42 for everyone

no surprises today, as i am posting some of the jackie robinson cards that i've added to my collection over the last few months, starting with this 2016 topps mlb debut insert

celebrating that event that occurred 77 years ago today!

2006 upper deck sp legendary cuts when it was a game insert /550

2006 upper deck all-time legends insert

2014 topps triple threads

2015 topps 1st home run gold parallel insert

four of a kind there. i am happy to report that the rest of the cards in this post have unique photos, starting with 2017 topps stadium club black foil parallel

topps' acceptance of black and white photos (for some releases, anyway) has opened the door for some "new" images of jackie to be used. some, like this one in stadium club, works really well. sometimes topps goes for colorization of black & white photos and comes up short as we've seen in another stadium club release where they colored the number on the back of his jersey red instead of blue.

2021 topps 70 years of topps inserts - base

and chrome

the chrome version is really more of a foil, i think. it's interesting to me how difficult it was to find these two cards at a low price, but i managed it.

2022 topps stadium club chrome

i believe that someone, somewhere, figured out what jackie is doing with that paper, but i can't find the post. one of the headlines above where he is holding the pencil says "contest deadlines" so maybe it's some sort of entry form and not the ponies!

2018 topps gallery hall of fame gallery insert

not a bad painting of jackie on that card

2023 topps archives 1979 comics insert

unbelievable here that the "inside baseball" inset shows the date of jackie's debut as april 15, 1945. yes, the text is correct below, but then why was the text above allowed to remain? i mean it looks like someone tried to add some red to the uniform number on the front of his jersey, so why couldn't they have corrected the text? it just boggles my mind at how poorly topps does sometimes.

in other news, the dodgers have issued a comic book about jackie robinson in the past. i think it was in 1997. i used to have one - maybe i still do!

2023 topps 1988 all-star insert

at some point i wonder if topps will leave jackie out of these insert sets. 

2024 topps grand gamers insert

this one finished my team set

2023 panini chronicles - pinnacle

i don't really chase any panini products, but i had wanted this particular card for a while. it's simple, but the design and black and white photo creates a pretty appealing card in my opinion. you almost don't miss the absence of the "b" on his hat.

today all players will wear jackie's number, just like carlos correa here on a 2018 topps salute insert

i haven't picked up any other 42 cards lately, but i'll be checking out topps now releases tomorrow to see what's available.

finally, i want to once again share the story of how i first learned of the meaning of jackie robinson's debut. i was listening to a dodger broadcast with my dad in the late 1970's and one of the announcers (vin scully, jerry doggett, or ross porter) mentioned the fact that jackie broke the color barrier and became the first black player allowed to play major league baseball. i asked my dad if that were true, and to further clarify, asked if there were really a time when dusty baker wouldn't have been able to play in the major leagues. it blew my mind when he said yes.

i wonder if there is a young fan out there that is thinking the same thing today, but about mookie betts

42 really is for everyone.

the almost daily dodger - maury wills

i have a few maury wills cards in my "scanned" folder, and today is the day that they see the "posted" folder instead.

his 2004 upper deck sweet spot classic card

was a sportlots purchase last fall to complete my non-short print team set. i still need the numbered wills sp and pee wee reese's numbered sp as well to really finish it off. 

speaking of numbered short prints, upper deck used that same photo of wills on his 2007 sp legendary cuts short print

but in color, this time. i think they use the same photo for his base card in the set, just rotated slightly. in 2006, however, upper deck used a different black and white photo for his "when it was a game" insert from the sp legendary cuts set

that's the silver version, numbered to 550. it's also the "base" version.

this 2005 donruss classics legendary players card

uses yet another photo. this card is numbered to 800.

one of the reasons i am noting the photographs is because wills was famously absent from topps sets until 1967, with the exception of a world series subset card in 1960 that did not mention him by name. i have always hoped that topps would use some of the available photos from his first dodger tenure to fill in those gaps with cards in their archives sets. no dice, unfortunately. 

