The Trading Post #50: Brad's Blog

Prior to his recent move, Brad from the eponymous Brad's Blog ran a giveaway so he could schlep a little less cardboard to his new place. He's all moved in now, and I'm glad I could help take a few Rockies cards off his hands to smooth that process just a little.

1995 Fleer #529 John Vander Wal

When the lead card is from the nutty 1995 Fleer, you know there will be plenty of variety. It's just such a strange and disjointed set, but I can't help but love it. At least it's not shy. I purchased this product when it was new, but this John Vander Wal card is new to me.

Vander Wal was a pretty solid utility player and pinch hitter. He put together a good year at the plate in 1995, and I always enjoyed seeing him come to bat, especially when he hit a home run in the Rockies epic 16-15 win over the Dodgers on June 30th, 1996, a legendary game in Rockies history.

The NL West design of 1995 Fleer forced the player's vital stats (height, weight, age, etc...) onto the front of the card, a very unusual spot. That still didn't clear much room off the back of the card, as most of Vander Wal's minor league clubs are abbreviated as "W. Palm B.", "Indianap." and "Jacksonv."

It might go down as the busiest card design in history.

But I still like it.

1994 Topps #49 Armando Reynoso

I also like 1994 Topps, which was the first factory set I ever purchased. I thought I knew the set pretty well, but this card seemed a bit unfamiliar. It's not from the Traded set, just the regular 792-card base set. I'm just surprised I didn't recognize it, as I handled those cards a lot when I was ten.

1994 Score #643 Eric Wedge

So far, we've seen sets I collected when they were new. 1994 Score is no different, but I definitely haven't seen this card before. Wedge might be doing some bullpen catching here, but it just looks like a posed shot to me. He's also noted as a Rookie Prospect, though that didn't really pan out. He only played in 9 games as a Rockie, though he has a slew of cards as one. He appeared on the Red Sox briefly over three seasons, but I can't recall ever seeing a card of him in a Boston jersey.

His managerial career was quite a bit more successful, as he won the Manager of the Year award in 2007, though he hasn't really been involved in professional baseball since his stroke in 2013. Fortunately he seems to have recovered well.

1993 Triple Play #22 Darren Holmes

1993 Triple Play was one of the first sets to have Rockies, though this was released too early for Darren Holmes to appear in a Rockies uniform. It even has their original logo that was changed just before they began play. It's the closest thing the young Rockies have to a throwback logo. I'd personally love to see it appear on the field for the first time.

Incidentally, he was the first ballplayer I ever met in person. He did an autograph signing at a local mall, and he signed a couple cards, a ball, and my hat. I remember the day quite vividly, in fact. I'm pretty sure my dad bought a pair of sneakers at that mall anchor store, my sister was there as well, and we saw a white limousine as we left the mall.

Forgive my channeling Rain Man right there. But I can't remember what my lunch plans were on Sunday. Go figure.

1993 Triple Play #237 Joe Girardi

Anyway, back to 1993 Triple Play. Somehow Donruss managed to get Joe Girardi in a real Rockies uniform, with the current Rockies logo, no less, all without changing the team logo on the print layout. I'm sure they had it all ready to go and it was too late to change the design, but getting this official uniform on the card must have been a real accomplishment!

1999 Fleer Tradition #327 Brian Bohanon

Brad had an eagle eye here, spotting the updated team name on Brian Bohanon's 1999 Fleer Tradition card. That script lettering is pretty tough to read, and not to put this one in the Dodger pile took some attention on Brad's part. Granted, it's clearer on the back, and that Free Agent seal is a signal to take a closer look.

Bohanon wrapped up his career in Colorado, coming close to a .500 record over three seasons, though with a rather elevated ERA of close to 6.00. The Rockies didn't have much going on during those years besides the emergence of Todd Helton, but I do remember seeing him pitch a few games on TV (before it went to cable, but that's a whole other story).

2013 Topps Heritage #329 Drew Pomeranz

So far, it's mostly been inaugural-era Rockies, but there were some newer cards as well. Drew Pomeranz, now with Oakland, looks mighty ticked about something. Perhaps it's that 2-9 record he amassed in the previous season. Or that the scratch off area on the back of this Topps Heritage card doesn't scratch off like a true 1964 card.

2015 Topps Allen & Ginter #226 Nolan Arenado

Now, Topps' vintage-style brands like A&G and Gypsy Queen are kind of low on my list of favorites. They're an awful lot like Bowman, in that I can hardly tell the years apart. I can easily differentiate the two sets, but I don't know them well enough to be able to pinpoint the different designs. I don't think Topps would lose much by nixing one of these brands, or maybe alternating years.

