Hall of Fame and Hall of ... Mirrors?

 OK, I didn't have a good way to tie these cards together with a nice title, but I tried.  But I am giving them away!!

First up is a strange card of recent Hall of Fame inductee Andruw Jones.  This is from 2023 leaf Vivid, which I had never heard of before.

So Leaf Vivid is an extremely strange product.  A 'Box' contains one 'Pack'.  So, no real difference between the two terms, I guess.  Each pack contains 7 cards, 5 of them autographs!  That leaves the other 2 cards to be base cards, or possibly an insert.  The Jones is a Base Card.

ALL of the base cards are numbered out of 10 or less!  The Jones is /10:

So yeah, I figure that giving away a low #'d card of one of the newest HOFers was a fun plan.  I did pick up a few more base cards from this set I will show off soon.

And the second card up for grabs, take a look:

Not impressed?  Neither was I, but the photo grabbed my attention as I was flipping through a quarter box, so I grabbed it.  Turns out it is a Mirrored Image Variation out of 2025 Topps Series 2, which seem to be quite popular.  And while I like the colors on this card, and I like most anything 'rare', I figure someone else might get more enjoyment out of it than me.  Just don't turn around and put it on Ebay, I could have done that myself.

So there they are, 2 cards up for grab to the first commenter on each.  One card to a commenter, you can't have both.  And be warned, even though they are 'rare', they are still going out PWE, because I am cheap!

Comment away!

Triumvirate win and a quick Seahawks congrats

 Starting in around 1998, Stadium Club had an insert set called Triumvirates.  The idea was that three sequential cards from the Triumvirates set would be able to be put together along die-cut edges to make a single 'triumvirate' card.  Over the next few years, the subset continued, with some pretty intricate die-cutting!  I always liked the idea of completing a single triumvirate but never had the opportunity. Of course, in the hobby, nothing ever goes away permanently, so in 2013, the concept made a return to Stadium Club and has been around most years since.

Still, I was never close to completing one.

Luckily for me, some people be crazy.  One such crazy person (crazy because of the amount of Stadium Club they must have opened!) set up at a recent card show near me.  He had tons of Stadium Club base and some foil parallels in a dime box.  I definitely like Stadium Club and its photography, so I snapped up quite a few cards.

In a dollar box at the same table, I found a ton of Triumvirates.  I don't usually buy from dollar boxes, but I had to complete these 2 beautiful trios:

The die-cutting is pretty tame compared to the originals in the old days, but still quite cool.  I usually store my cards by player, which would break these up.  I still may do that, but if I can find an easy way to display them together, I might end up going that way too.  I do like looking at them like this, but nobody else is ever around to enjoy my cards, so I am not sure.

On a completely separate note, I am as much of a Seahawks fan as I am of any other NFL team, seeing as I live close to them.  And my brother used to take me to games when he lived in Seattle and had season tickets.  So congrats Hawks!  There were flags with a Seahawks colors and the number 12 all over town, even though I am 3 hours south of Seattle.

So here is a quarter box find of a Seahawk to celebrate.

Warner was kind of a fan favorite back in the 80s.  After he retired, he owned Curt Warner Chevrolet in my hometown of Vancouver WA for 12 years.  It always seemed weird to see a football player's name on a Chevy dealership!  But not as weird as Shawn Kemp's Cannabis Shop, which almost made me spit out my drink when I saw it in Seattle!

Questions:

1. Do you have any completed Triumvirates?

2. Any athlete owned businesses in your area?

Pick me a player #14 - Buster Posey

  I have 133 (due to recent downsizing) different players in my keepers with at least 10 cards.  The players are listed at the end of this post.  In an effort to get myself posting more consistently, I invite the first commenter on this post to choose one of the players below and I will post 5 of the most interesting cards I have of that player as the subject of another blog post.  Then on that post, the first commenter can pick another player and when I get around to it, I will post 5 cards of that player, and so on. 

So who will be my first commenter/player picker on this post???  Additional comments are welcome, but only the first one will be the player featured on the next post.

