PC Overview; Johnny Bench

Back in the early months of 2019, I vowed to add the PC overview posts to my list of reoccurring series here on the blog, the others being frankenset pages and top 5 cards. Despite this wish, it has been over 3 months since I wrote one of these posts with the most recent being Cal Ripken Jr at the end of June.

In case you're unfamiliar with this type of post, PC overviews are a chance for me to discuss one of the many players I collect by going more in-depth.

Usually, I only get the opportunity to showcase my 5 favorite cards, but when it comes to PC overviews, I can show off cards and memorabilia that relate to the player at hand.

In the past, I've written about Ripken, Roberto Clemente, and Reggie Jackson. I find it easier to talk about retired players, since there's usually more material for me to work with, hence why I selected Johnny Bench for today's post.

Following last Sunday's trip to the Baseball card show, my Johnny Bench player collection rose to 159 cards. This includes the oldest card in the PC, a 1969 Topps All-Star rookie card that I purchased at the Mansfield show a few months back.

Bench only has 2 Topps cards from the 60s, his iconic 1968 Topps rookie and the 2nd year card above. Ideally, I'd love to acquire his actual rookie card once of these days, but I'm pretty happy with this card for the time being, especially because of what I paid for it.

The 159 cards that I have of Bench is good for 20th on my list of largest player collections, though the order is constantly subject to change. The modern products make up a significant portion of the inventory, meaning I appreciate the vintage cards from the 1970s even more.

Aside from the rookie cup card, I'd have to rank Bench's 1973 Topps Flagship card above as my favorite as far as vintage is concerned. I don't have all that many Bench cards from this decade, something I'm willing to change if I come across 70s cards for a reasonable price.

The majority of my Johnny Bench player collection is made up of "modern" cards (after the 1970s), most of which are from the 21st century. Thanks to the '69 Topps card, I have something of Bench from every single decade since his major league debut.

Back when Donruss, Fleer, and Upper Deck were around, Bench was featured in Baseball card sets left and right as one of the game's legends. Though Topps does the same thing, to a lesser degree, nowadays, it was completely different when there were 4 companies making sets.

The one area where my Johnny Bench PC is lacking is when it comes to serial numbered cards. Unlike active players, there aren't many numbered cards out there of the 13-time All-Star, so I have to do some closer looking if I'm to find any.

The one numbered card of Bench in my collection is a base card from 2010 Topps Triple Threads (#/1350). It appears that if I want to add to this part of the Bench PC, high-end products are the way to go.

In addition to cards, there are a few pieces of Johnny Bench memorabilia in my collection, the first of which is an oddball oversized print from the 1990s. I also have one of these featuring 5 members of the 1975 Boston Red Sox team, so I assume there's some reasoning behind the Cincinnati Reds' version.

Bench, Morgan, Perez, and Foster are expected choices, but the inclusion of Don Gullett intrigues me. He was respectable for a few years, but most of the others were Hall of Famers, and Foster was an MVP award winner.

There's no MLB license on this oversized photo, so there's nothing preventing Spectrum from choosing Pete Rose, though there's something cool about Gullet being featured instead.

Back when I first attended the Mansfield show, I picked up a set of 9 McDonald's glasses, paying tribute to some of MLB's legends. Out of the 9 spots in the checklist (I still haven't found the regional Carl Yastrzemski version), there were 2 players from the Big Red Machine, Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench.

The promotional pieces came in a set for a very reasonable price, and I've kept them together ever since. I can't say I've been actively looking for the Yaz glass, but the last time I checked eBay, it was fairly expensive.

Honestly, even though I'd love to add some new 70s and numbered cards to my Bench PC, I don't really have to, because nothing can compare to this breathtaking piece of memorabilia. 

What you see above is a framed 1970s program from Wrigley Field, signed by Johnny Bench in the top left corner of the front side. It's not authenticated by any company, but my Aunt got this at a Cubs game back when Bench and the Big Red Machine were dominating the National League, so I have no reason to question its legitimacy.

There is a reasonable number of awesome autographs and memorabilia pieces in my collection, but I don't think any of them can compare to a signed program of the greatest catcher to ever live.

