Andre Dawson 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen – mini

Andre Dawson 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen – mini

Last week I realized that I had not been putting in enough effort to reel in all of the Andre Dawson cards from this year’s Gypsy Queen release.

So, I quickly changed that and started making my way towards completing the set.

Here is Dawson’s mini base card from the set.

I still have the colored parallels to go – AND I WILL GET THEM!!!

Stay tuned.

Fergie Jenkins 2013 Topps Tribute – Base

Fergie Jenkins 2013 Topps Tribute – Base

It is so nice to see that Fergie Jenkins made it into a few 2013 Topps sets so far this year.  It gives me the chance to build up my collection a bit while also showcases him to new collectors that may not know his great history.

This card is from the 2013 Topps Tribute set; it is the base card from the set.

Time for me to start going after the colored parallel versions now.

Stay tuned!!!

1989 Topps Rack Pack With Andre Dawson’s Card On Top!!!

1989 Topps Rack Pack With Andre Dawson’s Card On Top!!!

This new part of my Andre Dawson collection has been a slow going…  I have been trying to haul in both sealed rack pack and cello packs from the 1980′s that feature Andre Dawson on the top.

At first I was finding a good amount of them and my collection got off to a good start.

But lately, I have been running into sellers that are still trying to sell these for what they were going for twenty years ago.  And that does not work for me or my budget.

Still, I persist. 

Any my persistence landed me a 1989 Topps rack pack with Andre’s base card on top.

Have a look:.

Sorry about the horrible scan.

Dawson has three cards in the 1989 Topps set – it would be cool to be able to snag a rack pack with each of the three being featured on top.

So far, I am 1/3 of the way there!!!

1988 HEADLINE: Andre Dawson Drives In RBI #1,000 Of His Career

1988 HEADLINE: Andre Dawson Drives In RBI #1,000 Of His Career

On this day in 1988, Andre Dawson drove in the 1,000th RBI of his major league career.

On the road in Houston, Dawson and the Chicago Cubs were being hosted in the Astrodome by the Astros.  The game was played in front of more than 33,000 fans, and the Astros won the game by the score of 3-1.

The lone Cubs run came as the result of a first-inning sacrifice fly by Andre Dawson in which Shawon Dunston scored.  That run would be the only run that the Cubs would score during the game.

For the game, Dawson went 1-for-3 with a single, and an RBI.

1970 HEADLINE: Ernie Banks Joins The ’500 Home Runs Club’

1970 HEADLINE: Ernie Banks Joins The ’500 Home Runs Club’

On this day in 1970, Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks crushed his 500th career home run!!!

Ranking at #21 on the All-time home run list with 521 career round-trippers, Banks’ ranking continues to drop as more players overtake his career achievement of 521. It’s quite possible that Banks will drop 2 to 3 more spots over the course of the next 4-5 seasons, but one thing is for sure – ERNIE BANKS’ STATUS WILL NEVER FADE AMONGST CUBS FANS!!!

Banks personifies what Cubbie Baseball is all about, and he is without a doubt the most popular baseball player to ever call Wrigley Field home.

Happy Anniversary Mr. Banks!! We Still Love You!!!!

Andre Dawson 2012 Panini Cooperstown – Blue Crystal Parallel

Andre Dawson 2012 Panini Cooperstown – Blue Crystal Parallel

I keep chipping away at this set.  This is now the third card from the 2012 Panini Cooperstown set that I have picked up.

This version is the Blue Crystal parallel.  It is serial numbered as 89/499.

Have a look:

So far, I have the base and the crystal versions of the card.  This ‘Blue Crystal’ version is the best looking one of the bunch thus far.

For me, the Blue works very well with the design of the card, and since Andre is wearing a Cubs uniform in the image that was used, it also works well with the Cubs’ colors.  The Blue also makes the Red pieces of the card’s graphic design stands out.

And now that I have three cards from this set, I need just one more to knock out the full 4-card set.

Time to get ‘Red’!!!!

Andre Dawson 2012 Leaf Memories Buy Back Baseball Card – Serial Number 18/20

Andre Dawson 2012 Leaf Memories Buy Back Baseball Card – Serial Number 18/20

This one kind of snuck by and I was able to grab it for a very low price.  And it is serial numbered to just 20 copies!!!

 

My guess is that the image did not call out to the everyday collectors as they probably just saw another common early-90′s Leaf baseball card of Andre Dawson.

But this very thorough collector saw the Silver stamping in the upper-left and lower-right corners.  And they got me to dig in just a little deeper – and I liked what I found.

Issued in 2012 as a part of the Leaf Memories set, Leaf re-released some of their prior cards - adding the new Leaf Memories logo and then keeping the production run low.

Lucky for me that either not enough people knew about these or that they were not interested in going after them because I nabbed this one ‘On The Cheap’!!!!

Fergie Jenkins 2005 Upper Deck Hall Of Fame Baseball – ‘Hall Worthy’ – 38/50

Fergie Jenkins 2005 Upper Deck Hall Of Fame Baseball – ‘Hall Worthy’

It has been a little bit of a slow-going as I try to take my Fergie Jenkins player collection to the next level.

For the most part, I have all of his cards from his playing days.  And I am getting closer and closer to nabbing all of the modern stuff as well.  Staying on top of new releases certainly helps – and the new Gypsy Queen and Tribute issues will give me some new goals to go after in the very near future.

So, that leaves me with autographed cards, relic cards, and low-numbered cards.

And this one counts!!  Serial numbered as 38/50, this card comes from the 2005 Upper Deck Hall of Fame Baseball set tagged as ‘Hall Worthy’.

The card is a beauty!!  And that sweet Golden logo in the center sets it off nicely.

Fergie Jenkins 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen – mini

Fergie Jenkins 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen – mini

I am in full ‘Chase Mode’ as I go after the full spectrum of cards of Fergie Jenkins from this year’s Gypsy Queen release.

This is Fergie’s first year in the set, and I am going after him with full gusto!!!

I may not be able to snag a wood or leather bordered card, but I should be able to bring home the rest of them.

Here is the base mini of Mr. Jenkins from the set:

And now it is time to go after the Black and Green bordered mini variations.

I’M ON IT!!!

Andre Dawson 2013 Topps Tribute – Base

Andre Dawson 2013 Topps Tribute – Base

Since the launch of the 2013 Topps Tribute set a few weeks ago, I have really tried to stick to my guns of not having to buy the first version of each card and parallel that I see on Ebay.

This philosophy allows to me save some money (most likely for future cards) and still bring home what I want.  Sure, I may have to wait a little longer to secure the freshly minted cards of my favorite players, but it is not a sprint – it is certainly a marathon.

So, I was able to hold out as the new Tribute cards started to appear on the secondary market.

And after about a week, and 50 to 60 listings for the base card, I finally snagged the Andre Dawson card.

Have a look:

I have always liked the Tribute set, and I like this new 2013 issue as well.

As with the prior releases, there is a small stack of colored parallel versions to go after.  And I am hoping that in time, I can bring a few more of them into my collection.

Wish me luck!!