---

The 13th player picked to be featured in this series was picked by Ginko-5, and is......

Buster Posey!!  

Cards of Buster Posey that I would like to add to my keepers:

I guess there isn't a lot of Posey out there that I NEED.  But I would happily take any card of him that looks nice and is distinctive.  Good looking refractors, variations or serial numbered cards mostly.

Here are some of the Posey's in my collection that didn't quite make the list:

OK, on to the five cards I selected...no particular order.

1. 2016 Topps Chrome - Pink Refractor

I like this because it is a refractor, sure.  But I really like the action shot and that you can see Buster's face well.

2. 2010 Topps

My favorite of the RCs I own of Posey, again, a nice clean shot.

3. 2015 Diamond Kings - Blue Framed #/99

The fire/blur background complements the Giants colors well here.

4. 2016 Topps - Team Logo Pins

This is a really thick card.  As far as manu-cards are concerned, this is one of the nicer attempts in my mind.

5. 2013 Topps Archives - 1998 Gallery of Heroes

2013 Topps Gallery made a very faithful recreation of the 1998 'Gallery of Heroes' cards.  And I like them just as much as the originals!  Sweet card, sweet set.  I want more.

So what player is next??  First commenter gets to pick a player that is not crossed off from this list:

Aaron Judge

Adley Rutschman

Adrian Beltre

Al Kaline

Albert Belle

Albert Pujols

Alex Rodriguez

Andre Dawson

Andruw Jones

Babe Ruth

Barry Bonds

Bo Bichette

Bo Jackson

Bob Gibson

Bobby Witt Jr.

Boog Powell

Brooks Robinson

Bryce Harper

Cal Ripken Jr.

Carl Yastrzemski

Carlton Fisk

Chase Utley

Chipper Jones

Clayton Kershaw

Cody Bellinger

Corbin Carroll

Corey Seager

Dale Murphy

Darryl Strawberry

Dave Parker

David Ortiz

David Wright

Dennis Eckersley

Derek Jeter

Don Mattingly

Dwight Gooden

Eddie Murray

Edgar Martinez

Eric Davis

Felix Hernandez

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Frank Thomas

Freddie Freeman

George Brett

Greg Maddux

Gunnar Henderson

Hank Aaron

Ichiro Suzuki

Ivan Rodriguez

Jacob DeGrom

Jeff Bagwell

Jim Palmer

Jim Rice

Jim Thome

Joe Mauer

Joe Morgan

Joey Votto

John Smoltz

Johnny Bench

Jose Altuve

Jose Canseco

Juan Gonzalez

Juan Soto

Julio Rodriguez

Justin Verlander

Ken Griffey Jr.

Kirby Puckett

Lou Brock

Luis Arraez

Manny Machado

Manny Ramirez

Mariano Rivera

Max Scherzer

Mickey Mantle

Miguel Cabrera

Mike Piazza

Mike Schmidt

Mike Trout

Mookie Betts

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Ryan

Ozzie Smith

Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Molitor

Pete Alonso

Pete Rose

Phil Niekro

Randy Johnson

Reggie Jackson

Rickey Henderson

Roberto Alomar

Roberto Clemente

Robin Yount

Rod Carew

Roger Clemens

Ronald Acuna Jr.

Salvador Perez

Sammy Sosa

Sandy Koufax

Scott Rolen

Shohei Ohtani

Stan Musial

Steve Carlton

Thurman Munson

Tom Glavine

Tom Seaver

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Wade Boggs

Warren Spahn

Willie Mays

Willie McCovey

Willie Stargell

Xander Bogaerts

Yadier Molina

Yogi Berra

Yordan Alvarez

Zack Greinke

Already picked:

Tony Gwynn - picked by Rod
Ryne Sandberg - picked by Jeff B
Steve Garvey - picked by gcrl
Duke Snider - picked by Rod
Frank Robinson - picked by Nachos Grande
Ted Williams - picked by Matt
Harmon Killebrew - picked by Crocodile
Francisco Lindor - picked by OhioTim

Gary Carter - picked by Angus
Todd Helton - picked by Laurens
Barry Larkin - picked by Nachos Grande

Pedro Martinez - picked by Matt

Don Mossi - picked by Jeff B

Buster Posey - picked by Ginko-5

Padro-Rod and how we do it

 I've read possibly as many as 100 posts over the years that talk about how great it is to get unexpected cards in the mail.  There's nothing quite like it, as I am sure you all know.  We bloggers seem to be a different breed entirely, when compared to most of the collectors I meet at card shows, and in some ways, when compared to lots of the collectors on other types of media like Youtube, X, Instagram etc.  

