2020 Topps Living - Rollie Alert

Rollie is featured in this weeks Topps Living offering.  Featured as an Athletic with signature mustache.

https://www.topps.com/topps-mlbr-living-settm-card-281-rollie-fingers.html

2016 Topps Archives Snapshots Black and White Parallel

Year: 2016

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: Archives Snapshots

Card Number: AS-RF

Card Type: Parallel

Parallel Set: Black and  White

The other Rollie card I picked up from last year's COMC Black Friday sale was this Archives Snapshot Black and White parallel.  The card is exactly the same as the base color card only, you know, in black and white.  Still a great little set. 

2016 Topps Archives Snapshots

Year: 2016

Manufacturer: Topps

Card Set: Archives Snapshots

Card Number: AS-RF

Card Type: Base

I picked up a few Rollie Fingers off of COMC during their Black Friday event.  I've really slowed my PC of Rollie, but that's mainly because there are fewer cards to chase and most of them are low numbered auto cards.  Anywho,  The Topps Archives Snapshots was an Topps online exclusive.  Each box had 12 cards: one autograph, one black and white parallel and 10 base cards.  The base set is small, only 50 cards and there are 36 autograph subjects, Rollie has an autograph in the set as well and there are 2 parallels.  I really like this card and not just because it features Rollie as a Brewer.  It's a great photo.

On the Radar - 2016 Topps Legacies of Baseball

It's somewhat of a surprise to see Rollie feature in the set, as Topps really hasn't been giving Rollie the time of day and to be honest it's only one card with a couple parallels, but it's a start.

Rollie is featured in the Traditions Autograph set.  The base cards will be serial numbered and so will all the parallels of which there are 4.  Green, print run not stated, Purple, print run not stated, Red #/5, and Black #/1.

This is a new issue for Topps, but it looks like Topps Fire and Topps Valor had a baseball baby.  I'll reserve judgement until I see actually images of the cards though. This is also a pretty pricey set with boxes going for between $150-200.  You get one pack per box, 4 cards per pack.  2 autos, 1 Vault Metal card, and one parallel numbered to 99 or less.

2012 Topps Museum Collection Bronze Parallel

My last Black Friday pick up is this 2012 Topps Museum Collection bronze parallel card.  I love the look of the card and a classic photo of Rollie in his prime with the glorious mustache!!

I realized long ago that it's not worth opening high end products like this.  It's so much better saving the money on the excitement and most likely disappointment of ripping open a box of this and just picking up the singles you want down the road.  

Rollie hasn't been getting the love as much in recent years and new cards are few and far between so I'll take the ones I can get and all those colorful parallels.

1975 Topps

My third of 4 Rollie cards I picked up on Black Friday and the second 70's base card I needed.

75 Topps is just one of those iconic sets.  The color combos that don't go with the team colors, the terrible centering all lend a scruffy dog feeling to a great set.  It really is a great and colorful set with some big names and a couple big rookie cards.  Rollie's card however won't set you back that much.

Rollie also has a World Series card in this set, which I already had, but can't figure out how I missed picking this one up for so long.

1970 Topps

It's kind of embarrassing when you look through your player checklist and realize that you're missing some basic cards from your collection.  But I remedied that this Black Friday and picked up a couple 1970's Topps cards that I was missing from Rollie's playing days. 

The first of those being his 1970 Topps cards.  

I ended up high grading off of COMC and not just picking the cheapest card I could find, but instead I picked out a very nice example and it still didn't set me back that much.  

A classic card featuring a pre-mustached Rollie and I'm glad it's finally in the collection.

2002 Topps Super Teams

I don't remember ever seeing this on the shelves, but back in 2002 there was a lot on the shelves and i wasn't spending a lot of time looking for baseball cards.  But luckily Rollie has 3 cards in the base set and a couple numbered retrofractor parallel cards too.

I couldn't find odd of hitting certain cards and I'm pretty sure you weren't guaranteed an auto or relic in the box, but the issue did offer that possibility and the checklist, while short, has some pretty big names in it.  Rollie doesn't have any autos or relics in the set.  

This card celebrates the 1974 World Series A's team, it would be the third consecutive World Series win for the A's and Rollie would garner the World Series MVP title.

I ended up picking this beauty up as part of my Black Friday haul at COMC last year.