in 2004, as part of their all-time fan favorites release, they put him on a 1967 topps card as a dodger rather than a pirate as he was in the original 1967 set. the year before, they had him on the 1970 design in 2003's version of all-time fan favorites. the card was a downgrade from his original 1970 topps card because of the hatless photo they chose. still, i tracked down the autograph version of the card

for my collection. i've toyed with the idea of picking up the 1969 design expos card of wills from archives a couple of years ago, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. i'll be first in line for any pre-1967 wills cards though!

i remember when gibson brought his game

thanks to the lockout, the content on mlb.com has been solely focused on retired players and past events. without any free agent movement, i don't really spend much time on the site these days. however, i did check it the other day to see if there were any updates on negotiations between the owners and players. while i was disappointed to not see any new news in that regard, i did see an article that noted the dodgers had signed kirk gibson 34 years ago that day.

34 years?! how is that possible! well, it is possible because time marches on. we all know how that signing played out, and here is a card from 2006 upper deck sp legendary cuts

that only exists because "the impossible" happened. i realize that even though gibson was a good player, we wouldn't have post-career cards of him as a dodger if it weren't for his 1988 season and world series heroics. the card, by the way, is from the "when it was a game" insert set. usually that phrase applies to the pre-expansion era, and certainly pre-free agency. make no mistake, however; owners have known it was a business since day one.

back to gibson - i didn't recall the date of the signing (january 29), but i do remember the day itself. i heard about the gibson signing on the local news that evening. i was surprised because i felt like the dodgers had shied away from big name free agents after the dave goltz and don stanhouse signings earlier in the decade, but was excited because i had watched gibson closely in the 1984 postseason, and again in 1987, and he was an obvious talent.  a nieghborhood friend of mine happened to be hosting a house party that night, and i walked over with a smile on my face. i remember sitting on his kitchen counter and talking with friends about the signing, and really looking forward to baseball season. for one night, there was no teenage angst - just happiness, optimism, and enjoyment of the moment.

this year i am again looking forward to baseball season, but have no idea when it will arrive. it feels a bit different than it did 34 years ago.

christy mathewson is in my hall of famer collection

christy mathewson was a member of the first class of the national baseball hall of fame, and he is in my hall of famer collection with this card as his entry:

that is a 2006 upper deck sp legendary cuts baseball chronology relic. here's the back:

the card isn't serial numbered but the print run was just 49, so there aren't too many of these cards floating around and i had to be a little more patient than i usually am to pick one up.  still, it is one of the more expensive cards i have ever purchased.  no complaints here, however, as i have been a fan of mathewson since i was nine years old.

i first saw mathewson's name on the back of a 1979 topps card in my second year of collecting. he was listed as third on the back of the all-time records holder in wins card, both in highest season totals (37 in 1908) and in highest career totals (373). impressive numbers to be sure, but it took a little bit more for me to really understand how great mathewson was, and later that year, i got it.

i've mentioned before that on my ninth birthday i received the book "the image of their greatness" as a gift from my uncle. the book began with john mcgraw and his giants, and the text quickly made its way to the 1905 world series. that year, the giants faced connie mack's athletics, and christy mathewson threw three shutouts to help the giants beat the a's.  now, as a young baseball fan who had seen two world series come and go, i was incredibly impressed by mathewson's accomplishments. this impression was advanced by further reading about his many 30-win seasons, as well as the praise given to him elsewhere in the book:

"it was christy mathewson, more than anyone, who changed the public image of the game and elevated it into the mainstream of american life...few pitchers have been his equal, before or since, and surely none, with the possible exception of walter johnson, has received the overwhelming adulation that was showered on matty for his behavior off the field as well as on."

now, i was impressionable and thought about those words a little too much. i thought about how much i loved baseball and, according to what i had read, mathewson was responsible for its popularity in some way. plus, he seemed to have been a good guy, and so i figured i liked christy mathewson. 

