Select Singles: Card Show Recap #26

Today's trip to the card show marked the end of the holiday Baseball card purchases for my Dad and me.

First came our annual Bowman's Best hobby box which delivered the greatest hit we've ever pulled. Now, a trip to the local card show to check in with the dealers, pick up some singles and grab a surprise that I'll be saving for tomorrow.

The first purchase that we made actually produced the content for this entire post, but I didn't expect our purchasing of singles to end there. I spent time searching through dime boxes, miscellaneous bins, and wandering the show floor, peeking into display cases.

That being said, however, nothing really caught my eye, so after being at the show for over an hour, we regrouped and made a decision as to how we'd spend the rest of our funds. The result will be the subject of tomorrow's post.

For now, I have 4, yes four select singles that I spent the better part of the show choosing. Though the total number of cards is less than what I typically amass, I chose each one carefully, and I'm very happy with the outcome as well as the price.

As you can see, the first card, shown at the top of this post, is a gorgeous combo card from Topps Gallery, the best one I've seen so far that features both Vladimir Guerrero and Vlad Jr. I've seen a few others online and even have one in my collection, but they can't compare to this masterpiece.

The closer I examine the card, the more little details I pick up, particularly the overarching theme of Canada, given that the teams are the Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays.

As if the artwork, specifically that of the uniforms, wasn't fabulous enough, the Canadian flag in the background brings it all together.

If you know about the Chicago Cubs teams from the late 1960s and early 70s then you'll understand why my Dad chose for us to add this '66 Topps rookie stars card of Bill Hands and Randy Hundley to our Cubs PC.

The photos may not be the most flattering, but there's always been a market for rookie cards, something that's been significantly enhanced over the last decade or so.

We wouldn't buy a card like this for just any team but in an effort to build-up our Cubs PC, we were more than willing to part with the $2 that this rookie stars card cost.

As far as Topps Flagship and, additionally, Topps Heritage is concerned, there's nothing better, in my opinion, than a well-executed combo card, and the Padres Power from 2019 Topps Heritage High Number is no exception.

Truth be told, I hadn't seen this card before in my life until I was searching through stacks at the card show today. I'm not the biggest Machado fan, but I have promised to "super" collect Fernando Tatis Jr, my favorite non-Red Sox or Cubs player in the game.

Once 2020 comes along, he'll no longer be considered a rookie, and the prices of Tatis Jr cards will be significantly lower than they've been this year.

However, if I'm going to pay for a Tatis Jr rookie card, at least I can find them for affordable prices at the card show, not to mention how lucky I am that they're available in the first place.

I was shut out when it came to Tatis Jr cards in the box of 2019 Bowman's Best that I opened, so I went into today's card show looking for a base card and possibly a refractor. While I didn't find the former of the 2, I found a gorgeous refractor that the scanner, per usual, did not do justice to.

If Topps isn't going to bless me with Tatis cards right out of the pack, at least I have the card show to help me out.

I Guess I Didn't Miss Out

Since I started blogging back in August of 2017, I've celebrated my blog anniversary right around National Baseball Card Day. Both my first ever post as well as my 1-year post featured packs from this promotional event, so it's always been a major part of the blog.

I wasn't able to, however, continue this tradition, or so I thought, in 2019. The only participating Baseball card shop near my house was closed for vacation on August 10th, and I didn't trust that my local Target would stock the NBCD cards, to begin with.

The realization that I wouldn't participate in 2019 National Baseball Card Day was disappointing, but I moved on, nonetheless. With stacks of cards that needed to be put away, I made a couple of trips to my LCS last week once the owners returned from vacation.

One of those visits happened to be last Saturday, the 17th when I stopped by for a box of Ultra Pro sheets. Unbeknownst to me, card shops were still giving away free packs on the 17th for the 2nd installment of National Baseball Card Day.

While I knew about the Vladimir Guerrero Jr card which could only be acquired by spending $10 or more on Topps products on that particular date, I didn't realize that the exclusive packs would also be available.

After some deliberation, I bought 2 packs of Heritage High Number to get the Vlad Jr card. This forced me to break my "I'm not buying cards for at least a month because of The National" rule, and I did horribly with the Heritage High # packs.

But it's okay because I got my hands on an exclusive Vlad Jr rookie card even though I wish I'd just handed the owner $10 for the card and not suffered through 2 awful packs of Heritage.

Anyways, I walked out of my LCS with 2 NBCD packs, 2 Heritage High # packs, the Vlad Jr card, and a box of Ultra Pro sheets. After all, you can't really beat free cards.

