Random Loot

Except for a couple of trade packages, my scans folder is nearly empty for a change, so this morning I've got a hodgepodge of assorted cardboard to get me that much closer.

Let's start off with a few cards from my last trip to the hobby shop, which sadly was many months ago now.  I'm on the record as being a sucker for nearly any card printed on clear acetate stock, so there was no way I was leaving a pair of 2015-16 Upper Deck Ice Bruins cards on the counter.

Especially since both feature Hall-of-Famers!

On that same counter was this slightly worn '65 Topps Bob Gibson.  I knew I didn't have a copy of this card, and given how little it set me back adding another vintage card of one of the more dominant pitchers of the '60s was an easy call.

Besides, I've always loved the World Series cards with the box scores on the back.

Here's my latest card of the amazing Gene Conley.  If you're not familiar with his story it's an impressive one, as Gene is the only human being to be a part of a World Series championship team ('57 Braves) and an NBA championship team (won three with the Boston Celtics from 1959-1961)!  Pretty astounding, I'm always surprised that he doesn't get more recognition than he seems to.  Everyone talks about Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, but Gene was the real deal decades before those multi-sport stars.

Here's a '56 Topps card I grabbed simply because I will gladly welcome any and all Brooklyn Dodgers to my collection.

Though I can never seem to get the time to post about them, I've completed all of the Topps baseball sets from 1974 through 1979.  From 1973 backwards though my collection is pretty sparse, so I knew this great Vida Blue card was one I needed.

This one was a total surprise.  I had no idea there were former franchises in this Team Logos die-cut insert set from this year's OPC Platinum product.  After I got home with this one I looked up the checklist online and found that Ron Francis is in the set for the Whalers.  Already hunted down a copy of that one as well!

Moving on from the hobby shop stack, I recently scored a lot of seven of these Champ's Yellow parallels from a seller on Sportlots.

If I'm being completely honest, some of them aren't all that exciting, but adding this many hard to find cards (they fell at one per box) in one fell swoop felt good.

I'm still unsure that I'll ever complete this 100-card set though, given that there are at least a couple dozen of them that I've never seen even once.

This lot gets me to 37/100, further than I ever thought I'd get with the project anyway.

The two most well-known names for present day fans of the game are probably this Phil Kessel...

...and my personal favorite of the batch, Martin St. Louis.  I'll continue to keep my eyes open for these going forward, maybe I'll even cross the 40% threshold by year end if I get lucky enough.

Here's another one from Sportlots, a blue framed parallel from 2016 Diamond Kings.  While I'm a big fan of what Panini did with this set, I have to admit that Xander's card is one of the least flattering I've seen.  That big, logo-less hat just sticks out like a sore thumb.  This one is serial-numbered to /99 and was listed at less than $1 so I went for it regardless.

These next two Matsuzaka cards are from a set Upper Deck put out in 2007 that included rookies on some of their past designs.

I don't remember where they came from to be honest with you...

Because I'm a parallel junkie, here's a green retail parallel from 2014 Topps...

...and another framed parallel from 2016 Diamond Kings.  So refreshing to see Dom DiMaggio featured in a present day set.

I haven't shown off any graded cards in a while, mostly because I've bought just a handful over the last year or more.  I still have some great ones backlogged though, like this Rico Petrocelli sticker!

Last card for this morning, featuring the greatest trophy in all of sports.  I love that Topps/O-Pee-Chee used to include trophy cards in their hockey sets, and I'll never pass one up if the price is right.

Well, that's all I've got for now, enjoy your Saturday everyone!