2015 Topps Gypsy Queen #116 Nolan Arenado

And recycled images don't help that problem one bit. Topps had to use the same image of the same guy in the same year on more or less the same set? At least this 2015 GQ design is somewhat distinctive, but really? Is Topps stretching themselves too thin with photo licensing fees? Are they even fielding their own photographers anymore? Are they still using 64 MB flash cards or something?

2015 Topps Chrome #11 Carlos Gonzalez

That's a bit more up my alley! Chrome cards still curl, but this one is relatively flat. I do like how the 2015 design looks with the shiny treatment. I hope to keep seeing shiny cards of CarGo, but he and most of the Rockies outfield are starting to come up in trade rumors. The whole league knows the Rockies need pitching, and they do have some outfield depth to draw on there, but Gonzalez, when healthy, is a great contributor.

1995 Topps Cyberstats #57 Charlie Hayes

Here's one you don't see too often - a Topps Cyberstats parallel. The very existence of this card helps explain its rarity, as the simulated stats on the back assume a 1994 season that wasn't shortened by the infamous strike. It was a pretty big nail in the coffin of the overproduction era, just as shiny technology started taking off.

I'm a fan of most of the 1995 brands, and the torn edge look of the border goes well with the type of streaking they use for the background. It's similar to some parts of 1995 Fleer's NL West design. To me, it looks a lot like The Void that Frodo enters when he puts on the ring in Lord of the Rings. But relax, this is only Wrigley Field.

2007 Artifacts MLB Apparel # MLB-AT Garrett Atkins /199 (MEM)

Brad said he'd do his best to include at least one relic or autograph in each giveaway shipment, and this UD card fits the bill. There's a prominent serial number, right below the pinstriped swatch, easily my favorite feature of relic cards. That frame around the relic looks straight out of a Harry Potter movie (you getting an idea of the movies I like?), and if you look extra carefully at the border, you can see that it's an old map of Canada. Winnipeg, of all places, is found on the upper right.

I might need to dig up a magnifying glass to fully appreciate the cards I've been getting lately. Stamp collectors use them; why not us?

Thank you Brad, and enjoy your new home!

The Trading Post #13: Brad's Blog

Let me kick off the new year with the first of several trade posts.

Much of the blog community has been posting various countdowns, years-in-review, and collecting goals for 2015. None of that here (primarily because I am not the most focused collector you'll meet), just a good, old-fashioned trade post. With lots of newfangled shiny Rockies cards.

Shortly before Christmas, a package arrived from Brad at the Phillies-focused Brad's Blog. Brad put up a post about our trade a week or so before Christmas, and he found lots of assorted Phillies (and a few Frank Thomases) in the box I sent him. Based on what Brad sent in return, it's obvious that he has been opening a lot of Topps Chrome.

2012 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #161 Jordan Pacheco (AU)

The card you see above isn't from Brad. I think it came from Christian, one of my local dealers who runs the monthly 5280 card show. The one Brad sent (below) is so similar as to momentarily trick me into thinking it was a duplicate. That's surprising, as my autograph collection is quite small. But then I noticed that Pacheco's autograph was noticeably different between the two cards. And the card itself was just a bit shinier.

2012 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs Refractors #161 Jordan Pacheco (AU) /499

It's a Refractor parallel, numbered to 499! Now that I've been truly exposed to the wide variety of parallels in Topps' products these days (more on that later), I am finally learning to flip cards over to check for serial numbers or other special differences. Pacheco, who is now a Diamondback, clearly got a bit fatigued signing all these cards, and his Sharpie looks like it was nearing the end of its useful life. This is #41 of 499, so Pacheco had quite a way to go before Topps had what they needed from him.

There was lots more Topps Chrome in this shipment, including from the quite recent 2014 set. I bought a complete base set on eBay a couple months ago, but I haven't run across too many of the inserts or parallels other than what I've obtained via trade.

2014 Topps Chrome Blue Refractors #157 Michael Cuddyer /199

Michael Cuddyer spent three seasons as a Rockie, winning the NL batting title in 2013, and memorably hitting for the cycle in late 2014 after returning from the disabled list. The second ex-Rockie to appear in this post, Cuddy is headed for the Mets in 2015. That leaves the Rockies with only one former Twins star in Justin Morneau. Can Joe Mauer be far behind?

