Frank Thomas collectors thread

[bustin_knuckles]

I must be blind because this looks nothing like his auto to me.
http://cgi.ebay.com/FRANK-THOMAS-AU...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35a8a72e0e

 

[Cobra29svt]

Ok guys, here is the flyer Wade kindly sent to me.



Also, yes...that is the Reserve Collection. Lance is the guy to talk to about this issue. Not sure if any of you remember, but this card was posted in this thread a ways back. Very underrated set, & to my knowledge that is the 1st copy to be sold on eBay.....ever (no joke). I'll try to go back & find out what page it was posted on.

 

[Cobra29svt]

Ok guys, had to go all the way back to page 45 to find the Reserve Collection stuff. Man...that sucked. Enjoy

 

[BunchOBull]

Thank you for all the info on the Reserves gentlemen. I'll keep my eyes open.

------

Recent pickup that I'm grateful to have considering the first I ever purchased was lost in the mail...glad to have it.

 

[mstng99tim]

His listing is down towards the bottom of Saturday's lineup (link below). I won't be going, but I may have a buddy of mine get me a bat signed by Frank. I already have a ball, 8x10, & 16x20 signed....so it's either a bat or a jersey.

http://www.tristarproductions.com/National/tickets.html

 

[gofrankgo]

Nice FanFest card Ross. A really tough card to find.

 

[Cobra29svt]

His listing is down towards the bottom of Saturday's lineup (link below). I won't be going, but I may have a buddy of mine get me a bat signed by Frank. I already have a ball, 8x10, & 16x20 signed....so it's either a bat or a jersey.

Well you can buy a auto'd bat much cheaper than they want just for the sig. I'd go for a jersey, but they are very costly to display properly.

 

[mstng99tim]

His listing is down towards the bottom of Saturday's lineup (link below). I won't be going, but I may have a buddy of mine get me a bat signed by Frank. I already have a ball, 8x10, & 16x20 signed....so it's either a bat or a jersey.

Well you can buy a auto'd bat much cheaper than they want just for the sig. I'd go for a jersey, but they are very costly to display properly.

Yeah, I noticed that after posting that earlier. I probably won't get anything signed now. I would probably go ahead and spend the money if I was able to go there and get it myself.

 

[oldtimer]

can some one tell me how to reply to a PM without getting this message each time
"You tried to send a private message to too many recipients.". I'm trying to reply to 1 person, not the entire membership.

 

[BunchOBull]

can some one tell me how to reply to a PM without getting this message each time
"You tried to send a private message to too many recipients.". I'm trying to reply to 1 person, not the entire membership.

If you open a message and read it and then click "reply" toward the bottom right of the message, it should be working. If not, it sounds like you may need to contact a moderator. Let us know if you can't get it working.

 

[Cobra29svt]

can some one tell me how to reply to a PM without getting this message each time
"You tried to send a private message to too many recipients.". I'm trying to reply to 1 person, not the entire membership.

Mine was doing the same thing yesterday. I wasn't sure if it was the 'auto-fill' config on this new computer, or if the site was just screwed up. Anyhow, it's been working fine ever since I disabled the auto-fill.

 

[aekdb535]

Thought I would show off my most unique item, a wood burned plaque. Wish I could take credit for this masterpiece, but it was created by a friend of the family. If anyone can guess the card this represents, they might get a prize! :mrgreen:

 

[Cobra29svt]

1993 Upper Deck On Deck #D24 - Frank Thomas

 

[aekdb535]

wow, 8 minutes, should have known better! PM me your address and I'll get something out in the mail to ya :mrgreen:

 

[Cobra29svt]

wow, 8 minutes, should have known better! PM me your address and I'll get something out in the mail to ya :mrgreen:

While I do appreciate the offer, there is no need for that. How about you just thank one of my posts.

 

[wadeinbmore]

Well I'm glad to see that the National pics got posted and that everyone is in the know! I still don't know if I'm going to attend as I've got a family vacation planned for the day that he is appearing...perhaps I can put the trip off a day or two ::facepalm::

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of corresponding with an employee at Louisville Slugger (LVS) who also is a 4th generation Hillerich...an heir apparent to the LVS dynasty. I currently have three Thomas LVS's in my collection. One from his rookie year in 1990 and two others showing labeling periods from 1991-1997. I put the following sheets together to show the bats (not the use) to see what information Brian could share with me. After each picture set is a description of what you are looking at and Brians responses.

