The Trading Post #35: The Angels, In Order

Earlier this month, I commented on a post at The Angels, In Order, requesting a Larry Walker card he offered for trade from a stack of Pinnacle Mint Condition.

1998 Pinnacle Mint Brass Coin #24 Larry Walker

Like many sets from the late 1990s, I'd neither heard of nor seen this one before, but I was interested enough to add it to my collection. I've been on a little bit of a Pinnacle kick lately, as I recently wrote about the anti-counterfeit rectangle printed on the back of all their cards. This one has it too, reading "PBI '98" when viewed under the Pinnacle Authenticator Lens.

Besides the obviously unusual gold coin embedded in this card, super slugger Larry Walker looks to be laying down a bunt in this photo. It's an odd one, to say the least. There are logos all over that coin, including both the Rockies team logo and cap logo on the front, plus two Pinnacle logos, the MLB logo, and the MLBPA logo on the back. It also has "Limited Edition" lettering on the back, though there is no serial number.

The coins were available in a variety of colors (how original), and I believe this is the base Brass version. There were also Nickel, Gold Plated and even solid silver coins available in packs, and Pinnacle ran a redemption program for a /1 solid gold coin. That would be worth a cool $1200 at today's prices, plus maybe a dime or so for the underlying cardboard.

I bought a sort-of similar Garret Anderson card at a recent card show with The Angels, In Order in mind, which I'll have to get sent out next month once things settle down a bit. I have a lot planned for June and early July, starting off with a trip to Austria next week! I may even have a #WalletCard entry once I get back.

This card came in a simple PWE, along with a few other Rockies cards from the mid 1990s, my favorite of which was this one:

1996 Pinnacle Foil #391 Quinton McCracken

Yep, another Pinnacle card. I actually do miss this brand a little bit. Though it doesn't have a fancy embedded minted object, this foil parallel is still nice and shiny. This year had a vertical back, which mentions that McCracken played football for Duke before he started his pro baseball career.

Still in a road uniform, utility player McCracken made another appearance in this PWE on a Collector's Choice card.

1997 Collector's Choice #101 Quinton McCracken

With only two seasons of stats by then, the reverse has a lengthy writeup on his performance in 1996. It mentions his role in one of the most memorable games in Rockies history, June 30th, 1996. I remember watching that Sunday afternoon game a week or so before I went to Boy Scout camp, and it was an unbelievably wild one, even by pre-humidor Coors Field standards.

After six lead changes and four hours of play (without even reaching extra innings), McCracken delivered the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Dodgers 16-15. It's a favorite among longtime fans, and is one of a dozen or so games that is occasionally replayed in a condensed format on Root Sports, the Rockies' cable channel.

Thanks to The Angels, In Order for this coin card, and that trip down memory lane!