1990 Topps #755 - Rafael Palmeiro
Nick's latest trade package contained a large enough chunk of buybacks that I'm going to break them into two posts, but he certainly came out swinging with this 1990 Palmeiro! Apparently Rafael is attempting a comeback, which seems more like a publicity stunt than anything at his current age. Either way, I love all things 1990 Topps, and am actually working on a separate '90 Topps buyback set in addition to my overall franken-set. Since this is my first #755 buyback of any sort though, it goes into the franken-set for now...
1987 Topps #265 - Darrell Evans
Next is a very concerned looking Darrell Evans courtesy of 1987 Topps. Could've sworn I had a copy of this one in buyback form already, but my very detailed records say otherwise. Darrell actually had a very solid 1987 campaign, hitting 34 home runs and driving in 99 runs at age 40! Seems like a strong contender for the franken-set, but there's just one problem. In slot 265 Darrell's grim expression...
1985 Topps #284 - Marty Bystrom
I'm not familiar at all with pitcher Marty Bystrom, and that's understandable when I look at his career stats. He played just six seasons of Major League Baseball, and appeared in 10 games or more in just three of those seasons. 1985 was the end of the line for Marty, he made 8 starts but his 5.71 ERA failed to impress the Yankees or anyone else. Bystrom had been traded from the Phillies to the Yankees midway through the 1984 season, which explains the heavy airbrushing seen here.
1989 Topps #60 - Tom Brunansky
1989 was a typical season for outfielder Tom Brunansky. He put up decent power numbers (29 doubles, 20 home runs, 85 RBI) but struck out over 100 times and batted just .239. I really appreciate this one because card numbers that are multiples of ten were reserved for the game's stars for many years, so they're not always the easiest to come across in buyback format. Case in point, this is my very first #60 buyback and makes the binder by default!
1991 Topps #684 - Milt Cuyler
Here's Milt Cuyler, apparently staring straight into the sun on his 1991 release. Milt actually had a solid rookie season in '91, good enough to place third in Rookie of the Year voting. Amazingly, it ended up being his only season with 100 or more games played, and he was out of baseball by 1998. How does this one fare in terms of the franken-set?
1988 Topps #713 - Willie Hernandez
Next up, from 1988 Topps, a suspicious-looking Willie Hernandez. In what ended up being Willie's penultimate season in '88 he was pretty damn effective, to the tune of a 3.06 ERA in 63 appearances. You know you have the manager's confidence when you get the ball in close to 40% of your team's games across an entire season. A nice high number card, and a new one for the franken-set. Nick's really filling up the binder nicely with this latest batch!
1988 Topps #604 - Chris Bando
I don't know much about Chris Bando, who retired just as I was getting into the game. I'm guessing he was a "defensive specialist" at catcher though, considering he swatted a lean .125 in 1988. Yikes. Amazingly, this is yet another new number for the franken-set, which is incredible at this stage. Certainly a tenuous hold at best for Bando, but he's in for now.
1990 Topps #757 - Larry Walker
The Palmeiro that led off the post wasn't the only significant 1990 buyback I received, as I also got this awesome buyback of Larry Walker's RC! I love this one, so much so in fact...
1989 Topps #508 - Wally Backman
The next buyback features Wally Backman's back-swing, which I find humorous. Though depicted with the Mets here, Wally actually spent the '89 season with the Twins after New York dealt him there in the '88 off-season. This one is actually not a new number for the franken-set...
1988 Topps #444 - Cal Ripken Sr.
Last card for tonight, and a very interesting buyback at that! I may not have Cal Ripken Jr. represented in the franken-set (yet!), but at least I've got Sr. Nick was especially gracious in sharing this one with me, as I know he has a side collection of players tipping their caps. If I ever end up with a duplicate of this one, which is a very real possibility as I've grabbed a few bulk lots on eBay lately, I'll be sure to route one back his way.
Nick, thanks so much for these, and sorry it took me a while to get them posted. I promise round two will follow in relatively short order here.
With these ingested and accounted for I'm so close to 1,000 total buybacks I can taste it! As I said before, I have a couple of really special buybacks that I've been saving for the occasion, so check back in over the next couple weeks if you're curious about those!
Franken-set Progress: 541/792 (67%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 447
Total Buybacks in Collection: 988
Glad to see a few of them made the binder, and yes indeed: those were all dime box buybacks! I was tempted to keep the Ripken Sr. but I think it has a much better home in your collection than mine.
ReplyDeleteNice Larry Walker rookie buyback.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was something I could disagree with. Here's something. I still have stong feelings about the steroid era so I'd have skipped over Rafi or at least gave him an astersik for later removal.
ReplyDeleteShane, email me your address. I've got some buybacks to send your way.
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice Expos team card, I'm not surprised it held onto its spot in the binder. But there is something fascinating about a buyback Backman backswing, haha.
ReplyDeleteI haven't see that Cal Sr card in forever but I saw it all the time as a kid. I must have pulled it a dozen times.