Tuesday, October 13, 2015

A Big New Project and a Giveaway

All my blogging time has been taken up this past couple of weeks by a single massively time-consuming Griffey card project. It has involved a great deal of scanning, searching, and list making; and it’s time to come clean with what’s been keeping me away from the blogsphere: 

I’ve decided to build a Griffey-Only Frankenset. 

Page 1, camouflaged of course.
 
This started out as a joke. I was reading up on everyone’s different frankensets, and it hit me that the tremendous glut of Griffey cards that have been churned out over the past few decades probably means that there is a pretty sizeable Frankenset just waiting to be assembled. But a whole set of just one player? How far could this thing really go?
 
Out of curiosity and armed with the knowledge that there is definitely at least one Griffey card for every number from 1-100, I started searching for Griffey cards numbered 101 and up. My original goal was to get to 300. I included all inserts, letter prefixes, cameos, and even oddballs in the running. Here are the results: 

1-100: 100% (complete)
101-200: 99% (need one card)
201-300: 79% (need 21 cards) 

In all I found only 22 Griffeyless card numbers: 21 in the 200’s and only ONE in the 100’s. Overall, we’re at just shy of 93% complete. That's pretty impressive considering most Frankensets focus on a whole team or just generally great cards across all decades - not one dude limited to 27 years (give or take).

Yes it is scratched, but unused!
 
On an unrelated note, I happen to have a $5 COMC credit I can’t use (I already used one and this is an extra). It’s burning a hole in my card table, so let’s have a contest: the first person to guess the only card number between 100 and 200 for which there is no Griffey in my collection gets a PWE full of cards and the COMC credit. Because this mystery won’t be too difficult to solve for some, I am including two tiebreaker questions. First, what is the lowest-numbered Topps card in this Frankenset? And second, what is the high Beckett value of the first page of the Griffey Frankenset (the first nine cards)? I am looking for all answers to be closest without going over (Price is Right style). 

Simply comment below with your guess which should look something like this: 

101
5
$124.00 

(note: none of these answers are correct) 

Remember, since I personally chose the cards for this Frankenset and also included all inserts and parallels, that first page is going to be a doozy. Also, here’s a clue to figuring out that first answer: I’m not saying a Griffey does not exist with this card number, but I can tell you that I don’t have one and I have yet to track one down anywhere. At this time, I am unaware of any Griffey card with this number, but the search continues… 

The other numbers needed are: 

202, 207, 208, 209, 214, 217, 226, 234, 236, 252, 263, 266, 271, 276, 280, 281, 284, 288, 291, 293, 296

I'm putting page one of the Great Griffey Frankenset up on Friday. I'm giving everyone until Thursday at 5pm CST to submit answers so I'll have time to compile them and make a winner post before the Frankenset goes live. Good luck!

Thanks for reading

26 comments:

  1. I'm just spitballing my answers:

    154
    11
    $125.50

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  3. 141
    3
    $150.00

    By the way, you could fill a few more cards with a slight "rule change" and do a frankenset of anyone named George Kenneth Griffey. Ken Griffey Sr had card #284 in 1975 Topps, and maybe a few others...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was thinking about that. I did a little poking around and found several of those missing 200's have a Griffey, Sr. card associated with them. I also found a Ken, Sr. card for the missing mystery number...

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  4. Cripes, you're nuts.

    I'm guessing the peoples guess 177 and 4 know something, so here goes:

    177
    4
    $125

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I second that. Nuts.
      But, that won't stop me from playing along.

      163
      3
      $1 (You know, in case everyone else goes over.)

      Delete
  5. I don't know how anyone would be able to come up with "177" without spending half a day. That's some weird specific Griffey knowledge. You'all bluffing!

    152, 2, $35

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    Replies
    1. LOL - use technology! It should only take a few minutes to figure it out.

      Delete
    2. I got a team in the playoffs, I have no time for that.

      Delete
  6. Seems like those 177'ers are on to something, so...

    177
    9
    $79.99

    Thanks for the contest! (And frankensets rule!)

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  8. Ill drink the 177 kool aid too.....177 3 $28.50

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  9. This project is awesome! I really, really, really need to jump on the Frankenset bandwagon and work it into my collection.

    One look at Carrot Top and I knew that this contest wasn't for me. Congratulations to whoever wins!

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  10. I'll give it a shot 135 / 14/ $24.99

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  11. The contest is now closed. Thanks for playing every body, and the winner will be announced tomorrow morning!

    ReplyDelete