Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Topps 2011 Complete Series One Again

Update #1 For some reason, the original post didn't show up in Google Reader and its not showing up on many blog rolls. I'm hoping that by publishing it again, it will show up.

Update #2 That didn't work. I've removed the checklists that were at the bottom of the post; we'll see if that works.

Update #3 The most recent fix worked, and now I've gone and put the checklists back in

For the past few years I have always purchased a complete Topps factory set in July. I did so because Topps was putting out a Cubs version of the factory set. Last year, though there was no Cubs set, I still waited until July. But not this year.

I haven't heard if Topps will be releasing team-specific sets this year, but I think it is pretty safe to assume that there will not be a Cubs set. So there wasn't really a strong reason to wait. Plus, I think I can save some money buying a hand-collated set. I checked the prices to see what they were going for and then just laid low. Two weekends ago I sprung into action.

There were several auctions coming to an end on Sunday night, so I just put some bids into my sniper and waited. I got outbid on the first set, but the won the second one; in fact I was the only bidder. So for $17 shipped, I got series one. And now the cards are here at the Wrigley Wax World Headquarters.

I've already bought a few wax packs, so I know what the cards look like. But it's always nice to have a nice big stack of new cards to look through. And I really do like the big card numbers on the back.

One change I'll have to make is with my binder labels. For the past 20 years, my binder labels were based on the factory set box. But since I won't be getting a factory box, I had to come up with something else. I decided to use the wax wrapper as the template (that is what I used for my '69 - '89 sets). Here is what I came up with:



The label needed to be almost square, but a wrapper isn't. So I chopped some of the Robinson Cano down, moved the lettering to a horizontal position, and replaced the MLB logo with the Topps anniversary logo. I think it turned out quite well.

This week I will get the cards into the binder, and in July, repeat the process with series two.

And as a community service to you, the reader, here is the checklist for the 330 cards. Though I've found other checklists, I haven't seen one that includes the team for each player. This one does. If you notice any mistakes, let me know in the comments so I can fix the list. The first list is by card number, the second is sorted by teams.

