Today this man turns 71 & remains the only man to win the Heisman Trophy not once........but twice in back to back years - 1974 & 1975. No other school can take credit for doing that. Archie remains one player I would still like to meet in person.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
WHAT'S IN MY PC 5000ct BOXES PART IV
We have reached Row 4 of the 1st box if you want to know what was in the previous 3 rows I suggest that you look back at some of my previous post to catch up. With my little disclaimer said lets begin now Box 1 Row 4 shall we.
Box 1 Row 4
1983 Topps #83 Ryne Sandberg RC I have 2 of these Funny thing just like Boggs is missing in the Donruss Tony Gwynn Sr. is missing in my Topps PC.
1983 Topps #498 Wade Boggs RC I have 3 total 2 in the box 1 in my set.
1984 Donruss #248 Don Mattingly RC I have 3 copies of this card 2 are in a set form 1 in the box. Back in 1998 I was set up at my old high school for a show a guy offered me since I had 4 Mattingly Donruss RCs at the time trade me 1 of my Mattingly RCs for a complete 1985 Topps set & $75 to cover the cost of the Mattingly I couldn't say no to the deal later that fall that guy was at the October show seeing me set up again just shook his head & said I messed up on the trade meaning him cause at time of our deal Mark McGwire just hit his 7th home run on his way to 70 that year he figured that Mattingly would soar & Mark cool off needless to say I think I did well lol.
1984 Fleer #131 Don Mattingly RC I have 2 total 1 in the set & this one was picked up right after he retired from the game for $3
1984 Fleer #182 Glenn Hubbard Much like the 1976 Topps Traded #74 mentioned in the last post I made this card says playing in the 1980s was radical I have 2 copies of this card 1 for my set & the other I picked up in a 3200ct box of Early 1980s Fleer singles it was a surprise for me when I went through them I was hoping for a 3rd Mattingly instead struck gold on this find. This card came to light just recently someone mentioned the Phillie Phanatic was in the background that he is but so is Barney Rubble if you look directly above Glenn's Left shoulder or go directly above the Boa Constrictors Head near the Giants Team Logo at Veterans Stadium.
I hear there's a bobble head with this pose it be quite nice to get that Bobble Head to go with this card. Anyone see Barney yet???
1984 O Pee Chee #8 Don Mattingly RC I have 2 of these somehow I found the set while rummaging at this one shop outside the Flint,Michigan area in a town called Clio when I was sleeving up this set I noticed as I put card #396 away there was a few extras still in the box as fillers lo behold I guess the box wasn't touch since 1984 when there was Don staring right back at me along with an extra Alan Trammell & Lou Whitaker which I sold the pair of Tigers to a friend for $10 oh & the set had its original sticker on it saying $5 for what I paid cause they labeled the box as 1984 OPC Duplicates in a 400ct box. I always check boxes to make sure what they say is what they are cause if not you could wind up with some nice surprises or something that you think is what it is when it wasn't.
1984 Topps #8 Don Mattingly RC I have 2 of them I had 1 that I pulled back as a kid in 1984 & 1 I found for $3 from the same dealer who sold me the 1984 Fleer one.
1984 Topps Traded #42T Dwight Gooden XRC I found this one at a flea market outside of Florence, Kentucky back in 2015 for a whole $0.05 I have this one as well the one I got with my 1984 Topps set.
1985 Donruss #325 Eric Davis RC I have 3 copies of this legendary 1990 Wire to Wire World Champion Cincinnati Reds outfielder 2 are in their respective set spots the other in the box here.
1985 Fleer #533 Eric Davis RC I have again 3 copies of this card 2 which are in sets 1 from opening a pack back in 1985 which is in my box.
1985 Topps #401 Mark McGwire RC again 2 of them the better one is in the PC the other in the set I got in trade that I mentioned before in 1998.
1985 Topps #627 Eric Davis RC 2 of them see the McGwire entry for details.
1986 Donruss #39 Jose Canseco RC I have 3 copies of this card I was lucky back in 1988 our local PBS station held an auction to raise funds for the channel they had 2 factory sets of the 1986 & 1987 Donruss each 4 sets total sold to a kid for $7 1 of each year was opened & & placed into a binder the other 2 still sealed the 3rd copy came from the friend currently in Nepal while the 3rd copy is in the box.
1986 Donruss #512 Cecil Fielder RC I own 3 copies much like the Jose Canseco card the reason I put him in the PC is I remember those summer nights in 1990 When Cecil was with the Tigers at the time & how legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell would call one of his moonshots & his partner Paul Carey would called his 50 & 51st home runs that season.
1986 Donruss Rookies #11 Barry Bonds XRC I picked up a Bonds collection from a back in 2000 prior to his historical 73 Home Run Season I own 2 of these the other is in the 1986 Donruss Binder.
1986 Fleer #649 Eric Plunk/Jose Canseco RC I own 3 copies of this card 2 are in the set form & 1 in the box.
1986 Fleer #652 Cory Snider/Cecil Fielder RC Again 3 copies they all have the same fate as the Canseco cards.
1986 Fleer Update #U14 Barry Bonds XRC I have 5 of these 2 are in set form 3 are in the PC thanks to that collection I picked up funny thing I have yet to get a Canseco's first Fleer Single card for my PC instead I have 2 in set form.
1986 O Pee Chee #386 Cecil Fielder RC I have 2 of these back in 1990 most people over looked the OPC RC I didn't & picked up the set for & $10 & the extra came in another set that I got later on keep reading.
1986 Topps #386 Cecil Fielder RC I have 2 of them my Grandmother surprised me 2 months after my by getting me 6 Unopened 1986 Topps Rak Packs boxes from the same Bocca Raton shop that she bought for me earlier all cause her middle grandchild was great at mowing her lawn for her.
1986 Topps Traded #11T Barry Bonds XRC I have 2 the first came along with the Rak boxes the other in the collection.
1986 Topps Traded #20T Jose Canseco 1st Solo Topps card I own 2 the first came in the Rak boxes again the other I couldn't pass up for $.10 at a show back in 2016.
1986 Sportflics Rookies 1986 #13 Barry Bonds XRC I have 2 the 1st one came in set back in 1986 the 2nd along with the collection.
1987 Fleer #604 Barry Bonds RC I have 3 copies of this card the 1st came in 1994 at a show in Strongsville,Ohio when I bought the factory set at great price $10 due to the fact the dealer was slowly get out of the card business & this show was his swan song, The other 1 is my PC came from the collection. I mentioned I have 3 here's the results of the 3rd one I own see below.
1987 Fleer #604 Barry Bonds RC Beckett Graded 8.5 Centering 8 Edges 8.5 Corners 8.5 Surface 8.5 Serial #0009073226 I acquired this card from Lee Noel who before he left collecting to join a Seminary he sent me his brothers & his collection to have me do whatever I wanted to do with his collection either sell it or trade it off etc.... Needless to say this is 1 of 2 graded cards I own in my collection the other will be featured in a later date. I would have had 3 Graded cards in my PC but somehow 1 of them was a 1997 Score Hideo Nomo with a piece of swatch from a Nomo Jersey so instead I was nice to send it to a collector who posted on his blog back on April 22th of this year. I stand behind my beliefs when it comes to having graded cards I prefer raw only not graded so I hope this doesn't make you think I have gone soft in my opinion on graded cards.
1987 Donruss #361 Barry Bonds RC I have 3 of these 2 in set form the PC version came from the collection.
1987 O Pee Chee #320 Barry Bonds RC I had 3 once but I lost 1 of them due to a flood in my parents basement back in 2018. So I am down to the 2 1 is in a set that I would thank a YouTuber known as Jabs Family for overlooking a replacement set that I had my friend Greg pick up for me since Jabs was a big fan of the 1987 Topps RC & loves the everychance he gets to pick that card up he didn't realize that Bonds RC was in the O Pee Chee as well so I dispatched Greg to where to get now its one of Greg's favorite places to look for cards when I visit. The 2nd copy came in the collection.
1987 Topps #320 Barry Bonds RC I have 2 1 in the set 1 in the box.
1987 Procards #372 John Smoltz I was lucky to locate one of John's Minor League cards at Chantilly in 2021 the first time I ever went to that show for a great price of $.50
1988 CMC Richmond Braves #3 John Smoltz same show that I picked the previous card I got this one as well also for $.50 I just like to find John's 1986 Procards Lakeland Tigers card so I have all 3 of his minor League cards.
