Yesterday I wrote out my quarterly update of what has been going on with my baseball card collection. This included the addition of some really nice examples of '49 Leaf and continued slow progress on the '52 Topps set build.
The rate at which I add to my set building projects is probably going to slow in 2024, as I am giving up using eBay for a while. eBay recently removed some of its safeguards against fraudulent listings and I expect the quality of listings to deteriorate as bad actors recognize just how much they can now get away with. Sure, buyers can (sometimes) win "item not as described" refunds but having to routinely do so is a terrible way to collect. Anyway, there's a card show coming to my hometown for the first time in quite a while and I plan to visit with its aisles with renewed interest later this month.
While I went silent during another end of year burst of activity at work and the demands of rebuilding an aging deck, I did manage to get some more writing done for my blog.
1952 Topps Profiles
- Ferris Fain - the drug dealer with the best sabermetric credentials.
- Dizzy Trout - one of a long line of athletes who decided to fight fans in the Detroit stands.
- Cass Michaels - beaned by a pitch in 1954, he joined a list of players whose careers were ended by inside pitches
1993 Finest Profiles
- Tom Candiotti - Did you know he is the Hall of Fame?
- John Burkett - Now in his 50s, Burkett is putting together another successful pro sports career
Other Writing
Before taking a short hiatus mid-month, I put the finishing touches on a small research project that had been in progress for much of the past year. In 2022 I included a 1985 Topps Mark McGwire rookie among my wallet cards and wanted to know everything there was to know about it. The results of this quest are found here.
Given that this is an end of year post, I want to highlight one of the posts I really enjoyed writing in the last 12 months. Sam Jethroe is part of the 1952 Topps set and his career is often overlooked. He only played for the Braves in a handful of seasons but simply dominated the league's base running leaderboards during this time. Called "Jet Propelled" Sam by fans, his story and all the changes that the jet-themed nickname implied at the time are worth a look.
I've had pretty good luck with eBay in recent months, but given all of the changes in recent years, plus all of the other platforms that people have to sell on nowadays, I can definitely see a time in the future when eBay will no longer be THE place to buy and sell.
ReplyDeleteRe your McGwire post - despite what he said in the interview, the photo on that card was clearly taken in Cleveland Stadium, not Shea Stadium. Steroids do cause memory loss!
ReplyDeleteGood spot. I guess his Congressional testimony wasn't the only interview where he wasn't "here to talk about the past." I'll have to correct that point.
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