#a

PLAYERTEAM
1

Ryan Braun Brewers
2

Jake Westbrook Cardinals
3

Jon Lester Red Sox
4

Jason Kubel Twins
5

Joey Votto Reds
6

Neftali Feliz Rangers
7

Mickey Mantle Yankees
8

Julio Borbon Rangers
9

Gil Meche Royals
10

Stephen Strasburg Nationals
11

NL Wins Leaders
12

Carlos Marmol Cubs
13

Billy Wagner Braves
14

Randy Wolf Brewers
15

David Wright Mets
16

Aramis Ramirez Cubs
17

Mark Ellis A's
18

Kevin Millwood Orioles
19

Derek Lowe Braves
20

Hanley Ramirez Marlins
21

Michael Cuddyer Twins
22

Barry Zito Giants
23

Jaime Garcia Cardinals
24

Neil Walker Pirates
25

Carl Crawford Rays
26

Netfali Feliz ROYRangers
27

Ben Zobrist Rays
28

Carlos Carrasco Indians
29

Josh Hamilton MVPRangers
30

Gio Gonzalez A's
31

Erick Aybar Angels
32

Chris Johnson Astros
33

Max Scherzer Tigers
34

Rick Ankiel Braves
35

Shin-Soo Choo Indians
36

Ted Lilly Dodgers
37

Vincente Padilla Dodgers
38

Ryan Dempster Cubs
39

Ian Kennedy Diamondbacks
40

Justin Upton Diamondbacks
41

Freddy Garcia White Sox
42

Mariano Rivera Yankees
43

Felipe Lopez Cardinals
44

Martin Prado Braves
45

Hunter Pence Astros
46

Hong-Chih Kuo Dodgers
47

Kevin Correia Padres
48

Andrew Cashner Cubs
49

Angels Team CardAngels
50

Alex Rodriguez Yankees
51

David Eckstein Padres
52

Rays Team CardRays
53

Diamondbacks Team CardDiamondbacks
54

Brian Fuentes Twins
55

Matt Joyce Rays
56

Johan Santana Mets
57

Mark Trumbo Angels
58

Edgar Renteria Giants
59

Gaby Sanchez Marlins
60

Andrew McCutchen Pirates
61

David Price Rays
62

Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox
63

Edinson Volquez Reds
64

Yorvit Torrealba Padres
65

Chris Sale White Sox
66

R.A. Dickey Mets
67

Vladimir Guererro Rangers
68

Indians Team CardIndians
69

Brett Gardner Yankees
70

Kyle Drabek Blue Jays
71

Trevor Hoffman
Checklist 1-66
72

Jair Jurrjens Braves
73

James McDonald Pirates
74

Tyler Clippard Nationals
75

Jered Weaver Angels
76

Tom Gorzelanny Cubs
77

Tim Hudson Braves
78

Mike Stanton Marlins
79

Kurt Suzuki A's
80

Desmond Jennings Rays
81

Omar Infante Braves
82

NL ERA Leaders
83

Greg Halman Mariners
84

Roger Bernadina Nationals
85

Jack Wilson Mariners
86

Carlos Silva Cubs
87

Daniel Descalso Cardinals
88

Brian Bogusevic Astros
89

Placido Polanco Phillies
90

Yadier Molina Cardinals
91

Lucas May Royals
92

Chris Narveson Brewers
93

Paul Konerko White Sox
94

Ryan Raburn Tigers
95

Pedro Alvarez Pirates
96

Zach Duke Pirates
97

Carlos Gomez Brewers
98

Bronson Arroyo Reds
99

Ben Revere Twins
100

Albert Pujols Cardinals
101

Gregor Blanco Royals
102

CC Sabathia Yankees
103

Cliff Lee Rangers
104

Ian Stewart Rockies
105

Jonathan Lucroy Brewers
106

Felix Pie Orioles
107

Aubrey Huff Giants
108

Zack Greinke Royals
109

AL Batting Leaders
110

Aroldis Chapman Reds
111

Kevin Gregg Blue Jays
112

Jorge Cantu Rangers
113

Arthur Rhodes Reds
114

Russell Martin Dodgers