1988 Fleer Update #U74 John Smoltz XRC I have 4 of these 3 of them are in set form also I have 2 of them that are signed by John back in 1988 & his signature has changed through the years stay tuned to my blog & you'll see what I am talking about. Another lesser known fact I believe the photo used in the card was from John's debut in the MLB when he pitched against the New York Mets where he struck out Darryl Strawberry on July 23,1988.
1988 Score Traded #86T Rob Dibble RC I have 3 of them 2 are in Set form the 3rd one I picked up at my LCS for $.10 earlier this year. The day I met Chris Sabo back in 1988 at Three Rivers Stadium I met Dibble as well
1988/1989 Upper Deck Promo #1 DeWayne Buice Hologram on Top I was lucky to spot this card at a friends house when he hired me to be his consultant various times when he would need someone to attend auctions with him let me ask you this if you were paid $50 an/hr along with finders fees for 8 hrs of work would you turn it down.
1988/1989 Upper Deck Promo #700 Wally Joyner Hologram on Top it was found right after I found the Buice card.
1988/1989 Upper Deck Promo #700 Wally Joyner Hologram on Bottom again found in the same box the previous 2 were found in since my friend hired me I had free range of anything I was needing for set wise they were found in 5000ct box filled with lot of odd-ball cards that he picked up I think when we hit the infamous Howard Coins & Cards from Ohio auction back in 2002.
1989 Bowman #266 John Smoltz RC I have 2 1 in the set the other in the PC I was lucky to get 2 out of the only hobby box I opened back in 1990 when I first started to make sets.
1989 Bowman #220 Ken Griffey Jr. RC I have 2 of them 4th pack into my box I pulled this card x2 in the same pack.
1989 Bowman #259 Ken Griffey Sr/ Ken Griffey Jr. very last pack of the hobby yielded me x2 as well.
1989 Donruss #33 Ken Griffey Jr. RC I have a total of 3 of these 2 are in box here & 1 is within my set. For a buck I couldn't help but own this many of them I don't want to be over greedy the card.
1989 Donruss #642 John Smoltz RC I have 2 1 for the set one for the PC.
1989 Fleer #548 Ken Griffey Jr. RC I have a total of 4 of them 3 are in the their respective spots in the sets & 1 in the box. I was lucky to get 2 once in 1 wax box back in 1990 when I decided to make the set the 2nd time. The PC card I got it again for $1 you really can't say no to the Griffey RC for that price.
1989 Fleer #602 John Smoltz RC again the magic number I own is 4 of them if anyone is interested 1 of the Multi-sets I have of this lmk
1989 Fleer #616 Billy Ripken Rick Face bat know I have 2 1 in my set& 1 in my PC in the other 2 sets I have the black box versions not quite the same effect as the others if ya ask me.
1989 Score #616 John Smoltz RC I have 3 2 are in their sets the other in the box.
1989 Score Traded #1000T First Score card of Griffey I have 3 of them 2 in sets 1 in the box.
1989 Topps #382 John Smoltz RC I remember pulling this card back in 1989 when I said I know this kid when he was in High School then he later did a bunch of multi-signings at my old high school. early in his career currently own 2 of them.
1989 Topps Traded #41T Ken Griffey Jr. 1st Topps card I own 2 of these 1 for my set the other for my box I talked about why Topps placed them in the traded set instead like the other companies on my July 21st post of this year.
1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr. RC I own 3 of these 2 are in set form & when I saw the one for my PC at a show for $10 I couldn't say no to that price so I jumped on it before someone else did.
1989 Upper Deck 1989 #17 John Smoltz RC I own 3 much like the Griffey but instead of paying $10 for the PC version I got it in my first 1989 Upper Deck pack back in 1989.
1990 CMC #818 Frank Thomas the same person who gave me their Barry Bonds collection also collected Frank Thomas so I got a bunch of his RCs I have 2 of these 1 for my set & the extra came in the collection.
1990 Bowman #320 Frank Thomas RC I have 2 of these set & PC.
1990 Fleer Update #U87 Frank Thomas 1st Fleer Card I have 3 2 are in respective sets 1 in the PC that was included in the collection.
1990 Leaf #220 Sammy Sosa RC I have 2 of these the first one I got in a set back in 2001 at an auction for $8 fast forward to February of this year I was able to get a copy for the PC for $2 I wish I could locate the Frank Thomas card for that price so I can add it to my PC.
1990 Score #663 Frank Thomas RC I own 2 of these 1 for the set the other for the PC that came in the collection.
1990 Score #697 Bo Jackson I got 2 of this card the first I got from a pack back in 1990. When I was making the set fast forward to 1993 I started to collect every single Beckett Baseball (I still have every issue including 2 #1s of November 1984 to the present). I needed issue July 1990 issue that featured this card iconic photo I went to a shop asked if they had any old issues of the Beckett for sale they had the July 1986 with Mantle on the cover picked that up for $2 which was a shocker I thought at least $5 or more with Mantle on the cover I didn't complain then they also had a couple others I needed only charging me a $.25 for them but then I pulled out the July 1990 issue $1 total cost for me I spent at that shop $30 cause I also picked up the 1990 Fleer Update football set that featured Emmitt Smith RC in it & inside the Bo Issue was the second copy I got of the card I was happy to get that as a dupe so I didn't have to pay $25 for it at the shop they didn't realize that card was in that issue but Ill take it anyway I can get lol.
Not bad pick up getting a card & magazine I wanted for a $1.
1990 Score Traded #86T Frank Thomas I own 2 of these 1 for my 1990 Score Binder & the other I got in the collection.
1990 Topps #414 Topps Frank Thomas RC I own 3 of these 2 are within their sets I made 2nd second set when back in April of 2016 when I made my infamous Gum Jar more on that I suggest ya read my June 30th 2025 posting if you haven't already. The PC copy came within the collection. I wasn't lucky to find any of the NNO type of the Thomas RCs
1990 Topps Major League Debut 1989 #46 Ken Griffey Jr. I own 3 of these if someone is interested in the set so I can just have 2 copies of this card please lmk I am not going to break up the set for the individual cards I prefer to sell the set I tried to unload it in a contest once & no one chose that set so I am trying again.
Well that concludes Box 1 Row 4 again I like to hear what you think of what I have so far leave your comments on the bottom until then I am reminded of Rogers Hornsby talking about autographs for little kids once said "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's in Communist."
Monday, August 18, 2025
WHAT'S IN MY PC 5000ct BOXES PART III
Well we have reached Part III of this journey on what is within my PC 5000ct boxes. With this part we are still in box 1 but now begining with the last part of my Autographs first then we will hit the actual cards that well I.......just let you see for yourself to be amazed that card made the cut into my boxes. The non-Autographed cards I have are constantly being added to every chance I can get a good deal on a certain card or not & what makes it special also I will note if there's a card that has multiples not just in my PC but where else you might be able to locate it in my vast collection. So without further Ado lets get Row 3 started.
Box 1 Row 3
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Rick Honeycutt Autograph
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Gorman Thomas Autograph
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Rey Ordonez Autograph
2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites John Stearns Autograph
2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Tom Pagnozzi Autograph
2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Vern Law Autograph
2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Darin Erstad Autograph Purple #'d 119/150
2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Kevin Bass Autograph Purple #'d 056/150
2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Ray Durham Autograph Purple #'d 073/150
2020 Topps Archives Corn Field Autograph Luke Voit NFT Even though Luke went 0 for 4 during the historical game he was also mic'd up during the game.
2020 Leaf Pete Rose Charlie Hustle Edition Pete Rose Autograph AU-06 NFT I am trying to gather the other 9 if I can afford them
2021 Topps 1986 35th Anniversary Tim Lincecum Autograph Gold #'d 05/50
2021 Topps 1986 35th Anniversary Akil Baddoo Autograph NFT its very rare that I pull any of the Hometown team of the Detroit Tigers when I crack open any packs in baseball.
2022 Topps 1987 Topps 35th Gary Sheffield Autograph
2024 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs Anthony Volpe Autograph NFT This card was 1 I pulled from a case that my friend Greg from The Collective Mind Blog & I got together to crack open in the summer of 2024.
2024 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs Evan Carter Autograph NFT or BO I pulled this one out of a Mega Box to go with the case autographs I pulled with Greg.
2024 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs Ron Blomberg Autograph NFT I pulled the very 1st player to come up to bat as a DH plus he was 1 I pulled from my boxes from the case.
2024 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs Ted Simmons Autograph NFT again Ted was a card I pulled from a box I opened from the case plus since there was 6 autographs pulled from our case Greg automatically got his player guy Carlton Fisk from his box we thought we split the 3 a piece.
