40 to go

My Tino Martinez collection now sits at 960 unique cards.

I honestly think I probably have more because of those weird 1991 Donruss variations, and other odd cards that I have not really kept track of, but am now quite aware of due to Trading Card Database.

I feel like 1,000 is really in reach right now. The number feels very legitimate, and really does feel pretty special. Tino cards aren't easy. I have about 600 Jeter card without even trying, just from various card packages and the amount of products he was in.

Tino was in a lot of products in 1997 and 1998, but other than that, I wouldn't say he has a massive run of cards. According to TCDB, he has 2,416 cards total. While that sounds like a lot, consider that Gleyber Torres already has 3,395.

While it might seem like it's only the rarest of the rare left, it's not the case. I constantly find base cards I need. Like this, from 1996 Leaf Signature:

Didn't have it! Came from from TCDB. And similar to Donruss variations, Upper Deck had all these weird hologram variations. This one is a home plate variation? WTF. Now I have to go through all my dupes and look at the backs of them. This came fro TCDB also.

The recent run of Tino ink has added some new blood to the collection, although is also costing me more money than I need to spend. But they look nice, don't they? The first two are both 04/10.

Shiny cards continue to be sexy,  and these three fit that bill.

Last but not least, oversized oddballs sponsored by the local police?! That helps get to 1,000.

The other day, Mario told me he hopes #1,000 isn't a Cardinal. I have no preference. If it happens naturally, so be it. But if I find myself sitting on 999, I might have to splurge for something rare and one I really want.

I'll worry about that in 39 cards.

The Worm

One of the highlights for me in episodes 3 & 4 of The Last Dance on ESPN was the focus on Dennis "The Worm" Rodman. I can't think of too many more fitting nicknames for a player like him.

I really liked watching him play growing up. I didn't look at him as a role model. I knew he wasn't someone to look up to as a heroic figure. But I loved how he played. His job was to be pull down rebounds and be a defensive pest. And he performed both admirably. Who knows if we'll see another player like him ever again?

One thing that gets lost in his zaniness was how intelligent of a player he was. It's easy to chalk him up to being a weirdo, but he was very bright on the court. You don't lead the league in rebounds per game 7(!) straight years by not having a high basketball IQ. Especially at 6'8". He knew how to position himself, and his body, to put him in the best spot possible to pull down a board. From knowing angles to tipping the ball to keep it alive, he was a beast on the glass. It was interesting hearing him talking about the spin on a player's shot, and how that helped to position him for the rebound.

His antics and famous hair also lead to some great cards. When you think of 1995-96 Fleer (and 1995 Fleer baseball), does any player fit better on these cards than Rodman? This set design was made for him.

My favorite card of him is probably this EX-2000 with the transparent background. Look at The Work pulling down that board with two hands.

I've mentioned my love of the Bulls black jerseys, and Rodman always wore them well. They made his hair stand out even more.

I used to love when he'd do something good and run down the court with his fist up.

Some of his non-Bulls cards are classics as well.

He was a hell of a player, and the Bulls don't 3-peat for a second time without him.

Easter basket cards

I distinctly remember getting cards in my easter basket four different times.

In fact, each were essentially a blaster box before they were called "blaster boxes." They were the Target boxes that costs $10 or $20, but I sort of looked down on them because they weren't "hobby boxes." I dunno, I was middle-school aged and it felt like getting a cheaper thing than the real thing. Well, dummy, because it was.

It was also a time when the boxes were basically the same size as a hobby box, but had a ton of foam padding inside.

The first year I can remember, I actually got basketball cards. It would have been a blaster of 1996-97 Upper Deck Collector's Choice basketball series 2. Not only was Collector's Choice my favorite baseball brand, but I loved their basketball cards too. Maybe even more. Looking back, this was a solid choice because it had rookies of Kobe, Nash, Ray Allen, and Allen Iverson. I still have most of those. It looked something like this:

Pretty solid rookie class, and I'm glad I never got rid of them. Especially happy to still have the Kobe!

I believe it was 1998 that would have brought baseball card under my Easter basket. Yes, not in, but under. I distinctly remember my basked being placed on top of a 4-pack of Pinnacle Inside cans. They looked a little something like this:

Maybe no better card product represents the quirky 90s than these.

Moving on to 1999, I'm pretty sure I got a box of 1998 cards in the form of Pacific Online. These were odd cards that had a massive url at the top. You know, because players now had web pages on the world wide internet. Only instead of something like a vanity URL, you were expected to type in this a long web address to look up stats on your favorite player!

The last box I got, which I still have, was again getting cards from the year before, this time in the year 2000 getting cards from '99. In this instance, it was a blaster box of 1999 Score Rookie Traded with Chipper on the front.

It's funny how I can barely remember yesterday, but cards in Easter baskets 20+ years ago? No problem.

Happy Easter!

An actual Snapshot

I recently completed a TCDB trade with a user named NYMHall. I received two Tino cards, as well as an Aaron Judge, in exchange for five different Mets card. Rather, a few were cards of current Mets but shown on different teams, such as Marcus Stroman with the Jays.

The highlight for me was a 1998 Pinnacle Snapshot. I was surprised that when I actually opened the package, it wasn't really a card at all. It was a slightly larger...errr...photo, as the set name would suggest.

