The best part? The card set me back a whole dollar and four pennies. With that, I can cross Welington Castillo off of both my autograph and relic checklist.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Double Beef
Thanks to Panini, I was able to get a double helping of some Beef Welington.
This is from Panini's 2012 National Treasures Signature Materials insert set. I got both a jersey piece and an autograph in one convenient but logoless card. Topps hasn't put out any certified autos of the Cubs catcher, so I settled for Panini's version.
The best part? The card set me back a whole dollar and four pennies. With that, I can cross Welington Castillo off of both my autograph and relic checklist.
The best part? The card set me back a whole dollar and four pennies. With that, I can cross Welington Castillo off of both my autograph and relic checklist.
Friday, May 9, 2014
All the Billy Autos
Unless I see a really nice looking one, I think I'm done with my Billy autograph collection for a while. I'm up to 22 different signatures.
After typing that last line, I had a different thought. Maybe I should add four more. That would give 26 autographs of #26.
The last time I had a Billy auto tile, Once a Cub Matt commented that all but one of the cards had a unique photograph. All of my more recent additions also feature different photographs, so that makes 21 pictures on 22 cards. In the era of overused photographs, I'm amazed that I could pull that off. If I do add four more, I'll make sure that they too have unique photos on the cards.
Enjoy 22 signed Billys.
After typing that last line, I had a different thought. Maybe I should add four more. That would give 26 autographs of #26.
The last time I had a Billy auto tile, Once a Cub Matt commented that all but one of the cards had a unique photograph. All of my more recent additions also feature different photographs, so that makes 21 pictures on 22 cards. In the era of overused photographs, I'm amazed that I could pull that off. If I do add four more, I'll make sure that they too have unique photos on the cards.
Enjoy 22 signed Billys.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
2014 Cubs Scorecard
My scorecard collection has grown by one as I have added a card from this season.
The card is from the Cincinnati series April 18-20. You can see that the Cubs were celebrating the 1910's during this home stand and the players on the card are from the late -teens.
My guess is that the cover is going to change every home stand as the Cubs celebrate another decade. That's going to make a lot of different covers, far more than when it was just one per season. I'm half tempted to get one of each, since this is a special season.
Tempted, but not really....too much money. I may just go with a virtual collection of these and snag some pictures off of Ebay.
As it is, with this card my collection now has 62 cards...1949, 1953-1954, and 1956 - present.
Behold!!
My guess is that the cover is going to change every home stand as the Cubs celebrate another decade. That's going to make a lot of different covers, far more than when it was just one per season. I'm half tempted to get one of each, since this is a special season.
Tempted, but not really....too much money. I may just go with a virtual collection of these and snag some pictures off of Ebay.
As it is, with this card my collection now has 62 cards...1949, 1953-1954, and 1956 - present.
Behold!!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Done In By My Own Rules: Henry Rodriguez II
Thanks to my own rules, I've picked up a ridiculous autograph card.
My collection rule: one card for any player that's had a certified autograph from a year they played for the Cubs and the card lists them as a Cub.
It's been a good rule until Panini came along. Here's the silly card I picked up:
Its from 2013 Panini Prizm and its an autograph of Henry Rodriguez.
No, not this...
...Henry Rodriguez. This guy I've heard of. This guy was good
I didn't know the card existed until it was pointed out to me by Matt from Once A Cub.
Heck, I didn't even remember that Henry Rodriguez II pitched for the Cubs last season. He barely did, pitching four innings over five games in June and July.
But even four innings qualifies for my autograph rule.
I didn't have to break the bank for the card...my best offer of three bucks was accepted.
One last thought.
Why was there an autographed card of Henry Rodriguez made in the first place? What was Panini thinking? How many collectors have been clamoring for an autograph of a guy with career record of 5-7 with an ERA of 4.24?
That's a pretty low bar that Panini has set for certified autos.
My collection rule: one card for any player that's had a certified autograph from a year they played for the Cubs and the card lists them as a Cub.
It's been a good rule until Panini came along. Here's the silly card I picked up:
No, not this...
...Henry Rodriguez. This guy I've heard of. This guy was good
I didn't know the card existed until it was pointed out to me by Matt from Once A Cub.
Heck, I didn't even remember that Henry Rodriguez II pitched for the Cubs last season. He barely did, pitching four innings over five games in June and July.
But even four innings qualifies for my autograph rule.
I didn't have to break the bank for the card...my best offer of three bucks was accepted.
One last thought.
Why was there an autographed card of Henry Rodriguez made in the first place? What was Panini thinking? How many collectors have been clamoring for an autograph of a guy with career record of 5-7 with an ERA of 4.24?
