Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Joe Sakic card #158 1995-96 Topps #266

  • Card detective:  Hard to tell who the player is behind Sakic in this photo.  I'm pretty sure that's a Canadiens sweater, and the player is an alternate captain.  The alternates that year were J.J. Daigneault, Vince Damphousse and Mike Keane.  Daigneault wore #48 and Damphousse wore #25, so I don't think those fit.  I believe that it's Mike Keane, who wore #12.
  • Topps was actually the base set in 95-96; OPC was actually a parallel of the set instead of having it's own release.  
  • On this day in 1995, Joe Sakic had 3 assists as the Nordiques beat the Flyers 5-2 at Le Colisee.  He also scored once on Flyers goalie Ron Hextall that night, running the Nords winning streak to 5 games to open the 94-95 season.
- Robert

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Joe Sakic card #157 1995-96 Upper Deck Electric Ice #242

  • Love the difference in the lettering; the base card had the letters and the logo in sort of a bronze color, while the EI parallel letters are silver.  Cool...
  • While I was fascinated with the 94-95 Electric Ice parallels, the 95-96 version didn't excite me as much.  They just seemed kind of bland compared to the previous year.
  • Career goal #157 for Joe was scored 11/21/92 vs. the Hartford Whalers.  It was Joe's 18th goal of the season, and helped the Nordiques soundly defeat the Whale 8-2.
- Robert

Joe Sakic card #156 1995-96 Upper Deck #242

  • Interesting that Mike Milbury has a group of cards in this set that feature a scouting report from him.  Today, he's a much maligned hockey commentator on NBC Sports.   Funny how times change, but some people don't...
  • Also interesting is that this was the season that the Nordiques left for Colorado, but in the background of this photo is a Molson Canadian beer ad.  
  • Career goal #156 for Joe was scored 11/19/92 vs. Quebec's arch rival Montreal.  It was scored at home in the Quebec Coliseum against Patrick Roy in a 4-3 win for the Nords.
- Robert

Friday, January 27, 2017

Jim Thome card #160 1998 Donruss Collections #69

  • The final card of my 1998 Jim Thome collection is this Donruss Collections card.  I just noticed when I scanned the card, but it's very hard to see, is the word "collections" written in cursive on the left hand side of the card.  Strain to see it if you dare.
  • You have to tilt the card a bit to get the gold effect of the foil.  The scan actually showed it somewhat.  
  • I wonder how expensive these cards were when they were first released.  The glossy back makes me wonder if these packs had a high price point.
  • This also might be the 15th card from the '98 season that mentions Hal Trosky on the back.  Now I don't feel so bad when I repeat myself...
- Robert

Jim Thome card #159 1998 Pacific #79

  • Early years of Pacific saw some pretty nice cards.   Like the placement of the Indians logo, just above his back leg.  The foil doesn't overpower the card as well.
  • Bio on the back:  " En el 1997, Jim empato con Jay Buhner para ocupar el cuarto lugar entre los lideres de cuadrangular de la Liga Americana..."  Basically, Jim was tied for 4th in the AL in HR's in '97 with Jay Buhner.  Spanish was the primary language on the back of the cards.
  • Career home run #159 came off of the White Sox Jaime Navarro on 7/20/98.   The solo shot came while the Indians were down 3-1 at the time.  The Indians would score 2 more in the same inning to take the lead, and hold on to beat the Sox 5-4.
- Robert

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Jim Thome card #158 1998 Score #17


  • Simple design, classic Score.  Guessing that this photo was taken in April in Cleveland what with the long sleeves under the jersey.
  • Bio on the back:  "Jim, who belted 12 of Cleveland's 28 long balls in the month of June to help him earn his first All-Star game appearance, hit his 100th home run off of Bobby Witt on May 14."  12 out of 28 for a month?  Carried the team I would say...
  • Price check:   2 copies of this on COMC, both listed for 85 cents!!  Sportlots it is...
- Robert

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Jim Thome card #157 1998 Fleer Tradition #338


  • As I took this out of the binder, I expected the card to be an insert with some kind of numbering to reflect as such.   Nope, it's part of the base set from '98 Tradition.  It's part of a 20 card subset, which included Griffey Jr., McGwire, Bonds, and the Blue Jays Jose Cruz Jr.
  • If you look at the checklist here, you'll see that each card of the subset catches the subject in mid-swing.  Hopefully each is a home run swing...
  • Career home run #157 was hit 7/13/98 off of the Yankees Orlando Hernandez.  The shot tied the game at 1-1, and eventually the Indians would go on to win the game 4-1 as Jaret Wright would scatter 8 hits for his 9th win, and Michael Jackson would get his 20th save.   
- Robert

Monday, January 23, 2017

Brett Lawrie card #46 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter #224

