Spring Cleaning My Scan Folder

But it's nearly fall, you say?  Well, yes.  But COMC had a Spring Cleaning promotion in May, and I partook.  COMC offered a free shipping voucher to anyone who deposited $50 in store credit during that week.  I decided to take my card budget and do all my shopping on the secondary market that month so I could get my cards shipped to me before the Black Friday promotion.  The way I shop on COMC, $50 can really do some damage to my wantlists.

I have nothing but High Praise for this 2012 Cooperstown insert set.  I've been working on it for a couple of years, but these cards will complete it.  My favorite quote on these cards is Reggie Jackson's remark, "Blind people come to the park to hear [Tom Seaver] pitch."

Three more sets I'm working on.  Those are the final three cards to complete my 2008 Topps set build.  The Limas Sweed is an interesting card.  Here is the back of it:

That's Justin Forsett on the back of Limas Sweed's rookie card.  It's not a simple printing error in which they fed the wrong sheet or something and some cards snuck through.  This is the only version of the card.  Poor Limas Sweed didn't get his vitals on the back of any card in the 2008 Topps set.  It also means that no card technically has the number 365 on the back, which is where Sweed is listed on the checklist.  I find this card highly interesting.

A couple of months ago, I posted about a partial set of 1999 HoloGrfx and the NFL 24/7 insert set from the product.  I bought it from Sportlots figuring I could easily complete it.  All it took was these six cards from COMC and I had both sets done.

Here are a couple really shiny sets that I'm working on.  2013 Prizm Brilliance is almost done.  I'm not quite halfway through the 2016 Absolute Unsung Heroes yet.  I'm particularly happy about adding Eric Berry and Ziggy Ansah, two of my favorite dudes in the NFL.

From extra shiny to real cardboard.  As my mini-collection binders draw nearer to completion, I've decided to start being a little more discerning in what I'm actively pursuing.  For my mini-collections, like these All-1980s team, I've decided to only seek out and purchase older cards from the actual playing days of these players or inserts.

The same thing applies for these mini-collections.  Although, I'm not sure too many modern base sets are including players like Leon Wagner (ASG MVP 1962) or Johnny Callison (ASG MVP 1964).  Wagner, who was the second player to ever win the award, makes his first appearance in my collection with this 1962 issue--the year he took home the award that secured a spot in my collection.

Some more vintage here of two All-Star MVPs (Callison and Bonds) and two ROYs.  This is Steve Howe's rookie, and the first card I have of him with the Dodgers, with whom he won the award.

The other cards I would accept of these mini-collections would be inserts.  Here we have fairly recent inserts to 80s stars Dan Fouts, John Riggins, and the "Manster," Randy White.  Ben Coates, Hardy Nickerson, and Kevin Greene had their heydays in the 90s.  The Greene Contenders card is numbered to 199.

Representing the All-2000s team are these inserts.  I guess that the La'Roi Glover isn't technically an insert, but an oddball from SI for Kids.  Glover, Mawae, and Kevin Williams have been hard for me to find for collection.  Just not enough love in the card companies for the big uglies.

My baseball mini-collections got in on the inserts, too.  I know, I cheated with Yaz and that isn't an insert.  But for a little over 30 cents, how could I pass up that beautiful card?  For some reason, I really like the Corey Seager Break Throughs card.  It seems a bit loud for my taste, but something about it is just great to me.

 

 I've been using COMC to work on my Refractors Frankenset.  I picked out a handful of really cheap refractors this time around, too.  I really like the Collegiate Draft Picks football card of Antonio Gates playing college basketball.  He never played college football after Michigan State coach Nick Saban told him he would only allow him to play football.  He transferred around a bit after that before landing at Kent State, where he played two seasons of basketball.

I added to my BYU collection with this purchase.  These are my first cards of Virgil Carter, the Cougars' first great quarterback in a span of 20 years in which almost every BYU starter spent time in the NFL.  It's also my first card of Daniel Sorensen.  I'm really happy to see him succeed in the NFL.  To be honest, he often drove me crazy while in college by getting burned too often.  The Chiefs gave him a chance, though, and I think he's better in the NFL than he was in college.  The really big card here is my first Ziggy Ansah auto.  

