Buyback Franken-set: Back to the $20 Lot

As I mentioned in my post on New Year's Day, buybacks will continue to be a prominent part of my collection, and this blog, in 2020.  I've got some lofty goals as far as just how far I can take my buyback projects in the coming year, so let's not waste any time and get right to it with the first Buyback Franken-set post of 2020.

We're diving back into the contents of a lot of just under 70 buybacks that I picked up on eBay late last year for less than $20 shipped.  The first part of the lot was featured here, and today we'll see how the second batch of ten buybacks fare...

1965 Topps #105 - Chico Salmon

A solid start here with a nice '65 Heritage buyback.  This one has a couple things going for it; it's from a fantastic set, and Salmon is actually wearing a baseball cap.  Those attributes give him as good a shot as any buyback, but...

...#105 is a particularly tough number as the project goes, as you have to defeat Don "Ears" Mossi's 1962 Topps card for a spot in the binder.

Tough going there, Chico could have battled his way into quite a few different slots I'm sure, but stood no chance against that Mossi.  Those are the breaks, I guess.  Cool buyback anyway.

1976 Topps #636 - Joe Decker

Up next, a fairly forgettable '76 Topps Joe Decker.  The tilting of the photograph here is almost enough to give you nausea if you focus on it for too long.  This is one that at first glance I would not expect to have much of a shot, honestly.  Funny how things work though, because slot 636...

...was housing this 1990 Topps Jesse Orosco buyback.

Decker moves into the franken-set, and Orosco shifts over to the dedicated 1990 Topps buyback set.

1993 Topps #587 - Manny Alexander

1993 Topps baseball had a lot of great cards in it.  This is not one of them.  What a terrible photo choice for this Manny Alexander.  The black jersey and pitch black background give the card a sort of "floating head" effect, but not in a good way if you ask me.

On the flip side, I already have this bright, colorful Chris Ward buyback in slot 587.

Easy call there, that '75 wins all day long.

1962 Topps #355 - Steve Barber

I'm always happy to receive a 1960s buyback generally speaking, but this particular '62 might be the ugliest and least interesting buyback in this entire lot.  Hat-less and logo-less cards don't really do it for me.  Pretty much any competition will be able to ward off this attack.

This airbrushed '75 Chris Cannizzaro, already in slot 355?

Certainly.

1988 Topps #404 - Benny Santiago All-Star

Hey, here's a cool one.  I like the vibrant All-Star subset cards from the late '80s sets.  Interestingly enough, according to baseball-reference.com Benito wasn't an All-Star for the first time until the 1989 season.  Yet here he is gracing a card in the All-Star subset of the '88 release?

Slot 404 contains one of the really sneaky underdogs of the franken-set binder.  This Chuck Brinkman represents everything that is quirky and wonderful and awesome about 1973 Topps.  It has already defended its spot in the binder on a few different occasions (and typically against All-Stars)...

...and it will do so again today.  At this rate I wouldn't be shocked if the Brinkman still had a spot in the binder at the conclusion of the project.  That'd certainly be fine with me!

1967 Topps #431 - Ted Uhlaender

Next hopeful is Ted Uhlaender of the Minnesota Twins.  I don't know much about the guy, but I like the card and the photograph for what that's worth.  For the second match-up in a row though...

...a brutal '73 presents itself.  The dusty action on this Gerry Moses is cardboard gold.

Uhlaender goes down hard!

1987 Topps #257 - Bob Forsch

We visit what I'd imagine to be one of the most widely printed sets in baseball card history next, 1987 Topps.  Bob Forsch won a Silver Slugger Award in 1987, so there's that.  In general though, I'm finding it hard to get all that excited about this one.

On top of that, I've got a relatively rare sight in slot 257 of the binder already, with a 2012 Topps buyback.

For the sake of diversity, it would have taken a pretty interesting '87 to bump that 2012 card out.  Bob Forsch is not that card.

1989 Topps #565 - Jeff Russell

Let's hit up another overproduction-era gem for our next couple of cards, in 1989 Topps.  First up, Rangers hurler Jeff Russell, who sure looks pleased to have delivered that pitch!  I suppose he should be smiling, as 1989 was Jeff's second consecutive All-Star season, and he even received some Cy Young Award votes for his 1.98 ERA over a league-leading 66 games finished as Texas' closer.

Jeff has zero chance to make the franken-set though, because he drew Hoyt Wilhelm.  Even in a blacked out cap...

...it would be a travesty to evict Hoyt in favor of Russell.

1989 Topps #417 - Mike LaCoss

The other '89 Topps buyback for today is Mike LaCoss (showing his signature split-finger changeup?).  For me, this is in the realm of "so bad it's good".  I like that the grip of the ball is the focal point of the card, and that mesh Rawlings jersey is so perfectly '80s.

This '78 Mike Garman already resides in slot 417 of the binder.  What to do, what to do?

At first I left Garman in place, due to the fact that I prefer 1978 Topps to 1989 Topps.  The more I thought about it though, the more I liked that somewhat odd photo on the LaCoss.  In this battle of the Mikes, LaCoss beats Garman.

This is the only change in today's post that impacts a completed page.  Here's the page beforehand, with Garman at upper right...

...and here it is now, with LaCoss having supplanted him.  That '87 Will Clark buyback really makes me smile, I can still remember how much I prized that card in my youth.

1971 Topps #166 - Joe Hoerner

Last card for today is a well-loved '71 Joe Hoerner.  I was happy to see this one in the lot not because I am a fan of Hoerner, or of the Phillies, but because I really enjoy 1971 Topps yet don't have a ton of buybacks from the set.  The '71s are prone to showing damage easily, and man has this one been worn down by time!

Skip Lockwood's 1976 issue has been resident in slot 166 for a bit now.

Hoerner is moving in though, and bumping Skip to the box of rejects in my card closet.

That's a wrap for today.  No new numbers for the project, but I did end up with one new 1990 Topps buyback in that binder at least.  I'll be back next week with the next batch of ten from this lot.  Maybe I'll have better luck with that round!

Franken-set Progress: 659/792 (82%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 122/792 (15%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 664
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,445