PC Overview; Roberto Clemente

Because today's MLB stars are arguably playing in a neo-overproduction era, there's no real shortage of cards available of almost every Baseball player. 

Sets like Flagship, Heritage, and Big League cater to a wide range of different players while products with smaller checklists like Topps Triple Threads feature only the brightest stars and greatest legends in Baseball history.

Thus, collectors like myself are continuously finding that the rookies and superstars of today are included in a plethora of different Topps, Bowman, and Panini products. Because of the sheer volume of cards available, it's easier nowadays to be a player collector with numerous PCs of active players.

Though I've never been one to be overly critical of what Baseball card collecting has become, I will say that, sometimes, the total number of cards in my player collections isn't necessarily what matters most.

Don't get me wrong, I cherish the feeling I get from building up my various PC totals, but I'm also a big fan of collecting memorabilia of guys that I collect. However, because of the present-day restrictions on who can and cannot use the MLB license, it's much more difficult to find posters, food issue cards, and other oddballs that used to be plentiful. 

Continuing on with the PC overview posts that I started 2 weeks ago with Reggie Jackson, I'll be doing an overview of another of my vintage player collections, Roberto Clemente. 

What I like most about these posts is that they allow me to go more in-depth about the different pieces in my player collections besides the cards I showcase during my top 5 cards posts.

While I don't want to talk for too long about the Baseball cards in my Roberto Clemente player collection, it's essential that I briefly go over this particular aspect of the PC. Currently, I have 87 total cards of Roberto Clemente, an impressive total considering how uncommon his cards are at the shows that I attend, particularly in the dime bins.

Roberto Clemente is #55 on my list of 250 player collections as far as card count is concerned, and he's closing in on Gold Tier status as I speak. Hopefully, I'll get this PC to 100 cards by the end of the year at the very latest.

However, unlike the majority of my other player collections, there's far more to the Clemente PC than what meets the eye. Along with a few more cards, there's a fair share of memorabilia that my Dad and I have accumulated over the years that I'm quite excited to be showcasing on the blog for the first time.

Being one of the most popular players in Baseball history certainly means that there's a ton of different pieces of Roberto Clemente memorabilia out there, including some posters which my Dad and I brought back from last year's National in Cleveland.

I mainly let my Dad spearhead the operation of choosing pieces of Clemente memorabilia from a vendor who was selling an entire table's worth of those very things. One of the posters that he selected is showcased above, featuring a gallery of Clemente's Topps cards surrounding a stunning image of #21 himself.

Currently, this eye-catching poster is hung up in our Baseball card room, surrounded by a slew of other Pirates posters, pictures, and cards. Some of the pieces don't feature Clemente whatsoever. Others, like the next poster I'm about to show, do.

The location of the next piece of Clemente memorabilia makes it difficult for me to take a photo of only the poster, so I ended up including a few additional Roberto Clemente 8x10 pictures in this shot as well. 

Nevertheless, the next poster, in different ways, is just as fabulous as the first, for they both do an excellent job of capturing who Clemente was and making excellent use of the space provided.

The 8x10 photos, although rather standard, add something different to the mini-section of the Baseball card room that I have devoted to Pirates memorabilia.

See what I mean yet? You'll never see Baseball card tins with exclusive metal cards or McDonald's glasses featuring Baseball legends produced nowadays. I've had both of these Clemente pieces for a little while now, and they're not only some of the best parts of my Clemente PC but my entire oddball collection as well.

As far as prices are concerned, I can't recall paying more than $5 for either of these incredible items, a true bargain given Clemente's status as one of the most highly sought after Baseball players on the market.

Even though graded cards don't make up a huge portion of my collection, I have a few different ones of the 1966 NL MVP that I personally chose to get graded. For starters, there's the infamous 1973 Topps card which earned a grade of 6.

The '73 Topps card may not be the greatest card or piece of memorabilia in my Clemente PC, but it's definitely one of the most special. Without a doubt, the card is very bittersweet given his tragic death just months before this set was released. 

Still, the card never fails to remind me of all that Clemente did over the course of his life, both on and off the field. He was one of the greatest men to ever play the game of Baseball, and that's the main reason why I chose to have this card graded.

Although I have Clemente's iconic 1972 Topps card, it wouldn't be convenient for me to have the card graded because it's part of the complete '72 set that I have. Instead, when deciding which cards to get graded, I turned to another card of #21 from the same year.

On their own, 3D cards are absolutely stunning. Similarly, many of Roberto Clemente's cards are true standouts as well. The combination of the 2 not only makes sense, but it also succeeds in delivering a beautiful and classic looking Kellogg's card.

Last up for the graded cards, we have the 2nd oldest Clemente card in my collection; a base card from 1962 Topps. As far as a set as old as 1962 Topps is concerned, I'm content with a grade of 2.5, especially considering one of the biggest problems with the card is the centering.

Like most of the big name vintage cards in my collection, I can't place my finger on exactly where this Clemente card came from. All I know is that my Dad purchased a huge lot of 50s-70s cards a while back, and this one was likely featured in the lot. 

Now, the card is graded by Beckett and serves as one of the crown jewels of my Clemente PC.

The condition of this 1958 Topps Roberto Clemente card is so terrible that I opted not to get it graded, for I knew the card would come back with a grade of 1 (poor). However, that's not to take away from the fact that I still have a 61-year old card of one of the greatest hitters and fielders in Baseball history.

This card, despite its flaws, reminds me not only of everything that I appreciate about the 1958 Topps set but everything that I love about Clemente as well. He was sensational as an individual player and alongside his teammates who helped form the historic all-black lineup.

He helped bring 2 championships to the city of Pittsburgh in 1960 and 1971 respectively. He lived his entire life as a hero, both as a Baseball player and as a humanitarian.

Simply put, Roberto Clemente has been and will always be one of my favorite players to collect. I'm thrilled with all the pieces of memorabilia that I've acquired of his, and I'm intrigued to see what the future will bring for this exceptional player collection.