Sports Card Tour 2018 - San Francisco

California week continues on The Collector's Sports Card Tour with another one-sport city. Today we're in San Francisco.

The Giants won the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014. They have played in six fall classics since moving to San Francisco in 1958.

The 49ers won five Super Bowls from 1981 to 1994. The team recently moved to Santa Clara - which is closer to our next tour stop, San Jose. But we'll include them here because they're still called the San Francisco 49ers.

Joe Montana led the Niners to four Super Bowls in the 1980s. I was just getting into football when he was at his peak, and a lot of my friends were fans of his. I didn't like nor dislike him (his wife was pretty though!)

Even though I had no allegiance toward San Francisco teams, two cards you'll see in this post were important to my early collecting years. Montana was at or near the end of his career when I spied this Topps RC at my LCS. For some reason I wanted it, and for some reason the shop owner (who would become my boss a few years later) allowed me to pay the $200 sticker price in installments. It took me all summer (because I bought an autographed 8 x 10 of Christina Applegate from another store) but I did eventually take home the Montana rookie card. Don't ask me what I did with it.

I have yet to own a Jerry Rice rookie card, but it is on my bucket list. Rice is without a doubt the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and perhaps the greatest player regardless of position. I once had a page-a-day calendar of sports quotes and I'll never forget his "I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that." If I'm ever going to build the 1986 Topps football set the only card I will want PSA-graded is the Rice RC.

Steve Young waited very patiently for his chance to lead the 49ers' West Coast Offense and finally got his chance in 1991 after Montana missed the year with an elbow injury. By the end of the '90s he had completed his own Hall of Fame career-which included two league MVP awards and a Super Bowl MVP. Young is one of the greatest athletes ever with Connecticut ties - though not everyone considers him a Connecticut guy.

Like Jerry Rice, Young's rookie card is also in the 1986 Topps set - though not everyone considers it his true rookie card. 

Terrell Owens has been a prima donna for so long it's hard to remember him ever showing humility. I can only recall one such moment-but I'll never forget it. The Niners were playing my Packers in a 1998 playoff game. Steve Young was leading the come-from-behind drive (which should have stalled because Jerry Rice definitely fumbled) and hit T.O. for the game-winning T.D. 

Watch this celebration. You won't believe it's the same guy. 

Speaking of humble Hall of Famers...Deion Sanders isn't one of them, either. I was never a Deion fan but he had some cool cards and cool commercials. These cards are all in my stars/HOFers box; Ricky Watters is the only one not enshrined in Canton.

 

Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers were the top two quarterbacks available in the 2005 NFL Draft. The 49ers passed on Rodgers (a California kid) and drafted Smith first overall. Smith lost the 2011 NFC Championship to the Giants and lost his starting job to Colin Kaepernick the next year. Kaep killed my Packers in the 2012 Wild-Card game, and nearly led the Niners to victory in the Super Bowl that year.

Some of my best 49ers 'hits'. I had the Elvis Grbac Laser in my commons binder until writing this post. The Willis and Gore were COMC purchases. If it sounds like I'm mentioning COMC a lot in these posts it's because one of the reasons I came up with Sports Card Tour was to discuss each of the 500 cards I had shipped to me last Black Friday. Can't say this for sure but it's a good bet that every pro sports city was represented in that order.

Two of these '59 Giants were also purchased there. I bought the Landrith and Jones ungraded more than a year ago. The Bill White was part of an eBay order, from a seller who overstated the condition of his cards (this was listed as MINT!) but I'm still happy with it.

Some post-career Willies. The 1958 design is from a Topps 65th anniversary set. I disagree with Upper Deck's assessment that Mays is the second-greatest player of all-time. Babe Ruth might be the greatest power hitter the game has ever seen.. but he couldn't run, throw, or field like Willie Mays. 

Back when I was an '80s kid collecting '80s cards, there was a small card shop about four blocks from my house. That's where I got my first look at the 1968 Topps set - and the Willie Mays card.

The owner of the shop had his cards in thick screw-down holders and instead of using red price tag stickers he wrote the price on the holder in black magic marker: $50. I was maybe ten years old at the time, I didn't have fifty dollars. But my mom made a deal with the owner-and with me. I earned my first vintage card by doing extra chores and forfeiting my allowance for at least a month - possibly the whole summer.

