Sandberg Sunday

It's been a loooooong time since I did a Sandberg Sunday post. But to be honest, its been a looooooong time since I added anything new for my Ryne Sandberg collection. Eventually I'm going to start adding my Sandberg PC to Zistle but that'll be a serious undertaking.

I did pick up two new (pretty sure they're new) cards at the card show last weekend but I already showed them off in one of my recaps this week.

So instead of showing off a new Cubs Ryno card, I have the newest card in my collection, a Phillies Ryno card.

2014 Topps Heritage #57 Ryne Sandberg

Sandberg doesn't look too thrilled about it either if I do say so myself, haha. He started the season as the third base coach but took over as interim manager on August 16, 2013 after the Phillies fired Charlie Manuel.

According to the Getty Images caption for the photo used on the card, it's from that first game as the Phillies skipper.

Photo by Drew Hallowell (courtesy of Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 16: Manager Ryne Sandberg #23 of the Philadelphia Phillies stands in the dugout before the game against at Los Angeles Dodgers Citizens Bank Park on August 16, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

The blurb on the back sounds good....as long as you trust Topps' fact checkers. Sandberg, in fact, lost his first two games as manager of the Phillies before reeling off two wins, five of his next six and seven of nine. As much as I wish Sandberg continued success, I also like facts on my baseball cards.

Phillies first 15 games under Ryne Sandberg

And if you've missed my 2014 Topps breakdowns on my other blog, don't worry, I'll be back to those this week. I've had some stuff going on and since that one is the more research intensive of the two blogs, that's the one that has suffered over the last 10 days or so.

Sandberg Sunday - Cut to the Chase Coaster

Early on in the blog when I wasn't entirely sure what to write about, Sandberg Sundays were used as a crutch to help start off my week. It has been a while since I whipped one out but thanks to P-Town Tom from Waiting 'Til Next Year, it was time to dust the concept off. And not just as a crutch, but to show off a really neat piece of Sandberg memorabilia. I can't be entirely sure, but it might even be a 1/1!

A while back Tom posted a crafty project that turned a regular baseball card into a functional part of the mancave, a coaster. I don't consider myself a crafty person so even if this is easy, I would probably go through a packs worth of cards to make something a tenth as good as the one Tom sent me. And he used a die cut insert card of my all time favorite player to boot!
 

Ryne Sandberg Coaster

It even has a felt backing so my fancy schmancy Ikea mancave furniture doesn't get scratched. And even though I'm not a glitter guy, it does give it a nice touch and comes up all sparkly like. I wouldn't mind pulling one of these as an insert!

Now the only decision is do I actually use it as a coaster? Or display it Han Solo-in-carbonite style ala Jabba the Hut? Hmmm...

Thanks again, Tom!

Sandberg Sunday - 2013 Rookie Card Patch

Earlier last week I posted about a trade that netted me the Ryne Sandberg Cut to the Chase die-cut card. And just a few days ago I wrote about a couple of the HOF Cubs inserts I had picked up. And here is my latest Sandberg card for the player collection, a 2013 Manufactured Rookie Card Patch.

Unlike other manu-patch cards, this one I kind of like. It's not just a team logo, but a version of the player's rookie card. They are similar to the silk cards issued the past couple of years for current players if you've seen those. This is probably close to my tenth or so version of the 1983 Topps Ryne Sandberg rookie, so I may have to do a post on all of them soon.

The only other Cubs featured in this set is Ernie Banks. I have a line one of those and will update accordingly. Check out my 2013 Topps Want List page if you have any Cubs parallels or inserts I'm looking for, thanks!

Sandberg Sunday - Stand-Up Guys

A few weeks ago, I did a post on a bulk Cubs card package I picked up. The next day when I posted scans, I included some of the only Ryne Sandberg card in the package that I didn't already have. It was a 1998 Pinnacle Inside card from the Stand-Up Guys insert series. The card I received was card 14-A on one side (Sandberg and Craig Biggio) and 14-B on the other (Roberto Alomar and Chuck Knoblauch).

While doing a little organizing, I came across a stack of cards I had scanned but not yet put away and that card was in it. A quick search and price comparison on ebay and Sportlots yielded the other half. Card 14-C (Sandberg and Alomar) on one side, 14-D (Knoblauch and Biggio on the other) showed up last week.

