Donation from Fleerfan, Part Five: Simmons, Mahaffey, Geiger, O'Dell

This wraps up my breakdown of a great gift from reader and fellow blogger Fleerfan. If you've enjoyed my tidbits about these cards and the players featured on them, you can contribute to my next round of posts! You know the drill, send me a trade offer if you've got 1965 Topps to spare. Even if you don't, I'll trade my doubles for almost anything. I have specific want lists over to the left of this post, of course. I've already made a couple big trades that I'm very happy with...I'm getting closer to completing my late 1980's Topps sets!

#373 Curt Simmons

I've previously mentioned the excellent book October 1964, and the first two players in today's post are players in that story as well. Curt Simmons had started his career with the Phillies, his breakout season coming during the 1950 "Whiz Kids" campaign (17-8, 3.40 ERA). He had several more strong seasons for the Phils, winning 115 games total for them. But arm injuries cost him most of 1959 and contributed to a poor start in 1960, and Simmons was released on May 17. The Cardinals picked him up three days later, and he quickly returned to form, winning 59 games over the next five seasons. The Cardinals' 1964 World Series win over the Yankees would not have been possible without the three aces at the top of their starting rotation: Bob Gibson (19-12, 3.01), Ray Sadecki (20-11, 3.68), and the 35-year-old Simmons (18-9, 3.43). Of course, the Cardinals won the NL pennant in thrilling fashion, surging from behind to overcome Simmons' former team from Philadelphia. Speaking of which...

#446 Art Mahaffey

Much has been written about the historic collapse of the 1964 Phillies, who blew a six-and-a-half game lead in the season's final twelve games by losing ten straight. If manager Gene Mauch had a little more faith in Art Mahaffey, maybe things would have been different. Mahaffey was about league-average for a starting pitcher for most of his career; even in 1962, when he won a career-high 19 games, his 3.94 ERA was higher than the mean. Still, Art was fairly solid in that 1964 season, winning 12 and losing 9 with a 4.52 ERA. During the Phils' slide, he pitched some good games. He lost the first of the ten, a hard-luck 1-0 game against the Reds. He waited until game six for another turn, leaving in the eighth inning with a thin 4-3 lead over the Braves that was surrendered by the bullpen. Finally, he made one more appearance in relief, tossing a scoreless third inning in the ninth consecutive loss after Dennis Bennett was chased early by the Cardinal bats.

Rather than give Mahaffey his last regularly scheduled start or two, Mauch was running Jim Bunning and Chris Short (his two top starters) to the mound on extremely short rest, with predictably poor results. Art would last for just two seasons beyond 1964, his career finished at age twenty-eight. His manager's lack of confidence may have affected Art, but it was more likely the residual effects of an arm injury in 1963 that had sapped him of his velocity.

#452 Gary Geiger

Gary Geiger looks somewhat baby-faced for a 27-year-old outfielder. He also might be suppressing a laugh at the expense of that excellent vintage Red Sox logo. So much better than the ho-hum pair of non-anthropomorphic socks they have now. Gary had a rough year in 1964, as he dropped to 135 pounds (from a playing weight of about 170) following an operation for a bleeding ulcer. He played in just five games that year. Other fun (but unfortunate) facts: he wore false teeth from the age of 22 onward (his own teeth were too soft to have the cavities filled, so he had them pulled), and he had a fear of flying. As a player, he was a pretty good pitcher in the minors before switching to the outfield. He hit 70 of his 77 career home runs in his first five years in Boston, but the medical emergency in 1964 marked the end of his days as a regular.

#476 Billy O'Dell

We're going out in style! This is my favorite card yet in my budding 1965 Topps set. Why? Just look at Billy, with his no-nonsense flattop (Flattop #2 in my set, following Hal Woodeshick) that you could set a watch to. His wide, aw-shucks grin illuminates every crag and crease in his weathered face; if Gary Geiger is the youngest 27-year-old around, Billy O'Dell may be the oldest 32-year-old. He looks like he stepped right out of a John Wayne movie.

I also love this card because Billy is one of the earliest of the ex-Orioles. He was signed as a bonus baby in June 1954, joining the team just two months after they debuted in Baltimore. His earned run average was well below league average for each of his three full seasons in orange and black, and he made two All-Star teams in that span. His most memorable moment may have been the 1958 Midsummer Classic, when he shut the door on the NL boys with three perfect innings (including strikeouts of Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Bill Mazeroski). O'Dell earned the save in front of the hometown fans in Memorial Stadium.

Donation from Fleerfan, Part Four: Woodeshick, Hinton, Bearnarth, Stanek

#179 Hal Woodeshick

And Hal represents Part Two of the Great Houston Kerfluffle. Topps has finally figured out that the team will be called the Astros, and kept the "Houston" text so no one will be confused. No logo, of course. Hal, in addition to his sharp flattop and rugged gaze, was a pretty good reliever. He made the All-Star team in 1963 by winning 11 games and saving 10 others without the benefit of a single start. The following year he led the National League with 23 saves, which actually is impressive for the era. His 2.76 ERA that year was actually his highest between 1963 and 1966.

#235 Chuck Hinton

Hey, another All-Star! Chuck is fresh off of his 1964 season, in which he represented the Senators in the Midsummer Classic. Oddly enough, his performance that year (.274, 11 HR, 53 RBI) wasn't nearly as good as his 1962 campaign (.310, 17 HR, 75 RBI), for which he did not receive an All-Star nod. Here we see another example of the Hide-the-Hat phenomenon. Topps scrambled to cover up any indicators that Hinton had been a Senator; Washington traded him to the Indians on December 1, 1964. Chuck even had ties to the Orioles, having been signed by the team in 1956 as a free agent. Before he ever made his big league debut, the Senators grabbed him in the 1960 Expansion Draft.

#258 Larry Bearnarth

Larry is a college boy, having been signed by the Mets after graduating from St. John's University with an English degree. Yep, that's one thing that Larry and I have in common. New York sent him straight to AAA Syracuse, where he went 2-13 with a 6.67 ERA. Still, the Mets were so awful that they promoted him the very next year, and he saw action in 58 games (third-most in the N. L.). He was much improved, sporting a 3.46 ERA. But his major league performance peaked in that first season, and by 1967 he was back in the minors to stay...or was he? In 1971, he made his return to the bigs with the Brewers, tossing three terrible innings. He found new life in baseball as a pitching coach, spending the next quarter-century mentoring pitchers in the Expos and Rockies organizations. Larry passed away on December 31, 1999.

