A 1-Card Red Sox PC Pickup

Today's post is going to be a quick one, but it definitely holds true to the idea of quality over quantity.

This post could've been a card show recap featuring a huge stack of dime cards or a blaster box from a recently-released product. However, while he was visiting the cape over the weekend, it was my Dad who picked up this '64 Topps Tony Conigliaro rookie card, a fabulous addition to the Red Sox PC.

Though I worked diligently over the summer to enhance the Cubs and Red Sox collections for additions just like the one above, I typically refrain from purchasing more expensive individual cards that won't go towards one of my player collections.

I can't exactly pinpoint why, but purchasing cards for either of my 2 team PC's isn't really ingrained into my head. Typically, if I am to spend >$5 on a single card, it'll go towards one of my player collections or a set on my want list.

Part of what makes the Conigliaro rookie card special, however, is that I likely wouldn't have bought it if I was visiting the card shop on the cape over the weekend.

One of the most talented young players in the game throughout the mid-1960s, Conigliaro was vital to the Red Sox's success, particularly in the first half of his All-Star 1967 season until he hit by a pitch in the eye and, unfortunately, was never the same.

Another interesting part of not only Conigliaro's rookie stars card but that of every player is researching the player(s) featured alongside the perennial All-Star/Hall of Famer. In this case, that guy is Bill Spanswick who pitched 65 innings with a 6.89 ERA in '64, his sole MLB season.

Back to Conigliaro, it can be easy to forget just how essential and talented of a player he was for several years with the Red Sox. He set records at 20 years of age that paralleled Ted Williams, franchise records that, I believe, Rafael Devers achieved this season.

Now that I have the Red Sox PC organized in a manner that allows me to find any card quickly, I'm more likely to purchase singles for the team collection when visiting a card show or LCS.

It might not have caught my eye had I visited the card shop, but this Tony C rookie is, nonetheless, an excellent addition.

Top 5 Cards; Cody Bellinger

Following the end of the 1st round of All-Star voting, MLB announced that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger received the most votes out of all players in Baseball.

Since his rookie season in 2017, Bellinger has been one of the most feared hitters in the game, but he's exceeded all expectations so far in 2019. He's retained his power hitting with 25 home runs so far, but he's also led the league in batting average (.356) since practically the start of the 2019 season.

Combined with his 61 RBI and respectable defensive abilities, and it seems likely that Bellinger will take home the NL MVP award this year. It should be a close race between him and the 2018 winner Christian Yelich, but Bellinger's growth and sensational batting average make a strong case for the 23-year old.

The 2017 rookie craze surrounding Bellinger and Aaron Judge led me to buy packs of cards throughout the summer of '17 in hopes of landing rookie cards of these 2 power hitting phenoms. 

In addition to pulling base rookies of the respective AL and NL ROY award winners, I landed a gorgeous Bellinger rookie auto from Allen & Ginter which has since been graded at a 9.5 by Beckett.

In an effort to showcase some of the other cards in my Cody Bellinger player collection, I opted not to include the autograph on this countdown. Instead, I selected my favorite 5 cards from the 31 cards in my Bellinger PC.

#5 2018 Panini Donruss Optic Long Ball Leaders

Now that Panini has revived the Prizm set for Baseball cards, the Donruss Optic set has virtually no appeal to me anymore. I haven't opened a pack from that brand since 2017, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Nonetheless, Optic turns up fairly frequently in the dime bins at the Baseball card show, and I often grab base cards, parallels, and inserts for my player collections. While I was at The National last year, I picked up a few Optic cards of Bellinger during one of my only PC-oriented purchases. 

This haul included the vibrant Long Ball Leaders insert card above, noting his 39 home runs from the 2017 season. Like many of the cards in 2019 Panini Prizm, the bright colors and intricate design helps me forget about the missing logos, and that's something that all of Panini's Baseball cards should strive to accomplish.

