Binge/Purge

I bought 3000 Griffeys.

I shy away from eBay lots because there’s not much they can do for me in the way of new Griffeys; but this one piqued my interest. The seller is a Griffey collector, and the auction was for all his duplicates. Get a load of the picture that accompanied the auction. Say hello to the Adelanto Lot:

I named it that because it’s from a collector in Adelanto, CA. I named it at all because this box is the catalyst for major change here at The Junior Junkie.

Now here’s a picture of my own duplicate box:

See what I mean? It’s someone else’s Griffey overflow box, and it looks just like mine (kinda)! The moment I saw it I knew I’d love nothing more than to root through that box like a pig sniffing for duplicate cardboard truffles.

I had to win the auction the old-fashioned way, but it went for less than I was expecting. It’s currently on its way to my house, and guess who has two thumbs and Thursday off work? This guy.

Simply put, my plan for this massive box of Griffeys goes like this:

1.            Buy it

2.            Take what I need

3.            Throw in what I don’t

4.            Sell it again

By the time I’m finished with this box it should have a couple of thousand more Griffeys than it did before. I’m expecting it to land around 5000, including most of the 3000 it arrived with. I’ll leave in everything of value that I don’t need (save for a few I want duplicates of) to preserve the overall value of the collection and put it right back on eBay for the next guy. If I make 80% of my money back it will have been worth it just to pour through all those cards.

This is also helping move along a project I’ve been putting off for some time: the great cleaning out of the binders. There was a time when I kept every Griffey card in the binders. ALL OF THEM. All fifty copies of the ’91 Upper Deck base card, all sixty or so copies of the ’90 Donruss base card, page after full page of identical overproduced junk wax. I used to get a kick out of going through all those pages, and it made it really easy to spot the variants.

Then the day came when some of the binders refused to close all the way. They stayed propped open by way too many pages. It was time to start imposing storage rules. The first rule: no more than a full page of the same card; thus the Griffey Overflow Box was born.

The First Generation Griffey Overflow Box(es).  I went out and bought that big 5000-count box literally the very next day.

This worked well for a while, but the 2005-2008 and 2009-present binders started to get ridiculous and difficult to store. The rules had to get even stricter: no more than three of the same card on a page not counting parallels.

I’ve been forced to apply this rule to the two aforementioned binders because they were bursting to the point of impracticality, thereby defeating the whole point of the binder system. The result so far has been more efficient storage and a fuller overflow box. It also could result in one less binder if I get really strict (I won’t).

The day has been approaching when I’ll have to do the same to the rest. I think this box that is currently en route to my house is the catalyst I needed to bite the bullet and downsize the entire collection.

So, how many duplicates of each card should I keep? Should I keep the same number of copies for each card or more for certain ones? And which ones? Should I just get rid of duplicates altogether?

Decisions must be made. The Great Purge is upon us.

Cavalcade of Keepers 4

I can pump these things out pretty fast, huh?

2008 Topps Kazuo Uzuki Future Star #FS1

In 2008 Topps created a Japanese phenom from scratch and issued a card for collectors to chase unaware that this guy doesn't even exist.  Whan an asshole move!  When I heard this card existed I had to buy one for the simple fact that what Topps did sounds like something I would do.  Nice prank.  Kinda dick, but nice.

1984 Fleer Whitey Herzog Checklist #660 (autographed)

I found this checklist of Mr. Herzog in the LCS dollar bin and didn't have to think twice.  The guy's a legend and has a really cool signature.  Not a bad looking checklist, either, despite the stark whiteness (Whitey-ness?).

1982 Donruss Yogi Berra #387

I didn't even know Yogi had any cards this late in the game.  Plus he looks like a character from a Martin Scorsese film.  Super New Yorky, especially with those glasses.  Awesome card.

2014 Donruss Hall Worthy Mariano Rivera #1

This is a great insert.  You can't really tell here, but it's got some excellent interplay between matte and gloss printing along with a very slight embossing.  I'm nuts about these.  Well done, Panini.

1995 Pinnacle Zenith Hideo Nomo #48

Finally we have a card I would have killed for back in '95.  This shiny offering from Zenith is entirely in Japanese, even in the blurb on the back.  It's so gimmicky that it deserves to be documented.  Plus there's a Piazza cameo.  Can't beat that.

Thanks for reading!

