Completed insert set – 2012 Topps Archives Deckle Edge

This is the fourth 2012 Topps Archives insert set I’ve completed – after the 1968 3-D, 1977 cloth stickers, and the 1967 Sticker insert sets.

Info about the set:

Set description:  “Before the insert card craze of the 1990’s, Topps was experimenting and testing new technologies 30 years prior.  Topps pays tribute to 4 classic inserts featuring active and retired stars.”

This insert is designed like the Deckle Edge cards from 1969 that were inserted into Topps packs back then.  Here’s my previous post comparing the current set with the old Deckle set.  The cards have perforated edges and a card size slightly smaller than standard.  The photo is sepia toned and there is a blue facsimile signature.

Set composition:  15 cards, 1:12 (2012 Topps Archives)

Hall of Famers: 8 – Bob Gibson, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, Carl Yastrzemski, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, Harmon Killebrew, Joe Morgan

How I put the set together:

• 4 cards from two hobby boxes
• 1 card from a retail pack
• 3 cards from trades
• 2 cards from the National card show
• 1 card from Sportlots
• 4 cards from COMC

Thoughts on the set:  This and the 3-D are my favorite insert sets from 2012 Archives.  I like that Topps produced these cards in the same size as the 1969 versions.  They seem very true to the original.  I like the set size, too – 15 cards is attainable, even though these are only 2 per box.

Card that completed my set:  69DE-12 Roberto Clemente

One of two cards I picked up from a COMC purchase last November (Black Friday).

Highest book value:  69DE-12 Roberto Clemente

Best card (my opinion):  69DE-6 Ichiro Suzuki

A good action shot, classic Ichiro swing.

My Favorite Reds card:  There are none. Joe Morgan is featured in an Astro uniform – which is appropriate for a set based on 1969.

Completed insert set – 2012 Topps Archives ’67 Stickers

This is the third 2012 Topps Archives insert set I’ve completed.  The first two were the 1968 3-D and 1977 cloth stickers.  This is the 1967 Sticker insert set.

Info about the set:

Set description:  “Before the insert card craze of the 1990’s, Topps was experimenting and testing new technologies 30 years prior.  Topps pays tribute to 4 classic inserts featuring active and retired stars.”

This insert is designed like the 1967 stickers set, which were issued as a regional test issue in 1967 for the Pirates and Red Sox.  Here’s my previous post comparing the current set with the old set.

Set composition:  25 cards, 1:8 (2012 Topps Archives)

Hall of Famers: 5 – Willie Mays, Jim Palmer, Tom Seaver, Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski

How I put the set together:

• 6 cards from two hobby boxes
• 1 cards from a jumbo pack
• 4 cards from trades
• 12 cards from Sportlots
• 1 card from COMC
• 1 card from the NSCC

Thoughts on the set:  I like these cards – in general I love the concept behind Topps Archives and Lineage with the insert sets.  I probably like these less than the 77 Stickers and the 68 3-D cards, but they’re cool inserts.  I wish they’d have had more than one cross-over between the two sets (Carl Yastrzemski is the only player with a card in this set and the original sticker set).

Card that completed my set:  67S-TL – Tim Lincecum

I picked the last card up on Sportlots in December.

Highest book value:  67S-MM – Mickey Mantle

Best card (my opinion):  67S-RM – Roger Maris in a Cardinals hat!  They got the year right by including this – though even some hardcore baseball fans may not realize Maris finished his career in St. Louis.

My Favorite Reds card:  there are none

Completed set – 2011 Goodwin Champions

This set is a pretty big feather in my cap!  I’ve been working on finishing the 2011 Goodwin Champions set since it came out 2+ years ago. There are four tiers of SP cards, and that’s made it tough.  This was Upper Deck’s first real comeback attempt in my eyes.  They took the old Goodwin design and put starts from all over the sports landscape – and even some historical figures – in a painted effect.  They had to work around the fact that they can’t use retired players that look in any way like they’re wearing MLB uniforms.

I’m not quite done with the master set yet – I still need to finish up the World Travelers box toppers.  Those will be tough, but I do have two-thirds of that set done.

