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MrMopar's New Dodgers Autograph Thread (and other interesting items on a slow mailday)

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mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
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Wonder if I will have a 2nd mail day again today? If not, this will be it for the day. It's kind of a big one though.

Jim Thome /10. Thome does not have a lot of Dodger cards in general and he is the kind of guy that is fun to pick up team specific autograph cards when players only briefly play for a team but go on to greatness with another team or have great careers and then make a pit stop somewhere else on their way to retirement.Thome.jpg
 

WizardofOz1982

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2017
1,733
1,498
Oklahoma
Wonder if I will have a 2nd mail day again today? If not, this will be it for the day. It's kind of a big one though.

Jim Thome /10. Thome does not have a lot of Dodger cards in general and he is the kind of guy that is fun to pick up team specific autograph cards when players only briefly play for a team but go on to greatness with another team or have great careers and then make a pit stop somewhere else on their way to retirement.View attachment 118588

Nice looking card. I'd forgotten he ever played for the Dodgers actually.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,169
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2 from COMC

Chin-Lung Hu. From Taiwan, he never did much at the MLB level, but did string together 5 years, 4 with LA and 1 with the Mets. He his a collective .176 in 118 games. Not sure how he faired in his native land, but MLB was a bust for him. The Dodgers didn't give up or get much in return (minor leaguer) the trade that sent him to NY. Chin-Lung-Hu.jpg

Russell Martin. Triple-Relic-Autograph---Russell-Martin-(LAD).jpg

2 in the mailbox...

Don Newcombe /5. Newk 5.jpg

Al oliver Archives /22. Oliver 22.jpg
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,169
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Still not sure how excited I feel for a Black Friday COMC sale. I used to look forward to it each year, but as they got bigger and the wait expended each time, it became less and less appealing. Then, I believe last year was the first time they didn't offer the free shipping deal. Now, any regular order takes months instead of weeks. I'll still probably see if there are any nice discounts of cards most people wouldn't buy to begin with, but I am not sure about requesting a delivery.

Anyway, I did a little pre Holiday shopping today and picked up a few cards, who knows when I will actually have them in my hands though...

Matt Kemp. Matt-Kemp.jpg
James McDonald. McDonald pitched for the Dodgers from 2008-2010. He was 5-6 in 53 games before he was traded to Pittsburgh with Andrew Lambo for Octavio Dotel and cash.
James-McDonald.jpg
Brian Myrow. Myrow played 19 games for the 2005 Dodgers, hitting a nice round .200. The Dodgers had given up Tanyon Sturtze to the Yankees for Myrow a year earlier and left via free agency. Nice that he got a certified card, but one of the guys only someone like me could care less about. Interesting factoid about Sturtze...the Dodgers really must have seen something in him. He joined the team 4 times between 2003-2009, finally making a MLB appearance with the team in 2008.

December 19, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

March 30, 2004: Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

April 8, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

May 15, 2004: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Yankees for Brian Myrow.

December 7, 2007: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

September 6, 2008: Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

February 10, 2009: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

April 30, 2009: Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He pitched 3 games for them that year, and bowed out of baseball.Brian-Myrow.jpg
Franquelis Osoria /10. I don't know why, as this guy will never be valuable, but I have always loved lower serial numbered auto of scrubs. Osoria was 0-4 in 36 games for the 2005-06 Dodgers.Franquelis-Osoria.jpg

Carlos Rincon. Perhaps there is a chance Rincon still can do good things at the MLB level. As of his last season in the minors, he was 21/22 in 2019. Time will tell... Carlos-Rincon.jpg
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,169
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I'll start out with a gift from someone on another board. I had answered a thread/question they had posted and we ended up texting back and forth about Garvey and then he sent me a couple photos of Garvey items he was getting rid of. I had never seen anything like this, although my guess is that it was a ad/note pad type item that was either meant for a signing (when someone had nothing else) or they were just giving them away to advertise the club. Garvey was a subject of a Sports Impressions statue, so it is possible they hosted him at some sort of club or show signing. Either way, neat item and I can't pass up a free Garvey autograph! Thank you Jack, if you venture to this site and see this.