#4 2017 Bowman's Best 1997 Best Cuts

Even though this high-end insert is from Bellinger's rookie season (2017), I surprisingly found this card in the dime box at my LCS a number of months ago along with a few other rookie year cards of he and Aaron Judge.

Without a doubt, this Best Cuts insert card was the standout of the bunch because of how it enhances and modernizes the original inserts from the 1997 Bowman's Best product. I've seen the original versions of these cards before, and I must say that Topps did a stellar job recreating them for this set.

In person, the card resembles a standard Topps Chrome refractor with a silver finish rather than a yellowish tint in the background. Like the Long Ball Leaders insert, this chrome card is busy, and I definitely like that.

#3 2018 Topps Archives

Because of how young he is, I only have around 2 1/2 years of Bellinger cards to choose from for this countdown. However, that does not mean that there were slim pickings when it came down to choosing 5 cards for this list. Case and point; this terrific card from '18 Archives in the 1981 Topps design.

I've always loved the pink bordered Baseball cards that Topps featured in Flagship sets from the 1950s-80s. Nowadays, the only time you'll see pink on a Baseball card is in parallel form or in a product like Archives or Heritage.

The pink border pairs beautifully with the classic Los Angeles Dodgers jersey, creating a combination that I wish we'd see more of in Topps' products. If the background wasn't a dirt field with a fence, I'd be willing to place this card a little higher on the list.

#2 2017 Topps Heritage High Number

To my knowledge, Bellinger's 2017 Topps Heritage High Number card was his very first rookie card, for he was not included in Topps Flagship or any of Topps' other products. Thus, this card has become somewhat iconic for those who collect Bellinger, like me.

I remember pulling this card out of a hanger box of Heritage High Number in early Fall of 2017. I bought that product solely to land this rookie card, and I was thrilled when it came out of a pack. 

It somewhat resembles his '18 Archives card except for the fact that the pink border is swapped out for burlap with a splash of red. This may have been the first Bellinger rookie card that I ever pulled, but I've saved my favorite RC for last.

#1 2017 Topps Gallery

As recognizable as Bellinger's Heritage High Number rookie card is, I cannot ignore the attention to detail and the beautiful artwork that makes up his rookie card from another set, Topps Gallery. 

Unlike Heritage High Number, I bought Topps Gallery because I've always loved the set and its artwork. It just so happened that I landed both of the big-name 2017 rookies; Judge and Bellinger. The card above doesn't even feature the most interesting artwork of the entire set, but it's quite beautiful nonetheless.

I've always been amazed by the sheer attention to detail that Topps' artists put into each and every Topps Gallery card. When it comes to a top 5 cards list, I'm looking more for my favorite cards than I am for the "best" card. To me, this Bellinger card is stunning, and that's why I ranked it at #1.

Best 30 Cards From All 30 Teams; AL West

After a few days of Mansfield show recap and a frankenset post to boost, I'm back on schedule with the best 30 cards from all 30 teams mini-series. Today, the division that I'll be overviewing is the AL West.

Like every other division that I have or will be showcasing cards from, the AL West is unique in a few different ways. Unlike the AL Central, it wasn't a challenge to find cards from each team to include in this post. In addition, while a few AL East teams had multiple candidates, there seemed to be 1 standout card from every club in the West.

Thus, it was manageable for me to craft this list for the AL West, for each team had just the right number of stellar cards that made deciding on the top 5 relatively easy.

Moreover, I'm also proud of the variety of cards featured in this post. Unlike the past division, the crown jewels of the AL West aren't just jersey relics. In fact, only 2 of the 5 team's greatest cards are hits (relics/autos). All the rest are rookie cards of iconic players from those teams.

Just as it was for the first 2 posts of this series, I thoroughly enjoyed creating this list of cards for the AL West, and I'm excited to see what the posts for the NL divisions will look like in the coming days.

For the time being, however, let's concentrate on the division at hand; the AL West and the #1 card from each of its 5 teams.

