Random Cardness 001

Just wanted to do an experiment. I'm going to randomly pick 5 cards that I've scanned at one point and post them here. Lets see I'll do a Football, Baseball, Basketball, Non-Sport and Hockey I guess.

OK Here goes:

FOOTBALL:

 1973 Topps Mercury Morris Dolphins

 

Dang it I recently blogged about getting this one. The card itself is not bad. It is a card that is in demand pretty much since Mercury was on the "Perfect Season" Dolphins in '72. I got this card from Ebay for pretty cheap if I recall correctly.

BASEBALL:

2003 Bowman's Best Josh Willingham Marlins Auto

ACK! Again with a fairly recently blogged card. This Josh Willingham card I bought from a fellow card collector from TCC for $10 bucks I think.

That makes one wonder if the "randomness" is truly random. Well let me tell you it was. In the "compose" mode here at blogger.com I clicked on the add an image icon and opened up each of my picture folders one at a time and scrolled down a bit and than clicked one at random. I wasn't happy with some of the choices but with being random you gotta go with what you get.

I was wanting to try to highlight some cards I haven't shown before that is one of the reasons I decided to add Basketball into the mix and speaking of which that is next:

BASKETBALL:

 2008-09 Upper Deck Antawn Jamison Wizards

As I said I wanted to highlight some cards I haven't yet, and probably wouldn't thus adding Basketball into the mix. I don't really pursue basketball, and haven't liked it since the early 1980s. It may have been because of the general attitudes of some of the basketball jocks I knew in High School and College. The only Basketball cards I actively pursue are From the Bullets/Wizards Franchise, even then it is very infrequently.

NON-SPORT:

 

1993 Cardz Tales From the Crypt

64 October 1950 Comic no.20 Cover

In the early 1990s (starting in '89 really) HBO had a television Horror series "Tales From the Crypt" based on the old 1950 pulp comics. In 1993 the card company CARDZ which specialized in Non-Sport Cards, released this 110 base card set. The special "chase" cards from the set were a subset of Hologram cards. That was before the big costume piece (same idea as jersey cards for the sports) and auto cards.

HOCKEY:

1993 Classic Prospects

3 Manon Rheaume "The First Lady of Hockey"

Back in the early 1980s the Classic Game company produced a ton of cards. I recall first seeing them at the toy store I worked at, I thought of them more as part of a game than serious trading cards. Most of the cards I recalled from back then were "4 Sport" cards a series of cards that had players from the 4 major US sports Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey. Around this time a young lady named Manon Rheaume was making strides in the boys club of professional hockey. She signed as a free agent for the Tampa Bay Lightning as goalie, and played in a couple of preseason games in 1992 and '93 making her the first woman to play in the NHL. Just about all of the Manon Rheaume cards I have I've gotten from Ebay. Most of them I have gotten in lots of several cards. This is one of those cards.

OK so that does it for this Random Cardness experiment.

One Year Ago Today!

http://ultimatewax.com/forums/

Amazing little internet tidbit. One year ago today I made a post on a card collecting website called Ultimate Wax that alas has been dead for a little over a year now. My last post there mentioned how it had been more than 2 months since there was regular posting at that site. Since then there were 1 maybe two unfortunate people who "joined" the site after it had pretty much up and died. The thread subject title is "if you log in every day but dont post cuz there is nothing to reply to post here". Sad the site was in use for just a little more than a year.

Note: Unless there has been recent activity on the Ultimate Wax website this post entry will be automatically posted at the same time of day I originally posted my message over there.

NFL HOF Museum Playing Cards.

 Here are some neat decks of playing cards that depict the Pro Football Hall of Fame (NFL) Museum Building in Canton, Ohio. I got both of them from fishing on the Bay. In the Summer (or maybe spring, or fall I'm not sure of the time of year) of 1980 my brother and I drove to Canton, Ohio home of the NFL Hall of Fame. I have some vague memories of it, one of the most vivid memories was walking around the outside of the Hall buildings I think there were only 3 at the time, and the 4th was being built or there were 2 and the 3rd was being built. I'm not sure of the time-line history of the buildings. The biggest memory that sticks out was actually the stadium and the field where they play the games. At the time we were there (we spent only a few hours) it was either way before the Hall of Fame Game or way after for that year. The stadium was empty and we could see the rather plain field. That part was a little disappointing. Anyway on with the playing cards.

