It's really a shame that some of you are away from the internet this weekend, because you're missing out on my '75 mini extravaganza. These aren't just any old cards here you know. These are:
THE BEST CARDS OF ALL-TIME
So, if you're at a ballgame right now, or under a tent in the woods (you poor bastard), I can't help you. I can only hope you'll stumble across this post when you get back.
As for the rest of you, you will be rewarded for your non-active lifestyle. And appreciation of electricity.
As you know, I've made a recent commitment to the '75 minis, both the Topps Lineage version and the real thing. The pursuit of the real thing is a Long Term Project, but I'm already pleasantly surprised by how available they are -- even if I hardly ever see them at card shows.
Right now I have maybe 125 minis from the 1975 set. Once I get done with my "1975 Topps (it's far out, man)" blog, I'll know how many I have for sure. I also know I have a lot of work to do. But that's OK, I like having acres and acres of untouched minis from which to choose. It's kind of like breaking up with your girlfriend. Suddenly, the floor is yours.
My only rule in tracking down '75 minis, initially, is that I must obtain the cards that were key to my childhood first. There are certain cards from that set that transport me immediately to 1975. It's difficult to explain, but when I was looking through my '75 binder for which cards to obtain as minis first, a feeling would spring up inside me when I'd see certain cards. It was something like childish excitement, like I was about to say "THAT WOULD BE WAY COOL" even though there was no one else in the room.
So with that in mind, I selected the following five minis first:
#550 - Ralph Garr.
I would have taken off running around the perimeter of the house 10 times if I had the mini version of the Garr card as a kid. I held a torch for the regular-sized version of this card for weeks after I first saw it in a display in Cooperstown. Now I have it in mini-size form!
And for those of you distressed by the backs of the Topps Lineage '75 minis (count me among them), there is a real-live '75 mini back on the right.
#75 - Ted Simmons
When I see this card, I think of my friend, who presented an air of cool. He was the kind of person who would introduce you to weird things that you never saw in your home, like Marshmallow Fluff and pimped-out squirt guns, and suddenly they were cool. Even if they weren't. He had this Simmons card, and even though my brother and I thought Simmons looked like a girl with all that hair, it was weirdly cool because my friend, who probably wasn't cool at all really, made it cool. We really believed that he might actually grow his hair like that. And then we were afraid my mom wouldn't let us go to his house anymore.
#460 - '74 N.L. Championships
This is my favorite postseason card from the '75 set -- probably my favorite postseason card of the entire decade. As a kid, any card that confirmed my pick of the Dodgers as my favorite team was a great one.
I think I'm going to have to get another one of these for the team set.
#625 - Boog Powell
Again, if I had this card in mini form when I was a kid, I would be running around the perimeter of my house 10 times. Except this time, I would be screaming "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGG!!!!!!!" the whole way.
By the way, this is the first Topps card in which Powell's signature reads "Boog Powell." His '71 Topps card reads "John 'Boog' Powell," and his '67 card reads "John W. Powell."
#407 - Herb Washington
Possibly the best card in the set not named Ron Cey. I kind of cheated on this card because I never saw it when I was a kid. but I wanted to nab it while I can because sometimes cards like this are hard to find.
I can't wait to add more '75 minis to the cause.
Bob Moose, Garry Maddox, John Hiller, Dick Ruthven, Gene Tenace, these are among the cards that the 9-year-old me would like to get in mini form next. So, wherever there are '75 minis available, I will always make them part of whatever card purchase I am making.
The only problem is this: one of my favorite parts of the '75 minis when I was a kid was stacking them all together, throwing a rubber band around them, and tossing them up in the air, because they were so light and portable compared with the regular '75s.
I don't know if I can get myself to do that again.
But I can still run around the perimeter of the house.
As long as the neighbors aren't looking.
THE BEST CARDS OF ALL-TIME
So, if you're at a ballgame right now, or under a tent in the woods (you poor bastard), I can't help you. I can only hope you'll stumble across this post when you get back.
As for the rest of you, you will be rewarded for your non-active lifestyle. And appreciation of electricity.
As you know, I've made a recent commitment to the '75 minis, both the Topps Lineage version and the real thing. The pursuit of the real thing is a Long Term Project, but I'm already pleasantly surprised by how available they are -- even if I hardly ever see them at card shows.
Right now I have maybe 125 minis from the 1975 set. Once I get done with my "1975 Topps (it's far out, man)" blog, I'll know how many I have for sure. I also know I have a lot of work to do. But that's OK, I like having acres and acres of untouched minis from which to choose. It's kind of like breaking up with your girlfriend. Suddenly, the floor is yours.
My only rule in tracking down '75 minis, initially, is that I must obtain the cards that were key to my childhood first. There are certain cards from that set that transport me immediately to 1975. It's difficult to explain, but when I was looking through my '75 binder for which cards to obtain as minis first, a feeling would spring up inside me when I'd see certain cards. It was something like childish excitement, like I was about to say "THAT WOULD BE WAY COOL" even though there was no one else in the room.
So with that in mind, I selected the following five minis first:
#550 - Ralph Garr.
I would have taken off running around the perimeter of the house 10 times if I had the mini version of the Garr card as a kid. I held a torch for the regular-sized version of this card for weeks after I first saw it in a display in Cooperstown. Now I have it in mini-size form!
And for those of you distressed by the backs of the Topps Lineage '75 minis (count me among them), there is a real-live '75 mini back on the right.
#75 - Ted Simmons
When I see this card, I think of my friend, who presented an air of cool. He was the kind of person who would introduce you to weird things that you never saw in your home, like Marshmallow Fluff and pimped-out squirt guns, and suddenly they were cool. Even if they weren't. He had this Simmons card, and even though my brother and I thought Simmons looked like a girl with all that hair, it was weirdly cool because my friend, who probably wasn't cool at all really, made it cool. We really believed that he might actually grow his hair like that. And then we were afraid my mom wouldn't let us go to his house anymore.
#460 - '74 N.L. Championships
This is my favorite postseason card from the '75 set -- probably my favorite postseason card of the entire decade. As a kid, any card that confirmed my pick of the Dodgers as my favorite team was a great one.
I think I'm going to have to get another one of these for the team set.
#625 - Boog Powell
Again, if I had this card in mini form when I was a kid, I would be running around the perimeter of my house 10 times. Except this time, I would be screaming "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGG!!!!!!!" the whole way.
By the way, this is the first Topps card in which Powell's signature reads "Boog Powell." His '71 Topps card reads "John 'Boog' Powell," and his '67 card reads "John W. Powell."
#407 - Herb Washington
Possibly the best card in the set not named Ron Cey. I kind of cheated on this card because I never saw it when I was a kid. but I wanted to nab it while I can because sometimes cards like this are hard to find.
I can't wait to add more '75 minis to the cause.
Bob Moose, Garry Maddox, John Hiller, Dick Ruthven, Gene Tenace, these are among the cards that the 9-year-old me would like to get in mini form next. So, wherever there are '75 minis available, I will always make them part of whatever card purchase I am making.
The only problem is this: one of my favorite parts of the '75 minis when I was a kid was stacking them all together, throwing a rubber band around them, and tossing them up in the air, because they were so light and portable compared with the regular '75s.
I don't know if I can get myself to do that again.
But I can still run around the perimeter of the house.
As long as the neighbors aren't looking.
Comments
Also, I've had them forever, way before I ever knew that such a heavenly thing as a whole store dedicated to baseball cards even existed. These things came in their own packs, or as inserts? I really don't remember. I have doubles, so I must have bought packs.