And the two cards together, in action:

This set of cards will go into my Sandberg PC but I like the way these look so I have decided to pick up another pair to display on a shelf somewhere. 

Sandberg Sunday - Porcelain Rookie

Sorry, forgot to "publish" this post on time.

This piece is one of the oldest in my collection but I have no memory of how or when I obtained it. It is still in its original package which is a good thing. Had it been opened, it probably would not have survived the numerous moves I've made in the last 20 years or so that I've had it.

It comes with a wood base to display it. Sorry, solid wood base. None of that hollow stuff here.

It is licensed by both licensed and MLB. I can't find any manufacturing or copyright date on it other than the 1983 listed on the card. After a quick search on eBay, there was a 1989 Topps Traded Ken Griffey Jr with a similar numbered tag from the back of the package. There was also a 1992 Derek Jeter with a different COA layout, but the same drawing was used and also had hand numbering. So I'm guessing around 1990-1991.

Plus, a "Limited" Edition Card number of at least 107165 screams late '80s-early '90s mass production era. I'd be surprised if there were 107165 copies of a cardboard Ryne Sandberg Topps rookie still around.

Sandberg Sunday - Signed Autobiography

Last week in this space I featured Ron Santo's signed autobiography to honor to induction into the Hall of Fame. This week, I return to the more familiar Sandberg Sunday and will show off my Ryne Sandberg signed book. 

I received this as a present shortly after its release and read it pretty quickly. Which at the time, was unheard of for my age and the fact that it was a nonfiction book. It was published around the time of his first retirement and if I remember correctly really lit into the Cubs organization, Larry Himes specifically. 

I would have to say might be the prize of my collection. No, not the most valuable, but one of my most favorites. Why? It has everything I collect rolled into one!

• Book? Check
• Cubs? Check
• Ryne Sandberg? Check
• Autographs? Check

There you have it. To me, priceless. And compared to what he gives out now, this signature is a beauty! (Although, to give him credit, I hear he signs an awful lot of autographs as manager of the Iron Pigs.)

Not only all that,  but Harry Caray wrote the forward!

Second to Home by Ryne Sandberg

Sandberg Sunday - My Non-Sandberg Sandbergs

Confused by the title? Let me explain.

Recently, inspired by a few other bloggers, I've started appreciating and giving a second look to a lot of my cards as I'm organizing. Ever notice that when you learn or see something new, it seems to pop up all over the place?

That was the case as I was going through a box of hodgepodge cards. It was like every 25 cards or so, I spotted this same characteristic. Like I had created my own insert set. In the background of these cards was my favorite player Ryne Sandberg, playing his own game of Where's Waldo. Some are easily identifiable while others are speculation, but can reasonably assume its him. One of the perks of the overproduction era is that there plenty of opportunities such as these.

I remember noticing Sandberg on Reggie Smith's 1983 Topps card a few years after its release, when I first started collecting cards. I'm pretty sure I had this card before I had Ryno's own rookie card from that same year. I recently picked up the O-Pee-Chee version when I saw it.

Here are a couple of plays at the plate. I'm going to call him safe on the Greg Olson card but probably out on Gary Carter's. Not sure if it is a play at the plate or some kind of pickle but Carter looks like he means business. Also making a cameo on that card is Keith Hernandez.

I would guess these photos were taken at maybe All-Star game festivities or something because of the different teams featured. Also, Keith Hernandez makes another appearance on the Glenn Davis card.

A few stolen base attempts? My guess would be safe in the top two veritical cards. I never understood why card companies featured bad plays for the main player featured on the card. Sure they're up in the air but the plays were obviously miscues. The Walt Weiss could go either way. But the tag looks high so I'm going to call him safe. Ryno looks mad in the Treadway card and the umpire is about a half second away from pumping his right fist  to make the out call.

Obviously, Sandberg needed some better hitting behind him as here are seven cards where he was the force out at second base in what appear to be potential double plays. Jose seems to be a popular middle infielder name. Hopefully, he was able to break a few of those up.

These last set cards are the ones where I'm making an assumption. Had I not already had Sandberg on the brain, I may not have noticed. But based on my knowledge of my favorite player's posture and position of the player in the photograph, I'm comfortable with my guess.

