to find one that looked ok in the price range I was hoping for, but I'm happy with this one.

Just barely makes it out of my personal "upgrade needed" threshold. It's from the toughest series of '57, so you can't be too choosy unless you really want to pay up.

Here are a couple more rookie cards of All-Stars that I needed for my set. Chris the Collector surprised me with this pair recently.

Thanks again, Chris! Very much appreciated!

About half my recent Sportlots box order was vintage cards, including a couple more '57 needs plus Don Larsen for my '64 build. It's been slow going, but I'm nearing 80% complete with both. Doubt I'll complete either this year.. maybe in 2022.

A more realistic goal for me this year would be to finish off at least one of the 70s sets I've got in the works. Thanks to these from Sportlots, I now have only 29 cards left on my 1974 wantlist, though the remaining cards are pretty much all HOFers and "Washington" Padres variations (the latter of which I've been considering cutting bait on). The Red Sox checklist finishes all of those red-bordered inserts for me, though I'd like to upgrade many of them from marked on the back to unmarked.

My 1978 build is a bit further out, with 131 cards still remaining after checking in these four. As always, please check out my wantlists and get in touch if you think you might be able to help me out with anything in trade. Thanks

Left-Leaning Vintage

The biggest card left for me to track down in my 1957 Topps setbuild was the Don Drysdale rookie. Spurred on by a "5% eBay Bucks" bonus offer the other week, I finally pulled the trigger on one.

As someone who works at PSA explained to me in a blog comment once, when a card has a qualifier-- such as this "(MC)" miscut here-- it effectively knocks the card value down by 2 grades. So like a PSA 8(OC) has roughly the equivalent value of a PSA 6. So yes, that would mean this Drysdale rookie has a negative grade by those guidelines. PSA -0.5!

Ha, I don't really care. I just like having some reassurance of authenticity when I buy a card that's likely no stranger to counterfeiting, and I didn't want to pay too much for it. I'm tempted to break Mr. Drysdale out of the slab. I suspect the surface marks around the middle of the card are wax stains, which would probably wipe off with a square of TP after a moment under a hair dryer.

While the card is very off-center to the left, there's still a sliver of border, and that's good enough for my OCD. If the photo "breaks the plane" of the card's edge, that kinda bugs me. But as long as there's unbroken border visible, no matter how thin or diamond-cut, it passes my personal centering standards. So I'm ok with the "MC" here.

But what really sinks the card's grade is the back...

Oh yikes. I didn't take a good look at the back photo in the listing before I clicked on the Buy-It-Now button. My bad! But oh well, I probably would have went through with the purchase anyways. At least you can still read most of it.

I'm not too picky about my '57 set. Just want to be able to say I've got a complete set of 1957 Topps Baseball. Just 94 cards left to go, and not many big names remaining. So hopefully in another couple years or so I'll finally put this one to bed.

Speaking of vintage Topps sets that I've had in the works for a few years now.....

This Ken Hubbs In Memoriam high-number is a key card I needed for my '64 setbuild. Recently found a solid deal on this one that has nearly identical centering issues as the '57 Drysdale, but again narrowly passes my quality standards.

I think it's awesome Topps put out this card, but maybe dedicating so much of the back to his batting stats was a disservice to a player renowned for his glove, and ultimately the existence of this card leads to me being upset at all the times Topps dropped the ball by not paying respects to active players who lost their lives through the years. Thurman Munson is the one that really sticks out like a sore thumb, but there are several who deserved an In Memoriam card along these lines.

And on that note of saying goodbye, sad to hear of the passing of Bob Gibson yesterday. Made for an emotional rollercoaster of an evening for me with the news coming out minutes after the Padres beat their postseason nemesis Cardinals to advance. Rest in peace, Mr. Gibson. One of the greats.

Return of the JediJeff

January 2018. A lifetime ago! I sent JediJeff a few decent cards in exchange for a Carlos Correa 2017 Panini Diamond Kings dual relic he had recently pulled. And then I waited. And waited. Real world stuff can be a bitch, and I know Jeff is a solid dude, so I tried to have patience and not bug him too much about it.

Woo! 32 months later, the card in question has arrived in my collection. LOL, it probably would have been more appreciated before the cheating scandal made this current Astros team universally hated outside of Houston diehards.

Ha, it's like a time capsule back to a previous wantlist.

Wow, ok now Jeff is getting my attention here in 2020. Awesome assortment of Trout! Those 2016 Topps Heritage 1967 Stand-Ups were tough pulls, I remember thanks to Night Owl collecting them, I think. Oh snap, I just looked up that 2013 Panini Prizm Fearless green parallel.. it's a $100+ card these days! Ok, I'm going to need to put together a strong package for Jeff to say thanks for this, trade "interest" or not!

