Card #212: 1993 Finest #26

YEAR: 1993
BRAND: Topps
SET: Finest
NUMBER: 26
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

In 1993, Topps decided to release an even more premium brand than the already impressive Stadium Club.  Featuring chrome technology and coming in packs of just five cards, Finest was the first ultra-premium brand.  The Alomar is not a really impressive card, but there is nothing really wrong with that.

The Most Basic Relic

I finally managed to get this card:

This is the 2000 Upper Deck Game Jersey relic card and this is as basic as relic cards got.  A small square piece of white fabric on a card with a horizontal design.  Nevertheless, it was a surprisingly difficult card to come by.  I have been focusing my attention on my Alomar collection for about a year now and this is the first one I have seen.  There have been several really rare cards that I have picked up or seen multiple times.  That is kind of strange.  At this point, there are not many relic cards of Alomar still out there that I need.

RESOLUTION TRACKER
1.  Four out of five previously achieved.

2.  I am now at 930.  70 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #211: 1989 Classic Light Blue #79

YEAR: 1989
BRAND: Classic
SET: Light Blue
NUMBER: 79
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: San Diego Padres

I am almost positive that this picture is of Roberto Alomar.  He seems too thin and slight to be Sandy, who was always significantly larger than his brother.  I am not completely sure though.  There is a Roberto Alomar oddball that actually is a photo of Sandy, so it is not really unusual.  I am still trying to decide whether I should add that card to my Sandy collection or not.  This one was an easier decision.

Card #210: 2006 Upper Deck #677

YEAR: 2006
BRAND: Upper Deck
SET: Upper Deck
NUMBER: 677
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Los Angeles Dodgers

My first card in my new focus on my Alomar collection last year was this card from the last year he received new Major League cards.  This was my first Dodgers card.  Alomar spent a short amount of time in the first half of the 2006 season before being traded back to the White Sox.  One of the first goals I had when re-starting my Alomar collection was to pick up cards from each of the other teams he played for.  I really only needed the Dodgers and Rockies, since he has no cards with the Mets.  If you look to the right in the background, you can see Eric Gagne.

Card #209: 2001 Topps #312

YEAR: 2001
BRAND: Topps
SET: Topps
NUMBER: 312
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I liked the 2001 Topps design with the green borders.  I like the photo here of Alomar waiting on a runner attempting to score as well.  This was the other card I got in the huge free Indians lot.  Though these were the only cards I really cared all that much about, it was still worth it.  Free cards are great.  This was also the last Alomar card I received before deciding to focus on my Alomar collection.

Crusade Pt. 3: The Last Crusade

Today, I received this card:

This is the rarest of the Crusade cards, the red version.  The Crusade inserts from 1998 are legendary.  They were massively expensive when I was growing up and I was sure I was never going to be able to own one.  Particularly these red ones which are numbered out of just 25.  Well today I can say that I have all three versions of the Sandy Alomar Jr. card, as well as a Red Sox card.

This card looks great when added to these:

and:

Yep, all three Crusade versions.  There is of course an executive proof set that are not serial-numbered out there, but these are the major ones.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  This card was #8 on my Top 10 Most Wanted as of January 1 (it was #5 today), which means that it is the fourth card I have picked up from that list.  My goal was five, so one more to go.

2.  This is card #929.  71 to go to 1,000.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #208: 1998 Score #46

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Score
SET: Score
NUMBER: 46
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This was the last regular release of Alomar in a Score base set as Pinnacle would go bankrupt in 1998.  This is apparently after a victory and the players are congratulating each other.  Omar Vizquel can be seen on the left.  This card was one of two Alomar cards I received for free, in a massive free team giveaway.  A blogger was giving away lots of three teams to people who responded to his post.  I chose the Red Sox (obviously), the Astros for the heck of it, and the Indians to see if I could add some Alomars.  I got two.

Card #207: 1999 Topps Gallery #50

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Topps
SET: Gallery
NUMBER: 50
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Wow.  This is a terrific action shot here of Alomar blocking the plate and waiting on the throw to home to tag out a runner.  On the far right of the picture (top?), you can see the leg of the runner attempting to score.  Since he is in the shot and the ball is not, I suspect he was likely to be called safe.  I picked this card up in a trade as one of the last cards I got of Alomar some time before I began focusing on the Alomar collection.

