The Elusive Heritage

A bunch of Topps Heritage short prints from @scottcrawford.org including a couple for the Cardinals boxes. 

 

As anyone who attempts to build Topps Heritage sets year in and year out can attest, picking up those last 100 or so cards can be quite a shore. They look and feel like the regular base cards, for the most part, but they're a bit of a tougher pull at one in every 3 packs. If you crunch the numbers, I think you'll find that Heritage short prints are not nearly as scarce as their reputation holds. I blame Beckett for, at one point, pricing even the most fringe players who appear at the short end of the checklist at a starting rate of $5 a card, causing a whole generation of collectors to hoard these cards.

In any case, there was plenty of reason to get excited about adding a few dozen more SPs to my collection from Scott of I Need New Hobbies. This was easily the biggest number of these elusive cards to arrive in the mail in a single day for several years now.

Two of these cards will end up bypassing my set builds and head straight to the fancy Cardinals boxes. (Because they are scarce, you see!) This means that I'll need to track down a second 2013 Yadi Molina card, which makes me question why I insist on collecting this way.

For my 2010 set build is this pair of pitchers. These are the only cards in the lot that are easily distinguishable from their printed-in-regular-quantities counterparts without looking at the actual card numbers. The 2010 set has the short printed cards printed on bright white stock instead of the usual cardboard stock. (This was a reversal of the 2009 set, where the regular cards were on white and the SPs used a darker cardboard.)

Here's a four-pack from the 2011 set. I like this set a lot, even though I feel that it was the beginning of the seemingly unending string of boring head shots on Heritage cards throughout the 2010s. (I suppose you can't fault Topps for trying to be true to those original sets here.)

It's a pair of Joshes from the 2012 set. How many Joshes do you know? Is Joshes the right way to pluralize the name Josh? I seem to know a lot of Joshes.

It took me awhile to appreciate the 2013 Topps Heritage set because they were printed on a light stock and felt exactly like the Allen & Ginter cards they had been printing for years at this point. I know that the original 1964 set had lightly colored card backs, but it still seems like the black sheep of the 2010s Heritage sets to me.

Thanks to Scott, I added five cards to my 2014 set build, including another Yadi. It's unfortunate that he has to share with Ryan Braun here, but I already scanned this stuff and it's too late now.

A whopping nine cards received were from the 2015 Heritage set. A couple of these guys are actually still in the game. Off the top of my head, I know that Rodon (a rookie here) is in the Yankees rotation this season and Chris Sale is trying to make another go of it with Atlanta.

Here are three more from the 2016 set, including 2019 World Series champ (ugh) Michael A. Taylor.

Just a single card from the 2018 set made an appearance (and none from 2017) as I am pretty sure Scott was starting to tire of Topps and their shenanigans by this point.

Last up is a pair of grey-bordered cards from the 2019 Heritage set. I believe Yonder Alonso does work with the MLB Network these days.

Thanks again to Scott. And don't forget -- make sure you sign up for the not-actually-gambling-because-it's-free thing soon before Thursday's games tip off.

The Elusive

Some hard to find items arrive in an envelope. 

It's a strange card collecting world that we live in when some of the toughest cards to nail down are ones you used to find on big box store shelves. Retail exclusive inserts, parallels, and what have you can be a bit of a burden to find soon after they are released to the wild, so it was very nice to snag a couple from Mark Kaz. There are no case breakers in the retail word (as far as I know...) so you're never likely to see a million copies of this kind of stuff on ebay. I've been a big fan of (some) of the retail inserts from a few of the somewhat recent Topps Heritage sets, so they are a part of my giant master want list.

From 2011 through 2014, there was a black bordered version of each of the cards also selected for Chrome-ification, all printed on the same stock as the regular Heritage cards from that year. This worked especially well in 2011 with a darker version of the wood grained borders, but I still like to try and get the black bordered cards from the next three years. In 2015, Topps went with some retail-only shiny foil (non-Chrome) parallel that was similar to what they've done with the past two flagship sets, but it doesn't interest me. I can't even recall what they might have done this year, maybe nothing?

Two more cards down, several million to go!

GCRL to COC

Here are some pictures of baseball cards for you to enjoy.

As we continue on with the packages I received as a result of December's mini group break, long time trade partner and friend of the blog Garvey Cey Russell Lopes (or GCRL if that's too many players to memorize) sent over a nice stack of Cardinals needs, set needs, and player collection needs. That's a lot of needs. I am needy.

Jose Altuve is probably a popular player to collect these days, but I swear that Erin was an early adopter. I had to convince her to add Altuve to her official list after it was determined that Tim Lincecum had worn out his welcome, so a new collection begins. I think this is like Altuve #8. She likes athletes that are short, and Altuve definitely fits the bill.