Houston Astros

Originally a dime box pickup, Jose Altuve's 2011 Topps Update card has quickly become one of the most cherished rookie cards in my entire Baseball card collection. Although he's had his fair share of struggles so far in 2019, Altuve is a perennial All-Star and former AL MVP award winner. 

Thus, it was a no brainer for me to get this card graded towards the end of 2018, and I was thrilled that it came back at a BGS 9.5. Out of all the top tier cards in my collection, I can't recall paying less than a dime for any of them.

That's the reason why, to this day, Jose Altuve's 2011 Topps Update rookie card reigns supreme as my greatest dime box pickup of all-time.

Los Angeles Angels

While we're on the subject of superstar rookie cards, let's move onto the next team in the AL West, the Los Angeles Angels, and my best card from this team. I may not have a rookie card of Mike Trout, but I arguably do have the next best thing; Shohei Ohtani's action image variation rookie card from 2018 Topps Heritage.

I pulled this card myself from a box of Topps Heritage last year, and I also sent this card off to Beckett and got it graded at a 9.5 towards the end of 2018. I don't stay up to date with Baseball card values, but this card, graded at a 9.5, was worth a solid amount following Ohtani's AL ROY win.

At the top of this post, you'll see another sensational card that I pulled from a pack of cards last year; Jo Adell's gold Early Indications auto, numbered out of 50, from 2018 Bowman's Best. 

If he develops and becomes the superstar that he's expected to become, I could foresee the Jo Adell auto taking Ohtani's place as the best Angels card in my collection.

Oakland Athletics

I've already shown this card on the blog a handful of times before, but I couldn't choose any other Oakland Athletics card to take its place on this countdown. This beautiful Dennis Eckersley autograph relic from 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen, numbered 45/50 on the back, cannot be beaten.

I have my reservations with the '17 Gypsy Queen set design as well as how the set is formatted, but I tend to ignore those problems as soon as I'm faced with this stunning card. Once again, I pulled this HOF hit from a box of 2017 Gypsy Queen, and I got it graded at The National last year.

While I wish it had earned a 9.5 like the Altuve and Ohtani cards, it's hard to complain about this eye-catching autograph relic. The attention to detail used when creating these cards is extremely evident.

Seattle Mariners

As far as the Seattle Mariners are concerned, I'm not blessed with as many fabulous cards as I am for the other teams in the AL West. Thus, my choice for the best Mariners card in my collection isn't as valuable as the card chosen for the other 4 teams, but it's still a card that I'm proud to feature at this spot.

Granted, I could've gone with a Gypsy Queen framed relic card of Ken Griffey Jr for the Seattle Mariners spot instead, but the Ichiro card stood out to me in a few different ways. Although it's not incredibly valuable, the 2001 Upper Deck card above is a true base rookie card of Ichiro, the only one that I have in my collection.

Texas Rangers

There were a ton of different Ivan Rodriguez relic cards that I could've chosen for this post instead of the one above. There were more glove relics, standard jersey cards, a dual relic with A-Rod, and all sorts of oddball options. 

However, I'm confident in the card that I selected for this spot; a 2002 Donruss studio dual relic, featuring a piece of his bat and batting glove. The card, numbered out of just 50 copies, is one of the coolest relic cards in my entire collection.

If it's able to achieve that status as it pertains to my whole collection, this card certainly deserves to be recognized as the best Texas Rangers card that I own. 

My Top 10 Boston Red Sox Cards

Just because one particular team is your favorite doesn't necessarily mean that you're destined to pull countless cards featuring members of that team from packs. I've certainly learned this lesson over the years, for even though the Red Sox have always been my favorite team when I pull a special card or open a blaster box, I don't usually end up with many Red Sox cards.

The Chicago Cubs, my 2nd favorite team, is likely the team that I've pulled the best cards of as well as the team that I see show up the most in my pack openings. Other teams include the Angels and Cardinals, teams that always seem to show up in my pack breaks, whether it be the hits or base cards.