here's my hall of famer collection as its been documented so far:

christy mathewson - 2006 upper deck sp legendary cuts baseball chronology relic

babe ruth - 2003 topps tribute world series edition world series tribute relic 351/425

honus wagner - 2001 topps tribute relic

nap lajoie - 2002 topps tribute milestone materials relic

tris speaker - 2011 topps tribute dual relic green parallel 53/75

eddie collins - 2002 topps tribute milestone materials relic

george sisler - 2004 topps tribute hall of fame tribute relic

lou gehrig - 2010 topps tribute relic 96/99

rogers hornsby - 2004 topps tribute hall of fame tribute relic

jimmie foxx - 2013 topps tribute retired remnants relic 91/99

mel ott - 2011 topps tribute quad relic 15/99

paul waner - 2002 topps tribute milestone materials relic

dizzy dean - 2001 topps tribute relic

hank greenberg - 2004 topps tribute hall of fame tribute relic

zack wheat - 2002 topps tribute milestone materials relic 

bob feller - 2001 topps archives certified autograph

jackie robinson - 2004 topps clubhouse collection clubhouse relic

ted williams - 1992 upper deck baseball heroes autograph 1067/2000

roy campanella - 2001 topps tribute relic

stan musial - 2002 topps team topps legends autograph

yogi berra - 1998 donruss signatures significant signatures 1640/2000

sandy koufax - 1998 donruss signatures significant signatures 1707/2000

roberto clemente - 2005 donruss greats hall of fame souvenirs relic

warren spahn - 1999 upper deck century legends epic signatures

mickey mantle - 2000 upper deck legends legendary game jerseys relic

ralph kiner - 2000 fleer greats of the game autograph

ernie banks - 1999 upper deck century legends epic signatures

eddie mathews - 1999 fleer sports illustrated greats of the game autograph

willie mays - 1997 topps willie mays reprints certified autograph

al kaline - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

duke snider - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 144/250

bob gibson - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

hank aaron - 2004 topps originals 1979 topps all-time record holders rbi 03/32

frank robinson - 1995 upper deck autograph

juan marichal - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

brooks robinson - 2001 topps golden anniversary great autograph

don drysdale - 1993 nabisco all-star autographs

harmon killebrew - 2000 upper deck legends legendary signatures

pee wee reese - 2001 topps tribute relic

lou brock - 2018 topps archives signature series 1989 buyback 53/61

willie mccovey - 2004 upper deck sp legendary cuts legendary sigs 46/50

ray dandridge - 2006 upper deck sp legendary cuts a place in history cut autograph 31/43

jim hunter - 1998 donruss signature series significant signatures 0736/2000

billy williams - 2013 topps museum collection autograph 054/199

willie stargell - 2000 upper deck legends legendary signatures 

johnny bench - 2019 topps definitive collection legendary autograph 09/25

red schoendienst - 2012 panini cooperstown signatures 038/549

carl yastrzemski - 2000 fleer greats of the game autograph

joe morgan - 2001 upper deck hall of famers cooperstown collection signature jersey

jim palmer - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

rod carew - 2004 topps retired signature autograph

fergie jenkins - 2013 topps five star baseball autograph 154/333

gaylord perry - 2003 topps finest finest moments autograph

rollie fingers - 2018 topps archives signature series 1978 topps buyback 1/3

hal newhouser - 1993 front row premium all-time greats autograph

tom seaver - 2013 topps five star baseball autograph 44/50

reggie jackson - 2018 topps tier one tier one talent autograph 19/60

steve carlton - 2018 topps five star career year autograph 43/45

mike schmidt - 2002 topps archives autoproof 1980 topps buyback 048/147

nellie fox - 2002 topps tribute milestone materials relic

phil niekro - 2017 panini donruss recollection collection 1983 donruss buyback autograph 13/33

larry doby - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

don sutton - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

george brett - 2001 topps finest finest moments autograph

nolan ryan - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

robin yount - 2001 upper deck ultimate collection ultimate signatures 112/150

carlton fisk - 1999 upper deck century legends epic signatures

tony perez - 2004 fleer national pastime 2002 fleer greats authentic autograph buyback 30/59

