Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!

I had a great time at The National and made a ton of great pickups.  I have two still left to show and they are my favorites.

The same friend that helped me with Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken Jr., had a couple more tricks up his sleeve.

 

Reggie Jackson 1991 Orioles Crown #217

 

 

The Orioles served as the bridge between Reggie's two most remembered franchises.  The Orioles traded for Reggie in 1976, hoping to make another push to the World Series before free agency pulled him away.  Unfortunately, the Birds finished second in their division and Reggie would not make Baltimore a long term stay.

 

Not much to say about Reggie as an Oriole, just another Hall of Famer crossed off the list.  

Bowman Platinum Blast Off

Picked up a blaster today, much to the dismay of Wifey.  Whoops.  Well here is what I got, pack by pack.

Pack 1:

Miguel Cabrera #6-Tigers
Drew Pomeranz #69-Rockies
Stephen Strasburg #80-Nationals
Taijuan Walker Prospect Autographs Green Refractor #AP-TW #'d 92/399
Even a $30 card right off the bat didn't make Wifey happy.  Oh well, I am.  Hopefully this could help pay for the blaster.  Not a bad pack to start us off.

Pack 2:

Derek Jeter #24-Yankees
Paul Konerko #58-White Sox
Carlos Gonzalez Cutting Edge Stars #CES-CG-Rockies
Wily Peralta Prospects #BPP33-Brewers

Pack 3:

Jose Bautista #22-Blue Jays
David Price #28-Rays
Rickie Weeks #42-Brewers
Billy Hamilton Prospects Refractors #BPP16-Reds

Pack 4: Texas Rangers Hot Pack

Mike Napoli #29-Rangers
Ian Kinsler #39-Rangers
Will Middlebrooks Top Prospects #TP-WMK-Red Sox
Jurickson Profar Prospects X-Fractor #BPP35-Rangers

Pack 5:

Lance Berkman #15-Cardinals
Matt Moore #99-Rays
Clayton Kershaw Gold #55-Dodgers
Allen Webster Prospects #BPP47-Dodgers

Pack 6:

Ichiro #8-Mariners
Roy Halladay #93-Phillies
Oscar Taveras Prospects #BPP51-Cardinals
Alex Gordon Emerald #62-Royals

Pack 7:

Pablo Sandoval #77-Giants
Justin Morneau #84-Twins
Matt Holliday #97-Cardinals
Starling Marte Prospects Refractor #BPP24-Pirates

Pack 8:

Desmond Jennings #53-Rays
Brad Peacock #60-Athletics
Madison Bumgarner #73-Giants
Matt Davidson Prospects #BPP96-Diamondbacks

I feel that I did extremely well.  A bunch of good prospects and the hit.  Can't beat that.  As always, all are for trade or sale, just LMK.

Some 2012 Ginter Available

I have picked up a few packs of Ginter and I looking to trade or sell any of them.  LMK.

2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Highlight Sketches	BH-5	Brooks	Robinson
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Highlight Sketches	BH-16	David	Freese
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Historical Turning Points	HTP-9	Discovery of	New World
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Historical Turning Points	HTP-1	Declaration of	Independence
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Murder in Willow Cove	NNO	Willow Cove	High School
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Murder in Willow Cove	NNO	Klugman	Residence
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-6	Ryan	Braun
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-13	Carl	Crawford
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-28	Elvis	Andrus
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-40	Jemile	Weeks
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-50	Mike	Schmidt
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-61	Jim	Thome
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-72	C.C.	Sabathia
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-77	David	Price
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-92	Paul	Goldschmidt
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter What's in a Name	WIN-96	Ozzie	Smith
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter World's Tallest Buildings	WTB-2	Taipei	101
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter World's Tallest Buildings	WTB-10	Metlife	Building
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Framed Black Relic	AGR-BB	Balloon	Boy

2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini Black	62	Michael	Cuddyer
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini Black	298	Dee	Gordon
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini A&G Back	140	Mike	Trout
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini A&G Back	209	Coco	Crisp
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini A&G Back	246	Torii	Hunter
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini A&G Back	258	Doug	Fister
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini A&G Back	281	Matt	Cain
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini	31	Jackie	Robinson
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini	95	Felix	Hernandez
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini	148	Carlos	Gonzalez
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini	151	Jose	Valverde
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini	152	Ryan	Vogelsong
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini	160	Shane	Victorino
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini	176	Babe	Ruth
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter Mini SP	307	Jhonny	Peralta



Short Prints

2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	304	Kyle	Farnsworth
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	309	Bela	Karolyi
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	318	Mike	Moustakas
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	327	Jon	Lester
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	332	Guy	Bluford
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	337	Matt	Holliday
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	342	Ryan	Dempster
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	346	Lefty	Kreh
2012	Topps Allen & Ginter SP	348	Chase	Headley



Base Cards

7
18
27
30
34
37
41
43
46
54
55
57
61
65
69
70
73
78
83
84
87
98
100
103
109
112
113
114
115
117
124
126
133
136
138
142
143
151
153
155
157
161
165
174
176
177
180
182
187
202
204
205
216
220
226
232
237
239
241
248
256
262
269
278
286
287
288
299



Looking For Some Help

I won't grovel, it just doesn't suit me, but I can definitely use some help.  I have recently fallen behind in my head to head writing with Spankee and need your votes to propel me to victory.   

