Card show singles rummage

The previous post maybe the last of my dime box rummage stuff - unless I can muster up the enthusiasm to dig up some other cards from that stash.

The following cards are from a seller's individually priced bins - I guess I'm comfortable for making keepers out of these cards, where they are still kind of random, but not quite 'dollar and under' value fodder [in my card show experience].

Early Miguel Cabrera cards - I have never liked cards part of a 'rookies' subset like this 2004 Upper Deck if they are not considered actual rookie cards or a 'prospect era' card like this 2002 Bowman Draft Chrome.

The Bowman Drat Chrome is neither a rookie card [released a couple of years after his 2000 Topps Traded] - nor a big league era card [Cabrera had not gotten to the big leagues at this point, even if he was certaintly on his way].

After all these years, it might be a novelty to have some cards of a future Hall of Famer in his formative years in pro baseball - even if not talking about rookie cards here, each card may be worth keeping.

Miscellaneous Angels cards - I just had to pay $10 for a Elpidio Guzman rookie card even though he was a couple of years older than listed on this card and he never reached the big leagues.

Guzman shares the dual rookie card with 2001 Seattle Mariners rookie Ichiro Suzuki.

The 1994 Donruss Editors Choice Tim Salmon #6 ends up being my favorite because it's a little different looking - designed to look like the image was from a roll of film.

The Troy Percival, Darin Erstad and Rod Carew are sort of nondescript inserts from the era they printed in - but they are serial #'d numbered parallels, so either I was a fool to be lured to add them to my stack or they are cards that should be instant keepers if they show guys from my home team.

I've made it a mission to make keepers out of scattered Topps Silver pack cards out in the wild like this Ken Griffey Jr. - I do not want to pay too much for one particular card, but they irresistibly pop so much, I'll make keepers out the stars and HOFers featured in the sets over the years.

I picked up the Ozzie Smith parallel because it's kind of subdued and classy looking - I like it's also serial #'d on the back, so that makes it a couple of dollars special rather than $0.50 special.

I ended up grabbing a 1996 Pinnacle Team Tomorrow Derek Jeter #9 - since Jeter was a national superstar of 'recent vintage,' he is probably a guy I'll blindly collect where I'm more apt to make keepers out of a card like this rookie era Dufex style insert that pops in-hand.

Catching up with Topps image variations

Besides what I might pull, I don't think I've actively collected the various Topps image variations released over the years - I can't keep up with the flood of gimmicky cards that might be harder to find [not always the case] and may cost a premium [not always the case].

As it goes, unless super short printed and/or featuring hot players like Mike Trout or Ronald Acuña Jr. - the cards have gotten fairly common, so there might be an opportunity to grab a run of the unique image cards featuring Hall of Famers or retired stars to add to my own mini-collection subsets or my decade stars binders.

2019 Topps SP Greats variation Will Clark #428 - maybe this was peak 1980s Clark, getting fired up after recording an out with the base runner [Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith] out of luck.

2019 Topps SSP Greats variation Vladimir Guerrero #675 - this feels like such a pure image of presumably an early-career Guerrero inking it up.

The 30-Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 25

"A favorite oddball card from the 1970s."

1978 Family Fun Centers San Diego Padres Ozzie Smith #29 - this card came out before Smith's 1979 Topps rookie, so while it's a regional issue, it has some significance attached to it.

I've gone with larger sized cards as far picking out oddball favorites from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s - maybe I feel like there was more of an opportunity showcase an image or use unique design elements, as opposed to a smaller trading card.

Since this card featured a rookie, whomever put these cards together had to dig a little deeper - for Smith's 'greatest thrill in baseball' up through his first season in San Diego.

Hunting for some star on star cameos

1987 Classic Bret Saberhagen #116 - a quick glance at this card shows Cal Ripken Jr. playing behind the one-time Kansas City Royals' ace of the 1980s and I figure the image used was from the 1987 All-Star game in Oakland.

I was going to put this card in my 'bonus babies,' though Saberhagen was a star in his own right - so this is an add to my star on star cameos collection.

1994 Donruss Will Clark #33 - looks like 'Will the Thrill' scurries past second base with Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg right by the bag.

1994 Donruss Ozzie Smith #35 - I like this card because it features two eventual Hall of Famers, though in the early 1990s, I probably thought of Biggio as just another player who was moved from catcher to second base to prolong his athleticism and longevity.

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

Last 2011 Topps Update Value Box recap

Bought one at Target for $14.99 and it was devoid of anything - since the Topps site was down, I had to enter my code cards on vacation and I ended up with 1987 Topps cards of Don Sutton and an Ozzie Smith All-Star subset card.

Featured autograph - Ozzie Smith

I ended up with an 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith rookie card when I was at a card shop [probably some time in 2005 - can't seem that long ago...] and picked up one of their 'grab bags,' which consisted of a lunchbag for $2.

I thought I'd be getting an assortment of loose cards, but instead I got a pack of 1979 Topps - I ended up pulling the Smith and was thrilled by the pull, but not the centering of the card.

I kind of suspect the pack was resealed and an off-condition Smith card was placed in the pack as sort of a 'bonus' to people who don't know any better - but it is hard to complain about pulling a rookie card of Hall of Famer from a 'grab bag' sort of deal.

I decided to get the card signed since it wasn't in the greatest condition and some autograph collectors like signed rookie cards - I got card signed by Smith in-person three years later at a golf tournament.