topps shelf literature

I realize that it is still spring, but it isn’t too early to begin thinking about items to add to your Christmas list. No, not the list you use when shopping for friends and family, but rather the list you consult whenever someone asks what you are hoping Santa will leave under your tree.

If you are anything like me, you regularly get asked if you are sure you just want baseball cards AGAIN. Odds are that more than once you have replied, “Yes, I already have enough socks, thank you.”

Perhaps this item will throw your gift givers for a loop. It is called a book.

The title is Topps Baseball Cards: The Complete Picture Collection (A 35 Year History, 1951-1985). “Written” by Frank Slocum, the book contains an introduction by Sy Berger, and say hey… a forward by Willie Mays. Published by Warner Books in 1985, Topps Baseball Cards was and printed and bound by Mandarin Offset Marketing Ltd. in Hong Kong.

If you aren’t familiar with this book, but are intrigued so far, prepare to have your mind blown. This unbelievable manuscript contains images of the front side of one of every Topps baseball cards produced between 1951 and 1985. The images measure approximately 1.1875 by 1.75 inches, so inclusion of the back sides of the cards really wouldn’t have been feasible. No short printed pages either!

Topps Baseball Cards also contains a nifty index in the back to help you quickly locate the cards of your favorite players. Perhaps by now you are thinking that this thing would be perfect if it also contained lifetime Major League batting and pitching statistics of all of the players featured on the cards. Well… it does!

While sellers are offering “used” to “like new” copies of this out-of-print masterpiece on Amazon from $50 to $500 (I am not kidding!), I was able to pick up a copy on eBay for $21 that I have personally graded as “gently utilized.” Condition really wasn’t an issue for me as I intend to use this reference volume much like one would treat a rental car. Once Aardvark Trading Company opens a physical store, this book will be available for customers to thumb through on cold winter days while they ponder which vintage set they want to chase next.

This monster book measures 14.2 by 10.7 inches, with a wingspan of just over 20 inches while in flight. The 735 pages of this behemoth combined with the hardback cover minus the dust jacket (dust jackets should be illegal in the continental 48 states) weigh in at a lap-crushing 10.2 pounds; so make sure you have a desk, table or industrial-strength book stand handy whenever you decide to flip through this fabulous document.

Unfortunately, the size and weight of the book serve as adequate deterrents for most graphers who may entertain the notion of having players sign the images of their cards. Of course if Topps decides to reissue the book with retractable wheels and a handle, all bets are off.

When you stop to consider that this book will easily serve as that perfect stop-gap catch all for your baseball card collection until you manage to win the lottery and are in a position to put together your dream collection, I don’t think it is much of a stretch for me to claim this is probably the best possible nonfiction book you could add to your library. Certainly if you can think of a better reference book, I would love to hear about it.

So the next time you are standing in front of THE aisle in one of those major retail stores pondering dropping another twenty bucks for one of those rip-off repack boxes, you should also consider the alternative of adding another $20 to your investment fund to purchase your very own copy of Topps Baseball Cards in the condition that best fits your style. You will be glad you did!

- Kris

allen, ginter, gwynn, shelton, mench and mini mench

There’s no use crying over the fact that none of the players on the current Albuquerque Isotopes roster have cards in the Topps Allen & Ginter series. Instead, with Sharpie in hand I march around to the other side of the stadium and take advantage of injuries and log jams in the Rangers’ and Brewers’ organizations, and knock out a few autographs when the Oklahoma Redhawks and Nashville Sounds roll into the Duke City.

Tony Gwynn Jr. (2007 - no. 221).

Do NOT allow the smile on Tony’s face on his card lead you to believe that is what you will see when you ask him for an autograph. Patience and thick skin will help you with your attempt to get Gwynn to sign in person.

One evening last summer a couple of the graphers gave me a hard time after Tony Gwynn Jr. and Joe Dillon walked out of the locker room together and I chose to ask Dillon to sign instead of Gwynn. My view was that I’d rather have the autograph of a player who is nice and more than happy to sign than one who would end up muttering inaudibles (or worse) under his breath while signing (assuming he would agree to in the first place), or make a dash for the team van. Besides, I still needed to get Joe’s signature on his lunchbox (see end of post) that had been issued by the Isotopes after he had moved to Japan. Autographing is all about setting your personal priorities and remaining flexible.

