Buried Museums

I went through a box of relic cards yesterday just to refresh my memory on some of the relics I have from 2017 and found this massive patch that I never showed off before.

It's nice to find cards like this that I completely forgot about.

I need ideas....

I used to post on here almost daily for a few years (300+ posts).  Last year I strayed away from that as I had my card collection in 3 different locations at any given time due to moving.  I still managed to post over 200 times though, which is better than every other day.

This year is a totally different situation. Through the middle of June I have posted only 29 times.  That's a far cry from my usual love of the hobby. To put into perspective annually in the month of October I post more than what I have done through the first five months. 

I'm certainly not as busy as I used to be as I am still recovering from a foot injury that has had me unable to work since the last week in February.  I've been to the doctor more in 3 months than I had from 2000 to 2021 combined.  

I just don't have much to say.  

I've been frustrated with the hobby.  

I'm frustrated with my collection.

When Topps Series 2 was announced and Andrew McCutchen wasn't listed on the Brewers checklist and all the Opening Day rookies weren't included, I strongly considered quitting the hobby because I had it with Topps holding players back.  

Now as we know some of the top hobby rookies were included as SP in Series 2 (Bobby Witt Jr, Julio Rodriguez, Spencer Torkleson).  This is a redemption that makes me consider staying.  The fact that Cutch is getting a SP Brewers card in Series 2 is a redemption too. 

So many people were saying that due to the increased production runs Topps couldn't feature guys who debuted in April into a product in June.  I say that's nonsense.  

Many players debuted in June/July 2011 and were featured in 2011 Topps Update.  

In addition all mid July All Star Game cards are featured in Topps Update.  That's only a two month turnaround.

The biggest counter I have to all this though is 2018 Topps  was released October 22nd 2018.  Andrew McCutchen had a SP Yankees photo variant in the set and made his debut September 1st.  Less than a 52 day turnaround from debut to mass retail release (remember when you could buy cards at retail before the hobby release?)

So I thought it was absolute nonsense that guys who debuted April 7th couldn't be included in a mid June release.  

Topps has gone the Vlad Jr Short Print route for all these opening day roster rookies which is nice to see.  They also offered a McCutchen card in a Brewers uniform.  I guess I will continue to collect cards, but part of the joy is sharing the hobby with others.

I need some fresh ideas on things to post.  What do you do for writer's block? 

Will theme weeks be a fun idea?  (Color parallels, throwback uniforms, cameo appearances, etc)

Would it be fun to do some Getty image research on photos used?

I'm looking for some ideas on things to write about. Please leave your comments below.

Hobby Love?

First I want to invite everyone to follow me on Twitter and Instagram if you arent already.  I used to try and post my pickups here almost on a daily basis, but I am using other social media sites to do the "show & tell" type posts and using my blog for more thought provoking posts.  

I will continue to post here as often as possible, but for the most part have been posting daily on IG and Twitter (@CollectingCutch) fairly regularly for new pickups and the "show and tell" type posts.

Thank you all for the loyalty of this blog over the years.

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I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about baseball good versus hobby good versus role model good.

He grew up a diehard Mets fan because of the 1986 team.  I understand that.  The young brash mentality of that team has been well chronicled and many members of that team went on to have roles in film, cartoons, and tv.  That 1986 team had many different types of characters on it and many fans of that team would tell you that one of Strawberry, Gooden, Carter, Hernandez, Dykstra, McDowell, Franco, Mookie were one of their favorite players ever. 

Doc Gooden while nearly unhittable for his first few years in the league was never under serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.  Yet, as proof by the Project 2020 and Project 70 items, Doc is still loved around the hobby and outsiders of the hobby still enjoy his game and cardboard.  Granted Doc Gooden had his issues with substance problems and he may have ruined his chances at baseball immortality in the Hall of Fame due to the character clause, but there is another Doc who had very similar numbers over his career and was a 1st Ballot HOF member and is revered among players and analysts of the game as one of the best ever.

View the Doc comparisons here.

Gooden won only 9 games less and had an ERA difference of 0.13 over his career. Gooden did have slightly more CG and more SHO and more strikeouts while pitching a similar amount of innings.  Gooden gave up fewer hits, but many more walks.  The comparisons of the two Docs is really really close from the traditional stats perspective.  