With that being said, the latest fun and crazy package to arrive at my place came from Rod of Padrographs fame.  Rod often opens up a bunch of newer product around the Holidays and then sends out a bunch of mailings.  I assume that is what hit me, as most of it was 2025 Mariners stuff!

This was no small, PWE mailing.  I will show a bunch of cards, but it is only a small part of what Rod sent.  First up, there were lots of RCs and Bowman PRCs from Mariners youth.  Most of these will go in my "I don't know you, but you are young enough to have potential" box.  Do any of you guys do that?  Here are some of those:

As far as the non-Mariners portion of the package, there were a bunch of Serial Numbered/Autos of non-baseball. Football, Soccer and even Wrestling made an appearance!

And as for the 'best' cards in the package, some of these might have made the list:

Thanks Rod!!  Really made my day....

Pick me a Player #13 - Don Mossi

 I have 133 (due to recent downsizing) different players in my keepers with at least 10 cards.  The players are listed at the end of this post.  In an effort to get myself posting more consistently, I invite the first commenter on this post to choose one of the players below and I will post 5 of the most interesting cards I have of that player as the subject of another blog post.  Then on that post, the first commenter can pick another player and when I get around to it, I will post 5 cards of that player, and so on. 

So who will be my first commenter/player picker on this post???  Additional comments are welcome, but only the first one will be the player featured on the next post.

---

The 13th player picked to be featured in this series was picked by Jeff B, and is......

Don Mossi!!  Don was nicknamed The Sphinx, mostly due to his big ol nose. Since these cards are all vintage, expect some hammered cardboard!

Cards of Don Mossi that I would like to add to my keepers:

1. 1956 Topps

2. 1958 Topps (smiling!)

3. 1966 Topps (on the A's)

OK, on to the five cards I selected...no particular order.

1. 1964 Topps

If you didn't know who Don Mossi was before this, now you do.  This is how I assume Mossi looked when he rolled out of bed.  And when he bought a cup of coffee.  And when he kissed his wife.  And when he shot the Sheriff.  And so on.

2. 1963 Topps #218

This is the only card I have of Don actually smiling.  And the ears are still doing their job.

3. 1961 Topps

One of Mossi's most common poses.

4. 1959 Topps

The eyebrows really pop on this one!!  Somebody had issues with the Tigers logo.

5. 1955 Topps

You can't go wrong with 55 Topps, even with a chunk out of the corner.  This is Mossi's RC.

So what player is next??  First commenter gets to pick a player that is not crossed off from this list:

Aaron Judge

Adley Rutschman

Adrian Beltre

Al Kaline

Albert Belle

Albert Pujols

Alex Rodriguez

Andre Dawson

Andruw Jones

Babe Ruth

Barry Bonds

Bo Bichette

Bo Jackson

Bob Gibson

Bobby Witt Jr.

Boog Powell

Brooks Robinson

Bryce Harper

Buster Posey

Cal Ripken Jr.

Carl Yastrzemski

Carlton Fisk

Chase Utley

Chipper Jones

Clayton Kershaw

Cody Bellinger

Corbin Carroll

Corey Seager

Dale Murphy

Darryl Strawberry

Dave Parker

David Ortiz

David Wright

Dennis Eckersley

Derek Jeter

Don Mattingly

Dwight Gooden

Eddie Murray

Edgar Martinez

Eric Davis

Felix Hernandez

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Frank Thomas

Freddie Freeman

George Brett

Greg Maddux

Gunnar Henderson

Hank Aaron

Ichiro Suzuki

Ivan Rodriguez

Jacob DeGrom

Jeff Bagwell

Jim Palmer

Jim Rice

Jim Thome

Joe Mauer

Joe Morgan

Joey Votto

John Smoltz

Johnny Bench

Jose Altuve

Jose Canseco

Juan Gonzalez

Juan Soto

Julio Rodriguez

Justin Verlander

Ken Griffey Jr.