Finally, I picked up an autograph of Packers linebacker Kyler Fackrell.  He may not have played for BYU, but he is a fellow Utahn.  It seems that not too many kids play high school ball in Utah and ultimately end up in the NFL.  When one of them ends up as a Packer, you can bet I'll support him.

I used my $50 to complete at least a couple of sets and do some damage to other areas of my wantlist.  Vintage, inserts, autos--I'm happy with my haul.

Football in Its Glory Days (A TCDB Trade Story)

I've been thinking a lot about the social impact of football recently.  I won't wax political on this blog, however.   It may be an outlet for me to write, but it was always intended to be about something that is stress-free and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.  I will simply say that whether I agree with the players' protests or not, I respect their First Amendment rights to express their opinions.  At the same time, I would support any owner who who prohibited the action, as the employer has the right decide if political actions in public view are acceptable when the employee is on the clock.  The other issue clouding my favorite sport is, of course, head injuries and player safety.  As my wife and I have discussed football in our house, it has made me a bit nostalgic for the "good old days" of the game.  I'm actually not against measures taken to protect players and their post-NFL futures, but it seems so much simpler to think of the sport as a tough man's game, and a form of entertainment without the political platform.  As the old saying goes, "Ignorance is bliss," and there was a time when we were truly blissful when it came to long-term health consequences of the game. 

The unabashed gladiatorialism of  the game combined with the rise of the passing game made the 1980s a period of unprecedented growth in popularity.  I don't have any numbers to back me up here, but I would say that the 1980s is the decade when football first started to catch baseball as the nation's most popular sport.  The post-merger, Super Bowl-era 1970s really got the the oval ball rolling, but in the 80s, Air Coryell and the West Coast Offense got it flying.

I recently completed a trade with Trading Card Database user 860502 and I got a fix of the 1980s as part of the deal.

All of these cards came from 1983 except for the surprisingly shiny Nolan Cromwell sticker, which is a 1982.  I was surprised to see the sheen on a sticker this old.  A trio of Packers and a couple of all-decade defenders are showcased here.  Dan Hampton went on to dominate the decade, but he looks quite young on the card.

Players like these all-time greats are in large part responsible for some of the aerial attacks that helped make the modern game what it is today. Both Largent and Monk retired as the NFL's all-time leading receiver--Largent after the 1989 season and Monk after 1994.

Offense may have been on the rise in the 80s, but great defenses still existed in the decade.  No player was more feared than the original LT, who was an utter monster with his combination of size and speed.  Ronnie Lott is a prime example of the toughness bordering on insanity that characterized the game.  In 1986, Lott had his pinkie amputated just above the first knuckle in order to avoid the longer recovery time of the broken bone healing.

One of the other great things of the NFL in the 80s was the proliferation of nicknames.  Great defenses include the Dolphins' Killer Bs, the Jets' New York Sack Exchange, the Bears' Monsters of the Midway, and the Giants' Big Blue Wrecking Crew.  But perhaps the most famous nickname is one that has evolved to include anybody who plays in a position group--the Redskins' revered "Hogs" offensive line.  Joe Jacoby was one of the original Hogs, but Webster, Hannah, and Munoz would have arguably been better than any individual in that group.

As the 80s drew to a close, the 90s started a transition from great defense and innovative offense to a flashy game of finesse.  Deion and Rod Woodson may have been defenders, but they brought the flash and speed that characterizes the 90s to me.  All of these cards are rookie cards, by the way.

As the game moved from toughness to finesse, we saw flashier cards come into play as well.  Gloss and gold foil was the name of the game in the 90s.

I may be breaking with my theme here, but these 1991 Pro Set Platinum cards came to me in the trade.  I think they're beautiful cards.  The full-bleed photo on the front is exquisite on almost every card I've seen from this set.  I have to show the backs here too, though, because this is the rare set in which the back photography is as good as the front.  The biggest downsides to the set, however, are the lack of a player name on the front (another reason to show the back) and the omission of player stats.  I've probably said this before, but the more I see these cards, the more I think I'm going for the set.  I didn't appreciate or even like these cards when I was a kid, but I think they are something special now.

