The Evolution Of My Collection – Part 8

The Evolution Of My Collection – Part 8

Evolution – Noun – any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane.

I try to knock out an ‘Evoultion’ post every 3-4 months to show you how my entire baseball card collection is progressing.  So as we prepare to close the books on 2010, I thought the time was right for this.

Here is a look at my current collection, in full:

OK, now let’s get right into the details:

Top, Left – Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Mark Grace, Greg Maddux, Miscellaneous players.

Top, Center - Darryl Strawberry, Dale Murphy, Gary Carter, Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield, Orel Hershiser, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench.

Top, Right - Paul Molitor, Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Willie McCovey, Tim Raines.

Bottom, Left – Autographs, Subsets, Supplies.

Bottom, Center – Andre Dawson 1977-1992, sorted and labeled by year.

Bottom, Right - Andre Dawson 1993-2010, sorted and labeled by year.  Dawson Autographs, Game-Used, and Certified Autographs.  Supplies.

And there you have it.  From a box smaller to a shoe box to one 2,400 count box to two 2,400 count boxes and so on all the way up to six nearly full 2,400 count boxes.

And I have just begun!!!

Enjoy, and Thanks!!!

Did You Know…

Cincinnati’s George Foster led the National League in RBIs for three consecutive years - but never drove in 100 runs in any other season.  Foster knocked in 121 runs in 1976 to shatter his career high of 78 and followed up with 149 in 1977 and 120 more in 1978.  Limited by injuries to just 121 games in 1979, Foster slipped to 98 RBIs and then to 93 in 1980.

**factoid courtesy of ‘Big League Trivia’

1990 Headline: Tim Raines Traded To Chicago White Sox!

1990 Headline: Tim Raines Traded To Chicago White Sox!

During the offseason of 1990, Tim Raines was shipped off to the Chicago White Sox after 12 seasons with the Montreal Expos.  In typical Expos form, it was out with the old and in with the new.  The Expos had a talented crop of young rookies in the early 1990′s and wanted to give them playing time so they dumped their veterans – including their 7-time All-star Raines.

During his 12 years with Montreal, Raines shined as one of the game’s best lead-off hitters.  With a solid, and decade-long .300 batting average, Raines was the ideal guy to start each game with the goal of igniting his team’s offense.  And boy did he deliver…  With the Expos, Raines collected 634 stolen bases while scoring 934 runs.  He also developed a knack for driving in runs as he collected 552 RBI while batting lead-off.  He even hit 96 home runs!!!

Montreal’s loss eventually became the White Sox, Yankees, A’s, Marlins, and Orioles gain as Tim Raines was a classy ballplayer both on and off the field!!!

Dale Murphy ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1984 Topps

Dale Murphy ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1984 Topps

Now that my Dale Murphy collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #1 is from the 1984 Topps set.

Oh, Yeah!!  My favorite baseball card in my Dale Murphy collection is this beauty!!

While simple and basic in design elements, this card is a classic.  Sporting 2 photos, we get the chance to own an action shot of ‘Murph’ along with nice little cameo.

Murphy was coming off of two incredible MVP performances from the 1982 and 1983 baseball seasons.  So, as you can imagine, he was quite the star as he and the Braves headed into the 1984 baseball season.

I have a ton of vivid memories watching Murphy during those years.  Thankfully, being a Florida resident, I had WTBS to fill my days and nights with NWA wrestling, Atlanta Braves baseball, and 2-time MVP Dale Murphy!!!

Andre Dawson 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Certified Autograph

Andre Dawson 2005 Topps Rookie Cup Certified Autograph

I had been hunting this card down for quite some time, but I finally nailed it.

In the past few months I had seen this card sell for over $10 pretty regularly.  So, as each one was put up on Ebay I watched them like a hawk.

Finally, 1 of them landed in my price range and I attacked.

And here is the result:

While far from spectacular in design, it is still a beautifully signed baseball card by my favorite player.

Another great autograph for my Andre Dawson collection!!!

Enjoy.

Johnny Bench 2008 Upper Deck Heroes – Base

Johnny Bench 2008 Upper Deck Heroes – Base

I love this set issued by Upper Deck in 2008.  And a lot of my feelings about it have to do with the incredible assortment of baseball stars that UD included.

Of them, one of my favorites is the Johnny Bench card.

Below is the base card – maybe I will try to grab a few more in the coming weeks and months ahead.

1976 Topps Cincinnati Reds Teams Set – Card #179 – George Foster

1976 Topps Cincinnati Reds Teams Set – Card #179 – George Foster

George Foster played 11 years for the Reds.  And from 1976-78, he may have been their most potent offensive threat.  Foster crushed 121 home runs in that 3-year span while driving in 290 runs.  Winner of the 1977 MVP award, Foster was the runner-up in 1976 and finished in 6th place in 1978.

During Foster’s 11-year stay in Cincy, he was a 5-time All-star.  He hit .286 during that span, along with 244 home runs, 1,276 hits, scoring 680 runs, and driving in an additional 861.  Foster was a key part of the Reds’ success and was a big reason that the ‘Big Red Machine’ was so dominant.

Foster was a member of both the 1975 and 1976 World Series championship teams.

Dale Murphy ‘Fab Five’ – Card #2 – 1987 Topps All-Star Glossy(Send-In)

Dale Murphy ‘Fab Five’ – Card #2 – 1987 Topps All-Star Glossy(Send-In)

Now that my Dale Murphy collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #2 is from a special mail-order All-Star set issued by Topps during the 1987 baseball season.

Capitalizing on the popularity of the sport, Topps offered its collectors a chance to order limited edition cards directly through them.  I don’t recall if you had to redeem wrappers back then or if they inserted cards into the packs to get these sets - but I do know that I did both during my younger days of collecting.

And  the result of these special, limited offers is my 2nd favorite Dale Murphy card.

Have a look:

Andre Dawson 2008 Upper Deck Legendary Memorabilia Game-Used Jersey Card

Andre Dawson 2008 Upper Deck Legendary Memorabilia Game-Used Jersey Card

Andre Dawson 2008 Upper Deck Legendary Memorabilia Game-Used Jersey Card

I already owned one of these, but I couldn’t resist ‘stealing’ this on Ebay for just $0.99.

Numbered 6/99, A Dawson relic card featuring that glorious Chicago Cubs pinstripe will win me over each and every time!!!

Happy Birthday Steve Garvey!!!

Steve Garvey turns 62 years old today!!!

Garvey was a monster during the mid-to-late 1970′s while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  From 1974 to 1981, Garvey finished in the Top 25 in the MVP race each season which validates how solid of a player he was during the prime of his career.  While winning the award in 1974, Garvey hit .312 while slugging 21 home runs and driving in 111 runs.

A 10-time All-star selection and winner of 4 consecutive Gold Glove awards, Garvey held down the spot as one of the game’s great first baseman during the mid-70′s and into the ’80s. 

Garvey was also an instrumental player in helping his team reach 3 World Series championship match-ups in a 5-year span.  Garvey’s Dodgers made it to the Fall Classic in 1974, 1977, and 1978 – losing all three times.  But during those championship games, Garvey shined.  He boasts a .319 batting average in World Series play along with 1 home run, 6 RBI, and 5 runs scored.

Happy Birthday Mr. Garvey!!!