#302 Al Stanek

Believe it or not, Al didn't even pitch in the majors in 1964. He'd debuted with the Giants the previous year, struggling in 11 relief appearances. Topps seems to have given him a card in 1965 on the strength of his efforts in AAA Tacoma, where he won 13 games with a 2.83 ERA and led the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts with 220. Unfortunately, Stanek never made it back to the bigs. Maybe his control problems had something to do with it - along with those 220 K's, he also allowed 108 walks. If anyone has more information on the demise of Al's career, let me know. He's last mentioned in The Sporting News archives in 1967, at which time he was still twirling in the minors.

Next time: the last four cards from Fleerfan! (Spoiler: they're the best cards in the group.)

Donation from Fleerfan, Part Three: Lanier, Daniels, Duffalo, Mikkelsen

#118 Hal Lanier

Hal Lanier is a rather sad case of what could have been, as his golden (yellow, anyway) Rookie Cup can attest. He turned heads by batting .274 in 1964, but it would be his best offensive performance by far. The after-effects of a 1965 beaning left him with epilepsy, and he never hit above .233 for the rest of his career. He did have some success as a manager, winning the Manager of the Year award in 1986 for guiding the Astros to a 96-66 record and an NL West title in his first season at the helm.

#129 Bennie Daniels

Check out that nifty Senators logo, with the batter following through on a mighty wallop out in front of the Capitol. Bennie Daniels was a decent pitcher for the second incarnation of the Washington Senators, the team that eventually became the Rangers (the first DC team moved to Minnesota and became the Twins). Bennie was on both the winning and losing ends of history. He took the 'L' in the final games ever played at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn and old Griffith Stadium in Washington. However, he was victorious in the first game ever played in District of Columbia Stadium, which would later be known as RFK Stadium. Daniels went the distance that day, allowing 5 hits and besting the Tigers 4-1 with President Kennedy in attendance. According to baseball historian Lee Allen, he also notched the win in the 100,000th game ever played in the MLB, a 7-2 decision over the Indians in 1963.

#159 Jim Duffalo

Not much information to be found about Jim Duffalo. He appears to have been a solid reliever for the Giants in the first half of the 1960s, with back-to-back ERAs of 2.87 and 2.92 in 1963 and 1964, but they used him sparingly. His career highs were 35 games and 75 and 1/3 innings pitched. He was traded to Cincinnati in May 1965, and that season would prove to be his last. He was just 29 when he pitched his final game. A perfunctory search of Sporting News archives on paperofrecord.com indicates that he pitched in the minor leagues until 1972 without getting the call back to the big time.

#177 Pete Mikkelsen

Pete is the second bespectacled hurler in my 1965 set so far. He was a former Marine who threw a mean sinker. His performance out of the Yankees' bullpen as a rookie (7-4, 12 saves, 3.56 ERA) helped them get to the 1964 World Series. However, he surrendered a game-winning three-run home run to Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver in the tenth inning of Game Five. St. Louis would go on to win an exciting series in seven games. I highly recommend the late David Halberstam's excellent book on the two teams and that World Series, October 1964.

More to come soon!

Donation from Fleerfan, Part Two: Oliver, Ribant, Checklist, Thomas

Okay, here's the second group of four from the Fleerfan pile. More to come!

#59 Nate Oliver

Nate "Pee Wee" Oliver's father, Jim Oliver, Sr., played in the Negro Leagues in the 1940's. Nate was a light-hitting backup infielder throughout the 1960's. In 1965, he was actually coming off of his best season as a major leaguer, for what it's worth: his 99 games played, 9 doubles, 21 RBI, and .243 average and .309 on-base percentage were all career highs. He appeared as a pinch runner in Game Four of the 1966 World Series, which my beloved Orioles won to sweep the favored Dodgers. Just had to squeeze that in, you know.

#73 Dennis Ribant

I don't know about you, but I really miss the days when the Mets wore only blue and orange, without all of the black nonsense. It's a pretty shallow excuse to move more merchandise. One of my favorite destinations on the Web is Paul Lukas' Uni Watch Blog. Paul is a diehard Mets fan and a scholar of uniform minutiae, and he also masterminded the Ditch the Black campaign, which aimed to...well, it's self-explanatory. The Mets' uniform as it was originally conceived was a great nod to the tradition of baseball in New York: blue to represent the old Brooklyn Dodgers, and orange for the departed New York Giants. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

#79 Checklist 1

I don't really have much to offer about this checklist, except to say that it arrived with three of the boxes on the back filled in with blue pen. I generally don't fill out my own checklists any more; I tend to keep inventory on spreadsheets and online tools. But there's something charming about those little dark blue ink blots and remembering back to a time when I would have used a checklist for its intended purpose.

#83 George Thomas

George almost seems to be sporting a sneer in his photo, perhaps an indication that his career hasn't been moving along as planned. The Tigers signed him as a "bonus baby" on August 5, 1957, and he got to make his debut that September at the age of 19. He wouldn't be in the bigs to stay until 1961, when the Angels acquired him for cash. His official rookie season was one of the best of his career. He hit .274 with 13 home runs and 59 RBI, and his offensive production was about league-average. The only year he even came close to that performance was 1964, the most recent campaign at the time of this card's production. Back with the Tigers following a June 1963 trade, Thomas batted .286 and went deep 12 times. Though he stuck around until 1971, George never topped 80 games played in another season. Post-retirement he did coach baseball at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota (1979-1981).

Donation from Fleerfan, Part One: Ramos, Arrigo, Raymond, Bryan

Hey, I actually have an update for you! Reader Fleerfan, who writes the informative Fleer Sticker Project, was generous enough to send me a package containing 20 cards from the 1965 Topps set! To make this whole thing more manageable, I will take a closer look at the cards in increments of four. So I'll have new content on a consistent basis for the next week or two, which is a good start.

