Buyback Franken-set: Recycled Goods

As I keep rolling with the buyback franken-set project, today I've got a stack of 10 that have all been featured on the blog in years past, but haven't officially been evaluated for/incorporated into the franken-set.  Time to do a little house-keeping, let's dive in...

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:

Hmm...not a tough choice as this Denis Menke is terribly mis-cut.

So long!

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:

A nice enough standard posed photo on this card...

...but it can't compete with the Griffin.

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...

I've been waiting for a chance to get rid of this hat-less Ron Herbel...

...and here it is!

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:

Honestly, this one's a toss-up to me.

I'm going with Buck Martinez based on name recognition alone.

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:

Jason had some good seasons, but doesn't really have the credentials to match up against Davey Lopes.

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:

Bob Bailey won a World Series with the Reds in '76, and finished out his career with the Red Sox as well.  I also like the photograph better on this one, so...

...Sam is off to the reject box.

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.

Joe is up against this '78 John Wathan for a place in the set.

Since I don't have any particular attachment to the Wathan card I'm going with the Red Sox player, simple as that.

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:

A nice enough card for sure, but Don never won a World Series and has less All-Star selections and Gold Gloves to his name than Bill Freehan does.

Bill is in, Don is out!

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...

Hmm...I love '75 Topps as much as anyone but I don't see how I can choose this over the Pilots card.

In fact, I can't.

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