1998 Topps Interleague Match-Ups Mystery Finest Jim Edmonds #ILM14

I tried to microwave a UV era Topps insert card from the 1990s with a mystery peel for 10 seconds - I wanted to see if I could loosen the adhesive from the peel, so I can reveal the player shown on the card, but ended up with this catastrophe.

Maybe I should have left it as is, but I remember pulling a similar type of insert over 25 years ago that revealed Mike Piazza - after figuring out what the card was back then, the adhesive was still fresh unlike the Edmonds card I picked up recently.

A pair of Angels rookie buyback purchases

I don’t think stamped buybacks are remotely collectible as ‘stand alone’ cards unless they are part of some autograph insert - but even if they are low-end gimmicks, with the original copies being worthless otherwise, I actually picked these cards up for a couple of bucks and change [each].

I had my eye on these cards because they are actually rookie cards unlike many buybacks I've seen - featuring a couple of retired Angels stars who made their MLB debuts in the 1990s.

Angels frankenset - random adds

I haven't forgotten about the frankenset I started last year, though I've been content to let it sit otherwise - I wanted to pick up cards for the project, so I went rummaging around to conjure up this assortment of cards.

1971 Topps Steve Kealey #43 - I actually had this card listed as #443, so I made a mistake in thinking I needed this card to fill that number.
1986 Leaf Don Sutton #236

1971 Topps Clyde Wright #240
1990 Bowman Mark Langston #284
1985 Fleer Gary Pettis #308
1993 Topps Stadium Club Chuck Crim #327
1995 Leaf Lee Smith #346

1992 Topps Bert Blyleven #375 - Gold parallel
1994 Pinnacle Jim Edmonds #394 - Museum Collection parallel
2001 Topps Archives Bill Buckner #398
1994 Bowman Jim Edmonds #423
1992 Bowman Lee Stevens #427
1994 Pinnacle Chili Davis #458

1972 Topps Rickey Clark #462

1988 Fleer Glossy Gary Lucas #495 - I didn't need to showcase a junk wax common from all the way back in 1988, but it's the glossy version.

Miscellaneous Angels frankenset finds

223 1995 Donruss Jim Edmonds - Press Proof parallel; not individually numbered but apparently among the '1st 2000 Printed.'

#244 2005 Donruss Zenith Rod Carew - Museum Collection parallel; even though it's not a refractor, I liked how this card shimmered, so I figured why not pick it up for a dollar and change.

310 1995 Score Platinum Team Set Garret Anderson - I grabbed the Anderson because I hadn't really seen the card before and I like how it pops.

347 2005 Donruss Champions Darin Erstad - Red Impressions parallel serial #'d to 250

386 2001 Topps Chrome Troy Percival - Retrofractor parallel; the front of the card has a refractor finish while the back of the card has a grayback finish.

433 2015 Topps Heritage Jered Weaver - short print

450 1992 Leaf Chuck Finley - Black Gold parallel; I've had my share of Finley cards from the junk wax era though I went ahead and grabbed this parallel.

460 2010 Topps Bobby Abreu - short print

1996 Select Team Nucleus #23 and 1996 Pinnacle Zenith Mozaics #7

These pick ups aren't for the Angels frankenset, but are a shiny reminders of the trio [Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds and Garret Anderson] - that starred in the Angels outfield 20 years ago.

Salmon was probably my favorite player until three or four years ago when another fishy came onto the scene - regardless, Salmon was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame this year.

Edmonds was the flashy guy in center field who had his breakout year with the Angels in 1995 - he might be the borderline Hall of Famer out of the three [for mainly the numbers he put up after being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals].

Anderson just went about his business in his own way, not always endearing himself to the fans or the media - despite a relatively low on-base percentage [.324], he put together metronomic hitting numbers and along with Salmon, helped the Angels win the 2002 World Series.

Digging through card show bins

A trip to a card show where there are different dime / quarter / $0.50 / dollar boxes to dig through is how I have a little fun putting together my own stack of baseball cards when I'm not angling to pick up anything in particular - though I only get a certain number of cards and it may cost a little more that something a Fairfield repack from Target, I have more control over what I can pick up, depending on my interests at the moment and actual cards seeded in the boxes.