2024 Topps Heritage High Numbers Real One Autographs Weston Wilson NFT I pulled this out of a blaster box 1 of 6 blasters I was able to locate to finish off the case set I started with Greg I kinda wished we did do a case of them cause it been fun to see what hits we would encountered during the high series but who knows we still might if we can afford it.
Well that concludes as of the date this page is published on for Autographs that are within Box 1 Row 1 up to the middle of Row 3 I will now begin my what most people would consider more I guess more PC type of cards until I open my hockey 5000ct box of PC cards these as well the 4 Individuals whom I collect on the side these are PC cards that each of these cards has as I mentioned before Sentimental reasoning why I have it in the box & as I mentioned up at the top if I have more than 1 copy of the card Ill explain where ya can find them at after all when I can find a great deal on a card that I feel like that deserves to be in the PC box Ill add it to it. So with that disclaimer now mentioned as well I can't wait to hear the comments below on what is a shocker to you that I have it in the box.
Regular PC Box 1 Row 3 Continuing on
1957 Topps #125 Al Kaline some of you have talked about a Wallet card well this is one that could fall into that same category this card is one that if you are hard core follower on my blog is featured more then any card that might been found in a trash can if you like to read more up on this card featured in the photo up above I suggest you read some of my back blog works.
1959 Topps #338 George Anderson RC I have lived in Michigan my entire life so far this card I found at a Garage Sale back in 2015 for a price of $1 I couldn't get that $1 out of my wallet fast enough to give to the person selling it before they changed their mind & then realized it was the RC of Sparky Anderson the Hall of Fame Manager when he was a player for as the card states The Fightin' Phillies alright it might not say it but the logo is of the team does plus the price was great to buy it for.
1963 Topps #46 Tommie Aaron RC Even though Tommy hit 742 less home runs than his older brother Henry did Tommie has a special spot cause being a younger brother having to be in the shadow of a more popular older brother
1965 Topps #581 National League 1965 Rookie Stars Tony Perez/Kevin Collins/Dave Ricketts RC I picked this up at an auction back in the summer of 1991 for $5 I always admired how Tony Perez was an RBI machine for those great 1970's Cincinnati Reds Big Red Machine teams plus I think he got the bad end of a deal when he was traded to Montreal after the 1976 season & later when he was Managing the Florida Marlins in 2001 as well Reds Manager back in 1993.
1966 Topps #254 Phillies 1966 Rookie Stars Ferguson Jenkins/Bill Sorrell RC This one was a few of the non-Detroit Tigers cards that was pulled from the trash can after meeting with Fergie back in 2008 I found a notebook that I had Phillies cards in them & pulled it out put it where you are reading about now. If I meet Fergie again I am no doubt going to have him sign this card.
1972 Topps #79 1972 Rookie Stars Red Sox Mike Garman/Cecil Cooper/Carlton Fisk RC I got this card back when I was working on my 1972 set at the time & picked up 2 of them for a nice remarkable price of $30 for the 2 cards. I also have a second copy of this card for my 1972 Binder.
1973 Topps #174 Rich Gossage RC I picked 2 of these cards 1 for my 1973 Binder & the other for my PC I got them for a great price of $35 for the pair $30 for the one in my set and for my PC I put a kinda faded type the dealer had it for $10 but I mentioned how badly it looked he said alright $5 but no lower.
1973 Topps #614 1973 Rookie Outfielders Alonza (Al) Bumbry/Dwight Evans/Charlie Spikes RC about 2 months later same dealer had this high number he again had 2 for me to choose I how much for the pair he said $50 for them both after inspecting them closely I said cause of a crease on one I do $45 again 1 for the set 1 for the PC
1974 Topps #604 `74 Rookie Infielders Terry Hughes/John Knox/Andy (Andre) Thornton/Frank White RC I have 2 of these the first I got back when I was making my 1974 set the second copy which when to my PC I was surpised to pull from a Card Cube that had over 100 cards in the mix that had on the outside of the cube a 1994 Topps Black Gold card of Cecil Fielder that I needed for my 1994 Black Gold set at the time cost for the cube $10
1975 Topps Mini #223 Robin Yount RC I just had finished putting my Mini Set together the previous day after going to a shop in Ypsilanti Michigan getting my Rose,Yount,Brett cards for a total of $150 Mark the owner of the store knew that I was working on the set knew what 3 cards I needed so the next day I found myself at an antique store I saw this card as well the Brett not in the best shape to the ones I got the day before I got this as well the Brett for a remarkable $60.
1975 Topps Mini #228 George Brett RC read the previous story
1975 Topps Mini #622 1975 Rookie Outfielders Ed Armbrister/Fred Lynn/Tom Poquette/Terry Whitfield RC See story Below
1975 Topps Full-Sized #622 1975 Rookie Outfielders Ed Armbrister/Fred Lynn/Tom Poquette/Terry Whitfield RC I got these 2nd Copies at a flea market in Kentucky back in July 2015 for a the price of $20 total ya could say when it comes to certain cards from the infamous 1975 set the year I was born for 1 & like fellow blogger Mr. Night Owl anytime when you can find a great deal on any cards from these sets especially when Fred Lynn was the 1st Rookie of the Year winner to also win the MVP the same season (The 2nd guy to do that will be featured later on the blog so keep reading!!!) its no doubt to pass on the deal. Yes I have them in their respective binders as well.
1976 Topps #564 Joe Garagiola/Bazooka Bubble Gum Blowing Champ Kurt Bevacqua I have 2 copies one for my 1976 set & the reason I have 2 copies its one of those cards that would make you wonder who on the Topps during their round tables discussions said I have an idea for card that we can make for our 1976 set we get that crazy guy from NBC Sports Joe Garagiola to be the emcee & lets see who in the majors can blow the biggest bubble & We'll get all 24 teams to participate in the contest then will put the winner on a card oh what's that Jenkins Detroit & Pittsburgh don't want to do it no worries we can still do it with 22 teams & we'll take the runner up from Oakland cause the other guy didn't finish the 1975 season.
1976 Topps #74T Oscar Gamble I have 2 1 in my box 1 in the 1976 Binder. This iconic card is what made the `70's man the 'Fro says it all (Stay Tuned about a hockey legend I got & his hair). If you look at Oscar's regular issue #74 it looks like he took a swing at a bad pitch wearing mouse-ears see for yourself.
1977 Topps #265 Mark "The Bird" Fidrych RC I have a total of 3 of this card. 1 for my 1977 set 1 that I had Mark sign with a ball for my private signing with him. The 3rd one was given to me by a friend who quit collecting & sold me his collection back in 1991 for $10 some of his stuff will return but when I was a sophomore in High School he felt owning a pair of shoes that Larry Johnson wore during the 1990 NCAA Basketball Championship game for UNLV was a better investment instead of cards come later he found out that shoes he bought were fake & were sold by the guys whom were arrested during the "Operation Bullpen" after finding out he quit collecting & became a monk living now in Nepal.
1978 Topps #36 Eddie Murray RC I have 2 copies of this card as usual 1 for my 1978 set the other for the box. I got my 2nd copy back in 2021 after setting up for a show a customer came to my table for cards to sell I gave him the well....I look to see no promises line then I saw the Murray I asked what would he like in trade if anything for it since he was into hockey it only cost me a trade of a '90/'91 Score Martin Brodeur RC
1978 Topps #703 `78 Rookie Pitchers Larry Andersen/Tim Jones/Mickey Mahler/Jack Morris RC I have 2 of these now had about 5 once but traded off the other 3 for people making the 1978 Topps Set. 1 is in my set & the other here.
1978 Topps #704 `78 Rookie 2nd Basemen Garth Iorg/Dave Oilver/Sam Perlozzo/Lou Whitaker RC as like so many so far 1 for the set the other here reason I picked up 2 is I won the 2nd copy back in 1998 at a shop that if I could tell them the answer to who on the card has a World Series most people say Whitaker off the right away but Sam won one as a coach for the 1990 Wire to Wire Cincinnati Reds team with Lou Piniella as the Manager. Garth came close but lost to brother Dane & the Royals in the 1985 ALCS
1978 Topps #707 `78 Rookie Shortstops Mickey Klutts/Paul Molitor/Alan Trammell/U.L. Washington RC again down to 2 copies I had 3 once but traded the 3rd one to my Little Brother Blogger from Topps Cards That Never Were Jeremy cause he needed a pick me up type card when we met up last year in Grand Rapids when he was visiting his family back in Michigan. I don't need to tell where the other one is at hopefully your smart to know.
