Paying Tribute

The need for supplies, specifically thick top loaders, is what drove me to visit my LCS over the weekend, but the 50-cent bins and the 2019 Panini Prizm parallels is what prompted me to stay a little while longer.

More so than any other card shop I've ever visited, this store, located about 20 minutes away from my house, is immaculately organized. Everything, from the hobby boxes to the supplies and display cases, is accessible and organized, so I barely have any trouble tracking something down while I'm there.

There are also ~a dozen bins of cards, ranging from Red Sox singles to relics/autographs, scattered across the store. Being that I had some time on my hands, I opted to search through more than just the usual 50-cent box to see if there was anything else that piqued my interest.

Given the cards that follow across the rest of this post, I assume that the LCS owner either opened a box of 2019 Topps Tribute and opted to sell the individual cards or purchased singles for an affordable price.

Either way, there was a fair number of hits from the high-end set in the relic/autograph bin, all of which were at a reasonable price. Typically, the relic cards that I purchase are from mid-end 2000s sets or modern-day products like A&G or Heritage, so it's not every day that I add a high-end card from a set like Tribute to my collection.

The Schwarber relic is a green parallel from the Stamp of Approval insert, a set where all the cards are authenticated by MLB and guaranteed to be from a specific game.

The jersey piece is said to be from 5/28/2018, a road game in which the Cubs played the Pittsburgh Pirates. Schwarber, however, didn't do much in that game besides draw a walk and drive in a run.

Unlike my player collections, I don't have any established rules when it comes to purchasing relic cards and autographs, for I store them separate from the cards of guys that I collect.

This, I find, gives me more freedom when it comes to this aspect of the hobby and permits me to purchase a card that I appreciate, whether I have a PC for that player or not.

For example, I just started collecting Freddie Freeman several weeks ago, but that didn't influence my decision to pick up this triple relic green parallel, serial numbered out of 99.

Instead, I chose it because I love the look of the glossy card and the dark blue jersey swatches whereas, in most products, the relics are grey or white.

The jersey relics on the Carlton Fisk dual relic may be white and grey, but I'm totally fine with that given that he's a Hall of Famer whose jerseys are likely hard for Topps to come by.

Though relics aren't as popular as they once were, it still impresses me that Topps can acquire jerseys worn by Baseball legends regularly for their high-end and even mid-end products.

The 2 pieces of game-used memorabilia on the card above are fairly large as far as relics are concerned, and even though Fisk is shown on the White Sox rather than my desired team, the Red Sox, I felt that adding this card to my relic/autograph collection was worthwhile.

I'm not a huge follower of the New York Mets nor star pitcher Noah Syndergaard, but the price on this Iconic Perspectives autograph was too low to pass up, especially taking into account the beautiful and intricate design that you can't find in just any Baseball card product.

Plus, the signature is on-card as opposed to sticker autos which have grown to bother me even more so than unlicensed autographs in recent years. Everything about this card is so exact that a sticker autograph could potentially ruin this gorgeous design.

Like all hits in high-end products like Tribute, the Syndergaard auto is serially numbered (in this case, 40/99). The back of the card accompanies the front perfectly with the black and gold pairing brilliantly with the multi-layer design that creates such intricate patterns on the front of this on-card auto.

This Syndergaard card symbolizes exactly what I love about collecting autographs and relic cards in the hobby today. The latter of the 2 can be found at extremely low prices given the low demand for relics nowadays, and even autographs can drop in price if you buy them at the right time.

Syndergaard isn't coming off the best season, and he's not a player that I follow too closely or know that much about. Both the design and the price of the Iconic Perspectives autograph, however, captured my attention, and that's what I love so much about this part of the hobby.

Top 5 Cards; Carlton Fisk

Ever since I started writing top 5 cards posts, I've tried to include as many different Boston Red Sox players as possible. After all, I collect more Red Sox players than guys from any other MLB team, and I'm constantly purchasing new cards to boost those PC totals.

