Frankenset Page #73

In roughly one week or so from today, my 74-page frankenset series, which has spanned well over 1 1/2 years, will draw to a close with cards #658-666 wrapping it up. After that, I'll likely take a couple weeks off from posting frankenset pages before I begin my new series towards the beginning of January 2020.

As for December, there's a lot of material for me to post in the absence of weekly frankenset pages. Bowman's Best will be released around Christmas time; I have a secret Santa gift heading my way (thanks again to Jon from A Penny Sleeve For Your Thoughts for organizing it).

I'll recap 2019 in card collecting, including my favorite releases of the year, and I have a special sports card package coming in the mail tomorrow (not Baseball!) that I haven't quite decided what I'd like to do with.

So, December should be a pretty exciting month for the blog, but before all the festivities begin, let's get to the second to last frankenset page, featuring cards #649-657.

#649 1976 Topps Traded Dave Roberts

I opted not to include the Traded cards in my quest to complete the '76 Topps set, but that doesn't mean I'm not a huge fan of the news headlines, featuring dates, that make up the checklist.

Guys like Oscar Gamble and Fergie Jenkins instantly come to mind when I think of the '76 Traded checklist, featuring several dozen players. Dave Roberts, card #649 in the base set and #T649 in the traded set, is the final one; this card commemorates his trade from the Astros to the Tigers.

#650 2014 Topps Jacoby Ellsbury

The timing of this card would've been better a week or so ago, but it's not too late to talk about the disastrous and disappointing, to say the least, Jacoby Ellsbury signing made by the New York Yankees.

The $153 million acquisition never eclipsed 2,000 at-bats in his time with New York, and now the Yankees are seeking to recoup some of his money, stating that he had some sort of unauthorized procedure that affected his ability to contribute to the team.

Though his time in New York was marred with injuries and controversy, I'll never forget Ellsbury's monstrous 2011 when he should've taken home AL MVP honors (sorry Verlander).

#651 1994 Fleer Todd Zelle

Fleer's base sets from the early 1990s do very little to impress me. First, there's the 1990 design when someone made the unfathomable decision to feature bright yellow borders across the entire set. Then, there's the bland and forgettable '94 design.

A decade or so later, Fleer made up for these boring designs by introducing some of my favorite finds from the dime boxes, like Tradition, Showcase, and Greats of the Game. I wish I had one of those cards to feature instead of Todd Zelle's '94 base card.

#652 1988 Score Vince Coleman

One of the most underrated players from the 1980s, Vince Coleman stole over 750 bases throughout his 13-year career. He achieved most of his success in St. Louis where he was a 2-time All-Star and stole 100+ bases on 3 separate occasions (1985-1987).

As far as Score is concerned, this '87 highlights card isn't too bad. It features a nice action shot and orange border that could be better, but could also be worse. Overall, the card is very middle of the road.

#653 1991 Topps Anthony Telford

In a couple of years, Topps will be celebrating its 70th anniversary, a monumental milestone in the company's history. Given all the special inserts and parallels that Topps included back in 2011 for their 60th anniversary, I'm eagerly awaiting what's going to be done to celebrate 70 years.

More significant, I presume, will be their 75th anniversary in 2026, but we have a while to wait before that gets underway. Until then, let's get through 2019 without anymore 150th anniversary of professional Baseball tributes.

#654 2015 Topps Alfredo Simon

I apologize for how lackluster this page has proven to be thus far. As the checklist grows, it becomes increasingly challenging to find intriguing cards due to the decreased range of cards numbered in the 600s as opposed to the 100s.

Still, when I created this set a couple of years back, I had a reason for each card, and the one above is no exception. For starters, I love the 2015 Topps design, and this isn't a bad action image whatsoever.

#655 1977 Topps Tony Perez

Finally, something of interest! Without a shadow of a doubt, Tony Perez's 1977 Topps card will rank as my favorite card of the entire page. The photograph is an absolutely perfect pairing for the bold text that accompanies every '77 Flagship card.