1978 Topps #708 `78 Rookie Catchers Bo Diaz/Dale Murphy/Lance Parrish/Ernie Whitt RC for all not named Dale Murphy since he had his 1 year earlier in the 1977 set. I completed the "Original Core 4" Yes the Yankees may think they had something original but the Detroit Tigers did it first with these last 4 entries of Morris/Whitaker/Trammell/& Parrish. Now I have a Cha-Ching moment here Did you know that all 4 of these players some how appeared in consecutive years of League Championship Series Games in the 1980's how ya ask simple Diaz was in 1983 with the Phillies,Murphy came to play in 1982 with the Braves,Parrish Tigers in 1984, leaving Whitt in 1985 with the Blue Jays I could go on & on with other little tibits about these 4 gentlemen but I won't lets move on to the next card in the box shall we.
1978 Burger King/Topps Detroit Tigers #8 Jack Morris 1st single card I have 2 1 in the box the other in my 1978 Topps set Binder & with the rest of the Burger King team sets & 1978 Zest Soap set as well.
1978 Burger King/Topps Detroit Tigers #13 Lou Whitaker 1st single card I have 2 see the Morris entry for details.
1978 Burger King/Topps Detroit Tigers #15 Alan Trammell 1st single card I have 3 of them 2 in my PC Box cause the 2nd copy was found in a box that I got from my LCS that was within some basketball my guess is the shop owner accidently missed this gem when he was sorting out the cards in the box the 3rd copy well in the binder of course. Funny thing about the last 3 entries they never made a Lance Parrish card instead they went with Milt May & John Wockenfuss as the teams Catchers that year I am surprised Jeremy didn't make a card of Parrish like card or anyone else.
1979 O Pee Chee #52 Ozzie Smith RC I have 2 copies I got them for $25 total last summer at a show I picked them up cause I wanted 1 for my set but I convinced the dealer I wanted them both if he take $25 for the pair they aren't in the best conditions but still worthy enough for my 1979 OPC set which still lacks #102 Dave Lemanczyk to complete it I thought Ozzie would be my last card but it wasn't & the other joins the next card in my box.
1979 Topps #116 Ozzie Smith RC again I own 2 copies same kid who offered me the Murray had the Smith this time he wanted a `82/`83 OPC Wayne Gretzky card I had an extra of that was in my Hockey PC box but I accidently packed in with my show boxes so it worked out fair for both parties I got a RC he got his first Gretzky card made prior to 1990.
1980 Topps #77 Dave Stieb RC As I mentioned before Dave was considered an unsung type pitcher in the 1980s taking a backseat behind Jack Morris & when he finally got his No-Hitter in 1990 I thought maybe when he retired he would been the 1st Blue Jays player to be inducted to Cooperstown as well retired number. Now how many of these do I own 2 1 for here the other well in the set of course.
1980 Topps #482 Rickey Henderson RC I was lucky to get a second copy from a person that wanted just me to get him an autograph of former Tigers pitcher Denny McClain on a ball & card well I did that they had to provide for me either the Henderson RC or give me a bat card at the time of Tom Seaver for my 2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970's set. The other in the set.
1981 Donruss #538 Tim Raines RC I guess the reason I added Raines it was cause of what he endured in trying to make a negative into positive late in his career. Back in 1983 Tim was part of the Infamous Pittsburgh drug scandal he once was quoted "I slide Head first cause I didnt want to break my Crack Pipe in my back pocket." that was the negative in his life the positive was back in 2017 when he entered Cooperstown my guess some of the BWAA thought he was worthy enough to enter the Hall. As for how many of this card I own 3 1 in the box 2 are in a binder or in a white 600ct box with the others from the 2 master sets I made of the 1981 Donruss.
1981 Topps #479 Topps Expos Future Stars Tim Raines/Roberto Ramos/Bobby Pate RC I have 3 as well I explained why I included him on the previous card & reason I have 3 I made 2 Topps Sets that year. Another interesting fact 1981 is the only year where I have 2 sets of the 3 Major sets that year 2 Donruss,2 Fleer, & 2 Topps w/Traded as well if someone is interested in my 2nd copies of the 3 sets I am asking $275.00 with free S&H unless you want me to Insure them then its $300.00
1982 Donruss #405 Cal Ripken Jr. I own 3 of these cards 2 of them are within my 2 Master 1982 Donruss Sets the other in the box.
1982 Fleer #176 Cal Ripken Jr. Again I own 3 of them 2 are within the sets 1 in the box. I had 4 once but traded the 4th one to a guy in Texas who wanted a Ripken Fleer RC for in exchange a 1958 Topps Joe Nuxhall I needed for my Nuxhall Collection.
1982 Topps #21 Bob Bonner/Cal Ripken Jr./Jeff Schneider RC I have 3 of the Bob Bonner's Topps RC lol I am hoping that I can relocate the 3rd & its in my parents house in the basement in a tote in a binder the others well 1 in this box the other in a binder with the other 791 cards in the set along with the traded set.
1982 Topps Traded #98T Cal Ripken Jr. 1st solo card I picked this 3rd copy as I mentioned in my pick ups at the 2025 National Sports Card Convention post I couldn't turn it down like the previous card mentioning I am hoping that I can relocate the 3rd one.
1983 Donruss #277 Ryne Sandberg RC I have 2 of these 1 for my set the other in the box.
1983 Donruss #598 Tony Gwynn Sr. RC I have 2 of these I picked the 2nd copy back in December of 2023 for the box for $5 cause of a small crease near the glove where its says Padres yes Fuji I know ya wouldn't turn that offer if ya saw it right.
1983 Fleer #179 Wade Boggs RC I have currently 4 of these 1 in the box the other 3 in their respective spots either in the Binder with the other 659 cards from the set as well 2 700ct set boxes. Weird fact Wade is the only 1 of the 3 I don't have an extra Donruss RC yet I am still trying to find a nice cheap one to add to the PC.
1983 #360 Tony Gwynn Sr. RC I have 4 of them just like the Boggs cards same places but if anyone is interested in my 3rd copy of my 1983 Fleer set I am asking $60 for it so LMK.
1983 Fleer #507 Ryne Sandberg RC I have 4 of these as well this card is special to me cause it was the first card I needed to complete my first set with back in 1989/1990 when I started to make sets.
1983 O Pee Chee #83 Ryne Sandberg RC back in the spring of 1991 I was reading a Tuff Stuff Advertisement (Yeah I am that old I recalled Tuff Stuff magazine I bet no one else has in a blog before lol) anyways I was reading about this place in Bocca Raton, Florida that had boxes of 1983 O Pee Chee for sale I was visiting my grandmother at the time after resting from mowing her lawn I convinced her to borrow her credit card to purchase a box of these cards from this place for $125.00 instead of paying me to do her lawn for my mowing rate of $20 she said she would knowing the next 7 times I wouldn't get paid I agreed to the deal in my box which she surprised me in getting 2 of them (1 came for my birthday later that year) but in that first box I pulled 3 Rynos & 1 Gwynn needless to say 2 of them are in the Screwdowns in the box the other with the set.
1983 O Pee Chee #143 Tony Gwynn Sr. RC I have 2 of these I pulled the 2nd of them from the box I got for my birthday as I mentioned above.
Well that concludes Part 3 stay tuned for Part 4 Row 4 players are revealed so what has surprised you so far let me know in the comments below what can I say I like making sets & anytime I can get an extra gem of a PC card more than likely it will find its way into my PC box until then I am reminded of Rogers Hornsby talking about signing autographs "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."
Friday, August 15, 2025
WHAT'S IN MY PC 5000ct BOXES PART II
Box 1 Row 2
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Denny Matthews Autograph #'d 103/500 NFT I havent heard Denny call a game for the Royals all I know is he's been with them since 1969 & has broadcasted every game that George Brett played in.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Jon Miller Autograph #'d 459/500 NFT I first heard Jon's voice when This Week in Baseball talked about an Announcer that could do impressions of great radio voices of the past sorta like I can do on some.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Murray Chass Autograph #'d 294/500 NFT Murray Chass great writer read his exploits of the 1960 World Series back when I was in Junior High doing a report on Pirates Underdog triumph over the Yankees whom outscored the Pirates 55-27.
2012 Topps Update Dayton Moore General Manager of the Royals Autograph
2012 Topps Archives Framed Autographed 1983 Mini Eric Hosmer Autograph #'d 04/25 NFT I pulled the Redemption card & waited for a year & half to be redeemed they tried to send me in exchange a couple packs of 1989 Topps I refused & held firm until it arrived.
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Amos Otis Autograph
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Chili Davis Autograph
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Dick Groat Autograph
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites George Bell Autograph
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Ken Griffey Sr. Autograph NFT my 2nd of Ken Sr.