This is a slightly thinner than card stock disc with an ad on the back for the Sport Impressions Collector's Club. Personalized to Jack, a Steve Garvey autograph in blue sharpie.

IMG_8057.jpgIMG_8058.jpg

I am not sure how much longer I can stomach fighting for untested prospect cards. I did not pay a lot, less than $10 delivered, but most of these guys go on to be duds! $10 will be an extreme overpayment if he fails to make a splash, given that I have had almost no luck selling dud autographs on ebay at 99 cents! Anyway, this is Marshall Kasowski. He is a big right hander (6'3" 215lb), but he is already 25 and has not seen above AA yet. However, Topps feels he is worthy of his very own autograph card, so here we are! At least hope he makes the club at the MLB level. My collection of Dodger certified cards of players who never actually played for them at ther MLB level is growing by the year! I hate the prospecting game...

Kasowski.jpg

The recent Thome was one of the cards I was excited for, but I actually already had a couple signed Dodger cards. For this guy I did not, plus I really like the design. I only had 1 signature previously, so glad I can convert one to a Dodger signature. Former Cy Young winner David Price. However, Price came over from Boston in the Mookie Betts deal, but did not play in 2020. He opted out due to Corona Virus concerns. So, technically, he has not played for the Dodgers yet! Perhaps a good decision for his heath and that of his family, but he might have to be reconsidering that decision after LA won the World Series this year! Hopefully Price will join the team and that we'll see a more regular season in 2021. Even if he never plays a single game in the Dodger uniform, he will have a certified Dodgers card and that is good enough for me. Price.jpg

Wrapping it up with a lot of 6 3X5s. Mostly obscure guys that I don't see as often as many of the others. Always happy to add duplicate 3x5s of lesser seen obscure players. Someday, I may even convert some to custom Dodger cut signature cards.

Don Crow. Crow.jpg
John Duffie. Duffie.jpg
Billy Harris Harris.jpg
Bob O'Brien. O'brien.jpg
Bob Ramazzotti. Ramazzotti.jpg
Jean Pierre Roy Roy.jpg
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
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Garvey /11. Garvey 11.jpg

Bobby Morgan Heritage Red /58. Morgan Red 58.jpg

Al Oliver Snapshot Gold /10. Oliver 10.jpg

The last item is a Jaime Jarrin postcard, signed. I saw an unsigned one sell for nearly what the seller wanted for this signed one, so I grabbed it. Jarrin .jpg
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
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A couple COMC buys on a Turkey no-mail day. I spent all of my COMC bank and have nothing left for s/h. Of course, I have added $ many times before. I will see what, if any, benefits there are to a TG/Black Monday shopping spree. I can add some $ if it looks promising or I can add enough to buy a couple cheapies, ship my cards and possibly end my nearly decade long relationship with these guys dating back to 2011 with 1 or more shipments annually since. I hate to say it, but seriously, the massive shipping delays is ridiculous. Despite covid hurdles, these guys have really dropped the ball. Apparently they want to play the auction game now and that is where their resources apparently go. I am guessing this pays better commissions. I have always enjoyed combining my cards and shipping later, but the "later" part has gotten worse each year and now with covid, I wonder if I can expect to get my 2020 shipment before 2022! I kid, but it may not be that far off from what I have seen. I hope for the best, because COMC is still a pretty decent option and would hate to see them drive this into the ground.