To keep this post short, I'll recap the first pack today while saving the 2nd one for tomorrow.

#22 Josh Bell

I already like the 2019 card design more than the past 2 years during which Topps has done this promotion. The 2017 cards were over-complicated and featured silver foil names, something I cannot stand as it's near impossible to read. The 2018 design was okay, but it was far too simple and didn't do much to stand out.

This time around, the cards are still on the simple side, but this design is far more effective than years past. The Topps NBCD logo is a new addition, and the cards are just modern enough. 

For whatever reason, the full-bleed photos from 2018 didn't work for this promotion, so I'm glad Topps added the 2 logos in the top left and bottom right corners.

#16 Christian Yelich

During each of the 3 years that Topps has done this promotion, the checklist (excluding cards like Vlad Jr's) has consisted of 30 cards, one from each MLB team. For example, the Brewers, have their superstar player, Christian Yelich, featured while other clubs, like the Marlins, showcase Jose Alfaro. 

Because each club has only 1 spot in the checklist, I'd be interested to see if and how their 1 "star player" has changed over the years. Some guys have probably maintained their spot for years while others, like Ronald Acuna Jr, are featured for the first time in 2019.

#14 Clayton Kershaw

The 2019 NBCD set diverges from the past releases in that the cards feature full stats on the back. In the past, the card backs included a quick blurb about the player, but I'm always one for complete-stat card backs, and it's nice to see them, even on promo cards.

I couldn't think of a better example for the card backs than Clayton Kershaw. It's pretty unbelievable that throughout of his 11-year career, he's led the NL in ERA 5 times. 

Having complete stats is definitely a plus, but other than that, the card backs are pretty standard.

#1 Mike Trout

In the past, Trout's card has only been available with a qualifying purchase, so I was stoked to find his card in one of my 2 base packs. I'll take absolutely any card I can get of the 8-time All-Star, from a low-end base card to a high-end autograph.

Back to this specific card, I'm not sure what's going on with Trout's left hand. There seems to be some kind of cast or something on it, but I can't pinpoint what it is.

#20 Matt Chapman

After taking this trip to my LCS, I relaxed and watched the Astros battle the Athletics last Saturday afternoon before the Red Sox game at 7:00.

Through this game, I learned a lot about 2 talented teams, one of which seems destined to win the AL West while the other has a solid shot of winning a Wild Card spot.

I don't get the chance to watch a lot of west coast Baseball, so it was interesting to see how the Astros and A's players are doing, particularly Matt Chapman who's shaping up to be one of the most well-rounded players in all of baseball.

Frankenset Page #49

It's been almost 2 weeks since I've written one of these frankenset posts which is a little odd. I've fallen into a cycle of posting 2 frankenset pages every 10 days or so, but I've spent the last number of posts focusing on other topics. 

The new Topps Total, 2019 Bowman, and a trip to my LCS have all been topics of discussion between now and the 48th frankenset page which I wrote about on April 13th.

In terms of Baseball news, the Red Sox have gradually improved since my previous frankenset post. They swept the Tampa Bay Rays last weekend, a series that saw top prospect Michael Chavis recalled and get his first hit. They also split their 4-game stretch with the Detroit Tigers. 

Mookie's been swinging a hot bat, Porcello and E-Rod pitched respectable games. Slowly but surely, they seem to be improving. Their upcoming series, against the Rays once again, will test Boston's consistency against their division rival.

However, the most significant piece of news came a couple of days ago when it was announced that the Toronto Blue Jays would finally be recalling Vladimir Guerrero Jr to the big leagues. The #1 prospect in all of Baseball, Vladdy Jr will make his MLB debut tonight at home against the Oakland Athletics.

It's always a big deal when a highly-rated prospect makes his MLB debut, but there's something different about Vladdy Jr. Because he's the son of a Hall of Famer, he has an extraordinary legacy to carry on.

Guerrero Jr's first game is also MLB's free game of the day so anyone can watch the game for free on MLB.com. If nothing else, I'll try to catch a glimpse of his much-awaited first MLB at-bat. As of now, he'll be batting 5th and playing 3rd base during his big league debut.

Now, for something that I haven't done in quite a while; a frankenset page. This is the 49th page of my binder, and it includes cards #433-441.

#433 1997 Topps Vladimir Guerrero

How fitting is this; the day of Vladimir Guerrero Jr's debut, the frankenset page I'm posting about features a card of his father from his days in Montreal. I promise this is a mere coincidence. 

