Monday, April 28, 2014

Building a New Generation of Collectors

If you know anything about me, you should know that I like to combine collecting with goodwill when I can. If you're reading this, you're probably the same. Most everybody I've met in the blogosphere is. This weekend I thought of a new plan to make that happen.

In Wichita we have an upstart non-profit that aims to introduce baseball to inner city kids who may not have the means to do so otherwise. Over the last 30 years, baseball has given way to football and basketball due to lesser barriers of entry for a lot of children. The foundation is named League 42 in honor of a certain baseball pioneer that wore #42.

Not Tom Goodwin

My thought was simple. While these kids are learning how baseball is played, why not introduce them to one of the best parts of the game... the cards! I contacted the founder of League 42, who happens to be a friend of mine, and asked him if they'd have any use for some old and new baseball cards. He liked the idea and I liked the idea of clearing out my closet. 

I didn't want to hand them shoeboxes full of junk wax, so I decided to mix up my unwanted junk wax (I consider most 2005-2014 base cards to be just as junky as 1982-1994) and repack them. That way the kids get the excitement of ripping a pack, only to be happy or be Bipped. Here's a sample of cards that I included.

Kids love mustaches, right?

Half of the kids probably own one of those hats.

Kids don't mind unsymmetrical designs. 

This is appealing to everyone, no matter your age.

This will be etched into their brain when it's time to slide.

This card is older than most of their parents.

Kids don't complain about a lack of logos.

This guy debuted before their great grandparents were born and retired after they were born.

In reality, I expect that 95% of the kids will toss the cards out on the way home from the park. That's okay though! If just one kid gets hooked, then it'll be entirely worth it. Even if not, at least my closet will have more space.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Hobby in 1910 Part 3


It's 1910 in New York. You're 11 years old and you're as hot as a floozy on a Friday night.

New York Public Library - Courtesy Shorpy.com
Your favorite club, the New York Highlanders, is on the road playing the Philadelphia Athletics. You're wishing for a good game from your hero, Hal Chase, but right now all you can think about is the sweat pooling in your knickers.


As you walk down the street you find a few of your pals outside of the grocery. Mr Heinrich has set out a few blocks of ice for the children to lick! You catch up and join them. 


Mr Heinrich knows about your collection since he's been helping you with it all summer. He calls you over and hands you a new card from his fresh pack of Hassan's. "Here you are boy, I do not think you have this one." Oh boy! You sure don't! You thank Mr Heinrich and run home to add "Dude of the Village" to your set. 


Welcome back to 2014. Dude of the Village is one of the more simple cards in the T73 set, but it's also one of the most colorful.The detail that went into painting the "Dude" is marvelous. It's a wild imagination of what an Indian may have worn and probably isn't accurate, but it would have blown the mind of a city kid in 1910. Look at how silly he looks with cotton in his hair and an entire freaking wing in his hand! The woman sitting in the teepee looks like a 1970's modern woman in slacks and a button up shirt. 


In other words, he's a pimp without any street cred. Very few tribes practiced scalping until the late 1800's. Only then did it become more common as an intimidation and revenge tactic. Often times there were rewards for white men who killed Indians and to collect the reward they brought back scalps. The artist has done a good job at portraying the "Dude" in a very feminine way, a subtle method of racist propaganda. That said, this card is still absolutely stunning even after 104 years.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Set COMPLETED - 2013 Gypsy Queen Minis

I can't remember why I started the 2013 Gypsy Queen mini set. At one point I had so many of them that I figured, "Why not?" It became an obsession. The 2013 GQ SP's were randomly #'d, not sequentially like they are this year. They were extremely hard to find, I found 2 to 3 of the black parallels #'d to 199 for every base mini SP. Work has begun on the 2014 Gypsy Queen mini set, but it'll be tough to fervor up the energy to get it done. Either way, putting together this set was actually a lot of fun! Enjoy!

Note: You'll notice this isn't a "true" set. Some of the minis are color parallels and some are the hobby box alternates. I don't know if that makes it a frankenset, but work with what you've got.




















Saturday, April 19, 2014

Gypsy Queen Trade Bait - Minis Wanted!

I've decided not to pursue the master set for 2014 Gypsy Queen due to the fact that I don't like it. I am going to chase to the mini base set because mini sets are a helluva lot of fun. I just finished up the 2013 GQ Mini set and I felt pretty triumphant.

That said, I've got some SP's, inserts and tons of GQ base to trade away in exchange for minis! Here's a taste:

My scanner did some weird autocropping. I hate my scanner.
SP's: #315, 325, 326, 336, 341, 342, 343

x2










Here are the minis I HAVE, anything else I need
#7,14,29,32,34,48,67,74, 75 ,76, 78, 100, 105, 117, 133, 135, 142, 145, 146, 152, 156, 157, 167, 179, 183, 184, 187, 197, 203, 204, 213, 242, 248, 252, 261, 275, 276, 278, 279, 285, 312, 314, 316, 325, 330

Let me know what your base needs are. I have around 400 base cards.