#13 Pedro Ramos

Here's a classic Topps cheat. Ramos joined the Yankees via trade with the Indians in September 1964, so they didn't have time to photograph him in his new uniform. Instead of airbrushing (as they would in later years), they simply picked a picture of him hatless. Sure, he's still wearing an Tribe jersey; you can see the red piping instead of the expected navy pinstripes. But who's counting? Pedro's got an interesting stat line: he had a 12-10 record in 1956 as a 21-year old sophomore with the Senators, the first of seven consecutive seasons with both double-digit wins and losses. For the next six years, he logged losing records, including an 11-20 campaign in 1961 with the Twins. As a result, Pedro finished his career with a gruesome 117-160 won-lost record. But the Yankees caught lightning in a bottle with him, as they used him exclusively in the bullpen in September 1964 and he saved 8 games with a 1.25 ERA, a 0.60 WHIP, and a ridiculous 21-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Without him, the Yanks might not have gone to the World Series; they finished just one game ahead of the White Sox and two games up on the Orioles.

#39 Gerry Arrigo

Gerry's changing places as well, as Topps is somewhat on the ball. The cartoon on the back indicates that Gerry was traded to the Reds in December 1964. I'm not sure why they didn't just identify him with the Reds on the front, but what the hey. I do love the old-school Twins handshake logo. There aren't enough sports team logos featuring signs of affection. The only other one I can think of is the Kenosha Tree-huggers of the NBDL, which I just made up. A quick check of Baseball Reference tells me that the player the Twins received for Gerry was Cesar Tovar. I'd go ahead and say that Minnesota got the better end of that deal.

#48 Claude Raymond

Get a load of this handsome devil. Love those clear-rimmed specs - Chris Sabo, eat your heart out. You may notice something strange about this card; it simply says "Houston" instead of the team nickname. As you can see from Claude's hat, the Houston franchise entered the National League as an expansion team in 1962, along with the Mets. They were known as the Colt .45s, or the Colts for short. Unsurprisingly, the Colt Firearms Company took issue with the team making money off of their brand. The team changed their name to the Astros in December, presumably too late for Topps to make the change. I suppose they new the change was coming, as they went with the city name and generic state-of-Texas graphic on the early series cards. They would make a change in later series of the set, as you will see in a future post. (Ooh, cliffhanger!)

#51 Billy Bryan

Believe it or not, Billy Bryan is twenty-five years old in this photo. Maybe it's the funny protruding ears, maybe it's the peach fuzz or the unconventional kelly green and yellow uniforms that were Charlie O. Finley's brainchild, but he looks much younger. There's something great about the color scheme of the card itself; the red pennant on the black base really makes it pop. Billy was mostly a bench player in eight seasons, with a .216 average that would make Mario Mendoza proud. However, considering the pitcher-dominated era he played in, his numbers weren't that much lower than the league average. Besides, my good friends at Baseball Reference tell us that his career most resembled that of the cult hero Sal Fasano, so he can't be all that bad.

Well, now that I worked in a Sal Fasano reference, I think I can call it a day. Be back soon with the next foursome!

'52 Topps Rookies: A Solution

Okay, the trading has been slow of late, and I've been distracted by holiday revelry anyway. But when I started this blog, I promised to share my thoughts and remembrances on the hobby during periods of downtime. So consider this the first in an indeterminate series!

Although I don't buy them very often, I'd have to say that I'm a sucker for "vintage" card designs. If I had been serious about collecting over the past five or six years, I'm sure I would have pumped some hard-earned money into Topps Heritage, and maybe even Bowman Heritage. This year's Allen and Ginter and Goudey series have caught my eye, though they're too rich for my blood. But I'd have to agree with my esteemed colleague that this year's '52 Topps Rookies cards are an exercise in laziness. While Dayf (among others) has suggested simply bumping up this year's design to mirror 1953 Topps and following the sequencing of Topps Heritage, I've got another idea.

Let's be fair. I love some of the 1950's Topps designs as much as the next guy (especially the aforementioned 1953). But haven't we seen enough of them for a while? For that matter, hasn't an entire vintage set based on one year's style been done to death? Well, maybe it has, you say. But what the hell are they supposed to do, Kevin? I'll tell you what...

Produce each rookie's card in the design from his year of birth.

Think about it. While card designs from the 80's may not seem "vintage", they still strike a nostalgic chord with many of today's collectors (yours truly certainly included). They haven't been seen for 20-25 years, and even if you assume that Topps is keeping up its Heritage line in sequential order on into infinity, they wouldn't be seen for another 20-25 years. It would be the best of both worlds - something old, but in a mostly new format. And as a neat twist, you'd always know how old a certain player was with a single glance at his card.

Take this year's checklist for example. You'd have a 1982 Michael Bourn, a 1983 Jacoby Ellsbury, a 1984 Troy Tulowitzki, a 1985 Joba Chamberlain, a 1986 Homer Bailey, a 1987 Justin Upton, and a 1988 Phillip Hughes. With Japanese imports, there's even a few oddball older designs, like a 1975 Hideki Okajima, 1979 Akinori Iwamura and a prized 1980 Daisuke Matsuzaka. Then there are journeyman rookies like Jon Knott (1978) and Josh Hamilton (1981). Now THAT'S variety. Sure, this also means we're right on the cusp of the hideous 1990 Topps design, but you might as well admit that you've missed those bright and fuzzy squares and dots.

If, after all of this, Topps still felt the need to throw in those Debut Flashbacks, you've got even more styles to look at. Try on a 1976 Vlad Guerrero or a 1971 Pedro Martinez.

So that's my best stab at telling Topps what to do. If they're looking to hire, I wouldn't say no. ;-)

By the way, if anyone is more graphically talented than I am (chances are pretty good that you are; refer to my banner design if you doubt it) and wants to email me some designs based on this idea, I will of course post it and give you full credit. A 1983 Nick Markakis or 1984 Adam Loewen would be sweet.

Available for Trade: Bowman, Burger King, Post Cereal, Studio, Leaf, Pinnacle, Stadium Club

Whew! With this post, I've finally got all of my dupes posted, save for 1989 Topps. If you need any of those, just email me and ask...there's a good chance I've got what you need. We've got a few oddball sets here, and a bunch of 1995 Stadium Club. Those have beautiful photography and you owe it to yourself to pick up a few, if you've got something to offer in return.

