My latest Hall of Fame & Tobacco Card Acquisition

The Pirates have 37 Alumni who played at least one game with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Hall of Fame.  Of that group, only 11 were inducted into the Hall having played more games with Pittsburgh than any other franchise that individual had played for.

Recent inductees like Bert Blyleven and Goose Gossage had wonderful careers, but likely won't be remembered a generation from now as being on the Pirates.

The Pirates were a powerhouse in the early 1900s being lead by the greatest shortstop of All-Time, Honus Wagner, and leftfielder, Fred Clarke.

My ultimate goal is to add autographs of Hall of Famers, Roberto Clemente and Honus Wagner, but adding Fred Clarke was a major score to my collection.

This 2015 Historic Autographs includes a cut auto of the 1909 World Series Champion along with an original t206 Piedmont trading card.

Clarke finished his career with over 2,600 hits, a career batting average of .312 and an on base percentage of .386 while swiping 509 bags.  His best season may have come in his final season before joining the Pirates back in 1899 when he hit .340, stole 49 bags, and only struck out 18 times in 681 plate appearances.  He became the player manager his first year with the Bucs in 1900.

I was having a conversation with my brother the other day and what I find most fascinating about adding these incredible cut autographs to the collection is that guys like Fred Clarke had passed away before Carlos Correa's father was even born.  Wrap your head around that for perspective.  Fred Clarke was born before electricity really took off with Thomas Edison's inventions.

Hall of Fame Autograph /10 for under $15....um ok

This year I really wanted to increase my collection for non Pirates. I've been adding a lot of Pacers recently because despite making it to the Conference Finals twice in the past 3 years, no one really notices that they exist in the cardboard community. The team is filled with plenty of young talented fast defensive guys that can put up the points. This current roster with the additions of Monta Ellis, Jordan Hill, and rookies Joe Young and Myles Turner are a lot of fun to watch.

The Pacers don't have many players in the Hall of Fame. The most recognized from our generation is obviously Reggie Miller and his performance against the Knicks in the mid 90s is the main reason I root for the Pacers.

Mel Daniels was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. He finished his career averaging double double stats in both points (18.4ppg) and rebounds (14.9rpg). He is one of only four players to have his number retired by the Pacers.

This 2013 Leaf Metal green parallel numbered 5/10 was acquired for under $15. The card features an on card autograph, which sadly isn't possible anymore. Mr. Daniels passed away last year from complications with heart surgery.

Football Thursday: Mean Joe Greene auto

The NFL season officially kicks off tonight as the Steelers and their multiple suspended playmakers and injured roster will be taking on the New England Cheaters Patriots.  I don't have a very good feeling about this game, but there were times last year that I had figured the game was in the bag for victories (Tampa Bay and NY Jets come to mind) so who knows?

One thing I do know though is that I completed another of my 2015 goals by acquiring this Mean Joe Greene autograph earlier in the year for the cool price of $35.  I set out the year to acquire two autographs of Steelers in the Hall of Fame in addition to a Jerome Bettis autograph.  At the time of my goal planning, Bettis had not yet been selected to join the illustrious group in Canton. 

So far the only card I had shown from that goal was my dual autograph of 4x Super Bowl Winner Terry Bradshaw and 2x Super Bowl Winner Ben Roethlisberger.  I'm super excited to add an on card auto of one of the most legendary Steelers of all time.

The Steelers have one of the most storied histories in the NFL, but only 2 players have ever have their number retired by the Steelers.  They have not issued numbers once a "Steelers Legend" has retired, but the number has not officially been retired.

One player who received the honor of getting their number retired is Joe.  Look up his stats and you will see why Joe Greene was a Hall of Famer and Fan Favorite. 

There will be other Steelers HOFers displayed before the season is over and also some very nice Steelers Legends too.  Keep an eye out for my Sunday Football posts. 

McCutchen Mailday #50: Pops & RunPMC!!!!!

One of my collecting goals for 2015 was to add 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards to my collection that I previously didn't have.  I thought this would be a tough task as I would need to add a new Cutch before every fourth day.  I have kicked that goal's ass!!!!  I'm typing this on March 16th (but didn't post until April 29th) and have already added fifty!!!! Yes 5-0!!!!!  It's going to take me awhile to catch up on all these cards I have acquired in the past month using only 1 post per day.

So far in my quest for 100, I've added a handful of 1/1s, a plethora of parallels, and even a handful of autographs!!!!

