New Rizzuto additions: 1953 and 1961 Topps

I’ve made it an unofficial goal to pick up as many vintage Phil Rizzuto cards as I can. I’ve been able to acquire his 1954, ’55, and ’56 Topps base cards, as well as his 1995 Bowman. I’ve got a bat relic, and one TTM autograph. As you can imagine, the remaining original issue cards are going to be a bit more of a challenge. There are the 1951, ’52, and ’53 Topps , and the 1961 Topps MVP card, as well as some older Bowman issues and a few oddballs.

I recently crossed two more off the list. I was able to find a very affordable (and decently conditioned) 1953 Topps on eBay. The corners are expectedly fuzzy, and there is a crease across his forehead. Given the condition of some of my other Rizzuto cards, this really isn’t too bad. The color is good. The scan is a little off since the cards was sent in a screw case, and I was too lazy to remove it. I love 1953 Topps, so this card is a big win for me.

I also nabbed a 1961 Topps MVP card. It’s pretty off-centered, which is why I managed to score it for a few bucks shipped. 

I’m enjoying going after these older cards, and I love adding them to my collection. I’ll really enjoy passing them down to my son one day.

My first Jeter jersey card

One relic (and autograph!) missing from my collection is Derek Jeter. I have a card with a piece of game-used base, but no jersey card. So I finally fixed that and picked up this 2010 Topps Tribute Jeter jersey card. It’s number to /99, which is no big deal. I wish it was a home jersey, but the prices for Pinstripes are high, so I settled on road gray. Still a pretty sweet card and a good one to cross off the list.

Go Bengals!

I've mentioned it on the blog in the past, but I'm a big Bengals fan. Long story.

Anyhow, I'm set to watch a Bengals playoff game for the third time in four years. Maybe I'll see a victory this time. Finally. But for now, I'll show off this sweet AJ Green/Andy Dalton dual relic that Jaybarkerfan sent me last year.

Yankees first rounder auto

I recently treated myself to a certified auto of Ty Hensley, the Yankees first round pick in 2012. Ty’s an exciting prospect and the Yanks haven’t grabbed a highly touted high school arm in the first round since Phil Hughes (not counting Gerrit Cole since he didn’t sign in 2008).

 These Bowman Sterling on-card autos are pretty nice, despite scanning crappy. The blue is actually mirror-like and very vibrant. There are a few more Yanks in the set which I may try to pick up.

Topps Update blaster...I clearly didn't learn my lesson

Thanks for all the comments on my previous post. It was nice hearing from everybody again!

On Christmas Eve morning, I ran to the Walmart near my parents’ house to pick up a few items for my son that we lefty behind, most notably an aspirator. I swear that kid needs his nose sucked every five minutes. The store was actually empty, which is surprising for 10am on Christmas Eve. Anyhow, I swung by the card aisle, hoping to just find a pack or two since I literally haven’t bought a pack of cards since June or July. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I ended up buying a blaster of Topps Update. I received nothing good, and as soon as I finished opening it I thought “oh yeah, I knew I shouldn’t have done that.” I was at least hoping for an Ichiro Yankees card. Instead, I only got two Yankees – a blue-bordered Clay Rapada, and a shiny gold Cano. The two blue-bordered packs from Walmart annoy me. I’d rather just have normal packs.

I did get two Bryce Harpers…the fake RC one and some insert I forgot the name of…maybe one of the Golden Moments or something.

I also got the mandatory manupatch…this Carlton Fisk. At least it’s of a White Sox logo and not a Red Sox. If anyone is interested, I’ll gladly trade it. I haven’t done a trade in a long time!

I did pull six #’d gold cards. None are very good.

Finally, here’s the shiny Cano. Pretty sure he wants to forget the AS Game in KC.

Helloooo everybody!

Helloooo everybody! Especially you, Napkin Doon.

I’m not going to really explain what I’ve been doing the past few months. I’m sure you all have a time when family, work, life, hurricanes, etc. interfere with maintaining your blog or keeping up with the hobby. I never intended to fully go away, and I don’t consider the blog to be dead…just a bit dormant.

Anyhow, I’ve gotten a few cards in the mail lately (including a 1953 Topps Rizzuto), and even some old TTMs have trickled in, so I spent some time scanning a few cards that I’ll share in the next few days.

While I have been away, one thing has remained constant. Wes, aka Jaybarkerfan, is still probably the most generous blogger out there. At a time when it had been months since I got a new card, a box showed up in my Hoboken residence chock full of Yankee cards, as well as Tino cards. Then a few weeks later, a plain white envelope showed up, once again from Wes, with a few Yanks. At a time when I needed some inspiration, he sent it along.

It would take far too long to scan all the cards, so I picked out a few of my favorites. Wes, thanks for always thinking of me. Roll Tide!

As for the rest of you, hope you’ve all been well. Wishing you the best of luck with your 2013 collecting goals.