Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #25 – 1992 Topps Design

Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #25 – 1992 Topps Design

One of my 2013 collecting goals was to complete the 1999 Topps Nolan Ryan Commemorative baseball card set. The set features a re-print of each of Ryan’s base cards issued by Topps from his rookie season to his final season.

This is the 25th card in the set, a re-print of Ryan’s 1992 Topps baseball card:

As for Ryan’s 1992 baseball season, Ryan was still chugging away at the age of 45.  He started 27 games for the Rangers and compiled a 5-9 record.  He still had the skill and velocity to strike out batters as he racked up 157 K’s in 157 innings of work, good for a 9.0 K:9 innings ratio!!!

 

Happy Birthday Reginald Martinez Jackson!!!

Happy Birthday Reginald Martinez Jackson!!!

You may know him as Reggie or as Mr. October or as 1 of the greatest World Series heroes in baseball history. However you know him, Reginald Martinez Jackson turns 67 years old today!!

I unquestionably consider Reggie Jackson as being one of the most dynamic players to ever play the game of professional baseball. On the very short list, I think that Reggie during his prime was one player that was worth the price of admission alone. His persona and ability were head and shoulders above most of his teammates and competitors and when Reggie got the chance to shine, he took full advantage… The result is one of the most impressive careers in baseball for a player playing in a major market city.

Quite simply, Reggie Jackson lived up to the hype he built for himself and not too many players can do that. For his birthday, I would like to give Reggie a hidden microphone and let him coach a high-profile game. Maybe the All-star game. Maybe the ‘Home Run Derby’. Something good but not too serious. Let Reggie have fun, and I am sure that hilarity would ensue…

Happy Birthday ‘Mr. October’!!!

Reggie Jackson 2011 Topps Triple Threads – SWEET!!!

Reggie Jackson 2011 Topps Triple Threads – SWEET!!!

I need to go find the expected release date of the 2013 release because I really like the Triple Threads set.

The cards are always crisp and clean, and in my opinion the images being selected for this brand are getting better with each passing issue.

This card is from the 2011 set and it features a very young Reginald Martinez Jackson from his first stint with the Oakland Athletics.  Reggie wore the jersey number 9 back then, and I truly appreciate Topps celebrating the early years of Reggie’s career.

This one is serial numbered as 428/625 and is known as the Sepia version.  The coloring of this Sepia version is especially nice with that old A’s uniform.

Have a look:

‘Million Dollar Question’ – Better Card To Invest In: 1968 Topps Johnny Bench OR Nolan Ryan??

‘Million Dollar Question’ – Better Card To Invest In: 1968 Topps Johnny Bench OR Nolan Ryan??

I am not really one for making large investments in baseball cards.  I have tagged myself as a ‘budget collector’ but I am not naïve enough to say that I would not mind owning a few more ‘valuable’ baseball cards that have the potential to remain valuable in the future regardless of what direction the present hobby takes.

Amazingly, there are a lot of rookie cards of the players that I admired as a kid that can be had relatively inexpensively.  Rookie cards of guys like Wade Boggs, Andre Dawson, Tony Gwynn, Dale Murphy, Eddie Murray, and more can be regularly had for well under twenty dollars if shopped right.

And then there are the guys that are highly coveted but well out of my price range – Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, and Rod Carew.

If I had a big stack of disposable cash, I would surely invest in some of these great rookie cards.  They are cards that I have drooled over for more than 25 years and the intrinsic value that they would offer me and my collection would outweigh the hefty price tag.

That leads me to tonight’s Million Dollar Question – Which Card Would Be The Better Card To Invest In: 1968 Topps Johnny Bench OR Nolan Ryan??

Let’s take the dollar impact out of the equation.

Let’s say that you had a gift certificate that was redeemable for either (1) a 1968 Topps Johnny Bench rookie card or (2) a 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan rookie card.

Which one would you choose?

For me, I don’t think you can go wrong with choosing either of them.  But, since this is a question with two choices, I feel that having to make a choice in either direction is mandatory.

Two Hall of Famers – One great question!!!!

On one hand, with Bench you have arguably the greatest catcher of all-time, a 2-time MVP, a 2-time World Series champion, and a member of the All-Century Team.  With Ryan you have a 300-game winner, the all-time leader in career strikeouts, the major league leader in no-hitters thrown, and a World Series champion.

But whose card would you rather have??

For me, the choice is a lot easier than what I expected it would be.  And you may be a little surprised with my choice…

For as much as I truly value and acknowledge the greatness of Johnny Bench, I would easily choose the Nolan Ryan rookie card.