1989 Bowman (1)
313 Paul O'Neill

1987 Burger King All-Pro (2)
13 Don Mattingly
14 Ozzie Smith

1990 Post Cereal (3)
4 George Brett (2)
5 Tony Gwynn

1991 Post Cereal (2)
25 Todd Zeile Rookie Star
29 Don Mattingly

1993 Post Cereal (1)
13 Ryne Sandberg

1994 Post Cereal (1)
1 Mike Piazza Rookie Star

1993 Studio (16)
26 Rob Deer
35 Kent Hrbek
46 Mike Lansing
60 Devon White
66 Matt Williams
76 Lou Whitaker
87 Joe Carter
142 Damion Easley
149 Ramon Martinez
157 Fred McGriff
164 Wally Joyner
179 Willie McGee
186 Billy Hatcher
197 Greg Vaughn
208 Mickey Morandini
217 Ozzie Smith

1994 Leaf (2)
395 Paul Molitor
424 Mickey Morandini

1994 Pinnacle (3)
363 Gene Harris
515 Dan Wilson
539 Paul Spoljaric Rookie Prospect

1994 Topps Stadium Club (7)
273 Teddy Higuera
280 Larry Walker
314 Salomon Torres MLB Debut 8/29/93
334 Chris Donnels
336 Dean Palmer
437 Rheal Cormier
499 Turk Wendell MLB Debut 6/17/93

1995 Topps Stadium Club (142)
4 Curt Schilling
5 Bruce Ruffin (2)
9 Gary Gaetti
10 Roger Clemens
11 Carlos Garcia (2)
14 Charles Nagy
19 Ryan Klesko
22 Ken Hill League Leader
29 Shawon Dunston (2)
31 Dean Palmer (2)
34 Mickey Tettleton
36 Carlos Baerga
37 Orel Hershiser (2)
40 Jim Edmonds
49 Billy Spiers (2)
52 Denny Hocking
53 Todd Worrell
55 Hipolito Pichardo (2)
60 Tim Davis MLB Debut 4-4-94
61 Jeff Kent (2)
65 Ozzie Smith
68 Vince Coleman (2)
69 Tom Pagnozzi (2)
70 Roberto Alomar
78 Danny Bautista
79 Bob Hamelin '94 Award Winner: AL Rookie of the Year
82 Chris Turner
86 John Vander Wal
93 Kevin Tapani (2)
95 Erik Hanson
96 Ruben Sierra (2)
99 Jacob Shumate Draft Pick
105 Cade Gaspar Draft Pick (2)
114 C. J. Nitkowski Draft Pick (2)
115 Ramon Castro Draft Pick
116 Rafael Bournigal
132 Wilson Alvarez
136 Jeff Blauser (2)
139 Kirk Rueter
141 Pat Borders
147 Jim Thome
148 Larry Walker League Leader
151 Steve Avery (3)
158 William VanLandingham MLB Debut 5-21-94
161 Ismael Valdes MLB Debut 6-15-94
162 Juan Guzman League Leader (2)
164 Cliff Floyd
165 Allen Watson (2)
168 Jeff Tackett
169 Chad Curtis (2)
170 Rico Brogna
177 Rick Aguilera
178 Dave West
181 Steve Buechele (2)
183 Tom Glavine
184 Joe Girardi
187 Kevin Gross
188 Sid Fernandez
190 Bernard Gilkey (3)
193 Jeff Conine
195 Eduardo Perez
198 Orlando Merced (2)
203 Mike Lieberthal MLB Debut 6-30-94
204 David Cone '94 Award Winner: AL Cy Young (2)
207 Alex Cole
209 Jim Eisenreich
212 Don Mattingly Best Seat in the House
214 Jose Canseco Best Seat in the House
227 Tino Martinez
228 Andy Ashby
231 Hal Morris
234 Rafael Belliard
239 Cal Ripken, Jr. Cause & Effect
240 Jeff Bagwell Cause & Effect (2)
241 Ken Griffey, Jr. League Leader
245 Mike Bordick (2)
247 Randy Velarde
256 Al Leiter (2)
257 Luis Gonzalez (2)
258 Charlie O'Brien
262 Otis Nixon (2)
264 Manny Ramirez (2)
265 Bret Barberie (2)
267 John Burkett (3)
269 John Roper
270 Shane Reynolds
286 Jeff Montgomery (2)
329 Mike Henneman
504 Bobby Bonilla Extreme Corps
523 Joe Carter Extreme Corps
533 Dave Winfield
540 Mickey Tettleton (2)
541 Andy Van Slyke
547 Chad Curtis
560 Brad Radke
572 Dustin Hermanson (2)
585 Felipe Lira
590 Todd Hollandsworth
606 Ray Holbert
616 Ken Hill TransAction

1995 Topps Stadium Club Virtual Reality Parallel (2)
28 Paul Molitor
112 Mike Stanley

Available for Trade: 1992, 1994-1997, 2003-2005, 2007 Topps

It's December and we're moving right along. I'm checking off the rest of my Topps base cards that are up for trade. See if there's anything you like.

1992 Topps (99)
14 Wes Chamberlain (2)
15 Denny Martinez (2)
25 Ron Gant
41 Craig Lefferts
46 Steve Farr (2)
57 Donn Pall
73 Brian Barnes
83 Tommy Greene
86 Steve Finley
111 Mark Carreon (2)
130 Alvin Davis (3)
160 Bobby Bonilla
180 Kevin Mitchell (3)
190 Glenn Davis (2)
200 Len Dykstra (2)
203 Greg Myers
209 Lloyd McClendon
218 Mike Flanagan
223 Mel Hall
228 Eddie Whitson
238 Greg Litton
247 Chuck Finley (3)
261 Tom Lasorda MGR
264 Checklist 2
285 Bob Welch (4)
286 Gilberto Reyes (10...yeah, really. I got hosed on a grab bag)
294 Dave Valle
302 Joey Cora (3)
307 Bruce Ruffin
319 Tony Phillips
334 Kevin Gross
344 Jack Daugherty (2)
357 Mike Witt
365 Duane Ward
393 Craig Biggio NL All Star
422 Sam Horn
448 Tom Pagnozzi
451 Tom Henke
453 Gary Redus
463 Mike Simms (2)
464 Mike Jeffcoat
479 Chito Martinez (2)
497 Andy Ashby
517 Jim Gott (2)
527 Checklist 4
528 Steve Foster
556 Storm Davis
558 Scott Garrelts
561 Jose Vizcaino
572 Greg Vaughn
579 Johnny Oates MGR (2)
584 Wayne Rosenthal
596 Kent Mercker (2)
602 Mike Fetters
608 Scott Bradley
615 Matt Merullo
622 Steve Buechele
636 Greg W. Harris (Padres)
662 Juan Guzman
667 Roberto Hernandez
688 Tim Belcher
696 Joe Boever
709 Chris James
724 Kevin Morton
736 Lance Johnson
771 Arthur Rhodes
776 Doug Henry

