1975 Topps Minis are Cute

 

I've been putting together the '75 Topps Mini set pretty casually for quite a while now. I finished the regular set a few years back and had a small stack of the more diminutive alternatives that came in a 'mixed lot/starter lot' I'd purchased. I also had most of the Orioles from long ago. I'm glad I have this one to play with since my '67 set build is stalled due to the silly prices that have been reached in the vintage market. When I get frustrated with folks asking $80 for a battered '67 7th Series SP I can go to SportsLots and toss a half dozen of these in my cart for about fifty cents each.

I've had fun with this as I have picked up the vast majority of what I have in the binder through good old trading. I've swapped dupes with Twitter and blogging friends, old and new. I've been sent some substantial packages in the mail in exchange for my sending dupes from other sets which is satisfying. I always end up with a healthy amount of dupes from most of my set builds because I have a habit of just grabbing lots and hoping for the best. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. 

Which reminds me...if you're building the '74 Topps set, get in touch. I can hook you up!

I don't have a lot of completed pages in my '75 Mini binder. The page I posted above is a pretty good one. It has a Hall of Famer, some solid players, some interesting players and a PC guy (Bob Moose). there's also a favorite Oriole of mine, some terrible airbrusing, and a nice cross secetion of card photo styles, posed, action, head shots, etc.  

It's also nicely representative of the colors the set uses. I've noticed that some of the pages in the back of the binder seen to be dominated by the orange/brown combo cards. Maybe that's just happenstance but it's definitely true at this point for me. 

If you have any dupes for this thing you're looking to offload please check out my wantlist over on the right. As i said, I have lots of stuff from 60s and 70s Topps sets I can trade.

Mas 67s

Here are a few more from my spending spree. I meant to spread the super-duper stars out a bit but whatever. Still some pretty nice cards.

Lotta power in these smiling Pirates. 

If there was anyone on the '69 Mets I liked it was Donn Clendenon. Probably because he'd been a member of the original Expos, even if for only a few months. I'd latched on the Expos as my NL team. I have always had an affinity for expansion teams in baseball. I'm not sure why. I dug the original Padres as well. 

I remember what an interesting time it was. Clendenon had refused to report to the Astros earlier that year after the Bucs dealt him this way.

Lou Brock. All Class. RIP

Denny McLain recently had a big garage estate sale of much of his memorabilia. He invited people to browse through his house and promised refreshments. I didn't have to wonder if Pepsi was on the menu. He served hot dogs as well.

Bob Uecker sure got a lot of mileage out of a six-year stint in the majors.

Got some team cards as well. Damn scanner cut off the right side but these are already in the binder so I'm not rescanning. One of these is not like the others. Hmmm.

The Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966. Maybe...well, I have no idea why that would make Topps use the shot they used. and not crop out the background. 

Some good news...after just north of four months, today I received an email from COMC...my order from the first of July is being shipped. Glory be. 

Shablotnik Sent Me Stuff

Well, this is discouraging. I had this post completed on my iPad with the Blogger Pro app and I come over here to post it and boom, it's gone except for most of the images. OK, I'll re-do it here since I don't trust that app anymore.


I was gifted with a package from Joe Shlabotnik last week, the second one he's sent in less than a month. The star this time was this 1971 Lou Brock. Perfect card? Nope. But it fits perfectly into my set build.

I can't think of Lou Brock without thinking of his semi-famous 'invention', the Brockabrella.

I actually wore one of those once thanks to my friend Sam whose Cardinals love runs very, very deep. I'm jealous of that ice cream Sundae that Lou is about to enjoy. I wonder if it came from Ted Drewes.

The Brockabrella appeared in the 1984 Fleer set. I've put that card at the bottom of this post. BTW...Joe also included another '71, Al Fitzmorris, but that image went 'poof' and I don't think I need to go dig it up from my files. Brock can rep the set without any help for sure.

This next card is a Heritage Hi# SP (or so I'm told). So it's as rare as Orioles wins in Minute Maid Park. But unlike watching the O's lose I can get some use out of this baby. It's going in my fantasy player binder.

As is his want, Joe sent along a stack of Orioles from sets gone by, mostly from the 90s and 2000s.

And a new-to-me Cal Jr.

Arthur Rhodes bulked up a bit as his career evolved. He looks almost slim here. Eric Davis had a short (two season) tenue in Birdland as he made his comeback from his cancer fight. Unfortunately for me, it came at a low ebb in my baseball fandom.

Andrew Cashner has had for bright (and not so bright) moment for the O's this year. He was beaten up on Opening Day when I saw him pitch at Yankee Stadium. He was much better Saturday night here in Houston against a depleted Astros team. 

Mancini had a lousy weekend against Astros pitching. But I'm glad to have this card. I don't fully understand what the purpose of  Topps' Opening Day set. Seems pointless.

1981 Fleer Eddie Murray.  I loved collecting this set.

I don't think I had this Drake's Murray. When I delivered the Newark Evening News in Nutley, NJ back in the day a package of Drake's Yankee Doodles and an RC Cola was the usual post-route treat.

Union Craft Brewing in B-more is producing a beer they call Steady Eddie. I'd love to give it a try, or at least grab a can to display.

Mike Mussina..welcome to the Hall of Fame! I hold no grudges.

Joe always tosses in a NY Ranger card or two and this time was no exception. I'm fired up about the return of John Davidson. With JD manning the tiller I think good things are ahead for my Blueshirts.

Here are a few more shots of Lou and his Brockabrella.

And the Fleer card of Jay Johnstone. I'm mildly surprised that the Bud logo made it thru the approval process at Fleer.

There were more cards but these are the ones I scanned. All are much appreciated. Thanks, Joe!!