Trade with Baseball Cards Come to Life!

I got over 300 assorted cards from Bo at Baseball Cards Come to Life! as sort of a blind trade - on my end, the most important thing was getting a mini-collection 'boost' at the end of 2017 when I thought I'd accounted for all the cards I was going to get.

Besides all the mini-collection adds, including ones knocked off my wantlist and others I tacked on for 2017, I may have counted out 140 miscellaneous cards - regardless of the substance, I think it's fun to go through a jumble of cards like these once in a while, even though I probably needed to pace myself, so I didn't get burnt out being preoccupied by all the randomness.

I like trying to make sense out of the cards as I sorted them out - selected other cards were added as mini-collection ‘haves,’ where I might have had the card or a card for a player pictured, but felt I might as well list them as part of a particular mini-collection.

Other cards went into my various ‘loose card’ interests including:

School ties - I have a multi-sport collection of alumni players from a selected number of California colleges.

Cards of MLB/MiLB coaches - usually former players who maybe currently working or have worked for a MLB organization in 'recent' years.

Cards for team boxes - I have a collection on the side featuring assorted cards from all the 30 MLB teams.

A-Z archive filler - the least I will do is see if I could file these cards away 'as is.'

My favorite cards out of the box include the following:

1991 Topps Stadium Club Alex Cole #392 - pictures Otis Nixon; this made me do a double take when I saw the nameplate because I thought it was Nixon's card...Nixon has a more pronounced, weathered face [to put it kindly] while Cole always wore those goggles.

1992 Fleer Rookie Sensations Phil Plantier #19 of 20 - the butt shot captures his unique stance perfectly; Plantier was indeed a rookie sensation with the Boston Red Sox in 1991, hitting .331 with 11 home runs in 175 at-bats, but just wasn't destined to be a star.

Images courtesy of COMC.com

1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier Mike Bordick #5 - pictures Scott Brosius

1992 Donruss Triple Play Greg Vaughn #122 - I love how Vaughn’s cap is flying off as he checks if he has made the catch at the wall; a couple of teens along the railing above him check to see if they possibly have a beat on the ball as well.

1996 Pinnacle Denny’s Kevin Seitzer #26 of 28 - I bought this set years ago so I have this card somewhere, but to have it in-hand at the moment is nice; I don’t know if the holographic animation of the player shown was ever such a big deal, but I like shining the image up to the light and playing around with the card.

1996 Upper Deck Charlie Hayes #436 - I like how he is playing with a camera with a big lens.

1998 Fleer Tradition Ben McDonald #40 - this image sticks out as Fleer immortalized the longtime American League pitcher's only big league at-bat during the first year of Interleague play in 1997.

FWIW - the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the American League Central to the National League Central the year after.

2016 Donruss The Famous San Diego Chicken #151 - is this the most recognizable baseball mascot of all-time?

1975 Topps Robin Yount RC #223

I added another old school rookie card to the personal collection and while this was more of an impulsive pick-up as opposed to a priority at the top of a wantlist - there is some lingering nostalgia over this card, especially when paired up with George Brett's rookie card [#228] from the same set.

While Brett's playing career was a bit more larger than life and his rookie card seems to be held in higher regard than Yount's - both players are one-team franchise legends who each got their 3,000th hit in 1992 and were part of the same Hall of Fame class in 1999.

While I was superficially aware of Yount as a HOF legend with all these accomplishments - I had to dig through his numbers to see how his playing career evolved since I somehow believed he was more of a compiler as opposed to being a dominant player at various points of his playing career.

Getting to the big leagues as an 18-year old really helped boost Yount's counting numbers - maybe if he'd come up at 23 or 24 like a more typical big leaguer, his playing career would be more like J.J. Hardy's than Derek Jeter's.

But what changed my perspective about about Yount's 20-year career is when he became an impact offensive player in his prime - for a 4-year period through the mid 1980s, Yount established himself as one of the best players in all of baseball, checking off all the boxes as far as a guy who could hit for average, hit for power, steal bases and be a good defender at shortstop.

If somehow I'd be aware of baseball when Yount was really putting up the numbers, he would have been a fun player to follow, reminiscent of offense minded shortstops who would come of age in the late 1990s - guys like Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra.

