Mail Call from the Hall

To celebrate hopping back into collecting, I decided to treat myself to a little...well, treat.  Amazingly enough, I don't have many Maz certified autos in my collection.  He's one of the less expensive HOF autos, but since I grew up about 15 minutes from his summer home, I never had much trouble getting a card signed here or there.

But one of my collecting goals it to add more Ralph Kiner and Maz autos to my collection.  Pirates Hall of Famers with affordable signatures aren't easy to come by after all.  The 2000 and 2001 Greats of the Game auto sets were two of the nicest ever made, in my opinion.  I'm partial to the 2000 set, but 2001 offered a nice clean design.  And for about $11, this was a deal too good to pass up.

Group Break Goodies

I'm part of a group of team collectors.  It started as a trading group years ago, but at this stage it's really more like a group of friends spread across the country who just happen to collect cards of men playing sports.   And every few months the group pools some money and does a group break.

Typically the breaks would be an entire case of one of the more recent low to mid end products, but with the snoozefest Topps has been putting out this year, we decided to mix it up with a multi-box break at a slightly lower price point.  At just $10/team, we were able to get

2013 Topps Mini
2014 Prizm
2014 Topps Chrome
2014 Topps Series 2 Jumbo
2014 Donruss Series 2

The break had some pretty cool hits, including a 1/1 plate from Mini and an Edgar Martinez gold auto /10 from Prizm.  Plus tons and tons of inserts from the Panini products.  Chrome was painful to watch, pretty much void of any color.

 Overall, the Pirates treated me pretty well.  I picked up a second team to help make the break happen, since we don't have collectors for all 30 teams.  I ended up with the Indians as my second team, and let's just say that stack was far less impressive.  I think I got an insert and a few red foil cards from Topps, but that $10 was pretty much a sunk cost.  If anybody needs some Indians cards from those products, let me know!

 The McPherson is a gold mini /62, and was probably the highlight of the break for me.  The gold cards seemed pretty plentiful - I think we hit 3, plus a 1/1 plate and pink mini /25 from the box.  It was on sale for something like $30, and was definitely worth the cost.  The mini sets have been a real pain for me over the last few years, and I'm still a long way from finishing any of the team sets.

 Topps Chrome was a big disappointment this year.  They must have really cranked up the presses, since most boxes seem to have at best 1 colored refractor.  I do like that they included a nice number of Bucs this year, but this Cole refractor was the best the box had to offer for me.  Luckily singles have been pretty cheap on ebay, with the obvious exception of Polanco cards.

 Prizm may be my favorite product of the year with its colored parallels and inserts.  It has become everything Topps isn't doing anymore.  And the box was kind enough to yield ye ole Pirates hit for me as well.  Sure, I was hoping the break would net me a Polanco auto, but I'll take Grilli as well.  After all, I may have used up all my luck on the last break.

I certainly can't complain.  A nice stack of base cards I didn't have, a few low end parallels, a numbered card, and an auto for $10?  That's probably right around what I would pay in singles.  Certainly not a bad deal, considering I had the chance of pulling some much, much better cards.

No Cardboard, No Cry

The 4th of July usually means fireworks and baseball, but we decided to switch it up a bit and head to Rogers, OH for some flea market shopping.  We actually went last year over the 4th weekend as well, which was our first trip there.  It's a good flea market, but with any market it can be hit or miss.  For the number of vendors and the insane traffic and crowds, it wasn't a home run.  But I picked up some very nice pieces.