Kirby Puckett

Lou Brock

Luis Arraez

Manny Machado

Manny Ramirez

Mariano Rivera

Max Scherzer

Mickey Mantle

Miguel Cabrera

Mike Piazza

Mike Schmidt

Mike Trout

Mookie Betts

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Ryan

Ozzie Smith

Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Molitor

Pete Alonso

Pete Rose

Phil Niekro

Randy Johnson

Reggie Jackson

Rickey Henderson

Roberto Alomar

Roberto Clemente

Robin Yount

Rod Carew

Roger Clemens

Ronald Acuna Jr.

Salvador Perez

Sammy Sosa

Sandy Koufax

Scott Rolen

Shohei Ohtani

Stan Musial

Steve Carlton

Thurman Munson

Tom Glavine

Tom Seaver

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Wade Boggs

Warren Spahn

Willie Mays

Willie McCovey

Willie Stargell

Xander Bogaerts

Yadier Molina

Yogi Berra

Yordan Alvarez

Zack Greinke

Already picked:

Tony Gwynn - picked by Rod
Ryne Sandberg - picked by Jeff B
Steve Garvey - picked by gcrl
Duke Snider - picked by Rod
Frank Robinson - picked by Nachos Grande
Ted Williams - picked by Matt
Harmon Killebrew - picked by Crocodile
Francisco Lindor - picked by OhioTim

Gary Carter - picked by Angus
Todd Helton - picked by Laurens
Barry Larkin - picked by Nachos Grande

Pedro Martinez - picked by Matt

Don Mossi - picked by Jeff B

Five years of Visions

Ready for some of the coolest junk wax around?  For 5 years in the early 90s, Fleer produced a subset called Pro Visions.  They were outlandish art cards, and I liked them back then.  Somehow, nostalgia seems to have caught up with me, because I REALLY like them now.

At a recent card show, I found this Matt Williams, which completed my 1994 Pro Visions set:

And here is the set in a binder page.  What I love about this particular year is that the cards fit together from side to side, kind of like the Triumvirates cards that came later without the die-cutting.

I also picked up these 2 tough to find Pro Visions to get me closer on the 1993 set.

Both ridiculous and cool.

Some of the Pro Visions sets are part of the year's main set, but most are inserts.  Some span multiple series in a year.  Here is the quick and dirty rundown, along with what I still need:

1991 - Insert Set - I have the Black set of 12 complete.  The Factory set came with a 4 card White set, I am missing one, the Ryne Sandberg

1992 part of the main set - 6 card set - I am missing the Yount and Ryan (not because I haven't had both at one time, but because I seem to have misplaced them!)

1993 - Insert Set - 3 inserts in Series 1 and 3 more in Series 2. I have Series 1 complete, I still need Cecil Fielder and Tom Glavine for Series 2

1994 - Insert Set - I have complete set

1995 - Insert Set - I have complete set

Once I complete all 5 years (of the baseball), I will do a post showing them all.  There are also Pro Visions cards in Fleer's Basketball and Football releases, I am not necessarily trying to complete those sets, but would definitely take any extras of those you want to send my way.  This is an "I'll take dupes" situation for now (especially the 1993s).

Speaking of which, at the same show I found these Football Pro Visions as well!

The Sanders is moderately valuable, and I was able to get 2 copies!

Anyone else like Pro Visions?

Pick me a Player #12 - Pedro Martinez

I have 133 (due to recent downsizing) different players in my keepers with at least 10 cards.  The players are listed at the end of this post.  In an effort to get myself posting more consistently, I invite the first commenter on this post to choose one of the players below and I will post 5 of the most interesting cards I have of that player as the subject of another blog post.  Then on that post, the first commenter can pick another player and when I get around to it, I will post 5 cards of that player, and so on. 

