Frankenset Page #39

Year after year, Topps never fails to get me excited about Series 1 release day, even though the product will likely be available on retail and card shop shelves for months to come.

The last few years, in particular, have seen an increase in the number of products that I purchase, both retail and hobby boxes, and it always starts with the first release of the year, Topps Series 1. 

I know I shouldn't be getting so excited over the Flagship design, but there's something exciting about getting my hands on this years' first Baseball card set that causes me to hunt down a blaster box or 2 of Series 1 time and time again.

This year, for the first time since 2015, the Topps Flagship set has borders, and although I feared I wouldn't like it at first, I've grown more fond of the set as I've seen fellow bloggers and YouTubers break open some packs. 

I'll finally have some time on my hands this Friday, so I'll likely be getting my first in-person look at the set tomorrow. However, after learning that a Series 1 hobby box at my LCS is equal to the price of 3 blasters, I may spring for my first-ever Flagship hobby box, featuring a silver pack of 1984 chrome cards, instead.

Moving onto the frankenset which is now over halfway finished as I get ready to show off the cards on page #39. As I continue to progress through the binder, a series of posts that I've had a ton of fun with, I intend to put the finishing touches on my 2nd frankenset so I can have another binder ready to go for when I complete the 1st frankenset series. 

It's time for me to get started with page #39, featuring cards #343-351 of my frankenset.

#343 1973 Topps Bobby Murcer Boyhood Photos of the Stars

Topps included these Boyhood Photos of the Stars cards in their Flagship sets for a few years, including the 1972 Topps set which I have completed. If nothing else, seeing childhood pictures of 70s greats like Bobby Murcer is really interesting, but I don't really know who else, besides Murcer, is featured in the 1973 Topps subset. 

#344 1967 Topps Ossie Chavarria

The brightly-colored uniforms and light blue Athletics team name helps make this classic 1967 Topps card of infielder Ossie Chavarria one of my favorite Oakland Athletics cards of all-time. Even by the 60s standards, very few cards featured as much color as the one above. However, I don't feel it's overwhelming or taking away from the rest of the card.

#345 1992 Fleer Ultra Alex Cole

Like a number of cards that I talk about when writing these frankenset posts, I think this Alex Cole card from 1992 Fleer Ultra was a space-filler after I struggled to find another card for spot #345. Don't get me wrong, as far as 90s cards go, it's not a bad effort, but compared to the other cards on this page, the '92 Fleer Ultra doesn't really stand out.

#346 2015 Topps Heritage Jurickson Profar

It wasn't too long ago when Jurickson Profar was supposed to be one of the league's best young star players. Flash forward to 2019 and Profar has been traded from the Rangers, where he couldn't make it big, to the Oakland A's. 

Something tells me that Oakland, coming off a 97-win season, is going to turn Profar into a much better player.

#347 1981 Topps Harold Baines

This would have to be one of the more memorable cards of recent Hall of Fame inductee Harold Baines in my entire collection. Also, I know the announcement came over a month ago, but it still feels slightly odd to refer to 6-time All-Star as a Hall of Famer. Regardless, it's good for the White Sox to have another player in Cooperstown.

#348 1979 Topps Andre Dawson

This is one of my favorite cards of Hawk, combined with one of my favorite Topps sets of the entire 1970s decade. The retro-style Baseball with the Topps logo looks awesome, but it's the powder blue Expos jersey and the sheer awesomeness of the card that draws me in. Dawson had a lot of awesome cards produced over the course of his career, and this one is certainly near the top.

#349 1957 Topps Nellie King

Even with the simplicity of the 1957 Topps design, this card of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Nellie King will have to go down as my favorite card of the entire page. The background features a surplus of empty stadium seats, likely before a game during practice, but it's the different-colored fonts that give this card a true 60s feel.

#350 1991 Topps Glenn Davis

I don't know if the Astros have worn these 90s uniforms as throwback jerseys over the last few years. While it may seem odd to wear throwback uniforms that were worn just over 20 years ago, it would be cool to see the Astros' superstars of today like Jose Altuve and George Springer wearing the iconic uniforms that Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell wore first.

#351 1999 Topps Chrome Carlos Guillen

Even with the chrome cardstock not being as high-quality as it is today, this 1999 Topps Chrome card of Carlos Guillen is a nice way to end off the page. On this card, I really like the picture, especially the background. The darkish tinge to the card makes it hard to see what ballpark is showcased behind Guillen, though it looks to me like either the White Sox or Athletics' home stadiums.