Moreover, '97 was Guerrero's first full MLB season, a year that saw him finish 6th in the NL ROY voting with a .325 average, 11 homers, and 40 RBI in just over 300 at-bats. 

After receiving limited playing time as a rookie, Guerrero would be a perennial starting player for 3 teams for the rest of his Hall of Fame career.

#434 1998 Bowman International Parallel Esteban Yan

I truly don't know why so many of my frankenset pages include a card from 1998 Bowman. While the base cards are uninteresting, the International parallel cards are a little more appealing, featuring a map of where the player is initially from on the back.

Seeing those old Devil Rays uniforms remind me of how, in real life, the Tampa Bay Rays are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. As an homage to the past, they're wearing these late 90s Devil Rays uniforms during some of their 2019 home games, including last weekend against the Red Sox.

#435 1991 Topps Kevin Maas

Any card featuring the iconic New York Yankees' pinstripes has the potential to be great, especially when paired with a classic set design like 1991 Topps. Similar to many of the cards in my frankenset, it's not the player that matters. Rather, it's the design, uniform, and everything else that encompasses the card itself.

I hadn't heard of Kevin Maas before I put together this frankenset, and I don't think I've seen a card of his since. Still, if there's one thing that Baseball cards have proven, time and time again, it's that incredible cards can be made featuring players who aren't the brightest of superstars.

#436 1990 Topps Mel Hall

Here we have back-to-back New York Yankees cards as well as consecutive cards that feature the same uniform, the memorable pinstripes. Much like the 1991 Topps card of Kevin Maas, Mel Hall's 1990 Topps card makes proper use of the iconic uniform by pairing it with a blue border and a yellow team name and box.

#437 1990 Upper Deck Charlie Hayes

I vividly remember pulling a Topps Archives Fan Favorites autograph of Charlie Hayes back in 2016 out of a hobby pack of Archives from my LCS. The card is in the 1979 Topps design and features the red-striped Phillies jersey that Mike Schmidt helped make famous, especially when Philadelphia won the Fall Classic in 1990.

Hayes played for 7 teams over the course of his 14-year MLB career, including the Phillies, Yankees, and Giants, though he was arguably most successful during his 2 years with the Colorado Rockies. He even won a ring with the Yankees in '96.

#438 1983 Topps Dave LaPoint

This is probably my favorite card of the entire page, and this wasn't a hard decision to come to. Nothing for nothing, but it's challenging to pick a favorite card when the oldest one featured is from 1983. 

Thank goodness for the powder blue uniform and the stellar set design that is 1983 Topps. Otherwise, I'm not sure which one of these cards I'd pick as my #1 choice.

#439 2005 Donruss Team Heroes Carlos Delgado

Though I've never opened a pack or purchased more than a few dime cards from this product, I've always admired the Donruss Team Heroes set, especially the 2004 edition. That year, retired players were also included, so I was able to boost some of my player collections.

Whether modern or retired players are featured, this design always looks pretty sharp, and the chosen images compliment the simple style of the cards. I especially like Carlos Delgado's card, including the action shot and the black Florida Marlins jersey.

#440 2015 Topps Denard Span

I've always recognized Denard Span's 2015 Topps card as one of the greatest cards from the entire 700-card set. For any product, that's quite a bold statement, but it means, even more, when you take into account how many colorful and intriguing cards there are in 2015 Topps.

The bright red Nationals uniform is a perfect pairing to go alongside the red border at the bottom of the card. I'm also a huge fan of the action image that was chosen; the dirt on the ground in the photo appears to be "bleeding" onto the borders of the card.

I doubt that this detail was intentional, but, nevertheless, it's a very nice touch.

#441 1990 Fleer Alvaro Espinoza

Admittedly, I think I chose a few too many New York Yankees cards for my 49th frankenset page, especially considering that I'm a huge Red Sox fan. First Kevin Maas, then Mel Hall, and finally, Alvaro Espinoza's 1990 Fleer card to close out the page.

As far as the junk wax era goes, this is a pretty nice looking card. The red frame pairs well with the Yankees road uniform, maybe more so than it would've with the home pinstripes. 

My one critique, however, is there's a lot of blank space around the red frame that could've been used more effectively, but that's more of a criticism of the set rather than the card.

Within the next few hours, history will be made as Vladimir Guerrero Jr will make his MLB debut. Like I mentioned earlier, I'll try to watch, at the very least, his first at-bat. After all, things like this don't occur every day.