115

Jason Varitek Red Sox
116

Russell Branyan Mariners
117

Brett Sinkbeil Marlins
118

Howie Kendrick Angels
119

Jason Bay Mets
120

Mat Latos Padres
121

Brandon Inge Tigers
122

Bobby Jenks White Sox
123

Mike Lowell Red Sox
124

AL Wins Leaders
125

Evan Meek Pirates
126

Padres Team CardPadres
127

Chris Volstad Marlins
128

Manny Ramirez White Sox
129

Lucas Duda Mets
130

Robinson Cano Yankees
131

Kevin Kouzmanoff A's
132

Brian Duensing Twins
133

Miguel Tejada Padres
134

NL Batting Leaders
135

Mike Stanton Marlins
136

Jason Marquis Nationals
137

Xavier Nady Cubs
138

NL RBI Leaders
139

Eric Young Rockies
140

Brett Anderson A's
141

Ubaldo Jimenez
Checklist 67-132
142

Johnny Cueto Reds
143

Jeremy Jeffress Brewers
144

Lance Berkman Yankees
145

Freddie Freeman Braves
146

Roy Halladay CYPhillies
147

Jon Niese Mets
148

Ricky Romero Blue Jays
149

David Aardsma Mariners
150

Miguel Cabrera Tigers
151

Fausto Carmona Indians
152

Orioles Team CardOrioles
153

A.J. Pierzynski White Sox
154

Marlon Byrd Cubs
155

Alex Rodriguez
Checklist 133-198
156

Josh Thole Mets
157

Mets Team CardMets
158

Casey Blake Dodgers
159

Chris Perez Indians
160

Josh Tomlin Indians
161

White Sox Team CardWhite Sox
162

Ronny Cedeno Pirates
163

Carlos Pena Rays
164

Koji Uehara Orioles
165

Jeremy Hellickson Rays
166

Josh Johnson Marlins
167

Clay Hensley Marlins
168

Felix Hernandez CYMariners
169

Chipper Jones Braves
170

David DeJesus Royals
171

Garrett Jones Pirates
172

Lyle Overbay Blue Jays
173

Jose Lopez Mariners
174

Roy Oswalt Phillies
175

Brennan Boesch Tigers
176

Daniel Hudson Diamondbacks
177

Brian Matusz Orioles
178

Heath Bell Padres
179

Armando Galarraga Tigers
180

Paul Maholm Pirates
181

Magglio Ordonez Tigers
182

Jeremy Bonderman Tigers
183

Stephen Strasburg Nationals
184

Brandon Morrow Blue Jays
185

Peter Bourjos Nationals
186

Carl Pavano Twins
187

Brewers Team CardBrewers
188

Pablo Sandoval Giants
189

Kerry Wood Yankees
190

Coco Crisp A's
191

Jay Bruce Reds
192

Reds Team CardReds
193

Cory Luebke Padres
194

Andres Torres Giants
195

Nick Markakis Orioles
196

Jose Ceda Marlins
197

Aaron Hill Blue Jays
198

Buster Posey Giants
199

Jimmy Rollins Phillies
200

Ichiro Suzuki Mariners
201

Mike Napoli Angels
202

AL Home Runs Leaders
203

Dillon Gee Mets
204

Athletics Team CardA's
205

Ty Wigginton Orioles
206

Chase Headley Padres
207

Angel Pagan Mets
208

Clay Buchholz Red Sox
209

Carlos Santana Indians
210

Brian Wilson Giants
211

Joey Votto MVPReds
212

Pedro Feliz Cardinals
213

Brandon Snyder Orioles
214

Chase Utley Phillies
215

Edwin Encarnacion Blue Jays
216

Jose Bautista Blue Jays
217

Yunel Escobar Blue Jays
218

Victor Martinez Red Sox
219

Carlos Ruiz Phillies
220

Todd Helton Rockies
221

Scott Hairston Padres
222

Matt Lindstrom Astros
223

Gregory Infante White Sox
224

Milton Bradley Mariners
225

