TTM Fuel - 1973 Topps

Back in late September I purchased a two card lot off of X (formerly Twitter) during a weekly vintage baseball card thread. 

I spent $4 shipped on these two 1973 cards. I already have them both, but I have big plans for one of them.

First up is this Steve Garvey card. Wait it says Steve Garvey on the card, but we can plainly see the back of the jersey says Parker. Oh, the player that Parker (Wes Parker) is in front of is indeed Steve Garvey. Between Parker and the shadow, you can't really make out much of Garvey's face at all.

This card is a prime example of the "unique" photography that Topps used in the 1973 set.

I actually love this card though. It's a different shot that you don't see all that often and certainly didn't see if much before this card was produced in 1973. 

We also get to see Garvey approaching home plate after a home run and him being congratulated by his teammate Wes Parker. 

I am a big Wes Parker fan. He has a tremendous story and was an excellent fielder. I won't give away too much on this post because I know I have blogged about him before. 

You can also notice that this card lists Steve Garvey's position as 3rd Base. When you think of Garvey you probably think of him as a 1st baseman. Wes Parker played 1st base and as I mentioned, he was quite the defensive first baseman, so Garvey didn't take over first base until Parker retired, which was actually after the 1972 season. So by the time this card was making its way into the hands of baseball card collectors in 1973, Garvey had actually taken over for Parker at first base.

But the Garvey card was not the reason I bought the lot. I bought it for this card. A 1973 Topps Rich "Goose" Gossage rookie card. 

The front of the card is not in great shape, but it's not too bad. The back of the card has some staining, like it may have been glued, but there isn't any paper loss, so it's not too bad either. A couple bucks for a vintage Hall of Fame rookie card is going to get my attention 7 days a week!

I already have the card, but at this price, again just $4 shipped for the two cards, I pulled the trigger so I can send this card to Goose to get signed TTM (Through The Mail). I try not to send cards TTM that I would be devastated if it didn't come back or came back damaged. This card is perfect because it's already damaged and it only cost me a couple bucks.

I'll keep you all posted when I get it back signed (fingers crossed).

Come to think of it, Garvey also signs TTM. I just might send his card out as well. 

Do you collect autographs TTM? Have you ever gotten back Gossage or Garvey? Let me know!

Butylated Hydroxytoluene

It's been a while, but I am still here and still going strong in the hobby. I have been more active on YouTube than on my blog, but want to get back into blogging because this is such an awesome community and I have known many of you for a decade or more.

I am also active on Twitter and participate regularly in a Sunday giveaway thread. I give away cards there and claim cards and other items. I have seen a few books being offered up lately and I recently claimed a couple of Topps wax wrappers.

The first one is from 1979. How cool is that? Love the yellow with the blue. Love the old school Topps logo. 

There are a couple different variations of the 1979 wrapper in regards to the offer on the back. Let's turn this sideways and get a better look.

Initially the 1978 copyright date through me off a little because this is a 1979 Topps wrapper. Maybe they produced this particular wrapper in 1978 in preparation for the 1979 Topps being sold early that year. Good for Topps on being working ahead back in the late 1970's.

We also get the ingredient list for the gum.

The offer is for all 26 Team Checklist Cards. 50 cents and 1 wrapper would get you all 26 cards, which seams like a pretty good deal. Too bad the offer expired on 12/31/79.

In the same Twitter, or I guess I should say, X, giveaway I got a 1980 Topps wrapper as well. Similar to the 1974 and 1976 designs, this 1980 wrapper would be the start of 11 years of very similar wrapper designs at least for the front of a regular wax pack. The major difference each year would just be the colors (typically they were blue, green or red) with wrappers after 1982 having the actual year on the front of the pack as well.

 I love the 25 cent price tag on the pack. I'm old and both of these packs are from before I was born, so they are super old. I was born in 1981, so just a year later, but still. I didn't start buying packs until 1988 I think and I want to say they were probably 40 cents each. I think by 1990 they were 50 cents each. I could be wrong. Let me know.

Okay. Let's rotate the wrapper and take a look at the information that would have been on the back.

