1990 Socko Juice Orel Hershiser set

This is one of those food premiums that doesn't pop up too often for a reasonable price. I think I pulled the trigger for about $10 a few months ago. Interesting thing is that the cards don't mention the sponsor, Socko Juice. The design reminds me of the Classic game cards. I guess that after reading the backs of the cards, you, too, can become a Major League pitcher.  Nice airbrushing of the caps.

I'll classify the cards as an odd-ball premium, slip them into the binder some cold and rainy night, and check them off my want list.

Edward Vila Glicée of Orel Hershiser

11 months ago I hit up ebay and purchased this limited edition (numbered to 50), giclée card of Orel Hershiser.  It was less than half the cost of a blaster.  Or so I've heard.  I've never actually purchased a blaster before.  Standard card size.  Signed by the artist.  I'm happy.

Edward Vela Glicée - Orel Hershiser

I don't know why it took me the whole year to show this.  It isn't like I haven't had time to post.  I'm not really keeping up with my "let me scale back a bit and just do one post a month" thing.

What have I been doing?  Well, baseball research.  Historical type stuff.  Oh, I did go to a card show and visited a few local shops.  I ran Gint-A-Cuffs X.  I bought a few cards here and there.  I recently joined The Trading Card Database.  I read the occasional card blog.  I follow and read some card tweets.  I play Topps BUNT.  I still like cards, card collecting, and the hobby.

Maybe this year I'll be more active.  Maybe not.  We'll see.

Happy New Year!

Look what I found at the card show

 Yes, we had a card show in Knoxville.  A few months ago.  Maybe it was May.  One of the local card shops helped organize it.  Maybe a dozen dealers spread out over 20 tables.  I pawed through the dollar boxes, talked to a few dealers, a nice way to kill an hour.

I picked up the Sanchez because I'm slowly collecting cards of Knoxville minor league players.

1988 Baseball America
Alex Sanchez - card # AA-13

Why not?

1966 Topps Game
George Scott - card # 22

Because he's a Cub.  And it was cheap.

2018 Topps Heritage - Clubhouse Collection Relics
Jon Lester - card # CCR-JL

Stargell was the first player I remember watching hit a home run, live.

1970 Topps Scratch Off
Willie Stargell - card # WIST

Again, it was cheap.

1960 Topps
Willie Tasby - card # 322

The card show seems to be running on a monthly basis.  I need to return.

My First Strip Card and Some Other Feller

Over the past few months I've greatly enjoyed reading the articles at PreWar Cards.   Anson, the genius behind the site, is a machine, cranking out stories with solid research, flooding twitter and other social media outlets.  He's a font of knowledge and generous.  I was lucky enough to win one of his giveaways.  It was for the Exhibit card below, special tape over the face variation.  Specifically it is one of the variations in the W462 Exhibits Salutations set.

1939-46 W462 Salutation Exhibit set
Bob Feller (pitching)

I've got a 1948 Exhibit Baseball's Great Hall of Fame and a 1936 Goudey Wide Pen, both of Mickey Cochrane.  This Feller is sort of a cross between them.

I begged and pleaded for Anson to consider selling me a banged up strip card, as he mentioned that he had recently purchased a few.  I'm trying to flesh out my type card collection.  Not one from each set ever made, but one from the major types of cards (tobacco, caramel/chocolate/candy. exhibit, etc).  In my mind I keep changing what I'm trying to do.  A card from each decade.  Then a card from each half decade.  A card from each 'classic' set.  I'm not terribly picky about condition or player.

I finally wore him down and he sent along this, my first strip card, part of the W513 set.

1928 W513 Famous People Strip Card Set
George Harper - # 85

This card was cut cleanly on the right side and looks like it was torn away on the left and bottom.  I am drawn to the clean pen work making up the face, the shadow down the throat.  The red is striking in person.

Thanks, Anson. 

If you're not reading PreWar Cards on a regular basis, you're denying yourself of knowledge. 

Blog Bat Around - What I Collect

Greg, from Night Owl Cards, has revived the fine idea of a Blog Bat Around.   My first BBA was in January of 2009. Dang, that some time back.  Greg's theme is "your various card collecting projects".

When I read about it I thought, That should be pretty easy.  Orel Hershiser and 1971 Topps.  That'll be a short post.

That's how I see myself.  But others probably see me as something else.  He's that guy that when you trade with him, you never really know what to offer.  Yep, that's me.

As I started to look into what I collect, I realized that I've forgotten a few things.  Some are active projects, most are back burner projects.

So, in no particular order... well, maybe some order.  I guess that blogger sorts images alphabetically when uploading.  So there's that.  Kind of.

Bill Wade

Bill Wade was quarterback for the Rams and then the Bears.  I've got most of the mainstream issues.  You'll see a theme here.  I'm not for chasing the high end (read: expensive) cards.  Checklist.

Carl Erskine

Carl Erskine, Dodgers pitcher. Carl's son, Jimmy, was born with Down syndrome.  My daughter, Caroline, also has Ds.  After she was born, I fell into the Oisk groove.  But wait.  Albert Pujols's step-daughter has Ds.  Do you collect him?  What about Joc Pederson?  His brother has Ds.  Yes, they do.  I collect Carl Erskine.

Del Harris

Former basketball coach who graduated from Milligan College, my wife's alma mater.  There aren't that many Del Harris cards.  Checklist.