Halladay doesn't get much hobby love, but got immortalized in the Hall of Fame while Gooden still gets fans collecting his cards despite being dropped from the ballot after only one year.  

We have recently seen the same thing happen with Tim Lincecum, who fell off the ballot after one year, but is still very heavily collected by Giants fans. 

Another curious case are more guys from the 80s like Dale Murphy, Don Mattingly, Darryl Strawberry, Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, and Will Clark. Many of these guys fell off the ballot well before the 10-15 year period they were allowed.

In general the 80s are very under represented in the HOF, yet some of these guys have the most loyal fan base collectors in the hobby.  There are entire Facebook groups dedicated to collecting these players. 

Of course guys like Bonds and Clemens have the accolades to be in the HOF, but the steroid issues kept them out by the writers ballots.

Let's look at Darryl Strawberry.  He was an 8 time All Star, but finished his career with only 1,401 career hits and a .259 batting average. Eric Davis another 80s star had slightly more hits, more SB, higher average, but less HR than Strawberry and gets very little hobby love from what I have seen.  Yet their style of play on the field was similar and they played in the same era.  

Then you can take a player like Steve Finley who blew them both away in terms of traditional stats and he gets no hobby love in modern sets besides maybe 1 brand making him an autograph subject a year.  For a guy with over 300 career HR, over 300 career SB, and over 2,500 career hits his prices are dirt cheap. 

Why is it some players are so well loved in the hobby and others are neglected?  

Is it really because the 1986 Mets were that much loved over the 1990 Reds or 2001 Diamondbacks?

Why do Mark McGwire, Will Clark, and Don Mattingly get all the hobby love from collectors of the 90s, but first basemen like Mark Grace, John Olerud, and Tino Martinez (besides AJ of Lost Collector) of the 90s not get the same love?

As McCutchen is entering the twilight of his career with likely just a few years left before he retires, I am wondering if he will be one of those guys that gets heavily collected still post career or will he be one of those guys that gets no hobby love and few people collect his cards from what once looked like a promising Hall of Fame career.  

Here is a fairly recent pickup for my collection that features a few guys that get above average hobby love (Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Kris Bryant, Andrew McCutchen).  

How many of them will get immortalized in the Hall of Fame?  Only time will tell...

And here is a card that features a guy that despite winning 2 MVPs before 30, I feel is undervalued in the hobby.

Bryce Harper will likely be a Hall of Famer when he retires despite not being an All Star since 2018.  His rookie card prices compared to prospects is still very undervalued.  Rhys will likely be one of those guys that is a fan favorite, but doesn't get much hobby love.  Alec Bohm may have redeemed himself a little after yesterday's comments.  The book is still very open on him, but he will need to start performing if the Philly Phaithful are to ever demand more his card prices. 

Feel free to leave your comments below and let me know if you follow any supercollectors of guys who likely will not be in the Hall of Fame (any Social Media accounts welcomed as I have started to post on Instagram and Twitter more frequently)

Man! What, a logo...man

Yesterday I promised I would show off one of my recent 1/1s I have acquired over the past few months.  

Well here it is, my first Logoman of Cutch in a pinstripe Phillies uniform.

Pretty stoked to add this to the collection as it looks much different than all my other Logoman cards.

Wow

The back is typical for what you'd see from a 2021 Topps Museum card.

If MLB was to update the MLB Logoman with a silhouette of a baseball player who should it be?

1,178 Home Runs!!!!

I have been so extremely busy preparing for our closing date of moving into our new house.  

It has been an absolute roller coaster of emotions.  From the fun moments of looking at houses to putting in offers and the anticipating of knowing if the offer would be accepted to all other things this process has been extremely stressful and taxing mentally and physically.  Hopefully we will have everything finalized early in December and I can show off the new Cutch Cave early next year.

About 2 months ago I showed off a box of relics that I never logged or showed off.  I haven't had much time to go through all my boxes still as I prepare for the move, but did come across this nice card from 2015 Topps Museum.

What a beauty of a card!

The Cutch and Josh Donaldson patches are really nice!  I love the tiny sliver of silver from the Stanton patch too.

It's unfortunate that the Trout relic is just a boring grey jersey relic.  

Fun fact, this card has 1,178 career Home Runs between the 4 players featured on it.