2017 Topps Gallery blaster box recap 2 of 2

Artist proof parallel pack
#28 Sean Newcomb
#146 Gerrit Cole
#8 Steven Matz
#19 Carson Fulmer

 Pack one
#32 Gregory Polanco
#25 Bryce Harper

#HOF-19 Jim Palmer - Hall of Fame Gallery insert
#62 Yasmani Grandal

 Pack two
#140 Anthony Rizzo
#67 Kyle Seager
#113 Andrew Toles
#13 Carlos Correa

 Pack three
#15 Yoan Moncada
#12 Max Kepler

#156 Nelson Cruz - Artisans SP
#141 Yoan Moncada

 Pack four
#38 Tyler Glasnow
#139 Jake Lamb

#MP-21 Nolan Ryan - Masterpiece insert
#98 Salvador Perez

 Pack five
#17 George Springer
#97 Ketel Marte

#HOF-12 Joe Morgan - Hall of Fame Gallery insert
#147 Brandon Finnegan

 Pack six
#101 Cole Hamels

#100 Clayton Kershaw
#45 Matt Kemp
#128 Greg Bird

 Pack seven
#80 Freddie Freeman
#54 Jose De Leon
#42 Alex Bregman

Dan Bergren - Featured Artist info card
#106 Robert Gsellman

2017 Topps Gallery blaster box recap 1 of 2

Go figure I was able to pick up a couple of blaster boxes online as opposed to fruitless in-person searches through some random Walmarts - I feel the one or two Walmarts I may be able to go are spotty as far as having specific brand of trading cards at any one time.

The last incarnation of Topps Gallery came out in 2005 and while it was a product I'm not sure I even bought a single pack of in my collecting life - in general, I liked the artsy-fartsy trading cards because they came off as a little bit more classier than just something designed to be regular old baseball cards.

Artist proof parallel pack
#120 Corey Seager
#5 Carlos Rodon
#13 Carlos Correa
#141 Julio Urias

Pack one
#131 Matt Harvey
#32 Gregory Polanco

#HOF-1 Ken Griffey Jr. - Hall of Fame Gallery insert
#138 Luke Weaver

Pack two
#28 Bryce Harper
#140 Anthony Rizzo

#30 Trevor Story - Gallery Heritage insert
#119 Buster Posey

Pack three
#67 Kyle Seager
#113 Andrew Toles
#12 Max Kepler

Mayumi Seto - Featured Artist info card; maybe it's just odd, but I found her card [and the other Topps Gallery artist's card, Dan Bergren] more interesting than any of the base cards.
#123 Carlos Gonzalez

Pack four
#15 Yoan Moncada
#38 Tyler Glasnow

#HOF-22 Reggie Jackson - Hall of Fame Gallery insert
#8 Steven Matz

Pack five
#139 Jake Lamb

#17 George Springer
#97 Ketel Marte
#19 Carson Fulmer

Pack six
#101 Cole Hamels
#100 Clayton Kershaw

#174 Chris Archer - Apprentices SP
#84 Trey Mancini

Pack seven
#45 Matt Kemp
#80 Freddie Freeman

#MP-23 Mark McGwire - Masterpiece insert; YMMV, but I found the base cards to be a bit of a snooze and would prefer something centered around these inserts.
#115 Justin Verlander

A one post 2017 recap - my regional PCs

I have a yearly set of collecting goals I've kept offline since I think it gets too long winded to fully go through on a blog - one of the goals I wanted to focus on was this reboot of my Angels collection.

A.) Put together a list of Top 31-50 PC cards of my Angels collection in my Top 50 common PC - I wanted to see if things could come together as far as having a group of PC cards that I could add to in various ways.

#32 Group Mike Trout 
#33 Group Tim Salmon 
#34 Group Garret Anderson 
#35 Group Torii Hunter
#36 Group Vladimir Guerrero

#37 Group Angels PSA sampler run [1961-1980] 
#40 Group Troy Glaus group
#41 Group Jered Weaver 
#42 Group Garrett Richards 
#43 Group Kole Calhoun 
#48 Group graded rookie cards 

FYI, a group collection is basically a way to put together cards [of one player and/or one card type] as one ranking in my personal collection - I was able to put together a bunch of PC cards together, now I can kind of build on what I’ve listed, tweak rankings, etc.

B.) Build up an A-Z singles collection for the majority of my cards - listed in a database, sleeved and stored in a box.

• My main A-Z singles collection will consist of miscellaneous team related cards I end up with - while a separate A-Z singles collection will be for selected players and notable cards.
• In a given year, I'd like to pick up 10-15 first-year Angel certified autographs, corresponding parallels or other parallel cards to put in my A-Z singles collection - I need to look at upcoming product checklists and consider players that are listed as Angels.