The final cards coming from 860502 fit along with the 90s.  As much as I appreciate the splendid balance of ground and pound, increasing aerial attacks, and stout defenses of the 80s, I didn't really begin to understand the game until the 90s, and it was then that I became a Packers fan.  Knowing myself, I probably would have opted for more prolific running game to be featured by my team of choice had I been born a few years earlier.  I don't think I've ever explained on this blog how I became a Packers fan, but that is a story for another day.  Truth be told, if I had been about 5 years older, I think I would have been a Bears fan.  I mean Walter Payton, the Monsters of the Midway, and Jim McMahon would probably have appealed to, and might have actually paralleled the way I started rooting for Green Bay.  Yes, I'll have to make a mental note to write a post about the inception of my fandom as a kid.

There were some great throwback cards in this trade.  It was a nice venture into the simpler days of the NFL, before we had to worry about so many inherent dangers of the game, when the NFL was gaining popularity, and not just sitting on top of the hill.  Very possibly the NFL's glory days.

Long Overdue (Trade Recaps)

I have a confession to make: I often have late fees at the local library.  I don't know what it is, but I can never seem to get a book back on time.  And the thing is, I never really realize how late they are until I see the fees when I go to check something else out and I think, "How did I rack up that much in late fees?"  It turns out that library books are not the only things that I have overdue.  I received two trade packages earlier this summer from fellow bloggers that have gone completely unmentioned on my blog.  Allow me to rectify that.

First, I completed a trade with Bo from Baseball Cards Come to Life.  Way back in January it seems, he posted about getting rid of some football cards and asked people if they wanted any.  I claimed a good amount, but then took a few months trying to put together a decent return package.  We finally finished the deal after a few months later, and now I'll finally post a little of what I got in return.

We'll start with some random set help.  I'm getting close to finishing the 1988 Topps, while the 1995 Collector's Choice is really close; I'm looking for Louis Oliver, Bam Morris, and Bryant Young to complete it after all these years.  I'm just over halfway with the 2012 Topps.

When I saw how many of the Domino's Quarterback Challenge cards Bo had, I decided to build that set, too.  I'm about 12 cards shy now, mostly thanks to the large chunk seen here.  I remember watching the Quarterback Challenge as a kid.  I remember Steve Young messing with one of the ballboys, shouting that he needed a left-handed football.  He sent the kid back for a new ball ("That's not a left-handed ball!") two or three times before he accepted one.

I've recently decided that Heisman winners should have a place in my collection.  Here are three running backs who had varying degrees of success at the pro level.

Bo had a lot of late 90s to 2010 cards that I didn't have before.  Anytime I can score a couple of great o-linemen, I'm good.

And, of course, I'll pick up Packers (say that 10 times fast) whenever I can.  What a sweet shot of Sterling Sharpe snagging a pass on the sidelines.  There's another good alliteration for you.

My second neglected trade package came from Adam at Infield Fly Rule.  Somebody pointed out to him that the Rising Stars insert set from 1996 Ultra used Coor's Field as a backdrop, and he decided to put the set together.  I had a few extras lying around, so I sent them his way.  He sent me a great package back.

Adam focused almost entirely on my All-Star MVP and Rookie of the Year mini-collections.  Most of the stuff he sent was needed.  Here we have some of the all-time greats that go in my All-Star binder.  I'm digging that Cal Ripken Gallery of Stars.  I just assumed it was a Diamond Kings card at first, but soon found out that it was produced by Donruss' Canadian counterpart, Leaf.  Nice looking card.

Jeff Conine was an All-Star Game MVP.  For some reason I can't explain, Conine is one of my favorite All-Star MVPs.  The funny thing is, if he hadn't spent most of his career with teams like the Royals and Marlins, I don't think he would have been an all-star.  As it so happened, he benefited from the rule requiring every team to have a representative.  Still, his career wasn't bad; he finished with a .285 lifetime average.  He just wasn't the type of guy to be an All-Star year in and year out.

