If I’m going to make this blog work for my schedule and my stupidly obsessive scanning and digital cataloging process, I need to shorten the heck out of them. Part of my pending burn out was the internal pressure to show a whole trade in one post, no matter how large. I want to show off every card I get, so get them all out of the way at once, right?
Sounds good in theory, but even with a decent amount of free time a post like this realistically takes 2 or 3 days to put together. I’d rather have short posts more frequently than long ones that might be too intimidating to read.
So, reader Nick M., who has been regularly featured on this blog lately, will be the last recipient of the massive trade post. Sit back and enjoy, because the ride is about to start.
Quite the impact
These days, this insert would be its own product. I think there are 90 cards? That’s more than 3 impact players per team, which really isn’t all that feasible. I don’t know if there’s always even 1 per team sometimes.
Sweet arm patch proves the picture isn’t old
On one hand, I’m surprised there hasn’t been a team named the Naturals, but then on the other hand, I understand that might be bad karma.
Dot the bat
Do you remember that one time when Frank’s bat got stuck in a giant “O”? That was golden.
That’s a strange All-Star logo
I’m sort of surprised there aren’t more Spring Training photos on cards. Do people think they look “cheaper” because it’s not a game that counts?
Look out behind you, FT. There’s a weird “T” creeping in.
It’s appropriate that the Checklist is a swirl pattern. Collecting a set can be like falling into a rabbit hole, and sometimes you wish you took the other pill.
One more down
StarQuest was kind of the beginning of the end for my first round of collecting (with equal share going to Shaq’s Stadium Club rookie card). 4 levels of parallels, with increasing rarity and a big checklist? How’s someone going to get all of that? I still wonder that…just about StarQuest for a player or two.
Not a terrible border, I suppose.
50th Anniversary is kind of a misnomer. It’s been an on and off type of thing. Anyone care to count how many of those 50 years were “on” with baseball.
Did not save the best for Omega
I know I’ve talked about how bad this design is, but have I mentioned that they ripped off the Star Trek font? I’m sure someone has, right?
I think they want to tell us something
Inside Tip: If this were really a pitch around, Frank probably wouldn’t even be starting a swing.
This looks like a fake card. Someone just took an eraser to the bottom
Sometimes it’s really hard to locate a card on my spreadsheets. I spent way too much time out of my life finding this both times. Drove me nuts. I know you don’t care, but just saying that collecting isn’t a mindless, easy-going task.
Billy Joel reference free. Oops.
Okay, that swing and ball trajectory is impossible. Nice try, Fleer. A 1,000 ft tall baseball player, maybe. But he didn’t hit that boulder into the sky.
Just a touch of paper loss
I wish I Diamondmay, I wish I Diamondmight understand why card companies feel the need to repeat words on cards so obnoxiously tonight.
It wouldn’t be an Upper Deck insert if there weren’t a massive border
Boy, what an awkward looking body twisting. You don’t see this part of the follow-through too much. And now we know why.
Ball placement.
This pose is much more common, but also much more boring in comparison. Same goes for the card.
Ummm
My return to blogging is hampered at times by cards like this. What the hell do you say about this thing? When you can’t even find a sentence or two to write, then….
Only 10 points? Or is that good?
I mean at least this is one is visually interesting. It has the colors and the NBA Jam heads and the Space Jam font, and now I want jam.
And the back is centered, too
Hey, I opened a box of this stuff once. Wanna see the 6 year old review? Go for it.
Paralleled to crazy town
I can’t say I understand this revamp of Diamond Kings. The portraits look great, but it’s basically 20% of the card. That ain’t cool.
Didn’t someone call this the elevator door set?
Okay, it’s not great that he’s listed as a Blue Jay when the picture is A’s all the way(‘s), but do you really need to abbreviate “designated” like that?
Glad it showed up in the scan
I really like the Sweet Spot base cards. They’re seldom seen, compared to some of the other high-end sets, but this one gets away with a simple embossed stitching.
If only it was as a White Sock
Back in the case breaking days, I’m sure I pulled dozens of these, but they probably all got sold in insert sets or in u-pick auctions. Glad to have it for myself. By the way, I have tons of Topps base and inserts left from those days (2010-2012) if you need a shit ton.