For me, he is the more historic player, and if you know me and my passion for Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine”, this is tough to admit.  Ryan’s career spanned two generations and for as much as Johnny dominated the sport on both offense and defense, Nolan Ryan offered more noteworthy individual highlights with his 7 no-hitters, 300+ wins, and 5,000+ strikeouts.

If I was to invest in a card of this magnitude, it would have to be in one that tells a bigger, more grand story.  I can see in 10-15 years guys my age sharing stories of watching a specific Nolan Ryan moment or moments, whereas with Bench, I think that might not be the case.

I would choose the 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan card!!

Nolan Ryan 2011 Topps Lineage – Base

Nolan Ryan 2011 Topps Lineage – Base

Man, I wish that the Lineage brand of cards was still in the Topps product line-up.

I know that it was not the most popular set among my fellow collectors and bloggers, but the set offered a very nice and clean design with large, and more often than not, great images.

This is the base card of Nolan Ryan from that set.

One of my favorite parts of the set was that the parallel versions were very sharp-looking and fun to chase down.  Each base card had a matching Diamond and Platinum version, and while not very expensive to bring home they were fun to go after.

That reminds me that I still have a few Jim Palmer needs from the set – time to go shopping!!!

Nolan Ryan 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen

Nolan Ryan 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen

I keep scooping up singles from the Gypsy Queen brand of baseball cards – and I am loving every minute of it!!

Taking a small break from the 2013 GQ set, I recently picked up this card of Nolan Ryan from the 2011 debut set of Gypsy Queen.

Here is the card:

And check out the high leg-kick of Ryan.  It is no wonder that he was able to pitch effectively for such a long time.  His use of his lower body to deliver power in his pitching was perfectly captured in this shot.

A fantastic card for my collection!!!

Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #6 – 1973 Topps Design

Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #6 – 1973 Topps Design

One of my 2013 collecting goals was to complete the 1999 Topps Nolan Ryan Commemorative baseball card set. The set features a re-print of each of Ryan’s base cards issued by Topps from his rookie season to his final season.

This is the 6th card in the set, a re-print of Ryan’s 1973 Topps baseball card:

As for Ryan’s 1973 season, it was historic!!  Ryan struck out a career high 383 batters during the 1973 baseball season.  And he did it in 326 innings of work.  The 383 K’s that Ryan amassed during the 1973 season is the eighth highest single-season tally in baseball history, and the highest number recorded since 1886 – Yes, 1886!!!

Atta Boy Nolan!!!

Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #19 – 1986 Topps Design

Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #19 – 1986 Topps Design

One of my 2013 collecting goals was to complete the 1999 Topps Nolan Ryan Commemorative baseball card set. The set features a re-print of each of Ryan’s base cards issued by Topps from his rookie season to his final season.

This is the 19th card in the set, a re-print of Ryan’s 1986 Topps baseball card:

As for Ryan’s 1986 baseball season, he was still chugging along at 39 years of age.  During that season, Ryan went 12-8 with a 3.34 ERA in 178 innings of work.  He started 30 games for the Astros in 1986 and threw one complete game.  Ryan struck out 194 batters during the seasons and finished the campaign with a 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings average.

Reggie Jackson 2003 Fleer Flair Greats

Reggie Jackson 2003 Fleer Flair Greats

I’m very happy to see that Fleer chose a picture like this of Reggie for their 2003 Flair Greats baseball card set.

The picture features a very young Reggie Jackson during his first stint with the Oakland A’s.  My estimation is that this picture was snapped in either the very late 1960s or very early 1970s.

Have a look:

 

One thing that really stands out about this card for me is Reggie’s arms.  You can get a good idea of the kind of physical shape that Reggie was in just by looking at the amount of muscle he has in his forearms.  Reggie’s physique was not common back during the early years of his playing career – as a matter of fact, I would guess that other players that encountered him would think his look was ‘odd’.

Reggie was certainly ahead of his time!!!

Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #26 – 1993 Topps Design

Nolan Ryan 1999 Topps Commemorative Set – Card #26 – 1993 Topps Design

One of my 2013 collecting goals was to complete the 1999 Topps Nolan Ryan Commemorative baseball card set.  The set features a re-print of each of Ryan’s base cards issued by Topps from his rookie season to his final season.

This is the 26th card in the set, a re-print of Ryan’s 1993 Topps baseball card:

As for Ryan’s 1993 baseball season, it was Ryan’s 27th and final season in the major leagues.  Appearing in just 13 games, Ryan compiled a record of 5-5 with a 4.88 ERA.  Still, in 66 innings of work, he was able to strike out 46 batters but he also gave up 40 walks.