Card #206: 1998 Leaf Fractal Matrix #87

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Leaf
SET: Leaf
NUMBER: 87
SUBSET: Silver
INSERT: Fractal Matrix
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

The tiers of the Fractal Matrix parallels are a little difficult to comprehend.  This is a parallel of the 1998 Leaf set.  Alomar only has the silver version and since his die-cut is a Y-Axis die-cut, there are 800 copies of this card, though it is not serial-numbered.  The card resembles his 1998 Leaf base card but with a foil plating style.  It is a nice-looking card that looks a lot better in person. 

The New Most Expensive Card in My Collection...

Matt was expecting a different card I am assuming, but I have not yet received that one, and this one was more:

That is the 1999 Fleer Tradition Starting 9 parallel.  Numbered 2 out of just 9, this is the only one I have seen.  This cost a pretty penny.  I was a little annoyed when one of the higher-end cards I had my eye on was not re-listed for the umpteenth time and riding high on buying a certain other rare 90's insert that I am still waiting on.  I managed to bargain with the seller to get this card.  I am very happy about it.

RESOLUTION TRACKER
1.  No progress.

2.  Up to 928.  72 to go to 1,000.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #205: 1993 Stadium Club 1st Day Issue #400

YEAR: 1993
BRAND: Topps
SET: Stadium Club
NUMBER: 400
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: 1st Day Issue
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Here we have the 1st Day Issue parallel from the 1993 Stadium Club set.  The first 2,000 of each card were issued the special stamp in the upper right-hand corner.  Not much of a premium, but a little bit.  The photo is nothing terribly exciting, just a standard post-swing action shot.  Not a real exciting card.

Card #204: 1997 Sports Illustrated Extra Edition #56

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Sports Illustrated
NUMBER: 56
SUBSET: SIber Vision
INSERT: Extra Edition
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Another subset from Sports Illustrated is this SIber Vision.  I am not sure of the purpose of this subset other than another way to add more cards of certain players.  I do like the two pictures on the card, particularly the one in full catchers' gear and in a crouch.  This is also the Extra Edition parallel numbered to 500.  I had this before the base card version. 

Card #203: 1997 Donruss Limited Limited Exposure #163

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Donruss
SET: Limited
NUMBER: 163
SUBSET: NA
INSERT: Limited Exposure
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

1997 Donruss Limited was an odd set.  All of the cards that I have are Counterparts, meaning that each card features two players from two teams.  This card also features Dan Wilson of the Mariners.  This is the parallel set Limited Exposure which features a shinier finish and is basically a refractor knock-off.

Card #202: 1997 Sports Illustrated Extra Edition #34

YEAR: 1997
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Sports Illustrated
NUMBER: 34
SUBSET: Season Highlights
PARALLEL: Extra Edition
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I had to add a new line for this card.  Fleer brought a Sports Illustrated brand to the market in 1997.  The brand was marked by impressive photography.  This is the Season Highlights subset showing Alomar hoisting his immense All Star Game MVP trophy.  The card is also the Extra Edition parallel, numbered out of 500.  Nice card, glossy finish, and a terrific shot of the trophy.

A Couple of Random Thoughts

1.  Now that the 2015 releases have started coming out, it is time to wonder once more whether Sandy Alomar Jr. will be appearing in any new sets.  Topps Series 1 has already hit and no sign of Alomar yet.  The set features buybacks once more, but they stop at around 1979 it would appear.  So no Sandy Jr. there.  The best chance from what I have seen so far is Archives once more.  Let's hope Panini releases another Hometown Heroes set.  I have not seen much of anything about Panini's upcoming releases.

2.  I was looking back at some of my Red Sox collection recently and came across the 2002 Leaf Rookies and Stars set.  I am annoyed that Alomar did not appear in this set, or really any Donruss sets after their return in 2001.  But that set in particular could have had up to four Sandy Alomars in the base set.  You see, Leaf produced multiple cards of a number of players who had played for other teams.  I have cards in my Red Sox collection of Hideo Nomo and Ellis Burks, and am aware of cards of Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn.  So it could have featured a regular White Sox card and two short-printed cards depicting Alomar with the Padres and Indians.  Roberto had five cards in the set.  Sandy also could have appeared in the Award Winners subset for his Rookie of the Year award.  Another disappointing missed opportunity.  This could have been a pretty cool set for Alomar.