Therefore, because I often find myself not pulling as many Red Sox cards as I would like, I attempt to compensate for that through the Baseball card show or the internet. I'm always buying or trading for new Red Sox cards to boost my collection.

Over the years, I've accumulated a few thousand Sox cards, though the exact total is unknown as of now. Once I figure out a way to organize my non-player collection Sox cards, I could definitely see myself having a completed and up-to-date inventory.

As the title suggests, this post is dedicated to the top 10 Red Sox cards in my collection, not necessarily my favorite 10, a subject I could save for the future. Moreover, only 2 of the cards on this list were actually pulled from packs, and I'll make sure to point out which ones when they come up.

#10 2018 Topps Now World Series Champions Ian Kinsler Blue Auto

At the time, I wasn't too thrilled that my 20-card exclusive set commemorating the 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox landed me an Ian Kinsler autograph. However, over time, the encased autograph has become a nice addition to my Red Sox collection. Not only is it numbered out of 49 copies, but the card is still an auto of a member of the World Champion team, even if Kinsler was a midseason acquisition.  

#9 1964 Topps Carl Yastrzemski

Aside from another card that you'll see later on this list, my 1964 Topps card is my only other vintage base card of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski. While I have no shortage of league leaders and All-Star cards, I didn't have an original Yaz base card until I picked up this one at last years' National if my memory serves me right. The condition, especially the surface, isn't perfect, but that didn't affect the card's placement on this list.

#8 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Cards

I kind of cheated on this countdown by grouping all 20 or so of my 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards into 1 spot, but that's only because there's no one card that I like more than all the others. I currently have roughly 25% of the set complete, and it will truly be an incredible accomplishment the day I finish piecing the set together. With cards like the one above, the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set is truly a near-masterpiece.

#7 1975 Topps Fred Lynn and Jim Rice

Both Jim Rice and Fred Lynn's 1975 Topps rookie stars cards seem so synonymous with one another which is a major reason why I grouped the 2 cards together for the #7 spot on my list. Both Red Sox icons came up in 1975 and played tremendous roles on one of the greatest Sox teams of all-time, despite eventually falling short in the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.

#6 2017 Topps Heritage Andrew Benintendi Rookie SP Variation

Graded at an 8.5 solely because of its poor centering, this SP variation is one of the 2 cards on this list that I actually pulled from a pack back before I began blogging. 

The rookie cards in Topps Heritage almost always feature 2 or 3 players on a rookie stars card, but there are additional rookie variations in which some players get there own Heritage rookie card. I pulled Benintendi's card after he came up in the summer of 2016 and have held onto it ever since. If only the centering had been right then I could really have a valuable card on my hands.

#5 2018 Topps Triple Threads Chris Sale Relic

I picked up my very first Triple Threads relic that included spelled out words towards the end of last year at my LCS. For the price of a blaster box, I grabbed this awesome Chris Sale 4-color relic card that spells out "Locked In" in all 4 Red Sox colors, grey, white, blue, and red. Better yet, because the card is a gold parallel, it's serial numbered 3/9 in the top righthand corner.

#4 2010 Topps Triple Threads Carlton Fisk Relic

Fisk's 2010 Topps Triple Threads relic card is the most recently-acquired card to make it onto my list as I picked it up just over a week ago at the MLK Mansfield card show. I'm not sure if there's a specific name for these Triple Threads relics that spell out certain words or stats, but one look at this card affirms why the Topps Triple Threads brand is known for creating beautiful relic cards just like this one.

#3 2014 Topps Chrome Update Mookie Betts

The final 3 cards on this list are all rookie cards featuring some of the most talented Red Sox players of all-time. Coming in 3rd is a card that I pulled out of a repack back in early 2017, a Mookie Betts rookie card, my only one to-date, from the 2014 Topps Chrome Update set. 

This isn't the only bit of luck that I've had with the Fairfield 20-pack Baseball repacks as I've also landed a Zack Greinke relic card and a Kris Bryant Topps rookie card out of them as well. It's just a shame that it's been almost 2 years since I've spotted one of those Baseball 20-pack repacks at my local Target.