Not only is Perez's card the crown jewel of page #73, but it's also one of my favorites of the entire frankenset as well as the '77 Topps set. In some ways, the card is rather simple, but there's so much to appreciate about it.

#656 2016 Topps Randal Grichuk

The rookie cup and classic Cardinals uniform definitely influenced my decision to feature this Randal Grichuk card in the frankenset because, let's be real, the 2016 Topps design does not do it any favors.

There's something about rookie cup cards, particularly those from the 1960s with the much larger trophies, that captivates my attention. The cards are always stunning and less expensive than standard rookie cards. It's a win-win situation in my book.

#657 1992 Sporting News Conlon Collection Chick Hafey

This isn't something that happens too frequently, but 4/9 cards on this page featured St. Louis Cardinals players, something I'll try to avoid when it comes to my subsequent frankenset.

With that being said, if I had to cut one of these cards, my last choice would be the Conlon Collection Chick Hafey. Anything from this set is more than welcome in my frankenset, for the cards are a nice contrast to the traditional color photography.

Top 5 Cards; Fergie Jenkins

Greetings viewers. I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing Thanksgiving.

While I wasn't able to enjoy any of yesterday's football games, I had a great holiday, celebrating with family members whom I haven't seen in quite some time and food: lots of terrific food.

Nowadays, it's challenging to even mention Thanksgiving without talking about Black Friday at the same time. Whereas stores, even a few years back, opened around 9:00 or 10:00 pm on Thanksgiving, I've seen ads over the last few days for stores opening as early as 2:00 pm the same day.

Aside from buying a reduced price phone case from a store near me, that's going out of business, I didn't partake in Black Friday, not that I've done so significantly in the past.

That said, there's one part of this mega shopping day that might lure me in over the weekend. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I might end up purchasing Baseball cards over the next few days.

Currently, eBay, Amazon, and, most notably, COMC are all having sales along with all the major wax distributors like Blowout cards.

Because I was in the area, I tried the Walmart card aisle today in hopes of snagging the 2 Donruss Optic Basketball mega boxes that I saw while purchasing Topps Gallery last weekend.

Given how much the prices have risen on that stuff, particularly the Holo rookies, I'm kicking myself for not picking those up instead. Alas, you live and you learn.

While I contemplate what, if any, Black Friday Baseball card purchase I'd like to make, I have my first top 5 cards post in ~2 weeks to get to. Today's subject is Fergie Jenkins, a silver tier player collection with 81 cards; I chose my favorite 5.

#5 2000 Fleer Greats of the Game

Topps' monopoly in the Baseball card industry may have robbed us of glorious cards like the Fleer Greats of the Game set, but it's the company's laziness and lack of quality control that irritates me more.

Because they don't have any competition in terms of licensed cards, Topps can practically do whatever they want without any repercussions. Furthermore, their quality control is pretty poor because, as I mentioned before, there's no competition to force Topps to step up their game.

If only Fleer never had their licensed revoked or Panini was given the right to use MLB logos in the first place. Then, we'd have more cards like the one above.

#4 1975 Hostess

If I were to take part in COMC's annual Black Friday sale, I'd certainly take the opportunity to pick up some 70s Hostess singles for my player collections. I don't have a ton of these at the moment, but I'm always looking to rectify that, especially because of how much I love oddballs.

The '75 Hostess design isn't something to look twice at, but the powder blue Rangers uniform heavily enhances the otherwise ordinary card. Plus, there's just so much to love about these Hostess cards, despite how plain the set design might be.

#3 1971 Topps

Top 5 cards posts of legends from the 1960s and 1970s are both more enjoyable to write and better received by the viewers, so it's a no-brainer for me to choose a Hall of Famer for one of these posts when I'm out of ideas.

I originally intended to write about the Donruss Optic Basketball boxes today, but since I was unable to get my hands on them at Walmart, I turned to a trusty top 5 cards post.

Seeing this 1971 Topps card makes me all the more excited for the release of 2020 Topps Heritage. The following year, moreover, is when my favorite Topps set (1972) will be replicated.

