"Need List"

This post will be showing up at some point as it's own page on this blog.  But for it's debut it's going to be a post too.  I consider this to be a definitive list of all the Wallach cards I don't have at least one copy of.  A good number of these only exists as a single copy and others I don't really consider "unique  cards."  The databases at Beckett and Sports Card Forum list others in addition to these, but I don't consider them to be cards.  For example, a post card, sold as a post card, is a post card.  Not a baseball card. I've also prepared another page of what I consider to be non-cards that show up in databases or that I know to exists that I'll be publishing shortly. 

Ten Most Wanted Wallach Cards

(and all 26 needs)

#1. 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Rookie Relic #/2

Obviously that's not the Wallach card on the left.  But it's the closest thing I can find.  Allegedly, there were two Wallach cards like this printed. I've never seen so much as a picture of one.  Confusing the matter even more is that the online data bases all list it as "Tim Wallace."  I assume that someone committed a typo, and due rampant plagiarizing everyone else copied it as is.  These relics, of any player, rarely show up on ebay.  I think $15-$30 would be a fair price for the Wallach based on what I've seen others go for.  But on occasion, these will show up in the $200-$350 range (and sit unsold for months/years).  I really hope one of these shows up for sale one day, I just hope the seller is reasonable.  Better yet, I hope someone just sends one to me in the mail just to be nice.

#2. 1990 Collect the Stars Magnet #126

I'd really like a couple of these, at least one opened, and one unopened.  They seem like something that shouldn't be all that scarce, but I've yet to come across one.  Again, I know that's Ryne Sandberg on the left.  I've yet to find so much as a picture of the Wallach.

#3. 1996 Collector's Choice  #486 Gold

The example on the left is the "Silver Signature."  There is also a "Gold Signature."  It shouldn't even be all that uncommon.  I have several of the "gold" version from the Wallach in the first series of this set.  But for whatever reason the gold version of this card has proven very elusive. 

#4. 2005 Rookie Cup #43 "Blue"  #/50

These "Blue"versions had a print run of 50 copies.  Not huge, but large enough that I find it a bit perplexing that I've never run across one.  

#5. 1994 Collector's Choice Gold #466 "Gold"

This is another one that in theory shouldn't be that hard to track down.  Yet, here I am nearly two decades removed from when it was issued, and I can't even find a picture of one to show on this list.

#6. 2005 Rookie Cup Rookie Reprint Gold Refractor #/1

This is one of those cards I don't really expect to ever find.  I feel pretty fortunate to have one of the regular refractors which are only #'d to 15.  Chances are this is sitting unopened in a pack inside a box in some back room of a wholesaler somewhere.  There are still copious amounts of boxes of this stuff to be found for sale online.  If they ever drop to the $5/box range I may pick up a case or two.  But as it is, people still want $50+ per box.  Which is insane.  There is never going to be any demand for this stuff again, it was a flavor of the week nearly a decade ago, and there's always a new flavor of the week for the collector's who go for this stuff.  This would likely be higher on the list if my expectations of ever finding one weren't so low.  Chances are it will climb to #2 over time as I acquire the ones ahead of it.

#7. 1986 General Mills #6I

That's not the Wallach on the left, that's Vance Law.  But it's from the same set, or booklet.  These came as little booklets, but most of the time you see them as individual cards from cut-up booklets.  I have the '87 Wallach, and the sets really nothing to get to excited about.  They're paper thin, and not much to look at.

#8. 1991 Panini #141 "French"

That's the regular 1991 Panini on the left.  There is also a "French" version in which all the text is in French.  Given there's not much text to begin with, I don't expect it to be all that different. 

#9. 1990 Donruss #220 "Aqeous Test"

This card is identical to 1990 Donruss but for that Stamp on the back.  I'm not sure what Donruss was "testing." It used to pop up on ebay on a regular basis.  Often enough that I was even able to find a picture of it to use for this list.  Now I'm kicking myself for being cheap and never paying the $9 it usually showed up for.  Instead of spending $9 for 100 common Wallach's on sportlots, I should have sucked it up and knocked this card of my list.  I haven't seen one show up in a couple of years now.  But at least I know there are a good number of them out there.

#10. 1986 O-Pee-Chee Tattoos #18

That's the Topps version on the left.  I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to tell the OPC version apart, unless it says "Les Expos" or something.

Other Needs (no particular order of priority)

2005 Rookie Cup #43 "Silver" #/5
2005 Rookie Cup #43 "Gold" #/1

These "Gold" and "Silver" variations are nowhere near as nice as the colored one's.  Perhaps that's why Topps didn't make many.  At least I'll know when I have them "all."

2005 Rookie Cup Platinum Plate #/1

2005 Rookie Cup Cyan Plate #/1

2005 Rookie Cup Magenta Plate #1

2005 Rookie Cup Yellow Plate #1

 These are the actual printing plates used in the manufacturing process.  I'm not sure I really consider them cards, but they were stuffed in to packs.  I assume these exists for any card ever made, but if they weren't put in packs they don't show up on checklist.

2004 Topps Original Signatures #TW1

2004 Topps Original Signatures #TW2

2004 Topps Original Signatures #TW3

2004 Topps Original Signatures #TW4

2004 Topps Original Signatures #TW5

2004 Topps Original Signatures #TW6

These are some other cards that I don't really consider to be unique cards.  For example the one on the left is a 1987 Topps.  Wallach signed it and someone numbered it 187.  I could recreate this at home.  The case is unique.  But I'm not interested in collecting cases.  On top of that, people charge upwards of $30 a pop for these.  I wouldn't pay you any more than 30 cents for an 1987 Topps card, regardless of who wrote their name on it.

2009  Upper Deck '89 20th Anniversary Buy Back

I really hate these buybacks.  They're not new cards.  At least UD put some stamping on the front of these that I couldn't recreate at home, but I still feel like it's just a defaced card.

2010  Upper Deck '90 20th Anniversary Buy Back

More of the same crap.

2012 Leaf Memories Gold #/1

2012 Leaf Memories Red #/5

I really hate this trend.