Top 5 Cards; Gary Carter

Despite my professed love for all things Montreal Expos, I'm surprised at how little I've talked about the team and its superstar players since starting the blog. 

Up until recently, the only top 5 cards post I wrote for an Expos player was Vladimir Guerrero, and it's not like I talk about the team all that much during my other posts, come to think of it.

As of late, I made an effort to change this, starting by creating a top 5 cards post for Andre Dawson last month. Furthermore, I also featured Expos cards during frankenset pages and Baseball card show recap posts over the last couple of months as well.

It's a small start, but I definitely hope to talk more about the Expos on my blog as time goes on. They're such an intriguing team in terms of the players, uniforms, and the franchise as a whole. 

In addition to the HOF players who played most of their career in Montreal (Dawson, Raines, Guerrero, Carter), there were a few other stars from the 70s and 80s who ended up playing for the Expos for a brief period of time. Those guys include Bill "Spaceman" Lee, HOF Tony Perez, and the all-time hits leader, Pete Rose.

In an effort to discuss the Montreal Expos more frequently on the blog, I'll be showcasing my top 5 favorite Gary Carter cards. As of now, I have 86 cards of the 11-time All-Star in my collection; that makes his player collection #56 out of 250.

#5 1994 Ted Williams Card Company

Although this fabulous product was only around for 2 years, the combination of the set designs and the checklists of the '93 and '94 Ted Williams Card Company sets never fail to amaze me. 

In addition to featuring Hall of Famers like Gary Carter, one could expect to find semi-stars like Dock Ellis and Bob Watson across the checklists. Similarly, the designs were a perfect compliment to the bright colors of these players' jerseys, including the iconic powder blue Montreal Expos uniforms.

Surprisingly, very few of the Gary Carter cards in my collection feature the 3-time Gold Glove award winner in his catcher's gear. I also appreciate the photograph choice as it perfectly captures both the play and the uniform as well.

#4 1985 Fleer

I guess you truly can learn things from Baseball cards, for I had no idea that Gary Carter played 1st base in addition to catcher until I saw his 1985 Fleer card. The sleek silver borders make the '85 Fleer design one of my favorites in the company's history, a set that pairs beautifully with a photo of Gary Carter.

Although my obsession with powder blue uniforms makes me want to see them paired with the 1985 Fleer base design, I can't complain much about the fantastic card above. The actual image is incredibly unique, something we don't see that often, especially in older sets. 

Upon seeing this card, I realize how underrated of a set 1985 Fleer is. The time period allows for beautiful and colorful cards which, along with a silver border, forms a stellar combination.

#3 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen

Solely due to how plentiful and sensational Gary Carter's Expos cards are, I didn't expect to decide on any cards for this list that didn't showcase the 5-time Silver Slugger award winner on the Expos. 

Truth be told, I surprised myself when I not only decided on the 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen card above, featuring Carter on the Mets but also placed it at #3 on the countdown. However, I feel justified to have placed this card at #3 on the list, for the Mets uniform and the purple-bordered Gypsy Queen design form an unusual yet admirable combination.

The photo, like the shot on card #4, is a superb action shot, this time showing Carter at the plate instead of behind the plate. Throughout this decade, Carter's been included in many Archives and Gypsy Queen base sets, but it's safe for me to say that the 2012 Gypsy Queen card blows the rest of the competition away.

#2 1980 Topps

The top 2 spots on the countdown, both Topps Flagship cards, proved difficult to separate at first. Nonetheless, I eventually decided on Carter's incredibly unique 1980 Topps card for the #2 spot while choosing a more traditional card for #1.

I've always been incredibly fond of action shots on Baseball cards, no matter what they might be, but this card takes it to a whole new level. Carter's arm, holding the ball in the glove, is extended unbelievably high into the air in what I assume is a photo proceeded by a tag at the plate.

Not every Topps Flagship set, solely due to space, allows for a photo like this to be showcased. 1980 Topps is one of those few sets and while the card has a few minor flaws, its sheer uniqueness is what allowed it to achieve the #2 spot on the countdown.

#1 1977 Topps

As I explained, the #1 card on this list is much simpler than most of the other 4. Rather than featuring a crazy action photo or a meticulously detailed set design, Carter's 1977 Topps card is simple and pure. As I've mentioned numerous times before, there's definitely something to be said for that.

The card, overall, features about 4 different colors; red, blue, green, and white. Each color can be spotted numerous times throughout the photo and border, from the extensive green grass to the bold red text that spells out "Expos." 

The card is also aided by the fact that I'm a huge fan of the 1977 Topps set, just as I am for 1985 Fleer. However, this card combines my love for the '77 Flagship product with an equally awesome photo, resulting in a definite choice for the #1 spot.

