1971s from the Night Owl

For several months I've been threatening to send Greg some cards. He beat me to the punch, sending 15 1971 Topps my way.  I've selected just four to show here.

Look how un-dinged these corners are.  No major chipping.  Some would quibble, pointing out printing flaws, the scant bits of white at the corners.  I see it, but I choose to ignore it.  If you saw some of the other cards I have in my collection of 71s  you'd say that these are Gem Mint 10s.

You can't go wrong with vintage Cubbies.

An unadulterated checklist.  Just reading those names brings back good memories.

I've always thought that Joe Morgan should be part of Greg's BA list.  But that's his list, not mine.  This is the first card of that era that I can recall where no players' faces are shown.

What a smile.  And a lot of pine tar.  Or his bat was hot footed.

Greg, thanks for getting me closer to my goal of completing my 1971 Topps set.  I still have a ways to go, but this get's me 5.7%* closer than I was at the beginning of June.




* I don't actually track percentages of set completion.  I just seemed like a funny number to add and I'd look smart.

A trade with defgav

A while back a trade was set up with Gavin from Baseball Card Breakdown.  I don't know how it started, but I looked at his wantlist and had a few 1971 Topps that he needed.

He provided me with his address and a few weeks later I dropped them in the mail.  Yeah, I'm never too quick on shipping stuff out.  One of my many flaws.

He sent me a return envelope, stuffed with some 1971 Topps that I needed.  And a few bonus cards.

Here are the Series 1 cards that I needed.

I haven't studied them but I wonder how many non horizontal facsimile autographs there are in the 1971 set.

1971 Topps
Dave Campbell (card # 46)

Don Money is wonderfully miscut.  Love it.

1971 Topps
Don Money (card # 49)

Tom Dukes isn't creased, but just worn right there.

1971 Topps
Tom Dukes (card # 106)

And now one of the two bonus cards.  2015 Topps.  Sure, everyone's blogged about them.  But this is a wonderful addition to my Topps Type Collection.  Now if I could just find the binder.  Seriously.  I can't find the binder.

2015 Topps
Carlos Ruiz (card # 233)

Thanks for the trade, Gavin.

Newsletter

The Night Owl wanted a newsletter.  Here you go.

Trade with David K.

A while back I showed off some Fräuleins. Reader David K. wanted to trade for one of them.  He sent over this sweet looking Earl Wilson.  Sharp corners and all.  There's a bit of surface dirt, but I'm not complaining in the least.

1965 O-Pee-Chee
Earl Wilson (card # 42)

Another Earl off my list.  Thanks, David K.

Trade with Baseball Dad

I recently completed a trade with Baseball Dad.  Jack was very generous, and was able to knock a few Hershisers off of my want list.   And then he threw in some old timey type cards for fun.  Can anyone see what Jack saw in the four Conlon cards?  And, sometime back he offered up a mess of cards.  I claimed the Jason Dubois rookie.  He still can't figure out why I wanted it.  So, thanks, Jack, for being a good trader and a good blogger.

1996 Arby's Cleveland Indians
Orel Hershiser (card # 2)

1991 TSN Conlon Collection
Johnny Gooch  (card # 244)

1991 TSN Conlon Collection
Bob Smith  (card # 217)

1991 TSN Conlon Collection
John Stone  (card # 289)

1991 TSN Conlon Collection
Bennie Tate  (card # 220)

2012 Panini Cooperstown Collection
Alexander Cartwright (card # 9)

2002 Topps Pristine Refractor
Jason Dubois (card # 187)

2009 Press Pass Fusion
Orel Hershiser (card # 4)

2000 Upper Deck - Game Entry Card
Joe DiMaggio 1930's Game-Used Glove

Joy of a completed trade

A comment showed up on one of my recent posts. A new (to me) blogger, The Prowling Cat, had some cards I might want. Did I want them? Sure!

This is a portion of what he sent my way.  14 Jeff Burton cards.  I needed the nine shown below.

Just like baseball cards, there are some parallels.  I am really trying to get my Jeff Burton checklist assembled.  The 2013 Press Pass Ignite Racing tentative checklist just came out.  About another 15 JB cards.  Base cards, hobby parallels, retail parallels.  Black, blue, and red memorabilia cards.  Black, blue, and red autograph cards.  I'll be going after the base when they come out.

Thanks, Prowling Cat.  I hope you enjoy the skeds I sent your way.

Trade with dayf

So, this has been a long time coming.   A few weeks back I received a package from dayf.  I sent him some stuff that he was whining about wanting.  I think this trade started back when Obama was president.  The last time, I mean.

He included a nice drawing of Secretariat.

I had to digitally enhance the image to actually read it.  Maybe that is supposed to be Fusaichi Pegasus.

dayf went right to my Elusive Eight page of wants.  I hadn't updated it in too many months.  I haven't yet told him that I already had this fin.  I'll always take another one, though.  Bet you didn't know that Wrigley Field used to be the Home of the Chicago Bears.

When I got the package I opened it up, glanced through it, tucked the contents back in because I knew that I wouldn't be scanning it right away.  I only glanced at the cards. I didn't look at them.  I'm glad that I finally did, because I didn't have this card.  I have three other variations, but not the Chrome.  I don't have the Chrome Refractor, either.  I still am clueless as to what the difference between a regular Chrome and a Chrome Refractor is.  If I had them side by side I probably could figure it out, but stand alone?  Nope.