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Jim Wynn Autograph
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Mickey Lolich Autograph NFT I have met Mickey a few times & still can't believe after his playing career he was a baker at a bakery & made some great Chocolate on Chocolate Donuts.
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Steve Rogers Autograph NFT I remember when he was an All-Star pitcher in the early `80's for the Expos.
2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Tom Herr Autograph
2013 Topps Chasing the Dream Giancarlo Stanton Autograph
2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Bob Welch Autograph my 2nd of 2 Autographs of Bob but this time he's featured with the Oakland Athletics
2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Howard Johnson Autograph NFT 1st of 3 Autographs I got of HoJo Met him at a show at my High School back in 1996 basically was the guy that slid the stuff for him to sign unfortunately I can find the picture of me at the signing.
2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Jesse Barfield Autograph
2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Mike Greenwell Autograph
2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Rick Reuschel Autograph
2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Tim Salmon Autograph
2014 Topps Archives Major League Autographs Tom Berenger Autograph NFT Its no Roger Dorn,Eddie Harris,Rachel Phelps or Rick 'Wild Thing' Vaughn its Jake Taylor the man who's bunt that led the Indians to the playoffs in the movie.
2014 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Bip Roberts Autograph NFT Yes I BIPPED!!!! MY PC!!!!! Long time Bloggers will understand the reference of being BIPPED!!!!
2014 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Eric Davis Autograph NFT got for free stumping a shop owner on a question based on the 1990 Wire to Wire Cincinnati Reds World Champions.
2014 Topps Archives Fan Favorites John Olerud Autograph
2014 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Howard Johnson NFT 2nd of HoJo funny thing he usually puts his uniform #20 on signature well it has the 2 but not 20 more on that on the next card.
2014 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Howard Johnson Purple Autograph #'d 02/10 NFT my 3rd one but this time his 20 shows but the funny part is did you see what #'d I pulled of the purples & it came from the same box as the previous one I mentioned makes ya wonder was the other one supposed to been #'d on the front or not hhhhhmmm makes ya wonder eh.
2014 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Terry Pendleton Gold Autograph #'d 22/50
2015 Leaf Heroes of Baseball Stan Musial NFT Autograph MA-SM3 I bought 2 blasters so I could say I had Stan Musial's autograph
2015 Leaf Heroes of Baseball Stan Musial NFT Autograph MA-SM13 again I got a different photo & how his signature is a bit different then previous 1 I have.
2015 Topps Die-Cut Chris Sale Autograph
2015 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Kent Tekulve Silver Autograph #'d 053/199
2016 Topps Heritage Real Ones Bob Bruce Autograph NFT 1 of 2 autographs I pulled from this iconic set that replicates the 1967 Topps set.
2016 Topps Heritage Real Ones George Altman Autograph NFT 2nd of the autographs I pulled from what was mentioned in the previous card.
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Ryan Klesko Autograph Green #'d 71/99
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Curt Simmons Autograph
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Jose Cruz Sr. Autograph
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Jeff Conine Autograph
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Kent Tekulve Autograph
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Sandy Alomar Sr. Autograph
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Scott Hatteberg Autograph
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Tony Fernandez Autograph I have 2 1 is for trade
2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversary Edition Vern Law Autograph
2016 Topps Archives Tim Wallach Autograph NFT I was lucky to get in a box break 3rd pack in from Sportscardforum.com when I signed up late thinking I wouldn't have a chance to get anything they put the randomizer on 3 times & low behold I was the 3rd overall pick & the breaker had his daughter open the pack & she pulled it I thought it was the best Birthday present I could get on a box break that occurred on my 41st Birthday that year.
2016 Topps Archives Lenny Randle Autograph Blue NFT #'d 29/75 I picked this up in a trade for a complete 2005 Upper Deck ESPN set plus I can still see Lenny getting on his hands & knees blowing a baseball foul in the Kingdome in 1982 & at the time there wasn't a rule preventing him doing that now there is.
2016 Topps Archives Dave Stieb Autograph Peach NFT #'d 117/150 Stieb was to me an underrated pitcher from the 1980's that when ya mention Toronto Blue Jays his name is the 1st to come up.
2019 Topps Opening Day Autographs Aaron Judge Autograph NFT pulled this after getting over 400 Blister packs during the 2020 lockdown period at $3.99 a piece & Opening all those packs with my girlfriend in 1 night after going to 4 different Meijer Stores getting 100 of them at each store.
2019 Topps Opening Day Autographs Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Autograph that slipped through the cracks on the the previous mentioned night only to find when sorting the cards in 5000ct box in order.
2019 Topps Opening Day Mascots Autographs Pirate Parrot Autograph NFT prior to me pulling the Judge autograph my girlfriend asked me what were we looking & then I mentioned Autographs or Game Used & she said ya mean something like this then reveals the Parrot out of her pack she opened & if I trade it she'd kill me.
2019 Topps Opening Day Mascots Autographs T.C. Bear Autograph NFT 3 packs later my girlfriend did it again & she was up 2 to 0 on the autographs then I pulled the Judge 20 packs later.
Not a bad pull from my girlfriend if I say so myself.
2019 Topps Update Established 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings Autographs George Foster Autograph NFT #'d 25/25 I am trying to make this set.
2019 Topps Archives 50th Anniversary of the Montreal Expos Autographs Jeff Reardon Autograph NFT
2019 Topps Archives 50th Anniversary of the Montreal Expos Autographs Ken Hill Autograph NFT
2019 Topps Archives 50th Anniversary of the Montreal Expos Autographs Tim Burke Autograph NFT
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Mike Lieberthal Autograph Purple #'d 081/150
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Dr. James Andrews Autograph NFT next to Dr. Frank Jobe the guy who was famous doing the 1st Tommy John surgery on Tommy John back in 1974, Dr James Andrews is famous for doing similar orthopedic surgery. I pulled his autograph from the only hobby box of Archives I bought during the early months of the CoVid Lockdown in 2020.
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Jody Davis Autograph
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Jonny Gomes Autograph
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Kelly Gruber Autograph
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Laz Diaz Autograph NFT again another Umpire card came in the same box as Dr. James Andrews card came in.
2019 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Mike Sweeney Autograph
Well as this concludes Row 2 of Box 1 we have reach the row 3 coming soon to my blog until then I am reminding you any of these Autographs that I have available catches your eye let me know except for those marked NFT until then I am reminded of what Rogers Hornsby once said about signing for little kids. "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."
Thursday, August 14, 2025
WHAT'S IN MY PC 5000ct BOXES PART 1
In my last post I posted about getting the 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr. card at the 2025 National Sports Card Convention for my personal collection even though I already have one in my 1982 Topps binder & I mentioned that if your interested in what cards I have in my 5000ct boxes that I would tell you what I have in them. I have about 4 of these boxes & Ill be glad to share with you what I have. I am not sure how many parts this series will be but hopefully you will see what I have in the box & yeah I know some of you will be surprised on some of the cards that I have in them & there will be some cards are plainly no doubters you'll understand why I have more than just 1 copy of the card. Ill start by mentioning that Ill go row by row on the boxes. Now each card is in a Pro-Mold PC5II or in my Game Used they're in the PC18II 1" Screwdowns with a few minor exceptions like the mini Game Used cards or the extra Mini cards or the oversized cards before they were the standard card size. Sorry I don't believe in the magnets or 1-touches, as for putting them in Top Loaders well.....the thing is in time they sorta turn in color so I prefer the Screwdowns & who knows maybe if the Pro-Mold company reads blogs maybe they could send me a couple cases of them to me its worth a shot right what do I have to lose.
Now my Game Used cards are listed on my site already on their respective pages. So I won't discuss them in this series cause anytime I get a Game Used card it automatically gets added to my never ending list & I try to keep them in chronological order in my boxes & I have about 5 alone in baseball & 3 for my hockey the trouble is some of them is there's no picture on the Tradingcarddatabase.com site so its kinda hard for me to load them so there's an image finally for that missing card. 1 example of that being my 2005 Donruss Jersey Kings Signature card #'d 3/5 of Sammy Sosa in fact like most people I have more than 1 Game Used/Autograph card of a player this was my first of such player I later pulled the 2003 Upper Deck Playball Tier 2 Autograph of his but instead of a print run like my Donruss card this one is #'d 43/50 available. I will start by listing my Autographs first also know that some of the Autographs aren't off limits for me to trade should you be interested in 1 of my Autographs understand that I would like an autograph worthy enough to trade for the 1 you want from my PC to trade it away also there's some Autographs simply don't waste my breath in asking for it cause I won't trade it cause I am sorry the card has sentimental value to me in which why I have it my collection in the first place plus most of the Autographs I pulled from packs another reason for the sentimental touch. Now with that disclaimer said lets start with Box 1 Row 1.
