1983 fleer stickers group break - packs 19 through 28

so, with 270 player stickers and 10 per pack, it only takes 27 different packs to get to a complete set.  that means that with perfect collation, there will still be 21 duplicate packs in the box.  let's hope there are only 21, and let's open some more packs!

pack 19 - from the left side of the box

floyd bannister - mariners
oliver & rose - phillies (next one goes to expos)
lou whitaker - tigers
braves logo (angels checklist on back) - braves
rickey henderson - a's
phil niekro - braves

terry kennedy - padres
keith moreland - cubs
nolan ryan - astros
expos logo - expos
fernando valenzuela - dodgers
tony pena - pirates

that's a different rickey than we saw earlier in the break.

pack 20 - left side

joe niekro - astros
atlee hammaker - giants
bill campbell - cubs
giants logo - giants
keith hernandez - cardinals
jeff reardon - expos
larry herndon - tigers
oglivie & mcrae - brewers (next one to royals)
ron reed - phillies
brewers logo (checklist back) - brewers

doug decinces - angels
jerry royster - braves

random arm bonus!

pack 21 - right side

mike caldwell - brewers
ron davis - twins

rick manning - indians
blue jays logo - blue jays
harold baines - white sox
rick camp - braves
john grubb - rangers
steve bedrosian - braves
ruppert jones - padres
tigers logo (checklist) - tigers
steve garvey - dodgers
bob boone - angels

pack 22 - right side

cesar cedeno - reds
art howe - astros
larry parrish - rangers
cardinals logo - cardinals
dave collins - yankees
willie stargell - pirates
joey mclaughlin - blue jays
chet lemon - tigers
garry templeton - padres
phillies logo (checklist back) - phillies
damaso garcia - blue jays
jeff burroughs - a's

pack 23 - left side

joe niekro - astros
atlee hammaker - giants
bill campbell - cubs
giants logo - giants
keith hernandez - cardinals
jeff reardon - expos
larry herndon - tigers
oglivie & mcrae - royals (next one to brewers)
ron reed - phillies
brewers logo (checklist back) - brewers
doug decinces - angels
jerry royster - braves

pack 24 - left side

dennis eckersley - red sox
bill laskey - giants

ron guidry - yankees
cubs logo (white sox checklist on back) - cubs
vida blue - royals
tom brunansky - twins
len barker - indians
dan driessen - reds
ed vande berg - mariners
dodgers logo - dodgers
bump wills - cubs
carlton fisk - white sox

pack 25 - right side

dale murphy - braves
steve rogers - expos
johnny bench - reds
angels logo - angels

gary carter - expos
buddy bell - rangers
paul molitor - brewers
darrell porter - cardinals
joe morgan - giants
pirates logo (yankees checklist on back) - pirates, although i might stick (pun intended) this one with the yankees
bob stanley - red sox
don baylor - angels

pack 26 - right side

mike caldwell - brewers
ron davis - twins
rick manning - indians
blue jays logo - blue jays

harold baines - white sox
rick camp - braves
john grubb - rangers
steve bedrosian - braves
ruppert jones - padres
tigers logo (checklist) - tigers
steve garvey - dodgers
bob boone - angels

pack 27 - left side

john candelaria - pirates
bill gullickson - expos
craig swan - mets
a's logo (astros checklist on back) - a's

rich dauer - orioles
bo diaz - phillies
bill buckner - cubs
ozzie smith - cardinals
dwight evans - red sox
astros logo - astros
jack o'connor - twins
tom underwood - a's

pack 28 - left side

bruce sutter - cardinals
lee mazzilli - yankees
dave parker - pirates
padres logo (checklist on back) - padres
steve sax - dodgers
rickey henderson - a's
mike schmidt - phillies
ken singleton - orioles
mookie wilson - mets
white sox logo - white sox
george brett - royals
dan spillner - indians

so i'm guessing that the backs are printed the same for each of the 27 different strips, but the logos vary.  that's why sometimes the checklist doesn't match up with the logo on the front.

10 more packs coming up soon.