Now, I am certainly counting this as a Tino card, as it was an issued card set. Or something. I think I just expected it was a full bleed card of the snapshot. Sort of like Archives Snapshots have become. I didn't anticipate this being a photo on photo paper.

The other Tino was something I had no idea existed. I guess some of the 1998 Collector's Choice cards have different-shaped holograms on the back? What? I have no idea. I probably have about 25 copies of this card, so maybe I should go check the back of all of my Collector's Choice cards for hologram variations? What a pain!

Lastly, the third card in this deal was of 2017 AL MVP, Aaron Judge. Bowman Platinum isn't something I've ever opened or seen in the wild, so always nice to pick up cards from these sets.

Cool trade, even if it made me feel like a bit of a failure for not knowing these Tinos existed.

Not a Pedestrian sized card

Yesterday I came home to a surprise PWE from just a few towns over from me. It was properly addressed, unlike the mysterious PWE from my previous post.

The return address was from Chris over at The Pedestrian Collector. We hadn't been working on a deal, so this was truly a random act of kindness.

The PWE contained one card...but a jumbo card. Literally.

While that might look like a normal card, it's actually a jumbo 3.5 x 5 card...so just a little bigger than an index card. Cool! This card is new to my collection, and is Tino #841 for me.

Collector's Choice was absolutely one of my favorite brands growing up, and it definitely takes me back each time I see that horizontal logo along the top of the card.

Thanks so much, Chris!

A tin of Jordans

How many people had this baseball card tin growing up? I seem to remember getting it in the early ‘90s, and that it came with a few random packs of cards in it. It’s remained in my collection for over 25 years, and I frequently changed the contents growing up.

In high school, I think I put all of my Michael Jordan cards in there, and that’s still what resides in the tin today. I have all of my Jordans stashed in there, as a few are in top loaders, and the more common are in a few teams bags, which is stupid because it’s been thrown around over the years, so the lesser Jordan cards basically all have dinged corners.

Here are a few of my favorite MJ’s from within the tin.

This is the greatest basketball card I own. I received a box of 1995-96 Fleer Ultra for Christmas in ’95. It was a great set, and these Gold Medallions fell one per pack. They were awesome, with the full gold background. The 1996 baseball set had these as well. This was right after Jordan came back to the NBA as well, and to me, is just an iconic card from and iconic time for basketball cards. I’m so glad this card fell out of that box.

There was also this cool Double Trouble insert from the same set. What I liked about the inserts is that they could also include the Gold Medallion emblem, which increased the rarity and “book value.” I think I remember Beckett using a 3-5x multiplier for the Gold Medallion versions.

The ‘90s had some wacky inserts, as we all know. Number Crunchers from Hoops were pretty cool!

Fleer Metal was – and is – badass. This was from the Nuts & Bolts subset.

I’ve professed my love for Upper Deck Collector’s Choice You Crash The Game many times, and luckily still have the ’95-’96 redemption sets in both silver and gold. I always loved the shot of Jordan shooting the jumper in the Bulls’ black uniforms.

Collector’s Choice silver and gold sigs were fun too!

This was the first Jordan I actually pulled straight from a pack! It was from my Christmas stocking.

And of course, I have some MJ baseball cards. The ’91 Upper Deck SP is a classic. I lusted after this card in my cousin’s binder for years, and finally when he moved houses, he gave me this card, along with a binder with the complete 1989 Topps set.

I also have this cool oversized card of MJ from when he returned. I think it came from one of those repacks – an assortment of packs and a commemorative card.

Lastly, in seventh grade, I smelled pretty damn good, let me tell you. Why? Because I rocked Michael Jordan cologne. This is the official pin that came with my purchase.

So while it may say “Baseball Card Tin”, this is really a tin full of the greatest basketball player ever.

Instant winners

When I was a kid, I had a knack for pulling instant win redemption cards from packs. These weren’t autograph redemptions, rather granted you access to special cards or sets that could not be pulled from packs.

The first ones I remember well were the original 1994 Collector’s Choice You Crash the Game scratch-offs. I won at least three different times, which needed me this fantastic set of Home Run Derby Holograms:

Such a great looking set! And it also paved the way for You Crash the Game taking on a different form over the next few years. When a player accomplished a certain feat, one could send in that card for another prize, usually a set or a single card of that player. My favorites were from 1995.

As an avid basketball collector back then, I repeatedly pulled instant winners as well.

In 1994-95 Collector’s Choice, I pulled an instant winner for a Draft Lottery set, featuring some of the time’s biggest rookies. I can’t find the odds, but they fell either 1:36 or 1:144 (I know, quite the discrepancy). 

Just a season later, I had a very big instant winter pull, snagging one that fell 1:720 packs and landed me a Player’s Club Platinum Debut/Traded set. I pulled it at the local card shop, Ed's House of Cards. For the most part, the names were pretty lackluster, except for this guy, who made his NBA return that season: 

Zo was in it as well, after his trade to Miami. Love seeing Big Country Reeves trying to defend him.

Admittedly, I’ve never pulled a redemption from a current pack, but back then it was pretty fun pulling an instant winner redemption and anxiously awaiting for exclusive cards to come back in the mail.