Stacking Plates

I've scored myself 3 printing plates in the past few months and I figured I'd round them up into a post.

Here's big Dave Winfield bursting out of the batter's box. I'm always keeping an eye on active Topps Retired auctions, mainly searching for 'dem sweet /25 refractor autos, but sometimes I stumble upon other cool stuff, such as a reasonably priced printing plate of one of my main PC guys.

A cyan plate of a Blue Jays card counts as a color match, don't it?

Well, howbout a magenta plate of a Cardinals card?

Khalil Greene played during years I wasn't collecting cards, but I specifically recall thinking to myself that he's a guy I'd be all over if I were collecting at the time. An interesting young kid on the Padres who came up big occasionally but ultimately never quite fulfilled his promise of being a good MLBer. After I got back into collecting a few years later, I started putting together a respectable PC of his cards, helping remind me of that era of Padres baseball, as well as my "lost years" out of the hobby.

2009 Topps is Khalil's sunset card. The Padres had just traded him away to St. Louis, though the change of scenery sadly didn't help his numbers. That was his last season in baseball despite an impressive spring training with his new club, to the point where he was batting clean-up on Opening Day behind Albert Pujols, but Khalil's problem seems to be that he put too much pressure on himself and couldn't turn the page, to the point of self-harm. Perhaps if he was coming up today, there would be more mental health assistance available and his career might've turned out differently.

Last guy for today is another Padres fan favorite..

After a long wait, I finally scored another Bip Roberts autographed plate! Yep, 2014 Topps Archives included Bip in their Fan Favorites Autographs checklist. Giddy with this development, I smashed buy-it-now on a base auto on the product release day and I've been building the rainbow ever since.

Back in June 2014, I traded with former blogger ARPSmith for the magenta plate that he pulled. A few months later in November 2014, I scored the yellow plate on eBay. Then a decade went by with no progress until the cyan plate popped up just last November. Now there's just the black plate left to try tracking down.

Turns out there also a 1/1 red parallel (non-plate) that I also need to complete the rainbow. And dang it, I haven't been keeping an eye out for that, so it's probably too late by this point. But whatever, I'm more interested in the printing plate quadfecta.

The following year, 2015, Topps put Bip into Stadium Club (with the sombrero, but no autos). Those are the only two instances to date of Topps showing the Bipper any post-career love. But I guess I shouldn't complain, because if they put out more Bip autos I'd probably have to buy them all. lol

Anybody know what Bip is up to these days, by the way? Last I heard he was a part of the extended broadcast team in Oakland, but that was a while ago, and now Oakland doesn't even have a team anymore.

Speaking of Bip, I skimmed a recent Pitchfork article about how "Bip" is a hip slang word on the rise. The writer failed to mention Mr. Roberts nor bipping as "surprising someone with several copies of the same trading card", as we on the cardsphere know it, but rather among several possibilities, could mean "conducting illicit transactions, driving around smoothly while conducting those illicit transactions, or just masterfully driving in general. [...] In its other, more benign definitions, getting “bipped up” means you’ve gotten a fresh haircut or hairstyle."

Safe bippin' out there, y'all!

Refractor Friday #4: Steve Carlton 2005 Topps Retired refractor auto

A little follow-up to my big Chicago vacation post from last week.

Unforgivably, I neglected to mention pizza in that post, and for that I apologize. The first time we had pizza in the city was Saturday night when the family (not exactly sure who, but they did not get a consensus) ordered some thin, unpleasant tasting garbage for the group which I choked down but did not enjoy. Some of our party seemed to really like it, but my wife and I agreed under our breath that it was terrible. But not to worry...

Thankfully we were able to stop at a popular pizza joint (Lou Malnati's Pizzeria) for lunch while killing time before heading to the airport on Monday, so I'm happy to report we were able to experience "authentic Chicago deep-dish" before leaving town. It was very good, and helped us overcome the trauma of the nasty cardboard pizza from a couple days earlier. (For the record, my current favorite pizza would probably be Sparky's here in Portland.)

Despite Saturday's despicable dinner debacle, it was a good day overall. My wife and I celebrated 8 years of reasonably harmonious matrimony. The cardboard gods smiled upon our union and gave me an anniversary present that morning as I checked eBay and was greeted with a Retired refractor I needed at a solid buy-it-now price that I jumped on right away.

I've had the base version of this Steve Carlton autograph for a while, but was hoping a refractor parallel would pop up at a realistic price for me one day. That's exactly how it went down and the card arrived soon after I returned home. Despite buying the card while in Illinois, still got away with no sales tax thanks to being an Oregon resident.

2005 is Lefty's only Topps Retired appearance, as he wasn't included in the '03 or '04 sets for whatever reason.

No doubt among the top pitchers of the era, as evidenced by all the red stats on the back. His numbers slipped in the last few years of his career, but hard to blame the guy for wanting to keep playing the game he loved, even with his days at the top of the rotation behind him.