1983 fleer stickers group break - packs 9 through 18

10 packs this time.

pack 9 - right side of the box

bruce sutter - cardinals
lee mazzilli - yankees
dave parker - pirates
mariners logo (checklist back) - mariners
steve sax - dodgers
rickey henderson - a's

mike schmidt - phillies
ken singleton - orioles
mookie wilson - mets
twins logo - twins
george brett - royals
dan spillner - indians

pack 10 - right side

rick langford - a's
larry bowa - cubs
dane iorg - cardinals
expos logo (checklist back) - expos
jack morris - tigers
mike flanagan - orioles
al cowens - mariners
britt burns - white sox
jim gantner - brewers
royals logo - royals
carl yastrzemski - red sox
ken forsch - angels

i would invoke my dodger stadium intuition, and suggest that the fantastic photo of yaz comes from the 1980 all-star game, thanks to the 'inning' and 'at bat' text in the background, except that he wasn't an all-star in 1980.  was there another team with a similar field level scoreboard in the early 80's?

pack 11 - left side

bill caudill - mariners
tim flannery - padres
andre thornton - indians
yankees logo - yankees
chris speier - expos
phil garner - astros

randy martz - cubs
rick cerone - yankees
tommy john - angels
a's logo (checklist back) - a's
larry gura - royals
kent tekulve - pirates

garner's mustache is weighing his side of the card down, causing the crooked scan.

pack 12 - left side

duane kuiper - giants
bob forsch - cardinals
rafael ramirez - braves
mets logo (braves checklist on back - wtf?) - mets
moreno & lacey (lee lacy's name is misspelled) - pirates
george wright - rangers
dave beard - a's
toby harrah - indians
al oliver - expos
expos logo - expos
hal mcrae - royals
wade boggs - red sox

rookie boggs! e-5, too!

pack 13 - right side

same as pack 5

lonnie smith - cardinals
davey lopes - a's (maybe i could trade for this one?)
larry biitner - reds
braves logo - braves
tim raines - expos
jim palmer - orioles

bell & fisk - rangers (via randomizer - next one goes to the white sox)
dennis leonard - royals
bob mcclure - brewers
cardinals logo (checklist back)- cardinals
greg minton - giants
bruce kison - angels

raines is in dodger stadium for sure.

pack 14 - right side

i am not kidding about this, i swear

lonnie smith - cardinals
davey lopes - a's
larry biitner - reds
braves logo - braves
tim raines - expos
jim palmer - orioles
bell & fisk - white sox (via randomizer - next one goes to the rangers)
dennis leonard - royals

bob mcclure - brewers
cardinals logo (checklist back)- cardinals
greg minton - giants
bruce kison - angels

pack 15 - left side

well, at least it's not that same pack

dale murphy - braves
steve rogers - expos
johnny bench - reds
angels logo - angels
gary carter - expos
buddy bell - indians
paul molitor - brewers
darrell porter - cardinals
joe morgan - giants
pirates logo (yankee checklist back - again, wtf?) - pirates

bob stanley - red sox
don baylor - angels

pack 16 - left side

new blood!

fred breining - giants
greg luzinski - white sox

milt wilcox - tigers
reds logo - reds
george foster - mets
mario soto - reds
eddie murray - orioles
dusty baker - dodgers
garth iorg - blue jays
blue jays logo (checklist back)
lee lacy - pirates
ken griffey - yankees

pack 17 - right side

cesar cedeno - reds
art howe - astros
larry parrish - rangers
cardinals logo - cardinals
dave collins - yankees
willie stargell - pirates

joey mclaughlin - blue jays
chet lemon - tigers
garry templeton - padres
phillies logo (checklist back) - phillies
damaso garcia - blue jays
jeff burroughs - a's

pack 18 - right side

this is a helluva pack

dave winfield - yankees
reggie jackson - angels
don sutton - brewers
orioles logo (special stickers checklist) - orioles

joaquin andujar - cardinals
pedro guerrero - dodgers
salome barojas - white sox
dennis martinez - expos
dave steib - blue jays
pirates logo - pirates
barry bonnell - blue jays
sixto lezcano - padres

a decent way to end this installment.  30 packs remain.