Josh Willingham Nationals
226

Jose Guillen Giants
227

Nate McLouth Braves
228

Scott Rolen Reds
229

Jonathan Sanchez Giants
230

Aaron Cook Rockies
231

Mark Buerhle White Sox
232

Jamie Moyer Phillies
233

Ramon Hernandez Reds
234

Miguel Montero Diamondbacks
235

AL ERA Leaders
236

Nelson Cruz Rangers
237

Jason Vargas Mariners
238

Pedro Ciriaco Pirates
239

Jhoulys Chacin Rockies
240

Andre Ethier Dodgers
241

Wandy Rodriguez Astros
242

Brad Lidge Phillies
243

Omar Vizquel White Sox
244

Mike Aviles Royals
245

Neil Walker Pirates
246

John Lannan Nationals
247

Starlin Castro Cubs
248

Wade LeBlanc Padres
249

Aaron Harang Reds
250

Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
251

Alcides Escobar Brewers
252

Michael Saunders Mariners
253

Jim Thome Twins
254

Lars Anderson Red Sox
255

Torii Hunter Angels
256

Tyler Colvin Cubs
257

Travis Hafner Indians
258

Rafael Soriano Rays
259

Kyle Davies Royals
260

Freddy Sanchez Giants
261

Alexei Ramirez White Sox
262

Alex Gordon Royals
263

Joel Pineiro Angels
264

Ryan Perry Tigers
265

John Danks White Sox
266

Rickie Weeks Brewers
267

Jose Contreras Phillies
268

Jake McGee Rays
269

Stephen Drew Diamondbacks
270

Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
271

Adam Dunn Nationals
272

J.J. Hardy Twins
273

Derrek Lee Braves
274

Michael Brantley Indians
275

Clayton Kershaw Dodgers
276

Miguel Olivo Rockies
277

Trevor Hoffman Brewers
278

Marco Scutaro Red Sox
279

Nick Swisher Yankees
280

Andrew Bailey A's
281

Kevin Slowey Twins
282

Buster Posey ROYGiants
283

Rockies Team CardRockies
284

Reid Brignac Rays
285

Hank Conger Angels
286

Melvin Mora Rockies
287

Scott Cousins Marlins
288

Matt Capps Twins
289

Yuniesky Betancourt Royals
290

Ike Davis Mets
291

Juan Gutierrez Diamondbacks
292

Darren Ford Giants
293

Justin Morneau Twins
294

Luke Scott Orioles
295

Jon Jay Cardinals
296

John Buck Blue Jays
297

Jason Jaramillo Pirates
298

Jeff Keppinger Astros
299

Chris Carpenter Cardinals
300

Roy Halladay Phillies
301

Seth Smith Rockies
302

Adrian Beltre Red Sox
303

Emilio Bonifacio Marlins
304

Jim Thome
Checklist 199-264
305

James Loney Dodgers
306

AL RBI Leaders
307

Alex Rios White Sox
308

Ian Desmond Nationals
309

Cubs Team CardCubs
310

Alex Gonzalez Braves
311

James Shields Rays
312

Gaby Sanchez Marlins
313

Chris Coghlan Marlins
314

Ryan Kalish Red Sox
315

David Ortiz Red Sox
316

Chris Young Diamondbacks
317

Yonder Alonso Reds
318

NL Home Run Leaders
319

Braves Team CardBraves
320

Michael Young Rangers
321

Jeremy Guthrie Orioles
322

Brent Morel White Sox
323

C.J. Wilson Rangers
324

Red Sox Team CardRed Sox
325

Jayson Werth Phillies
326

Ozzie Martinez Rangers
327

Christian Guzman Marlins
328

David Price
Checklist 265-330
329

Brett Wallace Astros
330

Derek Jeter Yankees

And for the team collectors, here is the checklist, sorted by teams.

