Buyback Franken-set: COMC Buybacks

Last week an intense 4-hour exam on cyber security, and all the studying that went along with it, kept me away from the blog for the most part.  I passed the test (whoohoo!), so with that behind me let's get back to my Buyback Franken-set project.

Tonight we evaluate ten buybacks that I picked up while browsing around on COMC...

1976 Topps #40 - Dave Kingman

I comb COMC for buybacks somewhat regularly, and when this great dugout shot of Dave Kingman on his 1976 release popped up for 80 cents I was sold.  Dave was an All-Star and even garnered some MVP votes in '76, thanks in large part to his 37 round-trippers that year.  Does this one make the franken-set?

I had this '67 Rick Reichardt in slot 40 prior to this...

...but I'm tossing him to make way for King Kong.

1990 Topps #651 - Rafael Santana

You shouldn't be surprised to see a 1990 Topps buyback here.  I was hoping that I already had a #651 buyback so that confused-looking Rafael here could shift over to the 1990 Topps buyback binder.  That was not the case however, and Santana plugs a hole in the franken-set instead.  Hey, I'll take that!

1989 Topps #398 - Julio Franco All-Star

I love me a good Julio Franco card, and a Franco buyback in particular is going to get my attention every time.  Julio, who had a very solid season in '89, seems like an obvious choice for the binder.  The card number could be an issue though, as Topps used the high 300s/low 400s for their All-Star subsets for quite a few years there.  So, who will Franco have to best for a spot in the binder then?

Juan Samuel, from the '88 All-Star subset.

Not a hard call there.

This slot is actually part of a completed page as well, here's how it looks now with Julio in place.

1990 Topps #533 - Tim Jones

Back to the 1990s here.  On COMC I'll basically only pick up buybacks of cards that are notable to me, but the exception would be 1990 buybacks since I'm working on a set.  Why else would I pay money for a card of Tim Jones, who swatted .219 over 67 games in 1990?

The deck is really stacked against Jones, because at #533 he also draws one of the toughest match-ups in the binder, the iconic 1975 Rudy Meoli card!

Was there ever any doubt?

1982 Topps #410 - Ron Cey

Here's a cool one for a number of reasons.  First of all, Ron Cey is a decent player to get in buyback form any day of the week.  Secondly, 1982 Topps is my "birth year" set, and for whatever reason there seem to be disproportionately few buybacks from this particular set.  Last but certainly not least, I was lacking a #410 buyback in the binder before picking this one up.  $1.25 well spent!

1990 Topps #553 - Scott Scudder

Yes, another 1990, sorry!  This one's cool in that the Reds were the World Series champs in 1990, but aside from that it's admittedly not the most exciting buyback.  I picked it up with my 1990 set in mind...

...and since I already had this '77 buyback of Jack Heidemann in slot 553...

...that's exactly where it ended up.

1990 Topps #155 - Ellis Burks

Love this one!  Ellis Burks' card is one I remember so fondly from some of my very first packs of baseball cards back in the spring of 1990.  This is one of the examples of where, at least in this blogger's humble opinion, the 1990 design comes together to make a card that is very aesthetically pleasing.

Already had this sweet Butch Hobson buyback in slot 155 though, and there it will stay.

Ellis takes up residence in the 1990 Topps buyback binder.

1988 Topps #226 - Dave Lopes

I swear I pulled these at random from my COMC box, coincidental that I ended up with a Dave Lopes buyback in the same post with a Ron Cey buyback.  Dave's final MLB innings came in 1987, so we've got complete career stats on the back of this one.  It's also my first #226 buyback, so like Ron Cey before him Davey takes a spot in the binder.

1990 Topps #395 - Jeff Russell All-Star

I swear this is the last 1990 Topps buyback for today.  What can I say, with 792 of these to track down I have to accumulate them whenever I can.  Nice to get a card from the AL All-Star subset as well for a change.  What's the fate of Jeff Russell here?

Well, I already have Roger Metzger's 1973 release in slot 395 of the binder.  I'm not all that partial to either card, and I kind of like the low-quality outfield wall advertisements on this one.  Roger holds his place...

...and Russell is off to the 1990 binder.

One last buyback to go, and it's one that I find entertaining...

2011 Topps #128 - Manny Ramirez

The great (depending on your point-of-view) Manny Ramirez!  Looks odd to see Ramirez in one of his brief post-Red Sox stints.  Manny played just 24 total games with the White Sox at the end of the 2010 season, yet he earned a Topps flagship release with the team in the 2011 set.  A comical buyback that I just couldn't leave behind for another collector to scoop up.

I had a 1990 Topps checklist in slot 128, so this worked out perfectly as Manny is a nice addition to the franken-set...

...and the checklist moves over to fill an open slot in the 1990 set.

A nice, even spread this evening as the franken-set got three new numbers added plus a couple of nice upgrades, and my '90 Topps buyback set leaped ahead by another five cards as well.

Thanks for stopping by as always!

Franken-set Progress: 626/792 (79%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 94/792 (11%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 500
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,220