#2 1973 Topps

For a very short time in the 1970s, the Chicago Cubs' jerseys featured the player's number on the front in addition to, I believe, the back. Though I've seen a few of these uniforms in the 1973 Topps set, I don't recall seeing any others.

I'm a lot more knowledgeable about the Red Sox than I am about the Cubs, so I'm not sure if these uniforms were just a 1-year thing or not. Regardless, I love the contribution to Fergie Jenkins' 1973 Topps card.

#1 2005 Fleer Tradition Club 3000

I recall that my Dad, back in 2005 upon the set's release, bought 2 of these Fleer Tradition Club 3000 inserts. One featured Bob Gibson, the other Fergie Jenkins.

As soon as my memory was refreshed surrounding these cards, I knew that the Jenkins insert had to earn the #1 spot on my list. I don't have any terrific vintage card to challenge it nor a modern one to dethrone it.

The border, color combination, photo, and background all contribute to a beautiful card overall, one that I'm proud to place at the top of this countdown.

Frankenset Page #72

I originally foresaw myself completing the 74-page frankenset series by the end of November, but it appears as if the series, which has been around since March of 2018, will continue into the very beginning of December before I wrap it up.

Page #72 is the 3rd to last of 74 unique pages included within this frankenset. Since I've been averaging about one of these a week, the series won't wrap up until the first few days of December.

Encompassing cards #640-648, page 72 spans just 3 decades of Baseball history (the 1970s, 80s, and 2010s). Let's begin the page, starting with another stellar combo card from the 1980s.

#640 1984 Fleer Bench & Yaz

1983 saw the careers of Baseball superstars, including Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski, come to an end. Combining for 32 All-Star game selections and 3 MVP awards, these 2 Hall of Famers were some of the game's brightest stars throughout their respective careers.

Fleer, a company that never shied away from making combo cards, produced one to highlight Bench & Yaz in their 1984 set. If you've seen my past few pages, you know how much I love cards like these.

#641 1988 Donruss Stan Musial

During the late 1980s, Donruss would feature puzzle pieces in each of their packs that would combine to form 1 cohesive puzzle that emulated a card in the set.

That card was always a specialty card of a Hall of Famer, and in the case of the 1988 set, that player was Stan Musial. Other subjects included Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron.

While I admire the idea of recognizing the game's greats, there must've been a better way for Donruss to do this rather than placing puzzle pieces into packs that didn't have much to do with the actual set.

#642 2015 Topps Alex Wood

Alex Wood hasn't faired too well since the Dodgers-Reds trade that sent him along with Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to Cincinnati last winter. In his first season with the Reds, the 2017 All-Star posted a 5.80 ERA in just 35 innings pitched.

Currently, the 28-year old is a free agent, and while he's coming off injuries and a poor 2019 season, there are a plethora of teams that could benefit from adding a respectable starter to their rotation.

#643 1988 Donruss Keith Hughes

It's not ideal for there to be 2 cards from the 1988 Donruss set on 1 page, but at least Keith Hughes' uniform is pretty interesting to look at. Otherwise, this card wouldn't have a whole lot to show for itself.

#644 1982 Fleer Rollie Fingers

Fleer has been the MVP of frankenset page #72 thus far. First, we had the '84 combo card of Bench and Yaz. Now, a highlights card commemorating Rollie Fingers' 1981 season.

Even though the photo quality of 1982 Fleer leaves a lot to be desired, this set has delivered some amazing cards for my frankenset, including a Big Red Machine combo card of Driessen, Concepcion, and Foster.

#645 2016 Topps Danny Santana

The major award winners were announced well over a week ago, but I haven't really deemed it necessary to discuss them on the blog. There weren't any huge surprises, though I was pleased to see Rocco Baldelli take home the AL Manager of the Year.

Granted, the Twins faired pretty poorly in the playoffs, but their 100-win season came as a shock to Baseball fans everywhere, including myself, for I didn't even predict they would make the postseason.

#646 1983 Topps Jim Essian

I'm not 100% sure, but the chain-link fence in the background of Jim Essian's 1983 Topps card leads me to believe that this photograph is from Spring Training.

