i'll take dodger potpourri for $100

i watch jeopardy pretty regularly, and back in early august old friend davey lopes showed up in one of the clues

the answer, of course, is "what are stolen bases?". or, if you are recent champ matt amodio, it's "what's stolen bases?".  here's davey's 1981 fleer card

on which he was referred to as "davy". i found this card in a lot of dodger cards that i bought on a whim a few months ago. i mentioned this purchase in a recent post that showed the 2008 topps heritage chuck essegian "real one" autograph that was included in the purchase. that essegian plus a couple of other relic, autograph, and serial numbered cards were the only ones fully shown in the photos, although there was more information in the description. at any rate, the lopes was not among the hundreds of cards described, but i lucked out and found that it was actually the "finger" variation that i needed!

it's a super dumb variation/error that i had never intended to chase until someone sent me the ron cey card with the same mark in the lower right corner. i half-heartedly added it to my want list and it arrived without warning. sweet.

one of the other autograph cards shown was this 2012 panini cooperstown maury wills famous moments card

that i was eager to add, even though it is a sticker auto.

there was a manufactured sandy koufax historical stitches patch from 2012 topps

but the big ticket item was this 2011 topps jackie robinson topps 60 relic card

super cool.

there were other jackie robinson cards that i needed, such as this 2021 topps legends of baseball insert

on which he is suttoning.  here's a 2011 topps cmg worldwide vintage reprint

and a 2011 topps 60 years of topps insert

which uses his fantastic 1952 topps card. that card also shows up on this 2021 topps doubleheader insert

and again (with some friends) to complete my 2002 topps chrome 1952 world series insert set

jackie was also one of a few 2011 topps lineage parallels that i needed

along with other dodger hall of famers sandy koufax, roy campanella, and duke snider.  here are three more snider cards that were keepers for me:

those cards come from 2005 topps gallery, 2012 topps (golden giveaway golden moments die-cut), and 2012 topps archives.

there were a bunch of 2013 topps chasing history inserts, including these three holofoil versions that i needed

two of which feature sandy koufax. speaking of koufax, i was able to add a few other cards to my collection:

some gypsy queen framed parallels, a 2011 topps lineage stand-up insert, a 2013 topps "the greats" insert, a 2013 topps heritage baseball flashback insert (on which topps commits the sin of coloring the dodger uniform number blue), and some gq and an a&g mini.

there were other minis, too, of different colors and releases:

and a bunch of single card needs.  just a fun box to go through.

one of the cards i found was a 2003 donruss the rookies rickey henderson card

i suppose this set was sort of donruss' update set.

i completed my 2005 topps dem bums insert set through this purchase. one of the cards i needed was carl furillo's

and there it was!

a couple of dodger team cards were keepers, too - the first from 2005 topps heritage

and the second from 2007 topps. the first one is for the team set, and the second goes in the dodger stadium mini-collection.

this 2010 topps national chicle roy campanella sp card

completed my team set. it's a bit disturbing to see campy in a modern jersey and batting helmet, let alone the los angeles nature of it all.  i do still "need" most of the bazooka back variations, but there was one in the box (pee wee reese)

along with a 2013 topps heritage josh beckett venezuelan parallel (fronts not pictured).

more recent dodgers were represented, too, and i added a 2011 topps finest matt kemp card

to the collection.

this 2012 panini cooperstown red barber voices of summer insert

completes the team set (i already had vin scully's card), as did this 2012 upper deck goodwin champions card of charles ebbets

but this 2013 panini golden age card of gil hodges

didn't come with the other two cards (branch rickey and jake daubert) that i needed to be done with this base set.

i thought i went for the rainbow back in 2012 with dee gordon's topps card because of its double play image (with a lurking chipper jones), 

but i guess i failed to track down a gold parallel. not a problem anymore!

finally, here is another one of the numbered cards that was included - a 2001 donruss orel hershiser rookie reprint

numbered to 1985. donruss reprinted this card again in 2005, but without the 20th anniversary foil stamp. it's confusing because the 20th anniversary stamp here could refer to 1985 in 2005 or 1981 in 2001. so, good on donruss for not stamping the 2005 versions.

very happy that i took a chance on this lot! have you ever purchased a lot of team cards like this?

hammerin' hank memorial patch

when hank aaron passed away nine months ago, you knew there would be tributes. there was a tribute at the all-star game with players all wearing aaron's number 44 the day prior to the midsummer classic, and then there were tributes from his former teams.

the brewers, for whom aaron played in 1975 and 1976 to close out his career, added a large, circular patch to their right sleeves for the 2021 season. you can see it on this 2021 topps throwback thursday christian yelich card

that i picked up on ebay. i like that i have a yelich card to represent the hank aaron patch in my memorials collection as yelich was the recipient of the hank aaron award in 2018 and 2019. 

the patch worn by yelich and his teammates makes sense not only because aaron played for the brewers, but also (even moreso) because he played in milwaukee with the braves from 1954 through 1965, and as a result spent the majority of his career there. 

so what did the atlanta braves do to honor aaron? not enough, in my opinion. the braves began the season with a patch on their left sleeves marking the 150th anninversary of the franchise - dating back to their inception in boston. on their right sleeves, they had a patch noting their status as the hosts of the 2021 all-star game. rather than bump one of those patches or add another to their jersey, the team opted to honor aaron and fellow deceased hall of famer phil niekro with their numbers (35 for niekro) embroidered on the backs of their hats.

after it was announced that the all-star game was being moved to denver, the braves stopped wearing the all-star game patch, obviously. however, they didn't move their memorials to aaron and niekro from the hat to the jersey, which i thought was odd. i'll be on the lookout for a card showing the back of a braves' player's head, but i'm not holding my breath.

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.