1973 Topps #518 - Bob Veale
Leading off is this awesome Bob Veale that my buddy Mark Kaz sent me a couple of years ago now. I've always liked the classic windbreaker under the jersey look that Veale is sporting here. In what's going to be a common theme for this post, there's some pre-existing competition here:
1973 Topps #468 - Tom Griffin
I don't recall where this one came from to be honest, but I like the perspective of the photograph. There sure were some interesting and unique photos in '73 Topps and this is a fine example. I don't know why Topps would place the buyback stamp over Tom's feet instead of the upper left corner but it is what it is. There was competition in slot 468 for this card as well:
1976 Topps #387 - Mike Miley
This one is a bit depressing, as Angels shortstop Mike Miley actually passed away in a single car crash during the 1976 off-season. Mike was a big-name college quarterback at LSU before deciding to pursue a career in baseball. Again, I've already got a buyback in slot 387...
1977 Topps #46 - Buck Martinez
Next up is a man who's made more of a name for himself as a broadcaster than as a player, though his 17-season MLB career is nothing to scoff at either. The card itself is not all that exciting to me personally, but neither is the one it has to compete against for franken-set induction:
1978 Topps #660 - Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson played in the Majors for just about ten years on the nose, and was an All-Star three times including the year this card was issued. These days he runs a baseball instructional camp out of Auburn Hills, Michigan. At #660 he's got a tough card number when it comes to this project though, as this card already stands in the way:
1979 Topps #97 - Sam Mejias
I don't really know what to say about Sam Mejias, who played sparsely as a backup outfielder over the course of a handful of seasons. I do enjoy adding a nice Expos card to the binder, but in this case I already have an Expos card in slot 97:
1966 Topps #343 - Joe Christopher
Up next is the second Red Sox buyback of today's post, a '66 Topps Joe Christopher. Joe was actually born in the US Virgin Islands, and 1966 was the final year of his MLB career. If you've read any of these posts before you might remember that hat-less players bother me, but Joe's genuine smile helps offset that to some extent.
1978 Topps #83 - Bob Montgomery
After seven straight conflicts we finally get a card here that represents a brand new number for the franken-set project. This is the second buyback of Bob Montgomery, who served as a backstop for the Sox throughout the '70s, to make the binder. One number closer to completion!
1966 Topps #145 - Bill Freehan
I picked this buyback of 11x All-Star Bill Freehan up out of the dollar box at my LCS a year or two ago now. Bill was one of the top backstops in the AL for a number of years, and has 5 Gold Glove Awards and a World Series Championship to go along with those 11 All-Star selections. A classic pose complete with Yankee Stadium backdrop here. I'd love to induct this one into the franken-set, but a '72 Topps card stands in the way:
1970 Topps #514 - Steve Hovley
Final card for today is perhaps my favorite of this bunch, as I'm a total sucker for anything Seattle Pilots. Originally a draft pick of the Angels, the Pilots grabbed him in the '68 expansion draft. There's already a card in slot 514 of the binder, but it's going to take an impressive one to keep Steve Hovley here from the set...
Well, that was a particularly rough batch. In fact, with just one new card number added to the set compared to nine conflicts, I'm fairly sure this is the worst batch yet mathematically speaking. There will be more posts like this one as the set fills up and it becomes harder and harder to find new numbers, but it's still fun to have some conflicts and to see the existing card numbers shift and improve over time.
Franken-set Progress: 312/792 (39%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 92
Total Buybacks in Collection: 404
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3 comments:
I have that Martinez in non-buyback condition.
/have to agree though, Expos are good lol
I never gave much thought to buybacks until I started reading your posts. And when I recently bought a box of 2015 Topps the buybacks were a major attraction. One of those pulls is on its way to you, btw.
Hatless Herbel had to go, and I think the creased Christopher is hanging on for dear life. The Lopes and Freehan are really nice, and I bet it will be hard to knock down that Seattle Pilot.
I actually have a preference on one of them. It's personal so I can't fault your choice but I always liked the red White Sox uniforms so I would have stayed with Pat.
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