Erorr? What Error?

Back in the day when I got some of my first 1974 Topps Baseball cards one of the ones I pulled was the Jesus Alou "No Position" Error Card. It is still one of my fave cards from that set. In the late seventies I soon became aware through the first few price guides that it was an error that Topps eventually had corrected. In general (contrary to popular belief that an error or misprinted card MUST be more than an error free card) error cards are no more valuable than their corrected counterparts. There might be some exceptions, but usually if they do fetch more money it isn't too much more. Sometimes uncorrected error cards fetch high values because of the fact that they were never corrected, but that is not the norm.

Anyway as I said back in 1974 I pulled this card:

 

1974 Topps Baseball 654a Jesus Alou - Athletics

No Position Error Variation (Front)

I think it took me a few months (or maybe a year or two) to realize it was an actual wide-spread error and not just a one card fluke (thanks again to some of the early baseball card price guides of the late 70s - early eighties). It also took me some time to notice that there was a mistake there, hey I was a kid at the time. I think the error variation is rarer than the fixed corrected version but for years I ran into the problem of not being able to find the corrected version. As with many of my older card needs I put getting the corrected variation off almost completely. A few months back I had searched sportlots.com and saw the error version, but not the corrected one. Then after checking a few other times found it and put it into my shopping cart and I finally checked out. I had been sitting on my shopping cart for quite sometime for some of the cards.

So Now I also have this card:

1974 Topps Baseball 654b Jesus Alou - Athletics

Outfield Position Corrected Variation (Front)

The back of both variations is the exact same. I scanned the corrected variation because it appeared to be a darker bolder readable print than my error variation. It is really six of one half-a-dozen of the other. If I had played with the brightness on the saved image it would still be the same difference.

1974 Topps Baseball 654 Jesus Alou - Athletics

Both Variations (Back)

There is also of course the O-Pee-Chee "No Position" Error variation. Which I understand OPC never corrected (but Topps did? There's a switch). The O-Pee-Chee variation of cards are normally rarer than the Topps versions anyway because they normally didn't print as many and most of them never left Canada.

1974 O-Pee-Chee Baseball 654 Jesus Alou - Athletics

Uncorrected Error (Front and Back)

As you can see the OPC front is identical to the Topps which is par for the course. Also par for the course is the back being a bit different. In this case they changed the hard to read black text on a dark green background to easier to read black text on a yellow/gold background. Plus being Canadian they had to add the French translations of stuff. The added French text with the cartoon makes the cartoon smaller.

The sportlots seller that I got this OPC card from I also got some other Jesus Alou cards: 1970 OPC, 1971 Topps, and 1973 OPC I will probably make a post about that trio of cards some day, but not in the immediate future.

Tom Seaver 2012 Topps Archives

Before I get to the juicy part of this post I will show you the 2012 Topps Baseball Archives card #18 of Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. This beauty of a card uses the 1954 Topps design. The 200 base cards of current and retired players have older designs as follows: Cards 1 - 50 use 1954 design, Cards 51 - 100 use 1971 design, Cards 101  - 150 use 1980 design and Cards 151 - 200 use 1984 design.

As a kid Tom Seaver was one of those players who I had a few cards of and would try to collect more of. I wasn't a big Mets fan but he was one of the All-Stars of the time so he was on my list of players to collect. Here is his 2012 Topps Baseball Archives Card it shows a youthful Tom (Much younger than I remember from my 1970s cards from back in the day):

 2012 Topps Baseball Archives 18 Tom Seaver Mets

1954 Design (Front and Back)

Now here is the fun part of this post. In a group box break on one of the forums I frequent, the 2012 Topps Archives was one box we broke, and it is a favorite product of this particular group. In this group break I had the Nationals and the Mets as my teams. Well we pulled a real One-Of-One not an Ebay 1/1 but a true 1-of-1. This beaut of a PRINTING PLATE.