Even without that part of the background, this card still has a whole lot going on. From the pink and yellow borders to the 2 different shades of blue being worn by the Mariners players, it's no wonder why '83 Topps is one of my favorite Flagship sets.

#647 1976 Topps Ramon Hernandez

The above 1976 Topps card of Ramon Hernandez isn't in the best condition which is likely why the card is apart of my frankenset instead of my '76 Topps Flagship binder.

Speaking of that set, I'm down to just 39 cards needed to finish it up. Ideally, I'd track down the remaining cards during COMC's Black Friday sale and have the set completed within the next week or so.

#648 1987 Topps Barry Larkin

Barry Larkin's 1987 Topps card is the first thing that comes to mind whenever I think of the 12-time All-Star. Everything about it, from the wood borders to the Reds' away jersey, is practically engraved in my mind.

I've been collecting Larkin for quite some time now, but for whatever reason, he has yet to even reach silver tier status. Even though he's a Hall of Famer, Larkin doesn't seem to get much love from modern-day card companies. Either that or I never seem to come across any of them.

Frankenset Page #52

I've gotten into a habit of writing 1 frankenset post each and every week, usually on Thursday or Friday. Today, it's time to continue that trend with page #52 out of a set of 74. This particular sheet showcases cards #460-468, dating back as far as 1974 or as recently as 2010.

As I continue to contemplate Wednesday's post and which, if any, of the 3 recently-released Baseball card sets I'd consider purchasing, let me go over each of the 9 cards of the next frankenset page.

#460 1974 Topps Boog Powell

Boog Powell's 1974 Topps card is just another reason why I'm strongly considering collecting this set after I complete one of the vintage Topps products that I'm currently piecing together. The base design is decent, much better than 1973, but the photos, like '73 Topps, are impressive and diverse.

Additionally, the 660-card checklist is far more manageable, aided by the fact that mid and late 1970s Topps cards are significantly cheaper than 1970-1972, thanks in large part to Topps' decision to stop producing these sets in multiple series. 

#461 1991 Score Jose Lind

In the late 80s and early 90s, Score's base sets consisted of different colored borders in order to add variety to the checklists. Although I struggle to find anything noteworthy about these sets, I appreciate the effort made. 

Some of these combinations, like the dark blue border with the Pirates' home jersey, actually don't look that bad.

#462 1987 Topps Scott Fletcher

I once read in an article that Topps designed the 1987 Topps design with 1962 Topps in mind in order for kids collecting at the time to connect more with their parents who grew up collecting in the early 1960s. 

Ever since, I haven't been able to see '87 as anything more than a 2nd-rate version of the original wood border set, combined with the fact that Topps drastically overproduced the '87 insert set back in 2017.

#463 2003 Topps Chan Ho Park

Some collectors forget the fact that the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers following the 1971 season. Therefore, I commend Topps for choosing this particular image of Chan Ho Park for the 2003 Flagship set; an image showing the pitching in a throwback Senators uniform, presumably during a road game.

#464 1992 The Sporting News Conlon Collection Clark Griffith

Speaking of the Washington Senators, the subject of the subsequent card on the 52nd frankenset page, Clark Griffith, played for that club for 3 seasons. I guess you truly do learn something new every day, for I never knew of this player until I first saw this card, nevermind the fact that he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.

#465 1991 Topps Ken Griffey

At this point in their respective careers, Ken Griffey and his son, Ken Griffey Jr, found themselves as teammates on the Seattle Mariners. Though they wouldn't be on the same team for long, this father-son duo made history in 1990 when they hit back-to-back home runs. 

I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to Baseball history, but I don't recall any other father and son accomplishing this particular feat.

#466 1984 Fleer Dave Concepcion

Undoubtedly, this Dave Concepcion card from 1984 Fleer is my favorite of the 9 showcased on this page. From the 80s logo to the uniform to Concepcion's own bat, almost everything on this card is a bright and bold shade of red. 

If I'm this fond of cards like this in 1984 Fleer, I really should start collecting the 1985 Fleer set, a product that features the same colorful cards from the 1980s while pairing them with a sleek silver set design.