  • I really got into a rut posting Brett Lawrie cards.  A lot of that stemmed from the fact that I had a lot of parallels and didn't really want to show the same damn card over and over.   This next (and final) page of 2013 cards has quite a few inserts, so there will be a bit of variety coming up.
  • I'm guessing that this was a spring training photo, because I sure don't remember this jersey being worn during the regular season.
  • Shame on me:  I actually missed Brett's birthday.   He turned 27 years of age back on the 18th.  Happy belated birthday Brett!
- Robert

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Jim Thome card #156 1998 SP Authentic #80

  • If there existed such a thing as "too much border on a baseball card" would this be it?
  • Not too often you see a card with a player having a weight on his bat in the photo.  Also looks like a spring training uniform as well.
  • Bio on the back:  Height 6' 4".  Weight 200 lbs.   What?  Every other card on this page has Jim listed either at 220 or 225 lbs.  I wonder if card companies make up the stats as they go, or is there an official weigh in somewhere, like they have for UFC...
- Robert

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Felix Potvin card #11 1994-95 Upper Deck #367


  • One of the best hockey cards I've ever seen.  Would love to know who came up with the idea because I'd like to pat him/her on the back for a job well done.
  • The card is certainly indicative of the amount of rubber that Felix saw during the 93-94 season; he appeared in 66 games and faced 2010 shots.  Felix and the Leafs would go to the 3rd round of the playoffs that year, facing another 510 SOG.  
  • It was cool to see Felix in the alumni game before the Centennial Classic, sharing the #29 with another of my favorite Leaf goalies, Mike Palmateer.
- Robert

Friday, January 20, 2017

Joe Sakic card #155 1995-96 Topps Finest #15

  • Here's the other half of the 95-96 Finest release, card #15 in the set.  I'm curious as to why the word "Sterling" appears in the background, as the card is bronze and not silver...
  • Both this and the previous Finest card list currently for $2 apiece.  The Gretzky gold card from this set still lists 20+ years after its release for $50.  
  • Bio on the back:  "He entered the 1995-96 season third on the franchise's all-time assist list, and fourth on the all-time points list".  It certainly wasn't too much longer after this release that he was first on both of those lists, where he'll probably remain for a very long time.
- Robert

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Jim Thome card #155 1998 Topps Gold Label #10

  • I have one word to describe this card.   Beautiful.
  • If Topps could bring back one set that they retired, this would be the one for me.  The scan makes the Gold Label look like the black parallel.  Trust me, it isn't.
  • What makes this card even better for me is the photo.  The contrast of him fielding in his home uni against hitting in his road blue/grey duds is a winner for me.
- Robert

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Jim Thome card #154 1998 Donruss Preferred Great Expectations #5

  • I'm guessing that this insert wasn't named after the Charles Dickens book...
  • Dual sided card!  On the back is the Dodgers Paul Konerko.  Card is serial #'d 1748/3000.  Jim and Paul would be White Sox teammates between 2006 & 2008. 
  • There are 3 copies currently on COMC.com of this card.  All 3 of them say that the card is serial #'d out of 2700.   Doesn't look good for that info if the 2nd of 3 cards is serial #'d 2759...
  • All 3 of them are priced between $2 and $2.25.  Not bad if you ask me...
- Robert

Monday, January 16, 2017

Joe Sakic card #154 1995-96 Finest #80


  • Back on track:  The last handful of Sakic posts were catching up on cards/stickers that I recently acquired that were from seasons pre 1995-96.  Now that those are online, we're back to the binder.  
  • As you can see, the protective coating is still on the card.   I will scan this card 20 years from now (if I'm still alive and kicking), and the coating will still be on there.
  • The burgundy of the Avalanche jersey actually works well with the bronze border on the card.  Maybe the jersey is actually bronze????
- Robert

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Jim Thome card #153 1998 E-x 2001 #33

  • One of the best scans of a card that I can remember in quite a while.  I like how the foil background in behind Thome scanned more a blue than the silver it actually is on the card.
  • I never really knew what to make of these "see-through" cards, similar to the Upper Deck Ice brand.  They feel kind of weird...
  • Career home run #153 was hit 6/25/98.  It was the first of 2 homers that day off of St. Louis pitching.  This victim was Manny Aybar, a 2 run shot in the 5th inning that would give the Indians the lead for good that day.  Jim would later hit a solo shot in the 4 run 8th inning to help the Indians win 8-2 over the Cardinals.  In case you were wondering, Mark McGwire also hit a homer in that game, his 35th(!) of the season.
- Robert

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Andrew McCutchen card #39 2013 Topps Archives 1972 Basketball Design #72B-AM