1994 Topps (9)
81 Greg McMichael Topps All-Star Rookie
119 Kevin Roberson (Rookie Card)
139 Tripp Cromer Future Star (Rookie Card)
168 Steve Dixon (Rookie Card)
183 Rob Dibble
325 Jody Reed
336 Luis Lopez (Rookie Card)
366 Al Martin
439 Willie Blair

1995 Topps (2)
(#8 Opening Day Insert) Manny Ramirez
217 Pat Mahomes

1996 Topps (1)
221 Kirby Puckett Star Power

1997 Topps (2)
285 Delino DeShields
406 Tony Clark Topps All-Star Rookie

2003 Topps (13)
162 Greg Vaughn
259 Adrian Beltre
396 Barry Bonds
397 Esteban Loaiza
437 Morgan Ensberg
475 Einar Diaz
485 Tomas Perez
552 Oliver Perez
589 Fernando Tatis
591 Cory Lidle (2)
623 Ben Davis
644 Dodgers Team Card

2004 Topps (17)
51 Danny Graves
236 Brad Penny
368 Sammy Sosa
395 Adam LaRoche
397 Johnny Estrada
436 Alex Escobar
452 Chone Figgins
458 Ryan Ludwick
470 Yorvit Torrealba
495 Armando Benitez
535 Antonio Alfonseca
554 Benito Santiago
617 Ted Lilly
684 Chris Lubanski 2003 Draft Pick
692 Delmon Young, B. J. Upton Prospects
717 Angel Berroa 2003 AL Rookie of the Year
719 Todd Helton Sporting News All-Star

2005 Topps (1)
585 Jacque Jones

2005 Topps Updates and Highlights (1)
UH247 Lorenzo Scott FY

2007 Topps (3)
54 Daniel Cabrera
231 Orioles Team Card (2)

Available for Trade: Topps 1980-1986

Okay, this should clear out all of my remaining pre-1990 Topps duplicates - except for 1989. I have a ton of 1989 Topps, but I'm putting that list off for as long as I can manage it. For some reason, many of the 1986 Topps are off-center, some of them comically so. If you ask me, it just adds to the charm. This is an interesting assortment, and it's *used car salesman voice* ALL GOTTA GOOOOOO!

Okay, I promise not to do that again.

1980 Topps (2)
237 Scott McGregor
661 Orioles Future Stars: Mark Corey, Dave Ford, Wayne Krenchicki

1981 Topps (1)
490 Eddie Murray

1982 Topps (5)
141 Indians Future Stars: Chris Bando, Tom Brennan, Von Hayes
204 Gary Roenicke
365 Bill Madlock
497 Jim Anderson
555 Scott McGregor A.L. All Star

