Buyback Franken-set: Crossing the 400 Card Threshold

Tonight marks another milestone in my buyback franken-set project, as this lot of cards including a HOFer, and one of the more controversial personalities in the history of the game, takes me over the 400 card mark in my set pursuit!

1989 Topps #680 - Gary Carter

We'll start with the guy who's enshrined in Cooperstown, the great Gary Carter.  Carter was on the back-nine of his career here.  A nice buyback though, compounded by the fact that the blue foil buybacks are some of the tougher pulls in the 2017 "Rediscover Topps" promotion.  Best of all, this card fills a previously empty slot in the binder.

1988 Topps #558 - Bob Ojeda

From one blue foil Met to another, here's Bob Ojeda's '88 release.  Bob began his MLB career with the Red Sox, but they traded him to the Mets after the 1985 season.  This would have immediate repercussions for Boston, as Ojeda would become a key cog in the starting rotation for the Mets team that would beat the Red Sox in the World Series the very next year.  Ouch!  This buyback is a first of its number as well, and thus makes the cut uncontested.

1990 Topps #39 - Curt Ford

Score, another '90 Topps buyback!  Curt Ford's career was short and largely unremarkable, but I will never tire of this set as it was the first baseball release I ever opened a pack of, or picked up in large quantity.  Unlike the first two cards in tonight's post, there was already a buyback blocking Ford's entry to the binder...

Not exactly a clash of the titans here.

I went with the Koppe, but I might have been over-compensating in an attempt to remain neutral on '90 Topps.  I'm already questioning my decision here, but then again I hope to have a better buyback than either of these in slot 39 someday.

1991 Topps #501 - Mike Bielecki

This one makes the cut uncontested, and my records tell me that this is the very first 1991 Topps buyback to make the binder.  I absolutely love how the photograph is framed on this one, job well done by Topps and just one of the many great examples from what I feel is a very under-rated set overall.  Happy to have this one included in the project, at least for now.

1981 Topps #204 - Ron LeFlore/Rodney Scott Record Breaker

Some great variety in tonight's selection I have to say.  You gotta love a card with not one, but two, Montreal Expos featured.  The record that's noted on the card is pretty obscure, I'll grant you that.  I don't have a lot of 1981 Topps buybacks in the binder so far though, in fact this is just my second one at this stage.

1987 Topps #444 - Jeff Russell

Jeff Russell appears to be having a great time on his 1987 Topps card here.  I have to be honest though, this one doesn't do a whole lot for me.  Hat-less players in the '60s are irritating, but hat-less players in the late '80s are inexcusable.

I was relieved to find that I don't have to welcome Jeff Russell to the binder even temporarily, as Vic Davalillo here is already holding down slot 444.

Phew!

1990 Topps #466 - Rance Mulliniks

Two 1990 Topps buybacks within a small lot of ten?!?!  I'm loving that.  Unfortunately though, neither of them quite had what it took to make the binder.  In Rance Mulliniks' case, he was flat out destroyed in a match-up with one of my absolute favorite buybacks to date:

Yup, no contest there.

All is not lost though, I've started tracking my 1990 buybacks on their own just to see how close I may get to a set someday, and the pair in today's post takes me up to 14 buybacks and counting from the 1990 release.  Not bad!

2012 Topps #257 - Seth Smith

Here's a very recent one, the second 2012 Topps buyback to make the franken-set so far.  Seth is still kicking around the Majors too, having been picked up by the Orioles in trade this past January.  He's not exactly lighting it up so far this season, but does have a pair of round-trippers.

2005 Topps #119 - Steve Trachsel

Another fairly recent one here, and the third New York Met buyback of this post.  Steve has the unique distinction of being the only pitcher in Mets history to give up four home runs in a single inning.  Not a flattering statistic, but this one makes the cut regardless and is the first representation of 2005 Topps in my little project.

1989 Topps #500 - Jose Canseco

We started with the HOFer, we'll end with the controversial personality.  I can still remember what a big deal Canseco was in the late '80s/early '90s.  I'm not sure there were many people at the time who could've possibly predicted things going the way they did for Jose.  Regardless of how you feel about the guy, this is a pretty iconic card for someone who started collecting as a 7-year-old in the spring of 1990, and I'm happy to have it in buyback form.

A great lot tonight, and it pushed me past the 400-card threshold for the franken-set as I indicated at the outset.  Not bad at all, glad I fought the urge to skip posting again today and powered through.  Until next time!

Franken-set Progress:  405/792 (51%)
"Rejected" Buybacks:  193
Total Buybacks in Collection: 598