Giancarlo Stanton leads the pack with 347 career homers.  He hit 35 last year leading the four featured players in 2021.  He won the NL MVP in 2017 and finished second in 2014.

Mike Trout has the second most career round trippers, but hit only 8 last year due to injuries.  He has 9 seasons of top 5 MVP votes.  He has played only 9 full seasons in the majors, winning the award three times.  He is this generation's greatest ball player.

Cutch has 270 career homers and hit the second most in the 2021 season among the four with 27. He has finished in the top 5 MVP votes in 4 consecutive seasons (2012-2015), winning it in 2013.

Josh Donaldson has 251 home runs and hit 26 in 2021.  He was the AL MVP for the 2015 season and has finished in the top 5 three times. 

Overall these are extremely impressive numbers for the four players featured on the card.  

How many of these guys do you think will be immortalized in the Hall of Fame one day? 

Josh Trout > Mike Trout

Mike Trout may be a generational baseball player, but Josh Trout is a generational sketch artist.

Let me set the stage

Behold the box it was shipped in

I carefully removed the outside band holding the package card inside.

Above is the very unique box that acts as a perfect compliment to the card itself.  I love the rookie cup design stating it is a Topps Artist and officially licensed.

Inside was a very nice hand written note on one of Josh's business cards.  It just so happens to feature that other Trout guy too.

Once I removed the business card I had this beautifully drawn absolutely stunning card of the Keystone State Legend that is Andrew McCutchen.

Thank you Josh!

Kong is better than Godzilla

I recently got myself an HBO Max subscription to test out so that I can stream a few movies (Zach Snyder Justice League cut, Godzilla vs Kong, and Mortal Kombat).  

The first thing I streamed was Kong: Skull Island.

I have a secret I need to share.

I love primates!!!!

I have been a fan of King Kong since I went on the old Universal Theme Park ride and it smelled like bananas.  I loved that ride so much when I was in my preteens.  I even enjoyed the 2005 Jack Black starred, Peter Jackson directed King Kong movie that lasted almost 4 hours long. 

I also loved Brie Larson in Kong:Skull Island so that helped to rewatch K:SI 

Once I watched Kong: Skull Island I went back and rewatched both Godzilla movies.

I'm not as big a fan of Godzilla as I am King Kong.  One of my old friends was obsessed with Godzilla.  I never understood the fanhood of the character.  

Now I don't want to spoil anything in Godzilla vs Kong, but Kong comes up in a huge way to help save the day, but let me say that in an actual fight between the two Godzilla will certainly win, but I'm rooting for Kong.

Much like sketch cards I prefer the (Brian) Kong variety to the (Bob)Zilla variety

Above is the original art Brian Kong created for a pack inserted sketch card in 2015 Topps Museum Canvas Collection.

That sketch card was also used to create the reproduction insert card found in 2015 Topps Museum Canvas as seen below

Brian Kong's art is so good it was also used as the reproduction art for the 2016 Topps Museum Reproction Canvas Collection cards

Above is the 5x7 gold parallel numbered to 10 copies

Below is a 1/1 mini sketch card from 2014 Allen & Ginter.

The above sketch is by also by Brian Kong, who has worked with Topps for many years on many different projects. I have been able to talk to Brian about comics and baseball fairly regularly when I would see him at comic book conventions in the mid 2000s.  

Above is the first sketch I ever got from Brian at the Big Apple Comic Con April 2005.

My two favorite characters (Sawyer and Kate) from my favorite TV show of all time (Lost).

I've been doing a lot of talking about (Brian) Kong, but let's talk about that Zilla now...

Bobzilla has fed off the hype of the Topps Project2020 and Project70 success and has been drawing on cards and selling them via ebay which I have lost because quite frankly the art style doesn't appeal to me.

  A few lines and a dinosaur?

I can do that myself.

For much less money too...

I've been drawing on cards for half a decade and some of you may even have some of my originals, which I did long before TP2020 or TP70 came out.  No offense to Mr. Zilla but I'm going to stick with my favorite Kaiju named artist and that is KONG!!!!

Who is your favorite kaiju?

Godzilla, King Kong, Mothra, or something entirely different?

What do you think of these "artists" like Bobzilla selling cards that have been drawn on?