Both sets I've got are similar in the back designs they show the Main Museum building the first one is in sepia tone the other one in full color.

The Sepia Tone Deck appears to be from the 1960s based on the cars that are shown in the picture. The deck seems to be a promo device for a company called "Superior Dairy Products Build Champions". The box (and the jokers) have some manufacturer information, but not the actual copyright date. It is made by Brown & Bigelow (division of Standard Packaging Corp. St. Paul 4, Minnesota).

Here is the back of the deck box, the Ace of Spades, one of the two identical Jokers and the face cards of the Hearts.

The full color one I used to have a similar one from back when my brother and I visited the Hall around 1980. It is probably made in the late1970s, it  could be a more modern issue based on the late 70s version I originally had. Of course that deck is long gone this is a new one. I thought the deck I used to have years ago had the gold flecked edges but I'm not sure if that was true. I might be confusing it with a deck of Disney World cards we had that showed Cinderella's Castle. This one doesn't have the gold on the edge. Anyway this new deck is still sealed I got for $20 delivered. The original "Buy It Now or Best Offer" price was $20.00 with $6.00 shipping. I made an offer of $14 ($20 delivered) and they accepted that. I wasn't going to pay much more than $20 for this set, even with a ton of sentimental value of it. This deck just says "Made in China" not sure of manufacturer. Maybe the Ace of Spades has that info. I won't know unless I find an exact copy that is opened.

Mattel Instant Replay Discs

 

 Back in the day early 1970s around '71/'72 Mattel released a wonderful electronic audio toy. The Portable Instant Replay Record Player. The hand held audio device used batteries (1 D cell) and played these little 2.5" records. The player came with 4 discs to start your collection off, then they sold sets of 4 discs of football, baseball, basketball, racing and mixed sports. I forget if Hockey was included or not. The little button on the side basically was just a play/eject button, it might of had a fast forward but I think it was just play/stop/eject. Every once in a while Ebay will have some of the discs available and sometimes the players.

Instant Replay Black Disc back.

I had the blue version of the player which I think was the first generation one, my brother had the Red version which I think came about a year later (1972) with "double sided" discs. Those discs had two pictures on the disc but I think just played on one side. The quality of the recordings was not that great, and as your battery ran down so did the playing of whatever was on the disc.

Back in the day my brother and I had about two dozen of the discs or so. There were many players I recall knowing about because I had this "toy". Over the years the discs were lost to time, or rather the "utility room" in our basement. Many of the discs sell for between $10-$30 or more sometimes you can find lots of several of the discs for a better price.

Anyway my rebuilt collection of the discs (useless as audio records unless I can find a working player for a decent price) are shown below. The Frank Robinson disc I got for $15.00 at my local card shop and the Sonny Jurgensen I got for $6.99 (+$2.00 postage) from Ebay.

 

 Sonny Jurgensen

The Ebay seller sent as a bonus an unopened pack of 1991 Upper Deck The Quarterback's Challenge cards distributed by Domino's Pizza. I'm debating if I should open the pack or not.

Cubs Icon Ron Santo Dead at age 70

Ron Santo Banner from chicago.cubs.mlb.com

 

Sad News today. One of the Chicago Cubs Legendary and most loved by fans players passed way last night (Thursday 02 Dec). Ron Santo died of bladder cancer he was 70.

AP news story from msn.foxsports.com.

Some '60s & '70s Vintage Football

Here are some recent catches from the Bay:

1961 Topps 130 John Paluck Redskins

  

He reminds me of someone.....

Actor David Leisure as Joe Isuzu Compulsive Lying spokesperson.

