2, 4, 6, 8... pocket pages

 I've got a whole mini-album full of two-pocket pages:

And another mini-album mostly filled with 4-pocket pages:

Those pages share space with seven 6-pocket pages:

And now, finally.... I have some 8-pocket pages!

I had a handful of oversized cards like these 1988 Topps BIG Baseball singles stored in top loaders, but I wanted the oversized top loaders for more important cards. So these are now in the mini-binder, along with...

My 5-card set of 1953 Bowman reprints and some random 1989 Bowman cards. I'm going to take that Walter Alston card out and put another '89 Bowman in its place:

This is the most random card to have a unique personal memory, but I remember opening a pack and lingering on Austin Manahan here. I told myself to remember this card, this was a significant card. I was eight years old. I probably didn't know the meaning of the word 'significant', but I knew why this card mattered:

Holy crap! This guy was born in 1970?!? I'm getting old. Someday I'll see a card of a player born in 1980!! 😳

Next time I'm on Sportlots, I'll risk two dimes on this single. It will probably arrive damaged and shoved in a taped-up top loader, but that's okay. 

Back to the Walter Alston. Remember those Greg Morris auctions I was watching? Yeesh:

LOLno. 

Damn Dodger tax.

Better, but still too much.

Ugh. Nope. I got none of 'em. Instead, I rolled the dice on a different Alston:

The price was right, but the faded scan was a concern. This seller also had a Don Bessent, but I was too hesitant to pull the trigger on both. 

Alston arrived today:

Oh, nice. It's not faded it all. It's crisp, clean... 

....and creased. 

Ah well. It's not visible unless you look at it under light. But this is why I buy graded cards. Not a bad deal though, certainly can't complain since it was $100 less than the ungraded Alston that Greg Morris was selling. 

****** Bonus Starting Lineup Showcase mini-post! *******

I like to window shop on eBay for SLU figures around my birthday and Christmas. Makes me feel young. There was a sealed Marcus Allen figure that looked clean, and the price was good, but I didn't have any personal connection to it. 

For about the same price, I picked up four loose pieces: two childhood faves and two that are brand new to me:

I had that Dan Marino once, and the last place I saw it was it was in the backyard of my sister's house. I went to look for it when she moved, but it was long gone. I've never owned a Buffalo Bills figure but the seller had Cornelius Bennett for a few bucks and I thought it would look cool to have a division rival rushing Marino. (Bruce Smith would have been too expensive!) 

Hakeem Olajuwon was only $5, and even though I have a sealed Olajuwon figure from 1994 I couldn't pass up his '88 figure. The only other first series basketball figures I have are an open Larry Bird from Jon Pennysleeves and a sealed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 

Marcus Allen did make me curious to search out other Raiders, and Todd Christensen was an easy choice. At $12 it was the most expensive piece in the lot, but well worth it for a tribute to Travis James:

Dress a Barbie, Max. Lmao. 

Thanks for reading!





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Two and Two

In my previous post I mentioned receiving an eBay purchase - but I didn't include those cards.

The post before that I mentioned buying myself two Starting Lineup figures for Christmas - so that my daughters could wrap them and leave them under our tree. I didn't show those off, either.

Perhaps I should rectify these two omissions before my Cardbarrel order arrives. [edit: too late]

Let's start with the two card PWE from eBay. While searching for some card supplies I stumbled upon a seller who was offering two hockey cards I needed - for two dollars each.

This special Wayne Gretzky SP is card #512, technically part of the 1993-94 Pinnacle set:

I did not know this existed until I joined TCDB a few years ago and began cataloging my collection. It irked me that this "chase card" counted toward completion, especially since COMC sellers were asking $20 and up for this Gretzky card. Two bucks to call this 30 year old set complete? Deal!

802 goals? Pfft. Alex Ovechkin has more than that.

But that wasn't the only bargain I snagged from this seller. Twenty years ago Topps released its final hockey card set, and one of the inserts from that flagship release featured eleven Cards That Never Were -- or as Topps called them, "Lost Rookie Cards":

This implies that the featured players never got a proper rookie card the season after making their NHL debut. While Jeremy Roenick does fit this criteria -- he played 20 games during the 1988-89 season and this is the 1989-90 design -- some players in the set do not. Ron Francis, Mario Lemieux, and Joe Sakic are among the players who did have a proper rookie card after their rookie season. These cards ain't lost.

The J.R. I received in the eBay PWE has scratches up and down the front, which is disappointing for sure. But I can't be too mad; COMC sellers ask at least $6-10 for this one. Now all I need is the Brett Hull. Hopefully I'll find that one for $2 or so because I'm not paying $10-15 to finish an 11-card insert set.


Now for the SLUs. I got a nice head start on building a basketball collection when Jon sent me some loose Legends. Lots of centers on my shelf, not enough guards. But which 1980s/'90s era stars can I afford to add?

Michael Jordan? Nope. Despite the overabundance of his piece, there are more than enough MJ collectors to drive up the price (an issue I'll encounter soon re:1988-89 Fleer.)