Chris Shelton (2006 - no. 70)

I bet that if I had had 125 of these cards (coincidentally the same number of career hits Shelton had collected by the time the inaugural Allen & Ginter cards had gone to press), Chris would have happily stood there and signed every single one.

Kevin Mench (2006 – no. 324)

What in the world? If I hadn’t watched Kevin sign this card in person, I would never have believed it was a signature, and not someone’s test to see if his or her Sharpie was in good working order. Surely he couldn’t replicate that again in a million years!

Kevin Mench (2007 mini – no. 97)

Well color me wrong. Kevin scores big points for consistency.

Unlike the Topps 52s, simply assembling complete Allen & Ginter sets will satisfy me, and every autograph I obtain will be considered a bonus. With that in mind, I only need a handful more of the 2007 minis to reach that goal. I ask that you stop thinking about your fantasy baseball team(s) long enough to visit my need list and let me know if you have any duplicates for trade. I would really like to complete the 2007 set before the 2008 cards are released.

- Kris

———

In the interest of keeping things in order… here is a photo of the Joe Dillon lunchbox mentioned previously.

inked - triple a style

With just over 10 percent of the 2008 Albuquerque Isotopes home schedule in the books, I thought it would be a great time to post a few images of autographs I’ve obtained so far. Certainly I won’t be posting them ALL here, as that would cut into the time I need to pull cards and get organized for the next homestand. I’m sure that any of you who spend time before or after games waiting for players to decide they are in the mood to sign autographs can appreciate the hours that are invested in this never ending quest.

Today I am only posting those cards from one* of the sets I am working hard to complete- the Topps 52 Rookies. (*-Yes, it is technically two sets with the 2006 and 2007 releases, but in my mind it is one. And isn’t the fact that there are no rules one of the best things about collecting baseball cards?)

Ryan Roberts (2006 - no. 185).

This guy has more tattoos than a woman working a carnival sideshow in a Ray Bradbury novel. Ryan earns a special Aardvark tip of the hat for having slugged his first major league dinger against the Evil Empire in August of 2006.

Joaquin Arias (2007 - no. 4)

Nicknamed “Spiderman” for his defensive prowess, Joaquin boasts a lifetime .944 fielding percentage with 147 errors. I leave it to you to ponder that or his signature, or simply shrug your shoulders and move on to the next card.

Vinny Rottino (2007 – no. 94)

I thought I might run into you here. Although Vinny holds a lifetime .964 fielding percentage AND plays several positions, I don’t hear anyone calling him “Spiderman.” Nicknames are a curious thing. At any rate, Rottino is a great guy and always pleasant to talk to.

Zach Jackson (2006 – no. 257)

Well, they can’t all be nice guys all the time. Perhaps Zach really is a nice guy, but he certainly seems to dislike signing his name. I will just assume that I caught him on a bad day. Perhaps he recently closed on a new house and his hand was sore from signing all those papers. Jackson does earn bonus points for having a sweet signature.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2007 – no. 45 [short print])

When he’s in the mood, Jarrod will sign one card for each person. If he plays, he will sign after the game, and if he isn’t in the lineup, he will sign before- or tell you that he will sign after. Artists can be very temperamental! Of course the main problem with players who only sign one card is making the decision of what card you want signed as they are almost always on a bunch of different stuff.

Daniel Barone (2007 – no. 169)

Today (April 24th) marks Daniel’s 25th birthday. He is celebrating the occasion with a hopefully short stint on the Isotopes disabled list. Last season Barone contributed greatly to the Isotopes efforts by amassing a record of 7-0.

Shoot me a message or leave a comment if you are also working toward getting as many of these fantastic cards autographed and would be interested in establishing a long-term trading relationship. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this product line.

- Kris

media daze

So you’ve never been fortunate enough to attend a professional ballclub’s media day and are curious as to what goes on? This entry may serve to clear that up for you as does stirring the edge of a brackish pond with a weathered tree branch… but at least it is something. Besides, I have photos.

