1978, The Year it all began.

Team Collectors. What do you count?

2012-01-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

This is a timeless debate. You collect a certain team. For example, I collect Dodgers. So, you collect your favorite team and decide you don't care who the player is, or what card it might be, you want them all. You start hoarding those 1989 Topps, 1991 Donruss and 1992 Fleers and after a while, you begin noticing the oddballs, the inserts, the parallels, etc. Anything new excites you. I think many of you know what I am talking about. You buy some lots, you work some trades and then one day you are checking out your new cards and you come across this card. You almost missed it, but something caught your eye. An unfamiliar logo!

You ask yourself if this card counts. After all, he is pictured in the team uniform. But WAIT! How can this be a Dodger card if the card says Brewers? Do I count it or do I toss it? You set it aside and keep sorting.

After a few minutes, you come acorss another card that most certainly doesn't belong. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS DOING HERE? This is CLEARLY not a Dodger card. It's the stinking Giants, the forever hated Giants!!! Wait once more, you look closely and sure enough, the card indicates that he is now on the Dodgers! Now what? Can you really love a wolf in sheep's clothing? A Giant/Dodger card?

I'm sure you all have had this internal debate with yourself before. I know what I do, I allow it...both times. If it says Dodgers or looks like a Dodger, then it's a Dodger in my book. How about you?

Mr. Baseball

2012-01-10T09:01:00.001-08:00

A few months ago, someone from a trading card site called "The Bench" (www.thebenchtrading.com) posted an autograph success from Mr. Baseball himself, Tom Selleck. Selleck has always been one of my favorite actors, dating back to the infamous Magnum PI days, so obtaining an autograph of his has always been one of my goals. Years ago on ebay, I bought a signed TV Guide page showing an ad for Magnum PI, but it was a pretty boring, black and white image. I saw someone had either made or found a Selleck card showing him in a Detroit Tigers uniform, with the 1968 Topps design, but I have never been able to locate the card myself. Perhaps it was a 1/1 custom job?

So, his appearance on a 1992 Upper Deck card (#SP4) was the best candidate to have signed, but how would that happen? I am not much of a TTM guy, although I should be. I love signed cards. Still, even with someone indicating a success TTM and an address to share, I still didn't get off my butt, find the SP4 card and mail it off. So, wouldn't you know it, but the same guy sent to Selleck again, this time a baseball. Once more, Mr. Selleck returned the item signed! That was it...I had to try.

I dug out the SP4 card from my old Frank Thomas collection and prepared it for mailing. Then I decided that I had a nice stack of 1982 Donruss Magnum PI extras just sitting around, so why not try to get a couple of those signed as well. After all, I was a fan of Selleck because of that show! I found a couple decent shots of him from the set and mailed my request off on November 30th and waited.

On monday, January 9th, I had a SASE waiting for me when I got home from work. Now remember, I am not much of a TTM guy, so I knew exactly who this one was from before I even opened it, but I was not sure if he had signed any of the cards, let alone all 3. I don't think I have ever been more excited for a TTM request as I tore open the envelope, giddy like a little girl! Waiting inside for me were 3 freshly signed cards in all their magnificent glory.

As a side note, the envelope was postmarked Honolulu, Hawaii, which is not where I sent the request. I know that he owned a home on Oahu, but he sold that some time back. Maybe he was vacationing there...who knows? It is reminiscent of the Magnum PI days though...

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T19:21:00.000-08:00

I think I will end 2011 with a reminder to myself as to why I stopped buying packs of cards. As much as I love the thrill of tearing open a sealed pack to reveal it's hidden treasures within, I proved to myself over and over that in the end I might as well just buy what I want.

Breaking myself of the wax ripping habit was hard. I had collected cards since 1978 and opening packs was the foundation of my collecting habit. By the time I graduated High School and joined the USN, I was still buying cards. The year was 1987 and the worst of times (the investor era) was soon to be upon us in full swing. Luckily, due to time constraints, storage issues and

such, I pretty much stopped buying cards then. From about 1988-1993, the only cards I opened came from my mom when I took leave and returned home. She'd buy me random card packs for birthdays and Christmas and I would open them when I returned home. I had all but been cured though. The thrill just wasn't there any longer. I had turned to muscle cars, music and drinking/partying to pass my free time. Cards just didn't thrill me anymore.

I got out of the Navy in 1993 and a friend of mine had reintroduced me to cards shortly before I left, but the game had changed. Cards were fancier, there were inserts and everything was just more exciting. I came back hard, buying just about everything there was. I took a liking to a young star named Frank Thomas and the rest is history. I was fresh out of the Navy, had some spending money and nothing to do. Recipe for disaster, if you ask me. So, after abusing myself endlessly from 1993 to roughly 2000, I finally figured out that I just didn't have good luck when it came to opening packs, at least not from the "resale" or "investment" standpoint. I'd still say my best pull ever was an UD Autograph/Jersey card of Duke Snider from one of their HOF issues. Great card as a Dodger fan, but not exactly a "high BV" card. Still, I was in it for the fun, not to sell. That doesn't help justify spending $75-100 per box of cards, only to find yourself with a small stack of cards and really nothing else to show for it. For that same $75-100, I could buy so much more of what I wanted, not continue to fill up 5K boxes with junk and be happier all around. So, I finally pulled the plug and stopped buying packs.

It's been a dozen or so years and I still open an occasional pack for Christmas or when I need to remind myself of just how stupid it is for me to buy packs. Once such occasion was tonight. I got 4-5 random packs of cards from my wife as a stocking stuffer (yeah, I got nothing worth mentioning) and so tonight, while helping my boys spend some of their Christmas money on Legos and Wii games at Target, I bought a few cheapie boxes and packs. All told, I spent around $35 and went home to see how I did. Below is the bounty...at least this isn't a daily whooping anymore! It's not like I expect to pull a Sandy Koufax autograph or something like that every time, but once in a while might have kept me going longer, that's for sure!

Check out a new blog and help 2 Garvey collectors out!

2011-12-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

http://timelessteams.blogspot.com/

Fellow Garvey collector and all around Dodger lover, Jim (gcrl) is starting another blog and wants YOU to read it. I'm sure it will be entertaining, as his 2 current blogs are now.

Check it out when it goes live next week. I might even win a Steve Yeager autograph in the deal. Can't beat that, right? And, I don't have that card yet.

Collecting Autographs

2011-12-27T20:47:00.001-08:00

Some might believe from reading many of the posts in this blog, that my collection is quite one dimensional. That is as far from the truth as possible, but I definitely have my favorites. I have been collecting Steve Garvey as a primary player collection since I started buying cards, but the collection has grown leaps and bounds since I discovered Ebay. However other than the handful of new cards that come out new these days, which all seem to have to be numbered to less than 10 copies (another story for another time), I have pretty much tracked it all down. If I only grabbed Garvey stuff, I'd pretty much be retired from the hobby game.

Cue autographed cards!

I always sought out autographs as a kid when I went to the ballpark. I never got the concept connected with cards for some odd reason though. I guess I would rather have a ticket stub, scuffed up practice ball, program cover or scrap of paper than a baseball card. What the hell was I thinking???? I only recently dove into the signed card arena, and by recently I mean after I started ebaying. I shudder to think of the collection I could have now had I recognized this collecting area a bit sooner. Heck, I have Eddie Murray on a scrap of paper when he visited Seattle back in the 80s. It's pretty ugly too, considering it shared space with Ellie Hendricks and later I though a single signature would look better and cut it free...only to tape it back later after I decided it didn't! Maybe I'll share this with you, as I still have it. Wouldn't his 1978 Topps card look great signed instead? YES IT DOES! I did eventually pick that up as well. Perhaps a future topic...

My clear favorite targets are Dodger cards and the more vintage the better. This obviously means I need to collect "through the mail" (TTM) or "in person" (IP) signed cards. I like certified cards where I can get them, but let's face it, they just don't cover enough players. A goal would be to get all of the LA Dodgers signed on cards and work on those that have certified cards as well, and then extend that back as far back into the Brooklyn history as possible. Sadly, most of those gents are passing at an alarming rate. Last I checked, we were under 50 Brooklyn players still alive. The other sad part is that until the 1990 Target set came out, there were a fair share of players from the Brooklyn days that didn't have cards. In order to add Dodgers, I often have to settle for photos, paper or whatever because their either are not cards or they are financially unfeasible.

However, just about anything else short of dirt commons interests me: Action cards from the 70s-80s, All Stars, award winners, special cards, multi-player cards, just about anything pre 1980, minor league cards, etc. I just loved signed cards. I'll take a card over a new OL baseball, a nice glossy 8x10 , jersey, bat or anything else. Cards rule!

So, to shake it up a bit and make it interesting for you readers who don't obsess over Steve Garvey items, I'll feature random signed cards here and there for fun. We'll start with a nice 1952 Topps Phil Haugstad.

Haugstad played in 37 games across parts of 4 seasons from 1947-1952. His big year was 1951 when he appeared in 21 games for the Dodgers. He appeared one season with the Cincinnati Reds, 1952, as well. His lifetime record was 1-1 and his fame was more so found in the Minors, however as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the recipient of a Topps card (seems to be his only card), his signature was a must. He died in 1998, but his signature appears to be a little tougher to find, given a player who died in the late 90s. I was glad to stumble upon this card when I did. A quick check of ebay tonight reveals 4 signatures from Mr. Haugstad, ranging from an ugly, taped cut at $10 up to a nice B&W photo for $90 (although another listing is this same photo that can be had for $35 OBO). A far cry from plentiful.

1992 Trak Auto Stamps

2011-12-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

This issue was a stamp sheet and accompanying poster/print (which I have, but is unimpressive alone and thus was not scanned) that showcased all of the Dodgers who had been selected to an All Star team since the teams move to Dodger Stadium in 1962. The stamps were meant to be stuck onto the poster and then displayed/framed or whatever.

For a very long time, I thought this issue would be one of those never to be found items from my want list. It seems it still sits on numerous collectors want lists even today, probably because it is an odd set and even now, I see it is often misidentified. Detached stamps are not identified in any way with a brand or manufacturer and the only way to tell is to find a complete stamp sheet. If you are a Dodger fan and collect a few different players, this is a treasure trove of an item. 49 different players are represented, some multiple times, based on the year(s) they were chosen as an All Star. Although each player chosen in a given year are listed, only certain players are pictured. For example, Tommy Lasorda is the only person pictured on the 1979 and 1983 All Star stamp although there were multiple players each year.

From the scanned images, you can see that this stamp sheet and accompanying poster were available from a chain of discount automotive parts locations called Trak Auto. I've tried to do some research into the franchise, but it was far from exhaustive, and it seems the firm was mainly operating out of the East and Midwest and eventually went bankrupt and sold off to other automotive parts distributors. However, this could easily have been a different chain all together. I just assumed since the subject was the Dodgers, the parts store would be in LA! There was no mention of California locations in my research.

Anyway, the set is usually found in full sheet form, because who wants to deal with a bunch of frail, tiny stamps? The "set" though is usually incomplete, because there is a special anniversary stamp that was meant to complete the set, available only by visiting the stores. The bottom of the stamp sheet mentions this, but it is confusing. It indicates that a sheet of 17 anniversary stamps are available for $0.99 and the purchase of Valvoline oil or $2.99 w/o an oil purchase. The sheet itself contains 31 stamps and I don't know why anyone would want 17 of the "special" diamond anniversary stamps. Maybe there is someone out there who obtained the special diamond stamp and can shed some light. I have never seen one, not that I care. All I really wanted was the Garvey stamp anyway.

A quick scan of ebay shows that one seller has 2 sets available at $20 plus s/h, but it is not listed under Trak Auto at all. It is a full sheet w/ the accompanying poster/print. Still not a common item, but definitely obtainable in today's internet world.

Sports Heroes, Feats & Facts

2011-12-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

In a way, this issue was the 90s version of Sportscasters. I stumbled upon this site for the Sportscasters, but have not had time to fully check it out. Looks like it might be a cool site though.

http://www.sportscastercards.com/

Sports Heroes were available as a subscription, as were Sportscasters. The subscriber would receive a package of the cards every so often and presumably the subscription would run as

long as you remained current. As with any offering of this type, it seems the later issues are the toughest to find. Interest diminishes and eventually the manufacturer stops making them all together. Sadly, we don't fully appreciate issues like this until it is too late.

I believe the ads for subscribing are found in some of the more popular sports magazines of the time and I want to say I remember them being in the short lived Topps Magazine as well. Although I never subscribed, I took a liking to the larger (they are roughly the size of an 8x10 photo) "cards" and eventually ended up obtaining numerous binders full. After sorting through them and obtaining new binders, I found a number of variations. Sometimes a player changed

teams, other times a player was replaced by another, but the least noticeable variation is in the "small print" data on the reverse of each card. It appears that as these were reprinted over time, each print run got a new number assigned. For example, the first print run might be 33, with subsequent runs labeled 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d and 33e. I believe the highest run variation I have come across is an "e" series. I don't know enough about these and how they were

distributed to know if any are harder to find than the others, but it would be fun to find an expert of these to compare notes. Currently I have several hundred different subjects along with numerous variations. Someday I may make a checklist of what I have, but for now that is yet another project on the "to do" list.

1980 Kelloggs Raisin Bran Box Panel

2011-12-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about the past, but we always seem to have memories that make us feel like there were no better times. Technology advances rapidly and we have things today that we would have never dreamed of before, yet the simple pleasures of a time in the past seems to put us at ease.

Take this panel, cut from a box of Kelloggs Raisin Bran, in 1980. Kids eating breakfast then would eagerly rip into that box of cereal in hopes of pulling out a card of their favorite baseball star. You could even order a complete set, because who could possibly eat enough Raisin Bran to complete a card set and that assumes you never get any duplicates! Once the card was pulled, you still had the enjoyment of "reading" the box over and over. I remember most of the cereals had trinkets or toys available in them. Something you just don't see that often any more.

I just happened to have a box of Raisin Bran in my pantry and thought I would see what cool things the kids have to view today...NOTHING! The box was so boring, it wasn't worth scanning for comparison. Perhaps it is one more sign that cards are destined to be a thing of the past in the not to distant future?

Happy Birthday Steve Garvey

2011-12-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

Born on this day in 1948, Garvey turns 63 today.

I had planned to write something more, but I am getting my butt handed to me by some sort of virus or bug...

A late congratulations to Mr. Ron Santo, MLB's newest Hall of Famer!

2011-12-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

So, I missed it by a few weeks. I was still on hiatus from the blog when the results were announced and only just recently decided to try to write some more entries. I was eagerly awaiting the results though, figuring I'd be happy with anyone being elected (see, I am one of those "water the Hall down" kind of guys, because I think the mixture is still a little too elite), but was especially hopeful for Gil Hodges. Eternally optimistic that his career will one day be recognized with the highest honor, we Hodges fans were again the recipient of a firm snubbing!

So, in honor of the one man who did get the call, local Seattleite Ron Santo, congrats on your election to the Hall of Fame. Sadly, you won't have the pleasure of reading this or any other salutes...the award was made posthumously, one year after his death and 32 years after he was first eligible. Pfffttt to those who think that if you don't get the call in the first 15 years, you never should. You can all suck it.

Felix Navidad!

2011-12-20T19:51:00.000-08:00

First off, a little background history. I work for an elevator company in Seattle. My company installed the elevators and escalators at Safeco Field. At the time, I worked in Sales and one of my accounts just happened to be the one and only Safeco Field. Being a baseball fan, it was fun to have this account. However, it didn't lead to any super great, behind the scenes privileges like I had secretly hoped. You obviously want to watch yourself with a big client like this and trying to get special favors and such can be a huge no no!

One small bonus I got out of managing the account though was that we were on their Christmas list. The Engineering Department would send out a Christmas card each year. After the card displays were taken down from our office lobby, I would grab the Mariners card for my personal collection. Each year, there would be a different baseball related theme, often featuring one or more players. Not quite like a baseball card, it was close enough to gain entrance into my collection.

Sadly, we lost the account to a competitor several years ago and even more sad for me on a personal note, we dropped off their Christmas list. I contacted the Engineering Department a year or two ago, just checking in on them to see how they were doing and asked if by chance, we could be added back on to the list. I know, I was really pushing it asking for such a favor, but I thought...what the heck. Why not try? Maybe it was a one time deal, maybe not, but in 2010 we received a card from the team! Hopefully we will one day earn back the business and service the stadium once more. Until then, I'll have to settle for the Seahawks Practice Facility in Renton.

