Florida Marlins 2007 SP Authentic Team Set

Florida Marlins 2007 SP Authentic Team Set

The Upper Deck SP brand has always offered us some pretty sweet looking baseball card designs.

The SP line-up tends to bring great color and style while still allowing for the image of the card to be the centerpiece.

The 2007 Upper Deck SP set is no different – the design of the set is nice and the colors are sharp.

The Marlins portion of that 2007 set is just three cards, but they are definitely three stars.

Have a look:

 

Yeah Baby!!  That’s Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, and Dontrelle Willis.

I LOVE IT!!

Florida Marlins 1998 Topps Gallery Team Set

Florida Marlins 1998 Topps Gallery Team Set

The Topps Gallery brand is one that I have always liked and hoped that Topps continued to produce.

Of the cards that I have picked up of vintage players on modern designs, the Topps Gallery product stands tall.  The cards are unique, and they offer a nice, artsy look and feel to them.

A few weeks ago, when I started shopping for more Marlins team sets to add to my collection, I purposely set out to find an Ebay seller that had complete Marlins team sets from the Topps Gallery brand.  My search did not net me too many results to shop from, but I was able to score this team set from their 1998 release:

 

While this product is not as nice as some of the other Gallery issues that came after, it still does offer that Gallery vibe.

Personally, I enjoy the Gallery product when the cards offer images that are a bit more zoomed in and detailed.

Still, a neat set for my team set project.  That Livan Hernandez card, in the upper-right corner, is SWEET!

Florida Marlins 2002 Fleer Ultra Team Set

Florida Marlins 2002 Fleer Ultra Team Set

The Fleer Ultra baseball card product has always been a favorite of mine.  The card style features minimal graphics and larger, in-action pictures.  Each card kind of feels like a small photograph due to the border-less style that Ultra has employed since debuting in the early 1990’s.

I recently picked up the 2002 Ultra team set of the Florida Marlins, and like all Ultra products, the cards are sweet.

Have a look:

 

Just 6 cards deep, this set offers up a ton of various baseball scenes – all packed with action.

Of the six, my favorite is the Mike Lowell card that shows him scooping up a high-hopping ball as he prepares to make a play from third base.

Florida Marlins 1993 Score Team Set, With Palm Trees Swaying!!!

Florida Marlins 1993 Score Team Set

January was the last time that I secured a Florida Marlins team set from their inaugural season of 1993.

Until now, that is…

This is the Marlins 4-card team set from the 1993 Score issue:

 

As you can see, the set has an obvious palm tree theme to it, perfectly depicting South Florida and its tropical climate.

The background works very well with the coloring of the card’s graphics and the team’s Teal & White colors.

I wish that the set had more cards to offer – 4 cards kind of feels like I’ve been short-changed a bit…

Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Team Set

Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter Team Set

I’ve stated it multiple times over the course of the last two months – A&G is boring to me.

But, I will say that the Miami Marlins team set is not as bad – on the whole…

Have a look at the 6-card set:

 

Sure, 4 of the cards are no surprise with Cisek, Marisnick, Stanton, and Yelich.  Nothing exceptional out of those four cards.

But, the Gary Sheffield card is a great and unexpected addition to the set that I was not expecting.  I am digging the tribute to his Marlins days as a player, and I love that we get another card that features the original Marlins logo and colors.

I also really like the Jose Fernandez horizontal card – the image is neat, it is action-packed, and the background is such a nice change from what the normal A&G product offers.

All in all, I am pleased with the team set.  A&G is still an overall yawn for me, but at least I can take pleasure in owning this team set.

Baseball Card Show Purchase #3 – Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Finest Team Set w/Extra Stanton Card

Baseball Card Show Purchase #3 – Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Finest Team Set w/Extra Stanton Card

Once again, my modern dealer at the show really took care of me.  He ripped up enough of the 2014 Topps Finest product to have the full team set of the Miami Marlins in his $0.25 box.

So, you better believe that I grabbed all three cards that make up the complete Marlins team set.  And paying just $0.75 for the complete set was super nice.