#2 1972 Topps Carlton Fisk

There were a couple of expensive cards that I didn't need to worry about finding while I was putting together the 1972 Topps set since my Dad had pulled some of them back in '72 when the set was released. One of these cards was Carlton Fisk's awesome rookie card, featuring the green color used for almost every Red Sox card in the set. As far as rookie stars cards go, this has to be one of the most iconic ones of all-time.

#1 1961 Topps Carl Yastrzemski

I know it's not Yastrzemski's true rookie card, but vintage, in my eyes, will always prevail and make it to the top. Regardless of whether it's Yastrzemski's actual rookie card because of his 1960 card, this is still one of the oldest Red Sox cards in my collection, and, like the Fisk rookie, the 1961 Yaz card checks a major card off my want list for the 1961 Topps set that I'm putting together.

Who knows, maybe 2019 will be the year when I pull an insane Red Sox card to make up for years of missing out, or maybe I'll have to keep on buying or trading for most of the cards on this list. 

Personally, I don't really care too much, because this list has affirmed that I've accumulated some awesome Sox cards and that it doesn't matter how I get them.

Top 5 Cards; Ernie Banks

I haven't been doing top 5 cards posts as much as I used to, but on the occasions that I put one together, I prefer the player of choice to be from the golden era of Baseball. That is, the 50s-70s.

Nothing against any other player, but from the late-1950s through the mid-1970s, Baseball featured dozens of future Hall of Famers and countless other star players. Topps also produced some of the best Flagship sets of all-time back then with checklist after star-studded checklist.

The colorful products, the players, and simply the time period provides a lot of material to work with, and it also helps that I have quite a lot of fun writing posts about Baseball legends from that time period. You can never really go wrong with vintage cards anyway.

When choosing a player for today's post, I realized I had already done a top 5 cards post for many 60s players. Stargell, Clemente, Williams, Robinson, and McCovey are just a few of the names along with my favorite player of all-time, Hank Aaron. 

However, 1 major name still had not been used up until now. Today, I'll be doing a top 5 cards post for Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks.

At 105 cards, Ernie Banks is in the Gold Tier of all my player collections, and his representation in modern-day Topps products is a major reason why. It also helps that I have a nice selection of vintage banks cards. Ultimately, I decided to go with all vintage cards for this list, beginning with a 1950s card at spot #5.

#5 1959 Topps Cubs Clubbers

With teammates Dale Long and Walt Moryn accompanying Banks on this 1959 Topps combo card, the whole idea of vintage cards is truly embodied. Bold and bright colors are a staple for vintage sets, and I'm very fond of the 1959 Topps combo cards in particular. In a way, it's almost better than more well-known Cubs like Billy Williams and Ron Santo aren't featured alongside Banks. That way, Mr. Cub can be the star of the card. 

#4 1970 Topps

1970 may have been Banks' 2nd to last year in Baseball, but his 1970 Topps card remains one of the greatest card made of the 500 home run club member. As the years went on, Topps began producing more and more cards with action images featured, or at least pictures that show the player in motion. You wouldn't see a card like this of Banks in the early to mid-1960s. 

In addition to featuring a classic Topps design, Banks 1970 Topps card includes one of the best images to ever make it onto one of his Topps base cards of all-time.

#3 1967 Topps

If it features the right image, 1967 Topps can include some of the greatest sets in Topps history, and this Ernie Banks card certainly no exception. While I don't necessarily think the orange color is the best fit for the Cubs cards, the image as absolutely perfect though I could do without the fake signature. However, the Cubs blue on Banks' sleeve actually compliments the orange very well, and the result is an excellent card of Banks.

#2 1962 Topps

I knew I wanted Banks' classic 1962 Topps card to be included on the countdown, but I originally figured I'd put it at #5 or #4. But the more I studied the card, the more details begin to jump out at me, such as the black and white image in the light blue circle. 