Since I started blogging back in August of 2017, I've attempted a balance between current and retired players for my top 5 cards posts, especially as far as the Boston Red Sox are concerned. I've made lists for Boston legends like Wade Boggs and Jim Rice along with rising stars like Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers.

The 2 notable exceptions are David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, my 2 largest Boston Red Sox player collections. Now that both players have reached silver tier status with over 200 cards in each respective PC, it's as good a time as any to put together a post for these 2 sluggers. 

Perhaps those will come in the near future, whenever I'm ready to write my 2 subsequent top 5 cards posts. With hundreds of options to choose from for each player, those posts will be interesting to compose and create.

In the meantime, I have another Red Sox legend to write a top 5 cards post for, catcher Carlton Fisk. Throughout his career with Boston, Fisk maintained a .284 batting average, hit 162 home runs, and hit one of the biggest home runs in Baseball history during a World Series that made Baseball popular once more.

Fisk's legacy as a member of the Boston Red Sox and a Baseball player, in general, is unquestionable. That's part of the reason how and why I've amassed 121 total cards of the 11-time All-Star. As always, it was a challenge to narrow all those cards down to my 5 favorites; here they are.

#5 2002 Topps Archives

I could've sworn that I had an original 1977 Topps card of Carlton Fisk, a card that would've most definitely beaten out the '02 Archives version for a spot on this list. With that being said, I was unable to find the previously mentioned card when I went to compile the list. Alas, the reproduction version will have to do.

The Archives card just looks like the original version; a compelling picture of a play at the plate between Fisk and #30 on a team that could possibly be the New York Yankees. If the photo isn't enough, the 1977 Topps design is a perfect medium for this untraditional image.

#4 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces

As far as I know, Fisk has 2 different cards from the 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces set. The 1st is a fabulous card that shows him as a member of the Chicago White Sox. Unfortunately, it was no match for this beautiful take on Fisk's home run in the 6th game of the 1975 World Series.

Truthfully, cards that commemorate Fisk's World Series home run are a dime a dozen, so it takes a truly special interpretation for there to be a standout. The angle on this card is a pretty unique touch, propelling this card to the #4 spot on my list.

#3 1974 Topps All-Star catchers

The only card from the 20th century featured on this list, Fisk's 1974 Topps All-Star catchers card with Johnny Bench showcases 2 of the greatest players to ever play this position. In addition to showcasing 2 incredibly talented players, the bright colors on this 70s style card is a near-perfect accompaniment. 

#2 2010 Topps National Chicle

Another interesting take on Fisk's legendary home run, his 2010 Topps National Chicle card doesn't really feature the iconic hand signals Fisk made to "wave" the ball fair. This artistic approach, although abstract, still features Boston's iconic home uniforms that they wore across the 1970s.

Even though there are a few details that could be refined on this card, I appreciate Topps' efforts to create a unique version of this moment, just like what Upper Deck did back in 2008. 

#1 2003 Fleer Fall Classic

I don't think Fleer could've chosen more of a unique color than turquoise for the border of the 2003 Fleer Fall Classic base cards. In tangent with a copper frame around the image, the color choice is borderline brilliant, and the beautiful Red Sox home uniforms are back once again.

Although I'm a huge fan of all the other cards on this list, this '03 Fall Classic photo is the only true high-quality image on this list. While all the other pictures work well with their respective cards, the photo on this particular Carlton Fisk card is more than enough to earn the #1 spot on this list.

My Top 10 Boston Red Sox Cards

Just because one particular team is your favorite doesn't necessarily mean that you're destined to pull countless cards featuring members of that team from packs. I've certainly learned this lesson over the years, for even though the Red Sox have always been my favorite team when I pull a special card or open a blaster box, I don't usually end up with many Red Sox cards.

The Chicago Cubs, my 2nd favorite team, is likely the team that I've pulled the best cards of as well as the team that I see show up the most in my pack openings. Other teams include the Angels and Cardinals, teams that always seem to show up in my pack breaks, whether it be the hits or base cards.

Therefore, because I often find myself not pulling as many Red Sox cards as I would like, I attempt to compensate for that through the Baseball card show or the internet. I'm always buying or trading for new Red Sox cards to boost my collection.

