Project Pick-Ups

What would a proper card collector be without 15 to 30 projects with no end in sight? Makes each card seem like a minor triumph, though.

 

 

 

1. Hayden Senger - First MLB player from my high school (Lakota East in Ohio)

2. Ke'Bryan Hayes - Opening Day Starting Nine Binder (2026 3B)

3. Charles Gipson, Eric Sabrowski - Columbus Clippers who made The Show

4. Deion Sanders - Completes my 1989 Fleer Update set 

5. Cole McCurry - Last name match (self-dox complete)

 

6. John Madden - NFL HoF Binder (shockingly few Madden cards, despite a billion with his name on them in some form)

7. Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard - Basketball HoF Binder (Kobe prices are nuts, kids)

8. Duane Washington Jr., Jamison Battle - Ohio State Alumni

9. MJ - biggest card needed for my 1991-92 Fleer set build 

 

10. Ickey Woods - Puts me over 100 for this PC

11. Anthony Munoz - No-License Topps makes him look like a Cleveland Brown. Barf. 

 

 

12. Gordie Howe, Guy Charbonneau, Allan Stanley - Hockey HoF Binder (Go Whalers!)

13. Max McCormick, Georgii Merkulov, Tanner Laczynski, Matt Tomkins - OSU Alumni

Go Redlegs.

Vintage Tradin'

TCDB success. The vintage binders bulge. An avalanche of cardboard, held in place by three-ring binders made on assembly lines for as little money as possible, waits for a victim. Woe unto those who dare stand beside, aside, or astride the colossus.

 

Hall of Famer. And such action!

 

 

The 1960 Topps set is so close to perfect. It's the alternating colors on the letters that kills me.

 

 

Chippin' away at the 60's sets. Rookies and SPs will continue to elude. 

 

Darell Evans RC, though, very attainable.

 

Mike Schmidt '75 Mini. If I were competent, I would've scanned this next to a full size. Alas.

 

 

A couple O-Pee-Cheesers. Always happy to snag these from the North.

 

And how 'bout a Hockey Hall of Famer here. Nice. An an unchecked vintage checklist, which looks kinda sad and naked. Speaking of sad and naked...

Go Redlegs. 

Reds IP Auto Collection - D

Sticker autos? Phooey and pshaw. Dig that pen right into the meat of the cardboard. Let it scratch, stain, mar, and destroy. Let the ink ooze down onto our fingertips. Allow the deep baritones of the 'here ya go, kid' resonate in your soul.

So, uh, anyway. Here's last name D of the IP Reds auto collection. Adam Dunn is my dude. Still need to post more cards of his. Why do I have 27 Gookie Dawkins autos? The world may never know. Eric Davis, Kal Daniels, Rob Dibble, and The Big Donkey are the standouts. That '59 Walt Dropo is a poorly made custom, which is why no one else wanted to buy it.

Auto count: 92

Unique Reds: 29

Biggest name: Eric Davis

Current roster: Elly, no, but I do have a factory auto of Blake Dunn

Oldest Card: Ted Davidson - 1968 Topps

Oldest Player: Walt Dropo (Rookie Year 1958) 

Quantity champ: The Gookster (27), runner-up Adam Dunn (16 + 9 non-Reds not pictured)

Missing autos I want the most: Elly de la Cruz, Delino DeShields Jr.

Crispest sigs: Jack Daugherty, Mariano Duncan 

Go Redlegs

A Few Complete Junk Wax Insert Sets

Been about a year since I've gone after everything 1995 and earlier. Complete sets are starting to emerge. I shall travel back in time and sell these for several dollars. Several! 

1994 Collector's Choice Home Run All-Stars Exchange. These were sent to ya for an inserted redemption card of some sort. OR you could just wait 30 years, put them all on your TCDB want list, wait another year, and slowly acquire them all. Some serious 90's names here. Needs a 9th card though, to fill the page. Shame.

 

1995 Ultra All-Rookie Team. Absolutely hideous design, indicative of a stretch in the 90's when Microsoft Paint was fresh and new. Picture stretching! Sepia! Overlays! Do it all on a 2x3 inch design! Manny Ramirez is the standout, if you can even tell what's going on here. But don't sleep on Cliff Floyd, Bob Hamelin, Ryan Klesko, and Raul Mondesi. 

1988 Fleer All-Star Team. Chosen by some dude at Fleer Corp., I presume. Four Hall of Famers and Clemens in yet another hideous set. Love it. Shout-out to Eric the Red.

 

1989 Donruss Grand Slammers. Both inserted and added to factory sets. There are several gradients offered. I'm content with whichever gradients these are to consider it complete. There were 61 grand slams the previous year, so I guess Mr. Donald Russ just liked these particular dudes. Can't blame him. Gotta get those extra Franklin Stubbs cards in the checklist.

Go Redlegs.

My Favorite Auto Collecting Moments

My favorite auto collecting moments, which happen a couple times a year, are graduating players from my Reds Minor League album to the Major League albums.

The latest honoree is Ivan Johnson.

Drafted by Cincy in 2019 out of Chipola College in Florida, he got his call-up on July 30. I wanted to wait until he got his first hit to make a post, though. My dude went 0 for 5 in his first two weeks in The Show and was sent back to Louisville. But he got called back to get his first big league hit on Tuesday against Cleveland. Threw in a couple stolen bases and his 2nd walk as well.

  

Welcome to the club, kiddo.

Go Redlegs. 

Single Card Post - 1990 Upper Deck Looney Tunes #519 signed by Mariano Duncan

Why do I have this? Because it was under a dollar. Some kid surely brought it to a game because it's what he had and got a sig from whomever would give him one. Which is nice. Mariano Duncan was part of the 1990 Reds World Series roster, so it fits in the ol' collection. Plus it's so bizarre I couldn't not buy it for that price.

 

 

Until just now, I had assumed Mariano played for Seattle and this was the result of a young Mariners fan's efforts. But I looked it up and no, he never played for them. Dodgers, Reds, Phillies, Reds again, Yankees, Blue Jays, and the Yomiuri Giants. Oh, a 23-year coaching career after his playing days, surely this solves the mystery. But no. None of his minor league coaching stints line up with Mariner affiliation. So there is absolutely no reason for this to exist. And now it's etched in the annals of the internet forever.

 

Here's the other side, for posterity. 

 

Go Redlegs.

The Most Ickey Woods Cards You Will See Today.

A minor PC of mine is the inimitable Elbert Levon "Ickey" Woods. If you are unfortunately unaware of the Ickster, he was a standout running back for UNLV in the 80's, drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in '88, rushed for 1000 yds/15 tuddies in his rookie year, leading the league in yards per carry, and started in that year's Super Bowl. Dude was electric. The Ickey Shuffle touchdown celly remains in the Cincinnati Legendarium to this day.

Then he tore his ACL in the 2nd game of the next season. 100 lackluster carries in 1990 and 1991 and thus ends the tale.

 

 

But he is still so beloved that he keeps popping up in random card sets. I'd love to hear more examples of someone with 1500 career yards getting a modern card treatment.

Ickey only had 40 different cards and 3 stickers made during his career. And six of these are "wider logo" or "extra asterisk" type variations. So not much to work with. I'm only missing a board game card, 2 of his 3 Starting Lineup cards, 2 of the Panini stickers, and his ProLine autographed and National Convention stamped releases. Not too shabby.

His post-career releases began in 2004, and there are over a thousand. You know how it is.

Oh, I also played little league soccer and high school football with his oldest son.

Who Dey. Go Redlegs.