Frankenset Page #53

First things first, I apologize for not keeping up with my blog posts as much as I'd like to during the month of May so far, a pattern I'm trying to break out of as soon as possible.

It's difficult to explain, but I've struggled with finding both motivation and material to post over the last few weeks. I'm definitely experiencing writer's block as, more so than anything, it's been challenging to come up with topics to post about in the first place, hence why I've already missed 6 posts so far this month.

The other factor that has led to a decrease in posting is a lack of material and topics to expand upon and write about. I've gone through writer's block a handful of times before, but this extended period has resulted in a smaller number of posts and a decrease in quality, in my opinion.

Thankfully, I'll be attending the Memorial Day Mansfield Baseball card show this Monday, May 27th. I'm hopeful that this upcoming show will help me break free of this slump by giving me fresh, new material to talk about here on the blog.

Seriously, it's hard to beat a trip to the Baseball card show, especially since I'm in dire need of something interesting to post about in order to get me back into the groove of posting virtually every day of the week.

I've already planned out each and every one of my blog posts up until next Monday's show. As you can see, today's is a continuation of the frankenset series with page #53. On this particular page, cards #469-477 are featured. 

#469 1987 Topps Mike Diaz

After burning collectors out on the 1987 Flagship set 2 years ago, I wonder how long it'll take before Topps recreates the '87 set again. One can only assume that this time will come before 2036 Topps Heritage when this set will be featured in the iconic Heritage brand. 

Until then, I expect the classic wood-bordered design to be utilized in Topps Archives once the overproduced insert set of 2017 has been forgotten.

#470 1989 Score Rex Hudler

As mediocre as the 1989 Score design is, the colorful Montreal Expos uniforms certainly enhance the boring cards. For virtually any Baseball card product, for that matter, colorful jerseys, particularly that of the Expos, help me see past an uninteresting set design.

Granted, there are some occasional exceptions, but for the most part, colorful and unique uniforms do an excellent job of improving cards as a whole. I just wish Topps would feature them on their present day cards a bit more frequently. 

#471 1977 Topps Del Unser

I'm absolutely thrilled to have back-to-back Montreal Expos cards for spots #470 and #471 respectively, especially since the latter is from the superb 1977 Topps Flagship set.

I won't lie; I'm not the biggest fan of the red team name combined with the green player name for the '77 Topps Expos cards, but the photograph of outfielder Del Unser more than makes up for it. Everything about this card is so representative of the 70s that it's challenging not to find something about it that you like.

#472 1982 Donruss Luis Salazar

I just realized that, aside from mini sets and inserts, I've never completed a set from any brand besides Topps. This includes Upper Deck, Fleer, and, yes Donruss, all of whom produced some excellent products over the span of a few decades.

While I can't say that Upper Deck released a ton of standout sets, Fleer produced a surplus of gorgeous products throughout the early 2000s. The same could be said for Donruss who, along with Fleer, created some stellar sets in the 1980s as well, including both 1985 Fleer and Donruss.

#473 1993 Topps Gold Dave Henderson

I love 1977 Topps and the Montreal Expos as much as anybody else, but this 1993 Topps Gold card of Dave Henderson is undoubtedly my favorite card from the entire 53rd page. There's just something so special and unique about the gold and green color combination that comes across on this card, a combo that is distinctively Oakland Athletics.

#474 1980 Topps Steve Busby

Admittedly, Steve Busby's 1980 Topps card is an exception to the rule that I mentioned when discussing the 1989 Score Rex Huddler card towards the beginning of this post. The powder blue uniform may be awesome, but the photo quality is so poor that it prevents me from having positive feelings about this card.

#475 1991 Topps Teddy Higuera

Until 1991 Topps was showcased a few years back in 2016 Topps Archives, I wasn't too familiar with the set if I'm being perfectly honest. Since then, I've grown to appreciate this so-called "junk wax" product even more, for I even purchased a hobby box of this for just $5 at the Baseball card show a couple of years ago. 

It's thanks to that purchase, by the way, that I've been able to feature so many 1991 Topps cards across my frankenset and its pages.

#476 1984 Topps Tom Tellmann

No matter how or what the Topps Flagship design looks like, the Topps Chrome set always does a phenomenal job of creating beautiful base cards and refractors based off the Series 1 and 2 design. 

Later this year, 2019 Topps Chrome will be released, featuring 1984 Topps insert cards on chrome cardstock. I can't express how excited I am to see these cards in person, for the 1987 and 1983 cards from the past few years have not disappointed me.