We walked around for quite a while until something stood out to me.  But when it did, it did in a big way.  I've been on a bit of a print/litho kick lately, if you've been reading over the last few months.  This piece features Maz, Stargell, and Clemente on the left, and the Pirates 1994 schedule on the right.  It's a little smaller than your average movie poster, so it would take up a good chunk of wall space.  I'm not sure that I want to dedicate that much room to an overblown pocket schedule that's 2 decades outdated.  I may cut/fold it down to just display the art portion, though that Iron City ad in the lower right corner may give me just cause to show off the whole thing.  And besides, maybe someday my future children and their friends can learn of a wonderful world before freaking interleague games every. single. day.  But I digress...
  The seller initially asked $10 on the piece.  Within a matter of seconds of me not responding to his initial offer, he had made 3 separate counteroffers, landing at $5.  I managed to bundle in a couple of 70's Pirate scorecards he had, getting the trio for $10

It was a program kind of day apparently.  A couple rows over I came across a regular dealer who usually has Pittsburgh sports memorabilia.  He had a stack of pennants, and some odds and ends photos, programs, and the like.  I picked up a 1962 Pirates yearbook with some slight damage for $10, and got him down to $5 on an awesome looking 2006 ASG pennant.

I've amassed a pretty nice pennant collection over the last year or so courtesy of local flea markets.  But the fragile tips and general flimsiness of them has me worried.  Pennant toploaders seem like a pretty pricey investment, but also seems like the only real option for longterm display/safety.  I'd hate to just ram a couple thumbtacks through them and stick them to the wall.

If anyone is more well versed in pennants than I, any tips on display/storage would be greatly appreciated.

What I had lacked in quantity, I easily made up for at the end of the day.  Kate was looking through a vendor with a few boxes of postcards (her first foray into collecting), and I wandered around a bit nearby.  I saw a dealer with some Penguins shirts in front of his table, where I snagged an awesome argyle print shirt with the 90's Pens logo complete with new tags for only $3.  Further back in his cove of tables he had some Pirate magazines - yearbooks, programs, some random stuff.

Nothing was priced, but he said they were $2 a piece.  At that price, I quickly grabbed up a half dozen or so that I was interested in.  The dealer came over and said I could take all the programs for $10.  Considering I already had more than $10 in my pile, I eagerly pulled out a ten while he boxed up the lot for me.

The vendor said that the collection came from an estate sale, and that the owner had worked for the Pirates in some office capacity.  Cool story, and I figured I could go through things in a bit more depth when we got home.

And boy was I pleased.  The box contained magazines, scorecards, and promotional materials from the mid 80's through 2001.  There was a business card attached to one - apparently this guy had been in the Pirates front office doing financial work for the team.  There were relatively common items - the On Deck Magazine, four media guides from the 90's, a couple 80's scorecards (seriously, can anything scream "We're in trouble this year!" more than Steve Kemp, Sixto Lezcano, and George Hendrick on your scorecard?).

But the real treasures for me were the oddball items - a couple Pirates' investor reports, magazines from the late 90's touting the future PNC Park, a merchandise catalogue (does anybody else remember those?) from the 1994 All-Star game, and what appears to be a back-area pass from the 1992 Stanley Cup finals.

 

I guess this only adds to my problem of having way too much stuff and no idea how/where to display it.  But if nothing else there is some awesomely dated reading material in here.  I think I've been slowly building an unofficial Pittsburgh sports archive.  Even in this day and age of everything being digitalized and nothing ever really leaving the internet, it seems kind of cool to preserve some of these things that probably rarely got a second glance after they were published.

I Need More Wall Space

After another month long disappearance, I'm back to blog land.  And this time finally with a renewed interest in collecting and (hopefully) cards.  Flea market season seems to have brought out the best in me.  But I do feel pretty crappy that I disappeared before I got to show off the best pickups from the big Robert Morris show, including my Pirate card additions and two awesome framed pieces.

In the time since I went away, I have found some really amazing pieces at flea markets.  As my card buying as tapered off, my appreciation for other Pirates memorabilia has picked up steam.  The down side?  Wall space.  Namely my lack of it.  Most of the wall space in our current apartment is already accounted for.  We're looking to move later this year, possibly into our first house.  The plus?  Wall space and finally a man cave of my own.  The down side?  Makes putting new stuff up on these walls kind of tiresome when you just hope to take stuff down in a few months.