1983 fleer stickers group break packs 1 through 8 - let's crack some wax!

first off - mrmopar was right - these things are not individual stickers.  in fact, each pack contains a single panel, folded six times.  you'll see what i mean. everything is perforated, though, so should make for easy separation.  the stickers wind up being half the size of a regular card.

here we go!

pack 1 - from the right side of the box

i'm greeted by a friendly logo

tom hume - reds
dodgers logo (checklist back) - dodgers

rick sutcliffe - indians
pat zachry - mets
scott mcgregor - orioles
steve carlton - phillies
tom paciorek - white sox
rose, schmidt, knight - phillies (next one goes to the astros)
willie wilson - royals
tigers logo (mail-in offer back) - tigers

john stuper - cardinals
roy smalley - yankees

it looks like one logo sticker has the team checklist on the back, and the other has a mail-in offer. i will identify which one in each pack has the checklist.

here's the full pack contents, unfolded.

pack 2 - from the right side of the box

dale murphy - braves
steve rogers - expos
johnny bench - reds
mariners logo - mariners

gary carter - expos
buddy bell - indians
paul molitor - brewers
darrell porter - cardinals
joe morgan - giants
yankees logo (checklist back) - yankees
bob stanley - red sox
don baylor - angels

looks like bench is admiring the mariners' logo from beautiful chavez ravine!

pack 3 - from the left side of the box

i don't believe this.

dale murphy - braves
steve rogers - expos
johnny bench - reds
mariners logo - mariners
gary carter - expos
buddy bell - indians
paul molitor - brewers
darrell porter - cardinals

joe morgan - giants
yankees logo (checklist back) - yankees
bob stanley - red sox
don baylor - angels

yup, a duplicate panel already.  not a bad one to get, though, with 4 hall of famers.

probably a good time to mention that the backs feature a second photo - sometimes different from the one on the front.  the porter sticker has him in an action shot, and the back (seen above) features a portrait.  molly's photo is the same, although cropped for the back.

pack 4 - from the left side of the box

mike caldwell - brewers
ron davis - twins
rick manning - indians
blue jays logo - blue jays
harold baines - white sox
rick camp - braves
john grubb - rangers
steve bedrosian - braves
ruppert jones - padres
tigers logo (checklist back) - tigers

steve garvey - dodgers
bob boone - angels

a garvey photo from 1981, but at least he's still a dodger.  unlike one of the guys in the next pack.

pack 5 - back to the right side

lonnie smith - cardinals
davey lopes - a's (i am sorry to say)

larry biitner - reds
braves logo - braves
tim raines - expos
jim palmer - orioles
bell & fisk - white sox (via randomizer - next one goes to the rangers)
dennis leonard - royals
bob mcclure - brewers
cardinals logo (checklist back) - cardinals
greg minton - giants
bruce kison - angels

pack 6 - right side

rod carew - angels
graig nettles - yankees

jerry koosman - white sox
astros logo - astros
tim lollar - padres
alan ashby - astros
warren cromartie - expos
dwayne murphy - a's
jim clancy - blue jays
orioles logo (checklist back) - orioles
ben oglivie - brewers
gary lavelle - giants

pack 7 - left side

lamarr hoyt - white sox
charlie lea - expos
rusty staub - mets
rangers logo (checklist back) - rangers
jose cruz - astros
lamar johnson - rangers
richie zisk - mariners
goose gossage - yankees
jerry remy (quite the photo!) - red sox
orioles logo - orioles

steve howe - dodgers
ul washington (no toothpick) - royals

pack 8 - left side

frank white - royals
mike torrez - red sox
jim rice - red sox
indians logo (checklist back) - indians
jerry reuss - dodgers
al williams - twins
john matlack - rangers
johnny ray - pirates
ray knight - astros
mets logo - mets
al bumbry - orioles
eric show - padres

don't worry, al! there are still 40 packs to go!

almost sticker time! gcrl group break team randomization!

the box of 1983 fleer stickers is here and it is opened!  here's what it looks like pre-break.

 here it is in its sealed glory, although i don't believe that's a factory seal

let's find out who gets which unclaimed teams.  first, here are the 13 participants - in randomized order

 now, here are the unclaimed teams, also in randomized order

so, the randomized teams are distributed as follows:

cubs - hot corner

rangers - angels in order

yankees - waxaholic

reds - dick allen hof

twins - sportscards from the dollar store

royals - madding

padres - sportscards from the dollar store

expos - dick allen hof

brewers - matt r

mariners - angels in order

a's - david

red sox - matt r

pirates - gcrl

i'll open the packs and give a pack-by-pack rundown over the weekend.  looking forward to it!