#477 1971 Topps Earl Weaver

Last but not least, a card of one of the greatest managers in Baseball history. Earl Weaver led an extremely talented Baltimore Orioles team to a World Series title in 1970 along with nearly 1,500 career wins. He also was ejected from an unbelievably high number of games with some reports claiming that he was ejected over 90 times.

Top 5 Cards; Andre Dawson

One of the most interesting players of his era and in Baseball history, Andre "Hawk" Dawson played 21 seasons for 4 different teams, primarily the Chicago Cubs and Montreal Expos.

Truth be told, I feel as if I'm mentioning this information about Dawson for the first time since I started my blog way back in August of 2017. In 20+ months that have passed since I first started blogging, I've talked about countless topics, players, and teams.

However, even though I've written over 500 posts, I feel as if I've barely mentioned the 1987 NL MVP whatsoever, and I'm pretty confused as to why. He's one of my gold tier player collections as I have around 150 cards of his; he's played for my 3 favorite teams in Baseball history (Cubs, Red Sox, Expos). 

But most of all, Andre Dawson is just a really fun player to collect or to talk about. I was shocked to find that I hadn't written a top 5 cards post for the 8-time All-Star thus far and figured he'd be an excellent candidate for today's post. 

I also unintentionally selected only cards of Dawson on the Expos for the top 5, though there were numerous Cubs cards that almost made the list. As much as I adore my non-Expos Andre Dawson cards, it's hard to beat powder blue uniforms and the uniqueness of the Montreal Expos.

I just checked my list and, it turns out, I have 158 cards of Andre Dawson, making him my 19th largest PC. Again, it's surprising for me to hear that I haven't written a top 5 cards post for him yet considering the wide selection of players that I've already done this kind of post for.

I had an extremely difficult time narrowing down this particular group of cards to a top 5. Even though the end result will feature only Expos cards, I'm quite pleased with the list that I came up with.

#5 2004 Donruss Leather & Lumber

Cards of Andre Dawson in a powder blue Expos uniform, especially those produced after his retirement, are a dime a dozen, so it takes a real standout to impress me enough to make the top 5. In fact, the only card that fit the criteria above that was able to do so was the '04 Donruss Leather & Lumber card above.

The brown background highlights the powder blue uniform more so than most other Andre Dawson cards do. Rather than using a traditional white border with a ballpark background, this color reflects the name of the set while also allowing the photo of Dawson to instantly stand out.

#4 1997 Upper Deck

98% or so of my Andre Dawson player collection consists of Cubs and Expos cards; that leaves 2% for the other 2 teams that he played for, the Red Sox and the Marlins. While I have around 8 cards of Hawk in a Red Sox uniform, cards of the Hall of Fame outfielder on the Marlins are much rarer.

Hence, this is my only card of Andre Dawson as a member of the then Florida Marlins, but I still thought it would be an excellent choice for this list. The card is from the very end of his Hall of Fame career, and I love the look of the teal Marlins uniform along with the copper towards the bottom of the card.

Unfortunately for Dawson, 1996 was his last MLB season, meaning he didn't play for the 1997 World Champion Florida Marlins. Thus, the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year retired without a World Series ring.

#3 1984 Donruss

The powder blue uniforms are making a return, this time from when Dawson was an active player. Although I've never had any strong feelings, positive or negative, for the 1984 Donruss set, I must admit that this set does an excellent job, like the Leather & Lumber card, of highlighting Dawson's uniform.

The yellow and purple are a superb accompaniment to the classic Montreal Expos uniform and helmet, and the image is nearly perfect for the set. The card itself is a little on the plain side. However, in this case, plain works incredibly well.

#2 1978 Topps

Topps has utilized a few different rookie cup designs over the course of their company's history and while the tall ones from the 1960s will always be my personal favorites, the rookie cup on Dawson's 1978 Topps card is also pretty nice.

His '78 Topps card is even more simplistic than the previous entry on this list because it features an incredibly standard Topps set and a plain white jersey instead of a crazy powder blue uniform. Like '84 Donruss, I don't have a strong liking for the 1978 Topps set, but in the case of Dawson's card, everything blends together extraordinarily well.

#1 1981 Topps

As far as Topps cards from the 1980s are concerned, Dawson's from 1981 Topps is pretty much as good as it gets. Like all the cards on this list, it makes excellent use of the set design, but the photo takes this seemingly ordinary product to an entirely new level.

The powder blue uniform, both caps, the hair, the number being on the front of the jersey, the green on the bottom of the card and in the background. All of these aspects contribute to create one of the most underrated cards of this era. 

I've never seen a huge appeal as far as the 1981 Topps set is concerned, probably because most of the cards are rather boring and standard. However, Dawson's '81 card defies all expectations, and that's why and how it earned the #1 spot.