  • Great design, love the homage to an old and great basketball set from the 70's.  Shame they only did a 20 card insert set, because this would be a set worth chasing, IMO.
  • Found a McCutchen blog today thanks to AJ (the Lost Collector).  If you're looking for high end McCutchen goodies, check out Collecting Cutch.  
  • Picked this up today at the monthly card show, in a 3 for $5 box.  May be a bit pricey, but I really liked the card and knew that I didn't have it, so I figured why not?
- Robert

Friday, January 13, 2017

Andrew McCutchen card #38 2014 Panini Prizm #60

  • Prizm will be one of my favorite non-licensed sets, always.  It really doesn't change much from year to year, the design is cool in my books and the set isn't that huge in terms of # of cards.
  • It almost looks as if McCutchen has a karate black belt, doesn't he?  
  • Bio on the back: " What can Pittsburgh's amazing centerfielder do for an encore in 2014?  He was brilliant in 2013, winning his league's MVP award and leading Pittsburgh to its first playoff berth in 20 years."  How about leading them back to the playoffs?
  • 2017 will be a bounce back year for Cutch, regardless of where he ends up.  If he's not in Pittsburgh, I hope he's in Toronto.   A man can dream, right?
- Robert

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Brett Lawrie card #45 2013 Bowman Chrome refractor #153

  • Kind of lost my way a bit with the blog so far in 2017, being sick certainly takes away the desire to post.  I'm back to about 90% healthy as of today so I'm going to get back into the swing of things.
  • Love how this card scanned, reminds me of a sunset with the gold/red/orange coloring on the border.  
  • Quite the range for this card on COMC.  17 copies available, ranging from 43 cents to $1.75.  I certainly wouldn't have paid almost $2 for this card....ever
- Robert

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Jim Thome card #152 1996 Fleer Ultra On-Base Leaders #10

  • Another Black Friday COMC acquisition.  I did manage to fill a few holes with the last order, which included this card.
  • I really like the idea for the background, all the bases representing Jim's great OBP for the '95 season (.438).  Jim would go on to have a better year in '96 getting on base 45% of the time.
  • Speaking of walks and on base percentage, Jim's highest # of walks vs. any pitcher was 16 for his career.   That would be Tim Belcher who provided all those free passes, which might explain the 0 HR's and only 1 RBI career #'s for Thome vs. Belcher.
- Robert

Friday, January 6, 2017

Joe Sakic card #153 1989-90 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #187


  • That's 3 straight cards added to the Trading Card Database of Sakic.  I wonder if anyone will be confused since the back of this sticker is David Volek of the Islanders.  
  • I'm down to just one card that I need for Sakic's rookie year, the Kraft Panel #32.  I don't recall seeing too many of those on the interwebs.   Let the hunt begin. 
  • I've been so damn wiped out this week with this illness that I haven't even scanned a card since Monday.   Thank goodness I had a few of these posts in the bank.   Almost 100% now so I should be back up and running tomorrow.
- Robert

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Jim Thome card #151 1997 Bowman Chrome #71

  • Part of my Black Friday COMC was this card.  It reminds me of an old pinstripe suit.
  • Finally made it to post #400!!  At the current pace I'm going now, I have enough cards to post for another 2 years on this blog.  Of course that will grow as I add more cards to the PC's.
  • Career Home Run #151 for Jim was the first of 2 he hit on 6/19/98 vs. the Yankees.  It was a solo shot off of David Cone, and was part of a day that saw Jim get on base all 4 times (2 walks, 2 homers) as the Indians beat the Yankees 7-4.  The loss for Cone that day saw his record drop to 9-2, even with an ERA almost at 5.  
- Robert

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Joe Sakic card #152 1989-90 Panini Stickers #327

  • That's 2 straight Sakic cards I was able to add to the Trading Card Database.  Although, this being a sticker may not count as a card....
  • Love the fact that this was photographed with his rookie season #88 jersey.  Don't have too many cards of him wearing that number.
  • Difficult to find these right now, no copies for sale on COMC or ebay.  While searching for this sticker, I found several others that I still need for the Sakic PC.   Not surprising, as I've never really hunted for the sticker portion of Sakic releases until recently.
 - Robert

Monday, January 2, 2017

Joe Sakic card #151 1994-95 Score 90 Plus Club #NP19

  • Another card I was able to add to the trading card database website.  Finding more and more of these as I go along, so with each card I add on this blog, I'll check TCDB to see if it needs added.
  • Pretty sure that Joe is facing off with legend Denis Savard.  The ice chips on the front make it look like the faceoff has just taken place...
  • I bought my copy of this card from COMC for $1.85, which I thought was a very good price.  The only copy left on the site now has a price listed of $8.24, which I certainly would not have paid.   Ever.
- Robert