1983 Topps (2)
217 Tim Stoddard (2)

1984 Topps (3)
239 Jay Howell
410 Claudell Washington
504 Mickey Rivers

1985 Topps (2)
7 Nolan Ryan Record Breaker: Most Strikeouts, Lifetime
550 Scott McGregor

1986 Topps (368)
2 The Pete Rose Years: 1963-1966
4 The Pete Rose Years: 1971-1974
5 The Pete Rose Years: 1975-1978 (4)
7 The Pete Rose Years: 1983-1985 (4)
9 Roy Smith
16 Rick Schu
18 Brent Gaff
22 Duane Walker
23 Manny Lee
24 Len Barker (4)
34 Ken Phelps (2)
39 Dave Rucker
40 Ken Griffey
42 Geoff Zahn (2)
47 Juan Berenguer
48 Bill Almon
50 Dan Quisenberry
52 Chris Welsh
53 Len Dykstra
58 Bill Krueger (3)
59 Andre Thornton
60 Dwight Evans
63 Ron Roenicke
64 Floyd Bannister
65 Dan Driessen
66 Cardinals Leaders (Bob Forsch)
69 Luis Aguayo
87 Candy Maldonado (2)
91 Steve Crawford (2)
96 Blue Jays Leaders (Jim Clancy) (2)
97 Gary Gaetti
99 Buddy Biancalana (2)
102 Joe Orsulak
107 Rafael Ramirez
111 Roger Craig MGR
112 Bill Campbell
115 Jay Howell
116 Brook Jacoby (2)
124 Luis Sanchez (3)
126 Mets Leaders (Mookie Wilson)
133 Andy McGaffigan
137 Charlie Moore (2)
138 Mark Davis
141 Chuck Cottier MGR (2)
144 Doug Sisk
152 Mike Morgan
155 Bob Grich
160 Chet Lemon
163 Pete Ladd
168 Jeff Burroughs (2)
171 Bob Rodgers MGR (Error: labeled #141)
174 Brian Snyder (2)
177 Joel Youngblood
188 Bob Dernier
190 George Hendrick
191 Wally Backman
193 Daryl Sconiers
194 Craig McMurtry
195 Dave Concepcion
197 Enos Cabell (2)
198 Ken Dixon
199 Dick Howser MGR
204 Phil Niekro '85 Record Breaker: Oldest Pitcher to Hurl a Shutout
208 Ramon Romero
213 Bob Shirley (3)
216 A's Leaders (Dwayne Murphy) (2)
219 Dennis Lamp
221 Dave Henderson
222 Craig Gerber (2)
228 Tom Lawless (2)
230 Terry Kennedy (2)
232 Rick Rhoden
236 Frank Eufemia
239 Joel Skinner
242 Rich Thompson
243 Johnny Grubb
247 Terry Harper
248 Spike Owen
253 Dann Bilardello
255 Tony Armas (2)
257 Doug DeCinces
259 Dan Pasqua
262 Mario Ramirez (2)
267 Paul Molitor (2)
271 Dave Collins
272 Tim Tolman (2)
275 Charlie Hough
276 Yankees Leaders (Willie Randolph) (3)
278 Sixto Lezcano
281 Steve Mura (2)
287 John Christensen
290 Carlton Fisk
292 Chuck Porter (2)
297 Tim Lollar (2)
300 George Brett
303 Curt Wardle (2)
304 Mike Gallego (2)
308 Ray Fontenot
311 Dick Schofield
312 Tom Filer (2)
313 Joe DeSa
315 Mookie Wilson
317 Ed Romero
319 Rick Camp
320 Jim Rice
323 Jerry Davis
326 Kent Tekulve
332 Darryl Motley (2)
333 Tom Henke
335 Don Sutton (2)
337 Darnell Coles
338 Jorge Bell (2)
345 Donnie Moore
349 Mark Clear (3)
350 Jack Clark
352 Harry Spilman
355 Lee Smith
359 Mike LaCoss
367 Aurelio Lopez
369 Al Holland (2)
373 Urbano Lugo (2)
376 Bill Dawley (2)
378 Bruce Bochte
381 Ray Miller MGR
382 Ivan Calderon (2)
384 Steve Trout (2)
388 Dickie Noles
395 Scott Garrelts (3)
397 Steve Buechele
399 Bill Swift (2)
400 Rod Carew
406 Scott Sanderson
407 Sal Butera (2)
408 Dave Smith (2)
411 Sparky Anderson MGR
415 Hal McRae
417 R. J. Reynolds
420 Von Hayes
422 Mike Jorgensen (2)
427 Joe Cowley
428 Max Venable (2)
430 Kent Hrbek
431 George Frazier (2)
434 Curt Wilkerson (2)
436 Doug Flynn (2)
437 Rick Mahler
438 Clint Hurdle
444 Alex Trevino (2)
448 Herm Winningham
451 Mark Brown
453 Steve Jeltz
454 Burt Hooton
455 Willie Randolph (2)
460 Leon Durham
461 Walt Terrell (2)
462 Domingo Ramos
465 Jesse Orosco
466 Tom Foley (2)
468 Mike Scioscia
470 Bill Madlock
471 Bobby Cox MGR (2)
473 Mark Brouhard
476 Ron Mathis
478 Andy Hawkins
481 Scott Bradley
484 Donnie Hill (3)
490 Jeff Leonard
493 Gene Nelson
504 Denny Walling
509 Ernie Camacho
512 Thad Bosley
520 Keith Hernandez
524 Darrell Miller (3)
525 Marvell Wynne (2)
526 Charlie Lea
530 Rich Gossage
531 Tony LaRussa MGR
535 Toby Harrah
536 Jose Rijo
538 Dennis Eckersley (2)
540 Dan Petry (4)
544 Eddie Milner
545 Jimmy Key
554 Paul Householder
559 Tommy Dunbar
561 Bob Lillis MGR (2)
563 Alejandro Sanchez (3)
567 Jeff Barkley
569 Jim Acker (2)
570 Rusty Staub
571 Mike Jeffcoat (2)
579 Jim Slaton (2)
580 Willie McGee (2)
585 Garry Maddox
586 Greg A. Harris (Rangers)
587 Rafael Santana
588 Steve Lake
589 Sid Bream
590 Bob Knepper
594 Chris Bando
601 Gary Lucas
603 Bill Laskey
605 Dennis Boyd
607 Ken Dayley
613 Roy Smalley (2)
615 Johnny Ray
620 Bruce Sutter
621 John Felske MGR
622 Gary Lavelle
624 Steve McCatty (2)
627 Ron Oester
629 Mitch Webster
634 Roy Lee Jackson (2)
636 Cubs Leaders (Lee Smith)
638 John Butcher
648 Steve Bedrosian (2)
650 Dave Stieb
651 Billy Martin MGR (2)
654 Ken Howell (4)
656 Brian Harper (3)
663 Neil Allen (2)
665 Alejandro Pena (2)
678 Dan Gladden
679 Britt Burns
681 Dick Williams MGR
682 Junior Ortiz (2)
685 Tim Wallach (2)
686 Jeff Stone (2)
693 Tom Tellman
698 Brad Komminsk
700 Reggie Jackson
710 John Tudor N. L. All Star
718 Jorge Bell A. L. All Star (2)
720 Bret Saberhagen A. L. All Star
728 Mike Marshall
731 Don Robinson
732 Floyd Youmans
735 Dave Dravecky
743 Pat Sheridan
744 Lary Sorensen (2)
747 Rick Cerone
748 Steve Henderson
752 Mike Krukow
754 Pat Clements
756 Pirates Leaders (Rick Rhoden)
765 Don Baylor
766 Rick Langford
767 Jody Davis
768 Vern Ruhle
771 John McNamara MGR (2)
772 Brian Downing (2)
775 Al Oliver
777 Wayne Krenchicki
782 Ken Landreaux
783 Ricky Horton
785 Bob Stanley
787 Vance Law
788 Marty Castillo
790 Phil Niekro
791 Checklist 661-792 (3)

Available for Trade: 1990 Topps

We're coming down the stretch with the trade lists! Here's a metric ton of cards from the most ugly-ass set Topps has ever conceived. But if you're a completist, or you have a sentimental attachment to these pixelated cardboard nightmares, give me a shout.