Box 1 Row 1 Contents include the following:
1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes George Brett Autograph NFT Read below about the next card.
1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes Mickey Mantle Autograph NFT 2nd pack in the box the first one yielded me with trade bait of the 1954 Topps Archives Mickey Mantle of a card that never was made & the very 1st big card I ever pulled I think it was fate cause my mom picked out of 3 boxes to choose from back in 1998 a winner later I found out someone pulled the Brett Autograph out of another of the non chosen boxes feeling a bit bummed out but eventually got in a stack of of packs for a $10 that I claimed to the shop owner that no one is looking for these packs now & there were about 20 at a $1 a pack so I asked to clear up showcase space Ill take the remainder of them for $10 he said sold rest is is history not a bad pull in breaking the odds 1:385 packs.
1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes Tom Seaver Autograph NFT I just need the Reggie Jackson to complete the 4 Autograph set I bought it this off eBay for $20
2001 Topps Golden Anniversary Prospect Milton Bradley Autograph
2001 Topps Golden Anniversary Prospect Pat Burrell Autograph
2001 Topps BuyBack 1991 Bowman Bobby Thomson/Ralph Branca Autograph NFT I got this card in a trade back in 2008 for 500ct lot of the 2008 Heritage at the time I couldn't believe the person offered this card for the trade & I jumped at the chance to do it before anyone else could claim it.
2001 Topps Archives Autoproof Buyback 1983 Carl Yastrzemski #'d 10/100 NFT in the very first pack of the 2001 Topps Archives I thought I pulled the 1 Autograph or Game Used per box later I got another Auto so I was excited about this one being a nice surprise sad to say that I missed Yaz's Magic #8 by 2 signatures away & its one I hope when I can get a chance to add to the TCDB site once I get it scanned plus was the 2nd Triple Crown winner to pulled.
2001 Topps Archives Gil McDougald Autograph NFT
2001 Topps Archives Billy Pierce Autograph Redemption NFT I pulled the redemption & sent away for it back in my 2nd box of Archives
2001 Topps Archives Johnny Sain Autograph NFT Came in my 3rd box
2001 Topps Archives Hoyt Wilhelm Autograph NFT 4th box opening I was lucky to get his auto on a ball back in 1994 from a friend & later I did a TTM autograph that year to go with the ball.
2001 Topps Archives Al Hrabosky Autograph Pulled in the same box as the Yaz card
2004 Topps Team Legends Bert Campaneris Autograph behind it stuck to it was Joe Rudi Autograph & funny thing no paper lost both signatures are nice looking NFT same pack
2003 Topps Team Legends Frank Robinson NFT Autograph on a 1957 Reprint my 3rd Triple Crown Winner signature
2002 Topps Team Legends Johnny Bench NFT Autograph I pulled this out of a retail blaster from the 2002 Topps Traded
2003 Topps Fan Favorites Chris Sabo NFT Autograph I pulled Spuds back in 2003 in my 1st box of the Fan Favorites & was excited cause it was a player whom I met back when he was a rookie back in 1988 at Three Rivers Stadium & I was a huge Sabo fan in 1988.
2003 Donruss Team Heroes Phil Rizzuto NFT Autograph #'d 03/15 Pulled the Scooter out of a hobby box that I bought at a retail store out of the 1st pack thought I pulled the only hit from the box only to pull later a Timeline Threads of Yogi Berra #'d 47/47 talk about a hot box my reaction to pulling those 2 hits ya gotta believe me when I said "Holy Cow!!!! check out these Huckleberries" in my best impression of the Scooter.
2003 Donruss Champions Andres Galarraga NFT Autograph #'d 08/25 As a person who gives to various Cancer funds every year knowing Andres fought cancer I felt the Karma returned me well with this card of a Cancer Survivor.
2003 Upper Deck 40 Man Endorsements Alex Graman Autograph #'d 10/50 Pulled from a 3 bundle of 72 packs total amount of packs 216 total from eBay back in 2003 1st of 3 autos I got in the bundle.
2003 Upper Deck 40 Man Endorsements Ken Griffey Sr. Autograph NFT 2nd auto from the bundle mentioned above with Alex Graman.
2003 Upper Deck 40 Man Endorsements Rick Ankiel Autograph 3rd auto & very last pack of the last of the 3rd bundle considering the odds of pulling an auto at the time were 1:500 packs & I pulled 3 out of 216 packs.
2004 Bowman Heritage Bob Kuzava Autograph
2004 Bowman Heritage Brian Gorman Autograph NFT I don't have many signatures of umpires these days.
2004 Bowman Heritage Larry Young Autograph NFT see what I had to say of Brian Gorman.
2004 Topps World Series Highlights Johnny Podres Autograph NFT or BO not everyday ya pull a Brooklyn Bum player celebrating the only championship when they were located in Brooklyn.
2004 Fleer Classic Clippings Miguel Cabrera Autograph #'d 43/50 NFT 1st of 2 Cabrera autos I pulled back in 2004 before he was traded to the Tigers & eventually winning the Triple Crown in 2012 & my 4th Triple Crown Winner signature.
2004 Flair Autograph Collection Die-Cut Miguel Cabrera Autograph NFT pulled it the same day as the Fleer Classic Clippings signature.
2004 Upper Deck Timeless Teams Jim Lonborg Autograph a friend of mine sent me his whole collection saying I could do anything I wanted to with his collection while he got out of the hobby to do a better calling some of you were lucky to get some of his collection when I sent you some of the team stuff I didn't want so I gave them to their proper homes except I have yet to send 1 reader his team stuff I haven't had the time between the National & getting back to work at Dollar General so hopefully they will understand on the delay for his package. After accquiring this Autograph I had to get the set to go with it cause I felt if I had the set I wouldn't complained about getting this Autograph if I pulled it from a pack.
2004 Topps Fan Favorites Davey Lopes Autograph
2004 Topps Fan Favorites George Foster Autograph
2004 Topps Fan Favorites Mookie Wilson Autograph
2005 Topps Cracker Jack Kevin Millar Secret Surprise Mini Autograph NFT I like him on MLB Network on Intentional Talk in someways if I am with my friend Greg he is the straight guy all serious while I am more like Kevin zany & crazy about the game ya just never know how many factoids I can come up with on players.
2005 Topps Fan Favorites Bob Welch Autograph 1st of 2 that I would pull of his this one featured him in the Dodgers uniform.
2005 Topps Fan Favorites Lonnie Smith Autograph I swear everytime I seen a box break from this set Lonnie Smith popped up as an autograph & the person would be like why did I pull Lonnie I wanted someone else.
2005 Topps Fan Favorites Jay Buhner Autograph NFT When I pulled this I was watching a rerun of the Seinfield episode where George's father confronts George Steinbrenner about Trading Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps I am not going to make the same mistake in trading away 'J-Bone' LOL.
2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants Don Gullet Autograph NFT I was shocked that I pulled this pitcher from the 1975 Cincinnati Reds World Series team
2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants Rico Petrocelli Autograph NFT within the same box 3 packs later I pulled this 3rd-Sacker for the 1975 American League Champion Boston Red Sox team 2 autographs from 1 box 30 years after they both played in the World Series.
2006 Upper Deck Artifacts Carlos Zambrano Autograph #'d 240/300 NFT I was lucky back to see Carlos pitch a couple Minor League Games for the Local Minor team Lansing Lugnuts ya knew he would make it to the show within 2 years after appearing there.
2006 Upper Deck Artifacts Maggilo Ordonez Autograph #'d 313/437 NFT I remember getting 3 boxes of these back in 2012 at the National in Baltimore then cracking them open at Greg's house it was Mags Home Run off Hudson Street to lead the Tigers to the first World Series since 1984 back when this card was released.
2006 Upper Deck Artifacts Justin Verlander Autograph #'d 519/700 NFT I was upset that Greg pulled this out of 1 one of his boxes that same time I got the others & later in the same box he pulled a large swatch of Pants of Satchel Paige I tried to trade for both items instead he said wanted to keep the Paige Game Used & he understood why I wanted the Verlander cause he was up an coming Pitcher for the Tigers in 2006.
2006 Upper Deck Artifacts Tadahito Iguchi Autograph #'d 514/700 Iguchi was the first of the Japanese players to play on a World Series Winner for he played for the Chicago White Sox team the previous year when this card was released.
