1982 Topps un-cut sheet

I've always wanted one of these uncut sheets.  This is my first one, and it happens to include the Wallach rookie card.  I could be wrong, but I remember these things being wildly expensive as a kid. I picked this one up for less than $20 shipped.  Granted, it's pretty beat up, but that still struck me as very cheap.  However that seemed to be around the going rate for these.

Framing it isn't going to be as inexpensive.  My early estimates indicate that this thing will never see the inside of a frame, and even if I did one day splurge, it's far too big (about 43 x 29) to get the ever important stamp of approval from my wife to be hung on a wall in the house.  And it's not all on her, I have an area, but it's pretty full already and I don't really think I can make space for this.  It could be destined for a spot in the garage with my childhood NHL posters, thumbtacked to a wall.

Some of cool cards on the sheet are below.  Including the Expo killer Rick Monday two slots below Wallach, and some poor kid listed as the Future Star third baseman on the Expos rookie card between Terry Francona and Bryn Smith.

2005 Topps Rookie Cup Original Relics #399

Card Review: 9.5  This card is in a word, awesome.  In 1982 Topps didn't put the "Rookie Cup" on cards.  I spent the next decade arguing with other kids that Wallach had in fact been a "Topps All-Star Rookie."  I "lost" almost all of those arguments.  23 years later Topps righted a wrong with this card.  Not only did they put the cup on it, but the cup is made from some sort of metal.  It's a heavy card, and as thick as about 5 regular cards.  It appears Topps glued two '82 Topps to a piece of thick card stock, then cut a hole about half way through to place that cup.  If you were to dig it out, I believe it would be a square peice with a raised cup on it.

I know my love of this card is a bit hypocritical.  I've been very critical of old cards being modified or stamped, then passed off as "new" cards.  In general, I think that's kind of sleazy.  But this card is an exception.  For one, it's not just some forgettable '90 Leaf being stamped with foil.  It's the classic 1982 Topps Wallach.  The card I've carried in my wallet for the last 25 years.  And it's not just foil stamping, it's an extreme enough modification that it almost becomes an entirely new card.  If your going to engage in that sort of practice, this is the way to do it.

It does also present some issues, primarily, how store it.  I keep a three-ring binder with one copy of every unique Wallach card.  This one belongs in the binder.  But I'm not sure it will fit, at least not without damaging it, in a 9-pocket page due to it's thickness.  It's a dilemma I'm in no hurry to solve though as for now I'm happy to keep it out and available to show off to as many disinterested friends and family as I can.

Number of this card in my collection: 1, only one more to go and I'll have them all.

1990 Topps Double Headers #68

Card Review: N/A I could have this thing mis-labeled.  I'm not sure it's actually from 1990, and I have no idea where the #68 comes from.  But the guy I bought it from had it labeled that way, so I'm going with it.

I'm only reluctantly calling this a card.  I've seen one opened online and the picture inside is as thin as a page in a low quality magazine.  I'm pretty sure they were sold in packs of 1.

These are pretty low quality.  The pictures are crummy, and the plastic is foggy.  I'm not surprised Topps ditched this concept.

<------ An Attempt to shoot it in the mirror.   

Number in my collection: 1
2016 update: 2

2017 update: n/a

2018 update: n/a

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: n/a

2023 update: n/a

2024 update: 3

Unopened 1982 Topps Cello Pack

This is an unopened 1982 Topps Cello Pack with Tim Wallach on the front.  That's Tom Griffin Showing on the back.  I don't remember these coming with gum, but you can clearly see it's in there.

2005 Topps Rookie Cup Rookie Reprint Refractor #191

Card Review: 9.6  I really like this card.  It's the kind of treatment Wallach's iconic rookie deserves.  I figured the Chrome version only numbered to 25 had to be fanciest of these, but I was wrong.  This card also set a new high dollar mark for me as far as buying Wallach's goes.  $11.61 on ebay.

The reproduction of the '82 white border lends itself very well to the refractor treatment.  Of the five Wallach refractors, this one is the best looking by a wide margin.  It even scans better than the rest.  I've never collected an insert subset, or least not a modern one (I admit, I was a huge fan of some of Fleer's subsets in the 80's and early 90's like Pro-Visions and Headliners), but I'm half-way tempted to chase down more of these rookie reprint refractors.  I probably never will given they're priced like early 50's Topps, but who knows.  I'll add it to my list of things I might do.

Number of this card in my collection: 1 (14 more to go)

2005 Topps Rookie Cup Reprint Chrome #191

Card Review: 9.3  I find this card to be pretty cool.  It almost makes up for the 1982 set not having the rookie cup trophy on the front.  These chrome variations were individually numbered out of 25.  This one is #15 of 25.
Number of this card in my collection: 1 (only 24 more to go!)

2005 Topps Rookie Cup reprint

Card Review: 9.3  I'm knocking the rating for this card down a little but from the original.  I have few reasons for doing so.  For one, it's glossy on both sides.  Also, the piping (hockey sticks) and lettering on the front of this card were purple and green on the original.  The blue and green just doesn't look as good.  That said, it's still pretty cool to see this card get the reprint treatment from Topps.

Number of this card in my collection: 12

1982 Topps #191

Card Review: 9.9  This is Tim Wallach's marquee rookie card. At one time this card booked at over $4.  My first trip ever to a card shop was made with the purpose of finding this card.  It was probably about 1985 or '86, and my father took me.  I had no idea there was such a thing a stores devoted entirely to baseball cards.  My father had bought cards as a kid, a good number had survived in a shoe box, but he was in no way what you would describe as a card collector.  His collection ceased in 1968, and he didn't see a card again until people started giving them to me.  He was much more inclined to throw b.p. at a field or play catch in the yard than buy cards, and by the time my brother and I were 12 or so he flat out discouraged it as kid stuff.  But somehow back before then, he got the idea in his head that I should have a Tim Wallach rookie card, and found a cardshop in the yellow pages (The Batter's Box near Thunderbird High School in Phoenix).  I remember arguing with the cardshop guy because I thought there should be a 1980 Wallach since he had stats for '80 on the back of his cards.  But the guy had a book and proved me wrong.


Fun Facts: *Topps missed out by putting Wallach on the '81 Expos Future Stars card.  Had Wallach shared a card with Raines, it really would have been one of the great cards of the 1980's.
*Wallach wore #58 and was an outfielder when he was called up in 1980 for his MLB debut.  He homered in his first official at-bat.
*The 1982 All-Star game was in Montreal.  Wallach was a huge snub, his triple crown numbers in '82 were .268, 28 HR, 97 RBI.  Ray Knight was named an All-Star at 3B instead, with numbers of .294, 6 HR, 70 RBI.

Number of this card in my collection: 160
2011 update: 163
2012 update: 318
2013 update: 379
2014 update: 426
2015 update: 833 
2016 update: 1,145
2017 update: 1,187
2018 update: 1,195
2019 update: 1,227
2020 update: 1,233

2021 update: 1,240

2022 update: 1,251

2023 update: 1,277

2024 update: 1,791

2025 update: 1,792