That Bryce Harper Beckett card is the same as the similar Trout above, but the other side of it. Jeff gave me 2 of them so I can have one for each PC.. very courteous of him!

More cool stuff like a shiny Mookie, numbered Didi, Soto rookie.

Some '64 Topps spicing up the bunch of cards with a little vintage. Tom Haller is a semi high number I needed. Sweet!

Nice looking Star Wars cards here.

I did a little "pack searching" to see who's in these unopened packs of 2018 Archives coins. Would you look at that.. I've got player collections going for all six of these guys! It's times like these that I feel a bit like a player-collecting slut.

Hall of Famers. Much respect.

I need to move my Larry Walker PC from the "retired guys" section into the "hall of famers" section. I probably need a few of these.

And a pretty legit smattering of random Padres.

Thank you, Jeff! This is a trade I'll never forget (partially because it lasted a fair chunk of my life, lol, but also that sweet Trout surprise). Dare I say it was worth the wait!

Now let's start work on another trade that takes nearly 3 years for that orange Tatis. ;)

Remembering that time you bought in a 2016 Bowman case break for $5 and going back to your team sets cuz you recall getting a few Tatis Jr cards...... pic.twitter.com/9uasc35T5G

— Jeff Wilk 🏳️‍🌈 (@jedijeff13) September 26, 2020

Drunk on Cardboard

I know I said I wasn't going to be posting much for the next few weeks. And you guys are probably thinking, "How can we miss you if you don't go away?" But it would be rude of me not to acknowledge incoming mail from the cardsphere.

First up is a contest win (?) from Johnny's Trading Spot. I don't know exactly what happened, but he posted asking me and AJ to pick between blue and green, then a week or so later I received a PWE from him.

Yes! I'm pulling away from the pack for the title of #1 Luis Torrens collector! This 2013 Panini Elite Extra Edition - Status Emerald #'d 04/25 gives me an "insurance run" over the collector with the 2nd most Torrenses.

Nice.. Glow Stars are always appreciated regardless if I already have them. The same cannot be said for Gavin Floyd cards, but I'm John's designated Gavin depository, like it or not. LOL. And I'm not sure if those Celebrity Predictions cards were intended for a particular avenue of my collection (if so, help me out, John.. I'm at a loss) or were just some randomness to spice up the envelope.

Regardless.. Thank you, John!

-  -  --o

Next up is friend of the blog Larry P. coming through with a hefty stack of 1992 Leaf Black Gold for my setbuild. Love these! This lot takes me from about a quarter complete way up to nearly scratching at the halfway point now. Thanks, Larry!

-   -   - -  --o

Last one for today is a terrific surprise package from Brian over at Highly Subjective and Completely Arbitrary. I included him in my small holiday mailblast back in December, sending over a few decent Twins cards I had accumulated for him over the prior months. He hit me back with a vengeance.

Speaking of the holidays... These ornament cards are fun, and it's always nice to add a new Gwynn to the PC.

1964 Topps needs! I've been slacking on this setbuild the past year or two, so it's very appreciated when a trade buddy can help breath life into the quest with a few needs. Highlighted by the Batting Leaders card featuring Yaz and Kaline, this lot brings me to 73.68% complete, with 155 cards remaining.

Wow, a trio of early Gavin Cecchini autos! The former Mets first-rounder is currently in camp with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal. I hope he's able to regain his form and make it up to Chase Field this season.

The festive Trout is nice, and I'm pretty sure that's my first certified auto of Chase Headley. Pretty cool.

A couple impressive José Ramírez cards! Hoping he bounces back to have an all-star 2020.

Ok, it's now last call. Let's close things out with a strong Beer...

Boom!! Christmas Card autograph of a current top prospect! That's what I'm talking about!

The Astros chose to draft Beer in the 1st round (28th overall) in 2018. Next thing you know, Seth hops over to the Diamondbacks org last summer, part of the package bringing Zack Greinke to Houston. The 23-year old chugged his way to a robust .897 OPS in the minors so far in his professional career and is ranked as Arizona's #4 prospect at the moment. I'll drink to that!

This is my first Bowman Next AFL card. I'm not sure how these things were distributed, but I assume it's an "online exclusive" type of deal (Looks reminiscent of Topps Now). As you can see, it's encased.. and no, I don't plan to crack open this Beer anytime soon. (I might need to PC this guy for the beer puns alone!)

Awesome stuff. Big thanks, Brian! I'll have to hit you back with a few more cards soon to try balancing the scales.