My Best Yankees Cards

Along with the Red Sox and Cubs, it seems that I have a natural ability to both purchase New York Yankees cards and pull them from packs. Because of that, I'd go as far as to say that the Yankees are the 3rd most represented team in my entire collection, behind only the 2 previously mentioned clubs.

While I don't quite know if this is a positive thing or not, it's somewhat odd for a collector like myself to actively collect cards of the Red Sox's arch-rival. But, with the seemingly endless number of Yankees cards out there, it's pretty difficult to avoid them. 

Whether you're opening a pack or making your way through a dime box, Yankees cards seem to be everywhere. After all, there are my Yankees cards listed on COMC than any other team, and I believe that to be a fair representation of all the cards out there to collect. 

Regardless, the abundance of Yankees cards has resulted in some pretty major cards making their way into my collection, either via a pack of cards or a direct purchase at the Baseball card show or online. 

As a result, this Red Sox fan has been left with a plethora of various Yankees cards, some of them even proving to be among the best cards in my entire collection. Today, I'll be taking a more in-depth look at the greatest Yankees cards that I own.

To commence this Yankees-centric post, I have a classic-looking card of one of the most underrated pitchers of all-time, Whitey Ford. Despite career stats that include a 2.75 ERA, 45 shutouts, and nearly 2,000 strikeouts, Ford isn't as widely recognized as other Yankees legends that you'll see later on in this post.

I have an older card of Whitey Ford from the 1958 Topps set, but the condition and the centering are pretty lackluster. Because of that, I went with my 5.5 Beckett graded card of Ford from '66 Topps instead.

The grade may not be the best, but this 1958 Topps All-Star card of Mickey Mantle is tied for the oldest Mantle card in my collection. Personally, the 2.5 grade doesn't matter as much given how fabulous these original All-Star cards from '58 are. 

My original look at these classic All-Star cards was from the 2007 Topps Heritage set with guys like David Ortiz and Albert Pujols. Nothing can truly compare to the originals, much less a Mickey Mantle card from this memorable set.

Tied with the previous card for my oldest card of the highly-collectible Mickey Mantle is another card from the 1958 Topps set, this one a World Series Batting Foes combo card, showcasing 2 of the greatest hitters in Baseball history.

Because base cards tend to possess a higher value than combo cards like the one above, the Batting Foes card isn't as valuable as Mantle's iconic base card from '58. Still, this card has been in my collection as long as I can remember, so you can definitely say I've grown attached to it. 

Even though I understood that the card wouldn't receive a high grade, getting this card graded was an easy decision to preserve this fabulous piece.

Finishing up with these combo cards, here's the final big one in my Yankees collection, this one from the wood-bordered 1962 Topps set. Originally, I had 2 of these graded, and I sold the one graded at a 4 on eBay. I saved the other card, graded at a Beckett 5, because, like the '58 card, it features 2 of the greatest players in Baseball history.

It certainly would be a "Managers' Dream" to have either one of these guys on your team, and it's still pretty surreal that I even have this card in the first place. Similar to the World Series combo card from '58, this card has always been a part of my collection. Getting it graded at a 5, however, was something totally unexpected.

In terms of my major modern-day Yankees cards, the best place to start would be the cards that were most recently added to my collection, a quartet of printing plates from the 2016 Leaf Babe Ruth Collection product. 

An entire set composed solely of Babe Ruth cards, Leaf did the best that they could without licensing rights and created a memorable and unique product. However, I didn't pull these 4 cards from a pack of cards. 

Rather, I grabbed this 4-card lot from a vendor at a major card show last year for a very fair price. At just north of $15 per card, this will go down in history as one of my greatest Baseball card show finds of all-time.

And as a result of that very same card show, I added this unbelievable card to my collection, and for the very first time throughout this entire post, the card I'm showing is one that I pulled myself from a pack of cards.

Though that feat will become more common over the next couple of cards that I show, pulling this Mickey Mantle warm-up jacket from a pack of 2010 Topps 206 was incredibly surreal. I certainly wasn't expecting anything close to this good to come from the box that I opened. 

