1990 Topps & 2012 Archives Shawon Dunston

Shawon Dunston was one of my favorite players growing up. He is the only number one overall draft pick in Cubs history and just turned the big 5-0 last week. For my money, there was no better double play combination than Dunston to Ryne Sandberg to Mark Grace when I was growing up. Has there been any three infielders on any team that have played together longer than that since? I assume before free agency and such there were. But since?

Anyway, Dunston played hard and threw hard although from what I remember, he often made Grace earn his paycheck over at first. I've been slowly scanning my Cubs collection into my computer and got to these Dunston cards. I've been sitting on the original 1990 Topps version for twenty years.

1990 Topps Shawon Dunston

1990 Topps Shawon Dunston back

I was so glad when Topps included him in last year's Archives set, even as a short print. I've said it before but the Cubs have a pretty deep roster of fan favorites that Topps doesn't have to keep going to the same well of Hall of Famers. Especially if they're just going to keep recycling the same half dozen photos anyway.

2012 Topps Archives Shawon Dunston SP

Dunston got stuck with purple borders in the original 1990 set. I'm not normally big on orange either but this is a pretty sharp card.

2012 Topps Archives Shawon Dunston SP back

The content on the back is more or less the same as the original from 1990. It was brightened so it looks more like a Topps Traded card from that late 80's-early 90's era. They also scrunched it up a little so they could add another Topps logo on the bottom left (denoting it as a reprint) and a Cooperstown Collection logo on the bottom right. There's also a bunch more legal copyright mumbo jumbo between the new logos.

And the main reason behind the post, is that I finally got around to picking up the certified autograph version of the 2012 Archives Fan Favorites card. The on card autograph as opposed to a sticker is a great bonus too!

2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Shawon Dunston Autograph

I don't think these ever really exceeded the $10 range other than maybe the first couple up on eBay or at a card shop/show in the Chicagoland area. I wasn't actively pursuing it but it has been on my list since it was released last year. I stumbled across a listing and managed to get this one for just over $5 with shipping so I'm very happy with this pickup.

2012 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Shawon Dunston back

The back is the same as the short print Archives version aside from the card number. I'm also keeping my eyes open for the certified autograph of Bill Buckner from the set if anybody has one.