I don't know how many of these cards go out each year, or how many are saved for that matter. Perhaps there are some better ones that are signed by players and/or staff, maybe unused cards are shipped off to possible resurface years later. Who knows? What I do know is that they certainly make a unique item in a fan's collection though.

Presenting the 2010 Seattle Mariners Christmas card (and hopes that a 2011 card will soon grace my office lobby!)...featuring 2010 AL CY Young winner Felix Hernandez!

You DO realize that 1952 was not the first year for Topps Baseball?

2011-12-18T11:57:00.000-08:00

Sure, as baseball card collectors, most of us probably think the above statement is absurd. Of course 1952 Topps wasn't the first entry into the baseball card market, but no one can deny the historical significance of that set. One of the most often and irritating mistakes I see is the reference to the famous Mickey Mantle ROOKIE CARD, when someone without the proper knowledge is discussing the iconic 1952 Topps Mantle card. First Topps Card (FTC) is appropriate, but Rookie Card is not.Back to 1951 for a moment though...Topps didn't exactly start with a bang.

Competing with the Bowman Gum Co., who had been issuing cards of current day players since 1948, Topps was making it's entry into a market with some interesting card sets. Their "main" set would be the Red and Blue back cards, which were actually designed to be a game. Very small compared to Bowman with regard to checklist subjects, Topps only gave us 52 players from each of the red and blue sets, for a total of 104 subjects. Compared to Bowman's 324 card set, Topps was missing the boat on 2/3 of the players, including a young Mickey Mantle!

Topps also tried something a little different with their Team cards, something Bowman had never done, as well as a dual theme stand-up set, known as Connie Mack's Current and All-Time All Stars. Between those 3 sets, Topps offered kids another 27 cards that they could not find with Bowman.

Although this initial offering from Topps was unusual, it got their foot in the door and the next year they launched a massive 407 card set that would signal the beginning of the end of the Bowman Gum Co., who coincidentally reduced the number of cards in their set to 252 that year. Topps was showing the world a first glimpse of their power in a market in which they would soon dominate, some may even say monopolize, until the early 80s. Once Topps purchased Bowman and ceased operation after the 1955 edition, they would rarely see competition until 1981, when the collecting world as we knew it was to change forever!

Thinking about firing the old blog back up...

2011-12-18T00:10:00.000-08:00

...And someone looks happy about it.

As I organize my stuff of late, I get the urge to scan some items and write. Not sure if this feeling will remain long. The Holidays are fast approaching and time is usually more limited, but for now making this statement can only help me motivate.

Stay tuned to see if I actually follow through now.

1960-61 Frito Ticket Folders - Los Angeles Dodgers

2011-06-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

I knew these were scarce, and I never expected to even win the lot, but sometimes ebay is your friend. Due to what I can only assume was a seller's grave mistake (lack of knowledge, laziness, or whatever...), a lot of 6 of these ticket folders ended a few weeks back with me holding the winning bid. Delivered price for the half dozen you ask? $14.11!

Included in the lot were 4 copies of the Larry Sherry, which is not even listed in my Beckett or SCD, 1 copy of the Gil Hodges and 1 copy of the Wally Moon. These are not gradable examples, but they are nice. Sadly, Hodges is the worst of the bunch with numerous light creases. Moon has a nice grease stain and most, if not all, had staples/holes in them. I am guessing they were

stapled to the bags of Fritos, so one would expect holes or even a remaining staple with this issue. I noticed 2 different back colors, but from what I can tell, these are all the same year. Each says "World Champion Dodgers" and has a copyright of 1960 and a schedule for the 1960 season inside, which makes sense, since the Dodgers were champs in 1959. There are also 2

different slogans for the Sherry cards. I have three copies that say "Fritos are a hit every time!". They have the black back. I have one copy that says "Fritos go over great at home plate!". This one has the red back. The inside differs slightly as well, with the black back versions having a yellow Jr. Guest ticket and game list, where the red back has a white Jr. Guest ticket and game list.

Needless to say, this Dodger collector is quite happy to have these babies safely in hand!!

RC Cola Proof/Test/Variation or whatever you want to call it

2011-04-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share these, but still in a blog funk. This is a quick recycle of a post I did on a trading site, The Bench:

These were apparently from a proof or test sheet, where the original beer lable was printed over with the RC baseball can image. On the back is another different beer label. I have the blue RC flat as well as the white RC flat, but this is the first I have seen of this type of can flat. Very Unique!

There were about 30 different subjects in the lot I won.

The Duke of Flatbush (9/19/26-2/27/11)

2011-02-27T14:07:00.000-08:00

My day turned sour earlier when I read of the passing of longtime Dodger favorite, Edwin Donald "Duke" Snider, today at age 84. Duke was THE star of a star-studded cast of 51950s Brooklyn baseball teams with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Pee Wee Reese and others. The star Centerfielder is immortalized in the Terry Cashman song, "Talkin' Baseball". A song every baseball fan knows well for the famed line about New York's trio of all-star Centerfielders of the 1950s, "Willie, Mickey and the Duke!"

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_stb.shtml

Duke was also obviously a very generous man, as evidenced by his willingness to sign autographs for his fans. Duke is easily among the greats of through the mail (TTM) autographing, again among the likes of Bob Feller, Bobby Doerr and George Kell. It makes me feel good to know that the supply of their autographs will always remain relatively high due to the generosity of those men. Even in passing (except Mr. Doerr, who is still plugging away at a spry 92), generations will still be able to afford these treasures.

You will be missed, Mr. Snider. Sadly, there will come a day in the not too distant future where no member of the mightly Brooklyn Dodger franchise will be among the living, but let us enjoy those living members while we still can.

RIP.

A new beginning or the end of the road?

2011-01-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

I have still not found the motivation to jump start this blog yet, so here is something to make you think. What if...?

A new beginning or the end of the road?

You return home one evening from a nice dinner out with someone in your life and you see the flashing lights. Fire trucks are entering in your neighborhood and you can see thick black smoke billowing above. Happiness turns to anxiety as you follow. Anxiety turns to fear as you grow near your place. Fear turns to sickness as you see the fire is at your house!

In the end, it's a total loss. Nobody is hurt, but you now have to start picking up the pieces. Your house is badly damaged, but fixable. The battles start with your insurance company. You begin to sort everything out and find that among your beloved possessions that were damaged or destroyed by the fire includes your cards and memorabilia. The room you were storing these items in was a total loss and nothing remains.

I'm sure this will differ from person to person an collection to collection. Some may not even be able to answer the question unless they were actually faced with the decision as it's likely hard to speculate on something like this. Do you begin to rebuild the collection once the important issues are dealt with or do you pack it in and find something new to fill your free time?

I know given the type of items in my collection, much of it could be replaced eventually, but there is enough that would either be very difficult and time consuming to find again, is unique/one of a kind or would be much more expensive than it originally cost that I couldn't afford to replace it. I'm pretty sure I would be involuntarily done with this hobby, as I don't see me taking a different direction and starting over at scratch would be too painful and expensive of a task (unless everything was insured for a fair market value).

Here comes 2011

2010-12-31T19:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a brief good-bye to 2010. I started my blog in 2010. Although my attention to this project is anything but consistent, I do have fun now and again sharing some random thoughts with everyone. Maybe next year I will be a little more focused?

There seemed to be a disproportionate number of baseball (and sports) deaths in 2010, but maybe it was just me. We lost a number of greats as well as some journeymen. I collect signed cards, so admittedly I watch the obits, looking for the next now suddenly hard to find (and expensive) autograph, hoping I already had one. I'm hoping 2011 will be a quieter year for this habit. I think we are down to 50 living Brooklyn Dodger players now, lead by HOFer Duke Snider. I'll never have the courage to send off my 1949 Bowman Snider card for a TTM autograph, but sure wish I could. That card would be incredible!

Happy New Year to all. May all your collecting goals be easily attained in 2011.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all and here is hoping 2011 fulfills your card-like desires. I got to bust a few packs today, which is a rarity these days. Still fun as ever, just more expensive and less fulfilling in the end (usually). No, I didn't get anything to write home about, but for a second, I might have been back in 1978, busting my very first pack of baseball cards.

Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. Garvey

2010-12-24T15:11:00.001-08:00

Well, I suppose I could have done it, but I missed Garvey's birthday. I knew it was happening, but I was otherwise preoccupied and not in a position to write a blog entry.

Well, better late than not at all. Happy 62nd to "Popeye" Garvey. You won't friend me on facebook, but then again, it probably isn't even you. Warren Cromartie did. Maybe he is my new favorite player now!

What to do with this gigantic and utterly amazing Garvey collection now...?

Remembering Bob Feller

2010-12-17T21:58:00.000-08:00

I shared an experience about Bob Feller in September. Here is a link. Unfortunately, his health declined rapidly since then and ultimately passed away on 12-15-2010 at the age of 92. I want to retell the story as a tribute to Mr. Feller.

http://1978theyearitallbegan.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html

I have not been active lately with this blog as you all can tell. In all honesty, I lasted longer than I expected. It's a lot of work to have new material everyday, scan photos and take the time to draft a post that will be somewhat enjoyable to someone besides myself (maybe). I will blame the fact that my old laptop bit the dust and the new one doesn't have the scanner program loaded yet. Work has been insane too...that doesn't help. I have also just been in a collectible funk of late as well. Nothing too new and exciting except for a few autographs here and there and maybe a couple new Garvey pieces I may showcase at a later date.

Anyway, a lot has happened since my last posting. Sadly, we lost several great ballplayers in that time, including Gil McDougald, Sparky Anderson and Bob Feller. 2010 seems like an especially morbid year for MLB. I don't know if this is statistically true, but it sure feels like it!

I met Bob Feller around 1983 or 1984. I was a young man who was fascinated by baseball cards and collectibles. Mostly, this stemmed from buying packs of cards at grocery stores. We made rare trips to card shops those days, but it was indeed rare. I couldn't drive yet and my parents weren't exactly enthused about driving me to a card store. Not to mention that Kitsap County in the 80s had very little to offer the card collector. My habit mostly was sustained through retail/grocery pack purchases and mail order. One of my favorite shops that I would visit infrequently was Pacific Trading Cards in Edmonds, WA. We were lucky enough to stop there a few times a year while passing through to visit my sister. It was a long day usually with ferry rides and such, so the card shop had to be quick, but it was always special. Although it meant nothing to me at the time, I would later figure out that the shop was owned by a man named Michael Cramer, who would eventually grow much more famous as the owner of Pacific Trading Cards, the card manufacturer in the 90s.

In 1984, Cramer had a little shop in a quiet community a bit North of Seattle, not much unlike the shops you folks may visit today. The prices were right and he had a wide variety of goodies. He published a regular catalog, which I wish I would have saved more copies. He would also mail out postcards sometimes and had "homemade" cards too. Cramer had been producing his own minor league cards for a number of years by then as well. In 1984, his first major set of PCL cards came out. Wisdh I had bought a few more sets now!

One of those postcards he mailed out periodically to catalog subscribers reached my mailbox with added excitement, for baseball legend Bob Feller was scheduled to appear and sign free, yes FREE, autographs to those who wanted to come out and meet him.

I guess free autographs maybe weren't that big of a deal at that time. The real boom had not yet begun. However, the closest I had come to ballplayers was at the Kingdome and a baseball clinic visited by some Mariner players. Steve Garvey had snubbed me and the rest of the fans at a May Co. signing in LA a few years before when he left earlier than planned, which I may never completely forgive my aunt for not getting us there sooner! I still hold a small grudge against Garvey too, but who knows why he took off. He was scheduled to appear for a certain time and didn't complete his obligation. I don't think the reason he left would have been sufficient to me then and maybe not now even. This would be the first autograph signing I had been to where I would actually get a signature!

The crowd seemed large at the time, considering I was used to roaming the store with a couple people in it. The line snaked out the door and along the front of the strip mall where the shop resided. Still, it wasn't long to wait, even considering Bob stopped to talk to each fan, pose for pictures and sign autographs. My brother and I each got a black and white photo/bio (provided by Bob), a ball (purchased at the store) and a postcard (the one they sent me to advertise the appearance) signed that day. I believe I also got one of those Donruss Champion cards signed as well. Likely everything featuring Bob Feller I had at that early time in my collecting life...that one card! Imagine getting 1 free HOF autograph, let alone three and getting to pose with and talk to the man today!

Bob was obviously a class act and he continued to enjoy his relationship with fans for years to follow. He did it the way players should. He appreciated the fans as much if not more than they appreciated him! He will be missed.

RIP Mr. Robert Feller

Mariners lose a legend today...Dave Niehaus dies at 75

2010-11-10T19:25:00.001-08:00

MY OH MY!

You know that phrase if you followed the Mariners.

Sadly, Dave Niehaus, HOF broadcaster of the Seattle Mariners, died today at 75.

RIP Dave...you will be missed.

Clyde King Dies

2010-11-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Clyde King is the latest Boy of Summer to pass on this year. King died on election day, November 2nd. He was 86. RIP Mr. King. It's been a rough year for the Dodger Blue!

Topps 60 Greatest Cards of All Time...Really?

2010-11-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E

http://vote.topps.com/

Can I just say that this promotion seems to be something that the management characters of Office Space would have come up with! Talk about lacking any uniqueness!!!

For starters, the fans get to vote! Big F'n deal. We have 100 pre-selected cards to choose from, most of which got their place by being valuable. I don't get to vote for my favorite Topps card of all-time (1956 Topps Jackie Robinson, by the way), because it's not one of the top 100. You lost my vote already, Topps.

How come I can't nominate a 1978 Topps Doug Ault. How about the famous 1976 Topps Kurt Bevacqua bubble gum blowing champ card. Is that not a classic? So they are both "worth" about 25 cents each. Do they not warrant a thought? I didn't start collecting cards to make money. I did it because I enjoyed it. I loved busting packs to find that great action shot of Len Randle sliding into the base, Reggie's big swing, those cool red, white & blue All-Star shields, the Topps all-rookie team trophies and the other fun stuff. You will notice on the web site, that no special cards are even eligible, unless it's MICKEY MANTLE, who has just about every one of his cards listed! Is the 1957 Topps Dodger Slugger card not one of the coolest cards ever? Who didn't like the 1959 Topps Roy Campanella Courage card? Now that was unique and memorable. I remember the first time I saw one of those 1976 Topps "Sporting News" greats cards (Pie Traynor)...I thought it was the greatest thing ever! Nah, we'd rather stare at that hot pink Bob Gibson RC again.

Topps, you blew this one. It's the same old 60 we always see. Why not let the fans decide from the get go? So, maybe we end up with the same 60 if the fans can select from 1000s of possibilities, but wouldn't it be great to find that great horizontal action shot card of Willie Davis from 1973 instead of that ugly Mike Schmidt RC...AGAIN if the fans could come together and bring something new to the table!!??

The first Mariner Coaching Staff...cool, huh?

Glenn Burke Signature Guide

2010-10-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

I may update this when I have my scanner back up and running. In the meantime, I had to use a digital camera. Not as good as scans, but it will work. I thought I would share these photos, as this is an autograph of a lesser known player, who's signature you don't see all that often. I had actually made these to help out an ebay seller, who was not 100% sure of the item he was selling (because he had nothing to compare it to) and subsequently the item sold to a blogger many of you probably know of. Jim over at GCRL recently made a huge pick-up for his 1978 Topps Dodgers project by landing the late Glenn Burke.

http://garveyceyrusselllopes.blogspot.com/

Burke is probably more well known for his off field life than he is for his playing achievements and abilities (although is is believed to be responsible for introducing the now famous "High Five" to baseball play). Burke was the first and only, I believe, openly gay baseball player during his playing days. His career in MLB was brief, lasting only 4 years and he was out of baseball entirely by 27 in 1979. He died young, at 42, from complications related to AIDS in 1995. All of these factors help contribute to a scarcity in the supply of his signatures. It is interesting to note though, given the noticeable variances on the first document between the three signatures, his autograph could be somewhat tricky to authenticate. The "G" and "B" both have distinct differences in the three examples shown.

The two items I have shown here are, in my opinion, solid examples. Although I do not know for sure that they are genuine, I trust that these examples are based on what each item is and what it represents. The first comes from a set of Dodger signature sheets that I bought as a group. Each member of the Dodgers team was represented and I believe the year was 1977 or 1978. The signatures were from 1/2 page sheets, requesting that each player sign his name 3 times. The best signature would be used for team plaques being produced and sold as souvenirs. Each sheet has the same type-written explanation at top. Although not an officially certified document, having the entire team grouping (which in my opinion all look consistent with other Dodger signatures) leads me to believe these are the real deal. Presumably these originated from the files of the firm that produced and/or sold the plaques.

