After I redeemed my Jim Palmer redemption auto after the Baseball card show on Sunday, Topps wasted very little time in shipping the 2018 Topps Archives card. According to the USPS tracking, the redemption is set to arrive in the mail this Thursday.
In the meantime, it appears that I've been successful in ridding myself of my case of writer's block, thanks, in large part, to new cards coming into my collection.
I have a team collector's package ready to recap later this week, not to mention the redemption card which will come in the mail any day now, and before I know it, I'll be right back at the Baseball card show on Monday.
Needless to say, there's a lot going on when it comes to Baseball cards, and it's forcing me to stay busy which I view as a very good thing. But before I can move on to a new package of cards, I wanted to do a top 5 cards post for Jim Palmer, inspired by the redemption card that I picked up at Sunday's show.
Palmer was undeniably one of the greatest pitchers in Baseball history, but he doesn't receive as much recognition as he should. He amassed well over 2,000 strikeouts, finished just shy of 300 wins, and maintained a 2.86 ERA while pitching in 3 different decades.
I may not be spoiled when it comes to vintage base cards of Palmer like I am for other players, but card companies like Topps and Upper Deck have helped grow my 78-card player collection over the years. Behold, my top 5 favorites.
#5 2018 Topps Big League
Even while writing this post, my choice of Palmer's 2018 Topps Big League card surprises me, yet the more I study it, the more confident I am in this choice. Topps chose to feature Palmer alongside fellow Orioles legends, Ripken Jr. and Brooks Robinson, in the 2018 Big League set, and they nailed the Palmer card, in particular, by choosing a logo appropriate to the time period in which he played.
The Big League set was a surprisingly well-received release in 2018 and one that I'm glad to see return this year, especially if retired players, like Palmer, are featured to the extent that they were in the 2018 set.
#4 1971 Topps
I, unfortunately, do not have Palmer's base card from 1971 Topps, but this card commemorating the 1970 AL Playoffs is nevertheless a great option. While I wish the photo was in color instead, the black borders of the '71 set never fail to impress me, and this card is no exception.
The photo choice is near-perfect for this card, and Topps was able to nail the balance between how much space the borders take up. If the postseason highlights card looks this nice, I'd love to get my hand's on Palmers base card from the 1971 Topps set.
#3 2005 Upper Deck All-Star Classics Box Scores
I have a feeling that these inserts from 2005 Upper Deck All-Star Classics are somewhat rare, for there is only 1 of them listed on the entire COMC site. The Palmer card is the only one that I have from the entire set, and the inserts themselves feature a very unique concept that we don't usually see on Baseball cards.
In the case of Palmer's card, the entire box score from the 1977 MLB All-Star game is featured with the National League on the left and the American League on the right. Moreover, you can see who played, scored, drove in runs, and got a hit, and the box score will tell you that the NL defeated the AlL this year with a final score of 7-5.
#2 1976 Topps
My other copy of this card is occupying spot #450 in the 1976 Topps set while this one is a part of my Jim Palmer player collection, and it's also my 2nd favorite Palmer card that I own. The image quality may not be stellar, but the Orioles jersey looks pretty cool on this card because of how it's practically red rather than the lighter orange we're used to seeing nowadays.
Speaking of orange, the color combination at the bottom of this '76 Topps card is the typical Orioles orange along with a lighter shade of green. In true 1976 Topps fashion, an intriguing color combination is featured, and surprisingly, it looks pretty great.
#1 1967 Topps
This time around, in regards to the choice for spot #1, it wasn't a hard decision. Frankly, there's just nothing that could beat this World Series highlights card from 1967 Topps, honoring game #2 of the 1966 Fall Classic between the Baltimore Orioles and the L.A. Dodgers.
The design reminds me of 1955 Bowman because of how it's made to look like an old-fashioned TV, equipped with "tuners" that list the game number and the final score. Better yet, the photo is in full black and white, not a sepia/yellowish color like the '71 set. This time, it's an action image in full that also happens to be in black and white as well.
I guess, when I have a card as eye-catching as this one, I don't really need any vintage Jim Palmer base cards. I'll take this World Series highlights card any day of the week.
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