2007 Topps Heritage Real One Ryan Howard Autograph NFT I remember ordering back before the 2006 season was over that I wanted 6 Hobby boxes of Heritage to open for the 2007 season it was 1 of 2 Autographs that I pulled from those boxes.
2007 Topps Heritage Real One Red Schoendienst Autograph NFT the 2nd of Autographs I pulled from the boxes I talked about on the Ryan Howard part.
2008 Topps Heritage Red One Al Jackson Red Ink Autograph #'d 53/59 NFT If you look at the image of the card on the TCDB.com you'll see my friend Greg takes credit for scanning this picture for the site & I got this card from an Antique store in 2024 for $5 I saw the price & couldn't pass up this deal.
2008 Upper Deck TimeLines 1995 SP Clayton Kershaw Autograph #'d 07/95 NFT Sorry Mr. Night Owl this is one Clayton that I was lucky to pull from a blaster box no less I was surprised when I pulled in out of discounted price of $4.99 back in 2011 to me Kershaw is what I figured Koufax might had been like in the `60's had I been around when Sandy pitched.
2011 Topps Lineage Logan Morrison 1952 Autograph
2011 Topps Lineage Ian Kinsler Autograph
2012 Leaf The Living Legend of Pete Rose Autograph AU33 NFT I figured that I pick up a couple of these blasters it might be the only way I could get the All-Time Hit King's Autograph without having to shell out huge money for as well wait in line to get it case in point seeing Pete at the 2021 National in Chicago his handler in the black hat seen in the picture below was rude saying Pete doesn't have time to sign today or talk to you fans even though Pete was dishing out rude comments to fans as they walked by him trying to talk with him nice guy eh.
2012 Leaf The Living Legend of Pete Rose Autograph AU45 NFT my 2nd blaster yielded me a different picture this time it was from an airbrushed Montreal Expos Uniform.
2012 Leaf The Living Legend of Pete Rose Autograph AU47 NFT my final blaster yielded me a different picture looking like Pete after getting his Ty-ing Hit off Reggie Patterson at Wrigley Field in 1985 to make him even with Ty Cobb on the All-Time Hits list.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Al Kaline Autograph #'d 209/349 NFT I saw this at an antique store outside Pennsylvania for $5 had to grab this card of Mr. Tiger cause the price was too good to pass up & well I met Al on 3 different occassions & I wanted to own a certified card of his even if the logos were airbrushed he is a Hall of Famer afterall.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Bert Byleven Autograph #'d 150/399 NFT I bought 5 hobby boxes of the product when it was released to hopes to pull some great Hall of Fame Autographs & Bert was one of the 1st ones I pulled.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Dennis Eckersley Autograph #'d 615/650 NFT I traded for this card for a couple Game Used Red Wings cards I picked up from a local shop so I could get this card cause the kid & I am serious when I said kid that made the deal he was happy getting Red Wings Game Used cards & didn't know who Dennis Eckersley was from a pack he was given.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Earl Weaver Autographs #'d 217/299 & 290/299 The first 1 is NFT the 290 card is available for another 2012 Panini Cooperstown Signature card only provided its not one I already have. The reason I have 2 that same kid also pulled a Weaver this time the kid wanted $2 for it he pulled the 290 card.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Jim Bunning Autograph #'130/350 NFT The 2nd of 5 autos I got in my 5 Hobby boxes at the time.
2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures Paul Molitor Autograph #'d 248/399 NFT 3rd Autograph I pulled from in the 5 Hobby boxes I got I almost traded to a Molitor collector who wanted it for his PC but he couldn't find me a 2012 Panini Cooperstown Signatures card in trade that be worth for me to have in trade.
Well that concludes the 1st Row of the 1st Box as you can see I have a lot of things that aren't for trade in this box cause like I mentioned before some of these cards have a some sentimental value to me I like to hear what cards so far that I have mentioned that are a surprise that I have & also if are interested in any of those that I have available for trade lmk in the comments below so we can figure out some type of deal. So until the 2nd part mind you I have 4 more rows to discuss about in Box #1 of 4 so stay tuned & remember what Rogers Hornsby once said about signing autographs for little kids, "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
CHECKING MY NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS
I know today is August 13th & well I thought I would see where I'm standing on my January 1st thoughts See if I made any process until the end of the year results.
1. Try to completing either my `03/`04 Topps or Upper Deck Basketball sets by getting LeBron James RCs. STILL NOT COMPLETED THIS TASK.
2. Try completing my `79/`80 Topps Hockey set by finding an inexpensive Gretzky RC. I HAVEN'T FOUND 1 YET.
3. Meet at the National Sports Card Convention at least 3 people from the blogging world or 4 from Sportscardforum.com that aren't my friend Greg from The Collective Mind blog. DIDN'T RUN INTO ANY OTHER BLOGGERS BUT ATTENDED THE NATIONAL ALONE!!!!!
4. Purchase a 1967 Brooks Robinson #600 under $300 COMPLETED TASK AT THE NATIONAL
5. Take down at least 10 names from my 1975 O PEE CHEE baseball list before the end of September. CONSIDERING I'M DOWN TO 39 NAMES I GOT A FEW STARS OFF IT
6. Celebrate my milestone birthday by getting some great cards off from my lists. I STARTED THE 2025 TOPPS HERITAGE SET ON MY BIRTHDAY
7. Celebrate my 1 year anniversary of blogging by still blogging & have more insights for my readers to enjoy. GOT MANY CONGRATS ON MY 1 ANNIVERSARY POST
8. Hope by March madness rolls in to have at least 6 people take on an upcoming challenge that aren't my friend Greg from The Collective Mind blog. FAILED TO DO THE CONTEST!!!!!
9. Find the elusive Bob Gibson Seagram's 7 baseball legends mirror (Stay Tuned about a piece about these mirrors) for under $100. STILL WORKING ON FINDING 1 AS WELL THE POST!!!!!
10. Delete 10 sets from all 4 Sports by Game 1 of the 2025 World Series. I MANAGED TO DELETE 15 SETS & ADDED MORE ONCE I ACCOMPLISHED THE ONES THAT I DELETED!!!
I gotta give myself some credit I did pretty well so far on my goals but still far away from completing the entire list still until then I am reminded of Rogers Hornsby talking about signing autographs "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign Autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
MY STASH FROM THE 2025 NATIONAL SPORTS CARD CONVENTION or KILLING 2 BIRDS AT 1 SHOW
This is my entire stash of goodies that I bought last week at the NSCC in Rosemont Illinois. Some of the stuff I will go into more details on so prepare for a long read. As most of you been reading how my friend Greg wasn't able to attend & I was going to my 1st ever National without friends or family to share in the excitement I took off on July 30th at 4am EST arriving in Chicago at 1pm. I first want to say thank you to you my readers still in waiting patiently as I came back home after spending 2½ days to see what all the goodies I came home with. As you can see in the picture above I have many splendid things. In my last post I talked about how I upset Bill Cartwright now we come to what I bought on the 31st & 1st Including a couple of things I thought I never would own let alone an item where I once had 3 of them now I just have 2 of them & if I locate the 3rd one Ill be happier.
What I have that I had 3 of them is the 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr. 1st solo card I first acquired in 2002 after making the 1982 Topps Traded Set I bought the traded set minus 3 cards Reggie Jackson's first Angels card,Ozzie Smith's first Cardinals card & of course Cal Ripken Jr. well that set cost me to build & some savy moves on my part to get the set for under $20 that included the 3 I was missing I got the 1st 129 cards for $3 on eBay then I found the Reggie for $2 then I found the Ozzie for $1 that meant I had the dubious task to get Cal well I mistyped his name as Cal Ripkin like the 1990 Fleer Error card lo & behold there it was with a couple Yellow print marks the seller claimed it was a 2001 Topps Traded Reprint minus the UV Coating & stamping well it was selling for $3 I grabbed it by placing a bid no higher than $20 then did the waiting game dance. After the time was up I got a notice saying I won the bid at $5 mailed off the payment cause I didn't & still don't have a PayPal account. Then waited soon I get a small package from Washington State not remembering where I sent the payment wondering whom did I trade with that's from there it wasn't until I opened it up saw Cal Staring at me I checked the card through out using my counterfeiting investigation tools that led me to see it was a legit 1982 Topps Traded card #98T I was excited to complete my regular set as well the traded set under $20.
Not a bad pick up the first official day eh!!!!
