My Mattingly Collection - 2014 Topps Framed Rookie Reprints

We've all seen it a million times.   It's one of the most iconic cards from the 80's and a must-have for any Mattingly fan, Yankees fan or collecting-baseball fan from that decade.   It's the 1984 Topps Don Mattingly rookie card, presented in a "framed" and serial-numbered format courtesy of 2014 Topps Series 1.

I had to have one and it's pretty cool.   The colors and graphics are bold, as they should be for a modern-day reprint.  This particular copy is #19 out of 99....I will never get tired of looking at this card, my favorite card of my favorite player!

Here's a look at the back - it was printed in the "bleached" out fashion of the old traded sets, so it is not consistent with the original design, but it certainly provides some pop for this most recent rendition:

And just to give you an idea of what these framed cards are like, here is a side shot of the Mattingly for a sense of thickness.   They are substantial, rigid and much heavier than a standard card.  Since I scooped this one off the secondary market, I have no idea how they are packaged in with normal packs.   I can only imagine the excitement of pulling one, though, as you must certainly know that you have something special just based on weight and feel alone!

How do I store this thing?!?!

I'm slowly but surely starting to add post-playing days cards of Mattingly to my collection.   I should really try and focus more effort on that part of my collection as there was a lot I missed out on during my hobby hiatus from '94-2011.   I'd be interested in any of them if you have any for trade!

Thanks for reading and keep collecting!