Buyback Franken-set: Angus Goes Shopping - Part II

Time to wrap up the batch of buybacks I received recently from Angus of Dawg Day Cards (you can find part one here).  Today's edition will be slightly larger than normal, at fourteen buybacks!

1958 Topps #196 - Mike Garcia

Starting off strong here with a beat-up, late-career Mike Garcia card from 1958 Topps.  By the time this card was printed in the late '50s, Garcia had already "won" a World Series (to be fair, he debuted just days before the post-season and didn't pitch in the 1948 Series), and been selected as an All-Star for three straight seasons.  He twice led the AL in ERA, and is a member of the Indians HOF!

I was pleased to discover that I was lacking a #196 buyback in the binder, so Mike is now a resident.  On a side note, I put in a bid on a '58 buyback of Don Drysdale last night that would've looked pretty sweet in the binder with Mike here.  I wasn't willing to go higher than $25 though, and apparently the winning bidder was.  Oh well, can't win 'em all.

1977 Topps #551 - Bill North

Next up is speedster Bill North, the man who got into the famous clubhouse dust-up with Reggie Jackson a couple of years before this card was printed up.  Ironic, because guess who is in the franken-set binder, and currently residing in slot 551?

Yup, the man himself!  How's that for a franken-set match-up?

In real life, Jackson may have injured his shoulder, but in this franken-set battle he comes out on top.  Off to the rejected box for Bill North.

1974 Topps #318 - Jim Merritt

The Rangers were the final stop of Jim Merritt's Major League career, after previous stints with the Twins and Reds.  His peak season was undoubtedly 1970, as he made the All-Star team for the only time that year, and also recorded his sole 20-win season.

This bright and colorful Ernie McAnally is currently holding down slot 318.

Easy win for McAnally.  Had this been a '70 Topps Jim Merritt maybe things would have ended differently.

1973 Topps #86 - Tom McCraw

I'm not very familiar with Tom McCraw, but that's a great photograph on this 1973 Topps card.  Is it good enough to get this one into the franken-set binder?

Unfortunately for Tom, he's got some stiff competition.

Yeah, not a tough choice there.

1974 Topps #141 - Pat Bourque

Pat Bourque's MLB career started at the tail end of the 1971 season, and ended at the tail end of the 1974 season.  Without knowing the guy obviously, my first impression from this photo is that he seems kinda creepy.  This one actually does make the binder though, in the absence of competition for slot 141.  The underdogs win sometimes.

1976 Topps #424 - Phil Roof

Known as a "defensive catcher", which is what they call you when you have a career batting average of .215, Phil Roof lasted for 15 seasons!  This buyback is from the 2014 promotion, where they used the 75th Anniversary retro logo for the foil stamp.

Already had a buyback in slot 424.  It's not a bad one either, as '60 Topps buybacks aren't the easiest things to come by.

Whisenant wins, simply based on set alone.

2006 Topps #624 - J.J. Furmaniak

Here's a random one!  Furmaniak (what a fun name) got a card in 2006 Topps after appearing in a handful of games for the Pirates at the end of 2005.  He never made the Major League roster in 2006 though.  The A's signed him for the 2007 season.  He appeared in 16 games, and that was it.  29 career games, and he has a Topps baseball card.  J.J. also makes the franken-set uncontested at the obscure number of 624.

2006 Topps #364 - Ryan Madson

2006 was really the only time in Ryan Madson's career that he spent time as a starter (making 17 of his 18 career starts).  I did not realize that, amazingly, Ryan is still around!  He's logged innings with the Oakland A's and Washington Nationals this season!

Ryan gets matched up against Claude Raymond (and his undone fly) as far as the franken-set is concerned.

Raymond stays, Madson is out.

1977 Topps #222 - Francisco Barrios

Here's Francisco Barrios, sporting one of the more interesting uniforms of the era with this White Sox get-up.  Barrios tossed a no-hitter the year before this set was released, so that's something.

I really like this '69 Duane Josephson though, and it's been in slot 222 for some time now.

It's going to stay that way for now.

1978 Topps #328 - Milwaukee Brewers

Here's a wonderfully awkward team photo of the Brewers, as constituted for the 1978 season.  I've said this probably twenty times, but I miss having these in the modern-day flagship releases.  As it turns out I had no previous #328 buyback, so the entire Brew Crew gets admitted to the binder.

1986 Topps #513 - Ron Washington

Not the most flattering card of a man who didn't seem to have many flattering cards.  A relatively high number though, maybe this one will make the cut for that reason alone?

Nope, already have a 513.  And it's a Red Sox card.  And the subject's name is Dick.  Pole.

1967 Topps #187 - Pedro Ramos

We'll finish things off here with a trio of '67 buyback box-toppers from last year's Heritage release.  Cap-less Pedro Ramos wants in for slot 187...

..but Darren Daulton is already there.  RIP Darren.

1967 Topps #367 - Bill Kelso/Don Wallace

Maybe Bill Kelso/Don Wallace will fair better?  Kelso lasted a handful of seasons, while Wallace never appeared in the Majors again after 1967.

Ouch!  One of my favorite '60s buybacks is already in slot 367 too.  The photograph on this Leon Wagner is just awesome.

1967 Topps #188 - Ken Harrelson

Last card of the day, Ken Harrelson of the Senators.  I really like this one because, while "The Hawk" started the '67 season with the Senators, he ended up in Boston (with a stop in Kansas City along the way) in time to participate in the "Impossible Dream" '67 post-season with the Sox!

I had this '73 Cookie Rojas in slot 188, and I really like it quite a bit.  One of those great '70s cards where the background is as or more entertaining than the subject.

As a Red Sox fan though, I had to go with the Harrelson!

Angus, thank you for thinking of my collection as a destination for this great batch of buybacks!  Thanks to your generosity I've bumped up another percentage point towards completion of the franken-set, to 58%.  This package took me over the 750 total buybacks threshold as well, not too bad for a project that I essentially started last summer.

Angus wasn't the only blogger/trader to send me buybacks these pats few weeks, more coming soon...

Franken-set Progress:  461/792 (58%)
"Rejected" Buybacks:  292
Total Buybacks in Collection: 753