Moving on to Rookie of the Year winners, here are three of the 80s best rookies featured on two cards.  All of them had highs and lows in their careers, and all of the them have had some problem with their names being tied to substance use of some kind.

Of course, as a Rockies fan, Adam had plenty of Rockies to send me, and I needed every one of these cards.  Walt Weiss is a cardboard hero in my book.  His cards always show him in some kind of interesting action.

Finally, Adam sent some guys that I collect in the form of one of my favorite Topps sets, 2005 flagship.  I love this design, especially the little picture in the corner that mimics the actual photograph.  It's so unnecessary and yet so cool.

Thanks for the cards, Bo and Adam.  I hope we can trade again some time.  I'll try not to let my trade post lapse in the future, but I can't guarantee it won't happen.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a library book to return.

Huge TCDB Trade

I just finished a trade with TCDB user jlcre2003.  He approached me about a monster trade involving hundreds of cards, and I was interested.  He wanted mostly recent Topps inserts from me.  In return, I got, well, a little bit of everything.  Baseball and football mini-colletions and PCs, set help, Cubs and loads of cool new Packers.  I’ll just hit you with the highlights.

Let’s start with some baseball.  I apologize in advance for the picture quality.  I've been without a scanner for some months now, and my phone has recently started taking really washed out pictures.  I don't know what is wrong, but I'm going to go out on a limb and point the finger at my one year-old toddler, who loves to suck on whatever she finds, including smart phones.

Here we have our All-Star MVPs.

Extra points for Bobby Bonds as a Cub.

Speaking of Cubs, I got some Cubs from all eras

Vintage.  (1982 is vintage right?  I consider it vintage.  I think it predates junk wax.)

Junk wax of a couple of Cubbie legends.

The lost years for me.  Remlinger and Wellemeyer are new to my Cubs collection.

This comes from an insert set that I had no idea existed.  I like the concept, but I don't think I'll be chasing the set just yet.  Right now this will just have to be filed under "Miscellaneous Baseball Cards that I Kind of Like."

I only got one card to help a baseball set build, but it feels like an appropriate card to display this week.  Congrats to Pudge and the other new Hall of Fame inductees.

Set help for football came in more abundance.  Here is a selection of (mostly) Hall of Fame players from that set, along with the reigning Super Bowl MVP when the set was made.  The picture at the top of the post is a stack made entirely of 1988 Topps.  A mere 4 months after deciding I was going to complete the set, I've completed 80% of it.  Not too shabby.

A few other sets got some miscellaneous help, as well.

On to the All-Decades.  Here are some 80s greats.  I love the 1987 Topps Jerry Rice.  He appears to be getting ready to throw the football from the Jack Murphy infield.  

All 90s.  I know they may not have a ton of monetary value, but the Bruce Matthews and Randall McDaniel are Hall of Fame rookie cards.

And the 2000s team.  Kevin Mawae and Walter Jones are really hard to find.  Thank goodness for Topps Total and offensive lineman cards.

Like the Cubs, I got some Packers from all eras, too.

70s vintage.

Junk wax.

Late 90s.

Lost years.  Love the KGB.  I don't have much of him.

More lost years from Topps Total.

The inimitable Brett Favre.  The four on the left are a subset from the 1994 Roger Staubach brand.  I'd never known they existed.

Some additions to my BYU collectioin.  Dennis Pitta just joined Austin Collie as a career-ending injury casualty.  Both of them showed real talent and the ability to succeed and even stand out in the NFL, but both had insane bad luck when it came to injuries.  Collie was on the receiving end of some particularly vicious hits and ended up with a few concussions, while Pitta just kept breaking his hip.  

And finally, one more addition to my Brad Sorensen collection.  It's growing slowly, but there isn't a proliferation of cards to be had.  I pick them up one at a time here and there.

This trade was huge, and even with all the pictures I shared, this barely scratched the surface.  A big thanks to jlcre2003 for the trade.