2012 Topps Baseball Archives 18 Tom Seaver Mets

1954 Design - Magenta Printing Plate 1/1 (Front and Back)

Before I got this I had never had a printing plate, never seen one in person. I hated the idea since Hey it's a "manufactured 1/1" made only to promote the whole "one of one" thing. Plus why wasn't it a mirror image? Well I learned that the current printing process used for cards uses regular image plates, not mirror imaged ones. So yeah OK they are legit. Well after seeing it in person I kind of started liking it. Then I liked it even more and now am not a printing plate hater like I was. I am still a game used hater, manufactured patches hater and a Rip Card hater, but those are rants for a different post. I am now PPP (Pro Printing Plates).

Oh and that black dot on the right side to the left of Tom's head in the mini action pic unfortunately is something on the plate. At first I thought it was a speck of dust on  my scanner that got scanned, but I checked the plate and it is on it. Not sure if it is a particle of dust or another foreign object or a dent/surface scratch of some kind. There are a couple of tiny surface scratches that the scan didn't show.

I noticed via a Google search that the Cyan Printing Plate sold on Ebay in September for $25 bucks.  So two of the four plates have surfaced. I think it would be cool for someone to eventually have the full set of plates, but in the meantime I'm holding on to this one.

Mascot Monday: Screech

SCREECH

 

I resisted the temptation to post this mascot in the First Mascot Monday post. My main Homie Mascot who represents the Washington Nationals Screech.

NO! NOT That Screech.

Today I am showing the card I believe to be his Rookie Card 2007 Topps Baseball Opening Day card number 215.

2007 Topps Opening Day - 215 Screech RC

(Front and Back)

 

Screech was "hatched" on17 April 2005 at RFK Stadium in Washington DC (much in the same way as the Orioles Bird Mascot) the inaugural season of the Washington Nationals formerly the Montreal Expos.

Screech Hatching 

(Wasington Nationals at MLB.com)

 

As you can see Screech started out as a pretty chubby eagle and wore only a team jersey with the number 05, his "hatching" date, and an oversized cap. In 2009 Screech slimmed down, he still wears an oversized cap, but he now wears pants and shoes more of a real uniform. I wasn't sure about the change at first, the first picture I saw of the slimed down Screech I didn't like, but now I think he looks better slim. Oh and his jersey number is now 00 the standard jersey number reserved for mascots I guess. I miss the 05 though, but I guess it confused people when they saw a team player with the number 5.

Screech circa 2009

A longtime Senators/Nationals fan that goes by the name "Screech's Best Friend" has a blog called Nats320. The 320 is the seat section the blogger had when the Nationals were playing at RFK before their new stadium was built and opened in 2008.  I'm a little concerned as the last post on that blog is from last year and with the success that Nats have had here in 2012 I would expect at least a "Yippie We are Number One!" when the Nats clinched the NL East Division. Screech himself also has a blog Screech's Spot over at MLB.com/blogs.


I am always on the lookout for Mascot cards. I also accept Mascot Postcards and team issued promo cards/photos of mascots.

Women of Star Trek Auto Claire Rankin

I got this card a while back on 26 March this year, but hadn't talked about it. I didn't note how much I paid for it, but I got it from Ebay so I could probably check my records there to be sure but I think it was between $7 and $15 It is one of the auto cards from the 2009 Rittenhouse Women of Star Trek card set. This one is Star Trek: Voyager Claire Rankin as Alice. It is an on-card autograph in blue sharpie. This card is not numbered and has no serial numbering. I couldn't find a reliable checklist for these so I'm not sure how many autographs this set had. *Sigh*  I would like to get more of these autos for decent prices and find a good price on the base set. I think there have been a couple of these Women of Trek sets.

 

2009 Rittenhouse Women of Star Trek 

Star Trek: Voyager Claire Rankin as Alice Auto

(Front and Back)

I found a box break video from Sportscardhaven Reviews of this set of cards. An interesting video but it is obvious the guy knows little about Star Trek and is clearly a sports guy as a couple of times he called the costume cards "jersey cards". He he.

Rittenhouse is also known as scifihobby, actually I think Rittenhouse is the parent company not 100% sure on that one.

Mascot Monday: The Baltimore Bird

The Oriole Bird

(AKA: The Bird, Baltimore Bird, Orioles Bird)

The Orioles Mascot was officially "hatched" on 06 April 1979 at Memorial Stadium. (I guess last week's The Chicken started a trend with the bird like mascots hatching like The Nationals Screech and Lady Gaga.)