3.  I am going to keep an eye on managerial turmoil this year.  I really think Alomar is due for a managerial position.  Right now I am tentatively watching the Rockies, Mets, and Blue Jays as teams that might have a possibility for an opening, particularly if they underachieve.

Card #201: 1993 Upper Deck All Star Fanfest Gold #12

YEAR: 1992
BRAND: Upper Deck
SET: Fanfest
NUMBER: 12
SUBSET/INSERT: Gold
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

The non-Gold version was my first card that I thought was a really premium card.  This is the Gold version which were rarer, apparently.  The foil is all gold and the hologram on the back is as well.  The front of the card is very glossy which was one of the first things that drew me to the regular version.  It just feels like a very premium card.  Alomar had been named to his third All Star Game in 1992, although the last two were undeserved.

Card #200: 1998 Bowman Chrome Refractor #44

YEAR: 1998
BRAND: Bowman
SET: Chrome
NUMBER: 44
SUBSET/INSERT: Refractor
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Believe it or not, this was my first Refractor in my Sandy Alomar Jr. collection.  I wish I would have kept with the collection all along, but I didn't.  Which meant that some cards I could have gotten at some point had I been buying cards when they came out, remain out there.  But anyway, this was my first Refractor.  Definitely not the last though.

Card #199: 1991 Topps Desert Shield #165

YEAR: 1991
BRAND: Topps
SET: Desert Shield
NUMBER: 165
SUBSET: All Star Rookie
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I love the photography in 1991 Topps and this card is one of the reasons why.  I remember the Desert Shield cards being released but don't remember how they were released.  They were issued to soldiers in active service, but I am not sure whether they were in sets or packs, or what.  It would be interesting to know the journey of my card, where it was sent to originally, how many times it had changed hands, etc.  It may have been to more countries than I have.

Another Star Promo

I have no idea how many more Star promos there are out there, but here is another one:

I was impressed with the seller on this item.  He contacted me after I won the card to inform me that he had put the wrong photo on the auction and asked if I wanted the correct card.  I informed him that the correct card was one which I already had, but he said he would send me this one anyway.  Which is good, because the only other one I have seen is on COMC for over $20.00.  It's nice to add another Padres card to my collection.

RESOLUTION TRACKER
1.  No progress.

2.  One card brings me up to 927.  73 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #198: 1989 Score Young Superstars II #1

YEAR: 1989
BRAND: Score
SET: Young Superstars
NUMBER: 1
SUBSET: NA
TEAM; San Diego Padres

The Score Young Superstars set was a small boxed set featuring hot rookies and up-and-coming young players.  Alomar was, of course, a promising rookie at this point, one of the hottest prospects in the game.  I always liked these cards personally.  I have picked up a number of the Red Sox but never really spent much time figuring out who all was available.  The Alomar has a great photo and is even more interesting because it is a Padres card.

Card #197: 1996 Score #103

YEAR: 1996
BRAND: Score
SET: Score
NUMBER: 103
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I always liked horizontal shots on cards.  They usually portray a lot more action.  In this case, the horizontal shot is a little bit wasted though.  Not much other than a follow-through after making contact.  Score was also weird because their horizontal shots went a different direction than the cards from other sets.  I never quite got over that because my cards are all in a binder.

Card #196: 1993 Fleer #212

YEAR: 1993
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Fleer
NUMBER: 212
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

After two years of very bold color choices, Fleer decided to tone things down quite a bit in 1993.  Now just featuring a gray border, the cards do not really stand out as well as the prior two seasons.  It was a design that I was disappointed with when I was 12 and am still not too sure about.  The picture is nothing too exciting either.

More Stickers

A couple more oddball stickers found their way into my mailbox today.  Both are Panini stickers and both are Canadian as evidenced by the French on them.

Not the most exciting of maildays, but nevertheless, still a mailday.  Any Alomar cards are good Alomar cards.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  No progress.