The second document is from a manufacturer of those stadium baseballs similar to that which you still see today. These balls had facsimile signatures of them and were sold through the mail and at stadiums. The document is more of an official piece, asking the player {Burke} to sign his name, as he would on a ball, in various panel locations. The manufacturer would then use the best one to place his signature with the rest of the team on the souvenir balls. This is essentially an official contract, signed by both the player and the President of the company. Of the two documents, this one would seem more reputable at first glance, although both are much more convincing that a scrap of paper, 3x5 or trading card with a similar signature.

And no, and I not trying to corner the market on Glenn Burke autographs. I am just a big Dodger fan who loves autographs!

Facsimile Baseballs...Why is it so hard to tell?

2010-10-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

It seems that every couple of weeks, I come across a listing for a Dodgers team signed autograph baseball on ebay that catches my eye. It's always the Dodgers, because I do frequent Steve Garvey searches and they are always souvenir balls with preprinted signatures on them. I don't claim to be a signature expert, but I can usually tell from the thumbnail picture that the ball the seller has listed as an "autographed" ball is a preprinted souvenir ball. Normally that is just semantics because the facsimile autographs are indeed autographs, but when the item is listed under the autograph category, then it becomes a problem.

I dutifully email most of those sellers, breaking the news to them that their ball is not actually signed by the players. Most are grateful and either modify or end the auction, leading me to believe they were genuinely unaware of the ball being preprinted. A rare few actually scorn me for my good deed, some even going so far as to claim they got the ball signed themselves! Those are outright crooks, but what can you do but watch and hope nobody bids, thinking these are the real deal.

I don't actually own a facsimile ball, although I should try to pick one up some day for the fun of it. So, I have borrowed internet scans to show the difference. Maybe this quick attempt at an ID guide will come as more of a surprise to some, but it somehow feels obvious to me. Check it out and tell me what you think. Lastly, it's always easier to identify preprinted balls in person, as some of the older ones tend to look pretty nice.

Facsimile Baseball: Signatures are usually printed in the same uniform size and ink color. Often times, you'll see signatures printed on the laces even. The signatures just look too perfect and uniform. The baseballs are usually clean and are not official league balls. You'll find some signatures upside down in relation to others, because that is the only way they would fit on the ball.

Here is a Dodger ball, because I can't find a nice picture of one elsewhere. It will eventually disappear when the listing does though. Just so you know, I have not emailed this seller...yet.

http://cgi.ebay.com/World-Series-1981-Champs-Dodgers-24-Autographs-Baseball-/280579937985?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4153de16c1#ht_1054wt_1141

Real Team signed baseball: The balls are usually official league balls. Often there is some or a great deal of toning or color. The signatures are often in slightly different shades or even different pen colors, showing obvious signs of different pressures and positioning. Most of the time, the signatures appear orderly from panel to panel. Players are not going to sneak an upside down autograph in on the panel. With the real balls, there is often patterns to where players sign, but there are NO variations on printed balls. They were all manufactured the same way. For example, Manny Mota appears to have favored the spots with preprinted wording, like the OLB stamping of the cork center description on the older balls. You'll see this exhibited in the scan below as well. I'm sure this has deeper meaning to those in the know about handwriting and other sciences, leading one to an opinion about Mota from just this fact.

Beating the odds, or just an expectation?

2010-10-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have not purchased new unopened cards in years, other than a few stray packs here and there. It became a problem for me, much like a gambling addiction would be for others. I literally was buying the boxes just in hopes of beating the odds and getting the big pulls, but I was not buying them to resell, I was a simple collector. I slowly figured out that in the end, I had a stack of fairly useless cards and it rarely amounted to even a quarter or half the value I spent! My luck was not the greatest and I rarely made that payoff pull I had hoped for. In retrospect, I could have waited, bought the singles, team sets or inserts that I really wanted and been money ahead. Now bear in mind that I stopped buying wax in any serious quantity around 1998, so we were just beginning to see a period where beating the odds really paid off and it wasn't just some 1:360 insert that would be worth a fraction of it's original value within a couple of years. GU, Autos, 1/1s and other gems were starting to surface, making your box breaking habit more profitable (in the short term - even those 1/1s aren't so special anymore).

However, the reason for this post is not to debate the reasons for buying wax vs. singles or even to question those who still buy packs/boxes/cases. My concept behind this post was about the stated odds on the boxes and packs. I know back when I was buying the most wax, the stated odds were just that, odds. Most manufacturers even stated that the odds were based on the entire print run and that in any given box or case you would not necessarily see the advertised results. Now, given the type of product, price point and the odds of most items (1:2, 1:6, 1:18 and even 1:24 and 1:36, when boxes used to have 24-36 packs still), you do expect to meet those odds. With the tougher odds, most people couldn't possibly buy enough product to test those and have a case to support not seeing them. If you pulled the 1:9000 autograph you were excited, but you never expected to pull that card.

Now maybe the packaging has changed, maybe not, but it seems to me that the expectations of collectors and speculators have not only remained the same, but perhaps have become more stringent. I have seen people complaining that they didn't get their advertised GU/Autograph quota from boxes and were angry at the manufacturer and were going to write a letter and demand retribution! Often the manufacturers will indulge buyers and some seem to have gone so far as to provide guarantees now, via customer service procedures that prove you purchased the product and if you meet all of the requirements, they will reward you with your missing card(s). This has abuse potential written all over it (I mean, how can Topps prove you didn't get the autograph in your box when you claim you didn't and how does a receipt and UPC prove that you got one, other than it proves you bought the box itself), but again, that is not my point. My point is that these used to be odds, not guarantees.

I'm not defending the card makers, nor would I appreciate buying an expensive box of cards with 24 packs that touted odds for one autograph every 24 packs and then not get anything, but that is life. That was the reason I bought complete sets back in the day rather than vendor boxes or packs, to guarantee the complete set and not a get bunch of doubles (even if I could have had the chance to get 6 Cal Ripken Topps rookies in my vendor box...I mean who was Cal Ripken in 1982 anyway)!

I miss the excitement of opening packs, but not enough to start buying them again in any quantity above an occasional pack or two, regardless of the odds.

1981 FBI Disc?!

2010-10-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

OK, these are tough to find already. Now I am telling you there may be a 1981 version as well as the near impossible to find yet more commonly known 1982 version, currently listed in the "Big Books". Reading these blogs can be an educational process as well. I stumbled upon this little gem while reading some older Bob Lemke posts.

Well, I'll let Bob tell you about it, since I learned it from him...

http://boblemke.blogspot.com/2010/09/1981-fbi-discs-set-discovered.html

Of course, I had to check my discs, being a fanatical Garvey collector. I was nervous as I leafed through my binders, looking for the two pages that held the disc panels. I knew I had what I thought were two panel variations. One featuring Garvey with Jim Rice and the other featuring Garvey with Warren Cromartie. Oddly enough, I had never compared them side by side because one is a partial box and the other was a cut panel.

Sure enough, the Garvey/Cromartie panel didn't have the copyright date and thus explains the "variation" I thought I had.

I had the 1981 FBI disc already and never knew it! Interestingly enough, when you view the panels together, you begin to see a number of subtle differences. The player names and positions are in different (swapped) positions and the MLB logo is on opposite sides of the discs.

Expired Redemption Cards

2010-10-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks. I have not made the time to post as of late and I kinda lost interest in doing it. I'll try to refocus! I'm sure I don't have a massive following, but maybe a few people like to check in now and again to read a new thought.

So, for now, back to topic.

This came up on the discussion board earlier. Someone was asking for advice/help on an expired redemption card. It got me thinking (again)...why do people expect expired redemption cards to be redeemed for their original (or substitute) prize? Sure, a few places may try to hook up a collector by sending something and that is great service, but I am talking about the people who actually think the companies SHOULD send something. It doesn't matter if the card expired 3 days ago or 3 years ago...the sentiment is usually the same.

If a company wanted to redeem this forever, they would not have bothered with a date and non-expiring redemptions certainly don't push people to buy new product in a hurry, now do they? Why buy it now when I can wait until prices drop and still be able to get the big hit.

What do you readers think? Imagine how much boxes of 1994 Score R/T would be if that were the case???

Topps Hall of Fame Buybacks

2010-10-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

The title of today's thread elicits images in your head...a crisp clean 1963 Roberto Clemente, a 1968 Tom Seaver or even a 1975 Robin Yount rookie card. When Topps is telling us that they have bought back their own cards featuring Hall of Famers, you can't help but be excited for those packs to hit the shelves. Beating the odds won't be easy, but it will be worth it!

Wait! Will it? How are you going to feel when you beat those magnificent odds only to unearth a fabulous 1990 Topps George Brett? Hey, there may be a 1983 Dave Winfield waiting for you in that next box. Better yet, imagine the surprise when you crack open that fresh pack of 2010 Topps cards and this beautiful specimen of cardboard glory catches your eye!

JACKPOT BABY!!!

1986 Wallich Enterprises Padres Checklist Postcard

2010-10-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

A while back, I showed you the Steve Garvey postcard from the obscure Wallich Enterprises issue from 1986. It is actually featured on the main page of my blog now. I was lucky enough to stumble upon someone breaking up a set YEARS ago on ebay, acquired my copy and have not seen a single card since!

I was stupid then, holding back to save a few bucks here and there. It was this time frame when I eventually passed on 2 of my most current sought after items from the Garvey wantlist, over money! I had the chance to buy the 1980 Topps Test Coin of Garvey and thought the seller wanted too much because he got a sweet deal on ebay. By the way, I had lost the auction to that buye because I didn't bid high enough (because I didn't think the coins SHOULD be that much!). DOUBLE BURN! I also failed to bid high enough on the checklist card from the Wallich set when the seller broke the set. I probably saved myself $10! Woo-hoo! I got the Garvey, but a

Gwynn collector scooped up the checklist card.

I recently connected with a fellow Garvey collector who happened to have the checklist card.

He was nice enough to provide me a scan of his, which I can now share with the rest of the world, as I suspect most have never seen it before. Oh, and if you have a copy of this laying around, let me know! Thanks and Enjoy!

Hey there Feller! Hows about an autograph?

2010-09-27T19:38:00.001-07:00

I believe the year was 1984. Pacific Trading Cards was hosting a special signing and their catalog customers received a nice postcard announcing the event. Of course, I would HAVE TO GO! My parents dutifully drove my brother and I to the shop, which was also turned into an excuse trip to see my sister, who lived in Mountlake Terrace at the time.

As I remember it, the line was not too massive, but fans still lined up to meet the Hall of Famer. The excitement built as we neared the head of the line, watching those before us revel in the experience, and then finally we were there. It was our turn...BOB FELLER, in the flesh. He looked pretty old to a youngster like me, but then again he was only 66 at the time! That seems so much younger to me now. It's hard to believe it has been 26 years since this occurred!

Feller was gracious, signing autographs and taking the time to talk to us and post for photographs. It was the first autograph experience of my life outside of begging for them at the stadium and it left an impression.

Mr Feller is still hanging in there strong at 91 with a birthday around the corner and he is still signing those autographs for fans young and old alike. Thank you sir, for an outstanding experience.

Flashback to the Kingdome, circa 1980!

2010-09-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

OK, these photos have never seen the light of day since they were taken in 1980. I determined this from the players and coaches who were present for the photos. That was the only year all of them could have been on the team. Remember to be nice when viewing and commenting on these, it was 1980 after all! Love those vintage M's uniforms!

I would have been 10, maybe 11 depending on what month this was. Obviously I was not very

stylish, although it was not a look too far from the era. Notice I am proudly sporting my Bruce Bochte fan club shirt to go along with my knee patch jeans and what looks like Sears Winners. The Mariners hosted a photo day, where you could come down to the astroturf and have your photo taken with the players. If I remember correctly, autographs were not allowed, in order to keep the players moving around the stadium. It makes sense, although it would have been nice to grab sigs from all of the guys. I would especially love to have had Vada Pinson sign the photo later (RIP). Among the players and coaches I posed with that day were Vada Pinson, Bill Mazeroski, Jim Beattie, Floyd Bannister, Dan Meyer, Leon Roberts, Larry Milbourne, Bob Stinson and Bruce Bochte.

I have another photo, featuring my brother and I posing with manager Darrell Johnson in his

last year at the helm. However, I believe my parents still have that one in one of the family

albums, as I could not find it within the rest of these photos.

Enjoy...I wish I had more to share.

Vintage Box Break - 1980-83 Pacific Legends (AKA Baseball Legends by Cramer Sports Promotions)

2010-09-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have too much stuff! I am a pack rat. I like to hoard things. Maybe at one point, I imagined a treasure of items that me or my relatives could sell for a mass fortune. As time passes though, reality sets in and these "treasures" I have amassed are mainly my treasures. Perhaps they are worth a few bucks to other collectors, but in reality it is not something I expect to pay my kids college tuition with. One such item is a wax box of Pacific/Cramer Sports Promotion Baseball Legends cards.

Back before Michael Cramer gained fame by introducing another major player in the card arena, he was a collector and hobby shop owner. He used to produce a number of sets as well, such as PCL minor league sets. One of these ventures was a set of Legends cards issued in 1980. In the beginning, it was a 30 card set, sold as a stand alone issue, much like the collector & box sets that would soon become extremely popular. Loaded with stars like Ruth, Mantle, DiMaggio and the likes, the cards were simple, yet attractive. In the next couple of years, he would issue three more series of 30 cards each for a grand total of 120 cards. Furthermore, an additional 4 cards, #121-124 were found on the bottom of the wax box that was issued to sell all 4 series in wax form.

I used to visit Cramers store in

Edmonds, WA and I still rank it up

there as one of the best hobby stores I have ever visited. I bought the original Baseball Legends set, along

with the football set and even bought a few early "wax" packs, but originally the packs were paper and hand wrapped and taped close on the back! If I ever come across the couple wrappers I saved, I will share them with you. They are quite nice.

Fast forward a few years later and Cramer has Pacific Trading Cards up and running, pumping out the various Pacific Legends sets, Griffey Chocolate bars, Ryan and Seaver sets and other rather plain sets. It would be a couple more years before he revolutionized the industry with his die-cutting prowess. Around this time, I suspect he reissued the Baseball Legends set in wax form and started selling boxes out of his retail store and mail order. I managed to grab a few in the early Ebay days and have held on to them ever since. Tonight, I decided to bust one open for the fun of it. Why not, it gives me a little more space and a little less clutter.

The box w

as not factory sealed, so I just got started. Each pack contained 8 cards and there were 36 packs in the box. This was an old school break. Cheap wax, lots of cards. No surprises. The wrappers feature a crude drawing of the Richie Ashburn card. There are no variations, just 36 Ashburn wrappers. Too bad, because those could have been another collectible angle for this product.

The first pack yielded 9 cards, nice. Check out the names. How's that for a first pack! But hen, what else would you expect from a product loaded with just star! With one card from each and every pack suffering the dreaded wax stain, I ended up with 8 clean cards. As I opened more, it was apparent that each pack had 9 cards in it. It was a hot box of sorts! In the end, I had 36 wax stained cards and 288 clean cards, trying to build a 120 card set. After sorting them out, I found myself 6 cards shy of a set with a plethora of duplicates. With the way the cards were collated, I am sure I was missing that special pack that would have completed my set in one rip, but it was not to be. Sadly, I was missing some big names like Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Satchel Paige, but more disappointing was an incomplete set.

You are looking for the FBI and not the other way around?

2010-09-12T22:01:00.001-07:00

Man are these tough! A soda drink in Canada called Bantam and made by FBI Foods, Inc., perhaps not a great seller at the time, otherwise why are these so hard to find? I known canadian stuff is more limited, but c'mon. The demand is great for these. Somebody has them!

An ebay seller recently listed a bunch of full boxes, with some major players, from this hardly seen set. Not a complete set, but some major players like Ryan, Rose, Schmidt, Fisk, Dawson, Winfield, Rice, Carter, etc. It was amazing to see not only the choices, but that they were all in complete box format. They were in pretty nice shape too, considering some of what I have seen offered in the last decade.

I jumped at the Garvey/Rice, because mine are in panel form, but alas, I was too little, too late. It sold for $135. Other player collectors, if you seek the FBI disc, it may now be available on ebay. Just be prepared to pay dearly for it!

