TTC Fodder from Mr. Hoyle

Mr. Hoyle has been making a name for himself recently in the card blogging world. Well, he already had a name. He's making it known. As one who comments and one who gives.  He sent over a few cards to help me out of a "too many Royals" jam for my Topps Type Collection.

Let's see who he sent and who gets the boot.  Bespectacled Paul Splittorff will replace John Wathan.  Wait.  That's just one Royal replacing another Royal.  Yes, soon you will see the wonder that is Mr. Hoyle's brain.

1982 Topps
Paul Splittorff (card # 759)

Rick Sutcliffe came along for the ride.  Unlike the peasants of France I don't want to replace all my Royals, just not have so many of them clumped together.   Rick will have to wait in the bullpen for a while.

1982 Topps
Rick Sutcliffe (card # 609)

Jim Beattie will be replacing Paul Splittorff in the 1984 spot.  See what Mr. Hoyle did there?  He gave Paul a second chance.  And he provided me with a Mariner.  Need to keep the teams balanced.

1984 Topps
Jim Beattie (card # 288)

A young Dennis Boyd.  Dennis will be replacing Charlie Leibrandt.  Another Royal bites the dust.

1985 Topps
Dennis Boyd (card # 116)

Roberto Hernandez has been called in for Raul Mondesi.  That fills the Devil Rays team void.  And Raul's card was a horizontal.

1999 Topps
Roberto Hernandez (card # 81)

Thank you for reading my blog, Mr. Hoyle. And for getting me out of a jam. I can now sleep better at night. Well, during the day, too.

Steve Cishek joins the team

Thanks to AJ, The Lost Collector, my Topps Type Collection is current.  He sent me a 2014 Steve Cishek of the Marlins.  I've still got some shuffling around to do.  I booted Hank Allen of the Senators out and called up Bob Locker of the Pilots for the 1970 spot.  I still don't like that I have three Royals on one page.  1982, 1984, and 1985.  That just isn't right.  I still need a Ray and a Mariner.  Now who to kick out?

1951-1958

1959-1967

1968-1976

1977-1985

1986-1994

1995-2003

2004-2012

2013-2014

I just want two cards

I don't ask for much.  Maybe that's because I don't want much.

Since deciding to focus on vintage baseball cards I've been drawn to the 1933 Goudey of Walter French.  Card # 177 for those of you keeping score.

And we return to the price versus condition issue.  I've been conversing with some of the guys from Old Baseball Cards.  A few things I've learned.

Condition does not always matter.  Sometimes it does, but generally it doesn't have to be near mint.

It is hard to fill any part of a long time collector's wantlist.  They've already filled most of their sets and are now collecting the Hungarian language version of the T-206 reverse printed backs.  Left handed pitchers.  And they must have been born west of the Mississippi.  It really isn't that bad, it just feels like it when my trade list consists mostly of  '60s and '70s Topps with rounded corners that can probably be picked up for a quarter each at any good card show.

Back to Mr. French (Cissy... Jody... Buffy... Mrs. Beasley...  Anyone home?).

I've been visiting COMC.com to help identify cards and to see what they look like.  Yes, I have purchased from them in the past and will in the future.

Here's one of their offerings:

1933 Goudey
Walter French (card # 177)

See that?  Knoxville Smokies.  As far as I know, this is the earliest card issued of a Smokies player.  COMC is offering this card, in various conditions, for $34 to $50.  I'm rounding here.  S&H not included.

Ebay sellers are offer the card in a wider variety of conditions and a much lower price.

This one looks nice and can be mine for $9 delivered.

Here's one that's in a bit better shape.  And it is in plastic.  Graded VG-3 by PSA.  Delivered for less than $9.

This one can be mine for a mere $7 delivered.  I love the thumbtack rust but I think for a few bucks more I'd pop for one of the $9 cards.

The post title says that I just want two cards.  Two of Mr. French?  Nope.  I want a 2014 Topps base card.  Not a Rated Rookie, not a Futures.  Not a parallel.  Just a base card for my Topps Type Collection.  Discuss among yourselves and send me one in a PWE.  That would make my day.

p.s. - please try to select a Ray, Mariner, or Marlin.  I don't have any of them in my TTC.

** UPDATE**
AJ, The Lost Collector, has stepped up and will be sending me a 2014 Topps.  Thanks.

Ask and they will send

A few posts ago I talked about completing my Topps Type Collection.  Prior to that I was pleading for the cards I needed.  I let my fingers do the walking and I purchased the bulk of my wants from COMC.  I should have waited.  Faithful blogger, reader, and internet friend Greg, from Night Owl Cards, sent me some to plug the holes.