#a

PLAYERTEAM
31

Erick Aybar Angels
49

Angels Team CardAngels
57

Mark Trumbo Angels
75

Jered Weaver Angels
118

Howie Kendrick Angels
201

Mike Napoli Angels
255

Torii Hunter Angels
263

Joel Pineiro Angels
285

Hank Conger Angels
17

Mark Ellis A's
30

Gio Gonzalez A's
79

Kurt Suzuki A's
131

Kevin Kouzmanoff A's
140

Brett Anderson A's
190

Coco Crisp A's
204

Athletics Team CardA's
280

Andrew Bailey A's
32

Chris Johnson Astros
45

Hunter Pence Astros
88

Brian Bogusevic Astros
222

Matt Lindstrom Astros
241

Wandy Rodriguez Astros
298

Jeff Keppinger Astros
329

Brett Wallace Astros
70

Kyle Drabek Blue Jays
111

Kevin Gregg Blue Jays
148

Ricky Romero Blue Jays
172

Lyle Overbay Blue Jays
184

Brandon Morrow Blue Jays
197

Aaron Hill Blue Jays
215

Edwin Encarnacion Blue Jays
216

Jose Bautista Blue Jays
217

Yunel Escobar Blue Jays
296

John Buck Blue Jays
13

Billy Wagner Braves
19

Derek Lowe Braves
34

Rick Ankiel Braves
44

Martin Prado Braves
72

Jair Jurrjens Braves
77

Tim Hudson Braves
81

Omar Infante Braves
145

Freddie Freeman Braves
169

Chipper Jones Braves
227

Nate McLouth Braves
273

Derrek Lee Braves
310

Alex Gonzalez Braves
319

Braves Team CardBraves
1

Ryan Braun Brewers
14

Randy Wolf Brewers
92

Chris Narveson Brewers
97

Carlos Gomez Brewers
105

Jonathan Lucroy Brewers
143

Jeremy Jeffress Brewers
187

Brewers Team CardBrewers
251

Alcides Escobar Brewers
266

Rickie Weeks Brewers
277

Trevor Hoffman Brewers
2

Jake Westbrook Cardinals
23

Jaime Garcia Cardinals
43

Felipe Lopez Cardinals
87

Daniel Descalso Cardinals
90

Yadier Molina Cardinals
100

Albert Pujols Cardinals
212

Pedro Feliz Cardinals
295

Jon Jay Cardinals
299

Chris Carpenter Cardinals
12

Carlos Marmol Cubs
16

Aramis Ramirez Cubs
38

Ryan Dempster Cubs
48

Andrew Cashner Cubs
76

Tom Gorzelanny Cubs
86

Carlos Silva Cubs
137

Xavier Nady Cubs
154

Marlon Byrd Cubs
247

Starlin Castro Cubs
256

Tyler Colvin Cubs
309

Cubs Team CardCubs
39

Ian Kennedy Diamondbacks
40

Justin Upton Diamondbacks
53

Diamondbacks Team CardDiamondbacks
176

Daniel Hudson Diamondbacks
234

Miguel Montero Diamondbacks
269

Stephen Drew Diamondbacks
291

Juan Gutierrez Diamondbacks
316

Chris Young Diamondbacks
36

Ted Lilly Dodgers
37

Vincente Padilla Dodgers
46

Hong-Chih Kuo Dodgers
114

Russell Martin Dodgers
158

Casey Blake Dodgers
240

Andre Ethier Dodgers
275

Clayton Kershaw Dodgers
305

James Loney Dodgers
22

Barry Zito Giants
58

Edgar Renteria Giants
107

Aubrey Huff Giants
188

Pablo Sandoval Giants
194

Andres Torres Giants
198

Buster Posey Giants
210

Brian Wilson Giants
226

Jose Guillen Giants
229

Jonathan Sanchez Giants
260

Freddy Sanchez Giants
282

Buster Posey ROYGiants
292

Darren Ford Giants
28

Carlos Carrasco Indians
35

Shin-Soo Choo Indians
68

Indians Team CardIndians
151

Fausto Carmona Indians
159

Chris Perez Indians
160

Josh Tomlin Indians
209

Carlos Santana Indians
257

Travis Hafner Indians
274

Michael Brantley Indians
83

Greg Halman Mariners
85

Jack Wilson Mariners
116

Russell Branyan Mariners
149

David Aardsma Mariners
168

Felix Hernandez CYMariners
173

Jose Lopez Mariners
200

Ichiro Suzuki Mariners
224

Milton Bradley Mariners
237

Jason Vargas Mariners
252

Michael Saunders Mariners
20

Hanley Ramirez Marlins
59

Gaby Sanchez Marlins
78

Mike Stanton Marlins
117

Brett Sinkbeil Marlins
127

Chris Volstad Marlins
135

Mike Stanton Marlins
166

Josh Johnson Marlins
167

Clay Hensley Marlins
196

Jose Ceda Marlins
287

Scott Cousins Marlins
303

Emilio Bonifacio Marlins
312

Gaby Sanchez Marlins
313

Chris Coghlan Marlins
327

Christian Guzman Marlins
15

David Wright Mets
56

Johan Santana Mets
66

R.A. Dickey Mets
119

Jason Bay Mets
129

Lucas Duda Mets
147

Jon Niese Mets
156

Josh Thole Mets
157

Mets Team CardMets
203

Dillon Gee Mets
207

Angel Pagan Mets
290

Ike Davis Mets
10

Stephen Strasburg Nationals
74

Tyler Clippard Nationals
84

Roger Bernadina Nationals
136

Jason Marquis Nationals
183

Stephen Strasburg Nationals
185

Peter Bourjos Nationals
225

Josh Willingham Nationals
246

John Lannan Nationals
271

Adam Dunn Nationals
308

Ian Desmond Nationals
18

Kevin Millwood Orioles
106

Felix Pie Orioles
152

Orioles Team CardOrioles
164

Koji Uehara Orioles
177

Brian Matusz Orioles
195