Dodger Team Issue 8x10 Color Photos

2010-09-12T10:15:00.001-07:00

Ah, yet another team issue item that continues to confuse the masses. It must have been great to be a kid in LA, when all these neat team issue sets were available. Too bad I lived 1000s of miles away!

Continuing in my theme of trying to ID and possibly catalog these various team issues, many of which ran for several years without a good way to identify years of issue, I present to you the 8x10 photo collection. These are a certain type of photo, not just an ordinary 8x10. They are on a thin cardboard stock, similar to a baseball card, not like the flimsy photo paper that a standard 8x10 would be on. They are somewhat glossy, but not like a slick photo would be. They all had white borders and facsimile autographs. As usual, there may be small clues to help identify years, such as uniforms, players grouped together, etc, but you'd need a reference point. Unlike the B&W photos, I have never seen any packaging or envelopes for these larger photos. Perhaps they were sold one at a time, perhaps as a group. I don't know. I wasn't there!

I have included scans of all I have come across including 2 with slight variations. These have to do with the size of the facsimile autograph or placement of the autograph. Looks closely or you will miss it! Once again, I have tried to present the scans in the order I believe they may have been issued, but as usual, I do not know for sure.

I believe this was the first photo issued. I have no other reason, except it just seems likely. Now this photos is the same as the 1975 Dodger yearbook. That tells me this was probably a 1975 issue. I have only seen one copy for sale, mine. Not sure why this one is so much harder to find?

These next one's have a 1976-77 feel to them. It may be the first photo issued though. I wish I knew! This is the first photo I found a variation on. Notice the autograph is entirely in the grass on the first photo, yet partially in the dirt on the second photo!

I'm guessing this is 1978 time frame?

Here is another variation. The first picture has a thicker, darker signature than the following photo. I have multiples of the lighter signature, but only one of the darker version.

Now here we see the 1980 ASG patch on Garvey's arm, so this likely came out in 1980-81.

Here is the last photo. I believe it was the last one issued, probably in 1981 or 1982.

Blink and you missed it! 2003 Donruss Steve Garvey JUMBO

2010-09-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

I can't remember now who turned me on to this deal, but it may have even been Jim at gcrl. I know that a fellow Garvey collector was looking out for me and I am glad they were. This card was available as a free gift when you subscribed to the Dodgers team magazine. I would have missed it all together, had a friendly email not been sent my way. I fired off my subscription, for something I didn't mind getting after all, and my free gift arrived soon after.

The funny part about this story is I have never seen a single copy offered for sale on ebay since! Sometimes things just fall between the cracks! It's hard to believe that 7 years have passed and not one person has tried to sell one!!

The card is the same size as the 1981 Topps Supers.

Dodger Team Issue Postcards

2010-09-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Continuing with my theme of confusing and often unlisted or incomplete checklists, here are some of the team issue postcards that were issued in the 70s and 80s. I believe I have covered each version, but time will tell. Perhaps another design will surface?

As with the team issue photo pack photos, I am unsure of the exact years of issue for most of these and only small

clues in the photos help pinpoint certain years. At least there are some serial numbering and design differences that would help catalog issues, based on other teammates with the same postcards. For example, an issue showing Fernando Valenzuela can be dated to 1981 or 1982, based on those years he played with Garvey, before The Garv headed off to San Diego. In one case, there is a postcard with

identical fronts that has a back variation, noting Garvey's feat as 1974 NL MVP, presumably

this issue was from 1975 with the version noting it obviously coming after the other w/o

mention. Perhaps it was a separate print run?

Learn how to use Ebay!

2010-09-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am very thankful for Ebay. For without it, my collection would be but a fraction it is today. There have been some unreal items listed there that I would probably still not know even existed. Shops, shows and mail catalogs didn't have near the exposure in their primes.

Still, with all the positives, I can still find something to complain about. No, it's not the fees, or the fact that PayPal has been force fed to all the sellers. No, in fact it really has nothing to do with ebay itself...it is the sellers.

I am all for a great deal, especially when someone misspells Steve Garvey as Steve Gravy, but only if I can find it. There are tens of thousands of listings, probably more, in which we must sift through to find what we want. You can narrow your search down to specific categories, but then that is assuming the seller listed the item you seek in the right category. What about a nice scan to see your item? Sometimes. Other times, a blurry scan or no photo at all. There are some key areas to focus on, not only to maximize your exposure, but hopefully to maximize your profit and it only takes a few moments. Maybe your $0.30 card isn't worth the effort? Well, then why in the hell did you post it in the first place...and require $5.00 S/H to boot! GET A CLUE!!!

My tips for Ebay sellers:

1) Find the appropriate category - Every item doesn't fit snugly into one of the generic categories, but at least get close. Aren't you sick of seeing regular 1984 Topps singles listed in the autograph section? I am! Take your time, bulk listers. You find out 15 items in that you used the wrong category. That doesn't happen if you pay attention.

2) Learn how to spell - If you misspell a player, team or other name wrong, you just lost most of your audience. Not to mention the ads that look like they were written by a child will turn most away, for fear of what they might be dealing with. Professionalism goes along way.

3) Put a little effort into your description - Go the extra mile to describe the condition of the item. Note the positives and make sure to at least mention the flaws. If you smoke, THIS IS A FLAW! YOUR STUFF STINKS! Add a little history or explanation about the item, where it's from...anything you know. Don't be afraid to do some research too. A favorite of mine is serial numbered items. Take the time to list them out. More people than you think are looking for specific numbers, and not just first/last and jersey number! It doesn't need to be in the title, but at least get it in the description! Lastly, but not least, your item is probably not "RARE", but you feel you must note this. Telling me a 1981 Topps scratch-off panel card is rare means I have just ignored you and the rest of your listings because you are obviously a fool.

4) Policies - State them clearly! I am especially sensitive to combined shipping rates. Great, you combine shipping, but you don't tell me how much. After I win 18 items, you inform me that your combined shipping is 10% each additional item with each starting at $3.00! You can ship me 18 cards for the price of a few, but you are going to charge me $18 anyway! Gotta make up those fees somehow!

5) Key words - Now, I am not suggesting you keyword spam. Nothing chaps my hide like looking at an auction and finding no reference what so ever to Garvey, or even finding it printed in the description, yet somehow my search lands your stupid tea cup in my list! Use appropriate key words to describe the team, player, set or other important tidbit of information that may draw a bidder to your listing.

6) Price appropriately - Save yourself the listing fee. Your "Rare" 1987 M&M's panel will not sell for $1.00, let alone $10.00. Better yet, use another site for the junk. Start your auctions low to save listing fees, but also it promotes more bidding. Buyers want to think they will get a deal. Often your low starting price will net you more in the end than had you listing it at your full asking price (if the item is worth it). The good stuff almost always sells where it should, because it's GOOD and people WANT it! They don't want what they already have 100 of themselves. You just never know with Ebay, your "common" parallel or insert might be the last item a super collector or set builder needs and is willing to pay dearly for it. Price your shipping and handling appropriately as well. $3.00 for a single card is pushing it. I know everyone does it, but you can expect to recoup ALL of your costs on every package you send.

7) Act like you care - This may seem simple, but act like a professional, even if you are selling to make cash for your next pizza party. In the long run, it will pay off. Answer questions promptly, package items won with care, ship timely and communicate. Leave feedback for those sellers who pay promptly and your reputation will grow and strengthen. Be a tool, and you are finished before you can get started.

I'm sure if everyone followed these simple tips, the bargains on Ebay would be harder to find, as everyone would be finding those hidden gems, but imagine how much more you could find if people put in a little effort.

1975 Topps Sports Club

2010-09-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Remember back when collecting cards was just fun? There was no concern about condition and value (at least when we were children). We ordered things through the mail and thought nothing of future collectors value. I would guess this club kit I am showing you was not a hugely popular item to begin with and then, many probably suffered the fate of being cut/taped/pinned and even thrown away once junior got bored of it or when his got older and mom cleaned up his room. This next item predates my collecting days, but I bet if I were collecting, I would have joined the club!

I assume this was a wrapper deal, as I am unsure where else youngsters would see this, but maybe sports magazines. For a small fee, you could mail in to Topps and join the sports club. Membership had it's privileges, such as a great color photo of Steve Garvey, a nifty certificate, a set/sheet of uncut team cards from the new 1975 Topps set and of course, the newsletter. Just for fun, Topps tossed in an ad, so you could talk your mom and dad into buying you more fun baseball stuff, like MLB flip down glasses or one of those funky vinyl card storage lockers. My friend had a bunch of those, but somehow I missed the boat. I actually wouldn't mind having one now, as a another reminder of my youth.

There were collector kits for the other sports as well, but if you bought the baseball kit, you got Steve Garvey! Lucky me...Garvey was fresh of him incredible 1974 MVP season, having been written in as an All-Star game starter as well. Great choice, Topps!

So you think Beckett is all-knowing, do you?

2010-09-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

Player collectors want it all. Without a checklist, how will we know exactly what percentage success we have attained? How often do you see a members signature on a forum, message board, trade site or other that states..."Homer Appleby Super Collector, 6234/8659 (72%)"? This is how we compete to see who is the master of all masters! So as you plug along in collecting your favorite player, especially those of us who have been around a little while and collect someone from the lesser documented days before Beckett, we chase what we know and sometimes are surprised by the occasional uncataloged gem. Well let me tell you, Beckett doesn't have it all, not does Krause (SCD), nor does anyone really. I'd guess those closest are the super collectors of each player and most don't have a wide knowledge outside of their players era!

I have decided to share in some of these mysteries, oversights or otherwise glaring omissions that include my favorite player, starting the the Dodger 5" x 7" photo pack issue. As best I can interpret, there is one set listed from the 1970s on in the bibles, 1973. How did one set make it when the Dodgers sold these photo packs every year at the stadium and through the mail? What makes 1973 so special? In case you were wondering, Beckett calls this the "1973 Dodgers Team Issue".

So, as a Dodger collector as well as a Steve Garvey collector, I have obtained a number of these photo packs for my collection. Often they are advertised with a year of issue, other times it's just a group of 20

photos. Sometimes you'll see smaller and large groupings than 20, but when they were sold, they came 20 photos to a small manila envelope. There are various versions of each player through the years, some are obviously older shots, while some are newer, but none are marked. The envelopes are not marked. There is no other way to tell what year these come from other than small clues like players featured together who only appeared certain years on the Dodgers or together (assuming the photos were not mixed), small uniform clues such as patches and uniform styles and of course if you obtained them personally. What a checklisting nightmare!

So, for your viewing pleasure are the 5 versions of Steve Garvey I am aware exist. I have posted them in the order in which I believe they were likely issued, but I am not positive. I am not a research expert by any means. I got the last one in person in 1981 from Dodger Stadium, in a photo pack I bought there, but thern again the photo before that shows Garvey sporting the 1980 ASG patch! Coincidentally, I do not know for sure what photo belongs with the 1973 set! As always, if you know of any I don't have, please let me know!!

A monumental find for the Garvey collection!

2010-09-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

I previously introduced you to a card I have seen only a couple of times in the last 30+ years I have been collecting cards and more specifically, Steve Garvey.

http://1978theyearitallbegan.blogspot.com/2010/03/garvey-spotlight-march-6.html

Well, I recently spotted the "other" Garvey card from this set in a lot of 50 oddball Garvey cards. As usual, I was extremely anxious, as I hoped nobody would notice and bidding would be slow. It wasn't! Some other buyer was pushing the price up and up, and in the end the lot was over $40. Now for a Steve Garvey fan, less than $1 per card for a great lot of oddball stuff may be a steal, IF they didn't already have everything else, but I had everything else. However, I had to own this card. Coincidentally, as it usually works, I asked the seller to put the under bidder in touch with me to see if they wanted/needed anything from the lot they fought so hard for and of course they didn't contact me. Shill bidder??? Hmmm, makes you think. Oh well, I'll keep the lot and be happy anyway.

So, after 32 years of collecting Steve Garvey, I land a card I had no idea existed until just recently and had never seen until this past month!

1987 Inside Baseball/Doug Allred "The Garv" and Doug Allred. This card is obviously from the same set and as I understand it, there is a 3rd card to complete the set, a Jerry Coleman. If anyone has one or a lead on one, please let me know. I'd like to wrap up the set even though the last card doesn't contain Garvey to my knowledge.

I just have to wonder just where the hell all these went??? I have a couple of the Garvey only versions and now finally my first dual. Is there a huge box of pristine, unissued card sets sitting in some storage room somewhere? Did nobody come to this clinic? Did all these cards get tossed out? I'd love to know more. At least I know who Doug Allred was now.

Another Dodger gone

2010-08-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

Calvin Coolidge Julius Caesar Tuskahoma McLish passed away yesterday at the age of 84. He started his career in Brooklyn with the Dodgers in 1944, and was 3-10 for the club before entering the US Army. He returned to Brooklyn in 1946 but would not make much of a splash in MLB for the next decade before finally resurfacing in the late 50s to post a couple solid seasons with Cleveland. In 1959, he would make the AL All Star squad, his only appearance, and pitched his way to a 19-8, 113K, 3.63 season. His career wrapped up in Philly in 1964 with a single loss. His lifetime record was a perfectly balanced 92-92.

Cal, that was quite a name!

Scotsman Bobby Thomson Dies at 86

2010-08-18T22:58:00.001-07:00

I know I am a bit late with this, but I don't write a thread every day. Not that the loss is any less than another, I tend to focus on the Dodgers mostly. However, as most of you that may be reading this probably know, Thomson and the Dodgers were always and forever more will be linked since that fateful day in 1951, "The Shot Heard 'Round the World".

This dramatic and most famous home run off Ralph Branca was the final blow that crushed the '51 Dodgers, capping a brutal end of season slide which resulted in a 13 1/2 game lead disappearing and a tie in the NL with the Giants and a best of 3 game play-off between the clubs to determine who would represent the NL in the World Series. Thomson's blast sent the Giants to the World Series, who would ultimately take the NL's near annual beating from the Yankees!

Thomson was 86 years old when he passed away August 16, 2010.

To quote a favorite Mike Myers line of mine for a final tribute..."If it's not Scottish, it's CRAP!"

1970 Topps Steve Garvey - The Lost Card!

2010-08-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

I may have grabbed someone's attention with the shocking title, but there is not really a lost Garvey card from 1970. Before retro/reprint sets became cool, I was collecting them. Even more interesting to me though were those early collectors who were making the fantasy cards. Krause Baseball Card Magazine helped build interest in that type of card and those were some you could actually lay your hands on, rather than the image cards many people made. These were ACTUAL cards!

As much as I love the retro sets and these fantasy cards, I have never spent any time trying to make any myself. Perhaps it is my very basic computer knowledge. Maybe I am just too cheap to buy the right programs. More likely, I'm just too lazy! So, when I found out a buddy of mine was making cards like this, I asked him to do one for me, a 1970 Topps Steve Garvey with the Topps All Rookie Team trophy on it. Now Garvey was never a member of Topps All Rookie Team, nor would his stats in 1969 warranty selection, but my love of Garvey cards AND the Topps trophy cards lead me to desire a card that never existed nor could exist.

The trick was finding a nice color photo of Garvey that was old enough to be believable. Now this is probably easier to do now, but then it was a little harder. I saw a number of B&W photos that would work, but I wanted a color card. I settled on a photo that was issued as part of a Topps Collectors Club packet in 1975. I will share more on that in another post someday, perhaps. The photo was a little larger than 8x10 and was a nice colorful pose of Garvey batting. I have to assume the pose is from 1974 or a little earlier, but probably not from 1969 or 1970, so the accuracy factor is off a bit, but what the heck...I was having a "FANTASY" card done so why not make it as nice as possible? The back of the card was done by the creator without any input from me. Another fantastic job!

My friend did a fabulous job and printed off several copies for me. They actually look like real cards. It was amazing! I hope to one day get one signed. I'd even give a copy to Garvey himself, if only he would sign across the card instead of up the side!!!

Gene Hermanski, dead at 90

2010-08-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

Sadly, my Dodgers are passing away at an alarming rate these days. Following the recent passings of Billy Loes and John Van Cuyk, Hermanski is the third Brooklyn Dodger to pass in just over a month.

I learned today that Gene Hermanski died on August 9th. He was 90 years old. Gene is probably most well known in the trading card world for his 1949 Leaf error card, where his name is spelled "Hermansk" on the card. Apparently there was a printing flaw. Hermanski was mainly a spare outfielder for the Dodgers teams of the late 40s that were so stacked with talent. Perhaps had he played elsewhere, he may have had a larger impact. He also played briefly for Chicago (N) and Pittsburgh. His best statistical year was 1948 with Brooklyn, when he hit .290 with 116 hits, 15 HRs and 60 RBIs. He appeared in 2 World Series (1947 & 1949) with Brooklyn.