So who will be my first commenter/player picker on this post???  Additional comments are welcome, but only the first one will be the player featured on the next post.

---

The 12th player picked to be featured in this series was picked by Matt, and is......

Pedro Martinez!!

Cards of Pedro Martinez that I would like to add to my keepers:

1. Old refractors - Chrome and Finest mostly

2. Minor league cards

3. Topps Legends Variations

 I have lots of Pedro.  The vast majority of what I have is parallels and weird looking stuff.  Here is a sampling:

Lots more where that came from too!  OK, on to the five cards I selected...no particular order.

1. 2020 Topps Tribute - Tribute Triple Relics #/150

A solid, somewhat thick card. Decent color scheme for a Mets card.

2. 2000 Topps Gallery - Gallery of Heroes

I Love, love Gallery of Heroes cards.  But this year's offering is one of the less awesome to me.  Still a great card!

3. 2000 Topps Gold Label - The Treasury

Gold label made some crazy weird cards around 2000  This one really pops!

4. 1994 Finest Refractor

As you might have picked up on, I really like early refractors.....

5. 2004 Topps Chrome - Black Refractor

This one is my favorite.  Might not be the most expensive, but I love the black refractors, and this one looks great in hand.

So what player is next??  First commenter gets to pick a player that is not crossed off from this list:

Aaron Judge

Adley Rutschman

Adrian Beltre

Al Kaline

Albert Belle

Albert Pujols

Alex Rodriguez

Andre Dawson

Andruw Jones

Babe Ruth

Barry Bonds

Bo Bichette

Bo Jackson

Bob Gibson

Bobby Witt Jr.

Boog Powell

Brooks Robinson

Bryce Harper

Buster Posey

Cal Ripken Jr.

Carl Yastrzemski

Carlton Fisk

Chase Utley

Chipper Jones

Clayton Kershaw

Cody Bellinger

Corbin Carroll

Corey Seager

Dale Murphy

Darryl Strawberry

Dave Parker

David Ortiz

David Wright

Dennis Eckersley

Derek Jeter

Don Mattingly

Don Mossi

Dwight Gooden

Eddie Murray

Edgar Martinez

Eric Davis

Felix Hernandez

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Frank Thomas

Freddie Freeman

George Brett

Greg Maddux

Gunnar Henderson

Hank Aaron

Ichiro Suzuki

Ivan Rodriguez

Jacob DeGrom

Jeff Bagwell

Jim Palmer

Jim Rice

Jim Thome

Joe Mauer

Joe Morgan

Joey Votto

John Smoltz

Johnny Bench

Jose Altuve

Jose Canseco

Juan Gonzalez

Juan Soto

Julio Rodriguez

Justin Verlander

Ken Griffey Jr.

Kirby Puckett

Lou Brock

Luis Arraez

Manny Machado

Manny Ramirez

Mariano Rivera

Max Scherzer

Mickey Mantle

Miguel Cabrera

Mike Piazza

Mike Schmidt

Mike Trout

Mookie Betts

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Ryan

Ozzie Smith

Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Molitor

Pete Alonso

Pete Rose

Phil Niekro

Randy Johnson

Reggie Jackson

Rickey Henderson

Roberto Alomar

Roberto Clemente

Robin Yount

Rod Carew

Roger Clemens

Ronald Acuna Jr.

Salvador Perez

Sammy Sosa

Sandy Koufax

Scott Rolen

Shohei Ohtani

Stan Musial

Steve Carlton

Thurman Munson

Tom Glavine

Tom Seaver

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Wade Boggs

Warren Spahn

Willie Mays

Willie McCovey

Willie Stargell

Xander Bogaerts

Yadier Molina

Yogi Berra

Yordan Alvarez

Zack Greinke

Already picked:

Tony Gwynn - picked by Rod
Ryne Sandberg - picked by Jeff B
Steve Garvey - picked by gcrl
Duke Snider - picked by Rod
Frank Robinson - picked by Nachos Grande
Ted Williams - picked by Matt
Harmon Killebrew - picked by Crocodile
Francisco Lindor - picked by OhioTim

Gary Carter - picked by Angus
Todd Helton - picked by Laurens
Barry Larkin - picked by Nachos Grande

Pedro Martinez - picked by Matt

Time to get going again

 Well, it looks like I took another blogging break.  This time, it was for better reasons than usual, as I had all three of my kids in town for 4 weeks during the holidays.  Definitely a blast!  But they are all back to their normal lives now, so I suppose I have no good justification for not posting.