This is a work in progress, where no tangible set-up is put together as I try to figure out what exactly goes into my A-Z singles collections - the distinction between having an A-Z collection that is more of an archive, a catch all for irrelevant and cumbersome slabbed cards of one-time Angels prospects and an A-Z collection that is more refined for selected notable players and notable cards.

Building up the A-Z singles collection with first-year certified autographs, corresponding parallels or others parallel cards - is something I've 'dabbled in' at best and always a work in progress.

C.) Account for loose Angels cards - my goal is to have binders of random Angels cards as 'jukeboxes' of sorts; cards that go into this collection should be listed in a database [except for my binder stars cards].

• Maintain a collection of ‘binder stars,’ featuring selected players like - Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Vladimir Guerrero, Tim Salmon, Torii Hunter, Garret Anderson, Jered Weaver, Jim Edmonds, Garrett Richards, Kole Calhoun, etc. 
• Continue to work on my frankenset, maybe a frankenset update [finding cards #'d 500 and up], an Opening Day lineup set - any displays in binders will have to wait depending on whether I’m close or have completed a particular project.
• Timeline - 2015 - Frankenset, 2016 - Frankenset update [500+; pull cards aside, officially start when finished with original Frankenset], Angels Opening Day lineups and 'shoebox collection,' which should be the odds and ends left over, 2017 - PC, A-Z collection ‘revamp,’ binder stars and inserts. 

What does my goal to have binders of random Angels cards as 'jukeboxes' of sorts mean [?] - I think it means my frankenset / Opening Day lineup as opposed to just loose cards from my team boxes.

Binder stars are a work in progress - I don’t know how to account for guys who’ve been bigger stars for other teams - maybe leave them as is as binder stars or perhaps only have their Angels cards displayed; guys who were primarily [home grown] Angels who starred for a significant number of years for the team maybe whose cards I’d include.

It's kind of sad, but after starting it several years ago, my frankenset seems pretty much in mothballs [the cards are still intact, sleeved and boxes, but I haven't added to it] - a frankenset update is still floating out there [though more as an unofficial thing] and an Opening Day lineup collection is a work in progress.

D.) All-time Angels autograph collection - see if I can count out about 200 different autographs and list them in a Google Sheets file. 

• Scrounge around for random autographs I might have - account for non-card autographs.
• Use a wantlist to list any names I need - not the collection of random cards for guys who played for the team at one point; the ‘physical collection’ is just a snapshot of players I still need.
• Add new ones as I can [certified, maybe uncertified and occasional in-person] - trading cards are the easiest to store in any sort of quantity so for most of the ‘rank and file’ names, that what the autographs are on.
• I’m not going to get them all so maybe settle on a number goal [200] - focus on picking up team Hall of Famers, actual Hall of Famers, stat leaders, award winners, postseason teams, starting lineups, etc.

I think I’ve been able to count out about 200 different autographs - but the work listing out those 200 different is something I haven’t fully committed at different times of the year.

1975 Topps Gary Carter RC #620

I want to be greedy in adding traditional rookie cards of legends / icons from old school/vintage years when possible - there maybe tiers as far as rookie card wants go; a rule of thumb is cards have to be at least be 20 years old to make the list.

As a last minute purchase for 2017, I had to get this rookie card of a Hall of Fame catcher since it cost as much as a discounted blaster - I don’t think it’s too weird anymore but it maybe a little peculiar to commit to buy a baseball card, when I’m out in BFE somewhere in a daze, tagging along with my parents on a casino trip late at night.

Multiplayer rookie cards are ugly, especially if it becomes the RC of a Hall of Fame legend who has to share it with one or more marginal players - but it’s part of the quirkiness of old-school/vintage cards to squeeze multiple unproven players on a card.

Carter was a prime time star with the Montreal Expos from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s - however, I was only aware of Carter's playing days through the junk wax era cards he showed up on during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Favorite card of 2017 - Mega Box Ohtani

This is in response to Tom's contest over at Waiting 'til Next Year.

I'll throw this up as my favorite card of the year because I actually pulled one [#BCP31] after not even sure if I was going to bust any of the 2017 Bowman Mega Boxes - as a baseball fan, I was excited to see which MLB team Ohtani sign with this off-season, whether it was the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners or San Diego Padres.