But boy will I have an awesome basement one of these days...

This was a pickup from the RMU show, and is probably tied for being my second favorite addition from the show with this piece.

It looks like the print came from the Pirates 100th anniversary in 1987, and aside from the somewhat questionable inclusion of Tony Pena captures all the Pirates greats to that point.  I might take slight issue with the size of Clemente in comparison to Pena, Stargell, and Maz.  But otherwise the colors on this print really stand out, and the blue/red and black/gold color schemes create some interesting contrast.

I'm a history junkie, and I think there's something that really attracts me to pieces that acknowledge a lengthy span of history.  One of the things I love about the Bucs is that their history largely parallels the rise of the city of Pittsburgh.  To fit all those eras and players into one space is just really interesting to me.

Now I just need to find somewhere to hang it...

On the Third Day of Show-Mas, My Dealer Sold to Me...

...a signed Maz poster.

This one is sitting in a poster tube, and is a bit of a pain to unroll since it's on thick poster board.  I hope you'll forgive the borrowed online photos.  As my purchases were winding down, Todd asked me if there was anything specific I was looking for.  I mentioned I would love to add a nice, large signed Maz piece.  He had quite a few to pick from, but nothing really caught my eye.  And then he said, "wait, you haven't seen this."  He pulled a large poster tube from behind his table, and pulled out a piece I had seen before.

But the big difference?  It was signed.  Maz added his signature in the black space at the bottom, along with his HoF year.  The original art was done by Burton Morris, who also designed the 2006 All-Star Game logo.

I love the '06 ASG logo, and the pop art feel to both pieces really resonated with me.  The top photo doesn't do the image justice - the blue background on the poster is a very vibrant royal blue.  On top of the look of the piece, I'm really happy to have a Maz piece that shows him turning two, since there are so many pieces commemorating the 1960 walk off HR.

I've wanted to start collecting some (non-sports) art, but any kind of art collection is out of my budget for the foreseeable future.  But I'm really happy to have some new Pirate-themed art pieces in my collection.  I think they'll add some nice variety to the array of photos and signed memorabilia I hope to display some day.  And in case you haven't noticed, I really love bright, vibrant colors.  And you can't go wrong with a Hall of Famer signature in your collection.

The Big Show Pickups, Part II

The Pirates 1925 World Series poster I posted earlier today was a huge pickup, and the only piece of pre-war memorabilia in my collection.  But it's a little lacking in the color department.  Fortunately for my future wall space, the remainder of my pickups make up for that.

I'll let the picture speak for itself.  This was one of three items I picked up that weren't professionally framed.  Details on the piece have been hard to come by.  Todd had no idea where he found his copy, and online searches have been fruitless.  But I assume the lithograph is some kind of all-time team.  The players featured span all 8 field positions, a manager, and 3 pitchers - lefty and righty starter and fireman Roy Face.

From left to right starting in the back row: Danny Murtaugh, Harvey Haddix, Roy Face, Vern Law, Honus Waner, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente  Front row: Ralph Kiner, Manny Sanguillen, Paul Waner?, Pie Traynor?, Bill Mazeroski

The colors immediately caught my eye, and I love the span of history covered on the piece.  The most recent player is Pops, who retired in 1982, so I imagine the piece is from the mid-late 80's.  I assume anything more recent would have replaced Sanguillen with Jason Kendall, or included Barry Bonds. 

The lithograph reminds me of a mural located under a bridge in downtown Pittsburgh.  The mural was right along my route that I walked almost daily during my first year of college when I would spend my down time reading and writing at the Point where the three rivers converge, so it brings back some nice memories for me.

At first glance I thought the background on the lithograph was some kind of desert scene.  But upon a closer look I realized it's actually the stands and backdrop of Forbes Field with Pitt's Cathedral of Learning towering near the center.