So I'll ease back into things with a couple of appreciated holiday season gifts from blogger friends.  First from Fuji.  

The Yogi is the next to last card I need for the 2007 Masterpieces set.  The last one is the Ripken, #92.  There is also another Ripken in the set, #101, which I see all the time.  It's been years without seeing the #92 though.  Weird.

The Kemp is my 173rd Hoops RC of him.  Isn't that crazy???

The McReynolds always takes me back to being 11, playing fake MLB games in my backyard with my brother and keeping stats.  I was the Padres most times, and having someone named Kevin in MLB was a big part of the reason.  Lots of Kevins have come since, but he was my intro.

Fuji also threw in a bunch of other Kemps, these three are ones I liked/needed the most.  Thanks a bunch Fuji!!

And local buddy Gavin gifted me this sweet bleached border McGwire!!  Coincidently, I am up to 1549 unique McGwires in my collection.  

Now that I am back, look forward to an upcoming Pedro Martinez post and a card show recap or two.  I'll be looking for fun stuff to write about too!

Pick me a Player #11 - Barry Larkin

      I have 137 different players in my keepers with at least 10 cards.  The players are listed at the end of this post.  In an effort to get myself posting more consistently, I invite the first commenter on this post to choose one of the players below and I will post 5 of the most interesting cards I have of that player as the subject of another blog post.  Then on that post, the first commenter can pick another player and when I get around to it, I will post 5 cards of that player, and so on. 

So who will be my first commenter/player picker on this post???  Additional comments are welcome, but only the first one will be the player featured on the next post.

---

The 10th player picked to be featured in this series was picked by Nachos Grande, and is......

Barry Larkin!!

It's brutal when a super collector picks their favorite....  Especially when I don't have much of a collection of the player picked (Larkin!).  Feels like I could be letting them down.  But I will give it a swing anyway, so...

.

Cards of Barry Larkin that I would like to add to my keepers:

1. Early refractors... this is becoming a theme.  I love old refractors!

2. 1998 Donruss - Diamond Kings #/10000 or the Canvas version #/500

3. 1993 Donruss - The Elite Series #/10000

And somehow, I don't have the Fleer RC?!?!  Weird, but I think that should be pretty easily remedied.

OK, on to the five cards I selected...no particular order.

1. 2003 Donruss - Gamers #/500

One of the few memorabilia cards I have of Larkin, as well as one of the few serial numbered of his cards.

2. 1998 Flair Showcase - Row 1

These are pretty weird.  I imagine they were innovative back in the last century.  Still fun for me, but I am an old man.

3. 1998 Pinnacle - Epix Season Orange

Even though I am an old man, I still like the pop and sparkle!

4. 1998 Bowman Chrome - International Refractor

Unfortunately, the refractorness of this card didn't really show in the scan. Decent card though.

5. 1994 Topps Finest - Refractor

But this one looks like a refractor.  The only card of Larkin that I would want more is the previous year's refractor. This is a great card though!

So what player is next??  First commenter gets to pick a player that is not crossed off from this list:

Aaron Judge

Adley Rutschman

Adrian Beltre

Al Kaline

Albert Belle

Albert Pujols

Alex Rodriguez

Andre Dawson

Andruw Jones

Babe Ruth

Barry Bonds

Bo Bichette

Bo Jackson

Bob Gibson

Bobby Witt Jr.

Boog Powell

Brooks Robinson

Bryce Harper

Buster Posey

Byron Buxton

Cal Ripken Jr.