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Info about my set

How I put the set (base / SP / SSP / mini) together:

• 161 (142/12/4/3) cards from my two hobby boxes
• 10 (5/3/1/1) cards from a blaster
• 5 (3/2/0/0) cards from trades
• 34 (0/12/8/14) cards from Sportlots
• 14 (0/11/3/0) cards from a card show
• 7 (0/0/4/3) cards from COMC

Card that completed my set:  #194 – Rube Foster (completed via a Black Friday Check Out My Cards purchase).  I’m pretty sure this was the last card on my wantlist for over a year.

General Set Info

Set composition:  231 cards (150 base, 40 SP, 20 SSP, 21 mini-only)

There are 191 athletes

• 61 Baseball (no active MLB, 23 minor league)
• 31 Basketball (8 active NBA, 2 WNBA)
• 25 Ice Hockey (2 women hockey players)
• 17 American Football (8 active NFL)
• 14 Golf (9 men, 5 women)
• 12 Olympian (8 summer, 4 winter)
• 9 Soccer (6 women, 3 men)
• 5 Horse Racing (3 jockey, 2 horses)
• 5 Lacrosse
• 4 Boxing
• 3 Surfing
• 2 MMA
• 1 Martial Arts
• 1 Race Car Driving
• 1 Cricket

There are 40 non-athletes or “famous figures” in the set

• 9 Political Figures (6 U.S. Presidents)
• 6 Outlaws/Lawman
• 6 Authors
• 3 Military Figures
• 3 Inventors
• 3 Musicians
• 2 Actors
• 2 Showmen
• 2 Artists
• 4 “Other” (Magician, Native American, Mountaineer & Grigori Rasputin)

Earliest active player from this set:  Baseball – #209 – Albert Spalding

Spalding played amateur baseball at a time when it was becoming a professional sport.  In 1866 he began playing for the Rockford Forest Citys of the National Association of  Baseball Players.  At the time, this was the highest level of organized baseball.  The league eventually became the National Association of Professional Baseball Players in 1871 – with Spalding switching over to the Boston Red Stockings.  He and Cap Anson are the two players in this set who both played in that 1871 inaugural season of the National Association – though I’m giving Spalding the credit here since he played semi-pro ball before Anson.

This set may have the largest time span of baseball players!  From Spalding, who started his semi-pro career in 1866, all the way to a few 2011 minor leaguers who are in the Majors today.  Including 4 who made their debut as late as 2013:

All sports – #187 W.G. Grace

Grace, who is possibly the most accomplished cricketers of all time, is probably the earliest athlete on this list – his earliest “official” cricket match came two years before Spalding’s semi-pro start, in 1864.  He had actually been playing for quite some time before that official date as well.

First Card and the Hundreds:  #1 – King Kelly, #100 – Candace Parker, #200 – Pierre Lueders

Highest book value: All of 20 the SSP’s are listed as higher than any other card in the set.

Most notable card:  #1 – King Kelly, #26 – John Sullivan, #119 – Cap Anson, #165 – Isaac Murphy, #172 – Buffalo Bill Cody, #184 – Dan Brouthers

Six players have cards in both the 2011 Upper Deck and the 1888 original Goodwin sets.  I did a post comparing them here.

Best card (my opinion):  #164 – Old & Young Tom Morris

There have been a number of books written about Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris – but very few cards of the two.  Old Tom Morris had a few tobacco cards in the early 1900’s – but I don’t know of any other card with Young Tom Morris.  As a golf fan – this is pretty cool.

Second best card (also my opinion):  #1 – King Kelly

I thought about putting Nolan Ryan here; he’s shown in a cowboy hat and ranching gear.  But to me, the King Kelly card is really cool.  He’s shown in the colorful uniforms that were sometimes worn in the day – this is from a pose during his time in Boston.

Best subset card: N/A

Favorite action photo: #84 – CJ Hobgood

This card of the surfer catching a mammoth wave is pretty sweet.

Favorite non-action photo: #38 – Nolan Ryan (see above)

My Favorite Reds card: #120 – Tony Perez

The Perez card beats out fellow Big Red Machine member Johnny Bench.

Completed insert set – 2011 Topps Heritage New Age Performers

This is my 4th insert set completed from 2011 Topps Heritage.  I’ve knocked off both Flashbacks sets, Then & Now, and now New Age Performers.  I’ve still got 3 cards to finish off the Jackie Robinson special set – then my 2011 Heritage “Master set” will be complete.  Getting very close!