RIP Mr. Eugene Victor Hermanski. Your legacy will live on in the hearts of Dodger fans throughout the world!

Facing Dave Stewart

2010-08-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

August 6, 2010, the day I faced Dave Stewart.

No, I was not batting against the retired All Star pitcher in some fantasy camp. It was an autograph signing during the local single A teams game, the Everett Aquasox. Last year I had stumbled upon the fact that occasionally the team has former

big league players come for signing session, usually FREE! I like free, plus I don't get to the Mariners games much these days and I was never a hardcore "grapher" anyway. I'd rather buy them than chase them down myself. So, last year HOF pitcher

Gaylord Perry came to town and I managed to meet him and gather up a nice batch of free autographs including his rookie card!

This year, I was more prepared. I knew about Dave Stewart's appearance back in May, so I had time to dig up my stuff. Of course, being the super-procrastinator that I am, I waited until the night before to pull things, ensuring that I would miss something really good that I really wanted signed. I didn't disappoint myself in that category, but I won't dwell on it.

We arrived about 1 hour before the game. Stewart was throwing

out the first pitch at 7:05PM and then was scheduled to meet the fans on the concourse at 7:15 and sign until 8:45. He showed up promptly and began signing for the fans. I have to say that I thought the line was embarrassingly short for a player of his caliber. However, as we crept forward, the line behind me began to grow as a PA announcement made sure those who didn't previously know about, knew about it now. All said, it took about 35 minutes to reach the front of the line. Now m

y two boys are 6 and 7 and are not quite into baseball the way I was as a kid. They were not impressed by Stewart and didn't want to pose with him. My wife was also not interested in a picture, so we passed. I would get one later, but my focus at the time was getting my items signed and getting back in line for another crack!

Now I am a fan of the Dodgers, Dave's first team. Although fame didn't find him until his Oakland days, he was a Dodger first and will always be a Dodger in my mind. I had my cards and team photos and such, ready to add them to my ever expanding Dodger autograph collection. My #1 want was to have him sign my 1981 Long Brach Press Telegram "card".

I have mentioned these before, but basically they were printed in the Long Beach Press Telegram in 1980 and 1981, during the baseball season. Each week for about 26 weeks, one Dodger and one Angel would be paired up and the "card" was meant to be cut out and saved. Black and white newsprint would hardly be considered a card these days, but it is a legitimate issue listed in the major hobby price guides. Everything after that was going to be extra. Now, I can see a few people questioning why my first and most important signature would be this newspaper clipping, but you have to understand that I don't do this for profit, it's pure

enjoyment for me. I don't care for memorabilia for the most part, such as baseballs which are probably the most popular item for autographs. I prefer flats (cards, photos, postcards, etc).

Stewart was extremely friendly, talking to each person, smiling and posing for photos, which was a stark contrast to Perry the year before, who was pretty much sign and go grumpy. This did slow the line down, but it would be fine because everyone who wanted something signed most certainly got it done. I was able to get a number of items signed easily. He was probably one of the most enjoyable athletes I have even witnessed at a signing, and consider some of these were fee for signature events too! Dave Stewart is a class act! Thank you sir!

No Respect - RIP Billy Loes

2010-07-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'd rather not be writing this thread, as yet another one of the dwindling Boys of Summer has passed away. Although not one of the bigger names of the era, Billy Loes was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants who enjoyed an 11 year career. Used mainly as a starter in the earlier years of his career in Brooklyn, Loes was good for at least 10-14 wins per year. Later in his career, he appears to have taken more of a relief role with the Orioles and Giants. His "best year" was 1957 with Baltimore, where he would make his only All Star Game appearance. He was 12-7 that year with a 3.24 ERA.

No respect? Well, some of you certainly have never heard of Loes, I can bet that! Further more, the man died July 15th, but I am just hearing about it now?!

RIP Mr. Loes. He was 80 years old.

When condition really didn't matter

2010-07-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Jim's thread...

http://garveyceyrusselllopes.blogspot.com/

I decided to share my own "loved" cards. However, I will start with my all time favorite and perhaps share some others later on in a different thread. I started collecting cards in 1978. I was 9 years old and there was little to guide me in collecting at that time. My new friends, who had moved up from Southern California, collected cards and they got me into it. They didn't have albums, sheets, toploaders or anything like that. We played with our cards. Sorting them, stacking them, flipping them, etc. We didn't care if the corners stayed sharp or if a crease developed. There were no guides I was aware of, nor did it matter.

My friend Steve and I would make our way into the big city (Seattle) occasionally to visit stores like Golden Age Collectibles in the Pike Place Market or one called The Paperback Exchange, a book store that dabbled in sportscards. I remember especially liking the 50s cards and would often buy one or two based on the stat lines on the back. If a guy hit 20-25 home runs or batted .300, I probably nabbed that card. The prices were usually hand printed on the back of the card, in pencil but sometimes pen. I remember $1-3 being typical for those 1956 Topps cards, my favorite. This was my source of new cards other than the fresh wax packs found at the local grocery store. However, Steve got to venture out into new waters each summer. He had friends or relatives in Spokane, WA and would spend a few weeks back there each summer. Every time he returned, it was with "brand new" baseball cards. Now by brand new, I don't mean that current seasons crisp new cards, I meant vintage cards that we had never seen before... cards like a 1969 Topps Jim Maloney, a 1964 Topps Willie Mays, a 1959 Topps Luis Aparicio and once, a 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson (gasp)! Jackie was the holy grail for a couple of pre-teen boys who loved the Dodgers. I believe he paid $5.00 for it. I envied Steve's new card and wondered how I might get myself one. I don't remember the specific details (what I gave up and how long it took), but I obviously prevailed, because I became and am still the proud owner of my very first Jackie Robinson baseball card. Since that time, I grew older and became more knowledgeable about cards. A card like this would probably not enter my collection these days and that is an unfortunate side effect of the changes this hobby has seen since I started. Along with that knowledge I gained came experience and then the ability to afford better cards. I have since obtained nearly every regular issue Robinson card and a few oddballs, including a nice Ex copy to upgrade "the first", but this original card still holds a special place in my collection. Amazingly, I didn't get rid of it, nor do I think I could now. It will always be part of my history.

1955 Topps Jackie Robinson

San Diego Jersey

2010-07-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

I have always been a card guy. I probably had a chance to build a solid memorabilia collection, but I always passed on balls, bats, gloves, etc. Cards were the most fun and easiest to store. In the end, the memorabilia will be worth more to others, but since this crazy hobby of mine isn't about financial gain, who cares???

I try not to jump the gun on stuff like this, just in case...but I can't wait. I probably won't have this in hand for a week or more, assuming no problems with shipping, but I thought I would share.

I don't know much about memorabilia, so obtaining things like these cary a certain element of risk. I could be chasing what I believe is something real, only to findit is some cheap knock-off. However, this just felt right. I'd rather have a Dodger jersey, but then again, who wouldn't?

Might get back into the swing of things soon and a Tribute to The Boss

2010-07-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

So, I am definitely not an every day blog entry kind of guy. It's been a while since my last entry, and honestly I am not motivated right now even.

I did want to mention the passing of George Steinbrenner today though. I grew up a Dodger fan and for a few years there, we were meeting the Yankees in the World Series just about annually. A modern version of the old Brooklyn/NY rivalry of the 40s and 50s, although not quite as powerful on either side. George certainly was instrumental in bringing a playoff berth to a "long suffering" (yes, a little sarcasm there to boot) NY after an 11 year gap once he took over ownership! Although he had quite a dry spell himself (1982-1994) without a playoff appearance after 3 World Series appearances (2 wins) in 6 years, you have to recognize the Yankees for winning 5 of 7 World Series contests since 1995, including 3 in a row.

RIP George, and maybe consider hiring Billy Martin just one more time when you take over the big Yankee club in the sky.

George M. Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930 - July 13, 2010)

Have the new ideas actually run dry?

2010-06-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

There was once a time when I opened a pack of cards and was excited to find my favorite player or perhaps a rookie "trophy" card. 1978, the year it all began, like the title says. I will never forget some of the Topps images from that first set of baseball cards I collected. Rod Carew and his beat up batting helmut, the rugged (?) gaze of Bob Apodaca sporting a five o'clock shadow or the clean cut, all-american pose of Steve Garvey and that red, white and blue all-star badge! I am glad I started collecting cards when I did. I wouldn't trade those memories for a 1989 Ken Griffey Jr Upper Deck Rookie card!

Since I mentioned it, the landscape of card collecting changes all the time these days. However, the biggest change we saw to get us where we are today was the introduction of Upper Deck. They thrust the card buying masses to a new level of "premium" cards that we may never recover from. A buck a pack!? Are you kidding me? I was in the Navy at the time and had no idea this was happening. In fact I didn't know what Upper Deck was or what had happened to my beloved hobby until 1993, when a friend re-introduced me to it after a brief break. Even with all the changes in that short time, it didn't take long for the hobby to suck me back in.

I've discussed this before, but the changes were a coming, and coming fast! Inserts, foil, die cutting, woods, fabrics, prisms, holograms, refractors and even autographs! It was an insane time to rediscover collecting, but the spark grew to a raging bonfire in no time. I was fully immersed in the insanity. 1:36 packs! I have to have that set. What, there are only 241 of each refractor reportedly made in the 1993 Finest set? Another landmark set that once again redefined high end pack prices. Heck, I thought 10,000 copies of the Donruss Elite cards was something special. I had to have that Frank Thomas card! It would not be long after that though that we would begin chasing the ultimate in specialty cards...the one of one (1/1)! One copy, one owner. Completist collectors would never be the same.

Soon though, we discovered a brilliant new idea...let's cut up a bat or jersey and insert small pieces into a card. We can actually touch and smell those game used items. We couldn't get any closer to the game then. Who wouldn't want a small bat sliver or jersey swatch of their favorite active ballplayer like Alex Rodriguez or Mark McGwire? But then, if those are hot, think of the joy of owning a Rogers Hornsby jersey!!! How cool would that be?

It seemed each year, something new and exciting would break. Pretty soon, we were seeing glove pieces, laces, shoes, stadium seats, outfield walls, bases, caps and even infield dirt! What could possibly be next we asked? Well, how about we start combining game used items WITH autographs? Maybe we give you a complete slice of the bat knob, a whole button or even a giant piece of the tag or patch from the jersey? SWEET!

Soon, you could find just about anything. Cards that folded open like a book with 3-6 players, 6 different game used pieces on a card, dual, quad and even eight autographs on a single card! We had sweet spot baseball autographs, full nameplates from bat barrels, even full jersey letters!

That brings me to my Garvey spotlight item, an autographed/bat barrel card #'d 2/2. The other copy from this issue sold recently on ebay for about $400 if I remember correctly, far more than I paid for my copy. That copy, #1/2 had a printed name from the bat barrel, where my copy has the actual signature from the bat. Still, a very impressive piece. This is about the most special, modern card I own of Steve Garvey and at the rate these cards seem to sell these days, mostly to high end specialty card collectors who have very deep pockets, probably the best I will EVER hope to own.

My question now is what is left? Can some card marketing genius come up with the next big idea? I have to wonder what is left, but it was not much more than a decade ago that the average collector had not seen or heard of a game used or 1/1 card, so we could still be surprised. I hope the card hobby has a few surprises left that we can enjoy, however I wouldn't mind if we returned to the times of simply pulling our favorite player or team card from a 25 cent wax wrapper pack, while chewing the sweet pink bubble gum it came with.

The Hall of Fame is missing two First Basemen

2010-06-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's a damn shame that Gil Hodges and Steve Garvey are not enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Forget the fact that I am a huge Garvey fan and Dodger fan as well, both have the careers to back it up. I won't waste time and space arguing the stats and numbers, because to me it is an obvious omission that may never be corrected in either case. Until that time, the Hall of Fame is incomplete.

Here is a nice pairing of the two Dodger greats. Their connection goes deeper than the team they shared. Garvey was a batboy for the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers as a kid in Florida and would meet and work with Hodges before MLB was even a reality for him. Although the card could have been made much nicer with on-card signature for Garvey and a cut that isn't "cut off", not to mention maybe a picture of Hodges (C'mon UD, you guys suck!) but when only 4 copies exist and 3 have not shown their face to date, I can't really complain too loudly!

I present to you 2 men who's connection is a match made for dual autographed cards:

Trifecta!

2010-06-05T18:50:00.001-07:00

If you have competed against me on ebay for Steve Garvey items in the past, you know I am a bit greedy. I have come to desire those limited edition cards, numbered 25 or less, but especially 10 or less. I have tried and tried to corner the market on certain items and I know it's a bit selfish, but I am not made of money and it's anyones game at any time! Maybe I just want it more most of the time?

I am so close to perfection on a number of low print run issues, probably the closest being that I have 5 of 6 copies. 1/1's sucked the fun out of it a bit, but I still try. I was able to get both copies of a certain autograph issue, but 2 of 2 isn't that fun to share. It's not much harder than a 1/1. Until I get perfection with 5 or 6 copies, it's all just building up. However, I took my next step recently by cornering the market on a 3 copy card. It will be 3X the pain for people though to see this, as this card features not only Garvey, but also Reggie Jackson and Willie Randolph. 3 player collects with yet another hole in their wantlists. Sorry to you other Dodger and Garvey collectors out there, but Garvey is my main focus and I come pretty hard! I don't always win and I wish I did, so there is always still hope on any given day though!!

"Get your season tickets here!"

2010-05-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

Back in the day, it appeared that a brochure was fairly common to promote the coming season. I have a number of them in my collection, but can't say I have seen one in any recent times. Maybe the Mariners sell enough tickets without them?

I have a run of Dodger brochures promoting the next season, but they are especially cool when Garvey is featured somewhere. On this 1975 brochure, Garvey is one of several players shown on front, but the sequence features what appears to be a Garvey HR with Jimmy Wynn greeting him at home! These are about the size of the standard program, but maybe 6-10 pages at most. Definitely better than a program these days in my opinion!

Scratch this off the old wantlist...Wait, it was never there to begin with!

2010-05-23T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just have to wait and be patient. We all have wantlists and we continue to scour stores, shows and online sites for those needs, but how can you need something you don't know exists?

Every once in a while, something like this is listed on ebay and for a week or so, I am nervous about who saw it listed and what the interest level may be. In the end, I am usually the victor, but not always. This item is a card and envelope, inviting someone to the 7th Annual Steve Garvey Sports Classic Dinner. I can probably assume there are at least 6 other versions of this item, but to date this is the only one I have seen offered! The profile of Garvey was drawn by none other than noted sports artist, Leroy Neiman.

Dottie Kamenshek AAGPBL Star dead at 84

2010-05-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hall of Famer and one of the better known women baseball players died last Monday of natural causes at age 84. RIP Ms. Kamenshek.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/22/sports/baseball/22kamenshek.html

Jose Lima dead at 37

2010-05-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Former MLB pitcher Jose Lima apparently died today of a heart attack at the young age of 37. RIP Mr. Lima.

It's tough being a remote fan sometimes!

2010-05-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

Most of us grow up rooting for our local team and our hometown heroes. We go to the games, get the local papers, can visit personal appearances when they occur, etc. However, some of us went a different direction. Although I have grown to appreciate the Seattle Mariners, especially their early and awkward days, I have always been a Dodger fan and a Steve Gavey fan. I have seen him play only once in my life (It was 1981 at Dodger Stadium) and met him at an appearance once (2001 Fan Fest in Seattle). Before the internet, it was difficult to even collect a player who was not local. There was mail order from catalogs like Renata Galasso and TCMA and a number of other dealers who had ads. There were a few shops, but you could spend days driving around to find nothing and I was not old enough to drive myself! Every once in a while, when we visited my sister and her family, my brother and I would get to go to Pacific Trading Cards and that was heaven!

Fast forward to today and the internet has enabled us to reach anywhere and obtain items we only would have dreamed of before. HOWEVER...sometimes it remains difficult to find things because they just don't show up!!!

I may do a post on these later in more detail, but you beer drinking Southern Californians may have remembered the Miller Brewing Co. bottles and cans commemorating the Dodgers 50th anniversary. A HANDFUL of those hit ebay, for only a very brief time, and they were always fairly expensive to begin with and shipping was a trick. I could find nobody to buy any in stores and ship or save them for me. I wanted to get one of each still sealed. I had to settle for empties in the end.

