Frankenset Page #54

Towards the beginning and middle of May, I struggled to find material for the blog, leading me to miss more posts than I would like during this time period, including 3 posts in a 1-week time frame.

Thankfully, I've since broken free of my temporary writer's block thanks to Monday's Memorial Day Baseball card show and my best 30 cards from all 30 teams series. While I'll pick up where I left off with the AL West tomorrow, today's post is reserved for the 54th page of my frankenset.

At this point in the frankenset series, I'm nearing the 3/4 mark of my custom-made set. This particular page includes a ton of Pirates cards, 4 to be exact, as well as another spectacular Conlon Collection photo.

As I mentioned, I'm nearing the 75% mark as far as these frankenset posts are concerned. Page #54 showcases cards 478-486 and includes cards spanning 4 different decades (1970s-2000s).

#478 1990 Fleer R.J. Reynolds

The initial card of the 54th page is also the first of 4 Pittsburgh Pirates cards on this on the page as well. Nonetheless, I wasn't too keen on showcasing this card, for it's far from my favorite one on the page. 

I've never been a fan of the 1990 Fleer set, nor do I like the overly-bright shade of yellow utilized across the card. If that wasn't enough, the Pirates logo in the top right corner is one of my least favorite insignias of all-time. 

While I realize that some collectors and fans cherish this logo, there's something about it that's simply not true to the Pittsburgh Pirates teams that I recognize and adore.

#479 1981 Donruss Billy Martin

One of the most profound characters in Baseball history, Billy Martin was one of the most outspoken managers in Baseball history along with Earl Weaver. This might not be my favorite Billy Martin card that I own, but the limited amount of gold jersey that is visible, nevertheless, stands out.

The inaugural Donruss set, like the Billy Martin card above, isn't a personal preference of mine. I definitely prefer the '82 and '83 sets, despite their similarity, and the black-bordered '85 design to the initial Donruss release.

#480 1971 Topps Manny Sanguillen

As someone who is thoroughly familiar with the 1971 Topps set and many of its cards, I can confidently declare that Manny Sanguillen's card above is one of the greatest of the entire black-bordered Flagship product.

'71 Topps is home to a surplus of iconic cards; Nolan Ryan, Thurmon Munson, and Willie Stargell all come to mind when I think about this product. However, Sanguillen's clipboard photo is right up there with the best of the best from this sensational set. 

The helmet, the uniform, and, especially, the black-bordered design work brilliantly together. The result? A fabulous card of a key contributor on the dominant Pirates teams of the 1970s. 

#481 2007 Topps Jim Thome

By the middle/end of the 2000s, the greatest years of Hall of Famer Jim Thome's MLB career spent with the Indians and Phillies were behind him. However, he remained a power threat up until the day he retired while playing for teams like the Twins, Dodgers, and White Sox.

Preceded by a card from the only other black-bordered Flagship set in Topps history, Thome's time in Chicago was, nevertheless, nothing to look down upon. He hit .265 with 134 home runs during 4 seasons on the South Side of Chicago.

#482 1990 Leaf Jack Morris

Similar to how we had back-to-back black-bordered Baseball card sets, cards #481 and #482 represent consecutive Hall of Famers in Jim Thome and Jack Morris, both of whom were members of the 2018 HOF class.

While I personally collect both of these retired superstars, it's much easier to find cards for the Thome player collection than it is for the Jack Morris PC. As of now, I have 75 total cards of Thome while Morris' PC is much lower at 22 cards.

#483 1992 The Sporting News Conlon Collection Red Faber

Because of the sheer number of packs of Conlon Collection that I've had the privilege of opening, I've been able to feature a surplus of these gorgeously-photographed cards in my frankenset, specifically over the last 10 or so pages.

This time, it's Chicago White Sox pitcher Red Faber's turn, featuring a photograph likely from 1917. Though he was not involved in the Black Sox Scandal, Faber was a member of the infamous 1919 White Sox team, though he'd go onto have a HOF career with Chicago.

 #484 1982 Fleer Vance Law

Although having 4 different Pittsburgh Pirates cards on 1 frankenset page can be somewhat repetitive, I enjoy seeing the colorful and striking gold and black jerseys of the 1980s, just like the one worn by Vance Law in the card above.

I'm also fond of the flat hats worn by the Pirates throughout this time period as well. I'm not sure if any other MLB clubs wore these caps, but I love the way they look with the rest of Pittsburgh's uniform.

#485 1983 Topps Omar Moreno

When I initially created this frankenset page a couple of years ago, I had no intentions of featuring this many cards from the same team on 1 page, so there must've been a lack of options for at least a couple of these spots. 