One more look at it. Beautiful card, right?! I can never get enough of those Topps Retired refractors.

So yeah, between this Steve Carlton auto and the Katey Sagal I showed off before, it's cool that I've got some memories of that Chicago trip woven into my card collection.

Onto the contest time. You couldn't have scripted it better, but Dimebox Nick ended up guessing the winning number-- after I nearly met up with him on the trip in question-- while the good ol' trader bud of mine that I know best as "Sport Card Collectors" (Matt) scored the bonus prize.

After a couple days without a winner, I was beginning to worry the lucky numbers would go unpicked, but then Matt picked 20 (which was the "bonus prize" number, the unpicked number from the previous contest [Finnegan]) and then Nick hit the grand prize with his guess of Ernie Banks being the 3rd card of the print run. Congrats, fellas! PWEs forthcoming.

This week's mystery card is the 2014 Rene Rivera black parallel numbered out of 63. I'll help narrow down the winning number by giving you the hint that it's an age you might expect a ballplayer to be (so, not over 50, etc). First comment below to guess that number (and follow basic rules of these earlier contests) will get to pick 4 cards from the prize pool... which is currently a bit outdated in the wake of Nick and Matt's selections, but I will be replenishing very soon. (Wanted to have that done by now, but Friday turned out to be a busy work day and so I'll have to bump restocking the pool till the weekend.) Maybe if you wanna fill out your comment more, tell me your favorite pizza place/toppings. I'm pretty easy to please as far as toppings, though I like to add jalapenos when possible.

Thanks for joining me for another round of refraction appreciation!

Back into Beckett

I got a kick out of the Night Owl Cards post from last month titled Ego trip. Not only was it the high quality blogging that Greg's known for, but also there was a cool little easter egg in there for me. See, he was talking about his latest article to be published in Beckett, one showing off highlights from his impressive Dodgers collection, and a custom card I made for him made it in there.

"Hey, I made one of those cards!"

I printed 3 of these cards that Ron Cey was nice enough to sign and return through the mail. I surprised Night Owl with one, traded one to Stealing Home Oscar, and kept the above for myself. Not my best custom or anything, but I like the celebratory image even if it's not very sharp.

The iconic June 1990 Beckett with football/baseball Bo Jackson photo was the first one I bought as a kid. I feel like that transaction pinpoints the moment I officially became a full-fledged baseball card collector. "Alright, let's get serious about this stuff!"

This copy of the magazine is actually my second, picked up later. The original got cut up. I remember I had this 2-page Bo Jackson collage taped up in the little "card room" area of my bedroom.

(Ernest P. Worrell on a Todd Worrell card, lol!) I made a few "fun cards" like this back then, though never got around to mailing anything in for publication consideration.

I don't think I ever ponied up for a subscription, but seems like I would buy the new Beckett from the local card shop every month for the next 3 years, eventually cooling on the hobby for other teenage interests around mid 1993.

Jump a couple more years, and I ended up in a bookstore or something in 1995 and decided to buy a Beckett for old time's sake and take a curious check-in on the hobby and the prices for some of my inactive collection. I got rid of most of my old Becketts over the years, but saved this Kenny Lofton since it was the most recent one I owned and therefore had the most accurate price guide. (LOL)

So anyways, very cool for me to kinda sneak into Beckett, even if just in a tiny way. Me from 1990 got his mind blown, for sure. 

Now let's hit a few incoming cards I've been meaning to post about. Not many (ungraded) Topps baseball cards from 1990 sell for more than a buck each these days, but I've got a few to show off.

I love these "Kmart greenies" as I call them. The quirky blue gloves and fat trophy are just awesome. 1990 Topps Batting Leaders.. basically inserts only available through special Kmart rack-packs of '90 Topps. They're pretty rare, as far as Topps cards from 1990 go. The red ones from 1989 are ever rarer, but I prefer the green. Found an eBay seller with these 3 big names for a good price.

Little easter egg I noticed with these is that they're numbered by rank on the active career batting leaders (going into the 1990 season). So like, Boggs' .352 batting average earned him the #1 spot on the checklist, with Gwynn's .332 placing second (though Tony would pass Wade later in the decade, which I must point out as a Padres fan). I now have 6 of the 22 total Kmart greenies. Completing the set isn't a priority at the moment, but I'd at least like to keep an eye out for the rest of the guys I collect if I can find them for a decent price.

It's a sentimental "twofer" for me, being from the year I started collecting, plus I worked at Kmart for a year in high school.

I still have/use the mug I got the time I made employee of the month! Reads "Safety & Shortage Control" and pictures a dog giving double thumbs-up. I think it also came with $50 store credit or something like that. I wasn't collecting at the time, and I don't recall cards sold at the Kmart I worked, so that store credit didn't go to cards. But this was circa 1995, so hey, maybe I bought that Kenny Lofton Beckett with it? We had a pretty decent magazine selection; could have carried Beckett then.

