I Got New Cards

I'm working on a long blog post update about a non-sports topic I used to discuss here years ago, so I don't have the creativity to come up with a clever title for this post or any kind of theme tying these things together.

So... here are some cards I acquired recently, starting with a purchase from 4 Sharp Corners:

 

The only vintage Frank Robinson issue I have is from 1964 Topps Giants, so I thought the mainstream release would pair nicely with its same-year counterpart. Paid a lot more for this one than I did the "oddball" but I'm happy with it.

 

 
The eye appeal is as good as any '6' I've ever seen. Centering on the front could be a little better but the back is very clean.

 

 

 
Also picked up a 'bucket list' card with this Brooks Robinson here. In my mind, a '71 Topps without white specks or chipping should get at least a +1 grade bump, but the centering on the back isn't great.


Total for these two was about $75. And they brought back a memory from my childhood. No, I wasn't alive in 1971. The Orioles were awful when I was a kid, and I think I must have been asking my older brother (who was old enough to have seen the 1970 World Series) if they were ever any good. Because he told me that they were one of the league's best teams when they had Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson.

"Were they brothers?" I asked my brother. I had this weird assumption that everyone with the same last name was related.

"No!" He scoffed, informing me that Frank was black and Brooks was white. Not long after this, I began pulling Frank Robinson manager cards out of Topps packs and devouring books about baseball history.

I know how most of you feel about graded cards, and I'm a little perturbed that these beauties were merely EX-MT, while some lesser-looking examples surely graded higher. I can't help myself, I just love graded vintage singles. But I probably won't be buying any more for a long time now that my 'treasure chest' is full.

Okay, maybe just one more.

Sometime around Easter I bought a couple Upper Deck fat packs at Target.

 

Most of the cards had corner dings and nicked edges, which was a real bummer since I pulled not one but two Young Guns. One of them was a RC of 2021 #1 overall pick Owen Power, so I decided to roll the dice on a replacement. (Not that it was UD's fault, probably some rowdy Target shoppers or employees dinged 'em.)

I sent the two YGs and about 25-30 base cards back to Quality Control.

You can see the top corner dings on the cards I sent back. The new examples are much cleaner. Not perfect, but I'm not grading them so they're more than adequate. Think I'll leave them in these nice sealed top loaders, too.

Instead of exact replacements for the loose cards, UD sent me three hobby packs - all of which were slid into thick (and clean) top loaders. I crossed my fingers for a third Young Gun but I wasn't that lucky.

Each pack did contain an insert, however. These currently sell for about 28 cents each on COMC, lol.


Was it worth spending the $5 to ship the damaged cards to UD? Yeah, I'd say so. I'm happy with the replacements, got some inserts I didn't have before, and three nice top loaders that aren't cheap.


Also, this came in the mail just before the playoffs started. Kinda looked like a junk mail flyer, except...

 

It's a free Jack Hughes jumbo card! If you collected 1993-94 Score, that right side panel will look very familiar to you. I might hang this up in my cubicle wall at work - which I would be encouraged to do since we manufacture and sell clothing for all major sports teams. Gonna try and take a picture for y'all on Friday when most of the staff is working from home.

 
Anyway, I'm off to work on that news/journal/update thing. I think you'll like it - though if you've only been following this blog for a year or less, you'll probably have no idea who I'm talking about.



Thanks for reading and Let's Go Devils!!!!

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