2001 SPx: SPx Gets Their Base Card Groove Back

As guilty as this set is of that same lines-for-the-sake-of-lines design that Upper Deck seemed to rely on year after year for everything from base cards to inserts and subsets, 2001 SPx is one of the better-looking base designs of the year. It’s also among my favorite SPx base sets in general, certainly better than the headache-inducing design of the previous year. That being said, the inserts do leave a little to be desired.

Let’s jump right in:

2001 SPx #85

It’s a difficult aesthetic to describe, but it seems to be defined by the use of parallel diagonal lines, lots of foil in both silver and gold, and large frames of sepia shading that bring out the colors in the rest of the card. You can see behind Mr. Junior there that window of stadium backdrop looks especially blue and green. Like salt on watermelon makes it taste sweeter, all that sepia makes this card look much more colorful. The bottom-mounted nameplate with the player’s uniform number and team logo in gold foil are also thoughtfully placed. While it could be considered a bit busy, somebody really designed the hell out of this thing.

I can’t say the same for the back, though. The big, square stat box is an inorganic eyesore against the diagonal lines of the rest of the card, but this is a minor issue compared with that text. As you can see it’s comprised of two sentences:

Sentence 1: “Griffey returned to his hometown during 2000 with the Reds.”

Oof – what a clunker. We get a “during 2000” which is the long, terrible way of saying “in 2000.”  Then there’s the big, honking dangling modifier “with the Reds” just hanging off the end like a limp salami.  Am I being too picky?  No way.  We’re talking Griffey cards here, people.

Sentence 2: “The All-Star and Gold Glove outfielder remains one of the best players in the game and he is hoping to help Cincinnati reach the postseason sometime in the near future.”

First of all, this could have been written by anybody who was simply aware of Griffey’s trade to Cincy. Way to flex your industry insider muscle there, guys. Moreover, the wording here is passive and callow.

Interior: Upper Deck offices. Upper Deck’s Card Blurb Editor-in-Chief removes a cigar from his mouth and tucks his thumbs under his suspenders. “Alright boys, we need to write the blurb for the back of the SPx Griffey base card. Who’s got something fresh and bold? Let’s think outside the box here, people!”

Fresh-faced “writer”: “Well, I would assume he hopes to help the Reds reach the postseason.”

“Of course he does, but when!?”

“I don’t know. S-sometime?”

“…”

“In the near future?”

“Perfect! Print it!”

Weak words like “hopes to help,” “sometime,” and “near future” should never be used for the hero on the front of this card. Junior deserves something active and sure. “Griffey intends to lead the Reds to a World Series Win, like, tomorrow. Then, two more.” Bam. There’s your freakin’ card blurb.

Oh, and I’m no Hemingway, but I know to separate independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction with a comma. Amateurs.

Apart from all this, I really dig the look of this card.  The sample looks great, too:

2001 SPx Sample #001

Despite the blurb being covered by the big "SAMPLE," you can still tell it was better than the one that made it onto the base card.  Sigh.

2001 SPx Foundations #F4

The Foundations insert kind of looks like a subset. The shiny iridescence on the front is nice and the design is okay, but they doubled up the design on the front and back with only superficial differences between them. This is also the only non-relic Griffey in the set with the SPx logo not in the top left corner.

The blurb on the back includes the sentence “He is hoping to reach the playoffs with the Reds in the near future.” Now, let’s look again at the blurb on the base card: “…he is hoping to help Cincinnati reach the postseason sometime in the near future.” SMDH.

I’ll go ahead and mention now before we go through that again that all the non-relic inserts from 2001 SPx kind of look like subsets. They also all kind of resemble each other, and none of them look as good as the base card.

2001 SPx SPXcitement #X3

I’ve always liked this name for an insert - it’s clever and written in a cool font. I even like the back design and the blurb. The only critique I have is that the player name is super tiny; but if you don’t know whose card you have here, how on Earth did you end up holding an insert from 2001 SPx?

2001 SPx Untouchables #UT1

Again, a great font used for the insert and yet another mirroring of the front layout on the back. This blurb makes a hell of a lot more sense, too. It’s like somebody took the blurbs from the other cards, mashed them all together, and properly edited it. The opposing corner squares layout works well with the name of the insert (similar squares don’t actually touch, hence Untouchable, or am I reading too much into that?), but again the player name is super tiny town.