To celebrate #50...you gotta party!!!!
A Marte Partay seems appropriate!

2015 Heritage Clubhouse Collection 7/10 (Stargell, McCutchen, Marte, Polanco)

Let's welcome Pops and RunPMC (Polanco, Marte, Cutch)

What a sweet piece of cardboard!

Doesn't get much better than this...

Since my blog debuted 4 years ago, I have shown off some pretty impressive Stargell, Clemente, and Mazeroski cards in my collection.  To date though, I never had a card that contained game used relics of all 3 on a single card....until now

A triple bat relic of 3 of the most famous Pittsburgh Pirates to ever play the game.  All 3 players on this card have bronze statues outside PNC Park acknowledging their contributions to the team and city.  The low numbered card was purchased when eBay was running a 10x eBay bucks promotion so it essentially dropped the price a great amount.

Celebrating Easter with the Rabbit!!!

Ask any little kid (and most adults for that matter) what they think of when they hear Happy Easter and you're likely going to get a response ranging from Easter Bunny to colored eggs to ham dinner.  Sadly you won't hear many people recognize the true meaning of Easter.  My blog isn't meant to create any cultural or philosophical intrigue into our society.  I simply like to show off baseball cards I have acquired.  One such card is a Rabbit Maranville Cooperstown I got for a $1.

I wanted to show off a bible verse inscription card today, but sadly I don't have anymore to share.

Please take the day to celebrate the true meaning of the Holiday and enjoy the day with your family/friends/loved ones.

This is what a high end Hall of Fame Cut Auto should look like...

This week has been a powerhouse week at the PTR. Dont believe me? Go back to Sunday to see how it started.

Last week, I showed off a Roberto Clemente bat relic numbered 6/25.  It was my 15th bat relic of the Hall of Famer.  I stated that I would do a reverse box of 2014 National Treasures this year and will likely have a lot of fun tracking down these high end cards.  The Pirates Pittsburgh Baseball Club is well represented in 2014 National Treasures with current players and Hall of Famers.

One such player that has some great looking Cut Auto Booklets /10 is Hall of Famer Willie Stargell.  Known to the fanbase as Pops for his leadership role on the 1979 World Series Championship team, Stargell has a great signature and for the most part it's also very affordable.

I've seen a handful of Stargell's booklets from National Treasures end up in the $125+ range, but I was fortunate to win this auction for only $81 delivered.  Now you're probably thinking $81 is a lot to spend on one card when you're trying to do a reverse box....and you're right.

I'm currently way over budget at $145 on two cards that my budget for said cards was $106.  I have a lot of ground to make up as I accumulate the remaining 6 cards of my reverse box.  Honestly though, I can't complain about having a HOF cut auto and jumbo bat relic numbered /10 along with a Clemente bat relic numbered /25 for the prices paid though.  I know it sounds crazy to think two cards for $145, but for these two beloved Pittsburgh icons, that's a great deal.

With 3 more guaranteed autographs, and a combination of gem, relic, auto left I know that I will be able to complete the remaining 6 cards for less than $280.  I am allowed to spend $46 per card to finish under the allowed amount.

Savings Start Now!

Super Bowl Sunday: 6 Time Super Bowl Champs DUAL AUTO!!!

One of my 2015 Collecting Goals was to add a pair of Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famers to my collection.  With this card, I am now half way there.  When I was looking to upgrade my Steelers collection, I knew that I wanted to go Quality over Quantity.  Getting a dual autograph of the two quarterbacks who have brought the Steelers 6 Super Bowl Championships seemed like a no brainer.

Hailing from 2005 Donruss Elite, this Passing the Torch dual auto numbered 25/50 features 4 time Super Bowl Champion Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw on the front

and

2 time Super Bowl champion (and potential future Hall of Famer) Ben Roethlisberger on the back.

With the Patriots and Seahawks playing today, it is a guarantee that one of them will tie the number of Super Bowl rings with someone on this card.  Could it be Tom Brady as he attempts to get the elusive number 4 tying him with Bradshaw and Montana for most all-time or will it be the young Russell Wilson tying Ben Roethlisberger and 10 others in the list of 2x Super Bowl champions?

Personally I'm pulling for the Seahawks because quite frankly, I hate Tom Brady and the Patriots.

GO HAWKS!!!!

