Now Look What You've Done

Remember those Topps Now tears I talked about? Let's get those out of the way, shall we? Big Bart was the first time I went after a Topps Now Card. I ordered it direct from Topps, and I think a lot of people stopped there as it was by far the biggest seller of the year.  

But not me! I decided that I was going all in on Topps Now - which for me meant going after all the cards I personally wanted the most - I ordered Ichiro direct from Topps as well, the others I had to find on eBay. I couldn't let a sweet bat flip pass me by!

Here's the back of the Ichiro card, one of the few times the cards had something other than text on the back.

I am sucker. Plain and simple - but you know what? I don't regret any of these. Now that I figured out that I could get these cheaper if I ordered on eBay the same day they were released, I felt like I could justify the expense. At least a little bit. These are all great photos! I bet that at least two of these end up on regular issue cards in 2017, which makes me think I might regret paying for these in 2016...

This one was stupid. I got it because it was stupid, like why would they make this into a card? Sorry to those bloggers out there that hate this card.

And of course I had to chase the hometown Twins.

Max Kepler had several highlights in his rookie season, Sano had a bunch too. It was a lucky guess by Topps to release a card after Sano's 4th game in a row hitting a home run, and then not having the Gary Sanchez effect, in which the streak kept going and the cards kept coming - probably a bittersweet victory for Yankees collectors.

Mauer actually had two walk off wins in 2016, but apparently Topps didn't think a Walk Off Walk was exciting enough for its own card...

Dozier might not be in a Twins uniform by Opening Day 2017, but he sure made a ton of great memories in 2016. Buxton is just getting started - and this wasn't even his best catch of 2016!

I am about 99% sure I won't chase these cards as hard in 2017, it just adds up to a lot of money, even if you're getting the bulk price on eBay. I still think it's a fun idea, and I still think Topps missed out on a few moments, and had some boring photo selections at times.

The Completely Arbitrary Best Card of 2016

Oh, it was all build up - that other post about the Highly Subjective "Best" cards of 2016? See, This card above is the true winner, in completely arbitrary fashion. The Card has a history - you can see the 1967 Topps card that inspired the makers of Topps Heritage: 

Both of these cards - the 1967 original and the 2016 remix - came my way in 2016 as new additions to my collection. The 2016 version came from opening several packs of Topps Heritage, and the 1967 version came in a trade.

The 1967 card has a "behind the scenes at Topps" feel. Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew appear to be posing for a different photographer to the left of the image. The 2016 version has the same off camera gaze, however Buxton and Sano seem to be interested in action taking place on the field of play. The new card seems to be capturing a candid moment of players at the top step of the dugout.

I could have picked this card, or any of the dozen or so cards from my top "10" list, but it can be so hard to pick just one favorite!

This post was inspired by the contest being run by P-Town Tom on his blog Eamus Catuli!(formerly known as Waiting Til Next Year). It's been great to see everyone else's choices, and there's still a couple days left to add yours!

A Wallet Card PSA

Wallet Card Atherton here, reminding you to test your Carbon Monoxide detector regularly. If you come home to the sound of your CO detector's alarm, stay calm and assess the situation. I know a thing or two about serious gas - sniffing the air won't help, as CO is odorless.

Your owner's manual will tell you that one beep every 45 seconds or so is an indication that your detector has reached the end of its effective life. It's not an indication of a CO leak, but it does call for action.

Most big box retailers and just about any hardware store will carry these detectors, and you can get battery powered only, or the plug in variety with battery powered backups. Some higher end models even feature digital displays showing the precise readings, but this is more of an '88 Donruss house, not a 2016 Topps Transcendent house, so. . .

That's all for today, but make sure you're testing your CO detector and keeping one in all sleeping areas in your home.

This has been a Keith Atherton Wallet Card PSA.

The "10" Highly Subjective "Best" Baseball Cards of 2016

Oh man. So I was so very ready to just say that this was the card of 2016. Captured a great moment in the 2016 season, a fan favorite player doing something out of character.... Ask me at almost any point of the year, and I would say this was it, hands down. Then something happened . . .

Really Topps? There's also a card commemorating this homer in Topps Heritage High Numbers. So, the Topps Now version is no longer special in any way. I will say of the three versions, the Topps Now card has my favorite photo choice, and the better copy on the front. But we'll cry our Topps Now tears another time.

Here's another example of Topps capturing a great moment - Joey Bats with the epic playoff bat flip. I picked the chrome version because the bat is kinda sorta in 3-D on the card.

This was a very recent addition - I spent the $14.99 for the 8 update chrome cards and several packs of regular Topps Update. I love that this card is super sparkly and shiny and new, and juxtaposed against that is Denard Span's salt and pepper beard. I'm a fan.

Get used to seeing Stadium Club cards in this rambling list. There are quite a few. This could be a still from "The Natural" with the sunlight streaming through the open areas of the stadium. Really nice photo.

This is possibly blasphemy, but I think this card was one of the few that met the standards of the 1967 set. Several of the 2016 Heritage cards were washed out / over saturated using a technique to make them look like vintage cards. This one has a little bit of that, but it's not overly distracting. The "Tigres" jersey variation is the cherry on top.

I won't go crazy with Twins cards in the list, but I was quick to make an exception for Sano under the Target Field lights. The Future of the Franchise in a nicely framed shot.

Speaking of frames, The Archives set paid tribute to the 1991 Topps set. This shot right down the foul line mirrored the tremendous photography that defined the 91 set.

Ok, one more Twin. This photo was taken in the Twins' previous home, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. "The Rat" Gary Gaetti is in the background as "Sweet Music" delivers to the plate during the 1987 World Series. Viola was the MVP of the Series, then went on to win the AL Cy Young in 1988. Great memories with this photo.

I was trying to decide between this Met robbing a home run and the card of Juan Lagares robbing a home run - The tie breaker is having Bullpen Coach Ricky Bones all bundled up in the background of this one.

The Saint Louis Arch is a perfect backdrop for this card - the throwback uni on Grichuk is a nice touch.

I'm not really a Royals fan, or a Salvador Perez fan, but this card captures his love for playing baseball, and that's a wonderful thing!

There were many honorable mentions I could include here - Billy Hamilton bunting on his Topps Bunt card, The Buxton / Sano Twin Terrors Heritage card, the entire Stadium Club set.... it was too bad that there were only Topps cards on this list, but the truth is that Panini's efforts were not quite up to the task.

2017 Topps will be out in stores in about a month, and the cycle will start all over again - it's currently below zero here in Minnesota, but I'm already thinking about spring.

RIP Wallet Card 2016 - Long Live Wallet Card 2017

It's a new year, which I love because it is a highly subjective and completely arbitrary division of time, and that means time for a new wallet card. If you recall from 2016 (why would you?), I rocked a 1988 Score Chili Davis in my wallet. We had a couple of adventures, but he didn't really get out much. 

Here's what he looked like when he was added to the wallet...

And Here's Chili today...

Say Hello to the 2017 Wallet Card!

I decided to go with a Twin for the 2017 Wallet Card (I happened to be in the middle of sorting my Twins cards) and since this particular came up about 6 times in different boxes this weekend, He's the big winner. Not the most famous Twin, but he does have more World Series Rings than Barry Bonds...