Now every once in a while, something new pops up again in the "flat" category of collectibles. These items would be easy to ship and share with the rest of us poor saps who don't live locally. These are available at the stadium only, I presume. For some odd reason, even in the day of ebay, these items rarely make it to the market, at least online. I am talking about ticket stubs, scorecards, etc.

Here are three items that I was lucky enough to find on ebay or in one case, a friend sent one along in a trade. All are approximately 8x10 in size. Each is a very attractive item and I would have expected them to trickle onto ebay after release, but that was not the case.

I have never seen the Century 21 item online, it was sent by a friend and a surprise at that. I didn't know it was coming and had never seen it before (or since). The 81 WS item has shown up only a couple of times and one SoCal ebay seller (zipshere) claimed it was extremely rare and had sold somewhere for $75??? It was part of a 3 game giveaway I am told, but the same seller who said this one was rare was selling the other 2 for $5 each. How does a 3 game give away produce 1 rare item? I'd guess attendance was roughly the same at each game? The 2001 scorecard is the same, maybe 2-3 times I have seen one listed. Are these items that hard to find??? Come on LA, share your stuff with the rest of us!

1971

2010-05-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting item from Garvey's "rookie card" year, 1971. This is one of a series of similar photos that were taken and issued each year. They are on card stock type paper, not photo paper. I have several dating back to the early 60s and into the early 80s, but I am unsure of the exact run of these photos or exactly where they came from. I assume you could buy them through mail order or at the stadium. On the back are facsimile signatures of the players and coaches featured on the front. This is the first year young Steve Garvey would appear in one of these team photos.

These are great photos and very colorful as well.

Me and my RC

2010-05-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

I don't care for RC Cola. I am a Coke man, having oddly converted from a Pepsi man at some unknown point. However, RC Cola is a step down for me. However, in 1978 I didn't mind it one bit. You see back then if you bought a can of RC Cola, you got a baseball player with it. I want to say my very first RC Cola can was Jim Rice, which I still have. I had Rod Carew and a few others as well from my childhood, but the advent of ebay lead to me having over 100 of these cans today, including nearly 20 Garvey cans.

One thing I never saw as a kid was the iron-ons. I am not sure if those were mail-ins or what, but based on the scarcity of the sheets compared to the cans, they were probably not related too closely.

This item comes from a strip of 5 Dodgers. It was folded when I got it, so I kept it that way, but I would prefer it as a strip w/o folds. I think I may have one in the poster pile though, but am too lazy to check.

How cool would I be to sport a shirt with this bad boy on it today???

Long Beach Press Telegram Issue

2010-05-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

I featured the 1980 issue earlier. I was provided the scan by a collector who owned the item. I still do not, nor have I ever seen one offered. This scan is the only proof I have that it exists!

However, I do have the 1981 issue. This is atop many a Dodgers/Angels collectors wantlist I am sure. These are obviously tough to find, as they were to be clipped out of a small newspaper in Southern California, weekly over a several month period, in the Springs of 1980 and 1981.

Unfortunately, these scans may have to suffice for many. I have never seen another offered besides the one I obtained. Somewhere, I hope a hoard exists, but as of yet it has failed to show itself if one exists!

Enjoy. Sometimes even a scan soothes.

Clingy

2010-05-12T19:06:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting oddball item I picked up. From the Nabisco promotion that ran a few years back (2001), here is an in store display piece. It's a window sticker or cling that would have been displayed in a store window to advertise the promotion.

It features several Hall of Famers including Ozzie Smith, Brooks Robinson, Steve Carlton, Joe Morgan and Gary Cater. Of course, it also features non-HOFer but deserving candidate, Steve Garvey, as well.

Brain Freeze!

2010-05-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

My memory of Slurpees doesn't go back too far. In fact I remember Icees more than Slurpees. However, in 1984, I consumed more Slurpees than ever before thanks to a MLB promotion that provided 3-D coins tucked into the cup's bottom panel. I couldn't get enough of them and still enjoy the coins to this day.

Before the coins though, the cup was the collectible part. Finish your Slurpee and save the cup! I can imagine how irritated mothers got with their kids, saving these sticky, bulky cups. I have obtained a small collection of the cups and even today find them irritating to store. They just take up too much room!

There was another aspect to collecting Slurpee memorabilia...the Checklist. Normally a checklist is nothing exciting, although now days the older ones can be worth quite a bit unmarked because of the fate so many before them suffered. However, a Slurpee checklist is downright fun. Each player or cup is featured, allowing you to see who is possible but also to keep track of who you have and still need.

I have come across a few of these in my collecting journeys, along with some retail displays. The oddball stuff is always my favorite, but these items can SOMETIMES be a fairly cheap way to have something different. However, as they are not seen often, you will sometimes see tremendous bidding wars as player collectors scoop up that next item of their guy. Loaded with stars, these can also be difficult to find. I have seen some people cutting them up and selling individual players. That sickens me since they are fairly hard to find, but to each their own I guess.

These two examples feature, yes you guessed it, Steve Garvey!

Robin Roberts - RIP

2010-05-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Whiz Kids star and HOF pitcher Robin Roberts died today at age 83. RIP Mr. Roberts.

Sometimes "they" just make it tough!

2010-05-05T18:53:00.001-07:00

The infamous "they". Who are "they" and why do "they" do it?

I consider myself fairly lucky in that I collect Steve Garvey. Although very popular in his time, he certainly doesn't have the following of a Nolan Ryan or Cal Ripken Jr., nor does he come with similar price tags! Collecting a guy like Steve Garvey can be downright easy at times, many years after he has retired and been forgotten by most. However, sometimes "they" just make it so hard.

Other than appearing at a show together, just what exactly do Steve Garvey, Tom Seaver and Mickey Mantle have in common? You don't know, you say? I don't either, but it didn't stop "them" from making a cachet to commemorate the event. OK, that wasn't so bad, but then "they" had to go and offer a signed version! Not a big deal in 1982, when the autograph market hadn't quit hit white hot status, but a few years pass and one deceased Mantle later and this can be a tough item to land for the average Joe and his modest pocketbook!

I am not even sure if there was any organization to this issue. I have one, also serial numbered, but only signed by Seaver. I also have one signed by none. I wonder how many were signed by all 3? I'm sure I'll never know, but I have one and that is all that matters.

Un-cataloged Wonders

2010-05-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

As we pursue our player collections to near insanity, following the mighty Beckett player list (because that is all most have to judge their collection by), we occasionally come across something unexpected. Perhaps it is a card, sometimes it's another type of collectible; a program, magazine, brochure or other oddity you have never seen before.

I was lucky enough to stumble upon an ebay seller selling a decent lot of this next item. There were maybe a dozen different players, but many had damage along the corners, cutting into the body of the item. Some worse than others. This Garvey piece has a very small bit of paper loss into the lower left "cut here" area. Still, it is in fantastic shape considering most of the rest I got. I have never heard of the issue, although many markets have offered cut out "scrapbook" collectibles in their local papers.

Clipped from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner sometime in 1977, I present to you what I will call....

1977 Los Angeles Herald Examiner LA Dodgers Steve Garvey

Somewhat similar to the 1980/81 Long Beach Press Telegram Dodger/Angel "cards" and certainly more interesting than your typical card. How many of these survived compared to a standard 1977 Topps, Hostess or Twinkie card???

For fun, here is a similar Rod Carew item I also picked up on ebay. I am somewhat of an amature Carew collector, picking up some of the more obscure items when I can. Interestingly, the Carew also dates to 1977. I don't believe it is cataloged either. Why don't we see cool stuff like this anymore?

Collectibles are everywhere...if you are looking

2010-05-01T20:31:00.001-07:00

I am a pack rat. I love to keep things most people wouldn't even notice, let alone keep! If it's free, even better. I have been this way for as long as I could remember. I loved going to the local home shows because of all the crap the vendors were giving away: Pencils, coins, stickers, balloons, back scratchers, etc. I once got a John Yarno postcard and signature at a home show. Yarno was a contractor in the off season when he wasn't snapping footballs for the Seahawks. Of course, that was back in the day when professional sports players were not all instant millionaires.

So, one of the oddball items that most people have probably seen many times and never thought twice about is the old magazine subscription cards. All the old magazines had them, many falling out when you tried to read. Some were attached and were perforated for easy removal. Sometimes they were used, sometimes they were torn out and often they were just ignored, sitting quietly inside the magazine, waiting for someone like me to come along and free them.

Here is an assortment of inserts I pulled from old sports magazines from the 70s and 80s. Often star players were used. Some had some really great color shots. Check your magazines out...you may have some yourself. Send the Garveys my way!

1986 Wallich Enterprises Postcards

2010-05-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

I know pretty much nothing about this issue. I have seen it offered ONCE in almost 12 years on ebay. I won the Garvey, but didn't go after any of the others regrettably. In fact, I lost the checklist card, which actually shows all of the individual postcards on it. I want to say it went for just over $10! A checklist of sorts. A Gwynn collector nabbed that one and I have never seen another since. It remains on my Top 5 wantlist to this day.

Anyway, not sure how they were distributed or who Wallach Enterprises was or what they did. I know one thing though. These seem to be a very tough issue to find!

Enough is enough!

2010-04-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I bought my first pack of cards, like many collectors my age, the choices were pretty slim. Topps-baseball, football or basketball! And those choices were seasonal! Knowing nothing else, it was a good time and I was satisfied with cards as a whole. There were non-sports cards too, and the occasional sticker or action card set made by Fleer, but pretty much Topps was king.

Then came 1981. The collecting world changed. Now there were three sets to choose from, although most people didn't choose. They now had 3 sets to obtain and complete rather than one. After a rocky start, both Fleer and Donruss hit it full steam ahead.

The exact year is hard to pinpoint, but change was coming again soon. I'd say 1984-85 was a good time to single out. Boxed sets, special mail-in glossy sets, cereal cards and other items were being offered. It wasn't a new idea. Kellogg's had their 3-D cards, Hostess had their Twinkee cards, Topps made test issues before, but now everything was mainstream and obtainable. Still, choice was good and now I had 8-10 Garvey cards to find along with the standard Topps, Fleer and Donruss cards.

Luckily Garvey had retired by the early 90s and only a handful of cards appeared with his likeness. However, another major change was hitting the card industry that would change it forever. It's not like I didn't enjoy the choices then, but with inserts and certified autographs and high end products, it was becoming very difficult to collect without a large budget. You'll find those who just advise you to collect what you can, but let's be real...Collectors Choice was affordable, but BORING!

Many of you entered the hobby during these times as well and maybe you have adapted with your collecting habits, but many of us who collected before 1989 still want it all, especially if we collect a certain player, team or set. Well, I couldn't afford it all and slowly stopped buying new packs at all. With ebay and other online sites, I could buy the cards I wanted and not waste my money. However, with larger exposure and choice, came more competition. I wasn't the only Steve Garvey collector in my neighborhood anymore, I was competing with guys in San Diego, LA and elsewhere! Even just buying the cards I wanted got to be expensive, not to mention the choices. In certain years, there were 100s, yes 100s of different cards to find and buy! Garvey was retired too. Active player card counts rose above 1000 for a single year!!!

Recent chances make it feel like the craziness would be rounded up, but then I just saw this the other day. I don't collect basketball at all any more except for the occasional older single, but if I did I think I would quit on the spot! Here is the set list for the newest Panini NBA issue. Panini is growing out of the ashes of Donruss, although they had their own niche in the sticker market for years. However, they look more like the Donruss of the mid 2000s than Panini now!

CARD SETS

Commons (100)
The star players of the NBA are featured in Classics' base set and numbered to 199.

Legends (60)
The legends of the league, those who left am impact for the ages are celebrated and numbered to 999.

Autographed Rookies (40)
The top rookies from the 2009-10 campaign are highlighted with signatures and numbered to 999 or less.

Significant Signatures Gold (160)
The name speaks for itself, as the league's most significant players are features with autographs and numbered to 50 or less.

Significant Signatures Platinum (160)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Timeless Tributes Silver (200)
This insert celebrates those timeless icons that once dominated the hardwood and is numbered to 100.

Timeless Tributes Gold (200)
Numbered to 50.

Timeless Tributes Platinum (200)
Numbered to 25.

Timeless Threads (200)
Looking for game-worn swatches of your favorite NBA players, well look no more, numbered to 199 or less.

Timeless Threads Prime (200)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Classic Confrontations (10)
The iconic matchups from NBA lore are highlighted in this first-time insert.

Classic Confrontations Silver (10)
Numbered to 250.

Classic Confrontations Gold (10)
Numbered to 100.

Classic Confrontations Platinum (10)
Numbered to 25.

Classic Confrontations Jerseys (10)
Numbered to 199 or less.

Classic Confrontations Signature Jerseys (10)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Classic Confrontations Jerseys Prime (10)
Numbered to 50 or less.

Classic Confrontations Signature Jerseys Prime (10)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Classic Greats (30)
The greatest players to ever lace the sneakers are brought to life in this majestic insert.

Classic Greats Silver (30)
Numbered to 250.

Classic Greats Gold (30)
Numbered to 100.

Classic Greats Platinum (30)
Numbered to 25.

Classic Greats Jerseys (30)
Numbered to 99 or less.

Classic Greats Signature Jerseys (30)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Classic Greats Jerseys Prime (30)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Classic Greats Signature Jerseys Prime (30)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Classic Combos (10)
This insert features two iconic NBA stars from yesteryear per card.

Classic Combos Silver (10)
Numbered to 250.

Classic Combos Gold (10)
Numbered to 100.

Classic Combos Platinum (10)
Numbered to 25.

Classic Combos Jerseys (10)
Numbered to 99 or less.

Classic Combos Jerseys Prime (10)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Dress Code (25)
The league's elite players are featured in their respective attire.

Dress Code Silver (25)
Numbered to 250.

Dress Code Gold (25)
Numbered to 100.

Dress Code Platinum (25)
Numbered to 25.

Dress Code Jerseys (25)
Numbered to 199 or less.

Dress Code Signature Jerseys (25)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Dress Code Jerseys Prime (25)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Dress Code Signature Jerseys Prime (25)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Blast From The Past Jerseys (25)
This highly-anticipated insert includes game-worn jersey swatches from some of the game's all-time greats and is numbered to 199 or less.

Blast From The Past Signature Jerseys (25)
Numbered to 25 or less.

Blast From The Past Jerseys Prime (25)
Numbered to 30 or less.

Blast From The Past Signature Jerseys Prime (25)
Numbered to 25 or less.

44 different subsets, insert sets, parallel sets, GU sets or autographed sets. That is FORTY FOUR different card groups to chase, some limited to 1 copy each and most with no more than 100 copies! Perhaps that is what the new card market has come to. No longer will base sets or even common GU/AU sets satisfy our lottery mentalities as we are forced to plunk down $5, 10, 25 and even $100 or more for single packs of cards. Is this really a hobby anymore? It looks more like legalized gambling for minors to me!

Agree with me some, a little or nothing at all, but I am glad to be done with new products and have so many times threatened to even stop after market collecting of new product. The only thing that saves me now is the fact that the numbers for my player have dwindled back down to somewhat reasonable, after you strip away all the high end cuts, multi-player super patches/bat barrels, 1/1 and ultra expensive inserts these companies can't seem to make enough of these days.

I honestly yearn for the days of a nice crisp pack of 1978 Topps cards. Collecting at it's most basic level.

Back from Vacation

2010-04-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hello folks. I took some time off to enjoy a nice family vacation to Maui. No cards and very limited internet, but still a fine time in itself I might add. I will look to get back into the blog here in the next few days. Right now I am still decompressing from my time in the sun!

Garvey Spotlight - March 14

2010-03-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

I think I am going to have to back off the gas on these spotlight posts. Although I have enough stuff to share a daily pic, I don't have much of it scanned right now (another story for another time) and finding time to write something interesting seems to elude me each day. Stay tuned though, as I promise to bring you a few items here and there in the coming weeks and months, just not daily anymore.

This little beauty is a cachet or first day cover. This is something that collectors of stamps and such will recognize. They seemed to enter into the baseball collectibles market in the 80s, but never caught on as well as they could have. I know I have several, but there is only one reason that I do, they feature Steve Garvey. Otherwise I could die happy never owning one.

