Cards 59 + 60: A Pair of Gypsy Queen

Gypsy Queen has long been one of my more anticipated releases each year.  The formula for why I liked it was simple.

There was a limited number of parallels to collect.
There was a limited number of tobacco sized mini parallels to collect.
The design featured bold frames and artistic looking photos.

Many people think that Topps could do away with GQ because of Allen & Ginter.  For those of us that collect baseball cards for baseball players I disagree.  Ginter is great for those interested in hot dog eating champions and former MVPs of the disc golf tournaments, but for those of us that like an artistic set with minis Gypsy Queen was the best set to collect.

Card #58: Ginter Sketch Highlight

Over on CollectingCutch today I showed off a 1/1 Juan Rosales Series 2 Sketch card from 2018. 

While I haven't been able to land a 1/1 Clemente sketch yet, I do have an Allen and Ginter Highlight Sketches card.

The original (which is not in my possession unfortunately) was drawn by Chris Henderson.  It looks like the reference image Chris used was the same image used for yesterday's stick I posted.

Chris Henderson experienced some health issues back in 2017. From what I've read he is back to working now. 

To purchase items from Chris please visit his eBay here.

Card #57: Sticker Time

As a kid I collected the Panini sticker albums for various sports. 

Topps brought back the sticker concept and even used some legends for their set.

2013 Topps Sticker #212

Card #56: Not Joshin Ya, These Guys Are Legends

It has been a long time since I posted on this blog.  Over 6 months actually.  I really want to get back on track with posting here more regularly.

Maybe this card Will help bring some views back?

This 2018 Heritage High Number Clubhouse Collection quad relic features a pair of Hall of Fame Pirates Legends and a pair of fan favorite Joshes.

Josh Harrison is still a free agent and will likely land a role as a utility player on a contending team looking to upgrade their bench.

Josh Bell has finally solved the platoon 1st baseman position the Pirates have employed since 2010 by being his own platoon partner with his switch hitting prowess.

If you aren't familar with Roberto Clemente or Willie Stargell, well you need to catch up on your baseball history because these guys are legends.

Card #55: Framed Reprint Rookie

This will have to be a worthy substitute until I can add an authentic 1955 Topps to the collection.

The back is awesome too.

I have always been a fan of these framed rookie reprints.  They're museum quality pieces. This particular example is the silver frame /99 parallel from 2014. 

Card #54: Let's Play A Game

The 1968 Topps Game pieces have been getting released again in recent years thanks to sets like Heritage and Archives.

The originals surprisingly sell for very little considering the star power involved.

Roberto Clemente had been labeled as "Double" for his card.

Clemente had 440 career doubles.

Former face of the Pirates resurgence, Andrew McCutchen, got the same treatment for his release in the 2017 Heritage set.

Card #53: Beautiful Photography

I promise to get better with my updates on this blog.  I have scanned in about 40 Clemente cards so that I can do more regular updates here.

I never got a chance to see Clemente play in person having been born a decade after his death. 

From all the video footage, articles, and photos I have seen I can only imagine how great it must have been to see him play in his prime.

I often knock on Topps for using the same photos over and over, but Stadium Club is a release that they get right year after year.

Take this 2008 Stadium Club base card for example.

Such an awesome image and unique angle of Clemente holding the bat like he is a sniper.

The back features the same image along with career stats.