Back Packs: Two Packs of 1988 Topps

Happy May everyone! Before diving back into the the Super Traders packages, I thought I would share what I found when I tore into some old 1988 Topps packs I had. These were just taking up space in my "to be sorted box" which I'm slowly starting to whittle down but I felt the need to open them, if nothing else to free up some space.

There was a "team leaders" card in each pack and would you look at that, it's two teams I collect! I know it's a lost art form but it'd be nice if Topps brought these back in the base set in at least some aspect.

Two minor stars in Mike Felder and Mark Langston. Langston pitched for 16 years for the Mariners, Expos, Angels, Padres, and briefly with the Indians. The only other Mike Felder card I have that actually stands out to me is his 1992 Topps card with him in an old-style Giants uniform.

Got a few all-star cards as well, These will most likely find their way into the trade box.

Not a big fan of the Santiago "record breakers" card as it's bright red and just has a gaudy appearance. On the other hand, the base card on the left will slot right into my collection perfectly.

The Reds included in the two packs. Pretty cool to get a card of Terry Francona is his playing days and as a member of the Reds no less.

Finally, two guys who would make one year and done appearances for the Reds in the mid-90s. Fernandez got into 104 games for the Reds in 1994, primarily at third base as Chris Sabo left after the 1993 season. Reardon pitched the 1993 season with the Reds (but without his trademark beard), going 4-6 with a 4.09 ERA in 58 games.

This was a pretty fun rip, although I didn't pull any superstars, I did add a few cards for the personal collection and everything else will be going to the trade bin.

You've Got Mail #18: Highly Subjective & Completely Arbitrary

I'm trying to spread out the trade posts with the other stuff I have planned for March but the fact that the trades keep coming in I've got to try to keep up somewhat. This nice PWE from Brian of Highly Subjective and Completely Arbitrary (my first official trade partner when I launched this blog) arrived at the tail end of the week a while back.

This PWE was stuffed full of random Reds goodness plus a bonus Bengals card. Since there were nine Reds cards, I'll cover them in batches of three. First up we've got the trio of Adam Dunn, Terry Lee, and Ryan Wagner. Of these three, Dunn definitely had the best Reds career. Wagner was a decent pitcher but never really stood out in a sea of mid 2000's Reds teams with horrible pitching.

Cool! Some Score Gold Rush ... and of Tony Fernandez, which is even better. Fernandez held down the hot corner for the Reds in '94, his only year with the Reds, after Chris Sabo headed to Baltimore as a free agent. Milton was a big free agent signing for the Reds and was pretty much a bust from day one. Kearns was a solid outfielder and I always love some Topps Total!

Our final trio, Billy Hamilton, Scott Williamson, and Ken Griffey. The more I see it, the more I like last year's Bowman, even though I'm not a prospector at all. The photo is just great too, with Hamilton in mid flight trying to rob a fly ball. The Williamson card is my first Topps Gallery card and  it's just as nice in person as I've seen it on the blogs. Finally, new cards of members of the Big Red Machine are always welcomed.

There was one football card in the envelope, this framed parallel of Jeremy Hill from last years Gridiron Kings set. This was in the same vain as the Diamond Kings set although Panini can actually use team names and logos since they have an NFL license. 

Thanks again Brian for another great PWE! The Twins stack is slowly growing for you and will be going out soon with my next wave of Super Trader packs.