GCRL Not IRL part two : Twins



Jim from GCRL also sent a big batch of new to me Twins. Long-time readers of my blog with very good memories will remember that I talked about wanting a card that commemorated the walk-off win in game 163 of the 2009 Season - Jim had a copy of the card and sent it along.

These pacific Omega cards have a little bit of everything - texture on the seams, foil, two photos on the front, and of course, the original Series Star Trek font for the player's name.

Upper Deck was so clever - when they bought O-Pee-Chee they effectively bought the rights to use some vintage Topps designs as well. You'll recognize these Twins rocking the 1971 Topps (sort of, they flipped the picture above the text).

I've decided that the Blyleven card above is from the 1987 World Series (because of the bunting). Either way, it is super shiny. These three Mauers were new to me, too!

I really like the 1995 Upper Deck design.

Bring it on home with a trio of Denards - there was a lot more to show in the box, it was quite the haul! Thanks very much Jim, I'll keep my eye out for more Dodgers and double dips for the next trade!

Just Joined Zistle

I'm going to make a concerted effort to catalog the cards I have, as blogging has totally blown up any organization I might have had before.

I just joined Zistle!

My Profile

I will be adding cards to the collection and to the trade list over the next few... well it's going to be awhile.

Since all posts should have a photo, here's Carlos Gomez doing his best Jack Howell impersonation. . .

GCRL Not IRL part one: player collections

Jim from GCRL and I live in the same metro area - our first trade was in person, and it's always nice to save on shipping (not to mention meeting a fellow blogger). We tried meeting up again but timing didn't quite work out so the Dodgers I pulled from the big group trade and Jim's return had to go through the mail.

What a return it was! I have split it into two parts. Part one is focusing on the player collections he sent over. I always think of Rickey as an Oakland A, so his mid to late 90s West Coast tour always has an odd look to it. He spent a few seasons in San Diego with Tony Gwynn.

Larry Walker! He's among my favorite players that had their prime after I stopped collecting the first time. Jim send a huge stack of Walkers, I think they were all new to me.

I somehow managed to not have that 86 Donruss Dave - I've got to start making lists for these guys so I can track what I already have.

New Carew!

Barry Bonds - what can be said about him that hasn't already been said?

Pedro!

And more Pedro - hey... wait a minute. How did Upper Deck get away with using the 1963 Topps design in that Vintage set? I'm glad they did, it's a cool card.

This is just part one! More to come from GCRL, next time it will be all about the Twins.

MLB Official Rules: 2.00 Definition of Terms

 Adam from Infield Fly Rule sent along a bubble mailer stuffed with great stuff! Let's jump right in:

 Felipe looks like he's saying "ALOOOOOOOOU!" Just me? I am just now noticing that the little outlines in the bottom left are the same poses as the photo - I obviously haven't collected enough of that set!

 "Lowell A Star Fish" - Good job, Fleer! Hal Morris is one of those guys that had a really solid career and will always be a fan favorite.

Speaking of Fish (and Fan Favorites) here's Jeff Conine. I miss the Teal unis. . . the 90s were a simpler, neon-ier time!

 I don't know about you all, but I have to say A-Rod is enjoyable as a villain. Not quite Bonds-level Super Villain, but I am starting to enjoy the season he's having this year.

 That's a pretty sweet Big Puma! Nails and Big Mac were on my junk wax want list, but not anymore!

Close it out with a Robi-duo

My wallet card is starting to really feel the burn!

Adam, thanks for the cards! These are great!

Catching Up With a Trade Post

 Jared from Catching Up With Collecting sent me a message that he had a stack of Twins for me. Easy way to start a trade and within a week we each had cards in hand!

 Josmil is languishing in AAA right now - FREE JOSMIL! He's a great hitter, and his defense can't be that bad (especially compared to the rest of the team...). Let the kid play!

 The Killers.

 Red Sparkly Rod Carew!

 There were a few Rickey Hendersons in the package, too- Rickey approves.

 Here's a Relic Manufactured pin commemorating Rod Carew's ROY award. It's an awesome card!

 A new to me Kirby.

 A parade of Hrbeks!

Close it out with another Catcher, All American Hero Joe Mauer.

Crackin' Wax - 2015 Gypsy Queen

This time I didn't go for a whole box - but I did get a blaster of 8 packs and two hanging 3-pack packs of the new 2015 Gypsy Queen.