15 for $5
1991 Topps Stadium Club Dome Shawn Green #67
1996 Donruss Press Proof Steve Sparks #3

1998 Skybox Metal Tony Gwynn #19 of 20 - Universal Language die-cut insert
1999 Bowman Tim Hudson rookie card #375 - scan miscut the image of the card
1999 Topps Finest Pat Burrell rookie card #131
2005 Topps Turkey Red Ryne Sandberg #312

2006 Topps Turkey Red Albert Pujols #500
2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects Brandon Hynick #BSP-BWH

2010 Topps Ozzie Smith #CMT 28 - Cards Your Mom Threw Out Original Back insert  
2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Ref Matthew Skole #BDPP 15
2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Ref Harold Riggins #BDPP 21
2011 Bowman Draft Chrome Ref Carl Thomore #BDPP 31

2011 Topps Opening Day Joe Mauer - Opening Day Stars insert
2012 Bowman Draft Chrome Ref Sean McAdams #BDPP 94
2012 Bowman Platinum Yorman Rodriguez #BPP 68 - X-fractor parallel

15 for $1
1991 Upper Deck Final Update Kenny Lofton rookie card 24F
1992 Fleer Tony Gwynn #5 of 10
1992 Fleer Tony Gwynn #9 of 10

1996 Upper Deck SPx Jim Edmonds #11
2005 Fleer Ultra Joe Mauer #5 - Gold Medallion die-cut parallel
2007 Bowman's Best Joe Mauer #6
2007 Topps Allen and Ginter Miguel Cabrera #90

2007 Topps Allen and Ginter David Wright #200
2007 Topps Turkey Red Vladimir Guerrero #185B - Ad back / SP
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Jered Weaver #234
2010 Topps Heritage Ryan Braun #492 - All-Star subset / SP
2011 Bowman Josh Hamilton BB 9 - Bowman's Best insert
2011 Bowman Joe Mauer BB 22 - Bowman's Best insert
2011 Topps Update Kevin Jepsen #US-101 - Cognac parallel
2011 Topps Update Scott Downs #US-198 - Diamond Anniversary parallel

The Jim Edmonds story - the 2010 comeback edition

Jim Edmonds played well enough to earn a spot on the 40-Man roster of the Milwaukee Brewers for 2010 - hopefully his comeback in his age 40 season proves to be successful [hope he doesn't get released in May or suffer some kind of career ending injury] and he finishes his career basically enjoying a season where he plays enough to reach some career milestones [collecting 2,000 hits in his career and hitting 400 home runs.

I honestly can't say I followed his playing career as close, when Edmonds really enjoyed his peak seasons in St. Louis - I do pick up his cards when I can just because he came through the California Angels' farm system and established himself as a star when I was paying closer attention to the team. 

It was Tim Salmon, Edmonds and Garret Anderson who formed one of the best young outfield trios in baseball - for the Anaheim Angels during the late 1990s. 

Featured player: Jim Edmonds
2006 Upper Deck #425 - After being cut by the San Diego Padres and eventually given a chance in Chicago, Jim Edmonds' bat has come alive a little bit.

These days, he is probably playing on borrowed time - but in 27 games with the Cubs so far, he has hit five home runs and driven in 19 runs in 80 at-bats. He has a slugging percentage of .588 and an on-base percentage of .352

He has has also made one vintage Edmonds catch in the outfield - against the Houston Astros.

It still remains to be seen how much he has left - earlier in the season, he looked pretty much cooked in his brief time with the Padres. Will his next injury be his last? Is his recent performance a mirage or an indication Edmonds is just getting warmed up? Hopefully he still has some staying power, so he finishes his playing career strong, when he decides to eventually hang them up.

Featured pick up: Jim Edmonds
1993 Topps Jim Edmonds BGS 9.5 [$9.95 plus $3.95 s/h on Ebay] - the San Diego Padres were struggling and offense was a sore spot. Edmonds was seen as part of the obvious problem with an on-base percentage of .265 and a slugging percentage of .233 after just 26 games. In 90 at-bats, he only hit .178 and was released by the team on Friday.

I picked this card up back in January, though I could see where it was more for sentimental reasons, than anything else - grading has mushroomed over the last decade, where it is easier to find cards graded a 'BGS 9.5' or a 'PSA-10,' particularly mass-produced, fifty-cent rookie cards.

It remains to be seen where Edmonds will end up, but these days, where performance-enhancing supplements might not be so wise to take - perhaps age has caught up with Edmonds and being '37' doesn't mean you are going to enjoy another resurgent season from a player supposed to be 'done' already.