I am always excited to add to my large (yet miniscule in the grand scheme of things) Jimmy Edmonds collection. This is the first time I've ever laid eyes on a 2003 Donruss Super Estrellas card, and I can certainly say without question that these look better than the 2002 set. I bought a box of those once and it was easy to see why they were heavily discounted.

I MUST HAVE ALL OF THE RETAIL PARALLELS.

I believe they are going to make a dreaded reality show out of the saga of Cole Hamels and whether he will or won't be traded.

The Topps Glossy All-Stars and Rookies inserts that showed up in the '80s were some early examples of insert cards before inserts really blew up. I don't remember these or their All-Star counterparts in 1991 packs at all, and I bought a ton of cards in 1991. I guess this means that the rack packs and jumbo packs didn't make it out to my corner of the world, but I have also noticed that the so-called Beckett value of these cards is significantly higher than those of previous years. I've also noticed that these things have been showing up in repacks a lot lately.

Hitting All the Sets

A trade stack for every occasion.

The Topps Baseball Fanatic is arguably the biggest Topps Heritage fan around. His collection is certainly putting mine to shame, but when you are doing as well on your set quests as he is, you're bound to have some doubles. Fortunately, I was once again the beneficiary of some cards he didn't need and was able to punch a few more holes in quite a few different sets that I'm working on. The Fanatic is also a big Dustin Pedroia collector, and I'm working on something to that end that he'll hopefully enjoy.

The 2012 Heritage set is probably the one I'm most sick of, but it's probably because I've opened more of it than any other year other than possibly 2008's offerings. I still have a bunch of doubles from this year, but I was able to snag a couple of short prints including CarGo here.

I actually forgot I was trying to collect these inserts. This is from the 2012 Topps Archives 3-D collection. I like these weird lenticular Sportflics-ish cards that occasionally pop up in recent products.

Josh Hamilton is surprised! And he has no signature. This is one of the variations from the 2007 Bowman Heritage set. I should really put this one to bed soon.

There are so many Dodgers collectors that I've traded with, so I don't get many chances to scan and post Dodgers cards on this blog. They're usually gone almost as quickly as they arrive. This one is staying home.

Here's another Bowman Heritage card of the foil variety. It's also a "no sig" version.

I still need base cards from 2009 Topps Heritage. That's sad. I'm missing 5 non-SP cards from the main set and 2 from the high series.

Finally, my favorite Topps insert set of all-time still has quite a few names on the list to cross off. Someday!

Crap After a Crap Game

Can a repack box ease the pain of a playoff loss? You know the answer!

They have a single baseball card product for sale at the local neighborhood grocery superstore, which happens to be those 3 packs and a "memorabilia card" blind buys. Just about anything could have been in this box, but most likely it won't be Derek Jeter or Albert Pujols. I almost never buy these sorts of things - I tend to go for the ones that give you packs and only when I can at least tell what a few of the packs will be. The one time I remember taking one of these sorts of things a ride, I did fairly well with my relic card. It was David Wright.

To dispense with the suspense, here was my prize: a Marlon Byrd jersey card from 2004 Topps Finest. I was highly amused that the card came in a very used looking top loader that someone had written the year of the card on. I'm guessing Fairfield did a bulk buy of someone's (or some shop's) collection and didn't bother to swap out the top loaders or remove them altogether.

Marlon Byrd doesn't exactly strike me as the most collector-friendly player, but aside from being choosy about the player, this is a pretty nice looking card. I don't often buy Finest cards and I'm not sure if I own any from 2004. Nevertheless, this is up for grabs if anyone is interesting.

Pack 1 was a 2010 Topps Series 1 retail pack. I think this is my first time seeing this Willie Stargell insert.

I'm sure I have a handful of this Adam Wainwright base card, but it was nice to see a Cardinal card at least.

Pack 2 was a 2012 Topps Heritage retail pack. The problem here is that I have the entire base set and have more doubles from this one than probably all other Heritage sets combined. I do need something like 33 of the SPs, but this Jason Bay is unfortunately not one of those 33. This is up for grabs as well, along with a ton of non-SP base cards.

The less said about Pack 3, the better. This is one of those Pete Rose 2012 Leaf packs that no one is talking about these days. You can see a pack of this stuff opened right here. I am throwing these ones up on Listia unless there are any Rose fans or fans of this set out there.

Now With 30% More Steroids

Big time Orioles fan Jason has worked out a few deals with me, and he recently claimed my extra Dylan Bundy / Manny Machado Heritage rookie card from my trade bait pile. While Bundy hasn't been so fortunate this season considering his recent Tommy John surgery, Manny Machado has quickly blossomed into one of the finest third basemen in the league. Good for him. I have to say that it's nice to see an AL East guy break out that doesn't play for Boston or New York.

Jason sent over some needed Heritage and Ginter cards (surprise, surprise) as well as a few extra Cardinals (shocking!) Included in the exchange was a souped up short print of souped up slugger Nelson Cruz. Cruz could be in some hot water for the same reason that this guy is, and I'm not talking about (lack of) fashion sense.