Rafael Furcal /25. I am finding it harder to find/win the blues (25 copies, hobby only) this year for some reason, which is weird, because the player selection is much worse than in recent years, at least for my collecting taste. I'll still plug away, but not willing to spend $15-20 or more on most of these. Rafael-Furcal.jpg

I am pretty happy about this one. I do like single team multiples and this is a triple. It's too bad (and a little good) that the star power is lacking though. Good because I can pay less, but bad because it's only got 1/3 goodness. I guess Billingsley had an OK career. 8 seasons with LA (2006-13) and 1x AS, so call it a 1/3 dud instead. Matt Kemp/Chad Billingsley/James McDonald /30. Chad-Billingsley-James-McDonald-Matt-Kemp.jpg
 

mrmopar

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Jan 19, 2010
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Johnny Podres 1956 SI. Have the similar vintage Snider and Labine covers signed too, think I still need Newk. I did not notice the Dodger sticker covering the address label spot when I bid. I don't mind the early labels, but creative way to clean it up if you dislike the labels.
Podres.jpg

Frank Robinson. This was pretty cheap. Signed on probably the worse possible spot of the photo aside from the stands and apparently it was personalized and the name was removed, mostly. You can still see it faintly. Robinson's tenure with LA was brief, so I love stuff from that time. if only he had been with the team the entire decade of the 60s! Robinson.jpg
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
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Joe Pignatano Archives. Joe is one of the last 15 former Brooklyn Dodgers who remain among the living. He appeared in 8 games for the 1957 Brooklyn team and hit .214 in 14 AB. He would play 3 additional partial seasons with LA before being purchased by the KC Athletics in 1961. He would also play for the Giants and end his career with the expansion NY Mets in 1962. Pig.jpg

Charlie Manuel base Archives. This goes along with the Purple and silver I won earlier. Still have not been able to reel in a blue /25, but there is still hope one day!Manuel Base.jpg

Juan Samuel. A near former NL ROY in 1984 (he lost to Doc Gooden), Samuel enjoyed 2 decent years in LA in 1990-91, including his 3rd AS appearance in 1991. He came to LA via the Mets, who traded him to the Dodgers for Alejandro Pena and Mike Marshall. He was released by LA in June of his 3rd season, 1992. The Royals would pick him up and he would extend his career through 1998, playing for a variety of different clubs (5) from 1992-1998. Samuel.jpg

Franklin Stubbs. Stubbs.jpg

My final item is a team signed ball, but not what you might think. I actually had made an offer on another ball this seller was offering (1969 Dodgers), and probably should have just paid the asking price, since the ball was scooped up at the BIN price before the seller could even reply! I noticed they had several balls and decided to make an offer on this one and it was accepted. I think I got a steal. This is listed as a 1970 California Angels team ball. I did not do the research to verify before buying, but the ball is loaded with some decent names. I don't do a lot of non-flat items, especially balls. Most are Dodgers related, aside from a few Mariners team balls. This had some some good names and of course, since I am mentioning it here, there are some LA connections.

When I started deciphering the names it appears that this is actually a 1969 team ball, not 1970.

1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg6.jpg

Dodger connections include now all deceased Rocky Bridges, Sweet Lou Johnson, Jay Johnstone, Lefty Phillips & HOFer Hoyt Wilhelm (He signed it in two spots!). The lone living LA connection is Phil Ortega.

A couple other notable names include Jim McGlothlin, Aurelio Rodriguez, Jim Spencer, Sandy Alomar Sr & Jim Fregosi. Again, all but 1 are now deceased (Alomar).

Ortega was in his final MLB season in 1969 and only appeared in 5 games for the club. He has been a notably tough signature, apparently not keen on signing in general.

Phillips was a scout for the Dodgers from 1952-64, and was credited with signing Don Drysdale, Ron Fairly, Sparky Anderson among others. He was then a pitching coach for LA from 1965-68. He joined the Angels in 1969 as their 2nd manager, replacing the only other manager the team ever had in Bill Rigney, and held that position through the 1971 season, before being replaced by Del Rice. Phillips was apparently working as a scout for the Angels when he died in June 1972 at the age of 53 from an asthma attack.

Read on for a few facts about a couple other names on the ball, although there is no LA connection to these men.

Rodriguez had a long career, but might be most well known in the hobby for his rookie card, a 1969 Topps in which he was not even pictured. The Angels bat boy, Leonard Garcia, posed in his place. The heart of his career was played out in Detroit during nearly the entire 1970s decade. He retired in 1983, a member of the Chicago White Sox. Sadly, Detroit was the place of his demise in 2000 at the age 52, when as a pedestrian on the sidewalk, he was run over by a car driven by someone who had just suffered a stroke and lost control of the vehicle.