1990 Topps (712)
3 Nolan Ryan 5,000 Strikeouts (Angels) (2)
4 Nolan Ryan 5,000 Strikeouts (Astros)
5 Nolan Ryan 5,000 Strikeouts (Rangers)
6 Vince Coleman '89 Record Breaker: 50 Consecutive Steals
7 Rickey Henderson '89 Record Breaker: 40 Leadoff Home Runs (4)
8 Cal Ripken, Jr. '89 Record Breaker: 20 HR, 8 Straight Years
9 Eric Plunk (2)
11 Paul Gibson (2)
12 Joe Girardi
14 Mike Fetters
16 Kent Anderson (2)
19 Al Newman
20 Mark Gubicza (3)
22 Bruce Ruffin
23 Randy Velarde (3)
24 Joe Hesketh
25 Willie Randolph (2)
26 Don Slaught (2)
27 Rick Leach
28 Duane Ward
31 Henry Cotto (2)
32 John Farrell (2)
34 Tony Fossas
38 Wes Gardner
39 Curt Ford
42 Jeff Robinson (Tigers) (2)
45 Dave Parker
46 Rob Dibble (2)
48 Zane Smith
56 Franklin Stubbs (3)
62 Ramon Martinez
65 Devon White (2)
67 Scott Sanderson
69 Todd Frohwirth
70 Mike Greenwell
73 Bob Milacki
74 Jeff Jackson #1 Draft Pick (2)
78 Mike Flanagan
80 Jeff Russell
81 Bob Rodgers MGR (3)
82 Scott Terry
83 Hensley Meulens
84 Ray Searage (2)
85 Juan Samuel
92 Mike Stanley (3)
93 Shawn Hillegas (2)
96 Jody Reed (2)
97 Curt Schilling
99 Rich Monteleone (2)
104 Bob Knepper
106 Charlie O'Brien (2)
111 Ed Whited (5)
112 Glenn Wilson
113 Manny Lee
114 Mike Bielecki
115 Tony Pena
117 Mike Sharperson (2)
122 Shawn Abner
124 Dave Dravecky (2)
127 Mike Devereaux
129 Ron Jones (2)
132 Lance Blankenship (3)
133 Ricky Horton (2)
135 Dave Magadan
136 Kevin Brown (2)
138 Al Leiter (2)
143 Rafael Belliard
144 Bud Black (2)
146 Rob Richie
152 Lonnie Smith (2)
153 Randy Milligan
156 Ken Patterson
157 Craig Biggio
159 Mike Felder
160 Dave Righetti
161 Harold Reynolds (3)
162 Todd Zeile Future Star (4)
163 Phil Bradley
165 Walt Weiss (2)
167 Kevin Appier (2)
169 Richard Dotson
170 George Bell (2)
171 Russ Nixon MGR (2)
172 Tom Lampkin (2)
173 Tim Belcher (2)
176 Luis Quinones
177 Mike Henneman (2)
179 Brian Holton (2)
185 Ruben Sierra
186 Dave LaPoint
187 Rick Wrona (4)
189 Dick Schofield (3)
190 Rick Reuschel (4)
192 Don August
195 Tim Burke (2)
196 Gerald Young
197 Doug Drabek
198 Mike Marshall
199 Sergio Valdez (2)
203 Mike Roesler
204 Bob Dernier
208 Brook Jacoby (2)
209 Greg Mathews (3)
213 Scott Bankhead
217 Don Robinson (2)
219 Donn Pall (2)
220 Barry Bonds (3)
221 Gary Mielke (2)
223 Tommy Gregg (4)
225 Jim Deshaies
228 Dave Martinez (4)
229 David Wells
230 Keith Hernandez
231 Jack McKeon
233 Ken Hill (2)
234 Mariano Duncan
236 Hal Morris (3)
237 Kevin Ritz (2)
241 Mike Krukow (2)
246 Jim Eisenreich
247 Jerry Reed
248 Dave Anderson (2)
249 Mike Smith (2)
252 Otis Nixon
253 Mark Portugal
257 Jose DeLeon (2)
258 Barry Lyons
259 Lance McCullers
261 Whitey Herzog MGR (2)
262 Checklist 2 (3)
265 Pete O'Brien (3)
266 German Gonzalez
267 Mark Davidson
268 Rob Murphy
270 Dave Stewart
272 Bryan Harvey
276 Gary Thurman (2)
277 Lenny Harris (2)
278 Pascual Perez
280 Lou Whitaker
284 Mark Gardner Future Star (3)
287 Vance Law
288 Greg Briley Topps All-Star Rookie (2)
289 Norm Charlton
290 Robin Yount (2)
292 Jim Gott
293 Mike Gallego
294 Craig McMurtry
295 Fred McGriff
297 Tom Herr
298 Danny Gladden
301 Don Aase (3)
303 Rick Cerone (3)
305 Eddie Murray
307 Bip Roberts (2)
309 Eric Yelding (2)
311 Dwight Smith
312 Dan Quisenberry
313 Gus Polidor
314 Donald Harris #1 Draft Pick (2)
316 Carney Lansford
319 Dion James
322 Junior Ortiz (2)
323 Willie Wilson
325 Robby Thompson
326 Tom McCarthy (2)
328 Curt Young (2)
329 Oddibe McDowell
330 Ron Darling
331 Juan Gonzalez (3)
332 Paul O'Neill
334 Johnny Ray
335 Andy Hawkins (3)
337 Lloyd McClendon
339 Dave Clark
340 Fernando Valenzuela
341 Tom Foley
342 Alex Trevino (2)
343 Frank Tanana (2)
344 George Canale (3)
345 Harold Baines (3)
346 Jim Presley (2)
347 Junior Felix
348 Gary Wayne
349 Steve Finley (2)
353 Sandy Alomar, Jr. (4)
355 Marty Barrett (2)
358 Andres Thomas (2)
359 Jimmy Jones
360 Paul Molitor (2)
361 Randy McCament (4)
362 Damon Berryhill (3)
363 Dan Petry
365 Ozzie Guillen
367 Mike Morgan
369 Todd Burns
370 Tim Wallach (3)
371 Jimmy Key
373 Alvin Davis (3)
375 Dwight Evans
376 Checklist 3
377 Mickey Weston
379 Steve Rosenberg (4)
382 Jeff Musselman
383 John Morris
385 Fred McGriff AL All-Star
387 Wade Boggs AL All-Star (2)
388 Cal Ripken AL All-Star
389 Robin Yount AL All-Star (2)
392 Carlton Fisk AL All-Star
397 Will Clark NL All-Star (2)
399 Howard Johnson NL All-Star