It's only much sweeter when the 23-year old wunderkind signed with the Angels as opposed to other teams in pursuit of the pitcher / slugger - I figure this will probably be my best Ohtani card and I'm hoping he lives up to the hype and this card stills holds some relative value at the end of next year, even after the market is flooded with his MLB cards.

1991 Fleer Alex Cole #365

As something to do, I'm trying to go through loose cards in my collection and pull the ones that might not be relevant - but can be listed and put away in some sort of mini-collection.

The junk wax Cole was probably a repack pull, so it was in limbo, not yet squirreled away in my main A-Z archives of commons - I thought it may have been a reach to add this as an 'awesome action' card, but I've always liked the image of speedster Cole take a lead off first base, with his eyes on the pitcher.

With its garish yellow borders, 1991 Fleer was the poster child of the junk wax era - there just isn't a whole lot of lingering nostalgia for a set that didn't take much imagination to design.

I dug up a big book of baseball cards from 1991, which profiled players with snapshots of their mainstream cards and considered their profit potential - back in the day, the book was a guide to learn about players and helped figure out which was the card to get, maybe the best looking and/or potentially valuable [lol].

In addition to the Fleer, which was chosen as the best out of his five cards, I like Cole's 1991 Upper Deck [#654] issue - where Cole shoos his bat away after collecting a walk.

1978 Topps Eddie Murray RC #36

I want to build up a traditional rookie card collection [consisting of cards at least 20 years old, cards that aren't serial numbered, autographed or glow in the dark] - but on a relative budget however, it’s hard to be picky as far as finding notable RCs with decent eye appeal; many of the mid level options I've seen listed on eBay just look a bit too rough for my taste.

I probably sent out an APB for a copy of this card after seeing it ranked No. 7 among the greatest cards of the 1970s on the Night Owl Cards blog - I did trade for another copy of the card years ago, but it probably compares best to 'well loved' ones on eBay I'd disregard otherwise.

This card is a little off-center, which I'm sort of a stickler on - but seems pretty clean otherwise.

While the Hall of Famer's prime years was with the Baltimore Orioles in the 1980s - I remember him playing past the junk wax era and through the mid 1990s as a player gunning for both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

Featured autograph - Zack Cozart

Even though he is sliding over to third base, Cozart's acquisition gives the Angels a good defender and a guy who can transition over to second base if Ian Kinsler doesn't stick around past the 2018 season - while Cozart has really been up and down with the bat as a big leaguer, hopefully he can build upon the past two years [.346 on-base/.484 slugging, 40 home runs 52 doubles, 9 triples 40 home runs in 902 at-bats].

I don't remember the particulars, except I got this card signed at the Arizona Fall League back in 2009 - I knew I had gotten Cozart's autograph at some point, so I had to look for it in an old archive of signed cards.

2017 Bowman Draft Jo Adell #95

The plan was to get one of Adell's 2017 Bowman Draft Chrome autographs and/or a corresponding parallel - I was willing to spend as much as $75 for at least one or two copies, figuring while he was a first round pick, he probably wasn't the clear cut guy to get.

As is, Adell's Bowman Draft Chrome autograph were rumored to be short printed and thus is currently commanding at least $250-$300 on eBay - I realize die-hard prospectors are going to prospect, but there is just no reasonable buy in at this point.

Adell was the top prospect in the Angels system about a week or so ago - I can't imagine how much the new Angels' top prospect [Shohei Ohtani of course] MLB rookie-card autographs are going to command once released.

The best case scenario the SP issue is kind of bogus and more first-year Bowman Chrome autographs will come out - if not, all those speculators better hope Adell is the next coming of Willie Mays.

Featured autograph - Ian Kinsler

It's hard for a big league team to carry a veteran player past their prime because sometimes it's just the end - I do like the Angels' trade for the 35-year old second baseman, because he seems like a player you can plug and play for next year.

Presumably he can still hit for some power, defend, run a little bit and all things considered, otherwise be Dustin Pedroia lite - if Kinsler stinks it up, there is no team commitment past 2018.

2017 Topps on-demand mini pack break

I looked this up on Topps.com and I ordered a pack [there was free shipping promo] since for just about a price of a blaster box - I get an 'on-demand' product that is not available at a big box store.

I do see where Topps makes these 'variation' products off their flagship card set alone and by the end of the year - all these releases are just kind of redundant.

Shipped in a bubble mailer, a black box contained a foil wrapper placed inside a 150-count two-piece box.