It was simply supposed to be a fun and relatively inexpensive box break, and I ended up with a card that could pay for the entire box that I opened and then some. At some point in the near future, I could see myself submitting this card for Beckett grading as well.

Another card that I pulled from a pack myself, this one from a $10 rack pack of 2017 Topps Chrome, we have this Aaron Judge image variation rookie, a card I've likely shown here on the blog before today.

Back in August of 2017, Aaron Judge was at the peak of popularity, even making the cover of the 2017 Topps Chrome set. Because of that, everyone was looking to cash in and pull a valuable Judge card, including me. I just didn't expect that hit to come out of retail.

Flash forward roughly 1 and a half years and that card is now graded at a 9.5 and is easily the greatest Judge card that I own. Certainly, Topps Chrome retail was kind to me in 2017, and the same could definitely be said for the 2018 set as well.

If the Judge image variation was a major hit, I don't even have the words to express what this Gleyber Torres autograph pull meant to me, especially since I pulled it out of a blaster of Topps Chrome at last years' National in Cleveland. 

Numbered out of 250 copies, this Torres card is a purple refractor auto of one of the biggest rookie names of 2018. I made the decision to get this card graded as quickly as possible, while at The National, and I'll definitely be holding onto this stellar autograph, hoping Torres continues to progress as a talented and young player.

But honestly, none of these cards can truly compare to the beauty that is this 1962 Topps graded Mickey Mantle card, the one and only Topps base card of Mantle that I own, graded at a 3.5. Like all the other vintage cards showcased on this post, this Mickey Mantle card didn't receive the highest grade for the same reason that many vintage cards fail to do so as well. 

Even though the condition is obviously important for vintage cards, it doesn't matter all that much to me considering the fact that, like the rest of the cards shown above, I'll be holding onto this Mantle card from '62 Topps and not selling it.

If I wasn't convinced beforehand, this post did its job and changed my mind. All of a sudden, I'm not so certain that having too many Yankees cards is such a bad thing after all.

That still doesn't mean I like the team, though.

Frankenset Page #43

At this point in the MLB offseason, I've usually begun the process of making predictions ahead of opening day, a date that is just over 3 weeks away. However, for the 2nd year in a row, players and teams are refusing to budge on contract negotiations, leaving dozens of starting lineup caliber players still unsigned.

The major 2 available free agents, as of the time I'm writing this post, are Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel, and they're far from the only guys left unsigned. Adam Jones, who hit a respectable .281 last year, could be a much-needed veteran presence for a young team, and he wouldn't even cost too much money.

Only 32-years old, it's perplexing to me that Adam Jones remains a free agent with roughly 3 weeks to go until opening day. Then again, when I look at who else remains unsigned as well, it all makes sense; the free agent market is not kind to players over 30.

I even posted my offseason predictions for this years' exciting free agency, and I'm 0-7 thus far with the 3 players I mentioned above still up in the air. I understand that stars like Craig Kimbrel want and deserve their money, but the contract he originally desired is totally irrational. 

No team wants to take the risk and give Kimbrel, a 30-year old closer, a 6-year contract worth around $100 million. However, if Kimbrel or any current free agents want a job come March 28th, there will need to be compromises made on both sides.

So, while we continue to await the signing of multiple big-name free agents, I'll postpone my predictions until further notice. Instead, I have the 43rd page of my frankenset ready to go, showcasing cards #379-387.

#379 1998 Bowman Julio Ramirez

For the sake of the game of Baseball, I pray that the Orioles and Marlins don't finish with as poor of records as they did in 2018. Combining to lose over 200 games, there were some pretty awful teams in 2018, including the White Sox and the Royals. Now, both Chicago and Kansas City made an effort to improve their record in 2019. The Marlins and Orioles? Not so much.

#380 2016 Topps Heritage Phil Hughes

Page #43 of my frankenset shows a lot of love to the Topps Heritage brand with 5 different cards from the product being featured. It's pretty fitting that this page includes so many cards from Heritage given the fact that I've been celebrating the release of the 2019 Topps Heritage set for nearly a week now, honoring the 1970 Topps design.