McGlothlin's story is a sad one. He had some success as a pitcher in the late 60s with the Angels, including an AS appearance in 1967 when the 23 year old hurler has 6 shutouts on his way to a 12-8 record. 1969 would be his last with California though, as he was traded to Cincinnati with Pedro Borbon and would go on to help the club as they were building the Big Red Machine. He appeared in the World Series for the Reds in 1970 and 1972, 1 game each season. Before the Reds would return to the Playoffs in 1973, he was traded to the White Sox, but his career was over by the end of the season at age 29.

In early 1975, he was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer, but a surgery the following month revealed that the initial diagnosis was incorrect. It turned out, he had a rare form leukemia and it seemed unresponsive to treatment. His last wish was to live to see Christmas and spend it with his wife and 3 young children. He didn't quite make it, dying 12/23/75 at the age of 32.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
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A few COMC pick-ups as I inch towards requesting a final shipment that apparently won't be here until March 2021 and I live in WA (not that location matters, it's all shipped - Another gripe I have, why have they never allowed an in person order pick-up for those close enough to be able to do it?!) Unless I pay $25 s/h, then I get it right before Christmas. Priority mail normally gets me something in 2-3 days. I tell you, this is completely unacceptable and I would rather wait the 3 months on principal than pay $25 for an expedited service that is not really expedited. Covid or not, this is stupid.

3 Chad Billingsley cards. Chad-Billingsley.jpgChad-Billingsley-1.jpgChad-Billingsley-2.jpg

Edwin Jackson. Edwin-Jackson.jpg

Jeren Kendall Heritage Minors. Jeren-Kendall.jpg

I have just under $2 of prepaid store credit to burn up, and that will leave me with the required $5.44 for shipping that buys me 3 month shipping service! Whoo hoo!

I will say so that I am not 100% negative, that if you don't care when you actually see the cards or if you just plan ahead and know you will have to wait this long, it is still one of the best ways to get a lot of cards shipped cheaply. The problem is, it used to take about 2 weeks or less to get your cards when you were ready. Growing pains!

There is another thing that is driving me crazy, with ebay mainly, which previously made COMC so appealing before their shipping issues. Now that just about everyone is charging at least $4 for a single package, plus many of us are kicking in the extra sales tax too, it is getting very costly to buy single cards, forcing you to use COMC or similar for cheaper singles. Never has there been a better time to say you can't afford to continue collecting any longer, and mean it just on the extras!
 
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mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,169
4,058
Will have to split this mail day into two posts. The USPS delays are causing a lot of bunching around weekends and especially the Holidays. first will be the certified Dodgers, maybe the largest haul i have had in some time. Nothing exciting, except maybe the last one.

Michael Busch. Busch.jpg
AJ Ellis. Ellis.jpg
Kody Hoese. Hoese.jpg

Marshall Kasowski. Kasowski 150.jpg
Matt Kemp. Kemp.jpg
Keibert Ruiz Ruiz.jpg
Will Smith /150 Smith.jpg
Brandon Trinkwon. Trinkwon.jpg

Tim Wallach Archives /9 Wallach 9.jpg
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,169
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Part II includes former/future Dodger certified cards

juan Marichal. Marichal.jpg

Al Oliver. oLIVER aRCH.jpg

The last card is kind of a biggie for me. Each year since 2017, I have been hitting archives pretty hard each year. The first year, i was trying to get the 4 card run of everyone except for the biggies. When I won the gold Billy Bean (the player I most wanted from the set to begin with), I decided i would try to get the complete 5 card run of at least 1 player each year. Before 2017 ended, I had racked up several other full runs, including Mark Langston, Tony Pena, Jim Joyce, Mike Scott & Brian Jordan! Not sure how I swung that, as i don't pay a ton for any of them. The following year, 2018, I was able to get Charles Nagy & Gary Pettis. I also own the Jim Leyland gold and blue /25, but never bothered to get the rest for some reason. Maybe I will go back some day and complete that run.

