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"O," yes ... and "O," no


One of the card accomplishments that I'd like to finish off before I'm senile is to complete trifectas of my all-time, top-five favorite Dodgers.

I already have finished trifectas -- rookie card, relic card and autograph card -- for two of them. Ron Cey  and Clayton Kershaw are done. Finito. Fait Accompli. And they look fabulous.

That leaves Hideo Nomo, Sandy Koufax and Orel Hershiser.

All I need is a relic card for Koufax. There don't seem to be too many out there, but they DO exist.

I need an autograph card for Nomo. That could be tough as well.

But more distressing is my painfully slow quest for a Hershiser trifecta.

Until last week, I had only his rookie card. And that's not all that difficult to obtain. I acquired it in 1985 when I purchased the entire '85 set. Since then, about 4 or 5 other versions have worked their way into my collection.

But relic cards and autograph cards of Orel seem more difficult. Unusually difficult.

So difficult that when I saw the above card pop up on Cards From the Quarry I think I pulled 27 muscles trying to get to the comment section as quickly as possible to say, "Me! Me! Me! WANT! WANT! WANT! GIVE! GIVE! GIVE!"

I found a Dante Bichette bat card to send in return. Turns out, the Bichette bat card was about as vigorous a want for hiflew as a Hershiser relic card was for me. Glad it could work out so well.

So now I have this relic card from ... uh, well, I'm not sure what set this is. I know it's 2004 Topps.

And I'm two-thirds of the way to a Hershiser trifecta.

The unfinished business is a Hershiser autograph card.

I tried to get that part done by sending a TTM request through the mail. It was right about the time when a few other collectors had received signed cards back from Hershiser. But since that time -- more than two years ago -- I haven't heard of one success. And the card I sent to him never came back.

So all that's left is finding a certified auto card.

Those aren't easy to find. And are pretty pricey.

Not to mention UG-LY.


This hideous thing will cost you close to $100 bucks if you're foolish enough to pay that much. I have no desire to see a card of Hershiser in his high school senior picture in my collection. I'll fake his signature on a 1989 Topps cards before I get this thing.


 This is just as hideous and just as expensive. The Hershiser part is OK, but the Kirk Gibson photo will haunt anyone who views it (and yes, I fear I may have just freaked out some readers showing the pilfered scan myself).

There are precious few "normal" autograph cards of Orel. They do exist. I just have to decide whether I want to pony up for what they cost.

For now, I'm ever grateful that I saw the relic card on Cards From the Quarry.

And equally grateful that some companies are not so desperate to issue cards that they resort to high school photos.

Comments

Stealing Home said…
hey brother, is it important to you that bulldog be in a dodgers uni?

i had a small success with him TTM. i sent Dodger cards and an Indians card, as thats who he was pitching for at the time. unfortunately, he didn't sign the Dodger cards as i was hoping...but he did auto his indians card for me.

just let me know...
Fuji said…
Best of luck on building those three remaining trifectas. I'd love to build a Nomo trifecta too, but doubt I'll ever be able to afford his autograph.

And that Panini Hershiser autograph is awesome!
Holy smokes. You weren't lying about those ugly Orel autos. Hope you are able to complete the trifecta.
BASEBALL DAD said…
Speaking of Orel,I just picked up several 2009 Press Pass Fusion cards of Orel in his BGSU uniform if you are interested in one.
night owl said…
Thanks guys, but I only collect cards of Hershiser in a Dodger uniform.
gcrl said…
That orel relic is from Topps clubhouse collection. There is a Ron cey relic in the set, too.
I have an 86 donruss card that orel signed, although he only signed his first name.
This has me thinking I should do some trifecta posts.
Justin Drummond said…
I forget how often you buy on eBay, but there is a lot of nice looking pack issued and PSA/DNA certified Hershiser stuff on there right now for under $40, including a pretty good selection of cards under $25.
Anonymous said…
hey dude,
been reading your blog for a long time and really enjoy it. for what it's worth, just this past March I tried Hershiser ttm c/o ESPN Baseball Tonight, Bristol CT. a few weeks later the (signed and AWESOME!) card came back postmarked from Las Vegas, so maybe he's recently gotten more consistent through the mail.
good luck on those trifectas!