#381 2007 Topps Heritage J.J. Putz

An untraditional style of cards, the 1958 Topps design boldly features no "real" backgrounds on their cards. Instead, the cards feature a specific color in the background instead, effectively featuring no ballparks or other backgrounds that we've grown accustomed to seeing on a Topps Flagship Baseball card. 

I'm still firm in my belief that 1959 Topps is an enhanced version of '58 because of the backgrounds, but it was a bold effort by Topps, nevertheless.

#382 2018 Topp Big League Adeiny Hechavarria

Topps wasted very little time in announcing the renewal of the Big League product for another year in 2019, but they also decided to bring back Opening Day once again as well. Both Big League and Topps Bunt have been generally well-received as inexpensive, fun products geared towards kids, just like Opening Day. 

I simply don't understand why Topps won't just replace the boring product that is Topps Opening Day with a more interesting release, both in terms of design and checklist, like Big League.

#383 1983 Topps Ozzie Virgil

I probably separated the 2 1983 Topps cards on this page before I added the remaining cards from that set to my want list, but it's too late to remove them now anyway. Besides, I'm not missing a ton of cards from that set, and I'm hoping I can rely on trips to the Baseball card show and trades to finish it up completely.

#384 2016 Topps Heritage David Robertson

Thankfully, Topps finally removed the "ad panels" box toppers from Topps Heritage this year after being around for over a decade. Personally, I couldn't stand the ad panel cards simply because they made zero sense to me. 3 random cards were grouped into 1 single panel, and they weren't even consecutive cards in the product. 

I'd much rather have stamped original buybacks than some confusing ad panel as a box topper, especially with what hobby boxes cost collectors nowadays.

#385 1983 Topps Mike Easler

Almost every Pittsburgh Pirates cards in the 1983 Topps set shows a player in this exact uniform, and I couldn't be happier about that. Considering that the Pirates have some of the greatest and most iconic jerseys of all-time, it's pretty awesome to see 20-30 of these uniforms make an appearance in the '83 Topps Flagship set.

#386 2018 Topps Heritage Wil Myers

I'm genuinely interested to see how the San Diego Padres will perform this season with Manny Machado and Wil Myers leading a group of young players in a fairly tough division. San Diego has one of the best farm systems in all of Baseball, but they've consistently been a somewhat mediocre team for roughly a decade now.

#387 2007 Topps Heritage Aaron Rowand

The 43rd frankenset page will end with the 5th and final card from Topps Heritage, this once also from the 2007 set. Featuring a black background, Aaron Rowand's 2007 Topps Heritage card perfectly captures the potential of having 1-color backgrounds without ballparks being featured. With that being said, I don't know if I'd feel the same way if I were to collect the entire 500-card product.

6 Things to Know About 2019 Topps Heritage

Year after year, Topps never fails to impress me with the annual release of my favorite set; Topps Heritage and 2019 served as no exception to this tradition.

After the initial hobby box that I opened, I ended up breaking a little bit more Topps Heritage to explore this impressive product even further. However, rather than doing the standard recap of what I purchased and pulled, I'd rather write one final post on Topps Heritage in a more creative way.

While I've been opening packs of 2019 Topps Heritage, I've noticed multiple different details about the product, both large and small. Even though you generally know what to expect from Heritage every year it's released, Topps continues to surprise collectors with different variations and retro-style insert sets.

There's truly not a product quite like Topps Heritage where, even though the inserts are reoccurring and the set design is constantly expected, Topps pulls out all the stops and creates one of their most beloved products. 

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Topps will probably be doing the same thing with Heritage 50 years from now with products from the 2010s-2020s. Honestly, it's pretty odd to imagine modern-day sets recreated with Heritage cardstock, but I truly have faith that Topps can pull it off when the time comes.

Alright, back to 2019 Topps Heritage and some important things to know about this product and everything that comes with it.

