Allan Kaye's Sports Cards Cubs

 I'm wrapping up the last of the price guide card sets today with a look at Allan Kaye's Sport Cards News and Price Guides.

My first question is "Who is Allan Kaye?"  A Google search gave me just one tidbit on the publishing company.  Allan Kaye Publications, Inc. was incorporated in St. Louis in May of 1991 and dissolved in September, 1993.

His picture was in the May, 1992 issue so at least I know what he looks like.  I'd assume he was a collector from the St. Louis area, which is where the magazine's office was located.  Does anyone know more about Allan Kaye?

The premier issue came out in October of 1991 and it included cards right off the bat.  Typically, each issue contained 18 cards.  The cards were printed on card stock pages that were inside the magazine.  That means that you had to cut the cards out.  That wasn't always an easy task.

Ryno was included in the first issue. The card design is pretty plain, but I like the picture.

Issue #2 was dated December 1991 / January 1992.  After that the next magazine came out monthly through October, 1992.  That made a total of 11 issues.  

Each of these also contained two pages of nine cards and makes a grand total of 198 cards (11 issues x 18 cards).  Three other Cubs cards were in the set.

 

The blue bordered cards are from 1992 issues.  I also need to point out that the small edge around all of the cards scanned black but is actually gold foil.

The magazine stopped printing after the October, 1992, issue.  I find it interesting that several of these guides got off to a decent start and then just stopped.  Beckett Price Guide was the only survivor and it didn't include cards.  I guess collectors were more interested in accurate information, not a few more cards.

There are also a few oddball cards from Kaye's that I'm working on getting.  They'll get a separate post once I have them.

Flick Friday: Calvin Marshall

 

Back for a one-and-done, Flick Friday presents "Calvin Marshall"  Was I right when I said that you'd probably never heard of it?  You can take a look at the trailer (and look carefully for player #22).

It's not a very good movie.  It's full of cliche, the acting isn't all that great, and the baseball isn't totally believable.

The movie was filled in 2007 in Ashland, Oregon.  It was a low budget movie, so there aren't any big Hollywood stars.  But...

Filming in Oregon, in 2007 meant they needed local ballplayers to serve as extras.  There is a player I collect who is from Oregon and played ball at Oregon State.  And he was in the movie.

Yep, Darwin Barney was in "Calvin Marshall."  How can I call myself a Darwin Barney collector and not know this?? Shame on me!

At the time of filming, Barney had just finished up his first professional season, playing with the Peoria Chiefs.  By the time the movie came out he had worked his way up to AAA Iowa.  He's mentioned in one of the behind the scenes bonus clips:

It was pretty smart of the producers to get a local, professional ballplayer on set.  Darwin tried, but the actor playing Calvin does not seem to be very athletic.

I bought the DVD and I have a goal of some day getting the case signed by Darwin Barney.  That would be the ultimate oddball Barney item.

Flick Friday to Make a One-Time Return

In January, 2011 I started a feature I called "Flick Friday."  Each Friday during late January and throughout  February, I watched a baseball movie and then posted a review.  The idea was that watching a baseball movie would get my mind off of the cold winter weather.  By the time I wrapped up the feature, spring training was underway and I was able to see some real baseball.

I continued the feature through 2014.  Over those four years I wrote about Bull Durham, Rookie of the Year, Pride of the Yankees, The Natural, Bang the Drum Slowly, The Bad News Bears, A League of Their Own, Eight Men Out, Field of Dreams, Little Big League, Major League, Mr. Baseball, *61, Moneyball, Mr. 3000, The Rookie, Chasing 3000, Cobb,.42, Major League II, Trouble With the Curve, Fear Strikes Out, The Sandlot, and Diminished Capacity.

I stopped doing Flick Friday because I'd run out of decent baseball movies to review.  I asked for suggestion in 2018 and added four more, Fever Pitch Bingo Long, Long Gone, and It Happens Every Spring.

I recently discovered a baseball movie that came out in 2009 that I had never heard of. You most likely have never heard of it either.  It was an independent movie and had a very limited release.  I couldn't find any box office data.

Shame on me for not noticing because you'll never guess who had a role in the movie. And I really mean shame on me.

Come back tomorrow to find out about the movie and one of the actors.

2020 Heritage High Numbers Clubhouse Collection Cubs

 The Cubs were loaded with cards in the Heritage High Clubhouse Collection.  I've picked up all the Cubs in Clubhouse Collection since the start of Heritage, so of course I had to get the six included in the High Number set. The frustrating thing is that of the six, four players already had a CC in the regular Heritage set.  Is it really necessary for them to have another in the High set?

Topps did make an improvement, however.

The regular CC cards have a white background, which is very out of place for a set using the 1971 design.  The CC card in High use a much more appropriate black background.

 

These two players didn't have a CC card in regular Heritage.  There is also something odd with the Hoerner card - it is almost impossible to find.  Brentandbecca opened 30 cases and didn't pull a single one.  I've found just three listed on eBay, one of which I bought.  And luckily for me, the seller didn't list it very well so there wasn't much action with it.

 

 

These are the repeat customers.  Too bad Topps didn't make one for Kyle Hendricks or Alec Mills.  At least there is no Robel Garcia relic!

Heritage High 2020 Let's Play 2(528)

2020 Heritage High number has a 15-card insert set that is all Cubs.  Actually, it's all Ernie Banks.  They named the set "Let's Play 2(528)."  The name is a combination of Ernie's catch phrase and the fact that he played 2,528 games for the Cubs.

The 1971 season was Mr. Cub's final as an active player.  I suppose that makes it appropriate for the Heritage set that uses the 1971 design to have an Ernie insert set.

The design includes ivy around the border and the Cubs logo from the 60's and 70's which featured a thinner blue circle and red C.

The cards work their way chronologically through Ernie's career.  The first card starts with his MLB debut in 1953 and the last card talks about his being awarded the Medal of Freedom in 2013.

 

 

 

 

2020 Heritage High Number Inserts

 The Cubs picked up some cards in a few of the 2020 Heritage High insert sets, though it wasn't in overwhelming numbers.

Bryant is getting doused for hitting a walk-off home run against the Marlins on May 7, 2019  That's the Now.  The Then mentioned on the back of the card is a walk-off home run hit by Willie Mays on the same date in 1971.

Hoerner is the first Cub to get a Rookie Performer card since Kyle Schwarber in 2016.

Bryzzo gets a Combo card, but everything talked about on the back was from 2018 and earlier.  

Kris Bryant was in the Super set.

The checklist also lists a Bazooka set and a Tattoo set.  Both show one Cub each.  Neither has shown up on eBay.  In fact, I can't find a Bazooka or Tattoo for any of the players on the checklist, not just the Cubs.  I won't find them either.  These two inserts are retail only and Topps cancelled the High Heritage retail at the last minute.

There is one other very special insert set that is all Cubs cards.  I'll have that one tomorrow.