With that being said, seeing this page right now, I have no problems with the number of Pirates cards that I included. Granted, I'm not a huge fan of the 1990 Fleer card, but all of the others are true standouts.

#486 1992 Fleer Ultra Reggie Sanders

Last up, a card from another set that's been quite prevalent across the 54 frankenset pages thus far; 1992 Fleer Ultra. Like the 1990 Fleer card that commenced this page, I don't have much to say about the Reggie Sanders card above. I like the uniform and all, but there's not much else to talk about.

Truth be told, if I could find an exciting card that's #486 in a set, I wouldn't mind having a 5th Pirates card rather than the standard Fleer Ultra card above.

Frankenset Page #45

Along with October, March is undoubtedly one of the most exciting months for sports year after year.

In addition to MLB Opening Day being just 8 days from now, the NCAA college Basketball tournament officially kicks off tomorrow with the first half of the round of 64 games. As always, I've created a couple of brackets, but I've never had too much success with my predictions.

Still, one of the highlights of this month is going from game to game and watching the tournament unfold. It's called March Madness for a reason because there never fails to be a surplus of upsets and thrilling moments across the entire tournament. 

At the same time, NFL free agency is in full swing with numerous trades and signings occurring daily. I may not follow Football as attentively as I once did, but it still adds to the excitement of this sports-filled month.

Finally, the NBA and NHL playoff races are happening as well, and the over-spoiled Boston sports fans can expect both the Celtics and the Bruins to return to their respective postseasons. The NBA playoffs are especially interesting for me since Basketball is my 2nd favorite sport behind, obviously, Baseball.

There was even a Baseball game played earlier today in Tokyo, but I was unable to watch any of it due to time constraints. Ichiro, of course, received a mega ovation from the fans, and the Mariners beat the Athletics in a 9-7 slugfest in Japan. 

Although it was technically the first game of the 2019 MLB season, I'm anticipating next Thursday's Opening Day even more. With all 30 teams set to play, it's bound to be epic.

For now, I'm taking a quick break from my 2019 predictions by division posts to do the 45th page of my frankenset. Today, we'll be crossing the card #400 mark as this page features cards #397-405.

#397 1982 Donruss Broderick Perkins

My favorite San Diego Padres uniforms will always be the brown jerseys with the gold text shown here, but these gold-colored shirts sure are a close 2nd. Almost identically matching the yellow bat in the 1982 Donruss set, this card, and all its colorfulness makes it a definite standout. 

Unfortunately for Padres fans, I recently read an article stating that they won't bring back the brown uniforms until 2020 at the earliest. 

#398 1984 Topps Lou Whitaker

I've had a couple of unsuccessful TTM autograph experiences, but none quite as bad as when I sent away for Lou Whitaker's signature. After I found his address, I sent out an envelope with the card and a return letter inside.

Flash forward a month or so and I get the envelope back, but my card wasn't there. In its place, there was a printed photo, the size of a standard card. He signed the photo, but both that and the autograph were extremely faded. At least the card I sent away was a duplicate, but I still never got it back.

#399 2003 Fleer Tradition Austin Kearns

The 2 Cincinnati Reds cards on this page, although only 9 years apart feature drastically different uniforms. Austin Kearns is seen wearing an early-2000s Reds jersey with pinstripes and black sleeves. On the other hand, card #400, Jay Bruce, represents the modern Reds uniforms very well.

#400 2012 Topps Heritage Jay Bruce

An underrated player during his prime seasons, Bruce was a key member of the Cincinnati Reds for many seasons on a team that included MVP award winner Joey Votto. It's hard to believe that the guy who earned MVP votes in 2012 and 2013 is the same player who has struggled to find his place over the last few seasons, bouncing back and forth between the Mets and the Indians.

#401 1976 Topps Ken Brett

It's hard for me to find faults with the 1976 Topps set, but one of the few issues that I have is the choice of a yellow and green color combination for the Pittsburgh Pirates cards. Pairing yellow with pink or green with orange would've been a better fit, in my opinion. 

Teams like the Angels and Orioles used those color combos, and their cards look fantastic. I'm just not certain if the yellow and green is doing players like Willie Stargell justice. 

#402 1992 Topps Joe Carter All-Star

1992 marked the end of an era for the cardstock that Topps used for their Flagship sets. After this year, the company switched to a different material for their cards, yet I'm not sure about the specifics regarding the new cardstock. Ever since then, Topps has stayed away from the cardstock of the past except for products like Heritage and Archives.

