feeling complete, except for some cards that should have been that i didn't make

i certainly didn't think this would happen, but i completed my 1955 topps brooklyn dodger team set recently by adding ed roebuck's card to my collection.

that means that my topps flagship/update dodger team sets are complete from 1954 through 2013, including variations (except for those super short printed 2012 topps update cards of the red sox three), and through 2015 if we are just considering the base cards.  add in a 1955 bowman team set, a 1963 fleer team set, and what i believe to be 1960 and 1961 fleer team sets, and i'm feeling pretty good about that part of my collection.

speaking of 1955 topps and completion, quite a while back i completed the 1995 topps archives brooklyn dodgers set, which includes some cards that should have been, including a 1955 topps tom lasorda card

topps created backs for these cards, too

because of this card, a 1955 topps lasorda card was never on my list of 'cards that should have been' to create, but 1956 and 1957 topps lasorda cards were.  bob lemke created a 1956 card, but i've never gotten around to a '57 lasorda.  speaking of '57's, jackie robinson was on my list of cards to create, since 1957 would have been a final tribute year with jackie's last season coming in 1956.  bob lemke has a '57 jackie, but he's in giants gear which is frankly disturbing.  still, i haven't made the time to finish that card that should have been, either.  other cards on my list were also final tributes that i haven't gotten around to, such as a 1980 topps willie davis card, and a 1995 topps steve sax card. some of the cards on that list, however, have been created by others.

for instance, here's a 1958 topps roy campanella

created by bob lemke

a 1959 topps pee wee reese

that would fit right in with the '59 set. unfortunately, i've misplaced the source for this card. if you know who created it, please let me know and i'll update the post.

a 1965 topps duke snider

created by cards that never were.  only slightly less disturbing than seeing jackie in giants gear.  and to think that the duke actually suited up for the nocals.

it's not just final tributes that were on my list - there are some cards just plain missing from history, like this 1977 topps reggie jackson

created by bob lemke, although i believe that there is a test/proof of this as an actual topps card out there (in keith olbermann's collection?).

still, most of the cards i wanted to create were final tributes, like this 1978 topps brooks robinson

created by uncle doc's card closet - when topps had (base)balls also created a final tribute for brooks, who was given the al kaline treatment and just had a season highlight card in what should have been his final tribute set.

in keeping with the oriole theme here at the bottom of the post, here are some cards that i made for ryan at o no another orioles blog a while back.  they are all of o's pitcher jamie walker.  i made a 2007 topps

a 2008 topps

and a 2009 topps

for ryan, who, like me, lamented the lack of cards given to non-closer relievers in sets these days.

as for all of the other cards i've created, i think there are some good ones in there, and certainly there are a lot of talented folks out there making their own cards that should have been, never were, or just need to be.  one of the best is travis from punk rock paint/the baseball card blog.  i still think that topps should pick up his 'pugilists & other pugnacious princes of play' idea and give us a real copy of this chan ho park card

made with a 2009 topps allen & ginter-ish feel.  come on, a set with that card, juan marichal wielding a bat, alex rodriguez getting punched by jason varitek, and aj pierzynski getting clocked by michael barrett among others? it's a no-brainer set that really ought to be made.  i'd collect the whole thing.

it's the end of the year as we know it, and i feel like showing some dodger double play turns

one last post in 2014, and it's all dodgers and all double play turns.  too bad there's no davey lopes or bill russell.  there is, however, their infield coach jim gilliam, turning two on his 1995 topps brooklyn archives 1956 reprint card

i dont think i knew that topps had listed gilliam as an outfielder on his 1956 card.  he's definitely not playing as an outfielder on the card.

here's a 2009 topps chrome orlando hudson xfractor

i'm working on updating my double play binders. there are a number of dodger dps, like the hudson above, that i only have one copy of.  i'm trying to get a handle on that so i can pursue duplicates appropriately.  i know i only have one of these - a 2011 topps ivan dejesus factory set limited edition card

but i might have two of his diamond anniversary parallel

conversely, i actually do have two copies of rafael furcal's 2011 topps factory set limited edition card

but maybe only one of the diamond anniversary parallel

furcal's 2011 topps card may be the best double play card of the set (remember - dee gordon's fantastic double play card came in 2011 topps update), and i had been lax in chasing the parallels.  so, here are the cognac,

gold,

and walmart black versions

the same photo was also used in 2011 topps chrome, thankfully, so here are the orange refractor

and xfractor parallels

gordon got his first taste of the topps flagship in 2012, when he was featured on a rookie cup card and another card that showed him turning two with larry 'chipper' jones sliding in.  this is the golden sparkle parallel

fast forward to 2014, and we had more parallels of dodgers turning two.  i found a yellow parallel of mark ellis from 2014 topps a while back

i definitely only have one of those.

same with this other retail parallel - a 2014 topps alex guerrero green border

it's a tatooine card, too, but i'm currently focused on two copies - the tatooine collection can wait.