Run, mini man, run
We leave the world of Frank with a tiny Gypsy Queen card. I like the product (especially the framed and the inserts), but it’s just too expensive for what it is.
Gradients
We enter the world of Tony with a tiny sticker back. Having pictures of other players on the backs of stickers was one of my favorite things about the old albums
SuperStar!
Here’s another one. I wish this were still possible, but my guess is it’s not due to the legalize they have to throw in. Stupid laws.
Hair watch, 2016
Has anyone ever determined what card he’s signing? Also: Ballpoint pen? Rookie move, hopefully kid.
Golden Rainbow
I have a great affinity for this set, but because of the basketball version. I bought a truck load of the stuff. More than necessary.
The border is torn just like Tony’s pants!
You know how trends get recycled? I really hope the “extreme” looks of the mid-90s never find their way back into pop-culture.
Are those eyes of approval?
This is going to be the weirdest puzzle ever. Can someone find the piece with the Bart Simpson hair to fit the bottom left?
Golden without the rainbow
Embossed was such an interesting set as a kid. The one per pack gold parallel (seen here) was the icing on the cake. Getting a good player was the ultimate prize.
The border is torn just like someone else’s pants, possibly.
Yeah, yeah. Good game. That is the least enthusiastic hand shake I’ve seen.
Here comes the hotstepper
I miss the Big Show. Every once in a while I’ll still watch SportsCenter, and it’s disappointing. I would watch Keith and Dan nightly, and then the repeat, and the next repeat. I was a lonely child.
Not a strong cardboard legacy with this.
Ever feel like stamping something in gravel and calling it card? No? Then you didn’t work for Leaf in the 90s.
I still can’t actually read “StarQuest” on the side
It would have been interesting if the foil icon was how a scorecard single looks instead of a whole diamond.
Wait a minute, this is a Chris Gwynn jersey…
Hey, it’s a Sharpie this time! Except, I don’t know if the guy is appreciative of the no-look sign.
He hit the ball so hard, it turned back time
Umm, the half sepia/half color might work if there were two different background images or maybe a historical figure in the background.
Better than average
Ugh, stupid multi-card subsets. Tony Gwynn, being the popular and great player he is, had a bunch. This one only has two, but there’s also Chrome versions and the related parallels. I will probably never have all of these.
Not a big fan of this design
The back of this card outlines an interesting piece of trivia that some of you probably know, but I didn’t: Tony is the only player to have his 3,000th career hit in a different country. He was facing the Expos when he reached that milestone. Golden.
Look at that sly guy in black. I see you, buddy.
This draft has been in the works for a while, so it’s worth reiterating that I have officially stopped collecting Starlin Castro. This package was sent well before that decision was made. I don’t think he was even on probation yet.
Thrilled! Both of them!
I probably won’t be showing Castro cards in too many future posts, unless it’s as a trade bait scenario. Feel free to check the spreadsheet on my want list page for what’s available. Everything must go.
Very cool photo
The Dempster collection is still going, and slowly growing. Older cards like this are a big help, because I don’t have tons of the non-Cub stuff.
Another hair sighting
Boy, these Bowman cards look like a late ’80s corporate training video, don’t they? Safety in the workplace is very important. Make sure you always wear the proper protection.
You know he’s Canadian, right?
Someone took a tourist shirt off the shelf of Walgreens and turned it into the background for a baseball card. Great.
Not as dynamic as the other out of focus catcher shot
Man, the iconic original Upper Deck design loses its luster when tried to make new. I don’t know what it is, but it feels like a fan created card, or a broder, rather than part of a real release.
Someone’s not too thrilled to be on the Reds
Yet, it’s still better than this. I don’t understand the grid. I definitely don’t understand those 4 circles.
Short pit stop in Texas for him, final destination for us in this post
Packages from Nick are always very thorough. Not only do they normally contain a nice mix of the players I collect, but he also doesn’t automatically assume I have all base cards, which is great. I’m all about padding my collection, and these kinds of cards are very much needed to get those percentages up.
As always, thank you very much, Nick.
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