We'll see what the front office does, but for now I'll enjoy this serial-numbered blue refractor, one of eleven Refractor varieties in 2014 Chrome. Four of those are not serial numbered, and there are six other serial-numbered varieties scarcer than blue. Perhaps I'm beating a dead horse, but there are far too many colored parallels on the market these days. Anyone who has played with a prism knows that Topps is taking the concept of a "rainbow" pretty literally.

Like the 1972 inserts we saw in 2013, Topps again resurrected an old design for a Topps Chrome insert set, this time using 1989. We've seen that 1989 design already this year (recall the 1989 Die-Cut minis), but this is in the good old 2.5" x 3.5" standard format.

2014 Topps Chrome '89 Chrome Refractors #89TC-TT Troy Tulowitzki

I must admit, seeing expansion team names on these old, familiar designs is a bit strange. It's almost as though the font is just a hair too thin. Brad also threw in Carlos Gonzalez's card from this 25-card insert set, which completes the Rockies team set in one fell swoop.

As Tulo and CarGo are usually the only Rockies to appear in smaller sets, Brad also completed my Rockies team set from 2014 Chrome Connections, or as I like to call it, "The Game of Thrones" insert set.

2014 Topps Chrome Chrome Connections Die Cuts #CC-TT Troy Tulowitzki

I had the CarGo already, so in the unlikely event that I exclusively become a Rockies team collector, this one is done!

There isn't much I can do about the proliferation of colored parallels in Topps products, so I guess the best thing to do is develop an appreciation for cards that perfectly match the team colors.

2012 Bowman Platinum Prospects Purple Refractors #BPP5 Chad Bettis

If I were running Topps, I'd just color-code the parallels for each team. I'm sure the green ones look fantastic on A's cards, for example. Simply pick the best one for each team and leave it at that. In fact, I like this 2012 card even more than its counterpart in 2013 Bowman Platinum. But at least Chad Bettis has appeared in the Majors, which is more than can be said for many of the players in Bowman sets.

On to the older stuff, starting with my third card and first Rockie from a very innovative mid-1990s insert set, Leaf Preferred Steel.

1996 Leaf Preferred Steel #37 Larry Walker

And yes, it really is actual steel. But don't take my word for it. If you have one of these, grab a magnet and check! One odd thing I noticed (besides that it's, well, metal) is that the card is numbered "37 of seventy-seven". Seeing the two numbering styles side by side is a bit strange and I can't think of any other card set that does it that way.

Brad didn't limit the shiny Topps stuff to recent Chrome sets. He included four cards from 1994 Topps Finest, which comes in a great shade of green.

1994 Finest #35 Andres Galarraga

I obtained a "Preproduction" example of this Galarraga card in the first factory set I ever purchased, 1994 Topps. I called every card shop in the Denver area (and there were many, many more then than there are now) and located one for $45, a huge chunk of savings from a ten-year old's allowance. That card had "preproduction" lettering in red on the back, but this one is from the standard base set. I know this card pretty well, but I didn't remember that it had the 125th Anniversary logo on the back.

Taking a page from Topps Gold, which came one-per-pack, Score developed a competing product called Gold Rush for 1994 and 1995.

1995 Score Gold Rush #370 Ellis Burks

The foil on these cards is quite fragile. I have a few from this parallel set that are peeling straight off the card stock, but this one is perfectly intact. I don't really follow cards outside baseball, but hockey collectors may be interested to know that Panini resurrected the Score brand and its Gold Rush parallel set for a recent hockey release.

Brad also included about a half-dozen cards from Score's 1994 base set, most of which I hadn't seen before.

1994 Score #170 Steve Reed

Steve Reed was one of my favorite Rockies pitchers as a young fan. I knew that his submarine delivery was something unusual even then. I'll have to see if I have an extra copy for Nick at Dime Boxes. He loves these snapshots of players signing autographs.

As the snow continues to fall in the Denver area, Coors Field is still a few months away from hosting a sporting event, though there is talk of an outdoor NHL game for the Colorado Avalanche in the not-too-distant future.

2010 Upper Deck #549 Colorado Rockies BP

Appropriately, the final card of this post shows a dusting of snow atop the statue that stands outside Coors Field's Home Plate entrance at 20th and Blake. Normally, I'd have expected Upper Deck to have included a summertime shot of Coors Field, but they rushed this final 2010 set to market amid legal squabbles over their MLB license.

The more I trade, the tougher it gets to pick just a handful of cards from a great trade package. Thanks to Brad for sending over lots of shiny objects, both cardboard and metal!