#467 2017 Topps Heritage Gregory Polanco

Excluding a few possible cards from Heritage High Number, this card will end up being one of the last Topps Heritage cards of the frankenset. Considering where we are in the frankenset checklist, most Topps Heritage cards would fall under the category of SPs, like the Gregory Polanco card above. 

#468 2010 Topps Delmon Young

The final card features a mid-swing shot from 2010 Topps of Delmon Young, a key contributor to a surprisingly successful Minnesota Twins team 9 years ago. Now, almost a decade later, the Twins are having yet another sensational season, led by players that include ace Jose Berrios and young outfielder Eddie Rosario.

Frankenset Page #34

My plans to complete my ranking of Topps sets by each decade is still scheduled to be completed before the end of 2018. However, I'll be taking small breaks between the posts so there's a greater variety in what I post. 

Despite it being scheduled to arrive today, my Red Sox World Series set has not yet come in the mail at the time in which I started this post. So, I'll be doing the 34th frankenset page instead, featuring cards #298-306. 

#298 1989 Topps Chris James

A card like this is pretty much as good as you can get in a set like 1989 Topps. I like the purple and blue color combination for the Phillies' team name in addition to the powder blue jersey and the pink lining around the image. If the borders weren't unnecessarily too large, I could see myself becoming more fond of the '89 Topps set because of cards like this.

#299 2004 Fleer Tradition Mike Lieberthal

Even though they produce an extensive range of different products, I still wholeheartedly believe that the Baseball card market should not be monopolized by Topps. Fleer, my 2nd favorite card company of all-time, produced a similarly wide range of high-quality products from 1981-2005. I'd be incredibly pleased to see them return to the hobby in the coming years.

#300 2012 Topps Josh Hamilton

If Topps is going to produce a lackluster Flagship set like 2012 Topps, I'm at least pleased that they're able to include unique images from different angles like the Josh Hamilton card above. With countless cards nowadays featuring the typical photos for both pitchers and hitters, it's comforting to see images that are a little out of the ordinary.

#301 2017 Topps Heritage Martin Prado

The 2017 Topps Heritage set, no matter how one feels about the 1968 Topps design, was an incredibly well-made product. The recreation of the '68 design was near perfect, and I love the inclusion of many, many blue sky backgrounds. I just wish the photo included showed Prado in a black jersey rather than white.

#302 1993 Pinnacle Idols Delino DeShields

The Idols subset within the 1993 Pinnacle product is made up of players along with their idols, some of which I believe to be athletes and others not. In the case of 1993 rookie Delino DeShields, his idol was Malcolm X, and the result of which was one of the most special and unique cards from the junk wax era and one of my favorite Expos cards of all-time.

#303 1970 Topps Brant Alyea

It's a small collection, but I do have a binder of Washington Senators cards from the 60s and 70s before they eventually became the Texas Rangers. Most of my cards consist of 1970 and 1971 Topps with Frank Howard making up a good portion of my current Senators card total. In the case of 1970 Topps, the silver borders look especially sharp with the red hats and team name.

#304 2004 Topps Heritage Rocco Baldelli

The total number of cards I have from both the original 1955 Topps set as well as the 2004 Topps Heritage product are fairly limited, but one of the few I have from the '04 set is of current Twins' managers, Rocco Baldelli. 

He was once thought to be one of the next superstars of Baseball, but injuries got in the way of his career. He's worked his way up through the Rays' organization for years before being announced as the manager of the Minnesota Twins a couple of months ago.

#305 1977 Topps Mickey Rivers

Mickey Rivers was a key member of the 1978 and especially the 1977 New York Yankees World Series teams. A .326 hitter in '77, Rivers drove in 69 while also stealing 22 bases and played centerfield at a respectable level. Although I'm a pretty big fan of the set, I will say the orange color doesn't work for the Yankees in 1977 Topps.

#306 1981 Topps Juan Beniquez

Juan Beniquez seemed to embody the era he played in whether he was with the Rangers, Mariners, Angels, or any other team he played for throughout his career. He always seemed to have big hair and a colorful jersey in basically every Baseball card of the 1977 Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder.