Time for a Return

The Platter had been closed up for about a couple months now.  Since some folks have probably wondered why I was away or why I have been slow to return emails, I should address that.  This little hiatus didn't have to do with being too busy.  I have had plenty of time between work and Dodger games to churn out a post over the last couple months.  The reason is more to do with lethargy and a slight disinterest in baseball cards.

When my level of interest waned on collecting, that made it hard to write something interesting or even semi-interesting about the topic of collecting.  I have at least tried to entertain a few folks over the lifespan of the Platter.  My joy of collecting was usually seen through the words I typed and the interaction that I had with the blog world.  Interest in card collecting has been on the upswing lately and I felt the time was right to start typing up some words.

I have been pondering recently about, "what makes me happy?"  You can apply that question to any topic such as baseball card collecting.  I was wondering about what makes me happy about the cardboard hobby?  After being able to have some ideas bounce around my head about collecting happiness, it was an easy transition into focusing on getting back into the game of collecting and blogging.

One of the questions that I answered was, "what should be my collecting focal point?"  Obtaining Dodger cards is obvious but, my love of the hobby goes beyond just grabbing cards of my favorite team.  I wanted a niche that could be paired with my Dodger collection.  I have always loved 90s cards because those were the cards of my youth.  I began opening packs and collecting in the late-80s.  The 90s was when the cardboard addiction fully kicked in.

I thought a good way to get back into card purchasing was to start buying some random boxes of cards from the great decade of the 90s.  I started to order cheap boxes online and even finding a box of '91 Leaf at a flea market that was cheaper than a pack of smokes.  The set building process began and the joy of the stellar photography is a lot of fun.  Buying boxes from the 90s is also inexpensive and is an awesome way to spend a few hours of your day.

Going on a 90s cardboard kick was one of the ways that brought me back to the Platter.  Another reason was that I would still get trade packages and offers from fellow bloggers.  Nick from the big time Dimes Boxes blog sent me one the other day.  Nick and I just send each other cards every now and then.

It made me happy that even though I vanished, he still wanted to send me some cardboard.  It made me glad that Nick did this.  I have been compiling some gems for him from the hobby boxes that I have been purchasing and he will get those soon.

Some other bloggers have also sent some cards my way.  I am not sure if I owe them anything in return.  My head has been kind of lost and I have sadly forgotten what I owe and to whom I owe cards to.  Do I owe Tom from Waiting till Next Year any cardboard?  I am pretty sure I owe Jeff from 2 by 3 Heroes some baseball cards.  May you two just email me to confirm that?

Also, anyone else that I may owe cards to, please email me.

I almost went this entire post without even mentioning the two cards above that Nick sent me.  I also didn't even mention the Dodgers are in the playoff until just now neither.  Man, I am a ranter with no focus sometimes.

Thank you for the cards Nick.  I may post again someday.

Finding Some Treasure In A Mystery Box

I have been digging through the cardboard filled mystery box over the past couple of days.  The search has been enjoyable as I have seen sets that remind me of my early days as a collector.  My first foray into the world of baseball card collecting began in the late-80s.  I remember getting packs of '88 Donruss and '89 Topps back in the day.  Those were some prime years as far as card collecting popularity.  The mystery box has those two sets included as well as a slew of others from the era when I was a rookie card hoarder.

I have been compiling a stack of keepers from this box that will end up in binders eventually.  The mystery box has given me some nice cards to hold onto.  Some of these junk wax era cards have a fresh pack pulled feel and look to them.  The pristine condition of some of these cards from over 20 years ago lends to my nostalgic feeling when '90 Topps packs were opened frequently by childhood me.

I have no idea who Monty Fariss is.  I have never heard that name before and rarely have I heard the name Monty.  A reader may be able to clue me in on anything Monty Fariss.  I tried to Google his name and Google told me to just ask someone rather than constantly relying on the search engine for answers.  So there you go.

This Fariss card is in the running for the Top Ten from the Mystery Box.  This may be my favorite card that I pulled so far.  Topps Stadium Club seems to come through with random photographic brilliance a lot more often than any other set in the history of baseball card sets.

It wouldn't be a dig through a box full of overproduction era cards without a picture of '91 Fleer, would it?  This Fleer set is every blogger's favorite or least favorite set ever.  I always forget which opinion stands stronger within the blog world.

No matter your feelings towards the obnoxious yellow set, the Dennis Martinez card is a standout.  Martinez was a really good pitcher for the Montreal Expos when this card came out.  He posted a sub-3.00 ERA during the 1990 season.  The Expos also had one of the best uniforms in baseball back then when Montreal had major league baseball.

One Halloween I should don a full Expos uniform as a costume.  I will speak with a French-Canadian accent with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth while complaining about Bud Selig.  Oh, one of these days that will happen.

The search will continue with this mystery box.  I am almost halfway through skimming through the cardboard and will post more golden items as I find them.  The time warp through my childhood sets must commence.

Another Mystery Box

The first time I bought a large lot of cards was a lot of fun to dig through.  The latest purchase that I made consists of around 3000 cards from the overproduction years of 87-91.  The box may contain cards from other years but the bulk is prime time junk wax.  This is going to be very enjoyable for me to skim through.

Some collectors may be able to tell which sets are in this box based on the color pattern of the tops of the cards.  Many collectors have seen a box like this since the late 80s and some may even have a box like this stashed in a closet never to be seen again.  A lot like this set me back a whopping five bucks.  This same mix of cardboard will give me hours of fun checking out.

I will post some random, neat looking cards as I skip through stacks from this box.  The contents of this box will probably get me to figure out another Top Ten Countdown at the end of my search.

Get ready for some awful mustaches and stupid haircuts courtesy of the 80s.  This is going to be a blast from my childhood.

Always Adapting

A baseball card hoarder's collection is constantly changing with additions from trades or purchases and subtractions from selling or trading.  The collector's baseball card piles will always change in numbers.  Binders will become many and some binders may be condensed into other binders.  The baseball card collection is forever evolving for the devoted compilers of cardboard.

My hall of fame collection has been more of a focal point for my collecting habits.  2013 has seen me add more autographs of some of the legends of Cooperstown than in previous collecting seasons.  It is only July so, I will probably add a few more signed gems to my collection.

I am starting to think of some parameters for which to build my hall of fame collection.  I am starting to get somewhat picky when it comes to autograph purchases.  The card companies flood the market with many Cooperstown inductees so, the collector has many options to pick from when choosing signatures to acquire.

One of the parameters that I have set up when I seek out hall of fame autos is the search for on-card signatures.  Sticker autos annoy me for several reasons.  The signer has very little room to sign their name on a tiny sticker.  The sticker may leave out some artistry to the ballplayer's way of signing.  Another bothersome point about sticker autos is that a lot of the player's signatures look the same.  The more room that a signer has to work with the more unique a signature may appear in size, shape and a possible inscription.

This George Kell auto is a perfect example of an on-card signature adding some character to the baseball card.  Kell couldn't sign diagonally on a sticker and he also would not be able to add his HOF induction year.  Also, card companies would not place a sticker auto on a card that is crooked and placed on the player's back.

I am unaware how most of the blog world feels about signatures like this.  The card design has a tiny picture of Bruce Sutter at the top and the logo on his hat is airbrushed.  This may be a turnoff to some collectors but,  I am not one of those collectors.  I place the niceness of the signature over card design.  I also enjoy Leaf trying something new on its autograph cards.  Leaf let Sutter expand his signature and inscription.  I view this as a good thing and the card stands out to me.

I don't have too many hall of fame sticker autos in my collection.  Luckily, I didn't go to deep down that patch.  I am more than willing to pay a couple bucks more for a sweet on-card auto of a legend.  The few sticker auto cards that I have in my hall of fame collection may come up for trade soon.  I may use those to help out my Dodger collection.

Belated Top Five From The Fun Box

The mind seems to lack creativity in immense heat.  Well, my mind is at least affected by the extreme summertime conditions going on in LA.  It seems that the summer is zapping away some interesting thoughts that I usually share at the Platter.  Well, those thoughts are usually at least interesting to me and a few others, I hope.

I usually like to share some insight into my life with my loyal readers.  The hundred degree heat has taken away some of those thoughts when I gaze at my laptop trying to figure out what words to type.  I have been doing some fun activities this summer like going to the beach, catching some ballgames and picking up some nice baseball cards.  It just seems to put a strain on my mind when it comes time to sort through those activities and relate them to baseball cards with someone like Juan Samuel being pictured.

School was a good time to try and prepare for a post during the occasional daydream during class.  If an idea popped in my head about baseball cards during class, I would write it down and possibly use the thought later at the Platter.  My mind was already programmed into trying to come up with interesting concepts to write about so I could get a solid letter grade as a reward for my efforts.  The mind turns to mush during the summer months and it is only the beginning of July.  I hope I still remember to feed myself by the time August rolls around.

Last month I began posting about a 4,000 count box I purchased that had random inserts and base cards from the late 90s up until now enclosed.  The box was a lot of fun to dig through stack by stack.  I even started to post a Top Ten list and got through cards 10 to 6.  I felt the unintentional cliffhanger that I left lingering had lasted long enough.

Let me show you guys what I consider to be the five best cards from my random fun box purchase.

#5

2002 Topps Stadium Club Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds used to make me nervous when he came up to the plate against the Dodgers.  The guy was a beast at the plate and seemed to collect some big hits off of Dodger pitching.  Edmonds was also stellar with the glove.  He would patrol center field like a hawk and track down every fly ball hit in his general direction.

With that said, this card is still a keeper for me.  The photo is superb and once again showcases why Topps Stadium Club is simply awesome.  

I am heading over to a card show this weekend.  One of my goals is to find a box of Topps Stadium Club from any year at a reasonable price and make the buy.  A hobby box full of photography gold will be a fun filled purchase.

#4

2005 Fleer Ultra Jerry Hairston

Fleer Ultra is another fallen set from yesteryear that was able to capture some great action shots of baseball players.  This was Fleer's answer to the high quality photography that Upper Deck and Topps Stadium Club had going on.  

This card features current Dodger Jerry Hairston as a Baltimore Oriole.  This photograph seems to depict Hairston missing a fly ball while making a diving attempt.  The quick fingered photographer captured the moment of Hairston watching the ball go by him.  I am also unsure whether the ball bounced and Hairston mistimed his slide.  Did the ball bonuce off of Hairston's glove and sputter by him?  

The photo doesn't display what happened after Hairston's attempt at catching the ball.  The photograph does leave that open for discussion and works as a conversation piece.  That is the type of baseball card action shots that I enjoy most.  The card will look good in a binder and have my mind work out a play by play for Hairston that may be completely false.

#3

2004 Upper Deck Eric Byrnes

Some bloggers collect cards featuring a play at the plate.  Other bloggers name their blogs and collect cards of the thrilling play between a runner and a catcher.  The play at the plate is one of the more exciting plays in the sport of baseball.  The fans can see the entire play unfold from start to finish.  When watching a player rounding the bases after a base hit the crowd begins to roar in anticipation of the runner chugging home and scoring.  The throw thrown to the plate is tracked by the crowd while the fans know that the play will be close.  After the runner slides home and the catcher attempts to apply a tag, the crowd eagerly awaits the signal from the home plate umpire.  Once the call is made the home crowd either cheers in excitement or gets eerily quiet.

Play at the plate cards is a fun sub genre to collect.  I don't seek all of them out but, when I see a cool one, I keep it for my collection.  They make a binder look better and more fun to flip through.  I totally see why some bloggers collect play at the plate cards.  An entire binder full of them is probably interesting to scope through when wanting to kill some time.

#2

2009 Topps Update Tony Gwynn Jr.

I have featured this card at the Platter before.  Once I pulled this one out of the fun box, I knew it would be a top ten card at the very least.  When I was trying to figure out which cards I would feature in the top ten, this one just kept popping out at me.  This play at the plate card just kept standing out in the countless gems that I pulled.

The card having current Albuquerque Isotope Tony Gwynn Jr. on it also pushed it forward to number two on the list.  Headfirst dives into home plate may not be recommended for a player's health but, it is more pleasing on the eyes.  Diving headfirst looks a lot more action packed and gives the impression of increased effort by the base runner.

  

#1

2002 Fleer Ultra Aaron Sele

Now onto the top slot which features not one but two ex-Doyers.  Not many cards feature the play of a pitcher covering first base and showing a close photo finish at the bag.  This card stands out as stellar photography.  When I pulled this one out of the many '02 Fleer Ultras that the box contained, I immediately set this one aside knowing that I had gold in my hands.