I really want that “Untouchable” font on my computer. It looks like a movie title.

2001 SPx Winning Materials Game-Used Jersey/Bat Combo Relic #KG1

These Winning Materials combo relic cards are very available for being double relics. I have two of them and my Griffey guy still has more to sell me. It’s also the only ’01 SPx Griffey relic on COMC as of this post. Maybe it’s the fact that the relics are so small that they were able to make so many, but it’s everywhere. I’ve seen this card priced at twelve bucks, and I’m like, “Keep dreamin’, compadre.” At least the color of the jersey swatch on nearly all the Griffeys I’ve seen is blue, so it looks like these are Mariners relics on Reds cards. That’s kind of cool.

As you can see, the design is a bit scant with a lot of empty space and the primary focus of the card being the big, red X containing the relics and logos. It’s not a bad-looking card, and I appreciate that there is heavy focus on the relics; but there’s zero difference among all the different relic cards from this brand. They are identical whether it’s a three-player triple relic or one of the sought-after Joe DiMaggio combo relics. All of them look just like this.

There are also no autos to be had. That makes my job of set completion a lot easier, but come on! This is a high-price premium brand. Throw an auto or two in there, guys. Or some patches. Mix it up. Give us a rabbit to chase.

Here are the Griffeys I need from 2001 SPx as of this post:

Need:

2001 SPx #85 Spectrum

2001 SPx Winning Materials Base/Ball #B-KG

2001 SPx Winning Materials Combo Jersey #KG-AR (w/ Alex Rodriguez)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Combo Jersey #KG-BB (w/ Barry Bonds)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Combo Jersey #KG-JD (w/ Joe DiMaggio)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Combo Jersey #KG-KG

2001 SPx Winning Materials Combo Jersey #KG-RJ (w/ Randy Johnson)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Combo Jersey #KG-SS (w/ Sammy Sosa)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Double Base #B2-MG (w/ Mark McGwire)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Jersey/Bat Combo #KG2

2001 SPx Winning Materials Triple Base #B3-GJR (w/ Derek Jeter & Alex Rodriguez)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Triple Base #B3-MGS (w/ Mark McGwire & Sammy Sosa)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Triple Jersey Combo #BGJ (w/ Barry Bonds & Andruw Jones)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Triple Jersey Combo #DGJ (w/ Joe DiMaggio & Andruw Jones)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Triple Jersey Combo #GRB (w/ Alex Rodriguez & Barry Bonds)

2001 SPx Winning Materials Triple Jersey Combo #SGC (w/ Chipper Jones & Sammy Sosa)

Maybe I was a little hard on this set, but it's only because I have such high expectations for SPx as a brand. I really do like all the cards covered here.

Cavalcade of Keepers 3

You know the drill by now, right?  Let's get to it:

2001 Topps Archives Reserve Reprint
Jackie Robinson #70

Striking portrait of Jackie in a super-bright, shiny chrome holofoil?  Yes, please.  This whole set is pretty excellent in both concept and execution.  I wasn't collecting when this came out, but I assume it was a big hit.

2001 Topps Archives Reserve Reprint
Larry Doby #21

Because it's a big hit with me.  I found a ton of them in my LCS dollar box and picked up a bunch.  Larry is just as big a civil rights hero as Jackie Robinson but never gained the notoriety Jackie did.  The guy is very close to becoming one of my player collections.

2001 Topps Archives Reserve Reprint
Roberto Clemente #17

The horizontal designs are my favorite vintage Topps designs without a doubt.  Throw in Clemente, chrome, and holofoil and you;ve got yourself a keeper.  Great card.

2001 Topps Archives Reserve Reprint
Johnny Bench #6

I think it's the backwards cap and fresh-faced portrait of Johnny as a youngster that won me over with this one.  I, like every other collector on the planet, would love to get my hands on an original.

2010 Topps Pro Debut Autographs
T.J. Steele #PDA-TS

Threw you a bit of a curveball there, didn't I?  I picked this up for the mere fact that his name is T.J.  That's my name!  I'm always interested in seeing how other T.J.s sign their name.  This one has style.  I've put you in a post among some of the best players there ever were, fellow T.J.  Make me proud!

Thanks for reading.

Neat New Griffey Things

As the title suggests, here is a handful of neat new Griffey things.  Enjoy!

