MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!



Below left and right would be the left side of my desk , with the Dodge Ram delivering my tree. Santa and his helpers are in the Viper and Prowler. Above right: some of the boxes of decorations for the rest of our house.

Above left, that would be me and my wife ,about 100 years ago ! ( actually, only about 25 ,we've benn happily married for 28 1/2 ) I now have less hair and mustache is all white. Left and above right : This tree sets above my monitor ,all baseball related ornament including some Pacific cards from the late 1990's. Manny being Manny is near the top of tree.

Above : even our cat has her own tree,nutcracker and stocking !! She lays there with her head hanging down out of her bed thinking , " What are these people doing !"

More boxes and boxes.

Boxes and boxes everywhere !

These photos show why it will take my wife several days to get the whole house decorated, and this is just the inside stuff !!


Gotta go for now. BASEBALLDAD !

SAMPLE CARDS

Thanksgiving Eve ! I can smell the pumpkin rolls and pie my wife is baking for tomorrow. After the big meal tomorrow will be a perfect time to relax and work on some of my collection.

Indian cards are my main interest but I have several other collections going .

The one I refer to as " My Sample Card Collection " is one of my favorites.
Many years ago I thought it would be neat to have a sample of every different brand of card I could find. It was easy at first. A Donruss , Fleer , Topps and Upper Deck base card each year. So easy I decided to add inserts , parallels and oddball issues into the mix. Of course , we all know what happens from there ! The card companies all had to try and out do the others and my simple, sample collection got very complicated. I now have a 5000 count box almost full of different cards with dividers for each year, all in alphabetical order by brand, set, parallel and inserts. ( Sorry I'm an organizational freak !! ) . When I first started with this madness I was also compiling a checklist .

Example : ( the list actually starts in the 1950's )


1989
Ames 20/20 Club ________________________________
Bazooka ________________________Orel Hershiser 15
Bowman ________________________Paul Molitor 140
Tiffany ______________________________________
Inserts _____________________Whitey Ford
Tiffany __________________________
Cap’n Crunch ______________________Andrew Dawson 10
Classic ________________________________Kevin Elster 75
Update I (orange) _______________Mike Boddicker 139
Update II (purple) ________________Mike Schmidt 153
Donruss ________________________________Paul Molitor 291
All-Stars _______________________Roger Clemons 14
Baseball’s Best ___________________________________
Diamond Kings Supers ______________________
Grand Slammers ____________________Franklin Stubbs 9
MVP _________________________George Brett BC-7
Pop-Ups ___________________________Paul Molitor
Rookies ___________________________Jim Abbott 16
Traded ______________________________________
Fleer ___________________________________B. J. Surhoff 197
Glossy ______________________________________
For the Record _____________________________
All-Stars ____________________Kirk Gibson 4
Baseball All-Stars ______________________________
Box Panels ______________________________________
Exciting Stars _________________________Robin Yount 44
Heroes of Baseball ______________________________
League Leaders _____________________________
MVP ___________________________________________
Superstars ____________________________________
Update ________________________________________
World Series _________________________________
Hills Team MVP’S __________________________Orel Hershier 17
Holsom /Schaeffer’s Super Star Disc ______________Kirk Gibson 20
K-MART ________________________________________
Mother’s Cookies
A’s______________________________________
Astros___________________________________
Dodgers______________________________
Giants___________________________________
Mariners_______________________________
Rangers_________________________________________
Jose Canseco_____________________________________

But ,in 2003 , there was nearly 100 different packs you could buy !