Better yet the litho cost about as much as a blaster.  I'd love to get it into a frame immediately, but I'll probably hold off until I can get it professionally framed and matted.  But I can guarantee this will be a centerpiece of my Pirates display for a long time to come.

Well, It's the Big Show, Part 1

It took a while to sort through all the carnage, but I'm quite pleased with my pickups from the Robert Morris show.  I'm going to split my finds up into a few parts, since there are some big additions to showcase.

The show was even more vintage heavy than usual, and it is typically a very strong show for vintage to begin with.  It was a bit frustrating when I saw very little of anything modern on my first sweep of the show floor, and the dealers I did see were many of the same guys that are on the mall circuit.  But I decided to just go with the flow - if the show gives you vintage, make...vintage aid:?

I'm glad I did.  The main vintage guys are pretty much the same every year - big time dealers who travel the country hitting all the major shows.  Since I'm usually digging through the discount boxes, my finds are usually at the whim of how much higher end product they are carrying, to which the trickle down effect is how much excess goes to the discount boxes.

And this year those discounts were glorious.

I doubled the number of vintage Clementes in my collection this year, and did so at jaw dropping prices.  The card to the right set me back a full $1.  And no, there aren't any numbers after that 1.  Obviously it's far from flawless.  There is a nice crease running right down the middle of the card, and it looks like somebody took a bite out of the top corner.  But the photos of both Pirates, most importantly Clemente, are flawless.  For the time being I'll call it a placeholder.  But in all honesty, I would be perfectly pleased if this is the only copy of this card I ever own.

There are really only two classes of Pirates vintage: HoF'ers and everyone else.  With the exception of short prints, I have found or am pretty confident I will find every Pirate vintage card in a discount bin at some point.  But the big 3 - Stargell, Clemente and Maz - rarely make their way in there, and for good reason.  I have knocked out a decent number of low grade Stargells, but Maz and Clemente make up quite a few of my holes after the early 50's.  Another dollar box yielded a much appreciated Maz.

But the majority of my digging focused on even cheaper vintage.  The majority of my finds were in the $.50 range, and came in very nice condition for that price.

Like I said - the big 3 and everybody else.  Not that I'm complaining.

One of the other perks to a large show is the occasional oddball card.  I found a bagged pack of these cards for $2 at one table.  I hadn't the slightest idea what they were, but I knew I didn't have any of them, and that was good enough for me. A little digging unearthed that they were a stadium giveaway set in '85, and apparently came in packs.  I have about half the set, so I wish I would have grabbed a second pack at hopes of completing the set.  Still, nice cards for a pretty terrible team.  The Hendrick card is a major upgrade on his only major company Pirates issue, and the coaches card is a nice touch for the period that Topps abolished the team/coach cards.

Of course I never totally strike out on the modern stuff either.  I was able to come away with a nice little stack of numbered cards out of a quarter box, including a few much needed Topps Golds.

But that's just a taste of what's to come.  Friday is largely my reconnaissance day, scouting the floor for the best tables and jumping on any good boxes that I know will be quickly picked over on Saturday.  I'll hopefully have part two up later this weekend, though there's still some scanning to be done.

This Magic Moment

Baseball is a game with a rich history.  But that can be said of any sport.  Perhaps the biggest difference is the amount of attention the sport gives to that history on a regular basis, and card sets are no exception. 

I think you can safely argue that Bill Mazeroski's walk off game 7 home run in the 1960 World Series is the most dramatic moment in pro sports.  Other events may be more impressive, more talked about, or more photographed.  And that last part may be the most interesting to discuss.

Full game film from the famous game was only recovered a few years ago.  And the still photos from the famous homer are pretty slim pickings as well.  All in all a far cry from the army of photographers and cameras that come with each and every sporting event today, regardless of scale or importance. 