That's a pretty low bar that Panini has set for certified autos.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
2014 Darwin Barney OYO Toysports Figure
Since I already have the 2012 and 2013 versions of Darwin Barney's OYO figure, when I saw that a 2014 model was available, I picked one up.
I shouldn't have.
Here's the 2012 version, with Barney in a home uniform.
Last year they shifted him into a blue alternate uniform.
This year I figured they'd use the gray road uniform, the only uniform that hadn't been used.
Nope, it was back to the blue alternate. They did make one difference, though.
Last year's version is on the left. Look just below his neck, and you see a white shirt under the jersey. This year's figure is on the right and that little white part is now blue. They also added a white Cubs hat because the Cubs now have a white alternate hat.....NO THEY DON'T!... I have no idea why a white hat was included.
Kinda strange looking, isn't it. I wonder if they made white hats for all the teams?
Finally, here is my Barney mini-army.
My guess is that this will be it for the Barney OYO collection. Repeating the same figure, making up things that don't exist...who does OYO think that they are, Topps?
I shouldn't have.
Here's the 2012 version, with Barney in a home uniform.
Last year they shifted him into a blue alternate uniform.
This year I figured they'd use the gray road uniform, the only uniform that hadn't been used.
Nope, it was back to the blue alternate. They did make one difference, though.
Kinda strange looking, isn't it. I wonder if they made white hats for all the teams?
Finally, here is my Barney mini-army.
My guess is that this will be it for the Barney OYO collection. Repeating the same figure, making up things that don't exist...who does OYO think that they are, Topps?
Monday, May 5, 2014
Topps Complete Set Prices 1969 - 2013
Here is my monthly look at Topps complete set prices for all the years in which I own a set, 1969 - 2013. The prices are from Ebay sold listings taken on May 1. The prices do not include shipping.
- Two really high-end 1969 sets were sold, both going for more than $2000. That really bumped up the average for that set.
- Not too much action on the other years
- At least one set from 1986 - 1989 went for only 99 cents.
- One set of each year will cost you $6,655,69, and increase of about $300 over last month.
YEAR
|
May 1
|
April 9
|
March 1
|
12 Mo. Avg.
|
1969
|
$1,449.60
|
$1,233.71
|
$921.00
|
$1,004.79
|
1970
|
$776.00
|
$884.80
|
$933.18
|
$928.81
|
1971
|
$1,023.20
|
$1,010.00
|
$883.79
|
$773.60
|
1972
|
$1,279.60
|
$856.20
|
$916.93
|
$911.81
|
1973
|
$338.31
|
$319.79
|
$457.71
|
$384.42
|
1974
|
$216.20
|
$196.76
|
$243.62
|
$218.06
|
1975
|
$263.50
|
$523.99
|
$345.50
|
$294.63
|
1976
|
$180.20
|
$157.67
|
$164.99
|
$162.66
|
1977
|
$135.60
|
$150.42
|
$192.50
|
$150.10
|
1978
|
$100.92
|
$96.60
|
$113.51
|
$96.37
|
1979
|
$100.70
|
$133.30
|
$100.28
|
$86.71
|
1980
|
$70.40
|
$71.79
|
$99.67
|
$67.27
|
1981
|
$21.91
|
$28.51
|
$27.03
|
$27.28
|
1982
|
$33.00
|
$29.19
|
$44.01
|
$40.70
|
1983
|
$29.63
|
$29.59
|
$27.15
|
$34.58
|
1984
|
$14.40
|
$17.89
|
$22.00
|
$18.76
|
1985
|
$19.99
|
$16.24
|
$20.29
|
$23.65
|
1986
|
$9.49
|
$15.28
|
$11.94
|
$15.96
|
1987
|
$9.82
|
$12.34
|
$7.30
|
$9.60
|
1988
|
$6.39
|
$14.97
|
$5.55
|
$8.63
|
1989
|
$6.39
|
$10.24
|
$6.74
|
$8.00
|
1990
|
$10.10
|
$22.83
|
$13.00
|
$9.49
|
1991
|
$11.30
|
$7.78
|
$9.90
|
$8.45
|
1992
|
$10.29
|
$9.89
|
$13.54
|
$12.92
|
1993
|
$15.11
|
$23.29
|
$21.52
|
$19.74
|
1994
|
$17.61
|
$20.36
|
$19.20
|
$22.46
|
1995
|
$39.89
|
$24.29
|
$35.37
|
$33.29
|
1996
|
$19.38
|
$14.30
|
$28.37
|
$20.47
|
1997
|
$33.19
|
$28.02
|
$40.05
|
$42.87
|
1998
|
$38.51
|
$26.73
|
$34.79
|
$36.67
|
1999
|
$16.41
|
$24.49
|
$25.58
|
$22.60
|
2000
|
$20.39
|
$15.30
|
$29.79
|
$21.59
|
2001
|
$36.60
|
$36.30
|
$49.00
|
$43.86
|
2002
|
$39.20
|
$34.53
|
$51.60
|
$37.27
|
2003
|
$31.74
|
$28.70
|
$37.00
|
$36.49
|
2004
|
$28.36
|
$29.05
|
$32.62
|
$25.51
|
2005
|
$30.59
|
$27.55
|
$36.67
|
$30.40
|
2006
|
$29.45
|
$19.54
|
$31.30
|
$26.97
|
2007
|
$18.19
|
$14.89
|
$22.85
|
$22.01
|
2008
|
$29.80
|
$21.91
|
$33.51
|
$27.97
|
2009
|
$28.92
|
$38.55
|
$39.88
|
$34.55
|
2010
|
$28.57
|
$22.29
|
$15.96
|
$23.59
|
2011
|
$16.80
|
$19.40
|
$29.05
|
$23.91
|
2012
|
$20.05
|
$22.28
|
$23.02
|
$26.99
|
2013
|
$31.74
|
$40.11
|
$41.98
|
$38.36
|
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Five Random Cubs Cards
I've got 12,322 Cubs cards from 88 different brands listed on a spreadsheet. A random number generator picked five cards, one each from the past several decades.
