1967 Topps #518 - Denis Menke
We come out of the gate with a pretty severely mis-cut Denis Menke courtesy of 1967 Topps. This one is way out of line left to right, and even more so top to bottom. You can even see just a hair of the card that was below this one on the printing sheet along the very bottom there. Mis-cut or not, Denis makes the cut because I haven't acquired any other #518 buybacks at this point.
1978 Topps #352 - Tony Scott
This one makes the cut as well at #352. It's really nothing special though, and Tony's time with the Cardinals wasn't very spectacular either. I expect this one to eventually be replaced in the franken-set by something a little more interesting, but time will tell...
1974 Topps #304 - Don Wilson
Don Wilson played for 9 MLB seasons, all with the Astros. He famously no-hit the Braves in 1967, a game in which he also recorded 15 strikeouts. This one is kind of creepy in that Don passed away tragically during the 1974 off-season, less than a year after this card was printed up, due to carbon monoxide poisoning. I'll spare you the depressing details.
1979 Topps #425 - Rick Manning
Rick Manning was the #2 overall pick in the 1972 draft. He's probably most famous for "stealing" Dennis Eckersley's wife, and also for serving as the Indians' color commentator for close to 30 years now. Unfortunately for Rick there's a better card in slot 425 already:
1962 Topps #249 - Ed Keegan
Next up, a wrinkled-ass Ed Keegan, complete with the 1962 Rookie star badge. Keegan wasn't long for the Majors, in fact he pitched the last game of his brief career in 1962. He finished with an 0-3 career record and an ERA of 9.00. He still makes the franken-set though as my lone #249 buyback to date.
1979 Topps #444 - Aurelio Lopez
Aurelio Lopez, who is a member of the Mexican Baseball HOF, actually enjoyed a brief career in politics after hanging up his spikes. He was killed in an automobile accident at age 44. According to Wikipedia, the only three players in Major League history named Aurelio all died unexpectedly in auto accidents. Man, this is turning into quite a depressing buyback post.
1974 Topps #303 - George Hendrick
Next, outfielder George Hendrick's 1974 Topps release. George is better remembered for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was their top home run hitter for four consecutive years beginning in 1980, and won a World Series with the team in '82. As far as the franken-set goes, this buyback is in.
1960 Topps #107 - Carl Willey
Carl Willey's 1960 card makes the cut as well, and is one of the older buybacks in the set at this point. Carl was a lifelong resident of the state of Maine, and spent some time in Germany with the US Army in the 1950s as well. It's impressive to me that a guy from the absolute middle of nowhere in Maine was able to make the Majors.
1976 Topps #489 - Skip Jutze
Proceeding along, here's a tilted and somewhat dizzying shot of catcher Skip Jutze. The year after this card was issued Skip was a member of the inaugural Seattle Mariners team. Unfortunately for Skip, he's facing some tough competition when it comes to induction into the franken-set:
1958 Topps #416 - Foster Castleman
Last card for today. Foster Castleman was mostly a reserve infielder, and struggled offensively during his career. Still, a very bright and vibrant '58 Topps card here. Buybacks from the '50s score extra points in my book, but if Foster wants in the franken-set he'll have to unseat this card:
That's a wrap for today. Maybe not the most exciting group of ten, but as the project continues on into the new year I'm nearing 1/3 completion of the franken-set. I've got a whole host of great buybacks to share this year, but I'll do what I can to spread the posts out and prevent buyback overload here on the blog...
Franken-set Progress: 256/792 (32%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 66
I like the background shots of original Yankee Stadium on the Davallio and Hendrick cards. I think Kasko's card might also be at YS, but it's much blurrier.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that Foster Castleman has part of his face obliterated by the foil stamp.
Building a very impressive set
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