Holiday Tribute

As I was looking through my binders for green and red parallels to show off I discovered a few things:

1) Topps and Panini make a lot of products each year

2) There are quite a few green and red parallels I still need to complete rainbows (2018 Bowman Platinum Green, I'm looking at you)

A pair of high end parallels stood out in my 2018 binder.

Topps Tribute dropped the typical bold parallels from year's past and introduced a version of Topps Tribute we have never seen before.

Enter wood borders made famous from the 1962 and 1987 designs.

This time the cards were given an acetate finish and the bold color parallels were less obvious.

I like this design, but it looks more like an insert set than low numbered parallels from a high end set.

What do you think of the above set design for 2018 Topps Tribute?

Nate Delivers an eBay 1/1

You may remember that last year Nate from Bucs Stop Here sent me a card that was a top 5 want list item.  I reciprocated with an epic mail day (his words, not mine).

Well...we are back at it again.
Nate sent me this Blue parallel dual jersey relic I needed for my collection.

It's an "eBay 1/1" (numbered 50/50)

Nate also included one of those Chipz that Topps produced.

Thank you Nate for the trade.  I sent yours out today so you should be getting it in the next few days.

A New Top 10 Card in the Collection

I haven't bought a lot of cards from Twitter, but the ones I have are all quite impressive.

They are all 1 of 1s.

I have had this card in my possession for nearly 2 months waiting to show it off on the blog today, Jackie Robinson Day.

That is the patch worn by Andrew McCutchen on Jackie Robinson Day April 15, 2018.

The card also features an on card autograph.

And it features the MLB Authentication sticker to verify it is game used.

My only gripe with the card is the picture used is not from that game the patch was worn.

Topps already paid Getty Images for the rights to the picture below because it was used on the 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen photo variant.

Here is the photo variant front

I know we all get on Topps for recycling the same images, but a nice cropped shot like this would have really brought the card together more.

Or personally I think this image would have been even better

Despite the mismatched photo to relic I am still incredibly happy to add this to my collection. It has landed itself into the top 10 cards of my collection and is only my 3rd Twitter purchase.

My 1st Twitter purchase was a 1/1 bat barrel nameplate from 2019 Topps Museum that featured Cutch in his new Phillies uniform.

My 2nd Twitter purchase was literally a white whale purchase.

This 2011 Topps Triple Threads printing plate autograph/relic card is marked as a white whale on the back.

This is my 3rd Twitter purchase and I still can't believe I was able to get it.

Thanks again to RBICRU7 for posting the card and for @mycards79 for selling it.


Do you use Twitter to buy cards?

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @CollectingCutch

Some Extra Green

Since we all missed out on celebrating St. Patrick's Day this year due to the coronavirus I thought I would show my favorite green parallel from last year.

2019 Tribute featured bold colors for their Certified Stamp of Approval cards.

In my experiences of collecting I have often liked the colors that are found in Topps Tribute designs.  While the relics are very plain and less impressive than other high end releases, Tribute often has the most popping colors.

Want proof?  Check out the other examples below that I have shown off in previous years.

The Firsts of Firsts

There was a lot of requests made for some famous black history that was made in relativity to them being the firsts to do it.  I am going to do a combination post on some of them and relate it to this card you see below.

The above 2019 Topps Tribute black parallel is a dual patch relic card of Buster Posey and Andrew McCutchen.  The pair were teammates for the 2018 season.

This black parallel is numbered 1/1.

🏒Willie O'Ree 🏒

Willie O'Ree was the first black player in the NHL.  The 5ft9inch winger broke the hockey color barrier in 1957.  He stated that Jackie Robinson was an inspiration to him and that he met Jackie when he was younger.  In November 2018, O'Ree was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He played only a few seasons with the Boston Bruins, but like Robinson helped pioneer black athletes in hockey.

Similar to the Roberto Clemente award in baseball, in 2018 the Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award was created to spotlight an individual who has made the culture and community better through their outreach and hockey.
Darcy Haugan and Rico Phillips have won the 2018 and 2019 awards respectively.



🎾Althea Gibson 🎾

Althea Gibson was born in South Carolina in 1927 and faced much adversity in her path to become one of the first black athletes to cross the color barrier of international tennis. She grew up on a cotton farm and during the aftermath of the Great Depression.

In 1956 she became the first African American to win a Grand Slam (French Championships).  The next year she won Wilbeldon and (what eventually became known as) the US Open.  She won them both again the following year.  In 1957 and 1958 she was voted Female Athlete of The Year by the Associated Press.

In her career she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments and would eventually be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.

Venus and Serena Williams have stated In numerous interviews over the years that they are honored to follow in Gibson's footsteps.

In the early 1960s she also became the first black player to compete in Women's Professional Golf Tour.  More information about Althea's golf career can be found here.



 🏃🏈 🎾I will spotlight other black athletes who helped break the color barriers as the month goes on. 👣 🏃🏈

Serial History: Super Bowl Connection

In case you're living under a rock, today is Super Bowl Sunday.  The Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off against the San Francisco 49ers.

I am going to show off a pair of Black parallels that relate to the cities and then I will talk about the best black athlete from each team in my opinion.

Cutch played only a few months with the San Francisco Giants to start the 2018 season.

This particular autograph from 2018 Topps Brooklyn Collection, black parallel is numbered 7/10.

There is a lot of Super Bowl connections with that serial numbering.

The 7 represents the former 49ers Quarterback who was under center the last time the San Francisco 49ers were in the Super Bowl.