Here is the full set:

He happened to also have an extra single card of Giancarlo Stanton in the mix so  I grabbed it for my Stanton collection making it an even dollar spent on the 2014 Topps Finest product.

Here is a larger scan of the Stanton card:

I like it.  And now I am after the colored versions and inserts of #27.

Miami Marlins 2014 Bowman Platinum Team Set

Miami Marlins 2014 Bowman Platinum Team Set

You wanna see a really nicely put together baseball card set?

Look no further than 2014 Bowman Platinum!!!

 

This set is sharp, and it features great color and action-packed images.  I really like how the players are centered perfectly on each card and the muted background gives the impression of a 3-D effect.

As for the player mix, it is fair – 1 active superstar in Stanton and 1 inactive superstar in Fernandez.  The other 4: Heaney has been demoted to AAA after a unsucessful debut, Marisnick and Moran were traded to Houston in late July, and Nicolino is a high-rated prospect.  The mix is fine, but I am tired of Jake Marisnick cards at this point – he has been in a lot of MLB sets in 2014, too many for my liking, but he is now playing for the Astros.

I need to go back and review my official Marlins checklist to see what other Bowman Platinum team sets I can put together.  If they are anywhere near as nice as these, it will be a worthwhile journey…

 

 

Miami Marlins 2014 Panini Prizm Team Set

Miami Marlins 2014 Panini Prizm Team Set

I have scored another 2014 Miami Marlins team set for my collection and I am really happy that I have been able to grab and haul in these sets as they are released so I do not fall behind.

This set is from the 2014 Panini Prizm baseball card set and is just 4 cards deep.

Have a look:

 

 

Offering just four cards, I do have to say that I wish the player mix was a bit better…

I’m happy to see Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez in the set as they both deserve to be staples in all modern Marlins product.  But, Justin Rugguiano last played for the Marlins on September 29, 2013 and Brian Flynn has appeared in just 5 major league games to this point.  I would rather have seen Christian Yelich, Marcel Ozuna, Steve Cishek, or Adeiny Hechavarria get the nod over these two (no offense to these two meant).

 

Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Series 2 Team Set – Base

Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Series 2 Team Set – Base

Finally, the Miami Marlins Series 2 team set is mine.  The set features 12 cards, but has a pretty odd mix.  Neither this team set or the one from the Series 1 release gives us a true impression of what the team truly looks like.

Percentage-wise, almost half of the players in this team set are inactive, and they were that way well before the launch of Series 2…

Have a look:

 

A quick review of the 12 card team set reveals that five of the 12 players featured on these cards are either injured or in the minor leagues.  Of the remaining 7 players – 1 is a starting pitcher, 2 are everyday players, 1 is a solid reliever, 1 is a recently demoted starter turned bullpen guy, and 2 are utility fill-ins.

Not the best mix in the world, but it could be worse.  We could be the Mets!!  🙂

I am really happy to finally have a Marlins card of Casey McGehee in my collection (I’ll have to grab two more for my sons as they both really like cheering for him).

Florida Marlins 2009 Topps ‘Ticket To Stardom’ Team Set

Florida Marlins 2009 Topps ‘Ticket To Stardom’ Team Set

Man, I could really get behind Topps making this brand and annual product – or at least a subset featured within the flagship brand.

The 2009 ‘Ticket To Stardom’ product takes on the look of a ticket stub, and for a sports card, it works perfectly.

The colors are a perfect match to the Marlins’ old Black, Teal, and White color scheme.  And Topps did a great job inserting action images into this set.

The set is small, but it looks great:

 

Imagine if Topps issued these today and somehow incorporated the date into the card’s design.  Commemorating the no-hitters of Kershaw, Beckett, and Lincecum.  Honoring the comeback of Aroldis Chapman.  Celebrating career hit #2,500 of Adrian Beltre and home run #500 of Albert Pujols.

This is definitely a set and theme that I can get behind.

Dear Topps, please consider a comeback for ‘Ticket To Stardom’.  Thank you.