National Wear Red Day

Over the past few years I have had a month long event every October trying to raise money for breast cancer awareness by showing off only pink baseball cards.

Another of my yearly events is to show off only red cards on the first Friday in February.  The Wear Red campaign is to bring awareness to women heart disease. That day is typically reserved for which you can make a donation to the American Heart Association here.

You can revisit all my other Wear Red Day posts here.

Show off that Red today!

Help bring awareness to women's heart health!

Bringing awareness helps save lives!

Today I will show off some red cards I own of Cutch.  I could go through my collection and easily come up with 100 cards that are classified as red parallels, but I want to mostly focus on my Phillies collection because red just looks so good as a parallel for the Phightins.

Let's begin with a pair of Phillies cards that look eerily familiar to each other.

Topps Total is a release built for the old school fan that loves to build sets and collect as many of their team's favorite players.  It is an online exclusive release, which hurts the mass appeal and keeps production numbers fairly low compared to flagship.  But if you're a fan of the smaller market teams and like to get cards of those middle relievers and utility player "taxi squad" type guys this set is for you.  The designs are simple and basic. 

Plain borders ✔

Player name clearly across bottom using a standard easy to rease font ✔

Team logos clearly pictured ✔

Brand name top corner ✔

It's a simple set.  My only problem is that the picture used for McCutchen looks eerily familar to the previous year release.  You can tell that they are from a different game because of the arm sleeve, batting gloves (more on this in a future post), and way the pants/socks are worn.  The pose is nearly identical and it's the same alternate home jersey worn in both photos.

Andrew has had a few autographs with Topps that are red parallels.  

By far my favorite (even though it's a sticker auto) is this 1984 Silver Pack Mojo Refractor of Cutch numbered to only 5 copies.

Another favorite is from the 2019 National Gary Vee Topps X set.  Gary selected a handful of players to discuss their hobbies and reflect on it.

One of the players he selected was Cutch for his artistic talent and how he likes to draw to help out local charities.  You may recall that I own an original piece of artwork by Andrew, which I showed off here.

I also have a 2019 Road to Opening Day ON CARD autograph of Cutch numbered to only 10 copies.

The red background with the Phillies classic pinstripe uniform really stands out.

Not to be out done (but it clearly is overmatched by it's predecessor) is the red "border" of the 2020 Road To Opening Day parallel.  The pose is better, but the design is a let down compared to the 2019 version.

From the memorabilia standpoint, I have one ruby parallel from 2020 Topps Museum that has a nice chunky three color patch.

I got this serially numbered card to 10 for a quarter of the price that the emerald to 25 was consistently selling for.  This hibby sure can be strange at times.

And even though Museum is a higher end release, this 2020 Topps Flagship red parallel 1985 design KICKS...IT'S...ASS.... on the cool factor scale

What an awesome looking card and a perfect way to marriage the nostalgia and modern collectors.

Black History Month needs to be talked about at some point this month and I have a post in the works to discuss the Negro Leagues.

This 2020 Topps Now red parallel to 10 copies is a card that honors the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues.  Of course Cutch hit a homer on the day.

My favorite new parallel to the Topps portfolio was the UK Edition Big Ben parallel.

While I thought the UK Edition release was a lame excuse to make more of the same card, I think they nailed the red Big Ben parallel.  Time will tell how they utilize this platform in the future.

Another parallel that I like to go after is the Triple Threads Ruby parallels.  These are all 1/1s and tend to be fairly pricy (as you'll see in a card at the bottom of this post)

Talk about a great design and great way to use color parallels and foil stamping.  Far too often, Topps will put the foil stamping on a dark part of the card, which makes it tough to scan.  Here they bled out the red and kept the stamping area very light almost white.

Panini has gotten into the red game also with their Prizm release.

Prizm has been a favorite set of mine for many years even though Panini doesn't have team logo rights, they make the card designs and parallels POP!

If Panini ever got an official license, National Treasures baseball would destroy Topps Museum and Triple Threads.

Look at that patch!!!

Remember Sweet Spot?  

Remember how all the autographs faded over time?

Let's hope Panini learned from Upper Deck's mistakes and these autographs stick around.  In addition to standard red laces there were also green (why?), blue, and red/white/blue stitching.

So there's a few of my 2020 Red Parallels (with a 2019 card thrown in to compare here and there).

