My HOF Collection - 1969 Topps #480 Tome Seaver

I decided that I didn't have enough "vintage" Tom Seaver in my collection.

Alright, I didn't have anything before 1978.   The rest of his cards are absolutely fabulous, don't get me wrong.   But there's something special about cards of these stars from their younger years.   Vintage cards are extraordinary in their own right - but vintage cards of a Hall of Fame hurler like Tom Terrific are a rare treasure for a collector like me.

I jumped on a chance to snag this Seaver on the Bay of E for what I thought was a pretty good price.   There were more affordable versions in lesser condition, but I thought this one struck a good balance for me when it came to one of my preferences for decently-centered cards.   And after doing some research, I quickly learned that finding this particular card in well-centered condition is a challenge.

Without further ado, here she is:

She's a little 'low' top-to-bottom and it's easy to see the wider margin on the left-hand side, but overall this was a reasonable card with very little bidding.   A couple of last minute snipers drove up my final purchase price, but at slightly m ore than a blaster, I was thrilled to win this card for my collection.

The '69 design is very basic and this photo of Tom is not helping at all - but what are you going to do.   It is a nice close-up mug shot of a young ace staring wistfully into a promising yet still unknown future....

In 1969, Seaver had just wrapped up an amazing sophomore season by eclipsing the 200 K mark (205) for the first of many times while going 16-12 over....get this, 278 innings pitched!!!!!   He would subsequently take it easy in '69, deciding to only go to work for 273.1 frames....but increase his K total to 208.   OH, and win the Cy Young.   Yawn.   Ho-hum!   The "Miracle Mets" would also take the pennant in 1969 and win the World Series by defeating the Baltimore Orioles

Whoa.   This 1969 Seaver card keeps getting better and better.   What about the back?

Ah, yes - love it.   Right off the bat we can see an umpire from the Jetsons add his flavor to the very same '68 K-total stat I mentioned above.   Love it.   Mr. Seaver's bio data appear right next to a really cool retro-Topps logo.   The write-up highlights some of Seaver's tremendous accomplishments during his first couple of seasons but the final mention has definitely grabbed my attention - his "15th inning" pitching that saved the Senior Circuit's 2-1 victory!

I must do some follow-on research to dive deeper into that story.......yes.......

For the card itself, the color is great on both sides and the corners are in pretty good shape, too.   Overall, I found the card to be a slight pleasant surprise, condition-wise, when it showed up.   Too often, a raw card purchase on the Bay is very risky and can result in a 'card in hand' that varies dramatically from the image you peered at in the middle of the night, on your iPhone screen.

I'll take my successful escape.

I'm very excited to add my first vintage Seaver card to my collection!

Thanks for reading and keep collecting -
Ryan

My Mattingly Collection - 2000 Upper Deck Legendary Lumber Bat Relic Card

Yes!

I absolutely love this card.   Mattingly is my favorite all-time player and I pick up just about every relic card of his that I can at a reasonable price - which can be a real challenge sometimes!

I snagged this one, though.....and Upper Deck REALLY delivered.   The design is brilliant, mixing in Yankee blue and pinstripes alongside a black & white photo of a classic Mattingly follow-through.

But that's not the best part.

The best part, to me, is the carved "NY" Yankees insignia in the bat relic that allows for a bold blue color on the card to shine through and really make it POP.   Here's the card:

We even get a classy silver foil facsimile Donnie autograph at the bottom.  Great balance!   Here's a closer look at the bat relic:
 

And here's the back:

The standard blurb and a repeat of the picture on the front, something that we saw with my earlier post on the Jeter/A-Rod relic card.   Undoubtedly, must have been a standard policy.   The continuation of the bold blue stripe on the back is terrific.

Great card - very, VERY ecstatic to add this one to my Mattingly collection.   It MIGHT overtake another Mattingly relic in my collection......MIGHT......but this other one is pretty stellar :)

Thanks for reading!