PC Overview; Cal Ripken Jr

It's been over a month since I've written one of these PC overview posts when I wrote one for Roberto Clemente towards the middle of last month.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy these posts. Frankly, it's quite the opposite; the PC overview posts allow me to go more in-depth regarding some of my player collections. 

While a top 5 cards list only highlights a few select cards, PC overviews include cards and a ton of memorabilia that I otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity on the blog.

I started this series with a post dedicated to Reggie Jackson back at the beginning of May in an effort to have another continuous series for the blog. I realized that I needed something in addition to the top 5 cards post and frankenset pages, so I began analyzing some of my player collections at a closer level.

Today is the 3rd installment in this series, and I've selected a player who I've acquired some unusual memorabilia of over the years. I'm talking about the Iron Man himself, Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.

Just like Reggie Jackson and Roberto Clemente, the actual cards make up most of my Cal Ripken Jr player collection, followed by the various pieces of memorabilia. Out of the 3 players whom I've written PC overview posts for thus far, Ripken Jr has the most cards in his player collection at 166.

Those 166 cards span just 4 decades (the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s), all of which are represented above. Unlike the previous 2 players, Ripken Jr played at a high level throughout the entire 1990s decade. As a result, there are far more cards available of him than most other players that I collect. 

In fact, he has the 5th most cards out of any player in Baseball history in terms of what's listed on COMC, trailing only A-Rod, Ken Griffey Jr, Derek Jeter, and Albert Pujols.

Not included in the 166-card Cal Ripken Jr are some unconventional cards that I've chosen to display on my card collecting table instead of with the other Ripken cards in my collections. My reason for this is simple; these aren't traditional cards of the 19-time All-Star. 

The cards included in the box above are metal cards from a tin that my Dad and I purchased at a card show many years ago. You can see some other memorabilia which I will get to later, but for now, let's stick to the 10-card metal set that commemorates his achievement of 2,131 consecutive games played.

This isn't the only tin with metal cards in my collection as I have similar sets for Ken Griffey Jr, Roberto Clemente, and even Mickey Mantle. While the first 2 tins on that list were produced by the same company, Ripken's tin, and metal cards strongly resemble the 10-card Mantle tin aside from the actual player featured.

Both Mantle and Ripken's tins are produced by the same company and include 10 total cards and a large box as opposed to the 5 cards and smaller boxes for Clemente and Griffey Jr. I don't recall exactly what I paid for any of these collector's items, but I can't imagine it was anything outrageous.

I'm a sucker for the design of each of Ripken's 10 metal cards, for they all feature a vibrant orange and black border and Ripken's name embossed at the bottom of the card. Each card features a different picture and highlights from his career up until his 2,131st consecutive game which he achieved in 1995. 

While I could technically count these 10 exclusive cards as part of my actual Ripken Jr player collection, it's a no-brainer for me to leave them inside the tin. If I'm going to categorize a card as part of a PC, it better be with that PC physically before I add it to the inventory.

Like the 10 metal cards, I could also count this 23KT gold card in my Cal Ripken Jr player collection as well, but I prefer to display it with my other memorabilia of the 2-time AL MVP instead. Another Baseball card show pickup, this card features roughly 17 square inches of genuine gold and has some information about Ripken's streak of games played inscribed into the card.

The front of the card features a brief synopsis about Ripken's streak after he broke Gehrig's record and achieved the world record for consecutive games played at 2,216. 

Before he willingly ended his own streak, Ripken didn't just break the record of 2,130 straight games played, set by Lou Gehrig, he exceeded the mark to earn a world record which is commemorated with these intricate designs on the back of the card. 

Among the many details is a stamp, dated June 14th, 1996, honoring when he earned the world record.

Among the numerous unusual pieces of Cal Ripken memorabilia in my collection, the most unique one would have to be the Wheaties box above, complete with a full bag of cereal inside the sealed box.

While I likely should get around to throwing out the 20+-year-old cereal and keeping the box itself, my Dad and I, somehow, acquired this cereal box at the Baseball card show and never bothered to take the actual cereal out.

We simply placed the new memorabilia with the other Ripken items along our card collecting counter, and I never thought twice about it until I started writing today's post. 

