Sunday, October 18, 2020

New Market, NH

  
Cards from New Market, New Hampshire


These 2013 (and a couple 2014) Topps were sent by Bert of the Swing and a Pop-Up blog.  With these additions I am now very close to knocking off the 2013 Topps set.  The remaining needs are posted below.  I was surprised by the amount of star power in the cards that were sent.  I guess it makes sense, that when you rely on the generosity of others to send you your "needs," that the Jeter's of the set will end up being the last one's you need.  So these were greatly appreciated.  The 2014 set, particularly series 2, is still enough of a project that I'm not posting the individual needs, but they're listed on my set building page.

2013: 7?, 27, 207, 213, 338, 345, 350, 362, 369, 373, 374, 410, 418, 454, 455, 499, 536, 571, 572, 604, 622


I get asked a lot about players I collect other than Tim Wallach.  During the 80's Tim Raines was my clear second choice as far as guys I collected.  I also liked a mostly forgotten pitcher with the Expos named Joe Hesketh.  When the Expos ceased to exists, the Yankees became my team as they were the team I grew up going to see play every year.  I was huge fan of Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada and always enjoyed pulling their cards.  But over the last 20 years (with respect to Brett Gardner and Joc Pederson), Jose Fernandez and Zach Greinke have been my two favorite players.  I find something very awesome about pitchers who can hit and want the bat in their hands, especially pitchers who are also very good at pitching.  If I had developed the ability to throw smoke, hit corners, and have a good off-speed pitch, I'd only sign with a National League team.  I would not let the DH make me half a player.  

Thanks for these cards Bert.  I'll get something back out your way shortly.




Other Recent Additions

I've been more active on eBay recently.  More so than I have been in a long time.  Here are few of the cards that arrived this week.  The first two are a couple of 1972 needs.  I'm trying really hard to complete that set before the end of the year.  I don't think I'll make it, but it's going to be close.  The Steve Garvey is looking like it's going to cost me more than I ever wanted to spend on a Steve Garvey card.  There's always a couple semi-stars in the high numbers from these early 70's sets that make me do a double take at their price tags.  No disrespect to Steve Garvey, he was more than a semi-star, but he's also not Rod Carew (a '72 high number I was lucky enough to pick up in trade) or Nolan Ryan (the toughest high number in the '70 set).  Thankfully Hank Aaron and Fergie Jenkins weren't high numbers.  The Aaron still carried a bit of a price tag, but I feel good about what I paid, and "Hank Aaron" is just one of those names that sort of always feels like a bargain no matter how much it cost.  Fergie Jenkins is relatively under valued if you ask me.  As impressive as his baseball-reference page is, the most impressive thing on it is the fact that he was only named to three All-Star teams.  How did that happen?

The 1962 Rookie Parade features four players, but I'm comfortable calling it a "Joe Pepitone" rookie card.  It's been on my "Top Ten Most Wanted List" for a few years now, checking in at #4 in last year's Collecting Goals post.  It's also a high number, and Pepitone is rather beloved Yankee, so it's been tough to find for under $50 (my self-imposed limit).  Well, last week my eBay alerts pointed me to a new one with a price tag under that number.  So now I have one.

I've told this story before, but I'll mention it again.  I spent a summer working in a memorabilia store in Cooperstown as a teenager.  An old time Yankee sat in the back every day signing autographs for $10 a pop.  He never learned my name.  Joe Pepitone came in one day to say hi to his old teammate.  He made a point to introduce himself to all the employees, there were only like three of us.  When he popped back in the next day, he remembered my name.  It made an impression and I've been a retroactive Pepitone fan ever since.

The final card is a '59 Elston Howard.  It wasn't a particularly pressing need or anything like that.  I just saw it on a recent Nightowl Cards post and felt an immediate desire to own it.  And with the modern miracles of eBay, a couple of clicks of a mouse, and a $1.99 shipped, it's now in my collection.








3 comments:

  1. I should check my 2013 stockpile. It's clear I'm never going to complete it, so I bet I have at least a couple of those.

    Garvey is still hugely popular among Dodger fans of the '70s so that's why.

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  2. Nice pickups. Phil Linz and Joe Pepitone on the same card is kind of funny.

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    Replies
    1. Topps should remake it with Yogi Berra and Harmonica for the other two spots.

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