Because of the low numberings of red parallels (almost always numbered to 10 copies or less) I haven't been able to get every red parallel this year that features Cutch.  Some were out of my price change and some just haven't surfaced.

There was a red parallel card that I didn't win last night.  While the Pirates days of Cutch will always be my most memorable, I can't get passed the fact that Topps spelled Andrew wrong.  

What the heck is an Anrew?

I own the sapphire (only 3 copies) because a Twitter follower offered it to me for a tremendous price.  Quite frankly I don't have much desire to complete this rainbow or even chase after the other cards.  Andrew is my favorite athlete ever and his name deserves to be spoken in similar fashion as Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente in Pittsburgh, but Topps can't spell his name right so I can't proudly display the cards.

 

Besides, look at the ending price of this thing!  If a $700 Anrew McCutchen card doesn't prove the hobby is strong right now, I don't know what does. A 1/1 Clemente bat swatch wouldn't fetch that kind of coin and there are plenty of Willie Stargell patch cards featuring the black and yellow.  I was in for this auction up to about $100.  I am shocked how much it went for. Shocked!!!!

Are you going to wear red today?

Do you like to get color parallels to a certain team?

Which of the above cards is your favorite?

Rays History: What Could Have Been?

The Tampa Bay Rays have steadily been a competitive team since 2008 when they advanced all the way to the World Series.  The fact that they have been a top 20% performer in terms of wins over the past decade despite having a bottom 10% of payroll shows that the upper management is one of the smartest organizations in professional sports.

This is further evidenced that the Rays despite only a $28.6 million dollar payroll advanced all the way to Game 6 of the 2020 World Series.

However, not everything for the Rays comes up aces.

Take Wade Townsend for example.

He was selected by the Rays with the 8th overall pick in that loaded 2005 draft class that produced many face of the franchise players like Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun, Alex Gordon, and Andrew McCutchen.

But did you know that the Rays were considering taking the florida native McCutchen with that 8th overall pick?

Neither did I until I read the back of this 2012 Topps Museum card.

Imagine if Andrew McCutchen debuted in 2008 with Evan Longoria and joined a talented outfield consisting of BJ (Melvin) Upton and Carl Crawford?

Would a 2008 rookie nucleus of Longoria, Price, and McCutchen been enough to win the Rays at least one Championship? I have to think McCutchen would have fared better than Gabe Gross, Gabe Kapler, or Sam Fuld in the outfield during his "controlled years".

I am still on the hunt for the 2012 Topps Museum green parallel to 199 and the red parallel numbered 1/1 .  I have the blue, gold, and base. 

Let's Make This Card More Desirable

2020 Topps Museum used to be known as a high end product.  It has Museum in it's name for crying out loud.  That should be highest of quality.

Since Topps Museum debuted in 2013 there have been a number of releases that have eclipsed it as being a higher end.  

The most obvious is Transcendent which costs $26K a case.  Others include the 1 card per box products like Dynasty where you get a prime patch and on card autograph on a card sealed in a One-Touch.  Then there are other on card autograph products like Luminaries, Definitive, and even Five Star.

The short window Topps Museum had as being a top dog high end product are gone.  Nowadays it is upper middle class and that saddens me because I always liked the idea of a pack of Museum being a perfect lottery ticket.

You could get base cards (and parallels) which were perfect for set collectors. You had chances at 1/1 sketch cards or at least a reprint insert set inside every box.  There were guaranteed autographs (many of which were stars or rookies). And there were nasty patches to be had IN EVERY BOX!

Museum was a great product, but it has turned into being a Triple Threads boring younger brother. 

So let's take a Momentous Material Jumbo Patch of Cutch numbered to only 15 copies and discuss what would be needed to make this an even higher end release.

I love jumbo patch cards.  

Even if they contain sticker autos.

I think the card is awesome as is, but according to sales of 2020 autograph McCutchen cards it ranks below Triple Threads

As you can see cards like the ones below that are numbered to 18 or 25 copies sell for more money, which generally shows more demand and interest in those types of cards.

I prefer 1 jumbo patch than 3 smaller plain jerseys (or bats).

Would you rather have 1 jumbo patch of a player you collect OR 3 smaller plain relics (either bat or road grey jerseys)?