Five Random Cubs Cards

I've got 15,291 Cubs cards from 128 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.

1900s - 1970s: 1979 Diamond Greats #106 Hy Vandenberg Makes you wonder how a guy with a  career record of 14-10 and an ERA of 4.32 is considered a Diamond Great.

1980s: 1989 Donruss #513 Jeff Pico The 1989 season was the best of the three years he spent in the major leagues.  Working almost exclusively out of the bullpen, he was 3-1 with an ERA of 3.77.  

1990s: 1991 Donruss #374 Greg Maddux  He led the league in both starts and innings pitched in 1991.  His record was 15-11, which wasn't too bad for a team with just 77 wins.

2000s: 2006 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball Chronology Platinum #BW Billy Williams It is very fitting that the man with the sweet swing is in a set called Legendary Cuts (though I don't think the brand name refers to taking a swing).

2010s: 2012 Historical Stitches #AD Andre Dawson  If Topps had a more perverse sense of humor, they would have used this picture on the card...

...because the result for Dawson was 21 stitches.

Nine is Fine

Nine years ago, on December 30, 2008, the first Wrigley Wax post went live.

At the time I was about a year and a half into my renewed interest in collecting cards.  I had almost all of the Topps Cubs, plus all of the Fleer and Donruss Cubs.  That made a total of 2,963 Cubs.

Now, 3344 posts later, my Cubs collection has gotten a bit bigger with 128 brands and 15,289 cards.  I've enjoyed the chase for all the additional cards and being able to share the chase with you.

FInishing Up WIth Zenith

Reader Chad got me started with the first two years of Zenith.  Sportlots got me finished with the last two years.

In 1997 the brand has some major changes.  The set size shrunk from 150 cards down to just fifty.  While the set got smaller, some of the cards got bigger, much bigger.  In addition to the 50 base cards, there were also 8" x 10" versions of the first 24 cards in the set.

 

WIth just 50 cards in the set I should be thankful that there are two Cubs.  There's quite a cropping contrast with these two, really tight on Ryno while pulled back pretty far for Sammy.

Here's a better-cropped version of Sammy.

The 1998 set was Zenith's last hurrah.  They increased the set size to 100, but decreased the oversized cards, from 8" x 10" to 5" x 7".  In an odd twist, the big cards were rip cards with the base cards inside.

 

These are the two Cubs cards from the 1998 set.

I've got only the base cards from these last two year.  The oversized cards are on the way and I'll get them posted once they arrive.

My Least Favorite Card of 2017

I entered Tom's favorite card contest yesterday.  Today let's go in the opposite direction and see my least favorite card.

Bowman threw back to 1992 with this.  The cards were lame 25 years ago...

... and are just as lame today.

My Favorite Card of 2017

Tom over at Waiting Til Next Year is once again hosting a "Favorite  Card of the Year" contest. 

This was pretty easy for me.

My favorite is a card that Topps has never been able to print before, a World Series subset card that features the Cubs.

The World Series celebration that was 108 years in the making.

I may never see oa card like this again.  

I'm thrilled that I got at least one in my lifetime.

Vintage Goodies From Chad

After a couple days celebrating Christmas, it's back to the stack from Chad.  Today is the third and final installation and it features the older cards.

Mr. Cub was one of Renate Galasso's Glossy Greats. This was from a 1977 set and was often a freebie tossed in if you bought a set from Brooklyn-based Galasso.

Topps put out a stamp set in 1969, with ten stamps for each team.  Chad sent over an album with all ten of the Cubs.

This little guy is a reprint off of a portion of the T202 set put out by Hassan cigarettes. 

This is what the full sized card looks like, a tri-fold with pictures of two players surrounding an action shot.

The last two cards weren't mini cards, they were big boys.  Both came from the 1947-1966 Exhibits sets.  The cards are on a heavy stock and measure 3 3/8" x 5 3/8"

Eddie Stanky broke in with the Cubs in 1943 and was traded to the Dodgers during the 1944 season.  

 I've save the best for last...

....the Exhibits card for Mr. Cub.  The back of the card includes stats through the 1962 season, so I guess it was be safe to say that it came out in 1963.  

Once again I'd like to thank Chad for being so generous!

Merry Steve!

I knew this guy played a few games for the Cubs, and I knew that I just had to get a card of his. He played only three games for the Cubs in late April of 1986, and he was just one for nine, a crummy .111 batting average. As far as I can tell, this card from the Cubs team issued set is the only card that features him as a major leaguer, though he did play with the Reds in 1983 and the White Sox in 1984.

He didn't have much of a big league career, but once a year his card will be here on Wrigley Wax

 

Merry Steve Christmas to all!

The Christmas Story According to St. Luke

If the networks can run A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, and the Grinch every year, then  I think I can re-run this post every Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

From the Gospel according to St. Luke, the second chapter: 

In those days

Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire

world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So

also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of

because he belonged to the

and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the

to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a

because there was no

for them in the inn. And there were

living out in the

nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at

An

of the

appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

May the simple, yet miraculous truth 

of the Christmas story 

touch your heart anew this year.

Peace,

Paul

Wrigley Wax

Zenith From Chad

All of the cards in today's post were part of the package from Chad and they are all from the same brand, Pinnacle Zenith.

Zenith was around for four years, from 1995 - 1998.  The set varied in size from 50 - 150 cards.  Because of its small size, it was not a brand I chased when I put together my team sets.  But I recently decided to start hunting the little guys, and Chad gave me a great start with Zenith.

The brand's initial release was in 1995 and consisted of 150 cards.  The Cubs were not very good at that time and had just three cards in the set.  Chad sent me all three.

 

 

In 1996 the set remained at 150 cards, but the number of Cubs doubled.

 

 

 

Another Brooks Kieschnick sighting!

Chad got me more than half-way through Zenith.  A few clicks at Sportlots and I finished up the missing years.

Christmas Goodies From Reader Chad

Chad is a long-time reader of the blog and he has been very generous to me over the years.  For the past few years he's sent me a package in December.  I received the 2017 box of goodies a few days ago.

His packages always include an eclectic assortment of cards.  I enjoy sorting through them and doing a little detective work too.  Thank you once again for your generosity, Chad!!

Today I'll take a look at a stack of late '80s and early '90s cards.

 

The Matthew Louisville Slugger card would have been attached to a mitt.  That's what the hole in the corner is for.  The Dawson card is from the Broder "Stars of '88" set.

 

Raffie and Ryno had cards in the 1987 Indiana Blue Sox set.

Mark Grace was in a bunch of cards.

 

The 1990 and 1991 Post cards...

...these three came from the 1990 Starline set and were available at Long John Silver, when you bought a dinner and a drink...

 

...two more Broder types.  The one on the left is from the 1988 Stars set, while on the right is a card in the 1989 Baseball's Best Five set (which is made up of ten cards!).

I wrap up today's post with a six-spot of Sandberg.

These are from another Broder unlicensed set.  They are a little better quality that most of the earlier Broder cards.  The card stock is thicker and the cards have a glossy finish.  Gotta love the one with Ryno next to a rhino!