I hope the umpire got the call right on this play.  The umpires screw up some calls and may have missed this close play.  Luis Gonzalez actually appears to have beaten out an infield base hit.  The ball is just inches away from Aaron Sele's glove as Gonzalez touches the base.

This will probably be the only Aaron Sele card that I will ever have in my collection.  I am glad that I own what is probably known as his best baseball card.  Maybe some Sele collectors can let me know whether or not this is his best card.  I can't see anything else topping it.

I hope to make another purchase like this someday.  The price was cheap and it gave me hours of entertainment.  I also enjoyed writing up a countdown.  Reading countdown posts are fun for me and I am unsure why I don't write more countdowns.  This will have to be done again at the Platter.

Have a fun Fourth of July! 

Sweeeeeep!

This post actually doesn't have to do with the Dodgers three game sweep of the hated Giants of the North.  Nor does this post have to do with the Dodgers five game winning streak.  I just wanted to obnoxiously use "sweeeeeep" in the title because as a Dodger fan, I had to wait until the end of June to puff my chest out with pride based on the team's performance.  It has been a rough start for the Dodgers so far this season and getting a sweep against the team's biggest rival is the really high quality icing on the cake that melts in your mouth.

Now onto the purpose of this post after I got some brief gloating out of the way.  The time has come to churn out some trade posts.  I have noticed that I don't get around to posting about the cards that the kindhearted blog world sends me until bubble mailers become a scattered mess on my desk.  Once the clutter overtakes a portion of my bedroom, then I know it is time to give thanks to the trade partners that send me the goods.

Dime Box Nick is a Platter All-Star because he sends me some great cardboard and writes a kick ass blog.  Nick is able to find gems like this flashy Satchell Paige to send my way.  This may be my first card of Paige as a St.Louis Brown.  The few other cards I have of the pitching legend show him as a Cleveland Indian.  The spelling of his first name confuses me on this card.  I thought his first name only had one "L" and not two.  Since, I don't know anybody else nicknamed Satchel or Satchell, I have no point of comparison for the proper spelling.

This card motivated me to look up some of Paige's major league numbers.  It turns out that Paige started a game for the KC Athletics as a 58 year old.  This start came in the 1965 season and was his only appearance in the majors that year.  His previous stint in the big leagues came as a St.Louis Brown in 1953.  Paige had a 12 year gap between major league outings.  That is a huge span of years between pitching performances.  Oh yeah, I will mention this once more, he made a start as a 58 year old dude.

I will also like to mention how he did in his 1965 start.  Paige pitched 3 innings without giving up a run and only allowed one base runner.  He dominated for 3 innings as a 58 year old.  Just plain unbelievable.  Paige is a legend.

 
The bubble mailer sent to me by Nick was littered with hall of fame sweetness.  Most of the cards he sent me were new additions to my hall of fame collection.  I may need to start another binder for my American League side of my collection.  This Rod Carew may set the AL binder over the edge and a new binder will be needed.

I love the crystal clear images of the Upper Deck Past Time Pennants sets.  Why do some photographs on baseball cards seem crystal clear and next level while others don't take you into the setting of the shot?  Why don't card companies only use the best photo available?  What is the process to make and older image like this Carew look like it was taken by the best digital camera of 2013?  Any photography experts out there?

The early Fleer sets were notorious with their poor standards of photography and quality control.  Blurry and dark images somehow made it into some of the early-80s Fleer offerings.  Even with the sub standards, Fleer was able to churn out some cardboard gold.

Steve Yeager cards get featured at the Platter fairly regularly.  A baseball card blog named for Yeager would probably be a good idea.  Yeager has some cool looking cards and his image seems to represent what men looked like in the late seventies and early eighties.

Dime Box Nick has also claimed this week to be PWE Appreciation Week and is encouraging bloggers to send each other a couple cards in a plain white envelope.  This is a fantastic idea and I am sure many of his readers will follow suit and mail out something nice to their blogger pals.  I have already sent one out earlier today and will get some more out later this week.

Spread the kindness around the blog world.

Thanks for the nice cards, Nick.

Top Ten Best From The Fun Box Part 1

I got off work earlier this morning and was received by a warm and cheery summer day.  That put me in a good mood.  Clocking out of work always puts a smile on my face anyway, but added perfect weather adds to the glee.  This post should put my faithful readers in a grand mood as well.