More Topps cards from 1990 that manage to rise above the "junk" classification of the era. The same seller I got the 3 greenies from also had this pair (1990 Topps TV Glossy All-Star Set) cheap with combined shipping, so I added them to the order.

As far as non-normal backs go, these are pretty cool. MLB Service time isn't a stat you see listed on cards very often!

Now let's do a quick Topps Retired Triad. Got three 2005 Retired refractors lined up.

Paul O'Neill is better remembered as a Yankee, but cool to see him pictured with the Reds from the first half of his career. Teacher supply store billboard in the background gives the card some extra character.

Part of the Reds team that won the World Series in 1990, keeping with the loose theme of the post. And who did Cincinnati vanquish that October to claim their title?

...

Tony LaRussa lead the A's on an impressive run back then. Nice photo of the skipper helping out with defensive drills.

But really though, Mrg. LaRussa didn't really have any business in a set called 2005 Topps Retired Signature Edition. He was still active at the time, not retired. The year after this card came out, he won the World Series with the Cardinals. Crazy that he's active again now, keeping the White Sox in the thick of the pennant race this year. I can't think of any other cards in the three-year run of Topps Retired where the career stats on the back advanced after the card was made. (Bob Brenly has a 2005 Retired card, though 2004 was his last year of managing, so he came close. Brian Cashman got a card in 2005 Retired despite being an active front office person. I guess Topps Non-Active Player Signature Edition wasn't quite as catchy. Oh wait, I found another Retired card with old career stats: Grady Little was in 2005 Retired and then went on to manage the Dodgers for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Oh, and one more: Jimmy Leyland has a 2005 Retired card and then managed the Tigers from 2006 through 2013.)

Jay Buhner closes out today's trio of recent pickups. A bigtime Buhner collector was liquidating some PC cards and actually had two of these refractors. I called dibs on this one because it had a more pleasing signature-- just enjoy it for a moment; beautiful, right?!-- and another buyer snagged the other, less beautiful one a little while later.

Fine career for Junior's bash brother in Seattle and cause of consternation for Frank Costanza.

That'll do it for this time. Thanks for reading!

Retired Refractor Tom Terrific Trifecta

I've been collecting Topps Retired since just before I started blogging, and I've recently unlocked the achievement of completing a trifecta of refractor autographs from each of the 3 Retired releases.

Tom Seaver refractors from 2003, 2004, and 2005 sure look nice together. If only they could have shown him with Cincinnati for '04, it could have kinda visually recapped his career in cardform, but that's a minor complaint.

I should note that while this is the first time I've owned a refractor auto from all 3 Retired sets of one guy at one time, I have in my life had all 3 Robin Yount ref autos. A few years ago I got a good deal on a Yount '03 Retired refractor that I soon turned around and sold for a hefty profit to a guy working on the set (also sold him my Willie Mays from the same set for twice what I paid, and then later a Fred Lynn). At the time I already had an '04 Yount refractor, and not long thereafter I also got an '05 refractor, but didn't have all 3 at the same time. I've since grown a little more serious about collecting 2003 Retired refractors (and 2005... in addition to 2004 which has always been my #1), so I probably wouldn't make that same deal today. It's not a huge regret of mine, though I do hope to someday land another '03 Yount refractor (and Mays and Lynn). [I wonder how that guy's set is coming along.]

If you're curious, these are the players have autos in all 3 releases of Topps Retired Signature Edition:

Bobby Richardson
Brooks Robinson
Cal Ripken, Jr
Carlton Fisk
Dale Murphy
Don Mattingly
Duke Snider
Dwight Gooden
Ernie Banks
Frank Robinson
Gary Carter
Johnny Bench
Jose Canseco
Nolan Ryan
Orlando Cepeda
Ozzie Smith
Paul O'Neill
Ralph Kiner
Robin Yount
Rod Carew
Ron Santo
Stan Musial
Tom Seaver
Tony Gwynn
Vida Blue
Wade Boggs
Whitey Ford
Yogi Berra

I've got at least 1 Retired refractor from all these guys (2004, where I'm only missing Trammell [who isn't in '05]). Several of them I've got 2 of the 3, with '03 usually being the elusive one. Seems that set is a little more popular, with its clean design and dual photos, reminiscent of 1983 Topps. (Though really it's just a white-bordered remix of the blue 2003 Topps flagship design.)

But back to Tom Seaver, the 2005 was the last one I needed, and the only one I haven't shown off on the blog before, so let's take a closer look:

Those White Sox unis from the 80s are something else, eh? By the time Seaver got to Chicago, he wasn't quite the dominant ace of his younger days, but still a dependable starter. Compiled 17 complete games over that 2 and a half year span and picked up his 300th win with the club.