Previously a cartoon Oriole bird face (which looks more like a duck) had appeared in the form of shoulder patches on the player's uniforms from 1955 to 1962, not quite a mascot yet but an icon and a logo. Then a variation of the cartoon bird flew into the team's caps from 1966 - 1989 and then returned in 2012. Previous caps and interim caps had a more Ornithologically correct bird. The cap logo I really don't like is the alternate plain "O's" logo.

I could have shown a regular card for the Bird but I decided to show this team issued post card instead.
 

 Baltimore Orioles Team Issued "The Bird" Postcard w/Autograph.

Measures 4.5" x 6" - Issue date unknown (estimated 1999-2008).

(Front and Back)

If anyone knows the year this "card" was issued I'd appreciate knowing. Since it has a website on it obviously it is no older than mid 1990s. Judging from the logo on the bird's hat it is from between 1998-2008 probably closer to the later years. The Team logo in the corner seems to be from around that same time too, a similar logo first appeared in 1995 with a plain white dot for an eye. It was redesigned in 1998 and apparently modified yet again in 1999 this logo seems to be the 1999-2008 variation (based on the variation in the tail). I'm pretty sure the autograph comes standard with this card.

I am always on the lookout for Mascot cards. I also accept Mascot Postcards and team issued promo cards/photos of mascots.

Not Following the Trends

Just thought I'd toss this out.

2009 Upper Deck SP Authentic 227 Brett Anderson Athletics RC Auto

Serial numbered 064/371 blue Sharpie (on sticker built into card)

NO NOT THE CARD SILLIES The idea/concept I'm about to talk about!

While many trading card bloggers are scrambling to be the first one to post about opening up a pack of the latest long awaited product to be released (be it Allen & Ginter's, Gypsy Queen, Topps Archives, or Bowman) I tend to stay away from making any posts like that. My reasons? Well first I don't rush out and purchase a brand-spankin' New product because most of the time I can't afford it at the time it is released, or I don't pay attention to the official release date. My life does not revolve around the release dates of new trading card product like others apparently do. Also I like to see some of the previews and reviews of the product first to see if it is something I am interested in before making a major purchase of it. Most of the more recent Upper Deck products and Bowman I have not been interested in. Also I've never been one for crowds. Most products I will eventually get some of the team I collect due to group box breaks, trades or good Samaritan bloggers.

I suppose that puts me in the minority of card bloggers. That puts me into the batch of bloggers that will never have a cult following of hundreds upon hundreds of followers. Heck I don't  even have 50 followers yet (I'm pretty close though) Then again I'm used to being in the minority for some things after all I'm a fan of most of the DC sports teams. LOL!

It reminds me of people who HAVE to see a movie on opening night, or the Midnight Preview the night BEFORE. What they can't wait about 3 months or less to buy/rent the DVD or to stream it on Netflix (or a similar service)? It used to be 6 months or more between the time a movie left the theatres to when it was released on DVD, longer during the VHS/Beta videotape era.

Maybe I'm just "Middle Aged Man" babbling incoherently about some nonsense that is getting his goat.

 

Oh and "Get OFF MY LAWN you whippersnappers."

By the way for those of you interested in this stuff here is the back of the card I showed at the top of this post.

2009 Upper Deck SP Authentic 227 Brett Anderson Athletics RC Auto

Serial numbered 064/371 Back

Mascot Monday Number 1: The Chicken

THE CHICKEN

AKA: SAN DIEGO CHICKEN, AKA: THE FAMOUS CHICKEN

(Portrayed by Ted Giannoulas)

Welcome to a new weekly feature "Mascot Monday". Each Monday (hopefully) I will show off a single card of a team mascot and try to give a little information about the Mascot that is featured (if it is the first time I'm showcasing that Mascot and can locate some info on them). I'm not sure how this will go or if I will continue with it, but I will try.

For the first Mascot Monday I present the first Mascot card I recall getting. 1983 Donruss Baseball 645 The Chicken. I have two of this card I got one of them (actually maybe both) when I bought the 1983 Donruss set in '83 or maybe it was '84 for about what it is still worth today $20.