I have concluded my dig through the 4,000 count mystery box of baseball cards.  This has been an ongoing thrilling extravaganza since last weekend.  You may want to check out my post from when the journey began if you were one of the few that had missed out on it.  I had around 200 cards that I am going to keep for my personal collection.  The rest of the cards will be used in trades and the others will be placed in 3200 count boxes to be sold the next time I do a card show this fall.  I plan on having a massive table of dime boxes to be sold by October.

I flipped through the keepers from this fun box once more to compile my 10 favorites.  This was tough to do because there were so many great set designs and photographs.  Another aspect that made this situation difficult was that the box contained very few Dodgers.  This would have been a bigger disappointment but, the box had an abundance of other cards that will fit into my binders nicely.

Let us get this first part of the countdown underway!

#10

2004 Upper Deck Kenny Lofton #400

The 2004 Upper Deck set had a very strong showing as I rummaged through the mixture of cardboard.  The design is superb and the photography is golden.  The lucky collector that peruses my dime boxes in the fall will have a really cool time finding many of the '04 Upper Deck cards that weren't needed for my collection.

This card depicts an action shot that a story can be told by the viewer.  Lofton and the Yankees third base coach appear to both be looking in the same direction as Lofton is rounding third.  A close play may be going on towards second base or Lofton is peering over at a cutoff man about to throw him out.

But, that throw never did through the jet quick Lofton out at home plate.  Lofton was a speedster that only got thrown out at the plate once and that was because he inexplicably answered his ringing cell phone halfway between third and home.

Also, does anyone have any idea why there is a hoard of gigantic cameras leering out in the background?  That seems to be a lot of big cameras that must have been operated by tiny cameraman because they seem invisible. 

#9

2004 Topps Total Jerry Hairston Jr. #482

Hairston is one of the current Dodgers several scrappy utility type players that do everything adequately but not spectacularly.  Hairston was a youngster back in '04 and wore cool shades.  The shades and the amount of focus that Hairston has on catching that baseball.  He is totally mesmerized by the spinning seams.

I hope Hairston was quick enough to notice the likely oncoming base runner.  This photo was probably taken in '03.  Any number of body building juicers could have been steamrolling down the base path.  Luckily, Hairston did survive this possible calamity in order to live long enough to play for the dismal 2013 Los Angeles Dodgers.

      

#8

2009 Topps Update Josh Reddick #27

I try to add a couple points to my cool card grading scale when it involves an awesome looking photo.  A pro ballplayer getting a rookie card that which will have a long lasting appeal in the blog world, which isn't about the money, is quite an accomplishment.  

This is a cleaner cut Josh Reddick.  He still looks like a bad ass as a rookie and looks like he can crush a skull and a home run.  

Reddick's rookie card stood out to me from the thousands of cards that I glanced at.  This is one of the better rookie cards that I have seen in awhile.  This is also my first viewing of this card as I do not normally collect Red Sox or was I ripping packs of '09 Update back in the day.

I wonder how well this rookie card would have done during Nick's Dime Box Tourney on his blog.  The Reddick may have lasted a couple rounds.

#7

2010 Topps Update Carlos Santana #330

Even though I was just gushing over the Josh Reddick rookie card, I have to say that this Carlos Santana is one slight step better.  This photo is of a rookie catcher diving headfirst into a base and claiming it like a man possessed.  Santana is clutching the base with a huge paw and won't let an opponent take it from him.  

The 2010 Topps sets have an old school feel to me.  I had just gotten back into collecting and these were some of the first packs I was tearing apart in 2010.  The set already has a retro vibe to me and I enjoy skimming through 2010 Topps and Topps Update cards.  Some great photography and good rookies are in this set.

#6

2004 Topps Roger Cedeno #490

This Roger Cedeno card was written about at the Platter a couple days ago.  I couldn't just leave it off my Top Ten keepers list because I had already displayed it once before on my blog.  That would be unfair.  This card is great.  

It has Roger Cedeno.  Awesome.

It is a play at the plate.  Super awesome.

The graphic design comic book version of Cedeno mimicking his slide into home.  Extra super awesome.

The rest of the Top Ten will have some more spectacular cardboard for your viewing pleasure.  This was a fun way to spend this summer morning.  Maybe I will spend the summer evening doing this typing thing as well.