 1969 Topps 125 Roman Gabriel Rams

 

1972 Topps 3 - 1971 AFC Passing Leaders

Bob Griese Dolphins/Len Dawson Chiefs/Virgil Carter Bengals

1972 Topps  120 Terry Bradshaw Steelers Pro Action

 

 1972 Topps 128 Roman Gabriel Rams Pro Action

 1973 Topps 48 Mercury Morris Dolphins

1973 Topps 214 Nick Buoniconti Dolphins

Of course one of the questions that Dolphins collectors have to consider is Do you collect the 1972 Topps Dolphins cards or the 1973 Topps Dolphins cards to have the "Perfect Season Team Set"? As a Redskins fan I'll just leave that question up to the Phins phans and keep out of it.

Bonus Packs!

When I bought some cards recently (See post "Some Vintage Baseball") I received some bonus cards and some BONUS WAX PACKS. Now these packs are from the early 1990s the JUNK WAX years so they might not have much of anything of any real value. Two of them I'll probably sell, trade, or maybe open to see what is in them, the other I'll probably keep as is. Anyway here they are:

 1990 Upper Deck Foil Pack

The 1990 Upper Deck Set contains 800 cards and the only key cards are the Sammy Sosa RC and a Nolan Ryan Card #734 6th No-Hitter. There are two variations of this card one with a banner that says 300th Win on bottom right corner and one without the banner. The variation 734A without the banner is rarer and apparently worth more than the 724B banner version. Fun fun fun.

 1990 Donruss Wax Pack

The 1990 Donruss Set contains 716 cards. As with the tradition started in 1982 cards 1-26 are the Diamond Kings subset, with card 27 being the DK checklist. Then cards 28-47 are Rated Rookies cards. Again the Sammy Sosa Rookie card in this set is a Key card as well as an error RC card of Juan Gonzalez. Oh an the Puzzle is of.. Carl Yastrzemski.

Next up is the 1989 Topps Set it contains 792 cards. Key cards are RCs of Craig Biggio, John Smoltz and Randy Johnson (I think I've got that one somewhere, or did). The kicker on this pack, and the reason I just might keep this pack and keep it sealed is it is majorly miscut.

1989 Topps Wax Pack - Miscut

So campers and Knooknicks what should I do with these packs? If the process wasn't soo expensive I'd consider sending the Topps pack to get graded as some sort of packaging error. There are at least 2 reasons I won't the first as I said it is expensive (and you should send several items to be graded not just a single solitary pack). The second I don't like having things entombed in plastic. They grade and entomb comics as well as cards, I can understand the cards but comics? Comics are supposed to be read also, not just looked at. I like the "feel" of things in a collection, even if you put them in plastic sleeves or binder pages you still have a sense of their feel. Slab them up inside the plastic and they lose some of their character.

1968 Topps Baseball

 

Card 278 Checklist 4th Series (for cards 284-370)

I was going to make this a post about just one card I had gotten recently (Jim Brewer), but I figured I'd talk about the whole set for this particular year. 1968 Topps Baseball. I think I had a ton more of these things when I was a kid than I do even now with buying what seems like a ton of them one or two cards at a time every few months. I'm not sure exactly which year was the first year I personally ripped open a trading card wax pack, but I do recall 1968 as being one of the first years I remember having cards from. I think 1970 or 1971 was the first year I personally opened a pack, or "bought" one. When you are a kid your "purchases" are usually really your parents or an older sibling "buying" the item for you while you wait impatiently to rip open whatever package it is you are about to get. I also recall that for the '68 cards the background pattern for some of the cards was really funky. the detail in the pattern of the dots or splotches seemed to vary. I couldn't decide if they were going for the look of a cork bulletin board or burlap sacks.

 298 Jim Brewer Dodgers

The most recent '68 card I've acquired.

114 Ron Swoboda Mets

Yes my card is cut off like that on the bottom (miscut)

 159 Don Kessinger Cubs

 235 Ron Santo Cubs

Ron also appeared on card #19 in the 

Insert Game cards Topps Released in 1968

(That is for another post)

While I'm mentioning Ron Santo Cards

1971 Topps 220

 1973 Topps 115

Some vintage Baseball

I bought 3 cards from another member at TCC and he added 2 bonus cards plus some wax packs (I'll make another post for the wax packs, I've gone over my limit on labeling to include all the years of everything and the other 2 brands.)