Eventually I traded that '68 Mays and a Barry Sanders Score RC to another dealer in town - for a 1962 Topps Mays.  I sold that Mays to help pay for the 1955 Bowman Mays in my New York post. Not planning to upgrade that one any time soon.

This 1968 Topps Juan Marichal is still in my collection. I purchased it on 4 Sharp Corners. The McCovey relic was a COMC purchase.

Here's a pair of 1964 Topps Giants...Giants. Another project I've sort-of started but will probably never finish.

For those of you who prefer free-range cardboard. The rookie reprints are both 60 Years of Topps inserts; I bought a lot of 2011 flagship.

Will "The Thrill" Clark was San Fran's star during my childhood. I always thought of him as the west coast's Don Mattingly - but he had a better career than Donnie did. (If I grew up in California I'd probably have Clark's cards in my star box and Mattingly's in my commons binders-instead of the opposite.) 

By 1989 I was officially obsessed with baseball, and I watched the Giants play the Oakland Athletics in the "Battle of the Bay."

It was a depressing series, due to the earthquake that occurred before the start of Game 3. I had rushed upstairs to watch the game in my mom's room and when the broadcast cut out I thought there was something wrong with her TV - until the sound came on and Al Michaels alerted us of the disaster. 

 

Just three years later the Giants nearly moved to Tampa-until a new owner stepped in and solidified the franchise by signing Barry Bonds. I remember there was some kind of announcement during the 1993 Expansion draft but I can't recall if that was regarding the Bonds contract or quashing the relocation rumors.

Bonds bulked up by the end of the '90s and became the most feared hitter in baseball. Even if his home run records fall, his walk totals will never be touched. I was thrilled that the Giants blew Game 6 of the 2002 World Series - and Barry's best chance at a ring - because I could not stand his arrogance dating back to his Pittsburgh days. After the series loss, Bonds threatened to physically assault ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez (who admittedly had been an annoyance.)

Jeff Kent wasn't a warm and fuzzy guy, either, but he was the 2000 NL MVP and the all-time leader in home runs by a second baseman. I'd give Kent my Hall of Fame vote before I'd give it to Bonds, though it's obvious which one was the superior player. 

Tim Lincecum's small stature almost made his team name sound sarcastic. The two-time Cy Young award winner and three-time World Series champ was one of my favorite pitchers to watch in the early '10s. It helped that he looked a lot like Mitch from Dazed and Confused.

By the time Timmy lost his spot in the Giants' rotation another young ace was ready to step up..

Madison Bumgarner was as dominant in the 2014 postseason as any pitcher I've seen in my lifetime. He can hit when healthy, too. I had some high-end Bumgarner cards including two 2008 Bowman Chrome prospect autos and a 2007 Bowman Chrome refractor. Like the Sidney Crosby Upper Deck RC, I sold my Bums at peak value after he won a third title. 

 

One more Bum just arrived courtesy of a trade with Bo (Baseball Cards Come To Life!) I'm trying to finish Sports Card Tour as quickly as I can, but I'll be sure to squeeze in a thank you post for all of the trades I've made this month.

One of these two Buster Posey cards is an actual Topps rookie card, the other is a 60 Years of Topps insert. My initial reaction would be to complain about reprinting a one-year old card.. but 60 Years means 60 Years - including the most recent ones.

Brandons Crawford and Belt appear on this card. Wouldn't it be cool if the Giants had signed Brandon Phillips and Brandon Inge to round out their infield? My baseball-loving Bay area buddy Brandon would have loved that.

My prospecting days are over but I saved a handful of 1st Bowman Cards, including this Steven Duggar gold refractor #d/50. Duggar made his major league debut earlier this week. I don't know if he has eighteen siblings or not.

Let's bring out the closers to finish this post. Brian Wilson was fun to watch in his "Fear The Beard" days. Joe Nathan saved 377 major league games, but only one for San Fran. Tim Worrell pops up in my eBay searches because I'm on the hunt for 'Topps Traded Gold Worrell' ..unfortunately I'm looking for Peter Worrell. And we'll finish with "Shooter", a blogosphere fave.


Favorite Giants player (current): It was MadBum for a while..now it's probably Posey or Cutch
Favorite Giants player (all-time): Willie Mays
Favorite 49ers player (current): Richard Sherman
Favorite 49ers player (all-time): Roger Craig or Merton Hanks 

Next tour stop: San Jose


Have a great weekend everyone! Thanks for reading!


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