kirby puckett - 1998 upper deck retro sign of the times autograph

dave winfield - 2003 upper deck sp authentic chirography hall of famers 121/350

ozzie smith - 2019 topps finest finest origins autograph

gary carter - 1999 fleer sports illustrated greats of the game autograph collection

eddie murray - 2004 upper deck sp legendary cuts legendary sigs 45/50 

dennis eckersley - 2017 topps archives signature series 1984 topps buyback 47/99

paul molitor - 2016 topps museum collection archival autographs 021/125

wade boggs - 2005 upper deck baseball heroes autograph red parallel 30/49

ryne sandberg - 2016 topps five star autographs gold parallel 17/50

bruce sutter - 2003 topps all-time fan favorites certified autograph

tony gwynn - 1997 donruss signature series millennium marks autograph 0702/1000

cal ripken jr - 2018 topps high tek portraitek autograph 32/75

goose gossage - 2003 topps finest finest moments autograph

rickey henderson - 2016 topps tribute certified foundations of greatness autograph 49/50

jim rice - 2005 upper deck past time pennants past time signatures

andre dawson - 2000 fleer greats of the game autograph

roberto alomar - 2015 topps high tek pattern 1 grass/waves gold rainbow autograph 50/50

bert blyleven - 2004 upper deck legends timeless teams autograph

ron santo - 2004 topps retired signature autograph

tom glavine - 2019 topps tribute autograph 18/90

greg maddux - 2018 topps luminaries masters of the mound autograph 13/15

frank thomas - 2019 topps tier one autographs 42/70

craig biggio - 2013 topps five star baseball autograph 019/333

randy johnson - 2019 topps tek high tek autograph

pedro martinez - 2018 topps high tek portraitek autograph 09/60

ken griffey jr - 2003 upper deck game face autograph

mike piazza - 2014 topps five star autograph 35/50

tim raines - 2018 topps tribute tribute autograph green parallel 26/95

vladimir guerrero - 2000 upper deck legends legendary signatures

chipper jones - 2018 topps tier one tier one talent autograph 11/60

jim thome - 2020 topps archives signature series 2012 topps mini 1/1

jack morris - 2004 donruss timelines recollection collection 1986 buyback autograph 23/45

alan trammell - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

roy halladay - 2017 topps archives signature series 2004 topps buyback 15/23

edgar martinez - 2017 topps tribute walk off autograph 17/50

ted simmons - 2013 panini golden age historic signatures

larry walker - 1997 donruss signature series authentic signature

joe jackson* - 2001 upper deck sp legendary cuts sp legendary debut bat card

pete rose* - 2018 panini flawless legendary signatures 15/25

barry bonds* - 2001 bowman heritage autographs

roger clemens* - 1995 upper deck autograph

 

rafael palmeiro* - 2016 topps tribute rightful recognition autograph 98/99

alex rodriguez* - 1998 upper deck sp authentic chirography autograph

david ortiz* - 2017 topps clearly authentic autograph 02/25

adrian beltre* - 2019 topps tier one talent autograph 56/70

ichiro* - 2019 topps museum collection archival autograph 02/25

albert pujols* - 2003 topps autograph

miguel cabrera* - 2020 topps chrome black autograph

clayton kershaw* - 2015 topps museum collection archival autographs 43/99

mike trout* - 2016 topps strata autograph green 71/75

steve garvey* - 2001 fleer greats of the game autograph

dale murphy* - 2015 topps tribute foundations of greatness autograph 27/89

dave parker* - 2004 fleer national pastime 2002 fleer greats autograph buyback 42/61

joe mauer* - 2020 topps archives signature series 2015 topps triple threads buyback autograph 1/1

*not currently in the hall of fame

you can find the full list of hall of famers (and some not - yet) that i aim to include in this collection at my want list site.