I like the off-center design of these cards.

Vintage Heroes!

Minis!

Inserts:

 Pillars of the Community is an interesting subset - the back features the player's service and charity work.

 Glove Stories, The Queen's Throwbacks . . . Again, nice details on the card back:

Really, Gypsy Queen? I feel like I'm getting trolled.

I've already set aside some of the pictured cards for Rosenort of Condition Sensitive, but if you are building the set, feel free to e-mail me with a list of what you're looking for, or add a comment. I will be keeping a few cards, but I am open to trading a lot of these.

 

Building the 1956 Topps Set

Working on a 1956 Topps set - It's been very slow as I usually can't afford to buy many of these at once. It's an iconic set, certainly one of my favorites.

Images posted are to give an idea of condition I'm looking for. Centering is more important than sharp corners, a little staining or creases are ok. Pen marks on the back are generally ok, as long as they don't cover up text/photos. Would like to avoid cards with paper loss. Much more forgiving for condition of cards for players like Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle vs. Commons.

Let me know if you can help me finish this set! I'm happy to trade!

I will keep the list updated as a separate page linked at the top of the blog. Here's a LINK

These can be gray back or white back, not going for all variations, so team cards can be any version.
Here are the ones I am still looking for as of this morning:

5, 8, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 58, 61, 62, 64, 66, 68, 69, 71, 74, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 87, 88, 93, 94, 96, 97, 102,

103, 105, 106, 108, 110, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 123, 126, 130, 135, 136, 138, 140, 143, 145, 156, 157, 159, 160, 162, 163, 167, 171, 172, 175, 177, 178, 179, 181, 182, 183, 189, 192, 196, 198,

206, 207, 213, 214, 216, 217, 219, 222, 224, 225, 227, 229, 231, 235, 236, 237, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 252, 254, 255, 258, 261, 263, 264, 267, 269, 272, 273, 276, 277, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 292, 294, 297, 298,

300, 301, 303, 305, 308, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 318, 319, 321, 323, 327, 328, 329, 332, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340

The Commerce Comet

You know The Commerce Comet. He was named after his Dad's favorite ballplayer, Gordon Cochrane. Despite being diagnosed with Osteomyelitis from an infected ankle, his leg was saved from amputation by a midnight ride to Tulsa (possibly the second most important midnight ride in American History?).

He caught the eye of a scout while playing for the Semi-Pro Baxter Springs Whiz Kids. The scout was there to see Whiz Kids' Third Baseman Billy Johnson - not to be confused with future teammate and New York Yankee of the same name. Little Billy was upstaged by a teenaged titan - The Commerce Comet hit three homeruns in the game, and the scout returned to sign the young slugger after his high school graduation.
You know the stories - hard drinking, reckless behavior; and dazzling baseball sidetracked and derailed by debilitating injuries. Mickey Charles Mantle is an icon. Especially on cardboard.

It might be the least expensive one out there - but I really love the design. I prefer it to some of the base cards with big close up head shot portraits.

I was checking out some ending soon auctions eBay and noticed that this card had zero bids - I assumed that someone was getting ready to swoop in and snipe it, but I figured I would put in a bid just for fun.

Well, I won, and I'm happy to report I am the proud owner of my first Mickey Mantle card!

 Not the best shape in the world, but it's still gorgeous! Sent to me all the way from jolly old England!

Crackin' Wax - 2013 Panini Hometown Heroes

In an ongoing effort to fill in the gaps in my collection, every now and then I will buy up some boxes of packs and bust them.

This time I went with a box of 2013 Panini Hometown Heroes. 24 packs, 8 cards per pack. The base cards feature some current stars but mostly retired players with the name of the State / City in which they spent significant playing time.

This is a fun set because it features those players that were local favorites, even if they were not hall of famers or nearly hall of famers. The base card has a retro feel to it, with banners like the 1965 Topps Set, and some bold colors for the borders.

Like other Panini Products, there are no team logos, but you get the idea.

Lots of inserts / subsets:

Stamped parallels with either a state outline, or a Zip Code:

Reggie had both an Oakland and a New York card. He's a hometown hero in lots of places...

This was fun to break, and there was a nice little stack of cards that I will be hanging onto. There are also lots that I will not be holding onto - if you were building this set or were just curious about some of the cards in the set, let me know we can work out a trade for something if I have it!