#1 Be prepared for way too much sky

Having ballpark backgrounds on their cards isn't something revolutionary for Topps, so I'm confused as to why such a high percentage of the product features blue sky photographs. It would be fair to estimate that roughly 80% or more of 2019 Topps Heritage features photos with blue sky backgrounds, and this premise isn't new to 2019.

Since 2017, we've seen a major increase in blue sky backgrounds in Topps Heritage, and while I understand Topps' decision to include in-game action variations as SPs, does one variation have to come at the cost of almost every single card featuring the same background?

#2 The inserts are more colorful than ever

The colorful inserts that we've grown accustomed to seeing in Topps Heritage are a direct reflection of the year that Topps is commemorating. This likely means, unfortunately, that these incredibly colorful insert cards won't last forever. 

With that being said, simply looking at these Baseball Flashbacks and New Age Performers cards makes me hope otherwise. While the 2 different flashbacks insert sets feature the same design with different colors, the New Age Performers set design is one of the cleanest and most creative styles that I've ever seen out of Topps Heritage.

#3 This years' SPs are... complicated

One thing I've found through all the packs I've opened thus far is that it's become increasingly difficult to pull major names, even as far as the base set is concerned. I'm well aware that the superstars are once again SPs, but is that really the case?

For example, Sonny Gray is in the base set and Miles Mikolas is a short print. I'm well aware that Gray has had his struggles, but Mikolas only had 1 respectable season and gets an SP? I didn't even know his name until he signed an extension last week. 

Not to mention, the 2 MVPs, Betts and Yelich, are in the base set as well. Weird.

#4 Don't expect to pull many rookie cup cards

Last year, All-Star rookies like Andrew Benintendi were featured in the base set and, thus, pulled fairly often from packs. However, with the superstars making up the short-print checklist once again this year, don't expect to find many sophomore stars when you open packs of this product.

Other than a Harrison Bader base card, showcasing a rookie cup, the only other All-Star rookie card I pulled was an SP of Miguel Andujar. Besides a base card and a lucky SP pull, I've ended up with zero All-Star rookie cards through my Heritage openings so far.

#5 The Scratch Off inserts are my favorites

Falling at 1 per hobby box and some relatively tough retail odds, the Scratch Off insert set is a recreation of the original mini set from 1970. Back when these were first released, you and a friend could play a fantasy Baseball game of sorts with these cards, and the replicated cards are designed for the very same purpose.

I, however, will attempt to complete this insert set rather than play the game, but I am blown away by Topps' sheer attention to detail with these cards, even if 0 Red Sox players are featured.

#6 Expect the expected and the unexpected

In many different ways, Topps Heritage is a very predictable product, and in a ton of other ways, the same thing cannot be said. For instance, with the year 1970 being replicated, you can thoroughly expect guys like Yaz and Bench to be showcased in the Then & Now set. 2018 was a stellar year for rookies, so I'm not shocked to find a surplus of 2nd-year guys in the New Age Performers set.

However, Topps has certainly thrown in a few surprises with this years' product, keeping Heritage fanatics like myself on their toes. Take the Baseball Flashbacks set, a checklist that usually consists of all Hall of Fame players. Well, this time around, Thurman Munson and Joe Torre have their own cards.

There are also new "French text" variations where the blurb on the card back is written in both English and French. Topps has also introduced a new "metal" parallel in addition to the numerous other variations and parallels that have become mainstays in the set.

See what I mean, Heritage encompasses the expected and the unexpected all in 1 product, and the result is stellar, no matter the year. It's the creativity and craziness behind the set that has suckers like me coming back for more, even if the replicated set design isn't my favorite.

Top 5 Cards; Lou Brock

I firmly believe that as long as I am collecting Baseball cards, the player collections will serve as my primary focus. Other sets or pieces of interest may come and go, but through it all, I simply can't envision myself not putting emphasis on the 200+ players that I collect.