2014 Topps Update World Series MVP Commemorative Patch

The first and so far only officially MLB licensed Rollie Fingers card finally made its way into the collection.  Of course it's another manu-patch, but at this point since I can count all the new Rollie cards are my fingers I'll take what I can get.

The card commemorates Rollie's 1974 World Series MVP award. These cards were found in retail Update blasters.

Time Machine - 2014 Topps Series 1 1975 Buyback

I just picked this up. One of the bonuses that Topps has been including in packs of 2014 Series 1 baseball has been these foil stamped buyback cards. This isn't original. Topps has been ruining prefectly good vintage for years in it's Heritage products.  And a lot of the cards are pretty beat up. I ended up picking this guys up for cheap though and since Rollie has been pretty much ignored that last couple years I'll take what I can get.

1969 Topps

I think for any player collector the holy grail for the collection is the player's rookie card.  Nowadays that could be anyone of thousands of cards, but collecting players who had there rookie cards in the 60's and 70's that means usually only a handful and of course Topps was king.  Rollie also has a rookie card in the O-Pee-Chee set.  Like a lot of rookie cards from the 60's and 70's Rollie has to share his card with a couple other guys. Rollie is by far the attraction on the card, but lets see what's up with the other two guys.

Bob Floyd played with the Orioles and later with the Royals leaving MLB in 1974, Bob would go on to manage in the minors until 2006. Bob's claim to fame was that he ended up pitching four innings for the Lynn Sailors, allowing only one run even though he'd not played professionally for six years and had never been a pitcher.  

Larry Burchart has the distinction of only playing in the Majors his rookie year. He appeared in 29 games in 1969 and had 26 strike outs.  The Indians sent Larry down Triple A Wichita and after the 1971 season he retired from baseball. 

Rollie's looking pretty good next to these too guys.

Oh and I apologize for the tape in the scan. It's on the top loader not the card don't worry.

1980 Topps Burger King Pitch, Hit and Run

This has to be one of the best cards I picked up in my COMC Black Friday Hauliday.  I love oddball food issues.  In 1980 Burger King teamed up with Topps to offer a 34 card set (33 players and a checklist) called Pitch, Hit, Run.  The first 11 cards were pitcher, the next 11 were power hitters, and the final 11 were base stealers. From what I could find you got a pack of 3 players one from each group with the purchase of French Fries.

 Other big names in the set are Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Reggie Jackson, and Pete Rose.The Standard Catalog says that most of the photos were identical to the 1980 Topps card with a few exceptions.  But the player position has been replaced with the Burger King logo. The backs are also red instead of blue. But an overall very good looking card. And these are still pretty cheap, even for the bigger named stars.

1973 Topps

I finally finished or at least got most of my Rollie Fingers collection up on it's own page.  This is not only for potential traders, but mainly for me to have easy access to a have list if I happen to stumble across some new Rollies. Or like on Black Friday want to shop on COMC.

When I finally finished going through my collection I noticed I was missing a few base cards from Rollie's playing days. I had most of his Topps cards, even his rookie, but was missing his 1970 and 1973 card. I didn't end up picking up a 1970, but I was able to snag a cheap and in very good shape 1973 base card.  I've been contemplating actually starting the set. I think 1973 is underrated and it also happens to be my birth year.

Anyways that's a post for another time on another blog. Here is Rollie all his unibrow goodness. 

And while the card has nice corners it is a little off center, but it's always nice to fill a hole in the collection.

2003 Topps Retired Signature Series

One of my goals this Black Friday was to only pick up cards for my two main player collections.  Rollie Fingers and Robin Yount.  And while I picked up way more Younts this year, I was able to pick up some great Rollies as well. 

First up is this 2003 Topps Retired Signature base card.  I really love the look of the 2003 set. That goes for the Topps flagship set this year too. I lament because I was unable to open almost nothing in 2003 due to my work schedule.  I definetly didn't open any of the Topps Retire Signature series.  These cards came in a box with 5 per box and   4 base cards and an encased retired player auto per pack. I have no idea what these went for back in the day, but the only box I could find for sale was on Amazon and it was listed for over $200. 

 There are also black parallels numbered to 99.  I do have the 2004 Topps Refractor auto for Rollie, but this is the first 2003 card I've acquired.

Here's what the box and pack look like.