Buyback Franken-set - Closing in on 100

Happy Saturday everyone!  It's been a long week for sure, let's kick off the weekend here on the blog with a look at another ten buybacks that could potentially be inducted into my buyback franken-set...

#379 - 1975 Bernie Carbo

All ten of the cards queued up for today are from the large buyback lot that I picked up to kick-start this project.  I'm finally getting towards the end of that giant stack, which is good because it means that soon these posts will feature cards I hand picked that are a bit more notable/interesting.  As far as that lot goes though, I was pretty excited to find this Bernie Carbo in the stack.  This is the second '75 Red Sox buyback that's made the cut for the franken-set recently!

#220 - 1976 Manny Sanguillen

Manny Sanguillen's '76 release joins the set in slot #220.  Sanguillen didn't possess a ton of power at the plate and was more of an average hitter, but he was one of the best catchers of his day as far as swinging the bat goes.  Love those stirrups!

#130 - 1979 Bob Watson

Bob Watson was actually traded to the Red Sox in the middle of the 1979 season, and would hit for the cycle with Boston that September!  He would go on to serve as GM for the New York Yankees when they won it all in 1996, and later served as MLB's Vice President of rules and on-field operations.  Right now Bob has no competition for slot #130, so he's in!

#406 - 1974 Steve Arlin

Steve Arlin is a name that's not familiar to me in the least.  Unfortunately for him, he's got some previous competition for card #406 as well:

Wow, talk about a weak contest here.  Two guys I have no attachment to whatsoever.  I like the '74 Topps set better than the '79 release, and Steve Arlin is also sporting my initials on his hat, so...

...you're out Joe Wallis!

#57 - 1973 Derrel Thomas

Derrel Thomas was known mostly as a second baseman, however he was very versatile as he played every position but pitcher over the course of his career.  That sure is an "interesting" Padres uniform, isn't it?  Derrel is the only #57 buyback I've got so far, so that's back-to-back Padres that made the cut here.

#23 - 1976 Brian Downing

Though I'm not really familiar with Brian Downing, I do like this pre-game warm-up photo with players strewn about the infield and some extra bats lying on the ground.  Unfortunately, for Brian he's got some stiff competition in the form of a Heritage buyback from the decade prior:

I just don't see how I can possibly select Brian Downing's card for the set over this one.  The '65 stays...

...and the '76 goes.

#32 - 1979 Jerry Mumphrey

Next, we've got a '79 Topps Jerry Mumphrey trying to make the set in slot #32.  Once again he's got competition though.  It's certainly becoming harder and harder to make the set without conflict here.  Let's see who Jerry is up against...

Ouch, a '66 Heritage buyback that came my way courtesy of Mark Hoyle.  An easy decision here...

So long Jerry!

#277 - 1974 Gary Nolan

The man who struck out Willie Mays four times in a single game his rookie season, Gary Nolan!  You don't see too many locker room shots either (outside of '90s Studio cards).  A member of the Big Red Machine teams of the mid-'70s, Gary is a member of the Reds HOF, and makes the franken-set with no competition.

#429 - 1979 John Urrea

I have no idea who John Urrea is.  That's understandable given that he wrapped up his brief and uneventful career before I was even born.  He's saved by having a relatively high card number though, it could be some time before another card challenges him for slot #429.

#8 - 1970 Jose Martinez

Last card for today is a nice one, a 1970 Jose Martinez.  I like the photograph on this one, but Jose didn't accomplish much of note (at least that I'm aware of), and he's got some competition:

Chuck Harrison was no All-Star either, but I'm more a fan of the Heritage buybacks than the standard flagship versions.  I also prefer the '67 Topps set to the '70 release (though the '70 cards are certainly growing on me)...

Jose is out!  Tough call there too, because I really like the photograph on this one.  I doubt either of these cards would be hanging out in the binder for long though, I'm sure a better #8 will fall into my hands at some point.

Well, that's it for today.  At the outset of the post I was hopeful that I'd cross the 100 card mark for my franken-set, but thanks to four conflicts I'm still just short.  Odds are the next batch of ten does the job!

Franken-set Progress:  97/792 (12%)

One Card Post - Bright Bogaerts

What:  2014 Topps #133 - Xander Bogaerts RC (Yellow Retail Parallel)
Where:  COMC
How Much?:  $2.00

Why?:  I'd been after one of these for some time for my Bogaerts/Red Sox collection, but the yellow parallels seem to be some of the toughest from the 2014 set for me to find at a reasonable price.  Patience eventually paid off when a seller accepted my low-ball offer of $2 even last October.  It may not be autographed, shiny, or serial-numbered, but I still think it's one of my favorite Bogaerts rookie cards to date!

6,000 Sox!

Recently I received a great little care package from Commishbob, whose work on The Five Tool Collector is on my daily reading list.  A few weeks back I read a post on the '59 Topps All-Stars-inspired Topps Throwback Thursday set.  This is one of those 6-card sets that Topps has been printing up each week for a limited window of time, similar to Topps Now.  In this particular case just under 1,000 sets were printed up.