BAZOOKA
BOWMAN
BOWMAN’S BEST
BOWMAN CHROME
BOWMAN CHROME DRAFT PICKS
BOWMAN DRAFT PICKS
BOWMAN HERITAGE
DONRUSS
DONRUSS CHAMPIONS
DONRUSS CLASSICS
DONRUSS DIAMOND KINGS
DONRUSS ELITE
DONRUSS ELITE EXTRA EDITION
DONRUSS ESTRELLAS
DONRUSS SIGNATURE SERIES
DONRUSS TEAM HEROES
DONRUSS DLP ROOKIES &TRADED
E-X
FINEST
FLAIR
FLAIR GREATS
FLEER AUTHENTIX
FLEER AVANT
FLEER BOX SCORE
FLEER DOUBLE HEADERS
FLEER FALL CLASSICS
FLEER FOCUS JE
FLEER GENUINE
FLEER HARDBALL
FLEER HOT PROSPECTS
FLEER MYSTIQUE
FLEER PATCHWORKS
FLEER PLATINUM
FLEER ROOKIES and GREATS
FLEER SHOWCASE
FLEER SPLENDID SPLINTERS
FLEER TRADITION
FLEER TRADITION UPDATE
LEAF
LEAF CERTIFIED MATERIALS
LEAF LIMITED
MLB SHOWDOWN
MLB SHOWDOWN PENNANT RUN
MLB SHOWDOWN TRADING DEADLINE
PLAYOFF ABSOLUTE MEMORABILIA
PLAYOFF PIECE OF THE GAME
PLAYOFF PORTRAITS
PLAYOFF PRESTIGE
SP AUTHENTIC
SP LEGENDARY CUTS
SPx
STADIUM CLUB
STUDIO
TIMELESS TREASURES
TOPPS
TOPPS 205
TOPPS ALL-TIME FAN FAVORITES
TOPPS CHROME
TOPPS GALLERY
TOPPS GALLERY HOF
TOPPS HERITAGE
TOPPS OPENING DAY
TOPPS PRISTINE
TOPPS RETIRED SIGNATURE
TOPPS TOTAL
TOPPS TRADED and ROOKIES
TOPPS TRIBUTE WORLD SERIES
TOPPS TRIBUTE CONTEMPORARY
TOPPS TRIBUTE PERENNIAL ALL-STAR
UD AUTHENTICS
UD PATCH COLLECTION
ULTRA
UPPER DECK
UPPER DECK 40-MAN
UPPER DECK CLASSIC PORTRAITS
UPPER DECK FINITE
UPPER DECK FIRST PITCH
UPPER DECK GAME FACE
UPPER DECK HONOR ROLL
UPPER DECK MVP
UPPER DECK PLAY BALL
UPPER DECK PROSPECT PREMIERS
UPPER DECK STANDING “O”
UPPER DECK SUPERSTARS
UPPER DECK SWEET SPOT
UPPER DECK SWEET SPOT CLASSICS
UPPER DECK ULTIMATE COLLECTION
UPPER DECK VICTORY
UPPER DECK VINTAGE
UPPER DECK YANKEE SIGNATURE

So ,I still try to get as many different samples as I can but it starts to drive you crazy after awhile and at almost 58 I don't have far to go. Oh, I also collect wrappers. They are all in photo albums. I haven't counted them lately. Maybe I'll do that for my next episode.

Well ,I hope everyone has a happy and thankful Thanksgiving ! And don't forget those who may not be so fortunate. BASEBALLDAD

Collecting Again

The recession seems to have reached the card companies as Topps and Upper Deck have announced layoffs. Maybe the hobby will start to lean more toward collecting and having fun again ! If we can get more young people interested in cards and the the card companies to produce affordable packs and boxes maybe they could stay in business without having $ 400.00 packs with 3 cards inside. My plan this spring is to contact those in charge of our local baseball programs and arrange short meetings with the coaches , players and interested parents to introduce collecting to those who don't know and understand the real fun and enjoyment that can be had from collectors getting together. I want to be able to offer them at least a free pack of cards and explain some of the various types of collections that can be put together such as teams , players , sets , error / miscut cards , HOF 'ers and what ever you can imagine ! Also basic storage techniques and games to play. Hopefully this whole idea may keep some kids off the streets and away from the TV and video games once in a while and round out their activities a little. Or am I just dreaming .....

Introduction

HI !! This is my first attempt at a blog so please bear with me ! I'm from a small town in north central Ohio , was born and raised here nearly 58 years ago. ( Dec. 4,1950 ) I have been an Indian fan for as long as I can remember. As with many , the baseball cards I had when I was growing up , ended up in my bicycle spokes. I sowed all my wild oats after a tour in Viet Nam in 1970-71 and didn't settle down and get married until I almost thirty , with two sons coming 4 and 7 years later. Both are now in college. The boys and I started collecting sportscards together some 15 or so years ago. It has provided a lot of enjoyable time together for us. My wonderful wife of 28 + years has been very patient and understanding !!




My main collection consists of about 15 albums , of various sizes , of Cleveland Indian baseball cards sorted by year , brand of card and player. I have separate small albums of Steve Olin , " Super " Joe Charboneau and two for Jim Thome ( Indian cards only ) He was my favorite player until he left for the Phillies. ( couldn't stay there long enough to win a world series either ! ). I have about 7,000 duplicate Indian cards along with 100,000 + other cards to sell or trade. I am working on lists that I will try to get published here.