___________________________________

The 1990 model LVS has proven to be one of the rarest and highly sought models during the modern age. The labeling scheme lasted for only one year (notice the empty space under the THOMAS brading) and given that 90 represents Thomas's short rookie year, these bats are seemingly few and far between (I know guys who have been collecting Frank GU for over a decade and have yet to own one). My bat shows great use (which you unfortunately can't see at this time) while also exhibiting an early auto of Big Frank. According to records at LVS this bat is consistent with his bat orders during 1990, however he couldn't inform me which order or why as the records where incomplete.

______________________________________

This was the first LVS that I was able to obtain for my collection. As you all probably already know, Thomas used LVS early on before switching to Worth and then Rawlings and finally Hoosier (major use tendancies ONLY as Frank did order other brands on occassion including LVS in 1996 and Kissimmee Stix in the mid 90's as well). This bat was believed to be a 90 or 91. Based on the labeling present on the barrel I'm calling it a 91. Brian was unsure if it was a FT finish or SFT finish...he didn't even know what an SFT finish was (when Thomas was using LVS in the early 90's, Brian was still in high school and not as involved in the family business). I did find it interesting to note that my two LVS, while both are blonde, they do exhibit a different look/finish. Given that they are relatively the same age, I wonder if this is an exhibition of the FT and the SFT finish.

_______________________________________

I originally purchased this bat only because it was a T158 model and different from my only other LVS at the time. This bat was traceable back to an order of 24 bats in 1996. It is a great example of how Thomas did use and tryout other bats from time to time...be it because of superstition (in a slump and get a hit with another bat), bats cracking too frequently (the confirmed reason why he switched from Rawlings to Hoosier towards the end of his career), or possibly needing a different weight option to swing...amongst other reasons. This bat is the only LVS that I own that is cracked and doesn't feature a Thomas auto.
________________________________________

I inquired as to why Thomas stopped using the LVS brand...while Brian couldn't say for sure he did close his response to me with the following thoughts (my rewording). Bats are merely just tools supplied by a manufactuer for the atheletes to use. Rawlings, Hoosier, and LVS alike are all vendors supplying the requested tools. Players have many different reasons for choosing what they like and use, so it's hard to say for sure why Thomas changed makers. Perhaps this is a question I can ask him if I go to the National :idea:

Glad to share with you guys. Sorry for the short book that I wrote. Hope you all appreciate it. Happy collecting.

 

[randyherth]

Thank you for all the info on the Reserves gentlemen. I'll keep my eyes open.

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Recent pickup that I'm grateful to have considering the first I ever purchased was lost in the mail...glad to have it.
quote]

Can't say that I have seen this one before...... I thought there was only the regular card version of this! Very nice!!

 

[randyherth]

I originally purchased this bat only because it was a T158 model and different from my only other LVS at the time. This bat was traceable back to an order of 24 bats in 1996. It is a great example of how Thomas did use and tryout other bats from time to time...be it because of superstition (in a slump and get a hit with another bat), bats cracking too frequently (the confirmed reason why he switched from Rawlings to Hoosier towards the end of his career), or possibly needing a different weight option to swing...amongst other reasons. This bat is the only LVS that I own that is cracked and doesn't feature a Thomas auto.
________________________________________

I inquired as to why Thomas stopped using the LVS brand...while Brian couldn't say for sure he did close his response to me with the following thoughts (my rewording). Bats are merely just tools supplied by a manufactuer for the atheletes to use. Rawlings, Hoosier, and LVS alike are all vendors supplying the requested tools. Players have many different reasons for choosing what they like and use, so it's hard to say for sure why Thomas changed makers. Perhaps this is a question I can ask him if I go to the National :idea:

Glad to share with you guys. Sorry for the short book that I wrote. Hope you all appreciate it. Happy collecting.

Wade, you have one awesome collection of Frank's bats!!!

 

[randyherth]

A few pickups over the past month or so of PSA10/BGS 9.5's that I did not previously have for very reasonable prices ($33, $26, & $12 respectively)

 

[Cobra29svt]

Get pick-up on that O-Pee-Chee Randy. On the bottom right, is that discoloration or the scan making it look like that?