The cereal inside may be a little odd, but the box design is a special piece of memorabilia that also commemorates his legendary streak.

As much as I cherish all the oddball pieces of memorabilia, I've definitely saved the highlight of my Ripken Jr player collection for last; this simple yet beautiful plaque, again honoring his 2,131st consecutive game, which was, you guessed it, acquired at the Baseball card show.

The plaque, complete with a picture and inscription, is hung directly above the other pieces of Ripken memorabilia. I love seeing all the various Ripken items near one another, especially when so many of them honor his 2,131st straight game.

Like all the oddball memorabilia that I've featured in this post, the picture above was an inexpensive Baseball card show pickup that contributes something unusual to my Baseball card collection. 

I don't own a lot of collector's items that I can hang on the wall, so I thoroughly appreciate the Ripken plaque in addition to all the other memorabilia that I own. 

After all, these items, along with the actual cards in the PC, help make the Cal Ripken Jr player collection what it is.

PC Overview; Roberto Clemente

Because today's MLB stars are arguably playing in a neo-overproduction era, there's no real shortage of cards available of almost every Baseball player. 

Sets like Flagship, Heritage, and Big League cater to a wide range of different players while products with smaller checklists like Topps Triple Threads feature only the brightest stars and greatest legends in Baseball history.

Thus, collectors like myself are continuously finding that the rookies and superstars of today are included in a plethora of different Topps, Bowman, and Panini products. Because of the sheer volume of cards available, it's easier nowadays to be a player collector with numerous PCs of active players.

Though I've never been one to be overly critical of what Baseball card collecting has become, I will say that, sometimes, the total number of cards in my player collections isn't necessarily what matters most.

Don't get me wrong, I cherish the feeling I get from building up my various PC totals, but I'm also a big fan of collecting memorabilia of guys that I collect. However, because of the present-day restrictions on who can and cannot use the MLB license, it's much more difficult to find posters, food issue cards, and other oddballs that used to be plentiful. 

Continuing on with the PC overview posts that I started 2 weeks ago with Reggie Jackson, I'll be doing an overview of another of my vintage player collections, Roberto Clemente. 

What I like most about these posts is that they allow me to go more in-depth about the different pieces in my player collections besides the cards I showcase during my top 5 cards posts.

While I don't want to talk for too long about the Baseball cards in my Roberto Clemente player collection, it's essential that I briefly go over this particular aspect of the PC. Currently, I have 87 total cards of Roberto Clemente, an impressive total considering how uncommon his cards are at the shows that I attend, particularly in the dime bins.

Roberto Clemente is #55 on my list of 250 player collections as far as card count is concerned, and he's closing in on Gold Tier status as I speak. Hopefully, I'll get this PC to 100 cards by the end of the year at the very latest.

However, unlike the majority of my other player collections, there's far more to the Clemente PC than what meets the eye. Along with a few more cards, there's a fair share of memorabilia that my Dad and I have accumulated over the years that I'm quite excited to be showcasing on the blog for the first time.

Being one of the most popular players in Baseball history certainly means that there's a ton of different pieces of Roberto Clemente memorabilia out there, including some posters which my Dad and I brought back from last year's National in Cleveland.

I mainly let my Dad spearhead the operation of choosing pieces of Clemente memorabilia from a vendor who was selling an entire table's worth of those very things. One of the posters that he selected is showcased above, featuring a gallery of Clemente's Topps cards surrounding a stunning image of #21 himself.

Currently, this eye-catching poster is hung up in our Baseball card room, surrounded by a slew of other Pirates posters, pictures, and cards. Some of the pieces don't feature Clemente whatsoever. Others, like the next poster I'm about to show, do.

The location of the next piece of Clemente memorabilia makes it difficult for me to take a photo of only the poster, so I ended up including a few additional Roberto Clemente 8x10 pictures in this shot as well. 

Nevertheless, the next poster, in different ways, is just as fabulous as the first, for they both do an excellent job of capturing who Clemente was and making excellent use of the space provided.

The 8x10 photos, although rather standard, add something different to the mini-section of the Baseball card room that I have devoted to Pirates memorabilia.