By 1980 Topps was no longer working ahead as they have a 1980 copyright date as opposed to the 1979 pack that had a 1978 copyright date. Again, we get the ingredients for the gum, which includes "BHT (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS). So I had to look it up and BHT stands for Butylated Hydroxytoluene, which is an antioxidant so it does help foods stay fresher longer.

The offer on the back is again for the Team Checklist Cards. Still 50 cents and 1 wrapper. I am perplexed by the picture. Were the 26 Team Checklist Cards sent in sheets and you had to cut them out? If you were collecting at this time and know, please comment below to let me know. 

I have a nice Topps wrapper collection. I currently have 1974 - 1977, 1979 - 1983, and 1985 - 1991 so I am just missing 1978 and 1984. I'm just collecting one wrapper from each year and not focusing on getting all of the different variations. 

Do you collect wrappers?

If you happen to have an extra 1978 or 1984 Topps wax wrapper, let me know. 

Topps Player Runs

I made it to two different card shops this past Saturday. Here is a look at my haul.

Some good variety here. Early to mid 1960's through present day. I got some cards (Walt Alston, Vern Law and Wally Moon)for a few Topps Player Runs that I am working on. There are some newere Paul Goldschmidt cards that I'll be able to add to my Goldschmidt PC. The bulk of the cards you see here are from dime boxes. There was also a pack of 1994 Score Series 2 that I got for free. I made a YouTube video about the cards for the Topps Player Runs and the 1994 Score pack.

If you're interested in the duplicate Walt Alston cards and have something to trade, preferably any of the Alston cards I'm missing, let me know. Thanks!

TCDB Trade with Too Many Verlanders

I've been way more active on youTube lately, but I still browse the blogosphere often. For some reason, my laptop won't allow me to comment though, which is super annoying. Anyways, Dennis, over at Too Many Verlanders, sent me a package recently. I have started using TCDB this year to track my collection and I believe Dennis is the first person to look at my TCDB page before sending me cards. I love all cards, but it was nice that pretty much all of the D-Backs cards Dennis sent were needs for my D-Backs collection. Let's take a look at what Dennis sent. First up are some 2022 Topps Heritage D-Backs cards I needed.

Next up are a few Rnady Johnson cards, including a sweet 2001 Studio jersey card. I needed the Leaf card as well. I have the Upper Deck card, but I have a seperate binder for Randy Johnson, so I probably need this one for the team set. I will have to double check.

Up next are a random assortment of D-Backs cards, but they are all cards I needed. No dups!

Finally, there was a stack of 25 different 2020 Topps Heritage cards. Now I am collecting this set, but I don't have my needs updated on TCDB and I don't believe I have posted them anywhere. So Dennis, if these were sent to me by accident, let me know. If not, I do need some of them and I will put the others to good use.

Thank you so much Dennis for the awesome cards! Super glad to finally be on the TCDB bandwagon. I still have a long ways to go. I know a few other bloggers have recently posted about getting on TCDB. How about you? Are you on TCDB. If so, let me know your username and I will add you as a friend. I am dkwilson2430 on TCDB.

Funerals can get you thinking.

The entire month of January came and went without a single blog post from me. I have been more active on YouTube recently, but I don't want to let any more time go by without posting here. 

Life is crazy busy right now. My youngest is playing flag football through a local rec league right now and is still on a club baseball team. My middle son is playing basketball through a local rec league and has been going to open gym for volleyball at his high school. Tryouts are this week. My oldest finally got cleared to return to baseball after about 11 months (he tore his ACL). He has been practicing with the team since returning to school in January after the winter break and has been staying after practice to hit in the cages or will go to an indoor batting cage if he has free time. Tryouts for baseball are next week. He missed his entire Sophomore season due to his ACL and has been working hard to get back into baseball shape and is hoping to make Varsity, but will be happy on JV. 

Two weeks ago I went to northern California for my great uncle's funeral. My sister and I drove up and back. With stops, it was 14-15 hours each way, so we drove up on Tuesday, Wednesday was the funeral, and then we drove home on Thursday. Overall, it was a really nice trip. I enjoyed the time with my sister. We stayed with an aunt and uncle, which was really nice. Got to see a couple of cousins and another uncle at the funeral that I don't see very often. The actual service was nice. There was a brief program at the cemetery and then we went to a church for a service and luncheon. My grandparents and my great uncle and his wife were best friends and so whenever we would go to my grandparents each summer, they would be there as well, but he was 94 and I'm 41, so by the time I was born he was already 53 years old and by the time I was 10, he would have been 63 or 64 years old, so it was interesting to learn a bit about him as a child and younger adult through a video of pictures of him throughout his life. 