Here's a look-see.

Ronnie Kline.  I already have a Ronnie Kline.  A 1953.  If I subbed this one in for Bobby Shantz, then I'd have two Klines and two Pirates on the same page.  Cool thing about this card?  That's not his signature.  It is an uncorrected error.  J. Robert Kline played one season for Washington.  Good quality control, Topps.

1956 Topps
Ronnie Kline (card # 94)

Tom Morgan.  So, would that be Captain Morgan or Major Tom?  If he subbed in the TTC he'd displace Hal Jeffcoat.  Two Athletics on the same page.  Unless Bobby Shantz goes.  J. Robert Ronnie Kline is looking pretty good right about now.

1957 Topps
Tom Morgan (card # 239)

Greg sacrificed one of his beloved Dodgers on pink for my collection.  Tex Clevenger would have to step aside for Larry.  If you stare long enough at his name on the card the letters start to move.

1960 Topps
Larry Sherry (card # 105)

Bobby Munoz would replace Steve Avery.  The card in the 1995 slot is a Yankee.  Can't have too many of them clumped together.  I think that Steve is safe.

1994 Topps
Bobby Munoz (card # 144)

Steve Sparks or Dennis Eckersley?  See ya, Steve.

1996 Topps
Steve Sparks (card # 279)

I forgot about Matt Williams.  Solid player.  Should he replace Sammy Sosa?  I don't have any other Cubs in the TTC.  But I also don't have any Diamondbacks.  I reasoned before why I wanted Sammy, but Matt's looking good here.

2000 Topps
Matt Williams (card # 5)

I do have a clump of Royals in the 80s, so maybe I can put a Cubbie in there.

Thanks for the cards, Greg.  Thanks for making my head hurt.

Topps Type Collection - Time To Pull The Trigger

A bit of Christmas green came my way, so I decided to pull the trigger and finish up my Topps Type Collection.  I know that may disappoint some of you who were wanting to send me something to help me complete it.  There will be other opportunities, my friends.

I visited Check Out My Cards and plunked down some of that cash.  Amazing what one can buy for less than the cost of a blaster.  You might be scratching your head on why I selected some of them.  Mark McGwire?  Sammy Sosa?  I remember having my son come to the television in the fall of 1998 to watch their at bats.  He was just four and I don't know if he recalls it, but it is something that I remember.  I realize now that they were flawed men, but at the time it was exciting.  I'm not here to debate them, or other players.  These are the cards I'm adding to my TTC because I think that it accurately reflected the times.

Don Bollweg?  I met Don back in 1989.  He was living in Carol Stream, IL, with his wife.  They were involved with some apartments and I was involved with doing some disaster recovery for a cleaning company.  I didn't fully realize who he was at the time.  But a very nice man.

1951 Topps Red Backs
Mel Parnell (card # 10)
cost: $2.85

1952 Topps
Don Bollweg (card # 128 )
cost: $4.25

1955 Topps
Jack Parks (card # 23)
cost: $0.91

1957 Topps
Hal Jeffcoat (card # 93)
cost: $0.79

1958 Topps
Warren Hacker (card # 251)
cost: $0.71

1960 Topps
Tex Clevenger (card # 392)
cost: $0.45

1994 Topps
Steve Avery (card # 137)
cost: $0.39

1996 Topps
Dennis Eckersley (card # 368)
cost: $0.41

1998 Topps
Mark McGwire (card # 325)
cost: $0.46

2000 Topps
Sammy Sosa (card # 50)
cost: $0.75

Hopefully the cards will arrive next week and I'll be able to close out this little experiment. I ordered a few more cards to round out some of my other collecting interests.  I'll be showing them after they arrive.

Now, to find some pages that will hold the cards from the 1950s.  2-5/8" x 3-3/4" fit very snugly in standard pages.  I looked at the Ultra-Pro website and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.  Any suggestions?

More of the Topps Type Collection

I picked up a few more cards for my Topps Type Collection.  Over at listia I bid and won the Ron Kline.  The seller kicked in the Bobby Shantz in for free.  It set me back only 1,310 credits.

1953 Topps
Ron Kline (card # 175)

1956 Topps
Bobby Shantz (card # 261)

In a further effort to get the remaining cards I want I'm going to enter and plug a contest that Garvey Cey Russell Lopes is having to celebrate Steve Garvey's birthday.  Check it out and wish Steve a Happy Birthday.