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Info about the set

Set description:  “15 players whose performances have surpassed the giants of the past”.  The front shows a current Major League star with a wood grain border.  The word New Age is at the Top, with Performers at the bottom below the player name and team in yellow background. The back is designed similarly to the 1962 Topps set as far as color scheme and font.  There is a cartoon on the right and statistics from 2010 to the left.  The write-up compares the “New Age” player to someone who was a star 50 years ago (i.e., Roy Halladay is compared to Don Drysdale).

Set composition:  15 cards, 1:15 odds (2011 Topps Heritage)

Hall of Famers:  None – as they’re all active players.

How I put the set together:

• 2 cards from my hobby box
• 1 card from a blaster
• 1 card from a retail blister pack
• 1 card from a card show
• 5 cards from trades
• 2 cards from Check Out My Cards
• 3 cards from Sportlots

Card that completed my set: #NAP-8 – CC Sabathia

I got the last card as part of a recent Sportlots purchase in March.

Thoughts on the set:  I love the 1962 design – and Topps did a good job making this a little different from the base set but still tied to the wood-grain borders of that set.

Best card (my opinion): #NAP-7 – Joey Votto

Best Reds card (my opinion): #NAP-JV – Joey Votto

The only Reds card is Votto, but it’s a good one, and I think the best of the set.  I really like the picture – it goes well with the design.  Votto was coming off an MVP campaign, and he’s compared to another former Reds MVP – Frank Robinson.

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COMC purchases – 90’s Topps inserts

Next up for my COMC Black Friday purchases are from some 90’s Topps insert sets.  I’m always trying to knock out a few of these whenever possible.  These are all from 1995 through 1997.  The League Leader gets me closer to that very large 1995 insert set.  That’s going to be a difficult one to finish.

On the other hand, the Finest Kirby Puckett card did finish off that 1995 insert set for me.  And the “At the Break” power booster of Griffey finished that insert set off from 1995 Topps Traded, as well.

 

The Helton card is a “power booster” from 1996, and the Mantle Finest cards are from 1997.  Putting some further dents into those sets is always good!

COMC purchases – Turkey Red & Panini Golden Age

Next up for my COMC Black Friday purchases are two more “retro” themed sets.  The Turkey Red product Topps came out with in February last year was an “online” exclusive that really blew up because of its scarcity.  I got 6 mini-boxes and am trying to complete the 100-card set.  I picked up 14 cards toward that goal.  I think my cut-off was under a buck for these.  Here’s 6 of my favorites.

I also got a few inserts from Panini Golden Age – the first version, which is called 2012 but really came out very close to 2013.  I got 3 of the “Newark Evening News” inserts, which were modeled off of an early 19th century minor league set.

I also got 2 cards from the Batter Up set modeled off that set from the 1930’s.  I’m 2 or 3 cards away from completing this one.

COMC purchases – Gypsy Queen

Continuing my posts of purchase from Check out my Cards back on Black Friday (yes – it’s really taken me that long to get to them!).  Today’s post is for Gypsy Queen cards.  I didn’t really need any from 2011, so these purchases all came from the sets from the past two years.

2012

I finished the 2012 set a long time ago, so I’m just after the insert sets now.  I finished off both the Hallmark Heroes and the Future Stars insert sets with these purchases – 4 needed for each set.  I also got one of the “fake” Gypsy Kings inserts.  Still 2 more to finish up that set, then I’ll have completed the “master set” for 2012.

I also try to get an example of each parallel and/or mini.  For 2012, I was pumped Griffey had signed with Topps, so I’m going after Griffey for the minis and framed paper cards.  The mini below is the photo variation that came in the 10-card box topper package.

Finally, I got a few mini inserts to throw in my “example” binder as well.  I liked the Mick because the moonshot is for the famous homer he had on May 22, 1963 that bounced off the Yankee Stadium facade.

2013

I still need some of the 2013 set, where the SP cards are littered throughout the set.  I’ got 7 new cards of that, including this Mike Schmidt card that is the same photo as his 1981 Topps card!