The set was sleeved & placed in a binder only to perhaps lose it in a tote that my late older brother David had in his moving POD I am hoping that its in a tote still in my parents house under some steps that I am not unable to get through at the moment to check to see if it is if it is I will be excited that I own 3 of them. The other 2 came within a year of each other I bought the Traded set last summer while visiting my friend Greg cause I already bought the regular set for $35 earlier that year at an antique store that had some cards but great prices. Now the 3rd one I got was at the NSCC this last week from long time dealer from Carbondale,Illinois Mr. B.A. Murry who was set up for his 45th National Sports Card Convention, he hasn't missed a single National since they started & by no means is slowing down so if your near the Carbondale area & see Mr. Murry don't hesitate to talk to him he has some great things he sold me the latest one cause I wanted to have just this card some how in my PC Box(Stay Tuned I might do a story about what's in my PC Box alone if theres anyone interested in reading what cards do I have in it so let me know in the comments below if your interested in reading it).
I then picked up some 1961 Fleer Singles that I needed for my 1961 set as well some of my 1964 Topps Giants including 2 SPs of Wayne Causey & Galen Cisco leaving me left to get in the SPs area Bob Friend,Willie Mays & Bill 'Moose' Skowron which aren't to hard to find leaving me along with 8 other players Aaron,Clemente,& Mantle are included in that 8 to finish that set up. I am not in a huge rush to finish the 1964 Giants like the 1961 Fleer's I am taking them when I can afford to get them.
I then picked up a bunch of singles from all 4 of my sports lists from the quarter boxes a delightful hodgepodge of things making some of those lists smaller if I located something from them since well....not many people have been able to locate 25 or more from my lists & I was lucky to find at least that many in 2 days including a Tom Seaver card that I thought I never own.......No it wasn't the 1967 Topps card #581 I wish though so I could just be down to 1 for the set more on the 1967 Topps later.
Got ya thinking I came within 1 card of finishing my 1967 Topps set but got this card instead lol.
Not bad finishing off this promo set within 3 months of starting it.
No I found the 1993 Action-Packed Tom Seaver Promo set I started it 3 months ago when I stumbled on it by accident at my local shop for $.50 I thought I had all 5 cards from the set instead it was missing card #TS1 well....in the quarter box I found it I thought I wouldn't find it right away due that like the 1967 would be on my lists for year & years to come unless someone got it for me from COMC or Sportslots or eBay none of the less I am glad to complete that set.
I also picked up from a dealer from California 5 Odd-Ball Team sets I sorta have a binder filled with team sets like this (Yes Mr. Night Owl your former set that you got of the Keebler Arizona DiamondBacks is included in this binder that you mailed out to me) 4 of the 5 sets were of the Toronto Blue Jays sorry folks 3 out of the 4 were claimed by fellow blogger Mike Matson cause he asked me to try to find himself some nice Blue Jays or Expos Odd-Ball stuff if I came across it I told him one of the sets is for me he was content on having me get at least one. The other Odd-Ball Team set was a 1986 Kansas City Royals National Photo set to honor the 1985 World Champion Royals only reason I picked this up was cause I didn't have anything other than the 1981 Topps Coca~Cola Royals that I have in my 1981 Topps Binder along with the other 11 Teams (Yes I counted the Yankees set even though they had only 3 Test cards made for I count them as well).
Later on during the show I came across a table that had the 1993 Stadium Club Jack Murphy Set along with some of my `70/`71 Topps Hockey needs paid only for the set cause he saw that I only picked up 3 singles so he threw them in as freebies I am not complaining more from that table later. I picked up the jersey it says National on the back is the #45 to talk about the convention turning 45 even though it was the 44th due to the pandemic in 2020 causing it one year off but I didn't want to mention it to the person making National merchandise cause I look forward to wearing the latest polo or sweatshirt or Jersey be for my school pictures next fall. I later moved on to find the table where I saw they had some cheap Michael Jordans at $3 considering that we were in Chicago Bulls country $3 is cheap even though sometimes getting these Jordans are $5 or more. Then as I wandered over to another table what caught my eye was they had a box labeled TCMA singles & other late 1970s Odd-Ball sets inside & I was shocked they had some of the 1978 Jack Wallin Grand Slam Set singles(I first talked about this on my January 18th 2025 post) I found 7 out of the 8 I still need leaving me with card #193 Billy Rogell as the Card Gods do to me the last card is a former Tigers player how nice is that 🙄.
This is a picture of my day 1 stash more on another card so keep reading.
Now Day 2 I hit the quarter boxes again & picked up a couple more singles from the other side that I was working on from day 1 to see what I could find & I am glad I moved to other side cause I found a couple late `90s & early 2000s I needed in basketball as well some of my 2021 Panini Playoff Football needs.
After spending 45 mins of going through 8 2 rows boxes of stuff I moved on to what I like to call 2 different ways to please a customer at a show from 2 different dealers. The first is proper way to deal with as you can see in the picture of the 9 card cards & I know Mr. Owl will be jealous of these little precious gems leaving me with 39 left to finish on my 1975 O Pee Chee Set the dealer was outside of North Carolina making the 2nd dealer at a National that I ran into that lived no where near Canada(The first was 2 years ago running into a dealer from Iowa that had some 1975s) & have these precious jewels for me to get he got them in a collection he bought outside of Ashville, North Carolina again I am not picky on condition for my 1975 set just as long its not too bad. The Mantle/Willis card only cost me $5 oh yeah I am not going to pass on that cost anytime neither would Mr. Owl but if he should read this let me know in the comments below. Now the last 4 cards came from the dealer whom we call "Ya touch it you bought it rule" giving me not enough breathing room to inspect the cards to see the condition on the cards but then again these are 1979s they were the only ones I needed now I am just down to 1 Card #102 Dave Lemanczyk in completing that set again the Card Gods give me a Blue Jays player who was a former Tigers player the total cost for the 4 `79's were $3.
39 on 1975 & 1 1979 so closer still.
Then we come to the last 4 items I bought while at the National I happened to find a nice elderly couple booth that were discussing on how crazy the hobby has gotten with everyone that is into graded stuff with all the wheelie suitcases running up & down the Aisles when I noticed that they had a sale of all the 3 regions of the `81/`82 Topps Basketball set for sale in their showcase they had it for $75 for all 3 or $30 for individually well I said ya only live once & considering my oldest basketball set is the `88/`89 Fleer set w/Stickers & I had always wanted to make the `81/`82 set but I wanted to wait until I completed something to make room so we talked more on they way things have changed since their first National was the same year I attended mine & then that I shouldn't pass up their offer so I went for it now I just need to find the basic set the first 66 cards which I don't mind finding.
It would be harder to find complete sets of these compaired to finding the first 66 cards but we'll see.
Now we come to the point of my post that I want to thank my friend Greg for helping me pull the trigger on this card. It was about 1 hour before the first day was over & I saw a table that had some nice 1967s knowing I just needed 3 cards to complete my mom's/My set that I mentioned in the past how we made the set from cards she found in a trash can back in 1985 1 is a variation of Ed Spiezio where his name is rubbed out & 2 High Numbers that of #581 Tom Seaver RC & #600 Brooks Robinson while looking through the commons to find Ed hoping it snuck in their but without anyone noticing unfortunately I wasn't that lucky. I did see a Raw Seaver RC but I didn't have $1400 for it then I saw it #600 asking for $225 I quickly shot a message asking Greg if the dealer was willing to take payment over the phone or PayPal could he help me out & Ill send him payment when I got back to work long as I paid him back before December 31st he said he do it cause I wanted to get since it was a New Years Card Resolution I said I like to find one under $300.00 so I asked the dealer if he could take a payment via credit card over the phone he said only PayPal I quickly messaged Greg he's taking PayPal so after swapping texts back n forth from me & Greg the dealer told me where he could send the payment to & eventually the sale was complete I am now down 2 for my 1967 set to be complete so Thanks again Greg. As I type this post up on the 5th I had my mom visit me so she could pose for a picture of her placing Brooks in with the others from the 1967 set.
I finally got that Brooks so I am now down to 2 from my set.
It's only fitting I have my mom put Brooks in the binder.
Talk about a nice National haul after a long day at the show & driving back again by myself I finally took a hot shower a small snack of gummy bears slowly went to bed but had to check one more thing on the TCDB that caught my eye I happened to check to see how the dealers voted to say where the 2028 National Sports Card Convention was going to be located at so I could see if I am attending 4 years in a row to Chicago or what when I read the greatest news. For the first time since 1981 the National is going to be in *drum rolling sound*..............DETROIT, MICHIGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My own backyard I am so excited about it so I don't need to get a hotel room nor need to travel more than just 1 hour away now if excuse me I need to start putting all the rest of my stuff away until then I am reminded what Rogers Hornsby once said about signing autographs for little kids "Any Ballplayer who doesn't sign autographs for little kids ain't an American, He's a Communist."
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