And the number of cards celebrating the occasion are inversely impressive.  The thing is there's only so much you can do to make the same event, the same photo, the same angles interesting.  Some have been more impressive than others, but each and every one is a part of my collection that I love having.

First up is undoubtedly the most straightforward.  Iconic image.  Clean, crisp design.  The retro Topps Heritage design captures the excitement of the moment and the spirit of the game in its moment.  So too does Maz's bland crew cut haircut.  The design highlights the image, while still recognizing the event in the text.  As much as many of the aspects of Heritage annoy me, it's about as well designed as you could hope for.

Fleer decided to take a slightly different approach in 2001 and 2002, pairing Maz with fellow WS Walkoff HR Club member Joe Carter.  I like the pairing, and it's a fun and unique pairing of major events in baseball history.  I just wish the 02 Fall Classic card would have used a retro Jays logo, rather than the since abandoned (and arguably ill conceived) version featured on the card.

Fleer took another crack at it, this time using a facsimile box score clipping.  Sure, the box score doesn't tell tell the whole story, but it's a unique piece (numbered /1960), connecting the iconic image of Maz with the glorious, glorious score board line.



And the event is certainly worthy of a little artistic flair as well.  This card beautifully captures the elation of Maz rounding third.  I love the Masterpiece sets, and the set features quite a few cards depicting famous moments in baseball history.  It's also interesting to see a tightly cropped version, since I'd assume the photos from the game are all at too low a resolution to be blown up and cropped so tightly.

Of course some cards take a...less inspired perspective.  Both UD and Topps offered up these posted photos that make mention of the big hit.  But they're a far cry from the drama and excitement of the moment.

For that, what better place to go than to the card that captures that very moment, in the moment.  I can't imagine what it might have been like to be a card collecting Pirates fan in 1961 and to pull this card, pack fresh, from the local five and dime just months after the game.   I was able to get the card signed by Maz at Piratefest a few years back, along with his RC, and they are two great pieces in my collection.  What more could you want than a beautiful vintage piece of cardboard capturing the defining moment of your team, and quite possibly baseball history.

COMC Pickups: Odds and Ends

Shopping on COMC can be frustrating at times, since it seems clear some sellers have little to no interest in selling their cards at market prices, instead holding out for that one desperate buyer willing to overpay.  After attempting to negotiate with those sellers once or twice, they're unlikely to see my business again, even if they do eventually list something at a price I'm willing to pay.  But it's also a great place to grab up some nice (more common) inserts at great prices if you shop around.  The majority of these cards were around $.50, with the others costing only a hair more.

 I'm a sucker for early 00's parallels and inserts.  Maybe they can't hold a candle to the 90's in terms of design or collectibility, but they bring back some great collecting memories.  The Pennant Aggression is one of my favorite modern die cuts.  I pulled a Thurmon Munson from my solitary pack of 03 Fall Classic, but I'm much happier to have a Pirate from the set.

 Barnes was the Pirates 1st rounder last year in the supplementary round, and has looked impressive thus far in his short pro career.  The auto is on card, which was a nice surprise.

 This Pedro RC cost me a whopping $.75!  When he was first drafted, I paid $2 just for the base card.  Granted, Pedro's production has been less than impressive at times.  But it's still a great addition

 I love combo cards like this, though it would have been nice if Pops were in a matching jersey to Parker.

 Speaking of Pops, I swear I pulled a dozen of these cards from a box of Donruss Classics back in the day, but didn't add the Stargell until now.

 Talk about a clean design highlighting the player.  In this case, I love the vintage vest.

 This is an interesting card I only found out about semi-recently.  Jose Hernandez's time in Pittsburgh was far from memorable.  And for that reason, I had to have this card.  No idea where the jersey swatch came from though - perhaps a Brewers warmup jersey?

I love the look of these Prestigious Pros inserts, though the endless color combinations get a bit frustrating.  I believe this is the third of fourth version I have of the card, though they're all the higher numbered varieties.