Reggie Miller? That would be my first choice, but um... it's incredibly expensive. Small market regional releases of players who weren't included in the "all star assortment" are waaaay out of my budget.

I almost bought a Magic Johnson, but then I noticed the figure didn't lay flat and retracted my offer. However, they had another piece that looked much sharper:

This Clyde Drexler fit my budget ($7.00 + shipping) and makes my inner child happy because it's an out-of-market "unpopular" team. Also, it's from the very limited 1990 set. Not limited in the production run neccesarily (although I never saw any of these around) but in the checklist -- just 17 subjects:

My camera is crud so here's the complete list: Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb. Drexler, Chris Mullin, John Stockton, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and Tom Chambers. That's it.

 

I'm not opening the "Glide" yet but if I do, it will add a much needed non-center to my SLU shelf -- and two new cards to my basketball card box.

The second SLU I got myself for Christmas was a bit more expensive. Probably not opening this, either:

Dan Marino was one of the two dozen NFL stars I had in my collection as a kid - mostly quarterbacks, but a few running backs, receivers, and linebackers when I could find them. I've never had a sealed Marino figure as an adult and settled on the 1989 piece rather than replace the long-lost '88 or '90 figures I once had.


This one cost three times more than the Drexler and it's bent at the bottom, but I'm happy with it.

None of my NFL figures are open. I'm not sure if I'll buy a loose lot this year or continue hoarding sealed pieces. For now I need to buy a paper background for these figures (and maybe a better camera.)

This was kind of a sneaky "SLU Showcase" post; I'll be back to baseball cards this weekend.



Thanks for reading!




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SLU Showcase #8 - O Canada, Where Art Thou?

As a Starting Lineup fan and collector since childhood, I've always been intrigued by what figures Kenner didn't produce. Dave Krieg has a beard on his 1988 figure because Dan Fouts was pulled from the set upon his retirement and repurposed as the Seahawks' signal-caller.

Staying in Seattle, Steve Largent was listed on the backer checklist for both the 1988 and 1989 releases but his figure was never released. I had an SLU connection as a teen and asked the guy the find one for me. He informed me it was never made, and the Kenner Kid concurred. It's still unclear as to why Largent was excluded - perhaps it was his decision not to be immortalized in plastic?

There's also the curious case of the 1989 Starting Lineup basketball set - which I mentioned on this blog before. There are 77 figures listed on this backer checklist - but only four (and one unlisted Larry Nance) were actually produced?!?


It's much easier to explain why there were no Starting Lineup hockey figures from 1988 to 1992. Kenner had little faith in the Canadian market, and hockey wasn't popular in much of the US. Which is why I filled in the “lost years” with checklists of my own. [If you missed those posts, I linked them here.]

As a result, the two Canadian-based baseball teams got the minimum amount of representation in early SLU sets. Here is the only Expos player in the 1988 edition:

And here is the lone Blue Jay in the '88 set.

This trend continued through Toronto's first championship season of 1992:

Montreal was limited to one figure per set in nearly every release up to and including their World Series winning 1994 season.

So let's presume that Kenner viewed these two franchises like any other at the time, and fill in the players who should have been included - particularly in the large sets of '88 and '89. My picks for the '88 Expos are:

• Tim Burke
• Andres Galarraga
• Dennis Martinez
• Tim Raines
• Bryn Smith
• Tim Wallach

Let's add a couple more to account for the expanded set in 1989:

• *Hubie Brooks
• Andres Galarraga
• Dennis Martinez
• *Otis Nixon
• *Pascual Perez
• Tim Raines
• Bryn Smith
• Tim Wallach

I'm on the fence about Otis Nixon - he stole 46 bases for the Expos (in just 90 games) but was a below average player overall, and the outfielder-in-a-sliding-pose slot is already filled by Tim Raines.

Now for the Toronto Blue Jays. Here's the '88 mock-team set:

• Jesse Barfield
• George Bell
• Jim Clancy
• Tony Fernandez
• Tom Henke
• Jimmy Key
• Lloyd Moseby
• Rance Mulliniks

 

And 1989, when the Jays were A.L. East champions for the second time:

• George Bell
• Tony Fernandez
• *Kelly Gruber
• Tom Henke
• Jimmy Key
• *Fred McGriff
• Rance Mulliniks
• *Dave Stieb
• *Ernie Whitt

 

 *=new figure added


Stieb and Fernandez never appeared in a Starting Lineup set*, which leads me to wonder... who are some of the best baseball players not to have an action figure? A post idea for another day.

*except this one

The Starting Lineup Gallery tab is now open, starting with my figures from American League teams.

Thanks for reading!



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SLU Showcase #7

No new cards to report, though some set fillers are on the way. Guess it's a good time to restart my Starting Lineup Showcase series. Earlier this year I picked up a pair of 1989 SLU baseball figures for about $10. I never got around to showing them off, so I'll do that here. But first..

This sealed Bret Saberhagen figure has been in my collection for a couple decades. it's from the inaugural 1988 series, and it's in pretty good shape.