1983 Donruss Baseball 645 The Chicken

Originally designed as a cartoon for part of an ad campaign for San Diego Radio station KGB-FM The KGB Chicken started making "live" appearances first at an Easter Egg event at the San Diego Zoo sponsored by the station and eventually appearing at sporting events including San Diego Padres games and became widely known as The San Diego Chicken. After a law suit about some conflict between the radio station, and the actor Ted Giannoulas (who portrayed the Chicken), the costume was altered some and Ted was allowed to continue appearing as The Chicken. Now he is known as The Famous Chicken.

1983 Donruss Baseball 645 The Chicken (Back)

For the December 2002 issue Esquire magazine had an interview with Ted Giannoulas which is a fun read. I had a subscription to the magazine at the time which is the only reason I had even recalled he had been interviewed by them. Warning: Esquire magazine maybe NSFW (Not Suitable For Work)


I am always on the lookout for Mascot cards. So far the only mascot cards I've seen that I am not interested in are some 2012 Upper Deck College Football Mascots Manufactured patches. UGH the photos are THE Manupatches. The card design isn't bad but the patch being the photo or the photo being the patch is the sucky part I hate.  I'll take almost anything other than those. I also accept Mascot Postcards also team issued promo cards/photos of mascots.

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball Set

On Saturday 07 April (yeah I keep on focusing on the stuff I got from this post. So what? Its my blog and it was a huge mailday, and I am way behind on tons of stuff.) I got a sportlots order of the 2012 Topps Opening Day set of 220 cards. I got the set for 25¢ + 17.00 shipping (only cost the seller $5.10 to ship). So not a bad price even though the shipping is THE price of the set. Then about a week and a half later, from Ebay I got the Mascots subset of 25 cards on Wednesday 18 April for $22.99 + $3.50 shipping. I'm going to blog about the cute Mascots soon as well as the 2010 Mascots subset I got the following day. I love Mascot cards. I need the 2011 Mascots set.

OK now for some select cards from this set.

I suppose I should mention that the last card in the set card Number 220 Carlos Lee Astros has no number on it. I think this is an UER (Uncorrected ERror). I noticed other people in the blog universe have been questioning this and it seems every Lee card on Ebay is unnumbered. So NO it should not be sold or bought for tons more than the rest of the individual cards from this set.

 2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball 220 Carlos Lee Astros

(Front and Back) - NNO UER

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball 33 Nick Markakis Orioles
(Front and Back)

2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball 95 Victor Martinez Tigers
(Front and Back) - Chose this card for the cool play at the plate picture

 2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball 51 Prince Fielder Brewers
(Front and Back) - Now with Tigers but you'd never know it with this set

 2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball 59 Alcides Escobar Royals
(Front and Back) - Cool sliding picture "Look Ma No Hands!"

 2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball 201 Jose Reyes Marlins
(Front and Back) - New Miami Uniform (Airburshed)

 2012 Topps Opening Day Baseball 132 Kurt Suzuki Athletics
(Front and Back) - Cool catcher in his gear action photo

The seller included some "Diamond Giveaway" Code cards. even if I wanted to use the codes they expired 31 Jan 2012. I got numbers: TDG 3, 4, 15, 17, 22, 23, 24, 27 I think I will try to get this little novelty set.

 2011 Topps Baseball Diamond Giveaway Code Card TDG-23

(Front and Back)

Note: The code shown on the back of this card has long expired.

I will also try to get the rest of the 2010 Million Card Giveaway Code cards I don't have. Actually for those I'd like to get some duplicates of them because I have an idea for them. I don't care that all these code things are expired the cards themselves (like some of the Toppstown cards) are fun to collect.

Topps 2010 Million Card Giveaway Code Cards I still need the ones I mentioned needing in this post. As I said I'd like to get some dupes of them for a project.

Note: The Jayson Werth Nationals card shown at the top of this post I have already talked about at my Curly W Cards blog in this post.

Coveted Ten Cards

OK I'm giving into peer pressure here. Other bloggers have a list of their most desired cards, their "White Whales", their "Elusive Eight" or what-not. Each blogger uses a different term for them to try to make their list unique. I think one blogger may have made a challenge ages ago and set  a trend for card bloggers to help out with these lists by sending another blogger one of their listed cards gratis. These are lists of the cards they are currently looking 'near and far', 'high and low' for. For some they have been looking for these cards to complete a set, or fulfill some collecting desire for many many years. For some it maybe only the last couple of hours because they discovered a new set to seek.

