Baseball Cards

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor Superheroes. Old School designs. Popular sports releases. Upper Deck has used these elements to create 2013 Marvel Fleer Retro trading cards – taking a popular new brand from its sports edition into the comic world. Each display box will contain two mini boxes with 10 five-card packs in each mini box. Marvel Fleer Retro is scheduled to release in August. Marvel Fleer Retro will feature a 60-card base set. Inserts will use many old designs including 1990, 1991 and 1992 Marvel Universe sets, 1994 Fleer UltraX-Men and 1995 Marvel Metal set. Fleer was also known for its Precious Metal Gems and Upper Deck will not be leaving those out. Collectors can find at least one Precious Metal Gems in every display box of Red (numbered to 100), Blue (#’d to 50) or Green (#’d to 10) of the Marvel Metal set. Upper Deck will also bring some retro sports designs that have been popular to Marvel such as 1997-98 Jambalaya, 1997-98 Fleer Metal Hardware, 1997-98 Ultra Stars and 1998-99 Skybox Intimidation Nation. These will fall two per mini box. Other hits include autographs (two in every display box), 1-of-1 Sketch Cards and randomly inserted 1-of-1 Press Plates, Holograms, Power Blast and Stickers Here’s a list of the Retro designs included and odds: ? 1990 Impel (Marvel Universe!) – (1:12) ? 1991 Impel (Marvel Universe!) – (1:15) ? 1992 Impel (Marvel Universe!) – (1:20) ? 1995 Fleer Marvel Metal Design – (1:10) ? 1994 Fleer Ultra X-Men – (1:5) ? 98-99 Skybox Intimidation Nation – (1:30) ? 97-98 Fleer Metal Hardware – (1:60) ? 97-98 Fleer Ultra Stars – (1:40) ? 97-98 Skybox Z-Force Quick Strike – (1:40) ? 97-98 Metal Universe Titanium – (1:40) ? 1994 Marvel Universe S5 Power Blast – (1:33) ? Fleer Retro Base Set Auto – (1:10) ? 1990 Impel Marketing Design Auto – (1:576) ? 1991 Impel Marketing Design Auto – (1:720) ? 1992 Impel Marketing Design Auto – (1:960) ? Fleer Retro Stickers – (1:10) ? 97-98 Jambalaya Design – (1:200) Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook and Twitter.

Back in 2012 I had an article appear in The Wrapper #265 that compared the vastly similar Space Cards and Target: Moon issues and attempted to date each set as the conventional hobby wisdom had them both coming out at the same time in 1957 or '58. I was able to determine Space Cards had been issued in 1957 and Target: Moon (the blue backed edition) had come out sometime after mid-1958 due to differences in the Bazooka advertising on the wrappers. My conclusion on Target: Moon was that is had likely been issued in 1962 but that there was a possible date range of mid-1958 to mid-1963. I won't bore you with the details but you can read all about it here.Thanks to a Target: Moon penny box proof being offered in the latest Legendary auction, another piece of the puzzle has been revealed. This proof gives us a good look at the box bottom, which along with the indicia on many period wrappers, is often the best way to glean information about the peculiarities of certain sets. The proof is magnificent:I'll flip it around so you can read it but the red copyright strip on what would be the box bottom is a big clue as to possible time frame, as is the inclusion of a Blony "hint" on the back panel. The first thing to notice though is that the Bazooka gum tab shown states "Topps" and not "The Atom" on the red triangle portion, which confirms the mid 1958 or later date of issue.Blony will be revisited in a minute but lets check out the copyright strip up close:The address is our quarry here as it states Brooklyn 32, N.Y., which is proper since it should predate the use of ZIP codes which came into use on July 1, 1963. The colored bar of copyright, and manufacturing information first saw use by Topps in 1955 and stopped in 1963. Here are some other box bottoms for comparison. First 1957 Baseball:An exact match (not always the case). Here is a 1962 Baseball Bucks box:It's blurry but there is a "32" postal designation in the color bar. By 1963 the color bar was gone as a new style was introduced but the "32" was still there, at least in the beginning of the year as this 1963 Baseball box shows:1963's Beverly Hillbillies was similar to the above:Not all issues follow these patterns. There is a 1961 Baseball box with no color bar and no "32" and some 1964 Baseball boxes have no indicia on the bottom at all (possibly due to the ZIP code changeover) and to further confuse things a 1965 Outer Limits box still has the "32" plus a PO Box number as it identifies Topps alter-ego Bubbles, Inc. but I think you get my drift; the color bar disappears in 1963, so Target: Moon would have been issued before then. The "32" slowly faded away and a Brooklyn, N.Y. address without it or a ZIP code followed. Around the time of the move to Duryea in 1966 a 11232 ZIP code came into play until Brooklyn itself was banished in mid-1969 as Topps abandoned their roots for good.Now what about that furshlugginer Blony ad? As we know, Topps acquired the brand when it bought Bowman in 1956. I don't know when Blony ads featuring the "rainbow" bubble shown on the Target: Moon box started showing up in earnest once Topps redesigned that brand's wrapper so that's no help, although it was identified as a "twin" pack (2 pieces) in some 1957 product ads (the rainbow pack is not a twin pack). Blony continued on, spasmodically, into the 1970's but underwent another redesign in 1969. As of now, I am still sticking with my 1962 estimated issue date for Target: Moon and hoping to develop a little more information on the Blony graphics to nail the date down better. As always, readers thoughts are appreciated.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor Wacky Packages have made a comeback over the last couple of years with new releases from Topps. The next installment – Wacky Packages All New Series 11 trading card stickers – comes out in late September with items for adults and children to collect. The newest Wacky Packages will make fun of toys, video games, TV shows, cereal and more just the way fans of the series have come to expect. Topps will release hobby and retail versions of the product with plenty of incentive to pick up the Collector’s Edition (hobby release) for extra hits and content. The base will consist of 128 stickers with 55 base of A and B variations, nine Coming Distractions (parodies of upcoming movies) and nine Rude Food (joke menus from national restaurant chains) inserts – both new subsets. The base set and subsets will have parallels: Blue (standard packs only), Silver (standard packs only), Gold and Cloth. Inserts will feature Magnet Cards and Coloring Cards. The Collector’s Edition, only found as a hobby release, of Wacky Packages will offer collectors more than they usually get. Collectors will get one hit in every box from one of the following: Sketch cards, Shaped Sketch ards, Printing Plates, Artist Autographs, Classic Comedian Autographs, Buy Backs and Patch Relics. In addition, collectors will get a Pencil Drawing, two die-cut base cards, one bonus sticker and a Ludlow Black Commemorative in every box. Topps included some rare hits in Wacky Packages. Lost Wacky (buy backs) and Ludlow Red Commemoratives cards will be case hits, and Gold parallels will fall at a rate of three in every case. Collector’s Edition will also include one Wacky Oversized Billboard in every box. Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Beckett Media on Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to view the embedded video. Join Beckett Baseball‘s Chris Olds and Brian Fleischer as they rip into boxes of 2013 Topps Museum Collection in this latest edition of Box Busters. What will they find inside? Watch and find out … How can you win a Brandon Phillips patch auto we pulled? Leave a comment below (include your email address in the proper field) and maybe let @datdudeBP know on Twitter that we’re giving away his card. We’ll pick someone at random from all entries received before May 31.