Carl Yastrzemski

Carlton Fisk

Chase Utley

Chipper Jones

Clayton Kershaw

Cody Bellinger

Corbin Carroll

Corey Seager

Dale Murphy

Darryl Strawberry

Dave Parker

David Ortiz

David Wright

Dennis Eckersley

Derek Jeter

Don Mattingly

Don Mossi

Dwight Gooden

Eddie Murray

Edgar Martinez

Eric Davis

Felix Hernandez

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Frank Thomas

Freddie Freeman

George Brett

Greg Maddux

Gunnar Henderson

Hank Aaron

Ichiro Suzuki

Ivan Rodriguez

Jacob DeGrom

Jeff Bagwell

Jim Palmer

Jim Rice

Jim Thome

Joe Mauer

Joe Morgan

Joey Votto

John Smoltz

Johnny Bench

Jose Altuve

Jose Canseco

Juan Gonzalez

Juan Soto

Julio Rodriguez

Justin Verlander

Ken Griffey Jr.

Kirby Puckett

Lou Brock

Luis Arraez

Manny Machado

Manny Ramirez

Mariano Rivera

Max Scherzer

Mickey Mantle

Miguel Cabrera

Mike Piazza

Mike Schmidt

Mike Trout

Mookie Betts

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Ryan

Ozzie Smith

Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Molitor

Pedro Martinez

Pete Alonso

Pete Rose

Phil Niekro

Randy Johnson

Reggie Jackson

Rickey Henderson

Roberto Alomar

Roberto Clemente

Robin Yount

Rod Carew

Roger Clemens

Rollie Fingers

Ronald Acuna Jr.

Salvador Perez

Sammy Sosa

Sandy Koufax

Scott Rolen

Shohei Ohtani

Stan Musial

Stephen Strasburg

Steve Carlton

Thurman Munson

Tom Glavine

Tom Seaver

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Wade Boggs

Warren Spahn

Will Clark

Willie Mays

Willie McCovey

Willie Stargell

Xander Bogaerts

Yadier Molina

Yogi Berra

Yordan Alvarez

Zack Greinke

Already picked:

Tony Gwynn - picked by Rod
Ryne Sandberg - picked by Jeff B
Steve Garvey - picked by gcrl
Duke Snider - picked by Rod
Frank Robinson - picked by Nachos Grande
Ted Williams - picked by Matt
Harmon Killebrew - picked by Crocodile
Francisco Lindor - picked by OhioTim

Gary Carter - picked by Angus
Todd Helton - picked by Laurens
Barry Larkin - picked by Nachos Grande

Serial #d winner

 We had 11 participants for the drawing, and a few more that committed to sending things out, without entering the drawing, which I also appreciate.

So here is the initial list, ready to randomize three times:

The first randomization:

The second randomization:

And the final randomization with the top name being the winner:

The winner is Gavin (defgav)!!!  I will get the serial #d cards out the door asap.  That's all, thanks for checking in, and a sincere thank you to everyone who entered and will send out cards this holiday season.  Everyone have a great one!!

Pick me a player #10 - Todd Helton

     I have 137 different players in my keepers with at least 10 cards.  The players are listed at the end of this post.  In an effort to get myself posting more consistently, I invite the first commenter on this post to choose one of the players below and I will post 5 of the most interesting cards I have of that player as the subject of another blog post.  Then on that post, the first commenter can pick another player and when I get around to it, I will post 5 cards of that player, and so on. 

So who will be my first commenter/player picker on this post???  Additional comments are welcome, but only the first one will be the player featured on the next post.

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The 10th player picked to be featured in this series was picked by Laurens, and is......

Todd Helton!!

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Cards of Todd Helton that I would like to add to my keepers:

1. 1993 Topps Traded

2. 1993 Topps Traded

3. 1993 Topps Traded

Just kidding, but that 1993 Topps Traded is by far the most wanted Helton card for me, I have wanted it for years.

A couple of other cards I might want... Early refractors are far and away the next biggest want.  After that, hmm, probably funky Pacific die cut cards like those batting cage cards or glove cards.