This card had been overpriced on eBay for a while. I added it to my watchlist to keep an eye on it, and eventually the seller sent out one of those private offers for like half off which brought it down to a fair price and I'd pulled the trigger. 

Full disclosure, its original case was scratched up and missing the hologram sticker seal, but I soon found myself with a good "donor" case to swap Tom into. I realize this could be frowned upon if I was intending to sell it.. like I'm "altering" it or whatever. But again, I'm not planning on selling it, I just like my Retired autos to have uniformity. And new collectors today really only care about graded cards, so whoever gets this card next will very possibly decide to send it in for grading, meaning it'd get busted out of the case anyways to be put into the grading company's slab. The card itself has been sheltered from the harsh world, only being outside of a Topps "uncirculated" hard case for a brief moment during the transfer.

One of the greats!

Thanks for reading.

A lotta Alous

Catching up on some incoming cards. 

I stumbled upon a lot of 2005 Topps Chrome refractors (seller was breaking up a partial set in chunks of 20-25 cards) and I ended up winning the auction for just a few bucks. I'm a sucker for a shiny card, what can I say. Larry Walker was my main interest here.. glad to add another card from his St. Louis days, underrepresented in my collection. Gavin Floyd was another PC need. The cards of Rondell White, Moises Alou, and Tim Salmon are ticketed for my 9-pocket PC binder.. dudes I don't really collect, but maybe collect just a little.

The rest of the lot is available for trade. Just let me know if you could use any of these '05 refractors.

-  - ---o

Back to the Alou...

Check out this trifecta I've achieved of 2005 Alou refractors! All with the Giants, coincidentally. Sadly, Felipe Alou was not included in 2005 Topps Retired so a brotherly trifecta isn't possible, but his son Moises slots right in with uncles Jesús and Matty. Of course Moises isn't an auto and the one-touch is just for show, as he's now in a page near the front of in the 9-pocket binder.

I've now completed Moises Alou' page since starting this draft. Looks pretty good. The three 1990 cards are from my childhood collection-- one of the few prospects I was "big on" as a kid who actually went on to a solid career. If not for missing two prime years to injury, may've had a strong HOF case. (b-r stats) His 39.9 career WAR tops Harold Baines' 38.7, for what that's worth.

Bottom left is a card made of metal-- I figure bottom left is the most structurally sound pocket for a heavy card like that. Center square is my only Moises auto, picked up in 2017 while smitten with colored-bordered parallels of the 1986 Topps design (big improvement matching team name color to lower border, though the player name in white would be more readable). A couple fun Pacific cards on the right. If I had to give one card here the boot, it'd be the top Stadium Club card. Wouldn't mind swapping that out for a Marlins card (1997, his lone championship) or a Cubs card (the Bartman incident is probably what first comes to mind when I think of Moises. That and peeing on his hands for toughness. Well, I don't actually think of the act of him peeing on his hands, rather just the fact that it was something he apparently did.)

But back to the trio of '05 Alou refractors...

Topps slighted Matty on the back, withholding any red ink stats despite a batting crown in '66 and leading the league in a few other categories in '69.

-  - --o

Ok, that's all the Alou for today. Now a quick trade recap.

Finally did my first TCDB trade of 2021 thanks to user "hershey" proposing a swap. He sent me a few cards I needed for my Ghostbusters II setbuild, plus a needed Dan Walters card.

Looks like user "bronnerea" set his collection to private on TCDB, meaning I just moved up the leaderboard for several of my PCs. With 25 of 42 Dan Walters cards, I'm now his #1 collector on the site. So that's kinda cool.

I still need eight base cards to finish off 1989 Topps Ghostbusters 2, but at least now I've completed the sticker inserts.

Here are the backs of the 11 stickers. 10 form the puzzle, and one to show you what it looks like. This is a very familiar promotional image for me because I had a real, large puzzle of it when I was a kid. In fact, I still own the box...

I remember putting it together at least once as a kid. All the dark background pieces made for a boring puzzle, honestly, but still a decent way to pass time back in the pre-internet days. I seem to recall the last time I attempted to put it together, one of the dark background pieces had gone missing. I ended up throwing away the rest of the pieces, but hung onto the box for miscellaneous storage since it's cool (used to keep cassette tapes in it until getting rid of them a while back).

Looks like it ran me (or more likely my mom) $5.99 at the corner Longs drugstore.

Hey, speaking of the Ghostbusters, I had been thinking I didn't hang onto any of my childhood Ghostbusters guys, but then stumbled across Peter Venkman in a box of my old stuff the other day. I was inspired to take him into the backyard for a little photoshoot.

Look out, Dr. Venkman! There's ectoplasmic activity afoot.

That's it for today. Happy Friday, everybody.

Buying Cards I Already Owned [a handwritten post]