My first cousin once removed (pretty sure I got that right) is the one that planned the service. She is my great uncle's daughter. She did something that I thought was fantastic. My great uncle loved putting together model airplanes. He had tons of them that he had put together over the years. So at the luncheon, they had a bunch of his model airplanes out on the tables as centerpieces and everyone was encouraged to take one home with them as a memento. I absolutely love this idea! What a great way for each person to remember him.

This got me thinking and at my funeral I want there to be baseball cards on display and I want everyone to be able to take one home to remember me by. Now I don't plan on giving away my Hank Aaron or Nolan Ryan rookie cards this way, but there are plenty of awesome cards that are meaningful to me that could be given away in this manner. For example, how about the 1999 Topps reprint of the Nolan Ryan rookie card symbolic of my run of Nolan Ryan playing day Topps cards or this 2001 Fleer Platinum Postseason Glory card featuring Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling holding up the 2001 World Series trophy for my Arizona Diamondbacks.

These are the perfect types of cards that I think would be perfect to give away at my funeral and then best part is I have another 50+ years to pick them all out. I might even write something up about each card and why it's meaningful to me to be included. It should be fun!

Let me know what you think about my idea!

Merry Christmas Eve!

 It’s Christmas Eve, we’ll it’s Christmas Eve morning anyways. I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a Merry Christmas and say thanks to a few bloggers that sent me some cards recently.

First up are these three awesome O-Pee-Chee packs from Angus over at Dawg Day Cards. Angus saw my collection of Topps pack wrappers that I am working on and figured I could use these O-Pee-Chee packs/wrappers. He couldn’t be more right! These are awesome! Living in Arizona I don’t come across O-Pee-Chee cards very often, let alone packs! I think these are the first O-Pee-Chee packs I have ever seen in person. Thank you Angus!

Next up is this 1991 Fleer white border mod parallel of Nolan Ryan. 

Gavin of Baseball Card Breakdown sent this really sweet solar modified 1991 Fleer Nolan Ryan card to me. I had read Gavin’s post about these cards the night before he arrived and so I was super excited when I saw the envelope in the mailbox from him.

It arrived with the holiday insert, which is great in and of itself! Gavin is super creative!

I am one of just four know individuals in existence who actually like the 1991 Fleer design, but I really dig the white border mod parallel as well. Thanks Gavin!

And a bubble mailer from Greg at Night Owl Cards showed up in my mailbox the same day as the envelope from Gavin. Greg sent me some recent D-Backs cards, which are always much appreciated! Thanks Greg!

Hope everyone out there has a very Merry Christmas and a great 2023!

I had no idea!

Johnny Bench recently celebrated a birthday. He turned 75 years old on December 7th. That means he was born in 1947. 

Do you know who else was born in December 1947? December 26, 1947 to be exact. 

I was made aware of this the other day and it did truly blow my mind. I think it's because I got to see Fisk play for a number of years, while Bench retired when I was just 2 years old. It's just hard for me to fathom them being born the same year, just a few weeks apart.

Even though Fisk retired 10 years after Bench, their career numbers aren't that far off. Bench began his career in 1967 and played continuously through 1983 (17 years). Fisk debuted in 1969, but did not spend any time in the majors in 1970. He would then play continuously from 1971 - 1993. (24 years) Bench played in 2,158 games compared to 2,499 games for Fisk. So even though Fisk played 7 more season than Bench, he had some years where he was limited due to injuries. 

Bench                                        Fisk

.267 career batting average    .269 career batting average

2,048 career hits                      2,356 career hits

389 career home runs              376 career home runs

1,376 career RBI                     1330 career RBI

When you look at the career numbers and take into consideration how difficult the catcher position is, both careers are extremely impressive, but I give the nod to Bench for all the he was able to accomplish in "just" 17 seasons. How about you? Bench or Fisk?