#351 German Marquez #87-136 Chipper Jones - 1987 All-Star serial #’d 03/25 #56 Danny Salazar - serial #’d 1/5 #249 New York Yankees team card - serial #’d 05/25; just had to picture Starlin Castro among other random Yankees [Headley, Teixeira and maybe Gardner]. #US260 Carlos Correa - serial #’d 05/25 #656 Todd Frazier - serial #’d 01/10 #494 Tom Murphy #422 Andrew Miller #US213 Yovani Gallardo #486 Aroldis Chapman #4 Mark Reynolds #US110 Corey Seager #48 Brian McCann #US173 Chris Coghlan #636 Allegheny Armada - feat. Jaso / McCutchen #36 B’More Boppers - feat. Trumbo, Machado, Davis and Jones. #599 Cincinnati Reds team card #175 Houston Astros team card #246 Hunter Strickland #613 Jonathan Broxton #US66 Jose Osuna #440 Eduardo Rodriguez #US93 Jesse Chavez #526 Jake Marisnick #95 Chris Davis #US241 Ryon Healy #75 Carlos Correa #356 Brad Miller #492 Avisail Garcia #US269 Craig Kimbrel #369 Mark Canha #47 Gregor Blanco #341 Alex Bregman #US159 J.T. Riddle #270 Jake Arrieta

When borderline HOF guys get their call

It's refreshing to see Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, a pair of longtime teammates whose accomplishments seem more recent and tangible [they starred in the 1980s and played through the mid 1990s, not the 1880s] - get elected the Hall of Fame through 10-name Modern Baseball Era ballot.

I didn't think either Morris or Trammell were getting into the Hall of Fame any time soon but their candidacy was given second life after falling off the ballot - in particular, I guess something had to give in Morris' case.

While Morris' numbers was scrutinized by the sabermetric movement as inferior to retired star pitchers who aren't getting any serious consideration - there was enough push back [particularly among the people that put him in now] that Morris eventually was able to sneak into the HOF.

Trammell was destined to become the next Bert Blyleven or Tim Raines among sabermetric inclined baseball experts - Trammell was a guy who was part of a shortstop evolution, putting up strong offensive numbers that combined with everything else, were too hard to dismiss.

1991 Upper Deck Charlie Hough #792

I listed this card as an awesome action 'want' because it brings to mind the image of a crafty [knuckleball] pitcher working on his game during a spring training situation perhaps - even going as far throwing batting practice to teammates.

I don’t know if it puts things in any sort of perspective but for a professional baseball player, Hough has always looked like a grandfather - he’s only 43 on this card, but probably looks like he's 20 years older and it’s just hard for me to imagine looking as old as Hough does in five years.

Featured autograph - Billy Eppler

I was able to get the Angels general manager's autograph in spring training this past year on a blank card - there is a bit of schadenfreude, when Eppler may have closed the deal to snatch Shohei Ohtani away from the hands of other prospective suitors, particularly the Seattle Mariners.

I don't know if the narrative of Ohtani's motivations to join the Halos have been exactly spelled out - but reading the screenshot above, there is a little 'what if' for disappointed Mariners fans, when considering the screenshot from 2015.

Andruw Jones - a borderline HOFer?

I have this 1995 Bowman rookie card [#23] in a miscellaneous binder and I recoil whenever I see it - I remember buying it for something like $30 at the 2000 National Sports Collectors Convention and thought it was going to be a 'money card' of a superstar for years to come.

Maybe card values of any number of random cards probably declined over the past 20 years as players come in and out of collectors' consciousness - but Jones accelerated the dip in values by how his playing career fell apart after leaving the Atlanta Braves.

He got fat when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2008 season and then bounced around for years - even playing in Japan for two seasons before wrapping up his playing career.

After the fact, the most interesting thing is that Jones was probably the best center fielder of his generation and may actually have an argument that he's one of the best to play his primary position of all time - this Sports Illustrated story spells out the idea that he's unlikely to get to the Hall of Fame, but pores over his numerous achievements as well as his decline.

Kevin Maitan - all things considered

As an Angels fan, the addition of Maitan is a nice pickup since he's only 17 and was the most intriguing prospect heading into this past year - the Angels' farm system has been depressed for a while and hopefully Maitan starts building on his promise, giving the Angels a nice little core of position player prospects [along with Jo Adell, Jahmai Jones, Brandon Marsh] to build upon the next few seasons.