The latest in a series of recent upgrades.
The raw copy that I used as a place holder:
New BVG slabbed copy:
1965 Topps is a classic set, but fonding nicely centered copies of key cards from the set is a problem, which was partially why I jumped on this slabbed Morgan when I did.
With all the recent added slabs to my collection it might be time for me to invest in a second display case.
I like to look at my baseball cards. I mean I don’t meticulously pour over them like I did when I was younger, or like some other collectors, but I do like to look at the cards. I like looking at the players, the uniforms and their equipment. I like to look at the stadiums and fans in the background. And of course the stats on back. Because we all know that even though you’ve followed a team or player the previous year, there is something special about seeing the stats on the back of a baseball card.
Well, today I was examining the 2015 Topps Archives card of Astros slugging youngster Jon Singleton.
The lefty played In 95 games last year in the Major Leagues and had 310 at-bats. He managed to hit 13 homers but tallied a ugly .168 Average in the process. He has started 2015 in the minors, where he’s still hitting homers.
I digress. At this point, Singleton is no longer a “rookie” by Major League standards. And surely Singleton has played parts of no less than five seasons on the minors so it’s safe for one to reason that he has his own equipment.
Which then leads to this Easter egg … Singleton is featured on his 2015 Topps Archives card holding a black Louisville Slugger bat featuring the name is former Reds pitcher Jimmy Haynes, who last pitched in the Majors in 2004 as a member of the Reds.
How’s that for random?
Haynes retired with an ERA over 5.30, and at the plate he managed just 32 hits in 213 at-bats, good for a .150 Average.
I’ve come a long when in terms of quality for my Johnny Bench rookie. The first Bench rookie I acquired was a raw version that had ink on the back. I kept that for about a year and a half before I found a good deal on the SGC 60 (equivalent to a PSA 5/BVG 5) shown on the top picture here. I had all intentions on crossing it over to a BGS/BVG slab at some point but never got around to it. Then I found a nice deal on a BVG 7 that I could not resist.
The SGC card already has a new home with a good friend and collector, whom I have the Bench SGC for a price lower than I actually paid for it. So he wins.
And the Bench BVG looks amazing in person. Centered, good surface. Only issues are slightly soft corners. It’s a solid 7.
I own thousands of baseball cards. Some worthless, some worth hundreds of dollars, some I’d even consider irreplaceable. But of all the cards I have, one card in particular kept me up Friday night. And believe it or not, it was a 1989 Topps Pete Rose.
Don’t bother going to Google to see what the latest is on Rose. He’s still alive, bannished from baseball, and shunned from the Hall of Fame; all the while remaining one of the greatest the profession has ever seen. If it were up to me, Pete would be in the Hall tomorrow. Continue reading
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