Nick Markakis Orioles
205

Ty Wigginton Orioles
213

Brandon Snyder Orioles
294

Luke Scott Orioles
321

Jeremy Guthrie Orioles
47

Kevin Correia Padres
51

David Eckstein Padres
64

Yorvit Torrealba Padres
120

Mat Latos Padres
126

Padres Team CardPadres
133

Miguel Tejada Padres
178

Heath Bell Padres
193

Cory Luebke Padres
206

Chase Headley Padres
221

Scott Hairston Padres
248

Wade LeBlanc Padres
89

Placido Polanco Phillies
146

Roy Halladay CYPhillies
174

Roy Oswalt Phillies
199

Jimmy Rollins Phillies
214

Chase Utley Phillies
219

Carlos Ruiz Phillies
232

Jamie Moyer Phillies
242

Brad Lidge Phillies
267

Jose Contreras Phillies
300

Roy Halladay Phillies
325

Jayson Werth Phillies
24

Neil Walker Pirates
60

Andrew McCutchen Pirates
73

James McDonald Pirates
95

Pedro Alvarez Pirates
96

Zach Duke Pirates
125

Evan Meek Pirates
162

Ronny Cedeno Pirates
171

Garrett Jones Pirates
180

Paul Maholm Pirates
238

Pedro Ciriaco Pirates
245

Neil Walker Pirates
297

Jason Jaramillo Pirates
6

Neftali Feliz Rangers
8

Julio Borbon Rangers
26

Netfali Feliz ROYRangers
29

Josh Hamilton MVPRangers
67

Vladimir Guererro Rangers
103

Cliff Lee Rangers
112

Jorge Cantu Rangers
236

Nelson Cruz Rangers
320

Michael Young Rangers
323

C.J. Wilson Rangers
326

Ozzie Martinez Rangers
25

Carl Crawford Rays
27

Ben Zobrist Rays
52

Rays Team CardRays
55

Matt Joyce Rays
61

David Price Rays
80

Desmond Jennings Rays
163

Carlos Pena Rays
165

Jeremy Hellickson Rays
258

Rafael Soriano Rays
268

Jake McGee Rays
284

Reid Brignac Rays
311

James Shields Rays
3

Jon Lester Red Sox
62

Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox
115

Jason Varitek Red Sox
123

Mike Lowell Red Sox
208

Clay Buchholz Red Sox
218

Victor Martinez Red Sox
254

Lars Anderson Red Sox
278

Marco Scutaro Red Sox
302

Adrian Beltre Red Sox
314

Ryan Kalish Red Sox
315

David Ortiz Red Sox
324

Red Sox Team CardRed Sox
5

Joey Votto Reds
63

Edinson Volquez Reds
98

Bronson Arroyo Reds
110

Aroldis Chapman Reds
113

Arthur Rhodes Reds
142

Johnny Cueto Reds
191

Jay Bruce Reds
192

Reds Team CardReds
211

Joey Votto MVPReds
228

Scott Rolen Reds
233

Ramon Hernandez Reds
249

Aaron Harang Reds
317

Yonder Alonso Reds
104

Ian Stewart Rockies
139

Eric Young Rockies
220

Todd Helton Rockies
230

Aaron Cook Rockies
239

Jhoulys Chacin Rockies
250

Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
270

Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
276

Miguel Olivo Rockies
283

Rockies Team CardRockies
286

Melvin Mora Rockies
301

Seth Smith Rockies
9

Gil Meche Royals
91

Lucas May Royals
101

Gregor Blanco Royals
108

Zack Greinke Royals
170

David DeJesus Royals
244

Mike Aviles Royals
259

Kyle Davies Royals
262

Alex Gordon Royals
289

Yuniesky Betancourt Royals
33

Max Scherzer Tigers
94

Ryan Raburn Tigers
121

Brandon Inge Tigers
150

Miguel Cabrera Tigers
175

Brennan Boesch Tigers
179

Armando Galarraga Tigers
181

Magglio Ordonez Tigers
182

Jeremy Bonderman Tigers
264

Ryan Perry Tigers
4

Jason Kubel Twins
21

Michael Cuddyer Twins
54

Brian Fuentes Twins
99

Ben Revere Twins
132

Brian Duensing Twins
186

Carl Pavano Twins
253

Jim Thome Twins
272

J.J. Hardy Twins
281

Kevin Slowey Twins
288

Matt Capps Twins
293

Justin Morneau Twins
41

Freddy Garcia White Sox
65

Chris Sale White Sox
93

Paul Konerko White Sox
122

Bobby Jenks White Sox
128

Manny Ramirez White Sox
153

A.J. Pierzynski White Sox
161

White Sox Team CardWhite Sox
223

Gregory Infante White Sox
231

Mark Buerhle White Sox
243

Omar Vizquel White Sox
261

Alexei Ramirez White Sox
265

John Danks White Sox
307

Alex Rios White Sox
322

Brent Morel White Sox
7

Mickey Mantle Yankees
42

Mariano Rivera Yankees
50

Alex Rodriguez Yankees
69

Brett Gardner Yankees
102

CC Sabathia Yankees
130

Robinson Cano Yankees
144

Lance Berkman Yankees
189

Kerry Wood Yankees
279

Nick Swisher Yankees
330

Derek Jeter Yankees




Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Heritage Clubhouse Collection

Another staple insert of Topps Heritage has been the Clubhouse Collection relic cards. The first three years saw only 12 Clubhouse Collection cards per season. Since then, the number of cards has exploded, to as many as 66 in 2007 and 74 in 2008. Last year there were 54 cards.