I also have a George Brett figure from '88, making this the only set of same-series teammates (other than Packers) in my collection. There's no major reason for this but a couple minor ones: these are two players I liked as a kid, the uniforms are colorful and the Royals were a random out-of-market team (which always appealed to me.)  The Brett cost more - though I can't recall how much more - and there's a bit of yellowing on the plastic around the card.

At one point I considered completing this team set for no other reason than to have a complete team set. The three I'd need to add are: Dan Quisenberry, Danny Tartabull, and Kevin Seitzer. A full team set recently sold on eBay for... $35 plus shipping, which averages out to $9 per piece. 

Most of my opened pieces are pitchers and batters, and I mentioned a while back that I was on the lookout for more fielding and/or sliding figures. Doesn't make much sense to open Brett because...

I already have an open Bret, hah. The 'second' Saberhagen arrived in a lot I purchased earlier this year. If I didn't have one of each perhaps I'd unseal the George Brett. Which reminds me...

I have another Brett figure. This one commemorates his 1999 enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's probably half as valuable as the '88 original but I see no reason to unseal this one, either.


There's a new addition to the Royal family... well, new compared to these figures. Apparently I teased this purchase seven months ago and never actually showed 'em off, so let's rectify that now.

1989 is a gold mine for rare and valuable Starting Lineup figures. The checklists for baseball and football were out of control. Many teams had seven or more players produced in the main set; the Mets led the league with 10! Kansas City - a slightly above average team in a small market - had eight. 

Brett, Saberhagen, Tartabull, and Seitzer returned (Quiz was traded to the Cardinals and did not receive a piece.) Four new additions to the Royal checklist were Pat Tabler, Mark Gubicza, Kurt Stillwell...

... and Bo. The other "rookie" was Bo. Jackson's 1989 figure is expensive - and he's swinging a bat. I was looking for fielders and got an interesting pair. Stillwell here is a random one, but he's in very nice shape. The other figure was a bigger name in far worse condition.

Buried underneath all that brown plastic is Joe Carter of the Clevelandians. Not only is the bubble dirty but there's black sharpie and a price tag on the backer at the top. I'mma go ahead and open this one.

That's better. Once I displayed Tha Carter, I realized that every team in the current AL Central is represented on my shelf... except one.

Any suggestions for which Tigers figure I should add?

Thanks for reading!



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SLU Showcase #6 - Bought From My Boss (and bonus cards)

It's been a while since I've done a Starting Lineup post. The plans to purchase a new piece every month were put on hold when I lost my job. And then I got side-tracked with card projects and the All-Time Teams reboot.

Buying back my childhood resumed almost immediately after I got hired at my new place of employment, which happens to be a sports apparel company. No joke, I have probably sent an invoice to your favorite team's payables department.

In fact I've recently purchased a Starting Lineup set in the office.

Behold the 1992 Dream Team boxed set! All ten of the original legends are here. (The final two additions to the team - Clyde Drexler and Christian Laettner - are not included.)

Until recently, this box was in a cabinet in my manager's office. However he and his wife are expecting their first child and he's selling a huge chunk of his collection to make room for baby. 

New Boss is not a sports card or memorabilia collector. Video games are his passion (he once competed in the Nintendo World Championships). He's been selling off his collection of consoles and games to other employees since before I was hired. When I told him that I'm not much of a gamer and revealed what my hobby collection consists of, he led me to his office and opened up the cabinet.

"Now you're speaking my language!" I told him, as he handed the box to me. 

"I was gonna sell it for $30, but you can have it for $25." 

 

The box isn't in the best shape, and it isn't something I'd choose if there were more SLU options before me. That said, these sets sell for 2-3x his price on eBay (I didn't check recent sales until after I brought it home). If I decide to open the box, $2.50 per piece is still a great deal. And it's going to a good cause.

 

 

A week later, he placed this tricked-out Nintendo Wii and a bag full of accessories on my desk. He offered them to me for free just as I was getting a phone call. I almost didn't answer it; was he really giving me this? I picked out a couple games my girls would like - Mario tennis and Kirby.

No, not that Kirby :p

 
So, yeah... new boss is awesome. New job is pretty neat. And I'm making enough money to impulse buy 30+ year-old action figures along with occasional card purchases - without any objections from the Mrs.

***************

Night Owl showed us a Kevin Brown Starting Lineup card in one of his recent posts, which made me curious about my SLU card collection. I've discussed this Duke Snider card before:

It's one of about a dozen loose cards in my collection. Early SLU cards are surprisingly expensive; some collectors actually buy the figures just to get the card - a concept that would blow my mind as a kid.
 

 

I rarely open any of my figures so it shouldn't be a huge surprise to see such a small amount in my card boxes.
 

  

 These are from figures I've opened. 

So are these two. I have the Alfie on my shelf but Wilson Alvarez is long gone. 

 

Come to think of it,  I don't know what happened to the Peter Bondra card.

Programming notes: My trading card wantlist tab has been updated.

Also, my 600th post celebration is approaching. I'll be giving away some cards to one lucky reader very soon. Keep commenting for your chance to win 300 (or more?!?) free cards.

Thanks for reading!




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