In addition to the vintage set needs that I posted about yesterday, Mark Hoyle also threw in some Red Sox mini-sets to cap off an extremely plentiful package of cards that were generously sent to me.
If you saw the previous post, you know that I was able to take major steps towards completing 1975, 1976, and 1979 Topps thanks to the cards that I showcased previously. The final cards were not from a specific set I'm piecing together, but are actually Red Sox cards which I'm very excited about. Mainly because other than the Red Sox players I collect, I don't obtain Red Sox as much as I really should. I was also very happy that I didn't have either of these sets before Mark sent them to me since I do have a very nice total of Red Sox cards despite me not buying their cards as much as I should.
The cards from the first set may be in the 1981 Topps design, but the set itself is not, in fact, Topps Flagship. Instead, the set is the 1981 Topps Coca-Cola team set. Including the card at the top of this post, it's a 12-card set that features the best Red Sox players of 1981. Since the set is from 1981, it means Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski is included in the set. Yastrzemski's card features one of my favorite images included the set since it features Yaz smiling (a rare sight) while he cleans off his bat.
The set may include long-time Red Sox players like Carl Yastrzemski, but it also features a couple guys who spent a couple years or more in Boston like Dennis Eckersley and Tony Perez. Unbeknownst to me, Eck actually spent 8 seasons in Boston, but he had his fair share of struggles while playing in Beantown. His 5.61 ERA in 1983 was the worst ERA by far out of any of his 24 seasons. He still had some very good years in Boston, including a 4th place finish in the 1978 AL Cy Young voting. On the other hand, Tony Perez spent 3 seasons in Boston and spent all 3 of them as Eckersley's teammate.
Another all-time Red Sox great, Jim Rice, was also included in the 1981 Coca-Cola set. Not only was he included in the first set Mark sent my way...
but he was also featured in the 2nd Red Sox set that I acquired, a testament to Rice's consistency. The 2nd Red Sox team set that I was sent was the first series of the 1986 Boston Red Sox Photo Cards set. The name may be fairly generic, but the set is actually very unique. The cards are shaped similarly to Mother's Cookies cards given that they all have rounded edges. The pictures are also well-chosen and even without having the best photo quality in 1986, the set still has Stadium Club-type feels.
The Photo Cards Series 1 might have been released just 5 years after the Coca-Cola, but the names in this set are quite different. Eck, Perez, Yaz, and others have moved on or retired. Taking their places were; a young pitcher named Roger Clemens, a speedy young outfielder named Ellis Burks, a seasoned veteran, Don Baylor, and pitcher Oil Can Boyd. The change between teams is quite significant, and the players here are part of the reason why the 1986 Sox made the World Series.
Another reason? The 5th season of future 3000 hit club member, Wade Boggs, who played in his 2nd of 12 consecutive All-Star game appearances that began in 1985. Boggs' main contribution to the success of the 1986 Red Sox was his league-leading .357 batting average along with his 47 doubles, the 2nd most in any single season of his 18-year career.
Thanks for all the awesome cards Mark! The Red Sox are great, as always, and the vintage set needs I posted yesterday are certainly going to help me finish up those 3 70's sets. I really appreciate it.
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