Pete Kozma ended up being the Cardinals starting shortstop this season because Rafael Furcal fell in a sewer and is probably becoming the new Master Splinter and the only shortstop they bothered to sign was Ronny Cedeno, who has now been disowned by two teams (including the Astros!) this season for failing to be better than Ronny Cedeno. I actually didn't have a single copy of this card, which means I still need a second one for my Heritage set.

Speaking of falling into sewers and disappearing, Jason Motte has... well... he's been working on his beard this season, at least. As long as he stays far, far away from Brian Wilson, I'll be okay with this. Good luck to you, sir, and I hope that you return to a steady role somewhere in the Cardinals pen in 2014.

Up For Grabs: 2012 and 2013 Topps Heritage

I picked up a blaster of 2013 Topps Heritage over the weekend and, much to my dismay, two of the three short prints that I pulled were ones I already owned. Since I still have quite a ways to go to complete this set, I'm very frustrated by these doubles. If you can give King Felix and/or Buster Posey a good home and have a little something from one or more of the sets that I collect, drop me a line and let me know. I also pulled the Jim Johnson Chrome that you see at the top of the post. Since I don't collect the Chrome Heritage mashups unless they are Cardinals, this is up for grabs as well.

As always, the links to my set needs and "haves" are located on the sidebar of my blog. I have a fair amount of 2013 Heritage doubles, but I have an even crazier amount of last year's set (including several SPs) to trade off as well. Give those a look as well, if you have the time.

You wouldn't turn your back on ol' Buster, would you?

Opening Day! Hooray!

Opening Day is finally here! This is one of those things that I wish could happen more than just once a year, but it's just not meant to be. I am doing some housekeeping and thought I'd throw a post or two up on the blog today. If I'm feeling charitable, this might not be the last you here from me today.

I sent over a sizeable chunk of Padres cards, Blazers doubles and assorted other goodies to Backstop Cards. I thought I'd show off some of what I received in return.

Whenever I hear "injured" and "indefinitely" in the same sentence, I get a little worried. And a little nauseous. And, uh, well... anyone can close, right? Hopefully Jason Motte gets better soon, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I will be holding my breath when Mitchell Boggs and whoever else is called upon at the ends of Cardinals games are on the mound. Yikes!

I'm hoping for a big year from Carlos Beltran this year. I guess that's what Opening Day is all about. Optimism! Anything can happen! The Astros are in first place. The Pirates are still in contention!

This card is a "gold" parallel. Seriously. Can't you tell?

On to the set building portion of this trade - here's a much needed 2011 Heritage short print. Only 53 left to go!

I'm not a fan of these sketch cards, as I've mentioned plenty of times before in this space and others. This is Ozzie Smith we're talking about here, though, so I had to post it.

I'm watching the Angels/Reds broadcast as I post this (ew, interleague!) and just can't believe how awful Thom Brennaman and Jeff Brantley are to listen to. They seem to really hate baseball and their viewers.

A Parliament of Cards

Everyone knows about flocks of seagulls and gaggles of geese, but did you know what you call a pack of owls? A parliament, that's what. I don't really know what any of that has to do with this post, but I wanted to  hoot about a package I got from Night Owl Cards last month.

The internet's biggest Ron Cey fan sent me some much needed Allen & Ginter inserts, which I will never stop needing for some reason. There are actually mini inserts in some of these sets that I haven't even laid eyes upon yet, which sucks. Fortunately, with Night Owl's help, I am much closer to completing the Floating Fortresses insert bunch from 2011 - only four cards left!

I also snagged an elusive Topps Heritage short print, in the form of two-time former Cardinal Aaron Miles. Miles is one of the more infuriating players in the league in that he appeared to impersonate a competent baseball player for awhile in St. Louis but has been pretty miserable in other uniforms.

I vaguely remember hearing in the offseason that Brandon Dickson, a guy who made a few spot appearances in 2011 and 2012, was removed from the 40-man roster. It turns out that he's playing in Japan now. Huh.

This is my first and so far only Panini Cooperstown card. I just can't muster up much enthusiasm for the unlicensed stuff, but it will go in my binder regardless. There was a lively discussion over at Community Gum going on related to baseball card licenses. I've got to say that I'm surprised that as many people buy non-logo cards as they apparently do. When I was young, everyone thought cards with airbrushed logos were hilariously dumb. Of course, you mostly saw those things on the sides of boxes of macaroni and cheese, so who knows?

Here's a sweet way to end the post, with an orangey orange Matt Holliday refractor. It'll be interesting to see if Holliday's double-high-five compatriot has anything left in the tank for this season when he heads to Texas. Everyone thought he was done after 2010, but he proved that notion wrong for sure.