If you're not familiar with the idea of a frankenset, it is a customized set of cards properly sequenced by card number that all tie into a connecting theme. Some frankenset themes include whole teams, mini-collections, and even just generally great cards or photos. This is the first frankenset I'm aware of that is made up of just one player: Ken Griffey, Jr., the man of a million cards. I took the liberty of including things like inserts, parallels, cameos, and oddballs for the sake of variety and because it's just more fun that way. Enjoy!
Here is page 14 of the Great Griffey Frankenset:
Completeness of page: 9/9
Completeness of the Frankenset so far: 100% (126/126)
Team distribution so far: Mariners: 90/126 (71%), Reds: 33/126 (26%), White Sox: 1/126 (1%), No team indicated: 2/126 (2%)
Approximate retail value of this page: $229.50 ($2868.25 running total)
Page 14 Notes: I cannot explain it, but somehow this page ended up with a whopping four regular base cards from Fleer Ultra, Henceforth, Page 14 of the Great Griffey Frankenset shall be known as "The Ultra Page." Despite all the base cards, this particular page also includes a few desirable parallels including the refractor from '95 Finest. These tend to be easy to recognize and carry great resale value, so they're not all that hard to come across. The Artist's Proof from UC3, on the other hand, is a real bear of a find given the combination of scarcity and the barely-visible AP seal on the bottom of the card. Overall, the Ultra Page is a nice mix of the common and decidedly uncommon.
Page 14:
118. 1995 Finest #118 Refractor
I melt for '90's refractors. While those from '94 and '95 Finest run roughly the same scarcity as the '93, the latter commands a much higher price given its hobby significance. Regardless, the '95 is a personal favorite as it was the Finest set that was out when I was at my most into cards. Also the borders reveal mis-cuts pretty easily. The centering on this one is above-average for this set.
119. 2008 Topps Update & Highlights #UH119 Highlights Gold #/2008
The was actually a highly-contested spot with several above-average Griffey #119's available. In the end this lovely gold Topps issue commemorating Junior's 600th came out on top.
120. 1994 Ultra #120
It's a Buhner cameo and a rare instance of Junior looking right into the camera during a candid moment. Great set, too - nice use of foil.
121. 1997 Ultra #121
I bought a ton of this product when it came out, and it remains a favorite in the Ultra timeline to this day. The cards are all bright and the nameplate is casual and fun without looking cheap. You get holofoil on every card along with a nice card back, and check out the beautifully-timed swing shot. An excellent base card, as Ultra cards often were.
122. 1996 Pinnacle #122 Starburst
Another card number with a lot of contenders, but how could I pick anything else? This is one of my favorite Griffey base cards. I call it the superhero shot, and it belongs on a giant poster in my future son's room.
123. 1992 Ultra #123
'92 and '93 Ultra kind of run together a bit design-wise, but this first one is just a little better, IMHO.
124. 1995 Pinnacle UC3 #124 In Depth Artist’s Proof
I never really bought into the lenticular printing craze of the mid-90's. They've always seemed a blurry mess to me. Not that that's going to stop me from getting all the Griffeys, including this surprisingly rare Artist's Proof parallel. There are still several more I need to complete the '96 Beckett Tribute Checklist, but if I didn't have that project to finish off by year's end, I can't promise I'd be looking so hard for cards like this one.
125. 1995 Collector's Choice SE #125 Silver Signature
I would normally decry a card company double-dipping the way Upper Deck did in '95 with Collector's Choice and Collector's Choice SE, but both sets are so awesome that it's hard to be a naysayer. Here is a great, close-up action shot that is almost portrait-quality.
126. 1996 Ultra #126
This is as cool as cards get, Daddy-O. The Kid's just chillin', grindin', doin' his thang, feel me? Oh, this isn't a chair, you say? No stress - Junior can sit an anything and make it look easy-breezy. Reppin' that card numba 1-2-6, y'all. Soft R's all day. No diggity.
Thanks for reading, and look for Page 15 next Friday!
This might be my favorite page so far.
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