My First "1 of 1" Kicks Off a New Player Collection!

It just makes sense!

The Lost Collector and I exchanged spirited tweets and emails during the last MLB draft when the Yanks snagged three great players towards the end of the 1st Round (including the compensatory round).   They kicked things off by taking Eric Jagielo as the 26th player overall.

As you probably know, LC and I share a passion for all things Yankees.   So, the rare opportunity for New York to fill up the farm on young talent three times in the first round was a rare treat.   The Yankees are in a serious period of transition right now, more so than ever before with the recent announcement of Jeter's retirement.   Simply put, the old guard is heading out to pasture and the question of who will replace them is up for consideration.

Short term, the front office has spent some money this off-season, doing their best Dodgers impersonation, by bringing in free-agents Elsbury, Beltran and McCann and then capping it off with a winning bid on Japanese sensation, Masahiro Tanaka.   However, with long-term question marks remaining at third base, shortstop and second base (and perhaps more?!) - it was comforting to see them reel in some young talent.

What you might not know is that I am also a Notre Dame graduate - and while I am always cheering on the likes of former Irish greats Jeff Samardzija and John Axford - they really hadn't captivated me from a collecting standpoint.   Perhaps it is because I hadn't truly re-entered the hobby until after they made it to he Show...who knows.

But all that changed with the talented third baseman, Mr. Jagielo. He was the 2013 Big East player of the year and has already entered the Top 10 list of third base prospects for all of major league baseball.   He is consistently regarded as one of the top prospects in the Yankee system and, with the hot corner uncertainty created by the whole A-Rod mess....the timing JUST SEEMS RIGHT.

A Yankee with Fighting Irish heritage - I'm in! BAM - My latest Player Collection!  

SO, my search began in earnest - and as soon as I found this card for sale, I knew I had to have it:

YES!

My first Eric Jagielo card and I can't imagine a better way to kick off my collection - an autographed card that is one of a kind AND includes a Notre Dame inscription!

Okay, I gotta admit......the fact that I don't get to enjoy the very attractive and colorful Leaf design DOES cross my mind.   I have seen several versions of the printed copy of this card and they work really well - for Jagielo and everyone else.   In fact, I haven't dabbled much in the minor league/prospect/draft pick non-licensed portion of our hobby.   I did like what I saw during my initial searches......

But back to Jagielo!

Sure, his handwriting leaves a little bit to be desired, but I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that the days of perfect Harmon Killebrew script will be few and far between from here on out.   Regardless, the fact that this inscription marks Eric's time with the Irish baseball team is fantastic!

The card, or printing plate, is thicker and heavier than usual cards.....you know, like a plate.   It feels very foreign in my collecting hands......here is a quick look at the back, with the usual certification lingo:

Sweetness.

- Authentic
- print-used (laugh)
- 1/1 (but just for the cyan version, I guess?)
- there's an inscription
- autographed by THE Eric Jagielo

Some of it makes me laugh, but since this was a real treat for me and it is my first - I'll just set it aside and enjoy.   NO - thank YOU, Leaf.

So, off we go on a new Player Collection adventure!   This officially means, of course, for those of you that have read this far, that I am eager to acquire every single Jagielo card I can.   Let's wheel and deal if you have no need for Eric in your stacks.

Some prospect reports detail Jagielo's long-term value residing as a defensive player with little to no "above average" value at the plate.   I suppose we'll see where it goes and I'll be rooting for him the whole way.   It would be great to see Eric stick with the club and work his way into pinstripes in the Bronx one day.   It's a rare occurrence for Yankee farmhands not to be sold off before they get a shot or shortly thereafter (hey, Jesus)....and with the likes of Yankee old guard system products like Rivera and Jeter leaving, I believe Jagielo's arrival has the chance to be quite poetic.

Here's hoping!   Welcome to the Yankees, Eric Jagielo and welcome to the Favorite Player Hall of the Ryan's Pitch Collection!

Thanks for reading.