#403 2005 Topps Total Alex Gonzalez

The background of this card definitely reminds me of a Spring Training field, especially since the old Marlins stadium was so easily-identifiable. 2005, to my knowledge, was the final year of the Topps Total set. A more expanded version of the typical Topps Flagship set, Topps Total featured a much wider variety of different players,

#404 1992 Fleer Ultra Greg Cadaret

A set like 1992 Fleer Ultra forces you to pay attention to the photograph and the background and not much else. In this case, the subject is wearing the classic New York Yankees pinstripes and is shown on the pitcher's mound. Other than that, there's not much else to say about this card.

#405 1971 Topps Leo Cardenas

The oldest card on this page, the classic black-bordered 1971 Topps set is represented with card #405, Leo Cardenas. Also shown are the pinstriped Twins uniforms, some of my favorite classic jerseys from the early 1970s. Sadly, the Twins organization announced that they wouldn't bring them back in 2019 which is disappointing considering how often the "creams" were worn. 

Forgotten Treasures

I'm not quite sure how this happened, but I stumbled upon yet another purchase from last years' National card show in Cleveland that, up until a couple days ago, I had completely forgotten about.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Just a couple of months ago, I spotted National exclusive sets that I hadn't remembered to show here on the blog. 

This time, in what I believed to be a folder of papers and information from the show, I located some lost vintage oddballs that my Dad purchased while we were in Cleveland. 

It was surprising enough that I had let myself temporarily misplace something for this long, but it was even more shocking to learn what the cards were. It's unusual for me to misplace vintage cards and yet it happened with this group of 1964 Topps Giants cards. They're about the size of a modern-day box topper, wider and much taller than a regular box topper.

By Dad took charge with a lot of the vintage at the show with a collective effort being put into 1961, 1972, and 1975 Topps. He picked up this nice-looking Frank Robinson card only for us to find, months later, that we already have one of them.

Luckily, it was the only double of the group so I can use it as an upgrade unless there's someone out there who wants to trade for it.

The next player whose oddball card was brought back from last summer's card show is Al Kaline, one of the best overall players of his time. Getting his autograph in-person while at The National was another major highlight from the thrilling experience.

As far as the design goes, it's as simple as you can get from a 1960s card product with the only detail being a Baseball at the bottom of the card. The entire card is taken up by a picture with very slim borders around it. Out of all the cards I picked up, Kaline's picture ranks as my #1 favorite.

If you do a quick search for Lou Piniella on COMC, you find that he was on 3 different rookie stars cards. I have no idea how something like this is possible, especially since the first was from 1964 and the 2nd from '68. That aside, let's talk about the next vintage oddball set my Dad picked up cards from; 1970 Topps Super.

He's not shown wearing any team jersey or cap on the front of the card, but Piniella was on the Royals for the 1970 season. The Topps Super cards are supposed to be much larger versions of the Topps base set with the card backs replicating the Flagship backs from the same year. 

The only major difference is what's on the front of the card, a full-bleed image rather than a standard card in the specific years' Flagship design.

I was very pleased to see that my Dad picked up an oddball of Curt Flood among all the other Topps Giants and Topps Super oddballs. A 7-time Gold Glove award winner, Flood actively fought against Baseball's reserve clause and thought it unfair that a player could be traded to another team without their approval.

Although his lawsuit was unsuccessful, he inspired others to follow in his footsteps, one of the main reasons why he's one of my player collections today, although his cards are difficult to come by.

Similar to how the Kaline card was my favorite from the 1964 Topps Giants set, Willie Stargell's 1970 Topps Super card is easily the best from the trio that my Dad brought back. 

In addition to the classic Pirates uniform and cap, I really like how the bright blue sky background looks on this full-bleed card. Something about just screams vintage, and it does enough to allow me to look past the facsimile signatures on all 3 Super cards.

And if we're talking about Pirates players from the 60s and 70s, one can not leave out Roberto Clemente, one of the greatest players of all-time, both on and off the field.

Clemente's 1964 Topps Super card is a classic looking card as well as an excellent addition to my collection of Clemente memorabilia and cards. He's wearing the same recognizable Pirates uniform from the 60s and early 70s before they became dominated by the color gold. 

It's just a great piece overall, one that'll fit right in with everything else that I have of the 1966 NL MVP. It's cards like the one above that make vintage cards and products so well-loved by collectors and specifically bloggers. 

My Dad always tells me to purchase vintage because it "won't be available forever." And with cards like the Clemente oddball above, I can easily see why.