1971 Topps Football Posters Inserts

The other day at Webb's Cards there was a box of oversized cards.  Sell sheets, completed pages, promo cards, posters.  All for a buck each.  These two caught my eye.

1971 Topps Posters Inserts
Joe Namath (# 4)

1971 Topps Posters Inserts
Merlin Olsen (# 25)

I guess I should pick up a few 1971 Topps Game cards so I can play.

1971 Topps Posters Inserts
back

Oh, and I added another two cards to the Topps Type Collection.  A 1953 that I won on listia and a 1968 that I found stuck in a page underneath a pile of stuff.  I really need to get organized.

Joy of a Completed Page - TTC edition

Here are the 1978 through 1986 cards from my Topps Type Collection.

For some reason Webb's Cards had a mess of Royals, A's, Brewers and a few other teams.  I guess I grabbed three Royals for these years.  I'd like to change that out at some point, but not right now.

Since I don't see much movement on this project right away, unless PatP and Night Owl really want to send me cards, I won't be posting the checklist on the blog, but have assigned a page for it.

I did find a Sports Lots seller that is getting rid of some 'poor' 1950s cards a what I think is a very fair price.

TTC Update - Friday edition

I did make it to Webb's Cards today.  Bill Webb, the owner, let me come behind the counter and pick the cards I wanted.  He wanted a quarter each.  He's been good to me, so I agreed.

Here's what a completed page looks like.  Love the '70s.

Here's the latest version of my Topps Type Collection checklist

Year	Number	Player	Team	Notes
1951
1952
1953
1954	160	"Red" Kress	Cleveland Indians
1955
1956
1957
1958				have Carl Erskine
1959	485	Ryan Duren	New York Yankees
1960				have Earl Wilson
1961	205	Bill Pierce	Chicago White Sox
1962	114	Howie Koplitz	Detroit Tigers
1963	99	Jim Umbricht	Houston Colt 45s
1964	95	George Altman	New York Mets
1965	109	Walt Bond	Houston Colt 45s
1966
1967	5	Whitey Ford	New York Yankees
1968
1969	642	John Hiller	Detroit Tigers
1970	14	Hank Allen	Washington Senators
1971	55	Steve Carlton	St. Louis Cardinals
1972	26	Andy Etchebarren	Baltimore Orioles
1973	412	Manny Mota	Los Angeles Dodgers
1974	575	Steve Garvey	Los Angeles Dodgers
1975	407	Herb Washington	Oakland A's
1976	13	Johnny Wockenfuss	Detroit Tigers
1977	514	Cliff Johnson	Houston Astros
1978	38	Willie Montanez	Atlanta Braves
1979	84	Greg Minton	San Francisco Giants
1980	280	Gaylord Perry	San Diego Padres
1981	54	Ivan DeJesus	Chicago Cubs
1982	429	John Wathan	Kansas City Royals
1983	565	Bucky Dent	Texas Rangers
1984	52	Paul Splittorff	Kansas City Royals
1985	459	Charlie Leibrandt	Kansas City Royals
1986	662	Bill Schroeder	Milwaukee Brewers
1987	328	Bob Welch	Los Angeles Dodgers
1988	300	Don Mattingly	New York Yankees
1989	560	Rock Raines	Montreal Expos
1990	119	Billy Hatcher	Pittsburgh Pirates
1991	79	Frank Thomas	Chicago White Sox
1992	275	Todd Zeile	St. Louis Cardinals
1993	240	John Olerud	Toronto Blue Jays
1994				have Orel Hershiser
1995	86	Gerald Williams	New York Yankees
1996				have Orel Hershiser
1997	110	Orel Hershiser	Cleveland Indians
1998	368	Scott Stahoviak	Minnesota Twins	badly creased
1999	365	Raul Mondesi	Los Angeles Dodgers
2000
2001	69	Manny Alexander	Boston Red Sox
2002	66	Denny Neagle	Colorado Rockies
2003	78	Jimmy Anderson	San Francisco Giants
2004	306	Donald Levinski	Baltimore Orioles
2005	317	Kevin West	Minnesota Twins
2006	42	Reed Johnson	Toronto Blue Jays
2007	135	Troy Tulowitzki	Colorado Rockies
2008	252	Dmitri Young	Washington Nationals
2009	6	Ross Detwiler	Washington Nationals
2010	430	Kazuo Matsui	Houston Astros
2011	380	Jose Reyes	New York Mets
2012	279	R.A. Dickey	New York Mets
2013	306	Jerry Hirston	Los Angeles Dodgers

I've got a few bids on listia for some of the years that I need. We'll see how that works out.