Throwback Thursday: You Complete Me 1968

One of my collecting goals for 2015 was to complete 2 vintage team sets which you can see on my Vintage Needs.  I can now cross off almost two from the list and we are only a month into the new year.

Because of our work schedules and the hour difference between us, I didn't get a chance to see my mom on Christmas.  Instead it took us a few weeks into the new year to exchange gifts and enjoy some drinks and holiday cookies.

My mom went above all expectations and hooked me up with some vintage cards I needed to complete some team sets I was working on.  She filled in the remaining 5 cards needed for my 1968 team set by adding 4 cards sporting Hall of Famers (2 Clementes, 1 Stargell, and 1 Jim Bunning).

In addition to the 5 cards I needed for 1968, she also scored me a handful of 1962s which brings my team set needs for that year to only #10 Roberto Clemente.

Thanks so much Mom for knocking these out for me.

A NEW HALL OF FAMER ENTERS THE COLLECTION, First Goal of 2015 Complete!!!!

Last year was a great year for my collection.  I completed my first 2014 Goal within a week and day of making my list by adding a Goose Gossage Pirates autograph.  This year, I followed suit and completed my first 2015 Goal within a few weeks of the new year.

Following the same pattern as last year, I sought out a new Hall of Fame autograph to add to the collection.  There's a long list of Pirates in the Hall of Fame that I currently don't have, but 1961 inductee Max Carey can now be crossed off that list.

Max Carey never received more than 51% of the votes for Hall of Fame eligibility during his 15 years post retirement.  However 3 years after his last year of eligibility he was inducted in by the Veteran's Committee.  The fleet footed outfielder won the Stolen Base crown 10 times while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and still ranks 9th All-Time.

Carey finished his 19 year career with a .285 batting average, 2664 hits, and a patent for sliding pads to protect your legs and hips when sliding.  His numbers don't jump off the page, but during a ten year stretch he was one of the best in the game patrolling the outfield.

I've seen Carey autographs sell for as much as $200 in the past and I was very happy to win this auction with a best offer in the $50 range.  Obviously getting sticker autos or on card autos of many of the Pirates in the Hall of Fame besides Bill Mazeroski and the recently deceased Ralph Kiner are going to be tough to come by so I don't mind a cut auto when available.  However, I do have one rule for cut autos and that is it must show an image of the player.  I don't care if the logos have been cut out or it's unlicensed, but I want to see an image of the player.

Throwback Thursday: Honus Wagner Career Hits Debate

Just a few days ago, there was many announcers stating that Derek Jeter had moved into the sole possession of 7th (8th if you count the real hit king) place on the All-Time Hits list.  However in doing research, I have seen multiple sources state different numbers for Honus Wagner's career hits.  While it will often be debated who is the greatest All-Time shortstop, one thing is for certain...Honus Wagner was the greatest before Jeter came along.

It even says it on his Hall of Fame plaque.

Here's a list of the various internet resources all stating different totals for Honus' hits totals
The back of the card above states 3,420
Baseball Reference siting 3,420
ESPN siting 3,415
Baseball Almanac siting 3,430

I think it's safe to say that Jeter will pass the 3,430 mark needing only 8 hits over the next two months, but what if he hadn't gotten to that mark.  Who would you claim was higher up on the All-Time hits list?

Furthermore who do you think is the greatest Shortstop of All-Time?
Also, what do you think about my latest Honus Wagner I grabbed from 2013 Cooperstown for $1?

Seeing Red: A new feature on the PTR

With all the rainbow color parallels that companies are producing these days, I am going to start to highlight them in monthly features.  I've already introduced my followers to Black is the New Black, where I show off a black parallel of Pirates players.

Today, I'm going to introduce you all to Seeing Red.  This monthly feature will highlight some of my red parallels I have acquired over the years and more recently.  What better way to introduce this segment than by showing off a pair of Hall of Famers, Pie Traynor and Paul Waner.

These two beloved Pittsburgh athletes played the majority of their careers with the Pirates and were some of the earlier members enshrined in the HOF.

The above two cards were purchased shortly after Cooperstown came out and were had for $4 shipped.

R.I.P. Ralph Kiner

I may have already had 13 autographs of the Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, but for less than $12, I couldn't resist adding another to my collection, especially since it's on card!  Welcome to the collection, number 14.

2001 Fleer Greats of the Game ON CARD AUTO

Sadly, news broke of Ralph's passing a few hours after receiving this card. My condolences go out to the Kiner family, the Mets and Pirates organizations and all those whose life the great HOF slugger impacted.