See what I mean yet? You'll never see Baseball card tins with exclusive metal cards or McDonald's glasses featuring Baseball legends produced nowadays. I've had both of these Clemente pieces for a little while now, and they're not only some of the best parts of my Clemente PC but my entire oddball collection as well.

As far as prices are concerned, I can't recall paying more than $5 for either of these incredible items, a true bargain given Clemente's status as one of the most highly sought after Baseball players on the market.

Even though graded cards don't make up a huge portion of my collection, I have a few different ones of the 1966 NL MVP that I personally chose to get graded. For starters, there's the infamous 1973 Topps card which earned a grade of 6.

The '73 Topps card may not be the greatest card or piece of memorabilia in my Clemente PC, but it's definitely one of the most special. Without a doubt, the card is very bittersweet given his tragic death just months before this set was released. 

Still, the card never fails to remind me of all that Clemente did over the course of his life, both on and off the field. He was one of the greatest men to ever play the game of Baseball, and that's the main reason why I chose to have this card graded.

Although I have Clemente's iconic 1972 Topps card, it wouldn't be convenient for me to have the card graded because it's part of the complete '72 set that I have. Instead, when deciding which cards to get graded, I turned to another card of #21 from the same year.

On their own, 3D cards are absolutely stunning. Similarly, many of Roberto Clemente's cards are true standouts as well. The combination of the 2 not only makes sense, but it also succeeds in delivering a beautiful and classic looking Kellogg's card.

Last up for the graded cards, we have the 2nd oldest Clemente card in my collection; a base card from 1962 Topps. As far as a set as old as 1962 Topps is concerned, I'm content with a grade of 2.5, especially considering one of the biggest problems with the card is the centering.

Like most of the big name vintage cards in my collection, I can't place my finger on exactly where this Clemente card came from. All I know is that my Dad purchased a huge lot of 50s-70s cards a while back, and this one was likely featured in the lot. 

Now, the card is graded by Beckett and serves as one of the crown jewels of my Clemente PC.

The condition of this 1958 Topps Roberto Clemente card is so terrible that I opted not to get it graded, for I knew the card would come back with a grade of 1 (poor). However, that's not to take away from the fact that I still have a 61-year old card of one of the greatest hitters and fielders in Baseball history.

This card, despite its flaws, reminds me not only of everything that I appreciate about the 1958 Topps set but everything that I love about Clemente as well. He was sensational as an individual player and alongside his teammates who helped form the historic all-black lineup.

He helped bring 2 championships to the city of Pittsburgh in 1960 and 1971 respectively. He lived his entire life as a hero, both as a Baseball player and as a humanitarian.

Simply put, Roberto Clemente has been and will always be one of my favorite players to collect. I'm thrilled with all the pieces of memorabilia that I've acquired of his, and I'm intrigued to see what the future will bring for this exceptional player collection.

PC Overview; Reggie Jackson

I'm not quite sure whether this will become a reoccurring series on the blog like top 5 cards and frankenset pages, but I was eager to try something new with today's post. Rather than sticking to a traditional top 5 cards post for one of my many player collections, I've decided to do a complete PC overview.

Whether or not I continue with this series of posts, I suppose I should briefly explain what a PC overview is. Basically, I'll be going in depth regarding one of my player collections. 

Today's subject is Reggie Jackson, a gold tier PC. I'll be showing off cards as well as pieces of memorabilia and other PC items that I haven't had the chance to showcase before on the blog.

As you'll soon see, I have some pretty cool Reggie Jackson PC pieces, but I've never really had the right time to incorporate them into a blog post. Now, I finally have the chance to include all those pieces and go a little more in-depth than I would in, say, a top 5 cards post for the same player.

Although I collect cards of 250 different players, I don't have quite as many options for PC overview posts as I do for top 5 cards. The whole idea behind these player collection overview posts is to explore more than just Baseball cards, meaning that I'd like to showcase memorabilia and even some oddballs.

I can do a top 5 cards post for any of the guys that I collect, but PC overviews will be a bit more challenging. Still, I'm excited to write this post and see where it goes. I really enjoy collecting Reggie Jackson for numerous reasons, mainly because there are so many different things out there to collect of Mr. October. 