So the Rangers manage to pull off a last game win before the A's leave town. Oakland wins the series but Texas avoids the sweep and stays up 5.5 games.The real hero of the afternoon was Ross Wolf, the spot starter making his first Major League start after being called up from Triple A. Wolf's road in professional baseball has been rocky at times and he may not be done with the down parts yet but he shined yesterday. Five solid innings with only one earned run. Much more than anyone could have expected from a converted reliever with no Major League starts.David Murphy, shown here on card number 603 of the 2011 Topps Diamond Anniversary set, made sure Wolf had some support by belting a two run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Adrian Beltre followed in the same inning with a solo shot to give the Rangers three runs.Three runs was all the pitching staff needed thanks to an excellent two inning outing by veteran call-up Neal Cotts and flawless performances by Robbie Ross and Joe Nathan. That sealed the 3-1 victory.Nice to see the team back in the win column again. Today's a day off as the team heads to Seattle. Hopefully the extra day of rest will let some of the bumps and bruises heal and allow the offense to find their bats again.

....can you catch a baby while holding a foul ball?

2013 Topps UFC Knockout has several Ronda Rousey autographs. However, some of the best come as an unannounced surprise. Get details on these autographs, including one that also includes a chance to win a meet and greet with the popular fighter.

2002 Topps Super Teams ‘Super Teammates’ Starring Lou Brock & Bob Gibson It would be very hard to note like a card that featured Cardinals legends Lou Brock and Bob Gibson.  And if you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan, you would probably tag this card as a ‘Must Have’. Check it out: While the design is not thrilling, in my opinion, it is still a pretty nice looking card.  I would have rather had seen this one feature a bit more of St. Louis in the card – maybe Yellow instead of Blue, and the arch implemented into the design would be pretty nice as well… Still – anytime you can add a card of these two great HOFers to your collection, it is worth doing.

