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).

Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Archives Team Set

Miami Marlins 2014 Topps Archives Team Set

Oh yeah, I am happy to announce that I have landed myself a 2014 Topps Archives team set of the Miami Marlins.

The set features just four cards, but they look great.

Check ’em out:

 

As you can see, the cards offer up the 1986, 1973, and 1980 Topps card designs.

And the best part of this set – not one of the players featured was born when any of these players were born!!  HAHAHA.

 

Baseball Card Show Purchase #7 – Awesome Lot Of Sweet Florida Marlins Vintage Memorabilia

Baseball Card Show Purchase #7 – Awesome Lot Of Sweet Florida Marlins Vintage Memorabilia

A new dealer at the show had a lot of large buckets of ‘stuff’ on one of his many tables.  He had a lot of stuff, and it was all very unorganized.  When I walked by and started peering into the buckets with really digging in, he told me that I could have ‘Any 3 items for $1.00’.  That got me to stop and look.  And I am glad that I did.

While pretty sloppy and unorganized, he did have a ‘Marlins bin’ so that is where I spent my time.

I pulled a total of nine items.  All vintage stuff from the original ‘Florida’ team.  And all neat additions to my Marlins collection.

First, I nabbed an inaugural team button and team pocket schedule.

Then, I pulled some stuff from the 1997 World Series – two mini pennants and a large souvenir button.

Lastly, I grabbed some player commemorative pins that were game-day giveaways during the early years of the team.

I was able to grab pins of Andre Dawson, Edgar Renteria, Livan Hernandez, and a special #715 pin of Hank Aaron.

I have to say that off all of my pick-ups at the card show, these Marlins treats are by far my favorite.  The vintage look and the conjured up memories take me right back to those days – and I love it!

For me, this was the best $3.00 purchase I made at the show.  I’ll definitely have to stop by this dealer’s table the next time I go to a show.

Florida Marlins 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter Team Set

Florida Marlins 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter Team Set

With the 2014 Topps Allen & Ginter release occurring just days ago, I am trying to get my Florida/Miami Marlins team set collection up to speed.

While I am not a huge fan of this set, it has more to do with the non-baseball stuff than the actual baseball cards itself.

So, I just cherry-pick the cards I want: cards for my vintage player collections, cards for my modern player collections, and of course, my Marlins team sets.

Since the initial 2007 release of A&G, I have scored all but 2 team sets.

Until now that is – as I have landed the 2010 set.

Have a look:

 

The set is nice – I especially like the two horizontal cards this time around as they add a nice, new look.

And now with this 2010 issue out of the way, I have just the 2012 set to grab.

Oh, and of course, the new 2014 too!!