i'm less certain about some of the other parallels of this card that i have, like his gold card,

red hot foil,

and 2014 topps chrome cards

pretty sure i have two copies of his 2014 topps chrome refractor

but i know i only have one 2014 topps chrome blue refractor

orange refractor,

and xfractor.

in fact, the duplicate xfractor is one of my nefarious 9 - my most wanted cards.

i'll finish the post, and year, with this - one of my 1953 bowman color pee wee reese cards

that i finally removed from its casing.  this is the one in my dodger binder - the one with the pinhole is in the double play binder.

happy new year everybody - if you can't tell, i'm resolving to work on my want/have lists.

a last bit of trade bait turned keepers

the most recent trade that i completed with oscar from all trade bait all the time occurred just last week.  these are some of the cards from that deal, with some from our previous couple of trades.  no surprise, i'll start with a steve garvey card.  this one is from 2005 topps all-time fan favorites

it's not a bad card, but the horizontal frame seems forced with that photo.  of course, garvey's 1974 topps card is so iconic to me, that anything else using that year's design for him will fall flat.

oscar sent me the penultimate card that i needed for my 1995 topps archives brooklyn dodgers set - the 1956 topps sandy koufax reprint

in truth, this may be the last card i needed for the set.  i am fairly certain that i have the roberto clemente card tucked away with my clemente pc, but i haven't bothered to go looking for it yet.  it's only been 4 or 5 years since i decided to complete the set - i'm not sure what's taking me so long to see if i have roberto or not.

here's another infielder from a topps all-time fan favorites set - it's dave lopes from the 2004 release

lopes is out of position according to the card, or perhaps he just went a long way to track down a popup.  lopes, of course, was a converted outfielder, and did play some outfield during his career with the dodgers.

double play time!  here's a 1993 topps gold parallel of eric young

play at the plate time!  here's a 1996 topps mike piazza card

silly gimmick time!  here's another piazza from 1996, but this one is from the topps laser set

it would have been more interesting if they changed the laser cut figure to coincide with the different positions, kind of like topps did in 1973 and 1976.  just not with lasers back then.

oscar recently won a bunch of cards from pat neshek, courtesy of crackin' wax.  he sent one of them along for my autograph collection.  this is a 2006 choice rochester red wings card of the former twins reliever

i'll finish up the trade posts, not with more shawn green cards, but with a couple of double play cards.  this 1994 pinnacle alex gonzalez

and this 2008 upper deck first edition yuniesky betancourt

were new to my collection.

thanks oscar for all the recent trades.  i hope you enjoyed the stuff you received in return!

come on local card show, show me what you've got

it's been quite a while since i've been to one of the local monthly card shows.  but, if all is going according to plan, i will be en route when this thing gets posted.  1974 topps set completion is high on my to do list, as is random vintage bargain bin and dime box hunting.  we'll see how it goes.

the last time i went to this particular show, i found a bunch of 1995 topps brooklyn dodgers archives cards in a dime bin.  i was able to almost complete my set, thanks to that particular seller.  here are some of the cards manufactured specifically for the set - 1955 world series games 3

4

and 7

we've seen that podres image quite a bit, and the hodges is familiar too, although i think i am thinking of duke snider when i see it.  that image for game 3 is a new one to me.  i assume it's jackie robinson sliding in, although it could be jim gilliam - both advanced to third on plays that could have involved a throw.  here are a few more jackie's for the set - 1953 version

1954

and 1956

i also need ed roebuck for some reason

my want list shows that i still need the roberto clemente card that was created for the set (or for the 1954 topps archives set, i guess).  i am pretty sure that i have that card, though.  i need to do some investigating.

i also picked up some kellogg's cards the last time around.  this is the 1977 steve garvey

and this ron cey is from 1978

i had them both already, but a dime spent on dodger kellogg's cards is a dime well spent.

i also picked up a 1976 hostess garvey

and a 1982 drakes garvey as well

the hostess card i think i needed for the dodger team set. pretty sure i had a few copies of the drakes card though.

mid 90's dodger issues baffle me, even though i have a partial want list.  i grabbed a couple of 1994 topps finest cards from the dime box because i couldn't convince myself that i really had them already.  here's ramon martinez

 similarly, i threw down a dime for this 1995 leaf chan ho park gold rookies insert

and then there are the cards that i pick up for even less of a reason.  these three are from 1995 upper deck collector's choice, but as i recall they were mail-in 'trade' cards.  they feature the bulldog and steady eddie, both former dodgers of course

one of the cards that you would send in to upper deck to get these other cards featured another former dodger, fernando valenzuela

i am pretty sure that i mailed in one or two cards back in '95 but i don't think i had ever seen the fernando (i picked that card up online, not at the show).

anyway, traded and trade redemption cards are a good place to end this post.  i got some good news at work this week, so i'm in a good mood.  which translates to a good trading mood.  let me know if there is something you would like me to look for at the show.