The Cubs have been fairly well represents with these cards. Though skipped the first year, the next two seasons each saw two Cubs out of the 12 cards. The low point would be 2007, when no Cubs were featured among the 66 Clubhouse Collection cards.

All told, there are 21 Cubs Clubhouse Collection cards. I've got all but one. The MIA card is Ernie Banks' from 2009. I've yet to see one pop up on Ebay and I'm not going to pay the inflated price at Beckett. So while I wait for that one, you can take a peak at the other 20.





2002: Corey Patterson (when he was a hot prospect) and Hank Sauer





2003: Ernie Banks and Kerry Wood





2004: Sammy Sosa and Kerry Wood



2005: Ernie Banks



2006: Derrek Lee

2007: NONE









2008: Derrek Lee (2) and Aramis Ramirez (2)









2009: Aramis Ramirez (2), Alfonso Soriano, and Geovany Soto









2010: Ryan Dempster, Carlos Marmol, Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Zambrano



Monday, February 28, 2011

The Lesser Known 1972 Cubs Variation

The Topps 1972 set is well known as the most flamboyant of all Topps set. As a kid, I really didn't like it all that much. To me, it didn't look like what baseball cards were supposed to look like. The cards looks more like the Jackson 5 or Osmond Brothers cartoon shows on Saturday morning (check them out on Youtube and see what I mean). I was used to the gray of 1970 and the black of 1971. What was all of this color in 1972?

But over time, I've come to really dig (how's that for '72 lingo!!) the '72 design and putting my 1972 set together was probably the most fun I had as a collector.

The funky colors played a unique part on four Cubs cards from the first series of the set.

The standard design for the Cubs cards looked like this.



The color of the word "CUBS" was yellow with a little green along the sides of each letter. But there were four cards in the first series that added some green to the bottom of the C and S. This error was corrected, so cards are available in both versions. The Standard Catalog has both versions listed in its 1972 checklist. Here are the four cards side by side.









The error is pretty well know among collectors. Thorzul made mention of it recently, and even had a couple more of the cards a few days later.

But there is another card is the set that had a similar problem with the green, and it's not as well know. The card with the variation is #534, Jim Hickman.



This is what the card was supposed to look like....



....and this is the variation card. Notice that there is no green at all on the variation card. None in the lettering of CUBS and none in the center of the stars either. And oddly, this variation is not listed in the Standard Catalog.

Curious about the catalog omission, I sent an email to the editor, Bob Lemke (and if you don't read his blog, you should!). He was kind enough to answer right away.

Here is his response: The Hickman card has been brought to my attention in the past, but it is not a variation in the sense as the Pizzaro, Beckert, etc.. That is, the lack of dark green shading in the letters on some Hickman cards is the result of less blue ink than is typically seen. On the "real" Cubs variations, the errant green ink appears at the very bottom of the letters C and S, and is a true dark green. Most collectors feel this under-inked version of the Hickman card is merely a printing defect, rather than a design variation.

Because its a printing error and not a design error, it's not in the catalog. What I don't understand, though, is that if there was less blue ink, why does the blue on the photo appear to be just fine? And if there was less blue ink on the Hickman card, wouldn't there be others on the sheet with the same lack of green. Are there other cards like the Hickman?

I'm not a printer, so I really don't know how all of this works. If anyone out there can explain it to me, fire away!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

I'm Starting to Cave

Before Topps 2011 came out, I made the decision to focus only on the base cards and not bother with the other inserts. Last year I was overwhelmed by the number of inserts. so this year I wanted to focus on the base set cards.

But now that the cards have been out for a while, well, as you can see by the title of the post, I'm starting to cave. It's a good thing I'm not a smoker or a drinker, because apparently I don't have much will power!

So far I've got two Cubs inserts.



This one I've got a good excuse for. The 2011 packs have finally arrived at my Walmart and I picked up a few. This Diamond Duo card was in one of the packs. But really Topps, matching up a future Hall of Famer with a guy who has four career wins, really? The supposed connection is that Hellickson watched a lot of Cubs games on TV while he was growing up, especially when Maddux was pitching. What makes that lame is that Hellickson was born in 1987, so he wouldn't have really seen Maddux during his first stint with the Cubs (1986 - 1992). If he saw Maddux with the Cubs, it would have been from 2004 - 2006, not exactly vintage Maddux.