The Albuquerque Isotopes 2008 Media Day was held on the final day of March, appropriately enough at Isotopes Park. The event was a welcome ending to my winter long exercise of trying to guess the names of the players who would make the opening day roster.

First task on the agenda was to secure my credentials. Sure, most of the people working at the ballpark know me, but it is the best policy to be properly identifiable from a distance as opposed to running the risk of meeting a new trigger-happy security guard itching to try out his new taser on the first person who steps onto the field without a badge.

My main duty of the day was to snap a couple of decent headshots of each of the players that for display on the ballpark’s jumbotron during the pregame lineup PA announcement, during each player’s at bat, or while relief pitchers are on the mound making warm-up tosses.

We set up shop in a portion of the clubhouse and used a green screen behind the players to make editing easier. It was a fantastic time greeting the players returning from last season… “Hello Eric (Reed),” “How’s it going John? (Baker and Gall),” “Hope you had a nice winter Daniel (Barone),” “What’s the frequency Kenny? (Baugh),”and “Are you ready to pitch in a couple of games again this year Andrew? (Beattie).” These guys all remembered the drill from 2007, and moved through quickly- eager, I’m sure, to get outside and onto the field.

Albuquerque Isotopes outfielder Alexis Gomez

I was able to break the ice with the players I had seen last autumn in the Arizona Fall League (Brett Hayes, Jai Miller and Scott Nestor) by welcoming them to Albuquerque then asking them to give me a roughly three-quarter angle pose with a look over their shoulder.

After I got the photographs I needed, each player had to have a video shot for the same purpose. The thing I like about the videos is that they allow for creativeness pretty much only limited by each player’s imagination. For some I would “help” by tossing a baseball to a pitcher who would catch it then toss it into his glove a few times, or into the air several times, or over his shoulder and into his glove from behind the back while not taking his eyes off the camera. I also tossed a bat to a number of the hitters who would catch it then take a few practice swings, or inspect it for defects, or go into their batting stance- trying to look mean without cracking a smile.

Albuquerque Isotopes pitcher Marcus Gwyn

All in all, it was a delightful anthropological study of the players, including the new pitchers whom I won’t see much of again once they move into their summer home (ie., the left field bullpen): Marcos Carvajal, Eulogio De la Cruz, Marcus Gwyn, Gaby Hernandez, Robert Keppel, Joe Nelson, Chris Seddon, Brandon Villafuerte, Doug Waechter and Randy Williams.

The last thing the players were asked for was their selection for a walk up song. I would say that about half of them were prepared with a song title and artist. Some even knew the exact time of the song they wanted the dj to play. The rest of the players promised they would think it over and arrive at a decision before the home opener. I won’t go into details now as it seems like a good stand-alone blog post for a future date. However, I can tell you that Isotopes fans are going to be hearing a good amount of AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Earth Wind & Fire this summer.

By the time I wrapped up my shoot, all of the players had made it out to the field and were either being interviewed by newspaper, radio and television reporters, or were standing around in small groups talking about things that guys talk about… sports, women and cars.

Albuquerque Isotopes infielder Chris Barnwell being interviewed.

Eventually the players, coaches and trainers assembled in deep centerfield for their team photo. Obviously the bad news for autographers was the Isotopes decision to once again wear black jerseys on media day. This act pretty much ensures that at least half of the baseball cards in the team set will be lousy for getting signed (assuming, of course, that those players are still around when the cards are released on June 12th).

A short meeting followed the team photo shoot. Taking my queue from the members of the mainstream media, I steered clear of the meeting like a thirsty zebra observing a pride of lions at a shrinking water hole.

I continued to chat with reporters while the players ran through a series of stretching and throwing exercises. Some of the reporters wanted to talk about baseball, fantasy baseball, baseball cards, women and cars, but the vast majority seemed more concerned with when they were going to be fed by the Isotopes.