I vividly remember the first player collections, Duke Snider, Ivan Rodriguez, Catfish Hunter, and Harmon Killebrew, and I'm certain that Reggie Jackson wasn't too far behind them. I've been collecting cards of the 14-time All-Star for years now. Following last weekends card show, I have 147 total cards of Mr. October in my player collection.

I also purchased my first serial numbered card of Jackson at last Sunday's Shriner's Baseball card show, an orange parallel from 2018 Topps High Tek. I must say, I originally thought that the orange background combined with the gold jersey would be overwhelming, but I couldn't be more wrong. 

It's totally a winning combination and the low serial numbering (7/25), makes it even better. Although serial numbered cards of retired players are fairly hard to come by, I'm hoping that this won't be the last one I see of Reggie Jackson.

Reggie's rookie season in 1969 allowed for only 1 card to be produced of the 1973 AL MVP in the entire 60s decade. Thus, virtually all of the vintage Reggie Jackson cards can be found in the 1970s, whether it's Topps Flagship or a more oddball product like SSPC.

Excluding his base card in my 1972 Topps complete set, my oldest Reggie Jackson card dates back to 1973 Topps. Following that year, I have a few more vintage cards of the 2-time World Series MVP on the Oakland A's before he went to the Orioles, Yankees, and Angels later on in his career.

I may be a huge stickler for oddballs, but nothing can beat that 1975 Topps card. The blue and orange borders combined with the green uniform and photo is unbeatable. 

Now, cards are nice enough, and I enjoy featuring them on the blog as much as anyone, but the whole point of PC overviews is to showcase pieces that otherwise may not be featured on the blog. 

While these may look like traditional cards at first glance, and I suppose they are, in reality, these are actually 1983 Star panels in which 3 cards are grouped together. They're kind of like the box toppers that Topps Heritage used to do except these panels can actually be separated into 3 different cards.

I have other Star cards in my collection as this company created a surplus of different mini sets centered around certain players. I've always gone back and forth as to if I should separate the panels into individual cards. 

On one hand, I'd be able to boost my Reggie Jackson PC by a substantial number of cards. By contrast, the panels themselves, especially with the gold A's uniforms, look so fantastic that I'd almost feel guilty taking them apart.

Not limited to just the Oakland Athletics, I also have Star panels that feature Jackson as a member of the New York Yankees and the California Angels. These cards, combined with the Oakland A's panels, could add 18 cards to my Reggie Jackson player collection. 

I'm going to have to decide whether 6 panels or 18 additional cards in the Reggie Jackson PC is the better choice. Still, there's one thing that cannot be denied; these Star cards are awesome, especially since the borders match the respective team colors.

I'm fairly certain that I've shown this booklet card on the blog before, but there was no way that I could leave it out when discussing the finest pieces of Reggie Jackson memorabilia in my collection. This dual relic, the only booklet card in my entire collection, is from 2017 Panini National Treasures, an unbelievably high-end product.

Like many of the sets from which I purchase individual cards, I'll likely never open a box of National Treasures in my lifetime. With that being said, I love this Reggie Jackson card, though I wish one of the jersey swatches was either green or gold.

The booklet is very polished and elegant, much like the entire National Treasures set, and it came with the one-touch case when I purchased the card at a Baseball card show several months back for roughly the price of a blaster box of cards.

While I've previously featured the NT booklet, there's one last piece of Reggie Jackson memorabilia that I have yet to showcase in any blog post. This was actually purchased on the same day as the card above. Needless to say, that Baseball card show trip was primarily centered around Mr. October.

Every once in a while, my Dad and I discover something so special and perfect for our collection that we simply feel obligated to splurge and add it to our collection. This is exactly how we felt when we stumbled upon this framed Sports Illustrated cover from the early 1970s, autographed by the Hall of Famer himself.

If the cover featured Jackson on any other team besides the Athletics, I doubt that we would've purchased it. However, because he's shown as a member of the Oakland A's as well as the iconic gold jersey, the framed cover was simply perfect for our collection.

Along with the Red Sox and Cubs, the Expos, Pirates, and Oakland A's are my favorite Baseball teams, hence why I collect so many players from each of those MLB clubs. There aren't many players that I could justify splurging for a framed autograph magazine cover of, but Reggie Jackson, admittedly, is one of them.