Some Extra Heltons for the post, as I have a lot of the Todd that I like:

And these two, that I just picked up at the last card show!

OK, on to the five cards I selected...no particular order.

1.1998 Topps Stadium Club - First Day Issue

Back when things like Artist's Proof and First Day Issue actually meant the cards were somewhat rare!

2. 2001 Donruss - Diamond Kings - Studio Series #/250

The 'base' cards in this insert set are #/2500, this is the rarer Studio Series, numbered /250.  The scan stinks, this is actually a pretty card in hand.

3. 2008 Topps Chrome - Blue Refractor

I really love pre-2010 refractors, and this one pops a lot!

4. 2002 Topps Reserve - Jerseys

Maybe not the most incredible card visually, but I love the dirt on the jersey piece.

5. 1998 Donruss - Rookie Diamond Kings #/10000

Love the set, and love the Helton the most out of the set

So what player is next??  First commenter gets to pick a player that is not crossed off from this list:

Aaron Judge

Adley Rutschman

Adrian Beltre

Al Kaline

Albert Belle

Albert Pujols

Alex Rodriguez

Andre Dawson

Andruw Jones

Babe Ruth

Barry Bonds

Barry Larkin

Bo Bichette

Bo Jackson

Bob Gibson

Bobby Witt Jr.

Boog Powell

Brooks Robinson

Bryce Harper

Buster Posey

Byron Buxton

Cal Ripken Jr.

Carl Yastrzemski

Carlton Fisk

Chase Utley

Chipper Jones

Clayton Kershaw

Cody Bellinger

Corbin Carroll

Corey Seager

Dale Murphy

Darryl Strawberry

Dave Parker

David Ortiz

David Wright

Dennis Eckersley

Derek Jeter

Don Mattingly

Don Mossi

Dwight Gooden

Eddie Murray

Edgar Martinez

Eric Davis

Felix Hernandez

Fernando Tatis Jr.

Frank Thomas

Freddie Freeman

George Brett

Greg Maddux

Gunnar Henderson

Hank Aaron

Ichiro Suzuki

Ivan Rodriguez

Jacob DeGrom

Jeff Bagwell

Jim Palmer

Jim Rice

Jim Thome

Joe Mauer

Joe Morgan

Joey Votto

John Smoltz

Johnny Bench

Jose Altuve

Jose Canseco

Juan Gonzalez

Juan Soto

Julio Rodriguez

Justin Verlander

Ken Griffey Jr.

Kirby Puckett

Lou Brock

Luis Arraez

Manny Machado

Manny Ramirez

Mariano Rivera

Max Scherzer

Mickey Mantle

Miguel Cabrera

Mike Piazza

Mike Schmidt

Mike Trout

Mookie Betts

Nolan Arenado

Nolan Ryan

Ozzie Smith

Paul Goldschmidt

Paul Molitor

Pedro Martinez

Pete Alonso

Pete Rose

Phil Niekro

Randy Johnson

Reggie Jackson

Rickey Henderson

Roberto Alomar

Roberto Clemente

Robin Yount

Rod Carew

Roger Clemens

Rollie Fingers

Ronald Acuna Jr.

Salvador Perez

Sammy Sosa

Sandy Koufax

Scott Rolen

Shohei Ohtani

Stan Musial

Stephen Strasburg

Steve Carlton

Thurman Munson

Tom Glavine

Tom Seaver

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Wade Boggs

Warren Spahn

Will Clark

Willie Mays

Willie McCovey

Willie Stargell

Xander Bogaerts

Yadier Molina

Yogi Berra

Yordan Alvarez

Zack Greinke

Already picked:

Tony Gwynn - picked by Rod
Ryne Sandberg - picked by Jeff B
Steve Garvey - picked by gcrl
Duke Snider - picked by Rod
Frank Robinson - picked by Nachos Grande
Ted Williams - picked by Matt
Harmon Killebrew - picked by Crocodile
Francisco Lindor - picked by OhioTim

Gary Carter - picked by Angus
Todd Helton - picked by Laurens