a couple more all-time (fan favorites) great pulls

when i was thinking about cards to show in the recent blog bat around post about "best" pulls from packs, there were a couple of cards that came to mind that ultimately didn't make the cut. i figured i would show them now.

back in 2003, i bought a box of topps all-time fan favorites, just as i had done in 2001 and 2002 with their (relatively boring) archives releases, and just as i would do in 2004 and 2005 as they continued the retired player with new photos on old design smorgasbord. i don't recall if all of the boxes yielded two autos and one relic, but it seemed like that is what i found - certainly in 2003. 

that year, the fan favorite boxes netted me a bruce sutter auto that i still have in my collection, along with this mark fidrych autograph

the fact that topps used the 1978 design for this card is just icing on the cake. i was a little too young to appreciate fidrych's peak, but i knew all about him by the time the 1978 season ended. this card is not part of my 1978 master set because fidrych has a base card in the fan favorites set. a few years later, topps issued some 1978 topps design cards only as autos, but not this one. instead, the fidrych auto sits with my complete set, as does the relic that was in my box:

you don't see too many curt flood cards in modern sets, let alone relics, so i was pretty pleased with what i came away with.

i recently realized that neither my 2004 nor 2005 fan favorites sets were complete, but that was remedied in quick order. unfortunately, i didn't keep my autos or relics from the boxes of those products, but i have picked up a few of the dodger hits including chrome refractors of davey lopes (2004)

and duke snider (2005)

most recently, so it's not all bad news.