Buyback Franken-set: Back with the Cheap Lot

Well, I didn't mean to take more than a week off of blogging there, but was traveling to wrap up that brutal work project, then ended up very sick for a few days immediately afterwards.  Today's the first day in some time that I've had the energy and drive to post, so here we are.

I've been slacking big time with respect to my Buyback Franken-set so far in 2020.  Let's return to a cheap lot of buybacks I picked up off of eBay last year for the next ten hopeful contestants...

1978 Topps #506 - Ron Blomberg

Off to a great start here, because aside from featuring a fairly interesting (and airbrushed?) photograph, this Ron Blomberg from 1978 Topps is also the first #506 buyback that I've encountered to date!  Into the binder he goes by default, and I'm one card closer to this insane goal.

1977 Topps #266 - Derrel Thomas

Derrel Thomas' 1977 issue isn't quite as fortunate, as it's going to have to battle for slot #266.  This is an interesting enough shot, with some batting practice occurring in that tilted background.  The subject isn't all that interesting to me though, and 1977 Topps plays second fiddle to some of the more interesting Topps flagship designs of the '70s if you ask me.

Steve Lubratich's 1984 issue has occupied slot 266 for a while now.  I'm not that enthralled with this buyback either, but at this stage of the project I'm not really into swapping out cards "just because".

Derrel Thomas falls short.

1987 Topps #553 - Mike Maddux

A 1987 issue here of the second best pitcher with the last name Maddux.  Even though it's one of the most over-produced sets in history I do enjoy 1987 Topps well enough.  This just isn't one of the more exciting cards in the set to me.

Maddux squares off against the #553 buyback already resident in the binder, a 1977 Jack Heidemann.

Again, while neither card is all that compelling to me, I don't see a reason to make a change here.

1967 Topps #61 - Gordy Coleman

Here's a cool one.  Any buyback from the '60s or earlier is nothing to scoff at, and I really like the smile Gordy Coleman is sporting here on his 1967 release.  The buyback stamp would have looked a lot better in the upper left, with that blue sky as a backdrop, but oh well.  Gordy's grin faces some competition for the franken-set...

...as this '79 Bo Diaz already calls slot 61 home.  I like the classic catcher pose here, and it's also hard to vote against a guy who shares my last name.

Gordy goes down in a close contest!

1974 Topps #424 - Jim Beauchamp

Next up, a '74 Jim Beauchamp.  Perfect placement of the buyback stamp on this card!  This is actually considered a "sunset card", as Jim played his final inning of Major League Baseball in the 1973 season.

Beauchamp has a tough draw though, as slot 424 contains one of the few 1960 Topps buybacks in the entire franken-set.

This one is a case where I chose the winner based on the set, simply for the sake of variety in the binder.

1969 Topps #372 - Adolfo Phillips

Here's outfielder Adolfo Phillips of the Cubs.  You know I love a good Heritage box-topper buyback (should be seeing some '71s when 2020 Topps Heritage drops soon!), so this one's got a decent chance.  It's pretty significantly off-center, but condition doesn't bother me at all when it comes to buyback cards.

In this case it's Heritage vs. Heritage, as this Mike de la Hoz buyback from 1967 Topps already sits in slot 372.  This one is honestly a coin flip...

...but as I already mentioned a couple of times, at this stage I need a compelling reason to make a substitution, so Phillips loses out.

1987 Topps #686 - Doyle Alexander

Another '87 up next, with pitcher Doyle Alexander.  This one features one of my least favorite Braves uniforms of all-time.  Doyle was near the end of a nearly 20-year MLB career at this stage.  What this buyback has going for it is that it's a nice high number.  In fact, it's my very first #686 buyback of any sort, and as such makes the cut by default!

1989 Topps #223 - Jay Buhner

I was pumped to see this 1989 Jay Buhner included in this lot.  Just an awesome card here, you can't go wrong with the All-Star Rookie Cup logo, and even the buyback stamp seems well-positioned relative to the photograph.  This card has good feng shui if you ask me!  Has to be a lock for the franken-set, right?

Not so fast!  At first glance this Jeff Burroughs card doesn't even come close to achieving the awesomeness of that Buhner card.  But, did you know that Jeff Burroughs won an MVP?  Furthermore, did you know he won that MVP award in 1974, the very same season represented by this buyback card?  It's true. 

I'm a huge fan of buybacks that showcase a player in a year where they were particularly successful or won a major individual award, so because of that this buyback is close to untouchable when it comes to this project.

Buhner goes down.  He's not the first buyback to lose out to the '74 Burroughs, and I doubt he'll be the last either before this project (hopefully) wraps up someday.

1965 Topps #106 - Gene Oliver

This right here is just a classic baseball card.  Standard batting pose, fantastic shoulder patch, and one of the most iconic designs in the history of Topps baseball cards.  I will never, ever turn down a 1965 Topps buyback, especially a Heritage box-topper version like this one.

As if it weren't a nice enough card in its own rite, this one is also a new number for the franken-set, the third of this post.  Not only that, but it completes a new page in the binder!  Check it out:

A really nice page here, great variety and some studs.  That '62 "Ears" Mossi is a classic, and how about that JD Martinez in the lower right?  I'm dying to find another #100 buyback so that I can shift that '90 Will Clark over to my dedicated 1990 Topps buyback binder.  Someday...

1989 Topps #164 - Hal Lanier

Bringing up the rear today is this hat-less Hal Lanier, courtesy of 1989 Topps.  Is this this single most boring card in the 1989 set?  Quite possibly.  It wouldn't take much to keep this one from making the binder...

...and a beautiful '64 Topps buyback in Heritage format is certainly sufficient to block Lanier's entrance.

Well, that's a wrap for today.  Pretty amazing to get three new numbers for the project out of ten buybacks at this late stage.  I think that's the best I've done in a single post in quite some time.  I'm at over 83% complete now, with less than 130 new numbers left to go before my binder is filled up at last.

For the next installment in this series, we'll be evaluating a trio of buybacks that I'm long overdue in thanking a fellow blogger for!  Until then, thanks for stopping by...

Franken-set Progress: 664/792 (83%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 122/792 (15%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 682
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,468