Here is the link to my post.

Here is the link to vote.  You can forget all about that Spankee fella too.

Don't let Baba down.

Do You Love Me?

Nachos Grande has given us our new assignment and here is mine:

The assignment is to use this image and write about what comes to mind.

So what does come to mind?

Cincinatti Reds? 
First place?
Hall of Fame?
Safe Call?
Measurement Tool?
John Valentine?
A true baseball card post?

Nope.  None of that.  When I see this image,



 naturally I think of my Baba (Grandmother).  Why on earth would I think of an 82 year old Ukrainian woman when looking at a recent Hall of Famer?  It's the arms. 

When I was a little kid she used to ask me if I loved her.  My patented response was always "Yes!.  This Big!" while holding my arms as far apart as possible.  See for yourself, my Little League Photo.  I too played for the Reds.

The resemblence is uncanny. 

She has supported me in all my sports endeavors and baseball card collecting.  We routinely went to her LCS, The House of Cards, and my stockings were always wrought with packs.  In 1993, she took me to my first major sports card convention and bought me my very first autographed 8x10 of Cal Ripken Jr.  Unfortunately, it is probably a fake.  Regardless, it is proudly mounted in the man cave.

My Baba and Dido are celebrating thier 60th year of marraige this year and I couldn't resist this opportunity to pay homage to our relationship.  If I lose so be it.  Just know you will be breaking an old woman's heart if you do not vote for me.  And we're Catholic, so beware the guilt.

Voting is not live yet, but you can check here tomorrow.

Money to Burn: Arnie Portocarrero

Arnie Portocarrero 1958 Topps #465

Drafted in 1949 by the Philadelphia Athletics, Arnie toiled in the minor leagues for a few seasons, toiled in the military during WWII and debuted in 1954.  The Athletics organization was not kind to Arnie and he never posted a winning season.  He was traded to the Orioles in 1958 and he took off, for a season.  He posted a career high 15 wins during the season.  He came back down to earth during his final two seasons in Baltimore, his last in the majors.  Arnie passed away in 1986 making a Crown card impossible.

This particular card was snagged from Hollywood Collectibles in my most expensive purchase of the National.  All in all, 32 names crossed off the list and one upgrade.  Also, 23 of those are deceased.  Not a bad haul for four days work.

Money To Burn: Charley Lau

Here Topps goes being all confusing again. First it was Charlie "Charley" Maxwell. Then it was Willy "Willie" Miranda. And now Charley "Charlie" Lau. It seems as if the 1950's and 1960's were not the age of quality control. It makes for confusing and scary autograph searches, but again this meets all examples and comes from a reputable source, Rich Altman and Hollywood Collectibles.

Charlie Lau 1966 Topps #368

Lau was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1952 but did not make his debut until 1956.  A little thing like WWI got in the way as Lau was serving his country.  Lau had two tours of duty with the Orioles but suffered greatly from inconsistency.  He followed up every good hitting season with a poor one. 

His work behind the plate deteriorated as his career progressed, due in some part to improper injury care.  Lau asserted that steroid injections to an injured arm allowed him to play before the injury truly healed.  This limited his ability to throw effectively and catch would be base stealers.

Lau's second career as a hitting instructor garnered him more attention than his playing career.  He started with the Orioles and eventually worked his way to the Kansas City Royals where his "absolutes" of hitting caught fire.  He is credited with helping George Brett and Hal McRae develop their batting stances and lay the foundation for their careers.  He authored the book "The Art of Hitting .300" in 1980, using George Brett as cover boy.  Lau passed away in 1984 after a battle with cancer.

Money To Burn: Dave McNally

I had made some decent sized purchases, picking up a bunch of cards at a time, that cost a pretty penny.  But I was torn on how to make my mark on Saturday at the National.  Did I want to bust some wax?  Damn right I did.  The thought of pulling a game changer at the Convention was almost too much to overcome.  But I did overcome the urge.  I instead bought up a few tough to come by vintage Orioles autographs, three to be exact.

First up:

Dave McNally 1965 Topps #249

I love researching the players that played for the Birds during their hay-day.  I knew they were good, maybe even great and had amazing players.  I knew of the four 20 game winners (Cuellar, McNally, Palmer and Dobson), the 1966 World Series sweep.