403 Tony Gwynn NL All-Star
405 Mike Scott NL All-Star
408 Trevor Wilson (2)
410 Joe Boever
411 Ken Phelps
412 Jamie Moyer (2)
414 Frank Thomas #1 Draft Pick
415 Shawon Dunston
418 Tom Browning (2)
420 Carlton Fisk (2)
421 Greg Minton
424 Jerry Reuss (2)
425 Bill Landrum
427 Carmelo Castillo
429 Tom Kelly MGR
430 Pete Incaviglia (2)
432 Damaso Garcia (3)
433 Steve Olin
434 Mark Carreon
437 Les Lancaster
439 Jeff Parrett
441 Bob Kipper
443 Cris Carpenter (2)
444 Kyle Abbott #1 Draft Pick
445 Danny Jackson
449 Dennis Rasmussen (3)
453 Jody Davis
454 Jeff King (2)
455 Jeffrey Leonard (2)
458 Bob McClure (3)
459 Jim Lefebvre MGR
463 Drew Hall
466 Rance Mulliniks (2)
467 Juan Nieves (4)
469 John Kruk (3)
471 Mike Brumley (2)
473 Joe Price (2)
474 Rich Thompson (2)
475 Bob Welch
476 Brad Komminsk (2)
478 Mike LaValliere
480 Sid Fernandez
481 Garry Templeton
483 Alejandro Pena (3)
485 John Candelaria
490 Dan Plesac
491 Dave Cochrane
493 Jason Grimsley
494 Terry Puhl
495 Lee Smith (3)
498 Rick Schu (4)
499 Bill Long
500 Kevin Mitchell
504 Tom O'Malley (2)
505 Kelly Gruber
506 Tom Glavine (2)
508 Terry Leach (3)
509 Tom Pagnozzi
511 Clay Parker
513 Mark Eichhorn
514 Andy Allanson (4)
516 Tim Leary (2)
517 Roberto Alomar (3)
520 Mitch Williams
522 Mike Dunne
527 Ron Hassey (2)
528 Kevin Wickander (3)
533 Tim Jones
534 Louie Meadows (2)
535 John Smoltz
536 Bob Geren Topps All-Star Rookie (2)
537 Mark Grant
539 Neal Heaton (2)
541 Pat Perry
542 Darren Daulton (2)
543 Nelson Liriano
544 Dennis Boyd
546 Kevin Hickey
547 Jack Howell (4)
548 Pat Clements
550 Julio Franco (3)
551 Tim Crews (2)
558 Rafael Ramirez (2)
559 Andy McGaffigan
560 Steve Sax
564 Tyler Houston #1 Draft Pick
565 Scott Fletcher (2)
568 John Smiley
570 Cal Ripken
571 Brett Butler
575 Lance Parrish (2)
576 Mike Dyer (2)
577 Charlie Hayes
578 Joe Magrane (3)
579 Art Howe MGR (2)
581 Ken Griffey, Sr.
582 Rick Honeycutt
583 Bruce Benedict (5)
585 Kal Daniels
589 Mike Aldrete (2)
590 Ozzie Smith (2)
591 Todd Stottlemyre (2)
592 R. J. Reynolds (2)
596 Jose DeJesus
599 Frank Williams (2)
600 Darryl Strawberry
601 Luis Rivera (2)
602 Scott Garrelts (2)
603 Tony Armas (3)
607 Steve Jeltz
609 Sparky Anderson MGR
615 Rob Deer
616 Brian Holman
618 Eddie Whitson
619 Rob Ducey (2)
620 Tony Castillo (2)
622 Sid Bream (2)
625 Roger McDowell
627 Jose Rijo
630 Gary Gaetti
632 Scott Lusader (3)
633 Dennis Cook (2)
635 Brian Downing
636 Jesse Orosco (5)
637 Craig Reynolds (2)
638 Jeff Montgomery (3)
642 Jack Armstrong
643 Alfredo Griffin (3)
644 Paul Assenmacher
645 Jose Oquendo (2)
646 Checklist 5 (2)
647 Rex Hudler
648 Jim Clancy (2)
650 Mike Witt
651 Rafael Santana (3)
653 John Moses (2)
655 Gregg Olson
656 Mackey Sasser
658 Donell Nixon (2)
659 Greg Cadaret
660 Vince Coleman (2)
661 Dick Howser Turn Back the Clock: 1985
663 Fred Lynn Turn Back the Clock: 1975
665 Sandy Koufax Turn Back the Clock: 1965 (2)
667 Curt Wilkerson (3)
668 Joe Oliver
669 Tom Lasorda MGR
670 Dennis Eckersley
672 Roy Smith
674 Spike Owen
678 Kirt Manwaring
679 Gary Ward (2)
681 Mike Schooler (2)
683 Kenny Rogers
684 Julio Machado
685 Tony Fernandez (2)
686 Carmelo Martinez
687 Tim Birtsas (2)
688 Milt Thompson (2)
689 Rich Yett
691 Chuck Cary
694 Mike Stanton (2)
696 B. J. Surhoff (2)
699 Jim Leyland MGR
702 Tony Phillips
703 Jeff Brantley
705 Claudell Washington
707 Luis Aquino (3)
709 Juan Berenguer
710 Von Hayes (2)
713 Tim Drummond (2)
714 Marquis Grissom (2)
715 Greg Maddux (2)
719 Wally Whitehurst (3)
722 Felix Fermin (2)
724 Juan Bell (2)
725 Terry Pendleton
727 Pat Tabler (2)
729 Bobby Valentine MGR (2)
730 Tony Gwynn (2)
732 Ernie Riles
734 Kevin Elster
736 Rick Dempsey (4)
739 Dale Sveum
740 Jesse Barfield
741 Steve Wilson
742 Ernie Whitt
743 Tom Candiotti (2)
744 Kelly Mann (3)
745 Hubie Brooks (2)
746 Dave Smith
748 Doyle Alexander
749 Mark Parent
750 Dale Murphy (3)
751 Steve Lyons (2)
755 Rafael Palmeiro (2)
759 Tom Trebelhorn MGR
761 Mike Jackson
762 Doug Dascenzo
763 Denny Martinez
764 Tim Teufel
766 Brian Meyer
767 Tracy Jones
769 Greg Hibbard
770 Cory Snyder (2)
773 Dave Leiper (3)
775 Andy Van Slyke (2)
777 Tim Laudner
779 Lloyd Moseby (2)
781 Mario Diaz
782 Jose Alvarez
783 Checklist 6 (2)
785 Jim Rice
786 Eric King
788 Frank DiPino
790 Gary Carter
791 Alvaro Espinoza (2)
792 Gerald Perry (3)