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!

Warning! Protective coating may damage product!

I have always liked Topps Finest. I've never actually purchased a box because they're frightfully expensive, but the base cards always seem to work their way into the discount bins once the rare inserts have been pulled. Shiny, thick card stock, slightly less likely to have that frustrating curl than Topps Chrome; what's not to like?

My favorite release was 1994 Finest, the brand's second year. They're almost as green as 1991 Fleer is yellow.

1994 Topps Finest #32 Charlie Hayes

I think I even have a couple basketball cards with a roughly similar design. Basketball cards make up a tiny, tiny part of my collection, so let that stand as proof of how much I like this brand.

But then things started getting weird. In the mid '90s, well after the 1994 strike and the subsequent collapse of baseball card values, Topps decided to inject some novelty into the brand. They came up with this barely comprehensible idea of a "fractured set". And for good measure, they even gave us a handy clear protective coating on the front of the card, just like those peel-away films you find on new computer monitors and smartphones. In all honesty, I find an inordinate amount of joy in peeling those away as part of the unboxing process. And finding an unpeeled film on a years-old gadget (like my mom's microwave) is cause for celebration and can even become legendary.

1996 Topps Finest #B8 Terry Pendleton

Trouble is, though, the film found on Topps Finest cards is rather unsightly and a bit difficult to remove. It can be pretty tough to get those off without dinging a corner or bending the card. Longer fingernails help.

What, after my admission above, you think I leave Topps Finest Protectors on? Absolutely not.

However, after a decade or so in a discount box, the Topps Finest Protector can become fused to the card itself, making removal quite problematic. Take a look at these two examples from 1999 Finest.

1999 Topps Finest #18 Quinton McCracken

1999 Topps Finest #19 J.T. Snow, Jr.

Despite the protector happily doing its job for many years, the peeling process on these two left behind a very noticeable, even legible, residue running down the left side of each card. At least Topps abandoned the ridiculous "fractured set" idea by the time 1999 rolled around. That Pendleton card above is listed as "Card 8" from "Theme G58" and is clearly noted as "Common".

So given that it's a common, (the B in the card number indicates that it's Bronze, as opposed to Silver or Gold), surely removing the protective coating won't do much to harm its long-term value.

There. Much better.