Jeff Burton

NASCAR driver.  A few years ago my wife was into NASCAR.  Not so much these days.  Her favorite driver at the time was Jeff Burton.  Somehow I thought if I collected him she'd appreciate my other collections a bit more.  She still likes JB, but the collection didn't help so much on my other projects.  I think that racing cards have more funky die-cut cards than baseball.  Checklist.

Kevin McHale

Basketball Hall of Famer.  Another one for my wife.  Her favorite player.  I liked this era of professional basketball, when socks were tall, and players played.  This checklist hasn't been updated in a while.  I think the last card I got was a jersey relic card from COMC's Black Friday promotion in 2016.  Come to think of it, I also have some Dodgers cards from that same promotion that I need to send to Greg.

League Leaders

This is not so much a project, as a fancy, not a passing one, though.  When I see cheap LL cards, I'll pick them up.

Orel Hershiser

This is probably where my main focus is trained.  I'm definitely not a super collector.  There are many of his cards I don't have.  Low numbered cards?  Not for me.  I'll track them.  And dream of them.  But unless the stars are aligned and I have a stack of spare cash handy, they'll probably stay with their current caretaker.  Wantlist.

Knoxville Minor League Cards

I live about 12 miles from Smokies Park.  I've been attending their games off and on for the 20 years or so.  It is nice to see the guys coming up through the system.  I'm working on getting all the team issued sets.  There are some oddballs to pick up here and there, but one can get a set for about $12 each season.  1978 Knox Sox are a tough one to get (Tony La Russa was manager).  Checklist.

1971 Topps - Series 1

Everyone wants to collect a set from their youth.  This was mine.  Being a realist, I knew it would take me forever and a day to collect the whole set.  I focused on just Series 1.  Well, that's what I'm starting with.  I've picked up about half the whole set.  I'm about 5 cards shy from finishing Series 1.  I'm not too worried about condition.  Rounded corners?  Flaked black?  Bring 'em my way.  Checklist.

Topps Type Collection

I wanted at least one card from each of the annual flagship set from Topps.  This one is complete.  Well, maybe I need a 1952 Blue Back.  I need to update the checklist.

Cheap HOF Relic / Auto cards

What is cheap?  $5 or less.  I know some collectors look down at bat slices, batting practice used jerseys, or a blur of Sharpie.  I think they're kind of kitschy.  Checklist.

Pre-War Cards

I like old cards.  Really old cards.  Pre-War Cards has been my guilty reading pleasure as of late.  These are a few that I've picked up over the years.  No, they aren't graded.  They're in poor shape.  And I love them.

Earl Wilson

Something about Earl drew me to him, like a hypnotic beam.  He was the first African American to be signed by the Boston Red Sox.  Pumpsie Green made it to the field about a week before Earl did.  Checklist.

This is my only graded card.

Dang.  I collect a lot of stuff.  More stuff than I need to.  More stuff than I should.  I also pick up whatever else interests me.  Odd ball cards.  A few bobbleheads.    I guess this blog post has morphed from collecting projects to a whole slew of things.  I guess every card is the start of a project just waiting to happen.

Thanks, Greg, for re-lighting a fire under my butt.

Valentine's day and a repackage

Just so you don't think I'm forgetting Valentine's Day, here's a throwback to five years ago.  Now to our regularly scheduled post.

I purchased one of those Presstine 30 card repack packages at the Dollar Tree the other day.

Here are the highlights.

I like the image.  I just wish I knew what the front of the Blue Rocks' uniform looked like.

2015 Topps Heritage Minor League Edition
Logan Moon - card # 184

Rickey says, "You can't go wrong with any Rickey card."

1984 Topps
Rickey Henderson All Star - card # 706

Rather crisp edges and corners for a 36 year old card.  I realized that this card came out many years before some of the current bloggers were even a thought in their folk's mind.  Wow.

1982 Topps
Rick Monday - card # 577

I don't see many cards of Canadian minor league players.  Part of the Expos chain.  Nice high-tops, Rondell.

1994 Classic All-Star Minor League
Rondell White - card # 70

End Of Year Wrap Up

I was going to run a "Top Ten Posts I Did This Year" post. 

Then I realized I didn't write 10 posts.  I hang my head in shame. 

I haven't been a good card blogger.  I'm still involved in collecting, just not as much.  I've gotten in some cards from fellow bloggers.  I've had intentions of sending some cards out.  For a year I've been planning on doing that.  More head hanging.

I've picked up some team sets for the local minor league team, the Tennessee Smokies, AA farm team for the Cubs.  But I haven't featured them on this blog.  Yet more head hanging.

So, let me put that behind me and show you some cards.

These are from the 2017 Limited Edition Mini Team Set for the Smokies.  Issued towards the of the season, it features some late call ups and some rehab players.

Benny Z came to town and was a darling by all reports.  He hung out after playing and signed until everyone was satisfied.

Kyle, down on rehab.  He looks good in a Smokies uni.

Mick is the radio voice of the Smokies.  A knowledgeable fellow, I enjoy listening to his patter on radio.  He weaves stories into the calls.  A big heart and someone I'm glad to call a friend.  Earlier this year Ballpark Digest honored him as co-MiLB Broadcaster of the Year.

Every team has a guy (or gal) that will dress up and try to get the fans more involved with cheering on the home team.  The Smokies have the Rally Ranger.  A fun, but goofy character.

There are 14 total cards in the 2017 Limited Edition Mini Team Set.  This set might be of some interest to player collectors, or Cubs completists.

I like it because it is "my team".

Happy New Year.  Maybe I'll blog more in 2018.

Or maybe I'll keep populating Base Ball Stats and Stuff.