I began my journey towards becoming an avid player collector by starting out with around 4 players total. Ivan Rodriguez, Catfish Hunter, Harmon Killebrew, and Duke Snider are the first guys I remember creating PCs for as soon as I started collecting cards. 

For one reason or another, I simply seemed to have a ton of cards featuring those 4 legends in my collection, so I began creating player collections off of that. 

Today, that number has reached 250 players on the dot, and there are still many players that I've thoroughly considered adding to that list. Both past stars (Sandy Koufax) and present phenoms (Francisco Lindor) are notable candidates. 

Plus who can argue with paying only a dime per card in order to add to one's player collections? Personally, I find dime bins one of the biggest blessings for almost any collector, but especially player collectors who have such a wide range of different players to focus on.

I'm not going to get into the specifics of player collection totals or any of that, but it's simply a fact that some PCs are able to grow faster than others due to card availability and a little bit of luck.

Out of my 250 player collections, Hall of Famer Lou Brock ranks at #84 with 63 cards. Through my system, Brock is a "silver tier" player collection, meaning I have 50 or more cards of him. 

He's also tied with Cubs first basemen Derrek Lee for that spot, further proving what I mentioned earlier about card availability being a major factor in player collections.

Sometimes, it's quality over quantity, however, as you'll see with some of the top 5 cards of Lou Brock.

#5 1968 Topps All-Star

As fantastic of a job as Topps does with the Sporting News All-Star cards, year after year, in Topps Heritage, it's fairly evident that nothing will ever compare to the originals. Regardless of how you feel about the burlap design, the All-Star cards were a massive success in 1968 Topps due to an excellent balance between the photograph and the rest of the card's design.

I could've chosen the 1969 All-Star card for this list instead, but the uniqueness of the '68 set gives this card more of a special feeling than the All-Star card from the following year.

#4 2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970s Disco Dandies

I can't fathom that I own a more colorful card in my entire collection than this Lou Brock Disco Dandies insert, yet the unconventional and retro style is exactly what I love about this insert set from 2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970s.

I'm fairly certain that Lou Brock is my sole Disco Dandies insert but seeing this card makes me want to purchase the entire insert set on COMC. Not only is the background absolutely insane and over the top, but I'll also give Upper Deck props for choosing an "in action" image for this card as well.

#3 1966 Topps

Other than cards from the Topps Flagship sets that I'm building, I believe this is my only base card showing the 6-time All-Star as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. Even with the centering and creases taken into account, I truly can't help but love this classic-looking card.

Lou Brock's 1966 Topps card is a prime example of why simple cards are totally okay and can even be transformed into standout cards if done correctly. Both the '66 set and the photo of Brock are rather plain on their own, but when they're combined together, the result is an incredibly memorable card.

#2 1964 Topps

I mentioned that the '66 Topps card was my only base card of Brock on the Cardinals. Similarly, his 1964 Topps card is my sole original card showing the 2-time Gold Glove award winner as a Chicago Cub. 

From the patch on his sleeve to the jersey number written in the middle of the "C" on his helmet, this card serves as a painful reminder to Cubs fans of what could have been. Because, in that same year, Brock was traded to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, among other players.

If Brock hadn't been dealt in one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history, there's a reasonable chance that Brock, along with other future Hall of Famers, could've led the Cubs to a World Series victory.

#1 1969 Topps World Series Game #4

Even though the 2017 World Series featured neither the Red Sox nor the Cubs, my 2 favorite teams, I instantly raced to complete the mini subset as soon as I got my hands on 2018 Topps Heritage. That is an accurate representation of how fantastic these World Series highlights cards are and why this card earned the #1 spot.

Formatted just like a newspaper cover page, this Sporting News subset uses black and white photos to its fullest potential. Commemorating the Cardinals' Game 4 blowout of the Tigers, the Cardinals' win is perfectly encapsulated by showcasing Brock's home run off Denny McLain.

I'll admit, it can be confusing and even slightly frustrating to focus primarily on player collections, especially when you have 250 of them. However, having cards like the 5 I just showed make the entire process incredibly rewarding and enjoyable.