Smith was an outfielder, who was known as "Skates" when he was with the Phillies. When tracking down fly balls he often seemed to be on skates as at times his legs seemed to out-pace the rest of his body.
Showing posts with label 1987 topps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1987 topps. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Quest for 1987 Topps - Lonnie Smith
By 1987, Lonnie Smith already had 3 World Series rings with three different teams: the Phillies in 1980, the Cardinals in 1982 and the Royals in 1985. He would appear in a losing effort with the Braves the 1991 and 1992 World Series. Altogether he appeared in 63 post season games hitting .278, with 4 home runs and 17 rbis. Lonnie had a 17-year career (from 1978 through 1994) in which he hit .288, with 98 home runs and 370 stolen bases.
Smith was an outfielder, who was known as "Skates" when he was with the Phillies. When tracking down fly balls he often seemed to be on skates as at times his legs seemed to out-pace the rest of his body.
Smith was an outfielder, who was known as "Skates" when he was with the Phillies. When tracking down fly balls he often seemed to be on skates as at times his legs seemed to out-pace the rest of his body.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Package from the Cardboard Junkie
The other day I posted that my Quest for the 1987 Topps set had been thwarted once again when I made a physical count of the cards and found 6 missing. I'd barely made the post when I got emails from dayf (the Cardboard Junkie) and Max (who's already contributed to the Quest) that the 6 cards were on their way. dayf's package got here first. I'm just posting the Jamie Moyer card. I think he is probably the only player featured in this set who is still playing today.
In addition to the 1987 Topps, he sent me some old wax, and I do mean wax, as in cards wrapped in waxed paper. 1990 Donruss! Win Instantly! Although I know many people don't like this set, I've always liked it. Something about the red borders and the confetti strewn background just clicks with me.
The inside of the wrapper gives the rules of the contest. There is a game piece you cut out. If you get both sides of the same game piece, you win. I've got half the Grand Prize game piece on this wrapper. $10,000 and a trip for 4 to the 1991 All-Star Game! Alas, I wasn't an instant winner.
Of the 16 cards in the pack, I didn't have 9 of them. A pretty good ratio considering I have almost 400 cards from the set. I was happy to pull these two cards I didn't have.
And as if that wasn't enough, he set me a collection of Jeff Bagwell cards. I had most of them, except for these two. This card is a 2004 SP Game Used Patch. Apparently, the base cards didn't actually have a patch on them. I didn't have any cards from this set.
And this is a 2005 Upper Deck Trilogy, another set I didn't have any of. Any similarity you see between these two cards is probably just your imagination.
In addition to the 1987 Topps, he sent me some old wax, and I do mean wax, as in cards wrapped in waxed paper. 1990 Donruss! Win Instantly! Although I know many people don't like this set, I've always liked it. Something about the red borders and the confetti strewn background just clicks with me.
The inside of the wrapper gives the rules of the contest. There is a game piece you cut out. If you get both sides of the same game piece, you win. I've got half the Grand Prize game piece on this wrapper. $10,000 and a trip for 4 to the 1991 All-Star Game! Alas, I wasn't an instant winner.Of the 16 cards in the pack, I didn't have 9 of them. A pretty good ratio considering I have almost 400 cards from the set. I was happy to pull these two cards I didn't have.
And as if that wasn't enough, he set me a collection of Jeff Bagwell cards. I had most of them, except for these two. This card is a 2004 SP Game Used Patch. Apparently, the base cards didn't actually have a patch on them. I didn't have any cards from this set.
And this is a 2005 Upper Deck Trilogy, another set I didn't have any of. Any similarity you see between these two cards is probably just your imagination.
Friday, February 27, 2009
The quest for 1987 Topps
Darn it!
The other day I posted that I'd completed the set. Tonight I pulled down the box with the 1987 Topps cards in it and put them all in order. I'm still missing 6 cards. I've been using a computer database to track my cards for years. I'm under no illusion that it is 100% accurate. 5 cards out of 792 is an error rate of 0.6%. Not so bad I suppose.
On a more positive note, after seeing a tip from the Cardboard Junkie, I went to WalMart to see if I could find a Topps blaster box with the black cards. I was successful. I wasn't planning to buy anymore Topps series 1 but I had to have these. And I got this in the box.
The patch is a replica commemorating the 1953 All-Star Game. Roy was a 7-time All-Star. In the 1953 game he was 1 for 4 with a run scored as the National beat the Americans, 5-1. Lucy over at Dinged Corners just did a nice book report on Campanella.
The other day I posted that I'd completed the set. Tonight I pulled down the box with the 1987 Topps cards in it and put them all in order. I'm still missing 6 cards. I've been using a computer database to track my cards for years. I'm under no illusion that it is 100% accurate. 5 cards out of 792 is an error rate of 0.6%. Not so bad I suppose.
