Frankenset Page #1

A couple of years ago, I began noticing blogs that included different frankensets on them. For those of you who don't know, a frankenset is a set made up of cards numbered in order. 1, 2, 3 etc. Some sets are very small while others go all the way up to hundreds or even a thousand cards. After seeing frankensets on many blogs, most noticeably Dime Box Nick's blog, I decided to create my own frankenset which I completed a couple of months before creating the blog. 

Unlike most, my frankenset does not have any rules. I could put any card I wanted in the set as well as multiple cards of the same team per page. I ended up making my set 666 cards full of random cards, oddballs, personal favorites, and a whole lot more. The only thing they had in common? I liked something about each card I put in.

I waited until the baseball season started to begin showing off frankenset pages for no reason other than I thought it would be a good time to start especially since this blog has been up and running for a while. The cards shown above are numbers 1-9.

#1 2010 The Cards Your Mom Threw Out Mickey Mantle 

Mantle's iconic 1952 Topps card was remade for the Cards Your Mom Threw Out insert set in 2010 Topps. Because of how recognizable and well re-created the card is, I decided to give it the first spot in the set. I certainly hope no one's mom actually threw out their 1952 Mantle card. 

#2 1990 Pacific Baseball Legends Tommie Agee

Agee is one of the few cards I have from the 1990 Baseball Legends set. This also makes the first 2 cards in the set players from New York teams.

That has to change.

#3 2016 Panini Donruss Masters of the Game Juan Gonzalez

I can only imagine how much better these painted Masters of the Game inserts would look if Panini had licensing. I know there's a chance they get it after Topps' exclusive deal expires after 2020, but I don't think MLB would give Panini the license due to their low-quality sets currently, even logos couldn't make me want to buy Panini Donruss all that much.

#4 2016 Topps Tribute to the Kid Ken Griffey Jr.

This insert set from 2016 Topps Series 2 paid tribute to Ken Griffey Jr. as he made his way to Cooperstown. The concept was very good, but the redundant images caused Topps to fail on the execution of the set.

#5 1989 Playball USA Superstars Darryl Strawberry

I couldn't help but like this card enough to put it in the frankenset. The set is quite similar to Stadium Club which helps to ease the pain of having 3 New York Mets/Yankees cards on 1 page of the set.

#6 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Bartolo Colon

I remember buying a couple packs of 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen for my frankenset when I started making it. The Bartolo Colon card was one of the cards that ended up beating out other possible #6's to make it into the set.

#7 2008 Topps All-Rookie Team 50th Anniversary Dave Justice

The bright red and yellow along with the classic vintage Topps rookie cup were some of the deciding factors in choosing this card of Dave Justice to make the frankenset.

#8 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites Tony Oliva

I bought this card at the card show before I realized that Tony Oliva is not a player I collect. I guess I just liked the card so much that I knew it needed a place in my collection. That place ended up being spot #8 in my frankenset.

#9 2006 Bowman Heritage Prospects Yung-Chi Chen

We end with a player I've never heard of in a set I'm very unfamiliar with. However, the picture chosen with the plain red background makes for one of the most unique cards I've seen in a while and one that is in the top 2 of my favorite cards on the page.

I'll probably post a page or 2 of the frankenset a week as a way just to show off some unique and interesting cards. After all, the set is completed, so why not show at least some of the cards that make up the entire set.