This one features guests at a show in New Jersey. I believe the year was 1991. Normally this would not be a tough item to land for a Garvey collector, except this particular show also featured HOFer and former NY Giant Willie Mays, now deceased NY Mets pitcher Tug McGraw and Bernie Williams of the NY Yankees. Not a bad batch of signatures to add to a collection, although one of these players doesn't belong in that NY theme. Can you guess who? This particular one is graded/authenticated, but only because it came that way when I bought it. Note the holder indicates W. MAYS and OTHERS. The rest are merely "others" when compared to the mighty Willie Mays. In terms of signature value, I suppose that is true though.

Sniping on ebay

2010-03-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed?

You casually bid on something listed on ebay. This is perhaps an impulse buy, something you like but don't need or maybe it's a potential gift for someone else. The bottom line is you don't care one way or the other if you win, so you toss your best (proxy) bid out and wait and see.

In the end, you are most likely finding yourself a LOSER!

Easy now...I am not calling you a loser personally. What I mean is you most likely were outbid for that item. Once your bid was placed, it sets in motion some sort of strange characteristic that people have that force them to immediately outbid you. This item could have sat for 5 days without a bid. You place your bid and within 15 seconds, you are no longer the high bidder! WTH?

I have learned to snipe with the best of them. After missing critical auctions to computer problems, personal schedule conflicts and even to slumber in the middle of the night (who lists an item to end at 3:15 AM PST???), I got on board with sniping.

If you don't know by now, sniping is waiting until the last possible second to render your bid on an item. There are services out there that will do this for you or you can do it the old fashioned way yourself with a steady hand and a synchronized clock.

I can't prove this, because there is no way to test both methods on a single auction item, but I am firmly convinced that sniping wins you more auctions and at better prices than the old proxy bid system.

Just tonight, I bid on something and to my surprise (dripping in sarcasm) I was outbid when I checked back a few hours later. My $30 lead was chipped away in a matter of seconds, in $5 increments, until this 13 feedback newby topped me. Had I not bid at all, the guy could have taken the lead and sat happy. However, my being top bidder must have driven him crazy to the point of nibbling away at my lead until he was victorious! Not only would I have to bid again if I really wanted this item, but it is now $30-40 more to win. I don't care if I win this item or not, but you can bet that if I want to win, my bid will sneak in like a snipers bullet!

Sellers don't like to hear this, but why in the world would anyone place a proxy bid on an item 5-7 days before it is due to end? That almost guarantees you will pay more and your chances are losing all together are much greater. Wait until the end and get it cheap, I say! HAPPY SNIPING!!!

1978, The Year it all began

2010-03-13T18:09:00.001-08:00

1978 Topps. The first time I ever opened a pack of baseball cards. I was 8 or 9 at the time. We had just moved to Bainbridge Is, WA. It was a new neighborhood housing development, but nothing like you see today. Lots were large, filled with trees and brush and you weren't staring right into your neighbors side window every time you passed by your own window.

Lucky for me, this neighborhood would soon fill with kids my age. We all played together. Baseball, soccer, kick the can, hide and seek...you name it, we did it. So many good memories of those times remain with me. However, one memory that would change my life is that of being introduced to baseball cards.

I can't tell you who was in that first pack, but odds are very good I bought it at the Lynnwood Center grocery store. It was there that I would buy all sorts of baseball cards, Star Wars cards, marathon bars, RC Cola and other goodies to fuel my wild bike rides across the Bainbridge countryside. We all say "It ain't like it used to be" and I am really not that old, but I can tell you that it isn't like it used to be. Those days are long gone unless you live in the smallest of small towns and suspect even there things are different.

Anyway, back to baseball cards. I was not necessarily a fan of baseball before my friend Steve Todd and his older brother moved into the neighborhood, but those cards would trigger a flame deep within, that 30+ years later would still be burning bright! I couldn't get enough of them and soon began to make my rounds to card shops in addition to buying the new stuff. My collection would slowly grow to massive proportions.

But it all started back in 1978 with a single pack. I loved the All-Star badges. I loved the subset cards (Rookie Prospects, Championship and Series highlights, Record Breakers, etc) but most of all I began a love of the Topps All-Rookie Team trophy cards! Eddie Murray's rookie card would be the best of the group that year, and a great Andre Dawson second year card would be a favorite as well, but some of the others stuck with me too. My favorite card from that set by far...a common Blue Jay on his way to MLB fame and fortune perhaps...Doug Ault. Ault was most famous for smashing 2 HRs in the Blue Jays first game ever and ended up having a decent season for the lowly expansion club. Unfortunately, Ault would struggle and never come near the seaosn he had in 1977. His MLB career was over by 1980. He would later manage in the minors for Toronto another dozen or so years but his life would be filled with troubles that eventually lead to him apparently taking his own life on December 22, 2004.

As sad as it is, this card remains one of my favorites. Ault, stepping into the batters box, ready to drive another one out perhaps. The Jays are playing the Yankees, as witnessed by Thurman Munson crouching behind the plate and adjusting his mask, perhaps dropping a loogie? Sadly, Munson would die the following year in a tragic plane crash.

All this "action" and a trophy to boot. This card likely got me started collecting these Topps trophy cards and eventually moving to obtain all of the same cards signed by the players as well. With over 50 years of Topps All-Rookie team members, I am maintaining the want list at right around 30 cards, considering 10 more are added per year, that ain't bad!

RIP Doug Ault and Thurman Munson. You are both in the cardboard HOF for this one!

Garvey Spotlight - March 12

2010-03-12T20:28:00.001-08:00

1978 Baseball Player Patches (Penn Emblem Co.), as this set is identified in the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards.

Almost the size of a standard baseball card, these patches were one of many oddball items you could find in the late 70s/early 80s.

I remember seeing ads for these in publications like Baseball Digest and I am sure sellers like TCMA, Pacific Trading Cards (Mike Cramer) and others were probably selling them through their shops and catalogs as well.

How cool would those have been in packs though. Maybe 2 per pack?

This copy was signed by Garvey, making it a little more special.

Garvey Spotlight - March 11

2010-03-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

This issue remains somewhat of a mystery to me.

MADD and the San Diego Padres appear to have teamed up in an alcohol awareness program, aimed at using designated drivers. The card includes a tab that is redeemable for a free soft drink, if the holder is a designated driver with appropriate hand stamp. Once the coupon is redeemed for the free drink, the holder is even left with a neat collectible souvenir.

I assume these were issued at the baseball stadium, given the details about the free drink on the tab. We can also see that this coupon is good for the 1999 season, so this must be a 1999 issue. From there, I know little more. I have a couple other players (all all-time/retired players) in the same format (same year) and have some other singles from later year issues (all current Padre players), but to date I have never seen any of these cards listed in one of the two "card bibles".

So, I'll give it a go and call this...

1999 MADD/San Diego Padres Dryer Friar

The card with tab is about the size of one of those Fleer Extra bases cards or an old Topps basketball card from the early 70s. Without the tab, it's practically the same size as a standard card.

I don't understand how more of these have not turned up, with or without tabs. I have seen only a couple offered on ebay in 10+ years??? Could they be THAT hard to find? Someone else out there has one, right?

Garvey Spotlight - March 10

2010-03-10T18:44:00.001-08:00

1977 Bob Parker More Baseball Cartoons

This oversized and oddly colored issue features a really cool drawing of Steve Garvey and Greg Luzinski, "All-Stars". I actually have a larger poster sized version of this drawing that was from an old Reds Alert News magazine from the mid 70s. It's not that funky orange though, just newsprint colored.

Bob Parker produced a number of art based sets in the 70s. Most of these sets and singles have become more popular in recent times, and thus expensive, but I bet like many of the Laughlin, TCMA, Galasso and other oddball sets of the same era, most could have been had for a few bucks or less at the time of issue.

Garvey Spotlight - March 9

2010-03-09T20:56:00.001-08:00

I didn't see too many rack and cello packs when I was a kid. I don't know why, but they just were not around. It was not until the early-mid 80s did I start to see them in grocery stores. I have been, and probably always will be, the guy who can't save anything unopened to save my life! Even as I have matured as a collector, it is excruciatingly hard not to open even the lamest unopened material I have come across. Other than my Garvey stuff and a few Frank Thomas items (my other player collection of any significance), I gotta RIP IT!

So, as you can probably tell, I do not have any nice hoards of 1978 Topps packs tucked away. I'm lucky to have 1 unopened pack of 1987 Topps around. Even though I might have 15,000 cards from a set, I will open the pack anyway. This sickness is what lead me to stop buying unopened material around 1998-99. Yes, I still bust a stray pack or two here and there. Sometimes I might find a bargain box at a store or my wife gets me a few packs for my Christmas stocking, but I know that if I let it, the sickness will return full force and ravage my weak spirit.

This brings me to the point of my post...unopened Garvey material. The true collector in me allows me just enough strength to resist opening any material that features Garvey on top. That is not to say I won't open something showing a Garvey item, but I better have a few duplicates. For example, I busted a 1982 Topps cello pack with Garvey on front because the allure of a crisp Ripken RC was too much, plus I had 3 more in better shape. Alas, no Ripken...just a bunch of junk commons, and a Garvey card I have 50+ of already. Yes, another reason why I stopped ripping in the first place. I have LOUSY luck with packs!

At this point, I have a decent collection of rack packs and cellos featuring Garvey on top. My oldest dates back to 1978 and I have at least something from each subsequent year across most of the brands. I just happened to have a scan handy of this fine 1979 Topps pack, so I am using it.

If you have any packs featuring Garvey on top (don't care for the bottom cameo, unless it's a truly tough pack), let me know.

RIP - Willie Davis

2010-03-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

Willie Davis, former Dodgers star, was found dead today at aged 69.

RIP

Garvey Spotlight - March 8

2010-03-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

1980 Long Beach Press Telegram

Huh, you say? 1980?

Sure, we have all had the 1981 Long Beach Telegram "card" on our wantlists. Steve Garvey shares the issue with California Angel, Rod Carew.

This was another of those "not really cards" issues listed in Beckett. In issues of the newspaper, Long Beach Press Telegram, in 1981 were cut-out collectibles featuring a player from each of the Dodgers and Angels.

However, as of yet there has not been a listing for the 1980 set. Yes, there is a 1980 set as well. Same deal as the 81 set.

Unfortunately, this is a "borrowed" scan as I have still not located this issue for my collection. I won a near complete team lot on ebay a few years back. Sadly, the Garvey/Carew was not included.

For your viewing pleasure...

Bill Russell

2010-03-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

Nope, not the member of the famous Dodgers infield of the 70s-80s. This is Bill Russell, basketball legend!

What makes this a favorite card for me is the oddball bread issue from the 70s, the (formally) local connection (Seattle SuperSonics) and not to mention, the signature!

Russell was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. However, he was not quit the same as a coach. Russell coached 4 seasons in Seattle. Nothing spectacular, other than allowing this issue to be made and enter my collection!

Garvey Spotlight - March 7

2010-03-07T21:59:00.000-08:00

Here is one of those items that, to me, makes collecting fun. I had no idea this item existed until someone listed one on ebay.

This is a film of the 1974 All-Star Game. I believe it was 8 or 16mm film, but don't remember now and am too lazy to dig it out! I have no way to play or, nor do I have any interest in playing it. I bought it for the box, of course.

Pictured on the box is Steve Garvey looking like he is ready to round third and score with Sparky Anderson waving him on.

You probably won't find this cataloged anywhere, but this was a great addition to my collection.

BG - Before Garvey

2010-03-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

The Dodgers have a long list of good players who played first base for them. Sadly, none have ever been deemed good enough to make the Hall of Fame. Jake Daubert, Dolph Camilli, Gil Hodges, Wes Parker, Steve Garvey, Erik Karros. Perhaps James Loney will break the curse?

One of the all time favorite Dodgers of mine besides Garvey is Gil Hodges. Originally a Catcher, the Dodgers must have figured a young Roy Campanella was all they needed and Gil was moved over to first. He would then anchor the infield of some of the greatest Dodger teams ever through the 50s. Although not as lasting as the Garvey - Lopes - Russell - Cey infield of the 70s and 80s, the Brooklyn infield of Hodges - Robinson - Reese - Cox was a mighty fine group in the early 50s!

Someday I hope that both Hodges and Garvey are eventually enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Some could argue that Jake Daubert belongs as well. Until then, the HOF sits incomplete in my eyes.

Here is a great photo of Hodges crossing the plate. I am assuming that is Carl Furillo greeting him at the plate with Jackie Robinson looking on. I was lucky enough to obtain this photo in the early days of ebay from a very trusted source, for a reasonable price. It is a beautiful signature, although somewhat hard to see on this dark and busy photo.

Finally, a favorite card of mine. The 1954 Wilson Franks Gil Hodges card. These are not an easy find. This one was graded a PSA 1, but for the life of me, I still can't understand why so low?

Garvey Spotlight - March 6

2010-03-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

1987 Doug Allred/Inside Baseball

I am not sure if this is the best description of this card or not. This is from Beckett online and as far as I know, this issue has never made one of their printed guides yet.

I found this card on ebay, as I do most of my items. It was actually in a large lot I won years ago and as it turned out, the seller lived a few miles from me. I didn't need anything in the lot but this card, but I bid anyway. I have seen very few copies of this card in fact.

It appears from the back that this was associated with a baseball clinic held at the "Murph" in San Diego. Although the year is not noted, you can figure it out based on the date (Wednesday, May 21) and the fact that Garvey is pictured as a Padre...1986. So, not sure why Beckett calls this 1987, as it was obviously printed BEFORE the May 21, 1986 clinic! As for Doug Allred, I guess he was a photographer who may have been involved with the card, once more according to Beckett.

Anyway, I don't know anything more about this issue than what you can see or what Beckett claims to know. They even indicate it's part of a 3 card set with another card featuring Garvey with announcer Jerry Coleman. I do not have that card, not have I ever seen it. I'd love to know if this is true though.

TriStar Signa Cuts - The worst execution of a decent idea ever!

2010-03-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Signature cuts. Not a bad idea. Take a signature of a player that is tough to find, make it into a modern insert card and start the chase. This is actually a great idea. When they first hit the market, collectors could dream of pulling Ruth, Mantle, Wagner and other greats they would otherwise never have a chance to own. As with any new idea related to this hobby, it was used and abused. Pretty soon, we were getting ugly cuts (see my other post). Then we started getting players who were still alive, not tough to find signatures of and even current players!

Now we turn an entirely different direction all together. UGLY cuts of living players who are easy to find signatures of all wrapped into one pathetic bundle! However, as a true Garvey collector, I want it all. So, for your viewing displeasure, the gallery of these "turds".

To quote a line from the movie Dodgeball..."I just threw up in my mouth a little bit"

Garvey Spotlight - March 4

2010-03-04T19:55:00.001-08:00

Here we have a nondescript photo of Steve Garvey in a Canadian newspaper. "So what?", you might be asking yourself right about now. Why bother to show us a boring picture of Steve Garvey, from a Canadian newspaper no less? Well, my friends, I have here what I believe to be the mysterious 1982 Montreal News "card"! Every serious Garvey collector who has read or been online to Beckett's site will know and perhaps curse this issue. Beckett's Almanac gave us a taste, but left us hanging. What is it? Where did it come from? Why?

From Beckett's Almanac of Baseball Cards and Collectibles #5

"This 21-card set was cut out of the Montreal News and features various size color player photos of stars of different sports. The paper is printed in French. The cards are unnumbered and checklisted below in alphabetical order."

The photo, if you can believe it...is Steve Garvey! That is the most help Beckett was in allowing me to unravel this mystery. Other than that, their information was near useless! However, as you can see, the photos match! First clue.

So, the photo from my newspaper item matched the photo in Beckett. Still, this was far from a card by any stretch of the imagination. I didn't know what the Montreal News was, but it made sense that it was a NEWSpaper. Things were looking good, but I still thought my item was basically a color photo from a newspaper. Any USA Today would render a dozen color photos for us to collect daily!

So, when I bought this item from ebay, it was in a large lot of sports related newspaper items. There were baseball players and hockey players. Some looked like the Garvey item, others were full page posters. The seller had listed these as "Le Soleil Perspectives". I inquired about that and asked for a photo of the Garvey and received one. As for the description "Le Soleil Perspectives", I was told that was a popular supplement to a local newspaper. Next I matched some of the names from the lot to the Beckett list for Montreal News. Garvey, Schmidt, Rose, Stargell and Schmidt were all included along with a bunch of Expos players! No way was this a coincidence I thought. EVERY baseball player from the Beckett list was there! I was on to something really good! I watched this auction and sweated it out. The opening bid was $0.99, however the shipping was something like $10.00. There were over 50 photos and posters in the lot! After what seemed like an eternity, I won the lot for a BUCK! Waiting for these to arrive was torture in it's purest form.