I moved in close for infield and pitching/catching drills, and even closer for batting practice. I hung around the cage for the duration of the practice session while trying the various settings, filters and functions on my new lens. If you’ve never had the opportunity to stand next to a batting cage while professional hitters take their best hacks, you REALLY need to begin working on your strategy to make that happen. Trust me! Who knows, you may be only a blog away…

Albuquerque Isotopes catcher John Baker

Albuquerque Isotopes infielder Dallas McPherson

After watching the newest position players (Chris Barnwell, Tagg Bozied, Brett Hayes, Chase Lambin, Dallas McPherson, Lee Mitchell and Alexis Gomez ) swing away at offerings from pitching coach Rich Gale, hitting coach Steve Phillips and manager Dean Treanor, I wish to urge all fans planning on watching games from the outfield berm to make sure you take your mitt with you to the park. You are going to need it!

Albuquerque Isotopes infielder Tagg Bozied

I was without question the last media representative standing. I’m not sure if that is because I had neither a definitive story I was working on, nor a deadline- or if it was because winter had officially ended and I just wanted to soak up as much of the atmosphere that the day could provide.

- Kris

no foolin’

Tough decision… do I invest a portion of my spare time discussing Media Day 2008 at Isotopes Park, or utilize that time pulling cards to get autographs after their charity game later this evening before the team hits the road for 10 days to open the season????

More to come…

national baseball card day 2008

Of course the well-educated readers of Cards in the Attic are all aware that TOMORROW Saturday, March 29 is National Baseball Card Day! If that isn’t something to cheer about, I don’t know what is.

You have probably already mapped out your route to hit your favorite trading card dealers so you can cash in on some FREEBIES while stocking up on fresh (or stale) boxes of wax to carry you through the true opening weekend of the 2008 Major League Baseball season.

This is just to serve as a reminder that you can also get FREE baseball cards simply by visiting MLB.com/cards and signing up online. That’s right…. FREE baseball cards while you are still wearing your jammies! According to the information available, “each pack will contain five base cards from Topps, five base cards from Upper Deck, one chase card from Topps, one chase card from Upper Deck, and one informational card.”

Don’t forget to tell them that Aardvark Trading Company sent ya!

- Kris

easter aardvark

Seriously…. How could you not love the Easter Aardvark?

Most importantly, his presence indicates the full-blown arrival of spring. It is also a well-known fact that the earth pig is usually packing really kool gifts!

Admittedly, this burrowing mammal isn’t quite as creative as his “cousin” the bunny when it comes to hiding items, but I can’t help but admire the fact that he enjoys sticking around to see the reaction people have to the presents he brings for them.

When asked if he would like to hang around and watch me rip these packs of 2008 Topps Heritage baseball cards, the little guy indicated that he actually had to be going. It seems he had heard rave reviews of a new ant hill opening a couple of blocks down the street and wanted to go check it out.

it’s a mistake

I admit that I have a soft spot for error cards. I should clarify that by “error cards,” I am speaking of the variety of errors that we all make every now and then… goof-ups, and not the intentional variety produced by card companies in an attempt to create a buzz.

One specific instance of an error card that I am particularly fond of is Rick Krivda’s 2000 Team USA Victory card (no. 443) produced by Upper Deck (surprise!). One might be tempted to think that the most difficult thing to get right on one of Rick’s cards is the correct spelling of his last name. (I briefly considered spelling it wrong here on purpose to make a point, but I’m afraid it would also have made me appear to be somewhat of a hypocrite.)

Whistle your favorite tune
We’ll send a card and flower
Saying…

It’s a mistake, it’s a mistake
It’s a mistake, it’s a mistake

- Colin James Hay, 1982

How would you feel if you spent a decade pitching in the minors, a season in the bigs, had a lukewarm cup of instant coffee in an independent league, and been part of the United States Olympic baseball team that struck gold- only to be rewarded by picking up one of your baseball cards and wondering where and when you started looking so much like Chris George? Try explaining that one to your mother and your grandmother!

I think it would be frustrating. Certainly it would be better to simply have your name misspelled.

I asked Chris George what he thought about the mix up last summer while he was autographing his card from the same set (no. 458). He just smiled (more like the smile he was sporting on the Krivda card than on his own for those of you scoring at home) and said that he thought it was unfortunate for Rick. Of course, being the gentleman that he is, Chris was more than happy to sign both cards for my collection.