2.  Two cards brings me up to 926.  74 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #195: 2002 Topps Opening Day #99

YEAR: 2002
BRAND: Topps
SET: Opening Day
NUMBER: 99
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Chicago White Sox

I never totally understood the point of Opening Day.  It would be different if the pictures were a little bit different.  In 2002, the color was not even much removed from the Topps base set.  I guess it is there to be a cheaper set geared toward kids.  Alomar is definitely showing some age in this picture.  Sitting on a stool in the dugout, his hairline receding, he is definitely a grizzled veteran at this point.

Odd Shapes and Sizes

I am not a big fan of cards that have odd shapes or sizes, particularly if they do not fit in my binder pages.  The next batch of cards are all oddball cards.  The first three are small cards that are meant to be stickers for some sticker book or other.  Those are fine, if a little small.  But the other one is too big to fit in the page.  It is not so big that I will be putting it with my miscellaneous items, but it will most likely take residence in with my Schwebel's Disc, in the pocket of the binder.  Not a huge fan of that, but what else am I going to do?

As you can see, some strange shapes and sizes here.  The first three are Red Foley stickers and the last is a Score/Hardee's disc that I am guessing was available with some sort of fast food order.  Some interesting oddball items, but again, not the most compelling due to the weird shapes and sizes.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  No progress.

2.  Four new cards brings me up to 924 total cards, and 76 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #194: 1994 Flair #282

YEAR: 1994
BRAND: Fleer
SET: Flair
NUMBER: 282
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Flair was in its second year in 1994.  The cards still had the same thicker stock and glossy finish.  I don't like the design quite as much, with the two pictures kind of bleeding together.  The gold foil is interesting and I love the design of the first letter of the last name.  I do like the fact that we have pics of Alomar in home and away uniforms, but it could have used some variety.  Both pictures are of Alomar hitting.

A Couple of Random Items

Two packages in the mail today, one of which came from a person who contacted me through this blog, which does not happen real often.  The other was an Ebay win:

1.  1989 Padres Postcard.  This is a postcard so it will not go into my card binder, but rather take its place with some of my other miscellaneous items like the Starting Lineup figures, comic book, and the Pinnacle Snapshots cards.  A reader named Seth contacted me to sell this to me.  He is a Roberto Alomar collector and bought the set to get the Roberto.  I like the photo and I have never seen one of these prior to it arriving in the mail.  Thanks Seth.

2.  1998 Topps Gallery Player's Private Issue.  This one actually looks nicer in person.  The frame is raised somewhat, giving it the appearance of a painting hung on a wall.  Kind of a cool design.  This one is numbered out of 250.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  No progress.

2.  One card, the postcard does not count toward the total.  I am now at 920, 80 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #193: 1995 Stadium Club #87

YEAR: 1995
BRAND: Topps
SET: Stadium Club
NUMBER: 87
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I actually kind of liked the 1995 Stadium Club design.  This is one of two cards of Alomar in the set.  Card #100 was the Best Seat in the House subset card.  This is just the regular base version.  I do like the fact that the card has a nice full shot of the back of Alomar's jersey.  The great photography that Stadium Club was known for though had slipped a little bit, at least with regard to this card.

Card #192: 1993 Bowman #93

YEAR: 1993
BRAND: Bowman
SET: Bowman
NUMBER: 93
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

I was pretty much just working on filling in holes at this point in my collection.  I found someone with a lot of base that I still needed.  Bowman by this time was much better known for rookie cards than base cards.  Alomar was just sort of there in the set.

Card #191: 1992 Pinnacle #436

YEAR: 1992
BRAND: Pinnacle
SET: Pinnacle
NUMBER: 436
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

Pinnacle was brand-new in 1992.  Featuring a great-looking black border, and some good action shots, the fledgling brand was probably the best new set of 1992.  This is a nice-looking action shot and Alomar is wearing some nice obviously 90's eyewear here. 

Card #190: 1987 Texas League All-Star Feder #10

YEAR: 1987
BRAND: Feder
SET: Texas League All-Stars
NUMBER: 10
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Wichita Pilots

This was my first minor league card of Alomar.  Alomar started to develop as a big-time prospect during his time with the Wichita Pilots, the AA team for the San Diego Padres.  It is interesting to note that he wore #15 with the Pilots, the number he would wear for most of his Major League career, particularly with the Indians.  I got this card in a trade when I had a renewed interest in Alomar cards.