1900s - 1970s: Topps 1964 #469 Cubs Rookies Both of these guys did pitch for the 1964 Cubs, though not very well. Norman made eight appearances, including five starts, and was 0-4 with a 6.54 ERA. He stuck around with the Cubs organization until he was traded after the 1967 season. Sterling Slaughter has a great name, though it sounds more like a WWE name than a baseball name. He made 20 less than sterling appearances in 1964, going 2-4 with a 5.75 ERA. He spent the next three seasons in the minors and never made it back to the majors.
1980s: 1989 Fleer #420 Doug Dascenzo Doug Dascenzo was the 1980s version of Tony Campana....short, fast, and not much of a hitter. His 1990 season was split between Iowa (111 games) and the Cubs (47 games). The card lists his weight as 160 pounds. Lil' Dougie barely hit his weight with the Cubs; his average was only .165.
1990s: 1990 Fleer #37 Greg Maddux Another card from Fleer, one year later. After winning 18 and 19 games the previous two seasons, Maddux tailed off a bit in 1990, going 15-15. He did, however, win his first gold glove, starting a streak that would see him win 18 of the next 19.
2000s: 2002 Topps Total #112 Julio Zuleta Julio is swinging a big bat on this card. The Cubs brass didn't think his bat was that big...he was designated for assignment at the end of spring training in 2002 and spent the year at Iowa. He had a big AAA bat, hitting .293 with 31 HRs and 104 RBIs. The Cubs brass still weren't impressed and Zuleta left Iowa after the season as a free agent.
2010s: 2013 Bowman #17 Starlin Castro The random number generator is teasing me with a card from last year's Bowman while I wait from my 2014 Cubs set to be delivered from this year's just released set.
1900s - 1970s: Topps 1964 #469 Cubs Rookies Both of these guys did pitch for the 1964 Cubs, though not very well. Norman made eight appearances, including five starts, and was 0-4 with a 6.54 ERA. He stuck around with the Cubs organization until he was traded after the 1967 season. Sterling Slaughter has a great name, though it sounds more like a WWE name than a baseball name. He made 20 less than sterling appearances in 1964, going 2-4 with a 5.75 ERA. He spent the next three seasons in the minors and never made it back to the majors.
1980s: 1989 Fleer #420 Doug Dascenzo Doug Dascenzo was the 1980s version of Tony Campana....short, fast, and not much of a hitter. His 1990 season was split between Iowa (111 games) and the Cubs (47 games). The card lists his weight as 160 pounds. Lil' Dougie barely hit his weight with the Cubs; his average was only .165.
1990s: 1990 Fleer #37 Greg Maddux Another card from Fleer, one year later. After winning 18 and 19 games the previous two seasons, Maddux tailed off a bit in 1990, going 15-15. He did, however, win his first gold glove, starting a streak that would see him win 18 of the next 19.
2000s: 2002 Topps Total #112 Julio Zuleta Julio is swinging a big bat on this card. The Cubs brass didn't think his bat was that big...he was designated for assignment at the end of spring training in 2002 and spent the year at Iowa. He had a big AAA bat, hitting .293 with 31 HRs and 104 RBIs. The Cubs brass still weren't impressed and Zuleta left Iowa after the season as a free agent.
2010s: 2013 Bowman #17 Starlin Castro The random number generator is teasing me with a card from last year's Bowman while I wait from my 2014 Cubs set to be delivered from this year's just released set.
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