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