I am of course talking about Colin Kaepernick.  Kaepernick was an above average quarterback, but in his final two seasons was below average.  He has Been out of the NFL for a few seasons and has a career passer rating of 88.9 and a completion percentage under 60%.  In his final two seasons the 49ers went 3-16 under his guide and his QBR was 43.4 and 49.5 resepectively in those final two seasons.  50 is average QBR.

He began to become an activist and spokesperson for racial inequality when he took a knee during the National Anthem.  Kaepernick started the movement in response to police brutality, but has continued to be outspoken regarding equal rights for all races.

In addition to being an activist he is also a devoted Christian with several tattoos representing God and Jesus Christ on his arms.

In 2015 he became a vegan and has been following that lifestyle ever since.

He has recently been in the news because the NFL refused to air a PETA commercial that Kaepernick endorsed.



The card that the print run is numbered to /10) represents the current quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.

I won't go into any comments about Jimmy G but I think that Patrick Mahomes is the better QB in this year's Super Bowl.

Andrew McCutchen is a five time All-Star.  One of his All-Star game appearances was in 2012 in Kansas City.  Cutch had two cards in 2012 Topps Update to represent his All-Star appearance.  In addition to being selected as a participant he also took Giancarlo Stanton's place in the Homerun Derby.  I am still missing a homerun derby (US9) card but do have his All-Star game card in the Black parallel.

My particular copy of US87 is numbered 15/61.

Wanna guess the connection of 15/61 to this year's Super Bowl?

Well Patrick Mahomes, the superstar Quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs is number 15.

Mahomes was born the son of longtime journeyman relief pitcher, Pat Mahomes.

He showed a promising career as a pitcher and toolsy outfielder and was drafted out of high school by the Detroit Tigers.  He ultimately decided to play football and in his first full season won the NFL MVP.  Were it not for an injury early in this past year, he would have likely garnered some additional MVP votes.

He is only 24 years old and has a completion percentage of nearly 66% with a 76-18 TD-INT ratio.

If he has a big game today he could become not only the face of the NFL, but one of the most popular athletes in any sport globally.

I am picking Chiefs to win 36-20.

Tribute

Black History month kicks off today.  For MOST of the month I will be reflecting on people that have impacted "black history" by talking about famous athletes, politicians, etc.  In addition I will be showing off only black cards (except for National Wear Red Day which is the first Friday of every February).

The card I chose to show off today is a 2015 Topps Tribute Onyx Parallel.  In my opinion 2015 had the best design of any tribute set.  Unfortunately the product was recalled because the pens used were not good for autographs and many hobbyists complained about smudged autographs.

The back has the standard multiple bulletpoints of a player's accomplishments.

Who are some black athletes you would like to see the spotlight on this month?

Mission Completed!

Yesterday I showed off a near complete rainbow of 2018 Bowman Best. 

The one card I needed is actually one of the most plentiful.  It is the purple refractor numbered to 250 copies.

Much to my surprise, I can now check that off the list as it arrived today as part of a small lot of cards I ordered a few weeks ago. I completely forgot that this purple was part of the lot.

This was actually the focus of the $6 lot.  It is a 2014 Topps Tribite Titan jersey relic.  This is the sepia parallel numbered to 35 copies.  I am nearing completion of this rainbow as well.

9th Day of Christmas: Remember the Titans

Football is on today which is exciting leading into the final weekend before Christmas.

Unfortunately one of the games is the Titans and Redskins.

Borefest!!!

Unless of course if you're a Steelers fan and you need the Titans to be eliminated from the playoff picture.

The division rivals Ravens are playing tonight too and I wish them nothing but the best....at losing.

It is tough to see on this Tribute Titans jersey relic, but this is in fact the 12/25 emerald parallel

The 7 Samurai: My 7 Superfractors

I have been rewatching an anime from the early 2000s recently called Samurai 7.  It is loosely based on the old black and white movie, the Seven Samurai from 1954.  I tried once to watch the original live action film, but never got into it.
The anime under the name Samurai 7 drew me in like a flailing nunchuck though.

Has anyone watched an old anime series (or cartoon series for that matter) and researched it many years later admiring the intricate details placed in the creative process of it?

I can't get enough of watching this show again for the first time in a decade.

Because of my revived love for the anime, I thought it would be a goodtime to show off my 7 Superfractors

Here they are in order of release year.

2009 Bowman

One of my favorite cards as noted in my contest which IS ENDING SOON...

2009 Topps Chrome

I believe this may be a proof, but despite not having the 1/1 stamp Topps representatives have assured that it is the true Superfractor

2015 Topps Chrome Gallery of Greats

This insert series is beautiful.  It was the first ever complete rainbow I ever made and my very first Superfractor.

2016 Topps Chrome

I completed this rainbow recently.

2016 Tribute

Another rainbow that is nearly completed

2016 Finest

The color parallels for Finest in 2016 really popped.  The Superfractor did NOT.

2016 Topps Chrome Perspectives

Take a beautifully photographed insert set and add 1990s Microsoft Paint effects to it and you got Perspectives.  The inserts received the Chrome parallel treatment which included the Superfractors.  Unfortunately, the darkness of all these Perspective cards as many are night time cards don't do much to the eye for the Chrome version.

I will always be on the hunt for more Superfractors, but always have a price in mind when acquiring them.  I will NOT pay $600+ for a current release.  That's just stupid.  I could get a Clemente Rookie for that price.

I will end with this video of the opening to Samurai 7.