The Trading Post #49: A Penny Sleeve for your Thoughts

On the same day that Julie's Christmas card arrived, another one showed up from Jon at A Penny Sleeve for your Thoughts.

Jon, a newcomer to the cardsphere, was the winner of my 100th post checklist contest, so I certainly had no expectation of getting anything in return, but he included a nice handwritten note and two shiny, serial-numbered Rockies cards!

1998 Pinnacle Hit It Here #1 Larry Walker S/N 02815

First up is this Pinnacle insert of Larry Walker. The back of this card makes a big deal about Walker's near-Triple Crown 1997 season, and also includes the serial number "02815". This is my first time seeing this insert set from the wacky late-'90s, but Beckett doesn't have anything on the serial-numbered nature of this card.

I had to head over to BaseballCardPedia to find out anything about this card. My eyes do not deceive me, there really is a unique number on there. But the weird thing is that there was never any statement of the print run, but best estimates place it at around 20,000 copies. That's pretty plentiful for a serial numbered card, but there is space here to go all the way to 99,999. So regardless, this copy is pretty early in the print run if that estimate is anywhere close to accurate.

It sure is shiny, though. There are lots of sparkly lines radiating from that "Hit it Here" target. And they definitely captured Walker's power stroke on this card.

1998 Leaf Fractal Foundations #184 Todd Helton GLR /3999

Todd Helton's card, the other one in this envelope, happens to be from the same year as Walker's. More late-90's oddness ensues with this Fractal Foundations parallel, numbered to 3,999.

The Fractal Foundations lettering and the Leaf logo are embossed with rainbow foil (as is the serial number on the back) and though it doesn't come across well in the scan, the foil background is sort of a pale bluish-gray. It's an interesting card, and as Helton had yet to be established in the Majors, most of the card back talks about his performance in AAA and at the University of Tennessee.

Thanks Jon, and to answer your question, I do indeed have an affinity for 1962 Topps, but as far as a needs list, I own a mere four cards from that set. (#s 100, 150, 200, and 505). So let's just say I have a ways to go on that one.