A unique sticker card with the sticker actually peeled.  This is the back.  Maybe it is a blank front error card.

Another card that I thought I already had.  But no.  This is the CyberStats version.  How can I tell?  Different number and the back says "CyberStats".

One time dayf said that he was going through gobs and gobs of Star Trek cards.  Since he was constantly hounding me for what cards he could send me and I was being such a goober about insisting only needing Hershisers or other cards from my wantlists, I relented and asked for some Tasha Yar cards.  But I had conditions:

Oh, if you find any Tasha Yar cards, I'd like one. But where her hair seems softer, not all slicked back like a semi-blonde Dr. Lilith Sternin from Cheers/Fraiser. 

I fell asleep last night trying to force myself to dream that I was a bad space engineer and that Tasha Yar got to take me into 'custody'. All I got was a couple of Ferengis making me do a prisoner pyramid while snapping photos with a Polaroid.

He indulged me.

Once, dayf taunted me on twitter that he had found some cards that I needed and the package was to be shipped very soon.  I replied that I had given up sports card collecting and was now only interested in One Direction stickers.  Apparently he believed me.

For those of you new to the sports card collecting blogosphere, you might be scratching your head and asking, "Who is this dayf of which he speaks?"

Well, he sent in a PunkRockPaint creation.  You want to see the back?  Initiate your own trade with dayf.

Actually, dayf is, in my opinion, one of the more honest card bloggers out there.  I do like his mercurial way of being totally apathetic about everything and then being all hot for Chipper.  He's got a good wit.  I don't always care for some of his word choices (they aren't always kid friendly), but it is his blog.  Not cool to criticize one that sends you cards, but he's a big boy.

Oh, he's also a stunt double for Rutledge Wood, star of the History Channel's Top Gear show.

Thanks, dayf, for the package.  I'll keep collectin'.  You keep lookin'.

1969 Milton Bradley Earl Wilson

Another card from generous Daniel of It's like having my own Card Shop.  This has been on my want list for quite some time.  Actually, any card I don't have of Earl Wilson is on my want list, but you know what I mean.  Thanks, Daniel, again.

1969 Milton Bradley
Earl Wilson (card #NNO-294)

I'm not sure how to distinguish the 1969 and the 1972 Milton Bradley cards. From the images that I've seen, the front photo for Earl Wilson is the same. I haven't seen both backs.

I never played the Milton Bradley games. I also never played Strat-O-Matic growing up. I must talk to my parents about denying me those opportunities.

Miiiiiicccroooos!!!!!

Daniel, from It's Like Having My Own Card Shop, and I recently completed a trade.  I'm impressed with his memory and his generosity.

He picked up a few items from COMC and tossed in a mess of micros.  The Hershiser was on my wantlist and he filled it.  Along with the card of Tommy running with Orel in tow.  What you don't see in that photo is a large buffet table being pulled along like a mechanical hare at a greyhound track.

1993 Topps Micros
Dodger Team (misc. card #s)

I'll post up some of the other cards that Daniel sent my way later.  Thanks so very much.

Night Owl Tapped Out

A few weeks back Greg, the Night Owl, sent me a package of cards.  I'm not sure if they were the reward for creating the One-Card Callenge logo, an unspecified "here's some cards from the goodness of my heart because you sent me cards from the goodness of your heart" guilt trip or he's just being nice.  I'm never one to turn down some Hershiser cards that I don't have.  But it looks like my source from New York has dried up.

Mark,
I am now officially tapped out in having any Hershisers you don't have.
Enjoy -- Greg

Let's see what Hershiser goodness he sent...

There are quite a few variations on this set.  Donruss pushed out the Legends of Summer Century Edition, numbered to 100.  And the Legends of Summer Decade Edition, numbered to 10.  And the autographs and relics.  I really don't know what all they did.  I know that I finally got this one.

2003 Donruss Signature - Legends of Summer
Orel Hershiser (card # LS-33) - #/250

Another numbered card from the Donruss family.  This time to 1,988.  What a strange number.  Not if you remove the comma.  1988.  The season of Orel.  Nice way to reuse the photo, too.

2004 Playoff Honors Awards
Orel Hershiser (card # A-21) - #/1988

Some would say that the next card isn't an Orel Hershiser baseball card at all, but a Dennis Martinez baseball card.  I'd say that some were crazy.  It is going in my Orel binder.  Sure, it will be at the end of the 1997 section, but it will be in there.  I think that I have a card of Tommy Lasorda jogging with Orel and the part of the team.  Strange to see Lasorda jogging.  Maybe there's a plate of pasta on the other side of the field.  Now, that was just mean.  It probably was covered in meat sauce, as well.  It is in my Orel binder.

Interesting uniform differences.  Orel's wearing a turtleneck with the logo, similar to what Howard Wolowitz wears on The Big Bang Theory.  Maybe the other guys have the logo but are wearing their shirts backwards.  It could happen.

1997 Collector's Choice
Dennis Martinez (card # 91)

Greg sent some other cards.  I plan to show them in another post.