When they arrived, I found the other players to be similar to the Garvey. They were indeed various sized, but not too extreme. All were the same sized page, pulled from a newspaper. I was pretty sure, but still not 100% convinced. I mean, the Beckett listing was for a card set, right? These were not cards. These were newspaper photos. However, the more I re-read the description and the more I looked at these items, the more I was convinced I had stumbled upon the elusive and mysterious 1982 Montreal News, a whopping $3.00 Garvey item nobody seemed to have or know anything about!

So, for fun, here are the other 4 players shown on the checklist that I received in the lot. I didn't scan the multitute of Expos players, as none are listed in the set.

Now, fast forward a few weeks, months or even years. Honestly, I don't remember, but I dug out the items from the lot and was doing some searching online. Le Soleil Perspectives it seems was a newspaper insert/supplement magazine, much like the Parade Magazine in my Seattle Times. I started doing some searching on and off and evetually came to find a complete magazine insert that...you guessed it...contained the Steve Garvey photo! Once again, I watched the item and waited in anticipation, hoping no other collector had spotted what I had or even knew the significance of it. Once again, I came away victorious and landed what I consider to be the equivalent to an unopened pack for this issue! The supplement in complete form!!!

So there you have it folks. Unless someone can convince me otherwise, with photo proof, I am 99% sure that what I am sharing with you is new to you and factual with regard to this mysterious issue. That being said, I didn't get anything but baseball players in this format, but the 21-card set is certainly much larger than Beckett would have you believe.

Garvey Spotlight - March 3

2010-03-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

1972 Topps Venezuelan Stamp

Quite possibly one of the toughest Steve Garvey items to find, this little gem was issued in Venezuela. Meant to be placed into collector albums well before "mint condition" was a buzz word, these little beauties (and I mean little at 2" x 2 9/16") are not only tough to find...period, but tough to find in decent condition.

After obtaining this issue, I almost felt as if my collecting desire was silenced. Having sat atop my wantlist at #1 for so long, I was not sure what direction to go. However, every day brings new possibilities. There are still items out there that have eluded me and some still to be discovered. That is the great thing about this hobby...YOU ARE NEVER DONE!

SUPER COLLECTOR

2010-03-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

What defines a super collector?

This is a term that has been tossed around in this hobby for many years. Most people who are passionate about collecting believe that they should be welcomed into the ranks of Super Collectors around the world. Some certainly should...others may still need to spice up the collection a bit.

When I think of Super Collectors, I think of those few people who have gone above and beyond to locate and obtain ALL items represented by their players. Those collectors who have worked on these collections as a labor of love, often for many, many years. These are not necessary always the collections of greatest value, but of dedication and a respect and support of that chosen athlete. I most enjoy browsing the impressive collections that people have, be it team collectors, set collectors, theme collectors, but usually the most enjoyment I get is from player collections.

Whatever your definition is, know that your passion is shared by many around the globe. I raise a glass to all the Super Collectors out there. May your collections rise above the rest and shine greatly.

Some fantastic collections I would certainly rank as Super Collections. Not meant to be an inclusive list by any means, just some sites I have stumbled upon in my travels. Feel free to share links of collections you know of that are equally impressive:

http://www.frankthomascollection.com/

http://www.thrill22.com/

http://www.piczo.com/niquefan?cr=7&rfm=y

http://www.freewebs.com/markbrunell/

http://www.4192cards.com/

http://www.thekid8.com/

http://204.126.120.170/randy/carew/carmain.htm

Garvey Spotlight - March 2

2010-03-02T18:41:00.001-08:00

Once again pushing the envelope as to what is and is not a "card", these two issues originate from a Canadian Sports magazine. Printed entirely in French, this is truly an import for us down in the States. Many of the issues would include a page like you see above of various star players: Baseball and Hockey are all I have seen so

far, many of which feature local Canadian teams prominently. Two issues featured Steve Garvey and as you can see, the page is printed in such a way as to lead you to believe these should be cut apart as collectibles even though the backs are printed pages with articles, photos, etc. Still, this is a unique issue for fans of Garvey and are seldom seen today. To date, I don't believe these to be cataloged anywhere and may not be considered true card issues in some circles, however with all the "cut-out" newspaper collectibles issued throughout the years, I find these a much more attractive item with full color images, printed on glossy magazine paper rather than B&W newsprint!

The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book

2010-03-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

When I think about my youth and my humble beginnings as a card collector, one memory always rises to the top among the other cherished memories of bike rides, recycling dirty old aluminum cans for spending money, ferry rides to Seattle to see the Mariners and of course, baseball cards; The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I find this book immensely enjoyable. Perhaps it's the random stories, tied to an even more random selection of baseball cards. Perhaps it's just one of very few books published that is associated with my passion. Perhaps it's just another link to my childhood. Whatever it may be, the book is just plain FUN!

I obtained my (first) copy by ordering through the Scholastic book orders we had as grade schoolers. You could count on my orders being baseball related. We'd scan the catalog of available books and find the newest issues available. "Have it, have it, have it...oooh! That's new. I want it!" It was painstakingly difficult to wait for those books to arrive by mail, but the payoff was incredible. The day the books arrived, those boxes were opened and the books spilled forward in their colorful delight!

I now own four different versions, in both paperback and hardback, as well as a couple first edition copies. I have not purchased a new copy in many years, but I still own the original book I got as a child among the other newer copies I gathered along the way. If you have not read this book, I suggest finding a copy and reading it. You won't regret it if you love cards as much as I do.

"Goodnight Sibby Sisti, wherever you are"

Garvey Spotlight - March 1

2010-03-01T20:32:00.001-08:00

1982 FBI Discs

If you are a player collector from the 80s, you'll probably know this issue all too well. Not an easy one to find, for sure. As you can see, these cards were found on the bottom of soda containers in Canada. However, if you can even find them, they tend to suffer problems similar to Hostess cards of the 70s. In any condition, they are a welcome addition to the collection!

To date, I have found 2 different panel variations. If anyone knows more about variations, please drop me a note.

M-I-C-K-E-Y - M-O-U-S-E

2010-03-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

It had to be done.

The GREATEST hair card ever!

Garvey Spotlight - February 28

2010-02-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

1981 GAF Micrographics (Gafline)

This "card" is unusual to say the least. Card is actually a misnomer. This item is an actual microfiche sheet. It is approximately 3 1/2" x 5". Manufactured to promote GAF's new GAFLINE 08, the rapid speed, blue black film designed for both COM and Source Document applications, as the film reads along the bottom. We are also shown on this unique item that GAF Micrographics is "The Duplicating Film Specialists".

S why Steve Garvey? Well, I learned of the existence of two other subjects as well, although photo evidence was not provided, so I can't be certain it is the same issue or even from the same source. Jim "Catfish" Hunter and Hank Aaron were reported to me by another collector. So it stands to reason that a series of these were produced, perhaps in different regions. Otherwise, I have no idea why this was even issued other than the obvious that it is a sample of GAF's new microfiche product. It could just as easily been an electrical schematic or a newpaper page, but it was Steve Garvey and because of that, I now care.

Information on this issue is fairly scarce as best I can tell. Even researching GAF/Gafline doesn't shed much light. It doesn't help that this item was from 1981 though. Why it was produced in this manner and how it was distributed are a mystery to me, but it has now earned a permanent spot in baseball card history, enough so that Beckett even recognizes it as a legitimate baseball card issue!

Does anyone else have this Garvey item or even a different subject? Share if you do.

Dr. Mike Marshall

2010-02-28T11:20:00.001-08:00

So much can be said about this item. Where to begin?

First off, any autograph collector out there knows how tough, or should I say, how expensive Mike Marshall signatures are. You can get them. Apparently Mr. Marshall has an exclusive deal with a collector named Bill Corcoran. Mr. Marshall freely answers questions about his signing habits "I have no interest in being part of the memorabilia industry." by referencing Mr. Corcoran and his phone number, urging collectors to go that route. Ah, how much easier might it have been to add Iron Mike to our collections if he just responded to fan requests rather than diverting them.

I have never tried to contact Mr. Corcoran, but it appears the average starting price of a Marshall autograph is around $250. While this may seem like a bargain for a really tough autograph of some long deceased HOFer, it seems a bit steep, at least to a budget minded collector like myself, for someone who is still living and only out of baseball for just under 30 years. Obviously his signing habits have driven that price, along with a very limited and closely controlled supply. Being a Dodger collector and a vintage signed card fan as well, Mr. Marshall has several cards I desire signed that I will likely never own. Based on the prices and the cards I would like to own signed, I would have to spend over $2500 to get them! Although not exactly a direct comparison, here is a story I will share just the same. I obtained 18 Gaylord Perry autographs, YES 18, in person this past summer when he was a free guest signer at the Everett AquaSox Mariner Appreciation day! Mr. Perry sat and signed anything placed in front of him for 2 hours and it didn't cost collectors a cent (other than admission to the park). I have no plans to sell any of them but I'm sure plenty of fans slapped theirs on ebay that night. That is the reality of this hobby. Mr. Perry didn't seem overly happy to do the signing based on his demeanor. Perhaps he was paid a nice fee to do it, but he signed none the less. By the end of the promotion, the "line" was 2-3 people. Mr. Perry is a 2 time Cy Young award winner and a HOFer, Mr. Marshall is not.

Now, moving past Mr. Marshall's frustrating signing habits, let's examine the card itself. Upper Deck somehow convinced Mr. Marshall to sign a very limited number of cards for this set. Certainly a landmark event in the autograph community. If memory serves me correctly, he signed 3 different styles, totaling less than 100 cards. The glove cards, as you can see, were #'d to 25 copies. I believe there were also 2 ball cards, both limited to 25 copies or less.

So, thinking this was my best and only shot at a certified Mike Marshall autograph, I watched and bid on several of these gems when they were first issued. Missing out on most, I seem to remember the average price settling out between $100-150. In the end, I was able to grab mine for less than $100. Not bad considering the alternative. Fast forward a few years and as you can see, the signature has bleed quite a bit. It is almost to the point where it can't be deciphered as a Mike Marshall signature. Now, I have kept this card tucked away in a box, where it rarely sees the light of day. I fear the time it was out to photograph may have shortened it's life once more due to the brief exposure to light. I hope not, but based on many other UD Sweet Spot cards, I am not holding my breath. In the end, no matter how faded or blurry this card gets, at least I can show it once contained a signature that is now but a blurred ink smear!

Perhaps I am being unreasonable, but I think UD owes me a replacement card. I have other Sweet Spot cards, gloves included, that look as crisp today as they did upon issue. WHY IS THIS CARD AND MANY OTHERS BLEEDING AND FADING SO BADLY? UD sold us a lemon and they should suck it up, pay for the expense and have these cards redone. Deceased players aside, and hopefully there are not too many that have done what my Marshall card has done, I bet most players are still living and able to sign new cards!

Speaking of Mike Mashall, I corresponded with him briefly via email. He is very approachable through his website and takes the time to answer all questioned posed to him. As bad as he seems to autograph seekers, this is something about him we must commend! I was curious to see what his thoughts were on a signed piece I had obtained some years back. To me, the signature looked good. Given his signing habits, could a player like that remember EVERY SINGLE SIGNATURE he gave? Well, he says he didn't sign that item. He said the writing was too neat and he wasn't that neat. I'd like to believe he is mistaken. Perhaps some little boy or girl cornered Iron Mike and he wasn't able to work his way out of signing a rare autograph. One can hope at least!

What do you think?

When will they learn?

2010-02-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

We've all felt this pain before! The wrath of the clueless packer!!

I love Dodger cards. Can't get enough of them. I must have 50,000 or more of them by now. I especially love the chance to pick up bulk lots, cheap! This opportunity arose recently and I was able to win a substantial lot of Dodger cards on ebay. Advertised at around 6000 cards, this lot was loaded with stars, rookies, inserts...new and old, dated 1960-2010. All the favorites were there: Garvey, Koufax, Garciaparra, Martin, Herhiser, Murray, Gibson, Piazza, Nomo, Sutton, etc. This was not going to be a brick of 1988 Topps and Donruss cards I could see, so I set my sights on winning.

After paying my invoice for around $40, $20 of which went towards postage, I cautioned the seller to use care when sending this giant lot. I even specifically called out the common practice (and who knows why, other than laziness or to save a few cents) of loading cards directly into a mailing container w/o being boxed up and asked that he not do this. I specifically shared my fear of beat up cards shipped this way! Are some people THAT CLUELESS to think these envelopes and boxes aren't beat around some by the good old USPS?

Well, you guessed it. The box arrived and the following photos document what my eyes saw before I even opened it up. I could only imagine the damage that had occurred to some of these beautiful Dodger cards. A wave of emotions ensued. Anger, frustration, then hope...hope that not too many cards were damaged.

In the end, if the lot had not been so fantastic, I would certainly have complained and maybe even tried to return it. That would have been a pain in itself, so I am glad I didn't need to resort to that. All and all, I think I lost 500 or so cards to severely dinged corners. I also believe I was shorted a good 1000 cards. I didn't count and believe the 6K advertisement was an estimate, but how can you fit all of the cards into a 5K box and think there are 6K? However, there were enough good cards that survived their ordeal that I was reluctantly happy overall with the deal.

ALL EBAY SELLERS NEED TO COMPLETE A TUTORIAL ON LISTING ITEMS (perhaps a future post) AND PACKAGING/SENDING ITEMS!

Garvey Spotlight - February 27

2010-02-27T13:26:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I will highlight an item from my collection. Perhaps something that is unique or perhaps a very common item. Enjoy.

Today's featured item(s) are from The Dodger-Pepsi Fan Club!

This item is the entire membership card and information sheet with the card still unpunched. It's from 1975.

This item is blank-backed and vertical, unlike the horizontal card from 1975. I don't know if this is a variation from 1975 or from another different year.

Maybe some of you guys who grew up in the LA area remember this club or even had your own membership card. I know I was a proud member for several years of the Pepsi Jr. Mariners. I still have my membership cards too!

I obtained the brochures first, but never had seen an actual membership card. I would wait several years before spotting one on ebay. Of course, now I know the hunt must continue because I have brochures for 1976 and 1978 and a membership card from 1975! More brochures and cards must exist, but will I ever see them is another question. Glad someone saved these at least!

Cut Signatures

2010-02-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Cut Signatures. You can't deny they are popular these days. Everybody wants them. Everyone seems to have a few. They sell well! The idea is monumental. It gives the average collector a chance to obtain a signature from some of the greatest names in history. When done correctly, this is the ultimate in collectibles. When done poorly...

Don Drysdale Cut Signature

Are you kidding me???

That has to be one of the ugliest cards ever! Take a nice card signed by deceased HOFer Don Drysdale. Cut it up, but not only cut it, cut his face off! Insert it into a fancy frame of a card, number it and it sells for 10x-20x what the original card would have sold for! If nothing else, the person who came up with this idea is a sales genius!

Which leads me to my main point. Why take a nice signed item and cut it up? There are plently of 3x5s and paper signatures that have absolutely zero character. Use those!

Nicely done Taylor Douthit cut.

Lastly, why are people willing to spend so much more to get that cut signature card???

UGLY = MORE ?

Why not just buy the real deal...FOR LESS???

Welcome to my cardboard jungle!

2010-02-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

Everyone is doing it, right? So, what the heck. I'll give it a try too.

My name is Curt, I live in the Pacific Northwest and I have been collecting sports cards almost nonstop since 1978. I took a short break starting in 1989 while active in the USN, but cards found me again in 1993 and I have never looked back since.

My main collecting interest is Steve Garvey. A kid from Southern California moved into my neighborhood in the summer of 1977. Soon we were friends and I learned of his love of baseball, and especially Steve Garvey and the LA Dodgers. Now I was not much of a fan that I recollect at that time, especially considering my home team was the Seattle Mariners, but soon I was also a fan of baseball, the Dodgers and Steve Garvey. Not the most original beginning...but that is how it happened.

After over 30 years, I have amassed what is most likely one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Garvey memorabilia out there. I don't often use the term "Supercollector" lightly, but I will say I am definitely a supercollector of Steve Garvey.

Along the way, I also collect signed cards of just about any sport. I especially enjoy the vintage cards though. Other interests include Dodgers items, Frank Thomas, oddball issues and just about anything that catches my eye.

I don't know how frequent of a poster I will be, but I plan to share some of my knowledge of the hobby, as well as my opinions, thoughts and general ramblings along the way. All aboard!