This will likely be my final post on the Topps 2013 Museum Baseball card set. Unless, of course, a rare bat nameplate card pops up. Then, I'm probably going to go a little gaga over it. Anyway, to check out my previous post on this set go here. Featured here are the various insert and relic cards that can be found in the set. This grouping does not include examples of every possible card out there - just the ones that have made the light of day. Below is the Kershaw Canvas Collection card. Canvas Collection Cards #CC-18 Clayton Kershaw Below is an original drawing of the card. Canvas Collection Originals #CCO-CK Clayton Kershaw JUMBO Lumber Relics #MMJLR-CK Clayton Kershaw #MMJLR-DGO Dee Gordon #MMJLR-HR Hanley Ramirez #MMJLR-MK Matt Kemp #MMJLR-SG Steve Garvey #MMJLR-ZG Zack Greinke Below is a jumbo relic book card of Kemp and Garvey. Unfortunately, this is the only card I have run across. Two other Dodger cards exist. They are a Kershaw/ Mattingly card and a Kershaw/ Lincecum card. Dual JUMBO Lumber Relics #MMDJL-KG Steve Garvey - Matt Kemp Momentous Material JUMBO Relics #MMJR-AE Andre Ethier #MMJR-AGO Adrian Gonzalez #MMJR-CBI Chad Billingsley #MMJR-CK Clayton Kershaw #MMJR-HR Hanley Ramirez A Jumbo Patch Relic cards of Ethier and Kershaw also exist to go along with the Billingsley card below. Momentous Material JUMBO Patch Relics #MMJPR-CBI Chad Billingsley Momentous Material Dual JUMBO Relic #MMDJR-KE Matt Kemp - Andre Ethier #MMDJR-VK Justin Verlander - Clayton Kershaw Primary Pieces Quad Relics #PPQR-CB Chad Billingsley #PPQR-CK Clayton Kershaw #PPQR-DG Dee Gordon #PPQR-HR Hanley Ramirez #PPQR-MK Matt Kemp Primary Pieces Quad Legend Relics #PPQRL-JR Jackie Robinson Primary Pieces Quad Player Relics #PPFQR-4 Sandy Koufax - Steve Garvey - Andre Ethier - Matt Kemp #PPFQR-6 Jackie Robinson - Robinson Cano - Ian Kinsler - Dustin Pedroia #PPFQR-14 Tim Lincecum - Sandy Koufax - Clayton Kershaw - Matt Cain #PPFQR-17 Yonder Alonso - Tony Gwynn - Adrian Gonzalez - Andre Ethier * Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes * * Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook * * Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Moved up to AAA Rochester in 1991, Jack Voigt's stay was supposed to be brief, his hometown Sarasota Herald-Tribune wrote.Instead, he started to hit, and earned himself a more permanent chance to make it to the next promotion, to the majors, according to The Herald-Tribune."I feel like I'm having a pretty solid year," Voigt told The Herald-Tribune. "I think I've shown some people that I can handle this level of play."Voigt wouldn't take that next step until the next season, and then only for a game. But Voigt eventually would show that he could handle a major league level of play. Before his career was out, Voigt would see time in a total of seven big league campaigns, 294 contests.Voigt's professional career began in 1987, taken by the Orioles in the ninth round of the draft, out of Louisiana State University. Voigt went to LSU out of Venice High School in Florida. With LSU, Voigt helped the team to the 1987 College World Series.With the Orioles, Voigt started at short-season Newark in 1987, then hit single-A Hagerstown in 1988. He first made AA in 1990, then AAA Rochester in 1991.It was in 1992 that Voigt got his first call to Baltimore. That August, he got into a single game for the Orioles, without getting a plate appearance.He then returned to Baltimore in 1993, getting into 64 games, hitting .296. He played mostly in the outfield, but also got time at first and third, as well as DH.That August, Voigt recalled to The Baltimore Sun his conversation with Baltimore manager Johnny Oates after Oates informed Voigt he was headed back to AAA."He told me to go down and work hard and be ready," Voigt told The Sun. "And the last thing I said to him going out was, 'Thanks very much for the chance, and I will be back.' And he looked at me and said, 'I know you will.' "In 1994, Voigt got into another 59 games, hitting .241. In 1995, Voigt got into a total of 33 big league games, traded mid-season to Texas.After a 1996 campaign where he saw just five games with the Rangers, Voigt returned to the majors with Milwaukee in 1997 and Oakland in 1998, getting into 72 games and 57 games, rounding out his big league career.Along the way, Voigt continued playing multiple positions, including each outfield slot and the corners of the infield. In October 1993, Voigt credited his willingness to do what was needed with getting him to the majors, according to The Herald-Tribune."The main thing for me was that I had to take advantage of every opportunity," Voigt told The Herald-Tribune. "I was intent on contributing in whatever role they used me for."His major league time done, Voigt continued playing in the minors into 2000. That final year, Voigt also became a hitting coach for AAA Oklahoma. He has continued in baseball since, serving as a coach and manager in the minors, as well as a scout. For 2013, Voigt is serving with the Mets as minor league outfielder and baserunning coordinator.Sarasota Herald-Tribune, July 10, 1991: Venice's Voigt More Than a Fill-In, Part 2Baltimore Sun, Aug. 7, 1993: Voigt makes most of few minutesSarasota Herald-Tribune, Oct. 19, 1993: Voigt no overnight success1990 CMC-Pro Cards Tally Players/Coaches Featured:1,143Made the Majors: 666 - 58.3%-XNever Made Majors: 477-41.7%5+ Seasons in the Majors: 289-X10+ Seasons in the Minors: 173