Odds and Ends

I don't really have time for a substantive post today, so instead I give you a random smattering of cards I scanned in while cleaning off my card room desk yesterday evening...

I was definitely late to the game on these Cognac Diamond Anniversary parallels, but I'm a big fan.  The variations featuring retired legends are my favorites.  Nolan Ryan was one I knew I wanted to track down.  In addition to this Mets card, there's another (#626B) that has him in California Angels garb.

I wanted the Yastrzemski perhaps more than any other, and I finally landed one a couple of months back.  Aside from the Nolan Ryan I'm missing, the one I'd like most now is a Carlton Fisk, which is a nice-looking horizontal card.  It's currently occupying one of the nine spots on my Most Wanted list.

Here's another fearsome shark from the 2008 Allen & Ginter World's Deadliest Sharks insert set.  I am fascinated by sharks and have been slowly gathering these since I pulled my first one in a pack a couple of years ago.  This Oceanic Whitetip puts me at three out of five now.  These inserts are harder than you'd think to come by, I've never seen what the stated odds were for pulling one but they were a tough pull for sure.  They book at $12 each in Beckett, $50 for the set.  Just the Tiger and Mako left and I can cross this set off my list at last.

These last three cards were supposed to comprise the end of my "What I Bought Instead of Allen & Ginter" posts from this past summer.  I'm way too lazy to type up a formal summary, I'm considering that project complete.

2005 Topps Pack Wars Pedro Martinez.  This is the foil parallel, numbered to /56.  I don't know that I'm a fan of the Pack Wars set, although in all fairness I haven't played the game.  I do know that a Pedro Martinez numbered to /56 copies is nothing to scoff at.  I believe this may have come from Lonestarr at Life and Baseball Cards, but I have to confess I'm not entirely sure.

From 2006 Fleer Ultra, here's a Nomar Garciaparra card from the Retro Lucky 13 subset.  I wasn't collecting in 2006 and I have no idea what the Retro Lucky 13 stands for, although it seems to have something to do with the first 13 picks of a draft.  To me, it's a new card of a player who is way under-represented in my Red Sox collection...

From 2007 Fleer Ultra, a Hideki Okajima rookie.  I always liked this guy when he was with Boston.  The Yankees signed him to a one-year deal this past off-season, however he failed his physical and ended up playing in Japan instead.

Roger Clemens 1988 Topps UK Mini.  I really hope Roger doesn't make a comeback in 2013 with Houston.  Don't do it Roger.

This Eiffel Tower card is the latest addition to my very small collection (now 3 cards) that I began after visiting last year.  It's a red parallel from the 2008 A Piece of History set, numbered to /149.

Pops sticker.  Pulled this from a pack of 1982 Topps baseball.  Still haven't stuck it anywhere.  Now for some hockey...

1991 Pinnacle Eric Lindros.  As a ten-year-old in 1992, I would have considered giving my left testicle for a copy of this card.  As it stands I'm pretty sure this came from a quarter bin sometime in the past couple of years.

Here's another Lindros card, not nearly as interesting as the first.  I don't know where this card came from, and I don't know why I decided to include it in this post.

Another new Wayne Gretzky, although this one is a measly common from the '95-96 Collector's Choice set.

Seriously Roger, don't do it.

I think I could see myself starting a John Olerud player collection at some point.  He's definitely an under-rated player in my humble opinion.  At the very least I should track down a few cards from his brief time with the Red Sox.

I came across a small stack of 1992 Topps Stadium Club, the highlights of which were Frank Thomas...

...a young Jeff Bagwell sporting some killer shades...

...and finally Robin Yount.

I also came across a pack of 1981 Topps baseball that I got in a repack box years ago.  Only three cards of note were pulled.  This Victory Leaders card featuring a hatless Steve Carlton...

...Gaylord Perry in pinstripes...

...and Bobby Bonds in dire need of a haircut.

Finally, we have a Hideo Nomo rookie card from the 1995 Emotion set.  As a kid in the early to mid-90s I was not immune to the Nomo craze.  This is the only rookie card I've got though.

I hope you enjoyed this totally random lot of cards...