Conspiracy theorists may suggest that Upper Deck is so on top of their game that the error was intentional, and they were, in fact, penalizing Krivda for having taken the only loss for Team USA as Cuba defeated them 6-1 during his only appearance in the 2000 Olympics. However, I believe it was a case of poor record keeping and shoddy editing. I suspect that the error was never corrected.

Errors sometimes beget errors. Apparently operating under the assuming that two wrongs make a Krivda, baseball-reference.com has this card posted on their website to help fans pick Rick out of a crowd in case they ever want to get his autograph. Grapher beware!!!

- Kris

The Road less traveled

As Kris and I venture into this wide wonderful world of trading cards, we are discovering that the road is bumpy along the way, and that the rewards we receive sometimes come with a little learning experience attached. Nothing that prevents us from continuing on our journey or makes us want to search for seemingly smoother avenues, but we are still challenged by the ever present learning curve, and having to learn how to navigate our way around it.

When we first embarked on this journey, we had the excitement and anticipation of a long awaited dream coming true, as the seemingly unreachable was now coming into reach. Nothing has discouraged this excitement, however we are becoming aware that there were some unanticipated detours along the way…(kind of like getting tube socks at Christmas, something useful, but not exactly what you were looking forward to).

Some of the things that we have discovered (without giving away any of our trade secrets!) are that card manufacturers are very proud of their product, and some require seemingly unattainable goals for an upstart company such as ourselves to even begin to peddle their product. Other companies make it so hard to even get in touch with them that we can’t even find out what their requirements are to become a “valued” dealer…so, as a result, we have had to temporarily seek other sources for our inventory and merchandise…which has been successful, but not as fulfilling or happening at quite the speed or volume that we had initially anticipated.

Another pitfall we have encountered is the shipping of products when they are purchased online. Although Shakespeare penned that “To be or not to be” was the question…I think the more appropriate question for us has been “To insure or not insure”. With the online community being such a large and diverse one, it would make sense to insure our shipments so that all parties have the security of knowing that they are receiving what they are buying. The dilemma then becomes the cost! In order to be competitive in the market we have tried to keep our shipping costs as minimal as possible, as we all hate the experience of purchasing a $1 card and paying $5 shipping and handling that other websites seem to offer. However…the insurance game is one of gambling, as the old saying goes, insurance is a waste of money….until you need it! (not sure if that is an old saying…but I’ve heard it before, and it is true). After much debate, consideration, and research, we inevitably will be adjusting our shipping rates in order to not only protect the customer, but protect our business as well.

Last, but certainly not least…one of the biggest challenges that we have come up against is the amount of time it takes to not only get a business up off the ground, but to grow it, nurture it, feed it, and then hopefully begin to reap some fruit from it. We are all allotted the same amount of time in a day, and the same number of days in a week, but it is a challenge to coordinate the time to fit in all the tasks that we have on a daily basis, much less the additional tasks that are necessary for Aardvark Trading Co. to stay current, and ever growing.

The adventure that Kris and I have started, is still exciting, thrilling, and most important of all….FUN! We are learning, adapting, and changing direction as necessary as each challenge comes our way, but we are committed to making Aardvark Trading Co. a trustworthy source for quality cards, fair trades, and a fun place for fellow collectors to share stories, experiences, and want lists.

Thanks for coming along for the ride

-Lyndol

dos mulas para la hermana sara

I am impressed. Just a few days ago I sent a letter to John “Mule” Miles and included a couple of his baseball cards from the ever-popular 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter set. Unable to choose between the base card and the mini, I sent them both and asked him to sign one if he had both the time and the inclination.

Mr. Miles responded in less time than I can manage to turn around a Netflix offering- and was nice enough to have autographed both cards. What a sport!

It leaves me with hope that as I get older, I might find ways to become more efficient with my time. Of course, I doubt my mailbox will be flooded with autograph requests when I’m 85.

I would like to find myself in a position to meet and chat with Mr. Miles. I suspect it would prove to be a riot. My favorite quote from him is, “I didn’t hit for percentage, I hit for distance.”

Atta boy! That’s what I like to read.

- Kris