This is just a small fraction of my total collection but these are my favorite pieces and I’m extremely picky with what I buy. That said, I keep a strict set of rules for what gets added to this portfolio and everything is up for reconsideration as the collection grows. The point is to maintain a rigorous focus on quality. For the most part and unless they come with historical significance, errors, plates, promos, and proofs are left off the galleries. While these items are cool in their own right, if for any reason they get scanned, they’re better used for blog content. All that said, please enjoy your viewing. The TOC is click-to-scroll and you’ll find this arrangement throughout the site. However, and given the depth of this gallery, this is the only place on the site where the Table of Contents is called out as a title.
Table of Contents:
1950-1959.
1960-1969.
1970-1979.
1980-1989.
1990-1999.
Galleries up to this point strictly showcase graded cards. Raw cards are featured from here forward.
2000-2009.
2010-2019.
2010 Bowman Chrome takes up a good chunk of this block. I have fond memories of this product from when it was released. It’s one of my favorite sets and as such, I collect a range of cards from its many releases.
Player Collections.
When I’m not pursuing Frank Thomas cards, I casually collect a few other players. For these guys, I specifically chase rookie era and high end inserts and parallels.
Stephen Strasburg.
2010 was a magical year for the hobby. The hype surrounding Stephen Strasburg was at a level that hadn’t been met before and hasn’t been achieved since. In May, base packs of 2010 Bowman Chrome went from $2.99 to $12.99 in just a matter of weeks. During that same month the Stephen Strasburg 2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects Superfractor was pulled and sold for a record $16,403 then resold for $21,403 just weeks later. It’s because of this card that Superfractors are as popular as they are today. I’ve been fascinated by this card since I discovered its existence in 2010 and tracked its whereabouts until I acquired it in 2017. It now resides in its permanent home. See it here with its many buddies.
The following is the only booklet card I care to own. These things are difficult to handle, retain in mint condition, and store conveniently. However, I wanted at least one example of a booklet card and I couldn’t think of a better example to own than this one. It features my two favorite 2010 rookies – Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward – and presents beautifully both in hand and via scan. Its 1/1 status makes it that much more special. I just love this card.
Jason Heyward.
Jason Heyward was another reason why 2010 was such a big year for the hobby. Both he and Strasburg were the two big rookies and both were chased heavily in all products that yielded their cards. Some cards even featured both of these guys at the same time. Heyward’s 2010 Bowman Chrome AU was highly sought after with parallels fetching upwards of $700+. I’ve always thought Jason Heyward was very photogenic. The poses on his cards are excellent, timely, and classic. Have a look at some of them here.
Travis Lee.
Coincidentally, like Stephen Strasburg, Travis Lee is also a San Diego State University alum. Back in 1997, Travis Lee was the big prospect in baseball and everyone was chasing his 1997 Bowman anything. I can remember buying a raw example of his 1997 Bowman base card that year at a show for something like $5, which at the time was a lot for a base card. His career spanned 9 years but unfortunately didn’t collect the HOF numbers many prospectors hoped to see. He was one of my last big memories before I left the hobby in 1998 to pursue girls, skateboarding, and eventually college. When I returned in 2003, I learned the hobby had moved on and as such Lee stuff could be had for next to nothing. Given the memories, I decided to collect Lee’s better pieces.
Derek Jeter.
I’ve always kept an eye out for Derek Jeter stuff and collect some of his graded pieces. I’m extremely picky with what I buy and I don’t expect this collection to get very big but here it is so far. While my collection is bigger than what’s here, this run is exclusive to graded pieces.