In 2019, I ended up with 2 golds initially, Erig Gagne and Jeff Reardon. Like Leyland the year before, I also have the blue Reardon /25, but just have not been able to find the silver and base Reardon's at MY price. there are plenty out there and they are not too terribly expensive, but I just don't want to overpay, especially with everyone wanting $4-5 for s/h and the sales tax on top! Now i have never seen a purple Gagne, so I may have that run complete with base, silver, blue & gold. This may be like 2017, where Joyce didn't have a peach card (/75 I think), so i counted that run complete at 4 cards. However, I was finally able to seal the deal on a full 5 card run (base, purple, silver, blue & gold) when I won the Mario Mendoza gold!

Forward to 2020, and I have seen very few golds so far and the class is weak, at best. I was basically trying to buy as many blues as possible and that is it for most players. One card i was most excited about was Charlie Manuel, as he was briefly a Dodger and this would be his first certified card (as a Philly though). His cards sold well and it took me a while to finally land one, a silver. About 3 weeks back, I saw the gold pop up and somehow landed it for under $50. It arrived today. Since then I won his base and purple as well. Sadly, the blue /25 remains elusive for me, so I have not been able to complete a 2020 5 card run yet, i have no other golds this year, so a Manuel Blue is my best shot at extending my run to 4 consecutive years.

So, unless Gagne is complete w/o a purple, I also have yet to complete a Dodger run with gold 1/1 in 4 years, which is my primary reason for collecting!! most I have never even seen pop up (Moon, Cey, Mota, Grudzelanek, Green, etc)

MANuel.jpg
 

dano7

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
13,306
3,807
Roanoke, VA
Part II includes former/future Dodger certified cards

juan Marichal. View attachment 118931

Al Oliver. View attachment 118932

The last card is kind of a biggie for me. Each year since 2017, I have been hitting archives pretty hard each year. The first year, i was trying to get the 4 card run of everyone except for the biggies. When I won the gold Billy Bean (the player I most wanted from the set to begin with), I decided i would try to get the complete 5 card run of at least 1 player each year. Before 2017 ended, I had racked up several other full runs, including Mark Langston, Tony Pena, Jim Joyce, Mike Scott & Brian Jordan! Not sure how I swung that, as i don't pay a ton for any of them. The following year, 2018, I was able to get Charles Nagy & Gary Pettis. I also own the Jim Leyland gold and blue /25, but never bothered to get the rest for some reason. Maybe I will go back some day and complete that run.

In 2019, I ended up with 2 golds initially, Erig Gagne and Jeff Reardon. Like Leyland the year before, I also have the blue Reardon /25, but just have not been able to find the silver and base Reardon's at MY price. there are plenty out there and they are not too terribly expensive, but I just don't want to overpay, especially with everyone wanting $4-5 for s/h and the sales tax on top! Now i have never seen a purple Gagne, so I may have that run complete with base, silver, blue & gold. This may be like 2017, where Joyce didn't have a peach card (/75 I think), so i counted that run complete at 4 cards. However, I was finally able to seal the deal on a full 5 card run (base, purple, silver, blue & gold) when I won the Mario Mendoza gold!

Forward to 2020, and I have seen very few golds so far and the class is weak, at best. I was basically trying to buy as many blues as possible and that is it for most players. One card i was most excited about was Charlie Manuel, as he was briefly a Dodger and this would be his first certified card (as a Philly though). His cards sold well and it took me a while to finally land one, a silver. About 3 weeks back, I saw the gold pop up and somehow landed it for under $50. It arrived today. Since then I won his base and purple as well. Sadly, the blue /25 remains elusive for me, so I have not been able to complete a 2020 5 card run yet, i have no other golds this year, so a Manuel Blue is my best shot at extending my run to 4 consecutive years.

