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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