Thanks for looking out for me

Every couple of weeks, a blogger reaches out with a photo of a Tino Martinez card, asking if I need it.

Most of the time I can tell right away if it's a yes or a no. In this instance, I actually had to look when Paul from Scribbled Ink reach out with this card:

What threw me was the "UD PROMO" stamped across the card in foil. Hmmm. Turns out, this is a promotional card versus the regular Game Face, which I have. Cool!

Paul threw in three more cards into the PWE. First off, another Tino, this one a 1998 Ultra Gold Medallion. I'd say that this is my second favorite Gold Medallion design behind 1996.

The third card is of AL Silver Slugger winner Gary Sanchez. I always appreciate cards of this guy.

Lastly, a cool Robinson Cano Bowman Gold. I had been on the hunt for a Cano autograph for awhile, but obviously his PED suspension came as an unfortunate surprise. Maybe I'll pick one up on the cheap now.

Paul, thanks for the cards!

Topps Stars - remember those?

Back in the late 1990's, Topps Stars was one of the 1 million sets that Topps put out. As a 13 year old on 1997, I remember paging through Beckett when they came out and lusting after them. They were super high end though. When I did manage to get my hands on the Tino mMrtinez card, I loved it. The card felt like it was almost like a fabric...sort of had a canvas type feel to it. I did manage to buy one pack at a LCS (it probably ran close to $5), and I remember pulling a Vernon Wells RC that I sold for $5 a few years later online.

In fact, the 1997 Topps Stars '97 All Stars Tino Martinez card eluded me for years until I picked it up on eBay a few months ago.

In the years that followed, I wasn't too impressed with Topps Stars. They got caught up in the whole serial numbered and parallels thing, and it was hard to track. That first release in 1997 was special though.

I stumbled upon this Paul O'Neill 1999 Topps Stars Promo card and had to have it. It actually came with two of them, so if any fellow O'Neill fans out there need one for their PC, let me know. I liked the design of these with the Star, but again, the numbering and parallels turned me off from the actual set.