Over the years, I've accumulated a few thousand Sox cards, though the exact total is unknown as of now. Once I figure out a way to organize my non-player collection Sox cards, I could definitely see myself having a completed and up-to-date inventory.

As the title suggests, this post is dedicated to the top 10 Red Sox cards in my collection, not necessarily my favorite 10, a subject I could save for the future. Moreover, only 2 of the cards on this list were actually pulled from packs, and I'll make sure to point out which ones when they come up.

#10 2018 Topps Now World Series Champions Ian Kinsler Blue Auto

At the time, I wasn't too thrilled that my 20-card exclusive set commemorating the 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox landed me an Ian Kinsler autograph. However, over time, the encased autograph has become a nice addition to my Red Sox collection. Not only is it numbered out of 49 copies, but the card is still an auto of a member of the World Champion team, even if Kinsler was a midseason acquisition.  

#9 1964 Topps Carl Yastrzemski

Aside from another card that you'll see later on this list, my 1964 Topps card is my only other vintage base card of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski. While I have no shortage of league leaders and All-Star cards, I didn't have an original Yaz base card until I picked up this one at last years' National if my memory serves me right. The condition, especially the surface, isn't perfect, but that didn't affect the card's placement on this list.

#8 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Cards

I kind of cheated on this countdown by grouping all 20 or so of my 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards into 1 spot, but that's only because there's no one card that I like more than all the others. I currently have roughly 25% of the set complete, and it will truly be an incredible accomplishment the day I finish piecing the set together. With cards like the one above, the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set is truly a near-masterpiece.

#7 1975 Topps Fred Lynn and Jim Rice

Both Jim Rice and Fred Lynn's 1975 Topps rookie stars cards seem so synonymous with one another which is a major reason why I grouped the 2 cards together for the #7 spot on my list. Both Red Sox icons came up in 1975 and played tremendous roles on one of the greatest Sox teams of all-time, despite eventually falling short in the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.

#6 2017 Topps Heritage Andrew Benintendi Rookie SP Variation

Graded at an 8.5 solely because of its poor centering, this SP variation is one of the 2 cards on this list that I actually pulled from a pack back before I began blogging. 

The rookie cards in Topps Heritage almost always feature 2 or 3 players on a rookie stars card, but there are additional rookie variations in which some players get there own Heritage rookie card. I pulled Benintendi's card after he came up in the summer of 2016 and have held onto it ever since. If only the centering had been right then I could really have a valuable card on my hands.

#5 2018 Topps Triple Threads Chris Sale Relic

I picked up my very first Triple Threads relic that included spelled out words towards the end of last year at my LCS. For the price of a blaster box, I grabbed this awesome Chris Sale 4-color relic card that spells out "Locked In" in all 4 Red Sox colors, grey, white, blue, and red. Better yet, because the card is a gold parallel, it's serial numbered 3/9 in the top righthand corner.

#4 2010 Topps Triple Threads Carlton Fisk Relic

Fisk's 2010 Topps Triple Threads relic card is the most recently-acquired card to make it onto my list as I picked it up just over a week ago at the MLK Mansfield card show. I'm not sure if there's a specific name for these Triple Threads relics that spell out certain words or stats, but one look at this card affirms why the Topps Triple Threads brand is known for creating beautiful relic cards just like this one.

#3 2014 Topps Chrome Update Mookie Betts

The final 3 cards on this list are all rookie cards featuring some of the most talented Red Sox players of all-time. Coming in 3rd is a card that I pulled out of a repack back in early 2017, a Mookie Betts rookie card, my only one to-date, from the 2014 Topps Chrome Update set. 

This isn't the only bit of luck that I've had with the Fairfield 20-pack Baseball repacks as I've also landed a Zack Greinke relic card and a Kris Bryant Topps rookie card out of them as well. It's just a shame that it's been almost 2 years since I've spotted one of those Baseball 20-pack repacks at my local Target.