Well, in Bob's post he was practically taunting me when he wrote, and I quote, "Bogaerts was the only card I didn't have a use for.".  I shamelessly commented that I'd love a shot at trading for it, as I had agonized over picking up a copy of this set but ultimately couldn't justify the $19.99 price tag given that Bogaerts' card was really the only one I wanted.

Not even a week later Xander here was waiting for me in my mailbox after work.  I'll spare the comment about how awesome people in this hobby are, because I'm starting to sound like a broken record at this point.  Suffice it to say I'm more than excited with the newest addition to my steadily growing Xander Bogaerts collection!

Oh, and because Bob is just that kind of guy he tossed in a trio of pretty amazing bonus Red Sox cards as well, starting with this TCMA Renata Galasso Billy Goodman.  This is only the second card from this set in my collection, period.  Much appreciated.

Accompanying Xander and Billy Goodman in the envelope were two very solid '70s Topps cards, a '79 Yaz...

...and a '71 Rico Petrocelli.  Perhaps the best part about this particular trade package is that it was responsible for bumping me past the 6,000 unique Red Sox cards threshold!

Bob, it was very generous of you to send me your spare Bogaerts card; it has definitely found a good home for many years to come.  The throw-in cards really put this over the top, thank you so much!  It's been busy here but I should have something headed your way by this weekend to convey my thanks.

A Whalers Bump from Marc

With my vacation and "weekend of Pearl Jam" now in the rear-view mirror (pun intended), it's been all about adjusting back to the daily grind here at Shoebox Legends.  A rough travel week for work last week made this more challenging than usual, but this week is a fresh start.  Let's start things off on this Monday with a trade package that I'm long overdue in saying thanks for.

This particular envelope was a PWE from my buddy Marc B composed entirely of new Hartford Whalers cards for my collection!  As the years go by it's getting harder and harder to find Whalers cards that I don't yet have, but somehow Marc found a full dozen this time around.  The highlight for me was this great in-person autograph of Sylvain Cote.

Sylvain was the Whalers' first round pick in the 1984 entry draft, and lasted a few seasons with Hartford before he was dealt to the Capitals for a draft pick (which ended up being Andrei Nikolishin).  I've got a handful of Sylvain's cards, but this is definitely my first autograph.  A very thoughtful centerpiece to an excellent PWE.  Let's see what else was inside...

Dan Keczmer ended up wearing a Whalers uniform after he was traded to Hartford by the San Jose Sharks (for Dean Evason).  Dan played in just 36 total games with the Whalers before they moved on, so he doesn't have a whole lot of Whalers cards out there.  This one is actually an Emerald Ice parallel.

My latest card of 6' 6" defensive monster Marek Malik.  I know this isn't a proper Whalers card, but I certainly count it.  Great look at his epic mullet either way.

Jim Storm is definitely not a household name, even among die-hard hockey fans.  His NHL career amounted to 84 games, all but 10 of them played with the Whalers.  He scored just 7 goals over that span, not too impressive for a left wing.

Geoff Sanderson, on the other hand, is a player that Whalers fans remember fondly.  There were a few years there where his speed and goal-scoring prowess were some of the only exciting things the team had going.  I believe this is the only Black Diamond set to be released when the Whalers were still in Hartford.

This is one of two goalie cards in the envelope where not only had I never seen the card before, but I actually had no recollection of the set even existing.  For those interested, this insert set is Goaltending Greats, and it's from the 1994-95 Pinnacle release.

File this one under "I can't believe I didn't have it already".  My brothers and I opened a lot of packs of Parkhurst hockey in the early '90s, and I don't ever recall even laying eyes on this one.  Michael's son William is now playing for Toronto, which  makes me feel super old.

Here's a nice Gold parallel of Brad McCrimmon.  As most hockey fans know, Brad was the head coach of the doomed Yaroslavl Lokomotiv team whose plane crashed after takeoff in 2011; such a sad story.

This Score Darren Turcotte card is a "black ice" parallel, pretty easy to see where the name came from.  These kind of remind me of those all-black Wal-Mart parallels from Topps baseball a few years back.

Here's another Score parallel, this one of the "Golden Blades" variety.  The card stock is a little thinner than your standard Score card, and these feature a less glossy, more matte finish as well.  This is the first Golden Blades parallel in my entire collection, pretty cool!

This is one of those late '90s inserts where they appear to cram two players onto a card just because.  I know Lindros was a bigger, more rugged (at least before the concussions) type of center, so maybe that's why they chose to pair him up with Gordie Howe here?  Whatever the reasoning, I can't complain about adding (half of) a new Gordie Howe to my Whalers collection.

The final card of the envelope was perhaps the most surprising to me.  I absolutely loved the first couple of Fleer Ultra hockey sets, particularly the inserts.  I have no idea how this entire Prospect insert set from the '93-94 release escaped me until now, but I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever even seen one.