On a more positive note, after seeing a tip from the Cardboard Junkie, I went to WalMart to see if I could find a Topps blaster box with the black cards. I was successful. I wasn't planning to buy anymore Topps series 1 but I had to have these. And I got this in the box.
The patch is a replica commemorating the 1953 All-Star Game. Roy was a 7-time All-Star. In the 1953 game he was 1 for 4 with a run scored as the National beat the Americans, 5-1. Lucy over at Dinged Corners just did a nice book report on Campanella.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The quest for 1987 Topps
It was in August 2008 that I first posted my 1987 Topps want list. Through the generosity of strangers, I believe I've completed the set. A guy named Max, who I made one trade with, sent me a bunch of Phillies cards, almost all of which I didn't have. I've been working on cataloging them and I'll hopefully have a post up next week. In addition, he sent me the last three 1987 Topps cards I need to complete the set. I declared victory once before on this set only to find I was still, according to my database, missing about 30 cards. My next task is to pull the cards out and verify that I actually have them all. Then I'll declare victory. Thanks Max for bringing me to this point.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Quest for 1987 Topps
Jack over at All Tribe Baseball was nice enough to send me one of the last 1987 Topps cards I'm looking for. It's also the last big card I needed, #500, Don Mattingly. Thanks, Jack.
He also looked through my 2004 Topps Cracker Jack want list and sent two of those including this Todd Helton, one of the few horizontal cards in the set.
Getting a couple of Cracker Jack cards prompted me to look on eBay and see if a box was available. There were! So I bought one. Look forward to a box break soon.
He also looked through my 2004 Topps Cracker Jack want list and sent two of those including this Todd Helton, one of the few horizontal cards in the set.
Getting a couple of Cracker Jack cards prompted me to look on eBay and see if a box was available. There were! So I bought one. Look forward to a box break soon.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
More 1987 Topps from Steve
The very generous Steve at The Easy Life sent me some more 1987 Topps cards. He's all over Capewood's Collections this week. He also contributed last Sunday's Song of the Week on a CD of tunes he sent me. Here's what he sent:
# 336 - Allan Anderson. "Allen pitched 4 No-Hitters, 2 of them consecutive, in senior year at Lancaster (Ohio) High School." He played 6 years for the Twins with a 49-54 record.
#392 - Checklist
#410 - Fernando Valenzuela. "Fernando visited the White House in 1981". That's the best Topps could think to say on this card?
#414 - Joe Orsulak. "Joe wears contact lenses during games but eye-glasses a majority of the time off the field".
#501 - Craig Lefferts. "Craig is co-chairman of San Diego Children's Asthma League. He was a member of two College World Series entries at University of Arizona (Tucson)".
#535 - Tony Armas. "Tony has ten brothers and three sisters". Apparently none of his brothers played ball. His Uncle Marcos did (in the 1930s) and his son Tony plays.
# 604 - Fernando Valenzuela
# 624 - Tim Burke. "Tim experiences much enjoyment from reading". So do I.
# 770 - Dave Winfield. Dave's got 14 years of stats on the back of his card, so there's no room for a little anecdote.
# 336 - Allan Anderson. "Allen pitched 4 No-Hitters, 2 of them consecutive, in senior year at Lancaster (Ohio) High School." He played 6 years for the Twins with a 49-54 record.
#392 - Checklist
#410 - Fernando Valenzuela. "Fernando visited the White House in 1981". That's the best Topps could think to say on this card?
#414 - Joe Orsulak. "Joe wears contact lenses during games but eye-glasses a majority of the time off the field".#501 - Craig Lefferts. "Craig is co-chairman of San Diego Children's Asthma League. He was a member of two College World Series entries at University of Arizona (Tucson)".
#535 - Tony Armas. "Tony has ten brothers and three sisters". Apparently none of his brothers played ball. His Uncle Marcos did (in the 1930s) and his son Tony plays.
# 604 - Fernando Valenzuela
# 624 - Tim Burke. "Tim experiences much enjoyment from reading". So do I.# 770 - Dave Winfield. Dave's got 14 years of stats on the back of his card, so there's no room for a little anecdote.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The quest for 1987 Topps
When I started writing the blog, some 200 posts ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. There were a handful of other blogs about baseball cards I'd found and was reading, but I had no sense of where it might lead. For one thing, I had no idea that I'd be trading baseball cards through the mail.
Today I received 18 1987 Topps Card from Ben at 88 Score. In addition to 1988 Score he also collects 1987 Topps. He sent me some of his doubles. I'll be sending him some of my doubles and a handful of 1988 Score cards.
One thing I like about '87 Topps is the subset cards. The first 7 cards is the "'86 Record Breaker" subset. In 1986, Todd Worrell set a major league record for saves in a rookie season with 56. 36 saves was also good enough to lead the NL and win him the NL Rookie of the Year Award. I think Todd's record may still stand.