The sky blue is a nice contrast to the bold red at the bottom of the card, but the main detail that captures my attention is the simple yet near-perfect photo of Banks, creating a card that is both simple and complex at the same time.

#1 1954 Topps (rookie card)

Because my Dad bought this card many years ago, it's always been a part of my collection since before I can remember. With that being said, it doesn't take away from how special this card truly is. I mean, it's a rookie card of one of the greatest hitters of all-time, recently graded by Beckett. You can't get much better than that.

I certainly have critiqued 1954 Topps in the past, but the white background on Banks' rookie card has become so classic because of how it's such an excellent fit. The old-school Cubs logo is another detail very reminiscent of the time period. 

But, it's the way the 2 different pictures compliment each other that helps to create one of the most iconic rookie cards ever made, and one I'm proud to have at the top of my list.

The 2 Greatest Words; BGS Mail Day

Many months ago, I made the decision to begin preserving certain cards in my collection in the most effective manner possible; submitting these cards for Beckett Grading.

I suppose it all started over a year ago when I was pondering the most effective way to store my cards. As I began to realize that binders, at least in my case, weren't keeping the vintage cards from all the dust that tends to get under the plastic sheets. 

With some cards of Hall of Famers in my collection dating back to the 50's, I knew it was up to me to preserve some of them, and what better way than having them graded at the same time.

As for the PSA vs Beckett debate, I've always been more fond of the latter of the 2 due to their accessible population report online, sub-grades (not for vintage, though), and autograph authentication grades as well. That's why I hand-selected a few Beckett cards to send off for grading, cards I just recently got back in the mail.

Quite possibly the biggest surprise of the bunch was the  1970 Kellogg's 3D card of Tom Seaver receiving a stellar grade of 8.0. I knew the card, especially for its age, was in very good shape which is why I sent it out. However, I wasn't expecting it to return with a grade so high. After all, 8.0 is cutting it very close to the grades some modern cards, typically chrome cardstock, tend to receive.

In what could very well be the greatest duo ever shown on a combo card in baseball card history, MLB legends Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays both appeared on this Managers' Dream card as a part of the 1962 Topps set. For many years now, it's been up to me to take good care of these 50+-year-old cards while also keeping them in as good of condition as possible. That's why, in a way, I felt validated to get this card back at a respectable grade of 5.0.

As if one Mantle card wasn't enough, I made the decision to send out 2 different Mantle's from the same 1962 Topps set with the 2nd card, Mickey's base card, coming back at a grade of 3.5, deemed "very good" by Beckett. Most of the vintage cards in my possession were bought by my Dad many years ago in a big grocery bag for $20, resulting in a massive variety of different cards of Hall of Famers and legends.

Because of how they were stored for so long, the condition on them isn't the greatest, but ultimately, any grade we can get on them is considered a plus due to how long these cards went without proper care. No matter what, a 3.5 on a Mickey Mantle base card is something I'm absolutely stoked about.

And yet, there was an even more magnificent card included in the BGS order. One of the crown jewels of my entire baseball card collection and a card that, to my knowledge, I've yet to show here on the blog. 

This is Ernie Banks' 1954 Topps rookie card, graded at a BGS 3.0, I grade I am incredibly pleased with due to already being at a disadvantage due to the card being slightly miss-cut, particularly noticeable at the top.

For nearly 2 decades, this card sat in a vintage card sleeve in a custom picture frame on a bookshelf in my house, safe from dust, sure, but not necessarily from drops or at least, not protected at the level this card should be. When I was forming this list, Banks' rookie card was an easy choice to include for obvious reasons, but also because it would ensure it would be protected more so than just the picture frame it sat in beforehand.

Along with the 1/1 Cubs quad relic from 2017 Heritage, the Ernie Banks rookie card is at the pinnacle of my entire collection. Now, both incredibly special Cubs cards are safely graded in Beckett slabs, capping off what was a successful BGS order.