#2 1972 Topps Carlton Fisk

There were a couple of expensive cards that I didn't need to worry about finding while I was putting together the 1972 Topps set since my Dad had pulled some of them back in '72 when the set was released. One of these cards was Carlton Fisk's awesome rookie card, featuring the green color used for almost every Red Sox card in the set. As far as rookie stars cards go, this has to be one of the most iconic ones of all-time.

#1 1961 Topps Carl Yastrzemski

I know it's not Yastrzemski's true rookie card, but vintage, in my eyes, will always prevail and make it to the top. Regardless of whether it's Yastrzemski's actual rookie card because of his 1960 card, this is still one of the oldest Red Sox cards in my collection, and, like the Fisk rookie, the 1961 Yaz card checks a major card off my want list for the 1961 Topps set that I'm putting together.

Who knows, maybe 2019 will be the year when I pull an insane Red Sox card to make up for years of missing out, or maybe I'll have to keep on buying or trading for most of the cards on this list. 

Personally, I don't really care too much, because this list has affirmed that I've accumulated some awesome Sox cards and that it doesn't matter how I get them.

A Few Vintage Cards and Relics; Card Show Recap #13 Part 2

While the dime boxes from yesterday's card show were definitely something special, I knew I wanted to spread out a little bit and not come home from the show knowing each card cost me just 10 cents.

After reeling in a 200-card dime box haul, I began to look around at what else this vendor had, knowing he was the one I bought my 1958 Topps Ernie Banks card from at a card show a couple of weeks ago. Aside from dime boxes, this particular dealer has 2 other bins that are always worth checking out; bargain vintage and relic cards/autographs, both of which I took him up on.

In terms of bargain vintage cards, we might as well begin with the Ty Cobb all-time hits leader card from 1973 Topps. I assume there is a small portion of the checklist dedicated to these all-time leaders cards, though I had never seen any of them from 1973 set prior to Sunday's show. 

For a very fair price of $3, this became my first all-time leaders' card from '73 Topps so far.

Continuing on with the vintage theme, I picked up this 1970 Topps Harmon Killebrew card for the same price as the Ty Cobb card, another terrific deal if you ask me. For one reason or another, there seem to be quite a few cards from 1970 Topps that feature players in front of the bat rack. Instantly, Tony Taylor and Andy Etchebaran come to mind, but it's nice to finally see one in-person of a player that I collect, and even better to add it to my collection.

Of the trio of vintage cards I picked up, Willie McCovey's 1960 Topps All-Star card is the oldest by a decade, yet cost me less money than the previous 2 cards combined. One of my Topps Flagship sets ever made, 1960 Topps features an All-Star card design equally as intriguing as the base set with McCovey's card not being my first from the set as I also have a card of Ernie Banks and I believe 1 other player in this very design.

With half the money remaining after the dime box haul still set aside, I decided these 3 cards were perfect for vintage. Therefore, I decided to look through the relic and autograph bin knowing very well that if something caught my eye, it would likely be a relic card since they are typically more fairly priced. Indeed, that was the case as 2 relics, in particular, peeked my interest.

1 day after the Dominican Dandy, Juan Marichal, turned 81 years old back on Saturday, I picked up this relic card of his numbered 14/99 that also happens to include a very large relic swatch, especially for an old-time player. Even nowadays, the standard relics in Topps Heritage or Allen & Ginter are barely half the size of this relic, not to mention Marichal played over half a century ago.

And although their relic swatches don't have the standout size as Marichal's, picking up this dual relic of 2 respective legends from the 1975 World Series, the greatest Fall Classic ever played, was equally as special as the Marichal relic above. For the same price, this dual relic of Joe Morgan and Carlton Fisk is numbered to 250 on the back of the card and is now one of a select few dual relic cards in my collection. 

Typically, most every relic card I pick up is a single relic and only a couple out of my hundreds of relics/autographs have more than 1 swatch from more than one player. That's part of what makes this relic so special with the other part being that these 2 helped put baseball back on the map in 1975 with Morgan's MVP season and Carlton Fisk's iconic World Series home run.