I am joining this Qard Quest. I've decided to make it a Top Ten, I could have made it a small five or perhaps a dozen or a large 20, but 10 I think is just about right for this thing. I'm calling it "CaptKirk42's Coveted 10". OK maybe I'll think of a better name later on, but I wanted use some kind of alliteration with the title.

I will try not to make this a list of all super expensive very hard to get vintage cards because then I would never be able to update and change the list. I'm not even sure what my real top ten most hunted are at this particular moment. The list will start off in no particular order, but as I get cards from the list I will remove the one I got and add a new card to the bottom of the list. That way eventually they will sort of be in a most desired order of preference. For now they will mostly be baseball as that is the sport I most collect and my checklists are more updated on.

One card I could add to this list is the infamous 2012 Topps Series 2 - 661 Bryce Harper Nationals Super Stupidly Stymieing Short-Print Card. (or even the 2012 Topps Archives 241 Bryce Harper Nationals ALSO Stupid Short Print) I want to add it and maybe one day will, but at this time I don't think many collectors would part with it for free or for a very reasonable price. Even before it was printed it was being pervertedly overpriced in the $hundred$ and those who are fortunate enough to pull one from a pack if they don't want it for their collection just see Dollar signs and toss them up on Ebay for Thousands or at least a minimum of hundreds. Sometimes it really sucks being a Nationals fan when they have had the number one draft pick for a ton of years in a row and the guy is a Super Phenom.

Another card I could put on the list  but is probably too valuable for some is the 1982 Topps Baseball Traded 82T  Cal Ripken Jr. RC Orioles.

I'm curious if the 2008 Topps David Wright with Mr. Met is a real card or one of those blogiverse custom jobs. i thikn it was a real one for the Topps Education program thing they did for retail stores. If it is a legit card then I also want that one.

Here is the Inaugural list:

1. 1968 Topps Baseball Game Insert 5 Harmon Killebrew Twins (To upgrade my current copy that has a black X marked on the back that bleeds a little through to the front)
2. 1970 Fleer Laughlin World Series 4 Tigers vs. Cubs 1907 WS
3. 1962 Topps Baseball 88 Ralph Houk MG Yankees (Yogi Berra in Background)
4. 1975 Topps Baseball 220 Don Sutton Dodgers (thought I had it but just have the mini)
5. 1973 Topps Baseball Baltimore Orioles Team Blue Checklist card (unmarked)
6. 2011 UD Goodwin Champions 89 Alexander Ovechkin (Hockey)  Capitals
7. 2008-09 UD Legends Masterpieces Hockey 86 Mario Lemieux Penguins
8. 2011 Topps Lineage Stand-Up TS2 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
9. 2008 Allen & Ginter Auto AGA-AF Andrea Farina (Rock/Scissors/Paper Champ)  I have a relic version I can trade for
10. 1975 Topps Baseball Mini 140 Steve Garvey AS Dodgers

Chronicles of Fuji Contest Cut Plug

I don't normally plug other blogger's contests in part because there are usually too many floating around the Blogverse and in part because it isn't my contest, however, here is a pretty cool contest that I am entering/will have entered. Blogger Fuji of The Chronicles of Fuji is having his 3rd Annual Chronicles of Fuji Contest. The prize packages are totally awesome and include: a 15 card lot of some Kellogg's 3-D cards, 1993 Donruss HOF Heroes Set, 2012 Wax Eye Cereal Killers series 1 set, some graded football cards (OK so that one isn't as awesome in my book), and a card lot that includes some promo cards and Japanese Kitty Cards those maybe weird but the look pretty cool don't cha think?

OK so contest entrants have to work for the prize packages by following some directions and answering questions and maybe some other stuff, but I think it will be worth it or at the very least down right fun.

I'm not sure which of the prize packages I like the most. I like most of them. The graded cards I'm not a huge fan of but the other stuff looks super awesome.

So check it out and enter The Chronicles of Fuji Third Annual Contest