I was getting something framed when I came across this great collage frame for super cheap.  Naturally, I picked it up and stuffed it with Griffey cards.  All of these are duplicates that I mounted in their penny sleeves, so I have no need to remove them from the Griffey counts.  Is this maybe a little obsessive?  Nah...

1999 Upper Deck Retro was sold in metal lunch boxes.  This is a novel idea that I'm surprised no one else has done.  The condition is solid for being 15 years old, and the coloration is classy and attractive.  I miss you, Upper Deck.

Last but not least is this trio of 1998 SPx Finite Samples.  The red is #/2500 and the other two are #/10000.  I don't know the backstory behind these (samples that are actually numbered?). but they're really cool and look great together in the binder.

Sorry to all you Griffey loyalists out there for the recent expansion of my horizons into into the non-Griffey realm (Cavalcade of Keepers, new PC announcement and such).  I assure you I still have a very unhealthy obsession with Griffey cards and will continue to do so.

Thanks for reading!

New PC Announcement: Larry Doby

I'm very excited to announce that I've begun a new player collection.  Here's a list of all my current PC's:

Vida Blue

Jay Buhner

Will Clark

Bryan Clutterbuck

Chuck Finley

Marquis Grissom

Ron Kittle

Javy Lopez

Rusty Staub

Dan Wilson

New inductee: Larry Doby

1957 Topps #85

My fascination with Mr. Doby began when I deciphered his signature on my Dad’s baseball from an old timer's game. 

The guy was a naval veteran of WWII, Negro League World Series Champion, first black player in the AL (Cleveland), 7-time All-Star, first black player to win the World Series (alongside Satchel Paige), and led the league in HR twice and RBI in 1954.  The guy even played in Japan. 

1997 Ultra Indians All-Star Game (no number)

As if that wasn’t a full enough career, Mr. Doby went on to become manager of the White Sox, executive for the American League, and director for the New Jersey Nets.

1982 Cracker Jack #1

Mr. Doby is in the Indians Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Hall of Fame, the New Jersey Hall of Fame, National Baseball Hall of Fame (’98 via the Veterans’ Committee) as well as the Basketball Hall of Fame. His number 14 is retired in Cleveland.  Oh, and there’s a street there named after him.  Despite all this, he was never the household name Jackie Robinson was.

2012 Topps Tribute #36

I would opt for a nice dinner with Larry over a simple beer-getting.  He seems like a class act.

Welcome to the Collection, Mr. Doby!

Cavalcade of Keepers 2

Here is Part 2 in an ongoing series featuring neat cards from the Keeper Box.

1992 Pinnacle Kirby Puckett Sidelines #289

A great subset of cards from a great base set featuring a big star shooting pool?  You bet this one's a keeper.  As a bit of a pool player myself, I knew I had to have this card since the first time I saw it on the blogsphere.  Kirby and I have a very similar hold and stance.  Props to him for using a house stick, but I wouldn't cut that 15 so close the 8.

1994 Upper Deck Mickey Mantle Baseball Heroes #66

This scan brings out a few imperfections in the printing of what is otherwise a near-perfect baseball card.  Great photo, great logo, nice use of foil and shading.  I can't get enough of seeing the Mick in that slightly lop-sided crown.

2007 Topps Barry Bonds Home Run King #HRK

I don't like Barry Bonds, but the guy had a few sweet cards in his long career.  Everything about this particular one is amazing.  The colossal jackass even managed to take a decent picture.  A bittersweet card that deserves a penny sleeve all day long.

1993 Upper Deck Dennis Eckersley Award Winners #489

Eck is a photogenic guy.  Not in that "What a great smile," or "He looks so heroic" kind of way.  It's really more like a "How did the other baseball players not shit their pants in the batter's box while getting squinted at like they just impregnated this guy's daughter?" kind of way.  The gaze, the 'stache, and even the hair work together to form a perfect storm of fear-inducing yet lovable intimidation.  I want to go bowling with this guy so hard.

1995 Leaf 300 Club Frank Thomas #1

I'm happy to report that I pulled this bad boy from a pack back in 1995.  It took me 18 more years to finally land the Griffey, but this card will always hold a place in my heart.  Great concept, great design, great execution in general.  Leaf really had their isht together in '95.  A real beauty.

Thanks for reading!