OK so I bought:

 1964 Topps 260 Frank Robinson Reds

 1964 Topps 306 "Giant Gunners"

Willie Mays & Orlando Cepeda

1973 Topps 90 Brook Robinson Orioles

And Got BONUS CARDS:

1979 Topps 417 All-Time Record Holders

STRIKEOUTS Nolan Ryan (Season) & Walter Johnson (Career)

 1982 Topps 636 Philadelphia Phillies Team Leaders

 '81 Batting & Pitching Leaders

 Pete Rose & Steve Carlton

 

In the same package I also got some BONUS unopened wax packs 1990 Donruss & 1990 Upper Deck, Plus a 1989 Topps Wax Pack with a wrapper that is majorly miscut (and a piece of stale gum which is in at least two pieces now). I will post pics of those packs in another post sometime.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings Nick Johnson Framed

In a recent purchase from the Bay I got a Red Framed 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings 139 Nick Johnson Expos/Nationals. 2005 was the first year the relocated Montreal Expos played as The Washington Nationals in DC. Many cards from this time like this one will picture the player in their Expos uniform, but the card will say they play for the Nationals. This is the Red Framed version. The card has a glued-on maroon colored frame border and the Diamond Kings logo at the bottom is in a shiny metallic Red lettering. I think these framed versions are less common than the standard version. I have one of those I just haven't scanned it yet, when I do I'll probably do a side-by-side comparison, or just repost this scan with the standard one. They missed out by not serial numbering these, I would have liked if they had done that with this set.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

139 Nick Johnson  Expos Red Framed

Now the Ebay seller that I got this card from also included some "Bonus" cards (six total). Here are the six cards that were sent as a Bonus all six are for trade:

1990 Upper Deck 684  Jack Armstrong Reds
1990 Fleer 151 Andy Benes Padres
1990 Fleer 429 Jeff Reed Reds
 1992 Topps Stadium Club 684 Phil Stephenson Padres
1998 Topps Chrome (Yuck) 77 Greg Vaughn Padres
1998 Topps Chrome 212 Gerald Williams Brewers

The 1992 Topps Stadium Club Phil Stephenson card has no stats charts because and I quote "Insufficient Major League data available for an accurate analysis of batting strengths and weaknesses". Wait two years playing and NO STATS? This card is his 1992 card, they are just showing his rookie card on the back. And the Stadium Club series was Topps High-End Products in the 1990s.

At one point I liked the 1990 Fleer Baseball set, but got sick of it back in the day because I had so much of it and didn't have a complete set. Now it just reminds me of many of the reasons that era of card collecting is tarnished.

I really don't mind bonus cards, but these made no sense except for the fact that they were at least Baseball cards. None of them were even from Donruss, 2005 edition or Diamond Kings. None of them were Nationals (or Expos), Nick Johnson, or even one of the teams he played on. They are 1990s junk.I would think if you are going to send bonus cards try to match them up to what the person bought. I mentioned earlier a vintage '50s card of a Chicago Bears player I bought and the seller sent a couple of bonus more modern Bears. Although they were  prime 1990s junk cards one of which I already had. The point is they were at least of the same dang team of the original card I bought. End of RANT.

OK getting back to the Diamond Kings sets. I recall when Donruss began the Diamond Kings as a subset of the main 1982 set. That year they were the first 26 cards in the set. The following year 1983 they they had more DKs cards. They were a similar design and it is a little confusing because the 1983 cards are copyrighted 1982. I don't any of those scanned right now, but I do have some other 2005 and even a couple of 2004 DKs scanned to show right now:

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

139 Nick Johnson Expos Silver #d-14/50

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

250 Ryan Church Expos Red Framed

 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

250 Ryan Church Expos

2004 Donruss Diamond Kings

85 Ryan Church Indians

2004 Donruss Diamond Kings

85 Ryan Church Indians Bronze Framed