What I didn't know is that Dave McNally is in the Hall of Fame.  Or at least his bat is.  OK, it's Curt Motton's bat.  McNally used Curt Motton's bat to hit the only Grand Slam in World Series history.  See what pitchers could do before the Designated Hitter?  They were athletes.  Ballplayers.  Not just coddled premadonnas.

This card was the first of my expensive purchase from Rich Altman and Hollywood Collectibles.

A Mish-Mash of Awesome

Just looking through the binders of autographs from Phillip Marks, I had a history lesson.  The man knew so much about players, cards, what is on the market and sale prices of everything.  I guess you learn a lot when you work for PSA and eBay in their autograph fraud departments.  I figured I could trust him, or he would have the best fakes ever.  These are all real, and all awesome.

Mark Belanger 1982 Topps #776

 Chico Carrasquel 1985 TCMA Playball 1948 #74 

Jim Dyck Index Card

 Billy Hitchcock 1983 Topps 52 Reprint #182

Art Houttermann 1985 TCMA Playball 1948 #4

All deceased and all big holes filled in the collection.  Thanks for the history lesson.

Double Dip

With all the price checking I was doing at the National, I delayed a lot of purchases and shied away from impulse buys.  That being said, I did have to make multiple trips to a few vendors to make my final selections.  Just the case with Main Line Autographs.

My second trip brought home:

Harvey Haddix 1964 Topps #439

Proof that Cal Ripken Sr. actually did play for the Orioles.  Nope, that is actually Harvey Haddix, owner of arguably the best pitching performance of all time.  It was before his two year tenure in Baltimore, during the 1959 season.  As a Pittsburgh Pirate, he retired 36 straight batters in 12 perfect innings, only to lose in the 13th.  Just brutal.  His Orioles career lasted only two seasons from the pen where he was very effective.  He turned to coaching following his playing career, landing multiple gigs.  He succumbed to emphysema in 1994.  There may be some signed Orioles Crown cards out there, but not many.

Hoyt Wilhelm 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #36

Harvey and Hoyt were the last two purchases I made and my cash was a little low.  I had to make the best deal to add the best cards I could.  That is why I bypassed a few high priced vintage Wilhelm autographs featuring him as an Oriole.  One vendor in particular had a few I needed priced at the very top of the scale but refused to negotiate.  Discounts were available at $250 or more, a little steep for me.  SO I bought this reprint on the cheap from Main Line.  A Hall of Fame autograph for less than $10?  Yes sir.

This is the last of the Hall of Famers I needed from the Orioles.  Now let's see if I can't pull some "Barter Kings" magic and turn the brown into a little orange.

Just Manny Being Manny

Welcome to the Majors Manny. 

Not a bad way to start, a triple.

Let's hope for a long and illustrious career and many fewer errors from the hot corner, shortstop or second base.  Wherever he can find a home. 

My current Manny Machado autograph.

Hopefully there will be ample opportunity to add an in person autograph to the collection in the weeks years to come.

Orioles Autograph Index

This year at the National there seemed more autograph guys than as two years ago.  Maybe it was that I was only really looking for one day in 2010 and four in 2012.  Regardless, I had 4 different pages of notes on which booth had cards I needed, which cards and pricing.  I was then able to decide on best pricing and what vendor had the best options.

Saturday, my final day, was when I started making moves, and lots of em.  I had spent a good hour with ??????? going over his lists of cut signature and index cards.  He was organized, which I love, and was offering 30% off, which I needed.

All in all I knocked eight more names off the list.  It would have been 13, but my diligence allowed me to find signed cards at similar pricing.  My haul in alphabetical order.

Cal Abrams Orioles 1954-1955 D.1997

Frank Bertania 1964-1967 D.2010 

Sam Bowens Orioles 1963-1967 D.2003

 I love the detail of the autograph index cards that were used in the 1960's.  Received in 1966 and for only 4 cents.  That's a pretty sweet deal.  Then you add all the detail of the collector and dealer notes and it makes for a great piece.  I had a few to choose from and went with this one because of the address portion.

Bob Chakales Orioles 1954 D.2010

Whitey Lockman Orioles 1959 D.2009

Norm Siebern Orioles 1964-1965

Gordie Sundin Orioles 1956

Sundin has the distinction of being the only Oriole pitcher I have come across to never record an out in his entire career.  He also never allowed a hit.  He walked two batters in his appearance, one of which scored. He has an infinite career ERA and never made it back to the big leagues.  I have tried him before TTM to no avail, but I wanted to try again on a Crown card.  Either way, I love his story, kinda like a Moonlight Graham, but with the infinite ERA thing.

 Bill Wight Orioles 1955-1957 D.2007

Many of these players were also available on eBay but I didn't want to take a chance.  Many of the prices are too good to be true and who knows what you are actually getting.  This way I was able to get my items from a reputable dealer, willing to put himself amongst a thousand experts.  I definitely trust these signatures.