So, unless Gagne is complete w/o a purple, I also have yet to complete a Dodger run with gold 1/1 in 4 years, which is my primary reason for collecting!! most I have never even seen pop up (Moon, Cey, Mota, Grudzelanek, Green, etc)

View attachment 118933

Very nice additions. Charlie is a very nice guy, from all information. I used to work with a brother-in-law of his, as Charlie grew up about an hour from here.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
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Today brings prospect Leonel Valera. Looks like a first name sig. He should connect with another Dodger prospect Miguel Vargas and teach each other how to use both names! Valera.jpg

The other item is a pretty good one. Burt Shotten managed the Dodgers for most of 4 seasons, from 1947-1950, replacing the suspended Leo Durocher and winning 2 oennants along the way. Shotton, who normally wore street clothes while managing, is reportedly the last manager to wear street clothes on the field, beating out a retiring Connie Mack on Oct 1, 1950 by only hours! He was a decent player as well, in the tee=ns and early 20s, mostly with the Browns and then Cardinals. Shotton died in 1962 at age 77. Shotten.jpg
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
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A pair from COMC...

Jose De Leon. Jose-De-Leon.jpg

Joe Thurston. Joe-Thurston.jpg

I spent down to $0.15 (I don't think there is a single item on COMC that cheap. My shipment, requested TODAY, is due to arrive 3/15/21! I paid $5.89 for shipping too. I tell you, this is very disappointing to me. I think I am done shopping there. I may see an ebay listing here and there and just bite the bullet and pay single card shipping. It really is not worth holding cards on that site anymore, at least not for me. I may miss Joel **** Show though. Once more for the road, I got to see him decline my offer and promptly DOUBLE his asking price on the card! I mean, why not? He obviously priced it so well that it enticed me to offer LESS than his asking price, so double that asking price should get 'er done!

The lone ebay item is a Garvey photo. I feel like I don't have this exat version, but I could be wrong. It was affordable, so why not take a chance.

garvey Photo.jpg
 

Dilferules

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2012
1,945
1,738
Auburn, WA
Yeah COMC needs to get their act together. I have a huge amount of cards waiting to ship, I ended up paying extra for "expedited" (3 week) shipping for my 20 or so most wanted and will get the slow 90-120 day shipping for the rest. Hopefully once all this COVID stuff is over they can go back to the regular shipping taking "only" 3-4 weeks. It sucks because it's the best place to shop for cards of a certain value due to being able to hold and ship them all at once for one price, and it's so nice to have front and back scans in order to avoid misidentifications that always seem to happen a certain percentage of the time when there aren't any pics.

If eBay ever comes out with that rumored sub-$1 bubble mailer shipping option that is really going to bite into what I spend at COMC.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,169
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Garvey photo that was $1 plus shipping. I may have this exact one, but not sure and was not going to get up and go digging for a buck! garve.jpg

I just won one of these not that long ago and tossed out a bid on this one, thinking I'd lose. I didn't! Pig.jpg

I am still hoping someday, someone with left over Bunning stickers (if they exist) will create a certified Dodgers card. I have tried to win a few really generic looking Panini autos to fill the void in the meantime. This is not as generic as some but it was a decent price. Maybe someday I can steal the sticker auto and put it on my own creation, since nobody else is stepping up.

Bunning is one of those guys everyone talks about when the discussion is about borderline Hall of Famers, or outright WTF moments. He represents the Hall of Really Good very well. He obviously knew how to work it though, and later became a politician in Kentucky. In fact, perhaps he should be better known as a politician, than a ballplayer, as that career lasted well over 30 years! His 9 games with the 69 Dodgers did not net any real Dodger cards back in the day and very few, if any, beyond the dumb 1990 Target card, featuring him as a Dodger in the modern post career issues. For good reason, I suppose. Bunning was pretty much done before then, but he hung on until 1971. Eventually he made the HOF somehow.

Bunning.jpg
 

dano7

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
13,306
3,807
Roanoke, VA
Only have Bunning on a 2003 Flair Greats (TTM) Detroit and 2001 Greats of the Game certified Philadelphia. Hoped I might have something Dodgery
 

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