Here's another subset card I got from Ben, the 1986 All-Stars. On the back of these cards Topps featured league leaders in some stat. Hernandez was 6th in runs scored in 1986 with 94. Tony Gwynn and Von Hayes lead the league with 107.
It's also fun to look at old cards (this set is over 20 years old now) for the uniforms. Back in 1987, when interleague play was thought to be impossible, I didn't get to see the White Sox play very often. Is that really Fisk's uniform number on his pants? The other reason I'm showing this card is to contrast it with the next card. Topps varied the color behind the player's name to roughly match something in the team's colors. But the colors choices were limited to light blue, dark blue, red, orange, mustard, yellow, and green, so sometimes the colors didn't blend that well with the uni colors, like in this Fisk card.
But sometimes the color was perfect. The name box green, the uniform green and the green in the logo match perfectly in this card below, featuring Mark McGwire. This is not McGwire's Topps rookie card, that was in 1985. It is his second Topps card. Compared to his later self he looks like a runt on this card.
And a glorious checklist card in all its wood-grained goodness. This also happens to be the last card in the set.
Today I received 18 1987 Topps Card from Ben at 88 Score. In addition to 1988 Score he also collects 1987 Topps. He sent me some of his doubles. I'll be sending him some of my doubles and a handful of 1988 Score cards.
One thing I like about '87 Topps is the subset cards. The first 7 cards is the "'86 Record Breaker" subset. In 1986, Todd Worrell set a major league record for saves in a rookie season with 56. 36 saves was also good enough to lead the NL and win him the NL Rookie of the Year Award. I think Todd's record may still stand.
Here's another subset card I got from Ben, the 1986 All-Stars. On the back of these cards Topps featured league leaders in some stat. Hernandez was 6th in runs scored in 1986 with 94. Tony Gwynn and Von Hayes lead the league with 107.
It's also fun to look at old cards (this set is over 20 years old now) for the uniforms. Back in 1987, when interleague play was thought to be impossible, I didn't get to see the White Sox play very often. Is that really Fisk's uniform number on his pants? The other reason I'm showing this card is to contrast it with the next card. Topps varied the color behind the player's name to roughly match something in the team's colors. But the colors choices were limited to light blue, dark blue, red, orange, mustard, yellow, and green, so sometimes the colors didn't blend that well with the uni colors, like in this Fisk card.
But sometimes the color was perfect. The name box green, the uniform green and the green in the logo match perfectly in this card below, featuring Mark McGwire. This is not McGwire's Topps rookie card, that was in 1985. It is his second Topps card. Compared to his later self he looks like a runt on this card.
And a glorious checklist card in all its wood-grained goodness. This also happens to be the last card in the set.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Package from Scott - more 1987 Topps cards!
Scott from Hand Collated sent me 24 1987 Topps cards. If I've got my count right, I only need 33 more cards to complete the set. I thought I was nearly done about a month ago before I did a recount and found another 50 plus cards I was missing. The best card of the bunch was this Ozzie Smith card.
I'm not quite sure what Ozzie is doing here. Watching a ball fly over his head? Must have been pretty high. Among the rest of the cards he sent, I probably like this card second best. Topps had these Team Leader cards in a number of sets in the late 1980s. The players featured were not usually identified but they were usually one of the players listed on the back. So who is this old geezer featured on the Astros Team Leader card?
Although I'm an Astros fan now, I wasn't in 1987. I was pretty sure that it isn't Mike Scott or Glenn Davis (two Astros I actually collected then but whose cards have since melted back into the commons boxes) on the card. He sure looked familiar however. The it hit me, it's Yogi Berra! I had no idea that he was a coach for the Astros from 1986 to 1989. As near as I can tell, this is the only major issue baseball card with Yogi in an Astros uniform. And, I also believe, it's Yogi's last major issue baseball card of his baseball career.
I'm not quite sure what Ozzie is doing here. Watching a ball fly over his head? Must have been pretty high. Among the rest of the cards he sent, I probably like this card second best. Topps had these Team Leader cards in a number of sets in the late 1980s. The players featured were not usually identified but they were usually one of the players listed on the back. So who is this old geezer featured on the Astros Team Leader card?
Although I'm an Astros fan now, I wasn't in 1987. I was pretty sure that it isn't Mike Scott or Glenn Davis (two Astros I actually collected then but whose cards have since melted back into the commons boxes) on the card. He sure looked familiar however. The it hit me, it's Yogi Berra! I had no idea that he was a coach for the Astros from 1986 to 1989. As near as I can tell, this is the only major issue baseball card with Yogi in an Astros uniform. And, I also believe, it's Yogi's last major issue baseball card of his baseball career.
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