1st Goal of 2014 COMPLETE: HOF Autograph

One of my 2014 Collecting Goals was to add another signature of a Pirates Hall of Famer.
With the voting for the HOF today, it seems even more fitting to show off this new card I purchased.

2013 Cooperstown Signatures Goose Gossage

I recently grabbed this ON CARD AUTOGRAPH of the Hall of Famer for $13 shipped.

While Goose was eventually inducted into the HOF, he pitched only one season for the Bucs in 1977 at the age of 25.  In 133 relief innings (yes you read that correctly), Goose went 11-9 with a 1.62 ERA and a 3.08 strikeout to walk rate.  That earned the young reliever his 3rd All-Star appearance, while grabbing 26 saves (third highest in NL).

This is my first autographed card of Goose and I'm happy to have him wearing the black and yellow uniform.   I've previously grabbed an autographed photo of Goose and his only licensed card to wear a Bucs uniform on a Hostess card.

The Most HOF Relics I can fit into 1 post

I wanted to make a giant post showcasing a bunch of HOF relics I've picked up over the past couple months.  Relics featuring Hall of Famers are never cheap, but I'm quite happy with the prices I paid for these bat and jersey relics.

2004 Topps Tribute HOF BAT RELIC Roberto Clemente

The most expensive of the relics was the above Roberto Clemente bat relic from 2004 Topps Tribute HOF. This card ran me $18 shipped which if you've ever tried to purchase a Clemente bat relic is a bargain.  Most Clemente relics sell in the $25+ range.  As you all probably know, Roberto was inducted into the HOF in 1973 without having to wait the mandatory 5 years of retirement for induction.

2002 Topps Tribute Memorable Materials 

In 2002 Topps Tribute released a series of cards called Memorable Materials.  Bill mazeroski was part of that checklist highlighting his walkoff Game 7 World Series winning Homerun in 1960.  Topps has aknowledged Maz' walkoff HR in several of their releases throughout the years.  The above card was won for $8.50 shipped.

2012 Panini National Treasures League Leaders BAT RELIC 99/99

I previously showed off a few bat relics of the Waner brothers last year.  I managed to pick up another Paul Waner  bat relic numbered 99/99 from 2012 National Treasures.  My 3rd bat relic of the 17th all-time hit leader ran me just $5.99 with combined shipping of another item I plan on showing off in the near future.  I know the cards aren't licensed, but I think the National Treasures series may have been one of the best high end products on the market.

2008 UD Premier Legendary Remnants 9/30

This card put me to 47 hits of Willie "Pops" Stargell, the most hits I own of a retired baseball player.  The 2008 UD Premier Legendary Remnants ran me a cool $8 to add it to the Treasure Room.

Overall I grabbed 4 relics of HOF Pirates for around $40 shipped.  While not considered steals, I think I did ok for myself.

Speed Demons: My 1st Rickey Henderson Relic featuring Cutch and Crawford

I love to watch athletic ballplayers.  Sure watching guys just crush the ball into the upper decks is fun, but nothing is more exciting than watching a game where it's the 9th inning with 2 outs and one of the fastest players in the game is on base.  Seeing some of the Pirates recent speedsters like Cutch and Marte motoring around the bases is incredible to watch.  However, no one will ever compare to what Rickey Henderson was able to do.  Even at the age of 39, Rickey was still able to swipe 66 bags.  He's the all-time leader in stolen bases with 1,406.  The next closest, Lou Brock, has almost 500 less than him.

2011  Topps Triple Threads Triple Jersey Relic (Henderson, Crawford, McCutchen) Sepia 7/27

When I saw this card hit the market a few years ago, I swore one day I would own it, but never for the $50 price tages I was seeing attached to it at the time of it's release.  For $30, I finally broke down and purchased it, not knowing how soon I would see another.  While I can guarantee I would NEVER buy a jersey relic of Crawford $10, I am ok with Rickey and Cutch for those prices.  The low numbering (7/27) and featuring the "greatest all time" in Rickey makes it worth it though.

The Pirates face off against the Reds in a three game series before having to face them again in the 1 game Wild Card game.  Hopefully the Pirates can keep that speed demon Billy Hamilton off the bases.