I picked up this Kimballs Champions insert after I saw another of these in the packs I bought (I got Hanley Ramirez). Since Castro was the only Cub in the set, I figured it would be no big deal to get just one card. One won't hurt anything, will it?? Again, you can see my lack of will power!

So the big question now is, can I lay off of the Topps 60 cards? There aren't any Cubs among the regular cards, but there are four autograph cards and eight jersey cards.

Can I lay off....don't bet on it!!

My name is Wrigley Wax and I'm a card-aholic....
....Hi Wrigley Wax!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

T206 Cubs: Two More

Here is a look at two more Cubs from the T206 set.



Carl Lundgren pitched for the Cubs from 1902-1909. He had an unusual nickname, The Human Icicle, because he was especially good in cold weather. His best season was 1907, when he was 18-7. But after that, he fell to 6-9 the next season, and pitched in only two games in 1909. He later coached at two Big Ten schools, Michigan and Illinois.






Pat Moran was with the Cubs from 1906 - 1909, mostly as a backup catcher. He would go on to manage the Phillies and Reds for 9 seasons. His best was in Cincinnati in 1919, when his Reds beat the White Sox in the World Series. That may need an asterisk, since that was the Black Sox series.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Flick Friday: The Bad News Bears



Today I've got another baseball classic, the original (I didn't see the remake and I don't want to!) The Bad News Bears from 1976. I loved this movie when I saw it as a kid at the Coral Theater on 95th Street in 1976, and I still love it today. It's a wonderful underdog story; yet even though the underdogs don't win the game, they do become winners.

The movie is full of great quotes including....

Tanner: All we got on this team are a buncha Jews, spics, niggers, pansies, and a booger-eatin' moron!

Buttermaker: Listen, Lupus, you didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya? Now get your ass out there and do the best you can.

Buttermaker: No! Don't jump in Engleberg, you'll flood the valley.




And my favorite:
Tanner: Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove it straight up your ass!

CUBS CONNECTION



There wasn't much here, although the title team shares their name with the Cubs' former fall tenants.





Ogilvie's baseball patch jacket includes a Cubs patch. I remember seeing patches like this as a kid and wondering why they made the Cubs C look like the Reds' C. It wasn't until years later that I saw the Cubs used to wear a wishbone C. They last wore it in 1956, but the patch people didn't seem to care. (And how about that cool Barrel Man Brewers logo)



One of the teams in the seven team North Valley League was the Cubs. But they and the Indians never got any screen time; the Yankees, Athletics, Mets, White Sox, and Bears did. And no wisecracks about how the Cubs were near the bottom of that league, too!

And finally, a few cards of the Bears.







It was great fun to watch this again; you should too!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Problem Solved!

Last year Topps put out fake plastic bat barrel cards and after some debate, I decided to get the Cubs, all five of them.



But when they came, I got to see just how thick the cards were. That led to a storage problem. I like to keep all of my cards in nine pocket sheets but they were too fat to fit. So I ended up keeping them in those clear hinged boxes. They were well protected, but I didn't know where to keep the boxes. They ended up stacked on my desk, but that wouldn't be a permanent solution. I was still looking for something else.

As you may know, I've been adding 1952 Cubs to my collection. The '52 - '56 cards are larger than today's, and they are kept in 8 pocket sheets. Well, a few days ago I was looking at all of my new '52s. New cards in 8 pocket sheets, pockets that are a bit larger than the ones for today's cards. Larger pockets that hold larger cards.

Duh!! Larger pockets that hold larger cards might be large enough to hold the bat cards!



A couple minutes later, my problem was solved! The cards are a bit loose (that's why I didn't use the top row), but unless you swing the album around like a mad man, the cards are not going anywhere. Another bonus, the horizontal design of the bat cards looks perfect in the horizontal pockets. So now all is well in the Wrigley Wax Storage World. All of my Cubs cards from 2010 are now safely in the same album.

Now I'm even thinking about going after the glove cards from this year. There's only one Cubs player....OK...I talked myself into it. Up next on the shopping list is the Starlin Castro glove!