I also got some “samples” for this set as well.  I’m trying to get Hal Newhouser and Andrew McCutchen mini cards, just because I’ve got both their wood cards (#/5) already and I liked the photos.  Newhouser was a good addition to this set – the only pitcher to win back to back MVP awards!

I also bought one relic of Devin Mesoraco.  I pulled a Mesoraco jumbo relic in the hobby box I opened back in April, so I’ve got the regular version to keep that one company!  The scan didn’t work for that guy, and I’ve already put him back in said binder – so you’ll have to trust me 🙂

COMC purchases – Goodwin Champions

I bought a bunch of cards from COMC back on Black Friday, when they have free shipping and the sellers lower their prices.   I’ll post my loot over the next few days, and since I just finished up posting about the boxes of 2013 Goodwin I bought, I figured I’d start with those purchases.  These purchases cover 3 years of product, though most of them were buys of 2012 Goodwin Champions.

2011

I finished up my 2011 set, finally!  I’ve been 1 card short for over a year, but it’s been hard to find Hall of Famer and Negro League icon Rube Foster.  Until now.  I got this for under $2, which isn’t bad for a card that is an “SSP” from the regular set.  Look for a completed set post sometime in the future on this set!  I’m not quite done with the “Master Set” yet for 2011 – I still need a few cards from the “World Traveler” box topper set.

2012

I got 5 cards from the 2012 set, finishing off the SSP portion from that set as well with the 3 cards there I needed.  The other 2 are SPs.  I’m getting there on this set, but still have a bit to go.  I just posted the 3 I liked the best to keep the scans moving along.  John Heisman is the coolest out of this group.

I got 2 cards from the Military Machines insert set – down to 3 more of these cards.

I usually try to get one or two relics from each year, to display the design.  The Goodwin designs are pretty nice in my opinion, but the selection is a bit strange at times.  This card of Bionic Bo is pretty cool.

I also try to get a few samples of the mini cards.  In 2011, I’m going for Iron Mike Tyson.  It might be hard to get the red foil card (numbered out of 12), but I did pick up a silver foil version.  Just like Bo Jackson above, I like this pic of Tyson.

I also dig some of their autographs – some of the guys don’t have any other cards.  Or gals, in the case of female Nathan’s Famous champ Sonya Thomas.  That goes well next to the Joey Chestnut card I already had.  I used to be a track guy in high school, so that’s why I picked up Bryan Clay and Jeremy Wariner.

2013

I didn’t get a ton of 2013 cards because I hadn’t opened all of my boxes by the end of November.  But I did want to get a Jack Nicklaus memorabilia card – I took the chance I wasn’t going to pull this in my boxes 🙂

Trade with JB

I completed a trade with someone I daresay is a blogging legend the other day.  JB Anama runs the blog bdj610’s Topps baseball card blog.  He also runs the sports card blogroll – which I’d imagine is the second most visited site in my internet history these days behind ESPN.  So – thanks for the blogroll, JB – and thanks for the trade!

This one started by a bit of a goof on my part.  I saw JB’s wantlist contained a Ty Cobb card from 2010 Topps blue backs (retail-only cards designed like the 1951 Topps set).  I had recently bought a Cobb card from that set on Sportlots – only to realize I already had it!  So I figured, hey, let’s strike up a trade.  I didn’t do my homework, however.  There are 2 Cobb cards in this set – and I had the one JB already had.  As behind as I am these days – I already had the cards from JB before I realized this mistake!  Luckily, I had an SP legend variation from 2011 of Carl Yastrzemski that was also on JB’s needs list, so I was able to send that out instead.

JB sent me cards that fall into three categories.  First – he finished off the last card of 2013 Topps Update for me.  I think I actually got this Profar card in my HTA box – but it was creased so I still needed one.

Second, JB sent me a bunch of 2013 inserts.  Below are the top 5 of the 10-12 cards he sent.

Finally, I got some 2014 Topps series 1 inserts.  I’m pretty sure these are my first cards received via trade for 2014 Topps – so making a dent here really helps!  These are the best 9 out of the ~15+ cards he sent.  I love that Jim Abbott has a card – though I wish it was him in a Michigan uniform!  Also, the two 89 minis I got are a) a player from my favorite team (and the best catcher ever), and b) my favorite non-Red ever.

 

Thanks again for the trade, JB!