Buyback Franken-set: 0-fer!

Time for another batch of buybacks for my Buyback Franken-set project.  This time around I grabbed ten at random from my "to be processed" stash just to see how the luck of the draw would treat me.  As you can tell by the title of this post, it didn't treat me very well.

Well, let's see which ten buybacks this group lost to anyway, shall we?

1978 Topps #587 - John Urrea

Not very familiar with John Urrea, who went 4-9 for the Cardinals in 1978.  He looks hopeful to me, but he shouldn't get his hopes up much...

...because slot 587 of the binder is already occupied by a nice, colorful '75 buyback.

Certainly don't see any reason to make a change there.

1988 Topps #129 - Greg Minton

Second in line today is an extremely confused-looking Greg Minton.  Here's a random stat about Greg:  in his 16-year MLB career, he had 7 seasons where he posted a sub-3.00 ERA.  Three of those seasons came in his final three seasons, his age 36, 37 and 38 campaigns.  Talk about finishing strong!

I have this Marty Pattin from 1979 Topps in slot 129.

Decided to keep it there based mostly on aesthetics, however in researching Minton for this post I learned he was definitely a more solid relief pitcher than I ever realized.  Wondering if I made the right call now?

1987 Topps #298 - Larry Herndon

If this buyback looks familiar to you, it may be because you're seen it here before.  Yup, I already have a copy.  Well, sort of.  That was the Blue Foil version of the Rediscover Topps stamp, whereas this is the more common Bronze Foil version.  This is beyond silly, and that's coming from someone who actually really enjoys these cards.  It's probably a good thing that Topps gave this concept a rest (other than the Heritage box-topper buybacks) after 2017.

Like the Blue Foil version before him, today's Larry Herndon card gets absolutely decimated by one of my favorite buybacks in the entire binder, period.

It's going to take one hell of a buyback to unseat that Rico Petrocelli All-Star Rookie...

1989 Topps #244 - Jim Acker

How about a bland Jim Acker buyback?  1989 was actually the best season of Acker's career, but I'd imagine even a die-hard Braves fan isn't all that enthused by this card.

The 1979 "We Are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates team checklist stands in Jim Acker's path.

I probably should've come up with a new "stamp" to use for cases like this.  Rather than "REJECTED", maybe something like "DESTROYED"...

1967 Topps #496 - Orlando McFarlane

Despite me pulling these buybacks at random, it sure looks like I went for an "odd facial expressions" theme for today's post, doesn't it?  A hat-less, '67 Cuban catcher vs...

...a 1975 Dominican shortstop.

Just like earlier in the post, I'm going with the '75.  I prefer my baseball cards to feature hats or helmets, please.

1987 Topps #417 - Pat Perry

Now here's a guy who looks positively enthused to be featured on a baseball card!  An almost blinding, and certainly jarring, amount of bright red here against that subtle wood-grain border.  A nice enough card I guess, but nothing that evokes any particular memories for me.

Not enough to best this '78 Mike Garman buyback, anyway.

Sorry Pat.

1989 Topps #353 - Marvell Wynne

Just like that we're back to the more serious facial expressions, with Marvell Wynne's '89 release.  Wynne was actually dealt from the Padres to the Cubs in August of that year, and would take his talents to Japan after the following season with Chicago.

An absolutely brutal match-up for the franken-set for Marvell, as he's pitted against perhaps the most famous uni-brow in the history of sports cards, Wally Moon.

I think we all knew how that one was going to go.

1974 Topps #537 - Steve Mingori

Next up, a 1974 Steve Mingori.  I love '70s baseball cards as much as the next collector, but this is far from the most exciting that the decade has to offer.

This Rance Mulliniks might not exactly be a classic either, but it's already in slot 537 and it was sent to me as a gift, so...

...I'm not ousting it for a card as bland as Steve Mingori's.

1988 Topps #576 - Tommy Hinzo

Tommy Hinzo?  I must really be getting old, because I quite literally have zero recollection of this guy.  Ironically, this is a 1988 buyback, and Tommy didn't actually appear in Major League Baseball in 1988.  His only appearances in the league were in 1987 and 1989.

I'm not particularly fond of this 1969 Phillies Rookie Stars buyback.  Ron Stone's blacked out cap kind of drives me nuts.  But...

...I guess if I'm pressed for an answer I'll take it over the Hinzo.

1959 Topps #218 - Roman Mejias

Last buyback for today.  I really thought this might be the one with the best chance of making the set out of today's contestants.  I'm a big fan of 1959 Topps, enough so that I'm casually working on the set, and I love the shot of Roman Mejias looking skyward in Seals Stadium.  This card definitely saw some travel and plenty of love in its lifetime before Topps stamped it and sent it back out to collectors in 2015, which I love.

Amazingly enough, the buyback that I already had in slot 218 features another skyward glance!  While not exactly the same, I was surprised by the similarity in these two cards, released more than 50 years apart.  Both great photographs, so I've got to look elsewhere to settle this one.  In the end, Martinez wins out since he had a very impressive stint with the Red Sox, albeit short (about a season and a half).

This is the first time in a while, maybe ever, that out of ten buybacks not a single one made the binder.  I'm sure it won't be the last time the closer and closer I get to finishing this project off.  Doesn't discourage me in the least, only strengthens my resolve to keep plugging away to someday get that last 20% needed to complete this thing.

The next Buyback Franken-set post will feature a few that were sent to me by a fellow card blogger.  Until then, thanks for stopping by as always!

Franken-set Progress: 639/792 (80%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 106/792 (13%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 565
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,310