Post 385: Remembering Arky Vaughan aka How the Game has changed

Today is my 385th post on the blog.  The blog was started in early 2011 and and has had several periods where nothing was posted.  It's also had periods where I posted every day.  My posting habits are kinda similar to the Pirates actually.  Short periods of success and long periods of sucking.

One player that didn't suck was HOF shortstop Arky Vaughan.  Arky holds the Pirates All-Time single season batting average with a .385 record that he accomplished in 1935 during his age 23 season.

2012 Prime Cuts Biography Arky Vaughan BAT RELIC 62/99

Replacing a HOF shortstop is tough.  Replacing quite possibly the greatest shortstop to ever play the game in the early 20th century is incredibly tough.  Arky Vaughan had that responsibility when he took over for the Steel City legend Honus Wagner in 1932.  Arky Vaughan had an incredible 14 year career as you can see on his Baseball reference page.  The 9 time allstar was eventually voted into the HOF by the Veterans Committee in 1985.  However, Vaughan wasn't able to be there as he had passed away at the early age of 40 after retiring in his age 36 season.  I grabbed my first bat relic of the HOF shortstop for $9.99 shipped.

The back of the card highlights Arky's 100th career triple.

What I found most incredible when looking over Vaughan's stats was that he finished 3rd in MVP voting back in that 1935 season.  If you thought that Matt Kemp was robbed in 2011 of the MVP to the recently suspended Ryan Braun, check out how much more Vaughan was deserving of the hardware than the actual winner Gabby Hartnett.

Even understanding that WAR wasn't used back then, it's clear who was the Most Valuable Player to the NL.  Vaughan beat Hartnett in every offensive (AVG, HR, RBI, SB, BB, R, OBP, SLG, H)  It should be worth noting that Dizzy Dean finished second in voting for the MVP when he posted a 28-12 record in 325 innings.  My, how the game has changed.

Another Maz Auto (ON CARD TOO!!!!!)

I recently grabbed another auto of Bill Mazeroski.  This is only my 4th AUTO of Maz and my first on card autograph of the 8x Gold Glover and 2x World Series Champion.  Maz hit one of the most memorable homeruns in the history of the game when he hit a walkoff homerun in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.

2012 National Treasure HOF AUTO 17/25

On card autographs by HOFers are rarely cheap, but this National Treasures numbered to less than 25 copies ran me under the price of a blaster.  Yeah, I'll take that for another Maz auto.

The Waner Brothers BAT RELICS

I've been wanting to add more of the Pittsburgh Pirates HOF players relics to my collection over the past year and came across a handful of Panini relics featuring the HOF Waner Brothers.  All these cards below were added to my collection for less than $10 a piece over the past couple months.

Known as Big Poison (Paul) and Little Poison (Lloyd) were key pieces of the Pirates early success in the 20th century.

2012 Prime Cuts Biography BAT RELIC Paul Waner 87/99

Paul went on to collect 3,152 career hits (2,868 in a Pittsburgh uniform) and finished his career with a .333 career batting average over his 20 year career.  Paul also won the MVP award in 1927 (second year in majors) with his .380 batting average and 131 RBI.

2012 Prime Cuts Icons Bat Relic Lloyd Waner 74/99 BAT RELIC

Lloyd, Lil' Poison, was not as talented as his older brother but still manage to have a long and successful career himself.  He finished his career with 2,459 career hits and a .316 batting average.  What's most impressive of the younger Waner though is that he struck out only 173 times over his 18 year career.  5 players in baseball had more strikeouts last year than Lloyd had in his entire career.  That's insane!!! It would be nearly 45 plate appearances before Lloyd would strike out.  Only 2 players have better numbers in the history of the game (Willie Keeler and Joe Sewell).

1 more Ralph Kiner auto added to the collection

I said I wanted to add 5 new Ralph Kiner autos to my collection this year.  As much as I like adding more of the HOF leftfielder's autograph to my collection, I don't like spending a lot of money to do it.  Ralph signs A LOT!!! Nearly every Topps release now has a Ralph Kiner autograph you can pull.  To try and diversify my collection a little bit, I went to the unlicensed card company Panini and their National Treasures release earlier this year.

I LOVE NATIONAL TREASURES!!!  So many cool autographs, relics, and a much more unique group of players are available.

Now that I have 16 autographs of Mr. Kiner, I can safely say that this Immortal Cuts is probably one of the neater penmanship autos I have.  Many of the autographs of Kiner from Topps get a little scribbly and smushed.  This is clean and clear.

Not a bad pickup for $20.