Anybody else have any "cameo" cards in their player collections?

Sandberg Sunday - Another Canary

Don't forget to sign up for the Topps Series 2 Box Break!

Last year's Topps saw a 1/1 variation called Canary that was a yellow version of their Diamond Anniversary. I posted about the Ryne Sandberg edition in my first ever edition of Sandberg Sunday.

Well, right after Lineage came out last year, I picked up the Lineage Canary Ryne Sandberg as well. This one was less expensive than the original but still not what I would call cheap. The front has the same picture as the original Topps card although with a slightly different crop. The back has a write-up as opposed the career stats. The 1/1 designation is also on the back of this card as opposed the front of the other.

Sandberg Sunday - Absolute Memorabilia

During my time working at bookstores and libraries, I had an uncanny ability to remember book titles, covers and authors to find the customer exactly what they were looking for. Not quite a photographic memory but very handy when it came to work. I'd like to think this skill came from card collecting as a kid and young adult. Along with organizing all my cards (by number, by team, alphabetically), years of "got it, got it, need it, got it" while flipping through stacks of cards at the local card shops and shows became one of the unsung life skills that was finally paying off in the "real world".

Oh the simplicity of collecting before the 2000's. I used to know immediately whether or not I had a Ryne Sandberg card in my collection because if I had seen it before, I had it. As I catalogue my Ryne Sandberg collection my skill has been a double edged sword. Parallel numbered issues are the bane of my existence. Multiple parallel numbered issues in a rainbow of colors are the devil. My developing checklist will be ever so important in the future because for the first time, I came across a piece in my collection that I have absolutely no memory of buying or even seeing before. This ironically named Absolute Memorabilia framed piece:

It's from 2002 which was right around the time where an American flag was featured in just about everything. You may not be able to tell from the photo but in the bottom right hand corner (apparently I should have dusted this better before scanning), this piece is numbered 40/50. I believe these were a one-per-box insert for the product but I'm pretty sure I would never have been lucky enough to buy a box and pull a Sandberg. Which means it either came from eBay or a LCS. I really like the idea behind the piece (limited edition, autographed, some patches even if they weren't game used) but the execution of the framing leaves a lot to be desired.

There is a Certificate of Authenticity tucked into the back of the frame which has matching holographic stickers on both the frame backing and certificate. It bothers me that I have no recollection of acquiring this but there was a small window in which I temporarily re-entered the hobby and this was right about then. And if any other pieces of Sandberg or Cubs memorabilia want to secretly find their way into my collection, I won't complain.  It doesn't even have to be limited to 50 because I'm not that picky,

Sandberg Sunday - 1987 Rack Packs

I don't remember opening a whole lot of cello or rack packs back in the day. I tended to buy most of my cards one wax pack at a time. While the pack searchers of the day certainly weren't carrying scales to see which packs had hits, you almost never saw the rack packs with future Hall of Famers just sitting on the shelf. Plus the only inserts were shown right on the front in the form of those All-Star Commemorative cards. My first packs of cards were in 1985 but 1987 is the first set I remember trying to complete.

I'm not sure where exactly I picked these packs up but I vaguely remember getting at least one at a card show about 7-8 years ago. I do remember consciously buying these for my Ryne Sandberg collection with the intent to keep them unopened. I'm pretty sure I have more somewhere from other years and brands but these are the first I've come across as I've been organizing my collection. I didn't notice until I went to scan them in that one has a barcode on the front and the other has it on the back. No idea what that means, if anything, but the UPC number is the same.

Sorry collectors of Luis Quinones, Juan Nieves, and Mark Portugal but these rack packs from 1987 are not for sale.

I did not scan the backs of the packs but for those who are curious, the top pack shows Cory Snyder (Topps All-Star Rookie!), Ed Lynch (Cubs!) and Orel Hershiser (future Cy Young award winner!).

And not only does the bottom rack pack feature two (2!) Ryne Sandberg cards, the back middle card is the Chicago Cubs Team Leaders card! I'm not 100% sure but if I remember correctly, the front of that card featured Steve Trout and the Penguin, Ron Cey. The other two cards were Glen Braggs and Darryl Strawberry.