you would not believe the joy i did receive! - a 1978 topps ed goodson autograph success!

i am still a bit shocked that i own this card.

look at that! a 1978 topps ed goodson card, signed by the man himself.  supposedly, anyway.  a couple of months ago, a signed 1977 topps goodson card was up on ebay for a short time before someone snagged it with a buy it now.  that was the first time i had seen a signed '77, which was one more time than i had seen a signed 1978 version.  i had previously seen a few signed '73 and '74 cards, plus the 1976 topps card i purchased.  but no 1978 cards - the one card i needed to complete my modest 1978 topps dodger autograph project.

i have had for quite a while now several alerts and searches set up to let me know if and when this card (or an opportunity to have goodson sign a card) became available, although i had never had a solid lead.  some nibbles, but no bites.  then, in early april, there it was.  i contacted the online store and quickly arranged to purchase the card.  it comes from a large autographed card collection purchased in goodson's neck of the woods which lends to the authenticity as far as i am concerned.

i must admit that there is a slight sense of 'what now?' that followed my initial elation.  the feeling is somewhat similar to what i felt when i completed my 1960's topps dodger team sets.  i know i will never complete the 1950's team sets, so what now?  i have thought about maybe trying to get copies of my 1978 topps burger king dodgers/update set signed (i actually have quite a few already), but i don't know how to track down the likes of myron white or gerald hannahs, and enzo hernandez passed away recently so there is literally no way to make that happen.

don't get me wrong i am over the moon to have this card in my collection - it really ties the whole thing together.  big thanks to b&c sports!

now, for the final time, i'll update my modest 1978 topps dodgers autograph project - here's the tally:

team card (red adams) - through the mail success!
team card (mark cresse) - through the mail success!
team card (john hale) - through the mail success!
team card (peter o'malley) - through the mail success!
team card (boog powell) - through the mail success!
dusty baker - through the mail success!
glenn burke - ebay success! and another ebay success!
ron cey - through the mail success!
vic davalillo - ebay success! and another ebay success!
terry forster - ebay success! and through the mail success!
mike garman - through the mail success!
steve garvey - through the mail success!
ed goodson - online success!
jerry grote - through the mail success!
burt hooton - through the mail success!
charlie hough - through the mail success!
tommy john - in person/through the mail success!
lee lacy - through the mail success! and in person success!
tom lasorda - ebay success! and through the mail success!
dave lopes - through the mail success!
ted martinez - ebay success!
rick monday - in person/through the mail success!
manny mota - through the mail success!
johnny oates - ebay success!
doug rau - through the mail success!
lance rautzhan - through the mail success!
rick rhoden - through the mail success!
bill russell - through the mail success!
reggie smith - through the mail success!
elias sosa - through the mail success!
don sutton - through the mail success!
steve yeager - ebay success! and through the mail success!
nlcs (davey lopes) - through the mail success!

29/29 = 100%

no more waiting for mr. goodson.

here are some double plays on cards from scott crawford on cards

i saved some cards from the recycle bin recently, via scott crawford on cards.  i asked him to send me the 1998 fleer ultra cards that were destined for donation or recycling or worse, and there were a few dp turns in the bunch.

here we have vinny castilla upending delino deshields

craig biggio getting a feel from scott servais

and jay bell turning two (and the tables) on omar vizquel

scott also offered up a bunch of junk-era cards, and as luck would have it, i had recently determined a few cards that i needed from that timeframe.  

here's a 1992 topps greg gagne

a 1991 topps jerry browne

and a mess of 1990 score - gagne again

double play master walt weiss

steve lyons

jose lind

ozzie guillen

tom foley

wally backman

and johnny ray

awesome stuff.   i also picked up a 1989 topps yankees leaders card featuring willie randolph and an angel entangled in the double play turn

not all of the cards i requested were of the double play variety - this 1991 topps bob geren card features a lurking dodger - juan samuel to be exact

thanks for the trade scott!