Marc, thanks for the awesome package, and sorry it took me so long to say thanks!  This was one of the larger Whalers lots I've acquired in a trade, and every card was a total home run.  Best of all, this package tipped me over the 1,600 total unique Whalers cards threshold!

One Card Post - Not Since Ted Williams

What:  2014 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP109 - Mookie Betts (Orange Wave Refractor)
Where:  COMC
How Much?:  $8.65

Why?:  This kid is definitely looking like the real deal at this point.  Today he crushed three home runs in a game for the second time this season, something no Red Sox player has done since Ted Williams in 1957!  At just 23 years old, and in just his second full season, Mookie has already surpassed the 25 home run and 80 RBI marks on the year now.  I hope to be fortunate enough to watch he and Xander Bogaerts lead this offense for many years to come...

Buyback Franken-set - We Are Family

Time to evaluate the latest batch of ten buybacks for potential induction into my franken-set.  I'll go ahead and ruin the "suspense" now and say that by chance all ten of the cards I queued up for today make the cut without any competition, something that is certainly going to be less and less frequent with these posts going forward.  Anyway, let's see the ten newest cards to move into the binder...

#244 - 1979 Pirates Team Card

What a great card to start things off with, the 1979 "We Are Family" World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.  Prominently featured is manager Chuck Tanner, whose mother passed away during the World Series that season.  This is the first team/checklist card to make my set, and it's certainly a worthy choice.  This is one buyback I actually sought out and picked out specifically, the other nine cards I have today are from that big buyback lot I've been chipping away at...

#46 - 1974 Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly was actually the final out of that very 1979 World Series (as a member of the Orioles).  When outfielder Omar Moreno caught Pat's pop fly, the Pirates clinched the title with a game 7 road win.

#628 - 1973 Jim Slaton

This one is pretty badly miscut top to bottom.  Random bit of trivia, did you know that Jim Slaton has the most career wins in Milwaukee Brewers history?  It's true, and it doesn't look like anyone is threatening to knock Jim from his perch anytime soon.

#486 - 1978 John Curtis

John actually began his career with my hometown Boston Red Sox.  To me, the most interesting statistic from his career has to be the fact that he was the last pitcher to ever have an at-bat in Fenway Park (before the DH came into play in 1973).

#58 - 1979 Bob Randall

I confess to not knowing a single thing about Bob Randall.  He played 5 seasons of MLB ball more than I ever will, but other than that I'm at a loss for words.  Bob better hope another card #58 doesn't pop up at some point, it won't take much to give him the boot.

#390 - 1974 Lou Piniella

Now there's a much more familiar name!  Given how long the practice of Topps giving stars card numbers in multiples of ten went on for, it's not surprising that some of the better players in my set so far are these nice even card numbers that end in zero.  It certainly looks like Lou just had a big swing and a miss, I'd imagine this is close to what I look like when I rip through a swing at the driving range only to find the ball still on the tee.

#87 - 1970 Steve Renko

I really can't say anything negative about vintage Montreal Expos cards.  I'm a total sucker for franchises of the past, possibly stemming from my Hartford Whalers fandom.  Here's another nice piece of baseball trivia for you...did you know that Steve Renko nearly had a no-hitter in Oakland while pitching for the Red Sox in 1979?  It was broken up in the ninth inning when some young rookie named Rickey Henderson roped a double.  That same day, Nolan Ryan also took a no-hitter into the 9th inning, and had his broken up by Reggie Jackson.  Is this the only time in baseball history that two no-hitters were broken up in the 9th, and both by future HOFers?  I'm guessing so.

#182 - 1979 Tim Johnson

1979 was the final year of Tim's career.  He went on to manage the Blue Jays a couple of decades later, but got in some hot water over lies he told about Vietnam war experience (never a good idea).

#395 - 1973 Roger Metzger

These Astros uniforms are not in the least bit familiar to me.  This card is kind of cool in that Roger won a Gold Glove, the lone Gold Glove of his career, in 1973.  Apparently his career came to a premature end after an unfortunate encounter with a table saw left him with a few fingertips less than he had previously.  Yikes!

#246 - 1961 Bob Davis

Final card for today is also now the oldest card in my franken-set, a 1961 Topps Bob Davis.  Bob never actually played for the upstart (and short-lived) Los Angeles Angels.  After the 1960 season the Angels selected him from the Kansas City Athletics in the expansion draft, but Davis chose to retire to pursue his education.  Hard to knock a guy for that I guess.

Ten more down, closing in on triple digits pretty quickly here!

Franken-set Progress:  91/792 (11%)

One Card Post - My Rarest Dom

What:  2016 Panini Diamond Kings #36 - Dom DiMaggio (Artist's Proof Silver Parallel #'d /25)
Where:  eBay
How Much?:  $3.25 (with free shipping!)

Why?:  I commend Panini for the job they did with Diamond Kings this year, and was more than happy to add a second version of this beautiful card to my collection.  With free shipping this was a nice cheap way to acquire the rarest Dom DiMaggio card I've managed to pick up to date...