Card #189: 1994 Donruss #65

YEAR: 1994
BRAND: Donruss
SET: Donruss
NUMBER: 65
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

You can tell Alomar's status as a star slipped a bit by 1994.  Donruss had a partial parallel set of its base set called Special Edition.  Sandy was not part of that partial parallel set, but his brother was.  It had been two years since his last All Star appearance and four years since his last good season.  So it was not surprising, but it was disappointing.  This is it for Donruss for him in 1994.

Another One Down

This is the third card from my 10 Most Wanted as of January 1, 2015 to be acquired:

This is the 1989 BYN Puerto Rico card depicting Alomar with the Winter League team Los Leones de Ponce.  It is the last of the Winter League cards I needed and my second overall.  This kind of really obscure oddball item is one of the most interesting things about having a player collection.  I just don't have anything like this in my team collection.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  This was #6 on my Ten Most Wanted list as of January 1.  It was at #5 as of this morning.  Now, it is gone from the list.  I need two more to cross off from that list to achieve this resolution.  The 2006 Special FX Purple card of Alomar with the Dodgers moves to #10 on the list now.

2.  One more card means I am up to 919.  81 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #188: 2005 Topps Total #326

YEAR: 2005
BRAND: Topps
SET: Total
NUMBER: 326
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Texas Rangers

My first Rangers card shows why I miss sets like Topps Total.  Alomar was a backup catcher by 2005.  He made it into just 46 games with the Rangers, backing up Rod Barajas.  I was not as aware of Alomar's status by this point.  I knew he was still playing and I think I knew he ended up with the Rangers, but in 2005 I was watching Jason Varitek much more closely.  I also only got this card within the last couple of years.  Alomar does not have many Rangers cards, and this is the most common.

Power Zone

I finally added the base version of the Power Zone insert from 1998 Upper Deck Special FX.  This took quite a while.  I got the Octoberbest die-cut parallel some time ago, but the base eluded me.  I saw the parallel several more times but not until recently did I see this one.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  No progress.

2.  One card, up to 918.  82 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #187: 1991 Woolworth's Topps #6

YEAR: 1991
BRAND: Topps
SET: Woolworth Baseball Highlights
NUMBER: 6
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This was one of those oddball boxed set cards that Fleer did an amazing job with in the 1980's.  Topps did a number as well, often with retail stores.  This card highlights Alomar's Rookie of the Year award.  I always enjoyed the oddball cards, even though this is a licensed set, it still qualifies.

1/1?

I decided to splurge last week on a very rare card.  Possibly even a 1/1.  But not really sure.  I will explain after the scan:

This is the 1999 Ultimate Victory 1 of 1 Parallel, well sort of.  The issue is this: there is a line that says "Missing Serial Number".  I believe that this card was either issued as a replacement or it may have not been intended to be released at all.  The actual parallel should have had a serial number.  But I considered this issue carefully.  Ultimately my decision was that I would likely never see the real serial-numbered version of this card.  So I decided I would go ahead and get it.  If I ever do see the real version, I will have another decision to make.

RESOLUTION TRACKER:
1.  No progress.

2.  One card, up to 917.  83 to go.

3.  Previously achieved.

4.  No progress.

Card #186: 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier #164

YEAR: 1992
BRAND: O-Pee-Chee
SET: Premier
NUMBER: 164
SUBSET: NA
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

This was the second year that O-Pee-Chee produced their own Premier set in addition to their regular Topps parallel set.  The cards still featured English and French text.  I actually really like this photo on the card.  The picture is a close-cropped shot of Alomar after making contact, though it does not look like he hit it well.

Card #185: 1993 Upper Deck #45

YEAR: 1993
BRAND: Upper Deck
SET: Upper Deck
NUMBER: 45
SUBSET: Teammates
TEAM: Cleveland Indians

In 1993, Upper Deck had a Teammates subset featuring two or more players from each team to showcase for the next season.  The Indians were developing a pretty good young core of players.  Some of them by smart drafting, others by shrewd trades.  This card features five players at the core of the team.  Alomar was of course picked up in a very well-crafted trade, along with Carlos Baerga who is also pictured here.