2002 Keebler Arizona Diamondbacks Coaches Card

Year: 2002

Manufacture: M.O.S.T. (Keebler)

Set: Keebler Arizona Diamondbacks Team Set

Card Number: 28

According to the Trading Card Database Robin Yount currently has 7125 cards give or take a few.  Out of all those cards, except for a few oddball Teague League Charity softball cards there are only two cards that do not feature Robin as a Brewer.  And I was finally able to snag one.  Not only that I was able to snag one really cheap.  These sets, as well as other team sets, where sponsored by Keebler Cookies and given out as an SGA.  According to the Standard Catalog this set was given out on July 28th.  You may recognize a few other coaches on the card, but Robin is by far the most notable.

 

2002 Topps 206 Piedmont Black Back Pinstripes

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: 206

Card Number: 289

Card Type: Mini Parallel 

Mini Parallel Set: Piedmont Black

COMC Black Friday Card Haul #12

I've written about my love of the 2002 Topps 206 set.  Well mainly series 2, and mainly the fact that Robin was featured in the set and had two base card variations.  At the time I was pretty enamored with the set because it was the first time I could remember Robin being featured in a base set of new cards, although that's probably incorrect, it was the first time I remembered seeing it.  And as a guy who collected Robin Yount cards I was super excited.  Plus it was Topps first attempt at the vintage tribute set and I liked it.  It also marked the beginning, yes I know Pacific had done it years before, but really this set marked the returned tobacco sized mini inserts.  Over the year's I've been slowly picking up the different backs and image variations featuring Robin.  As a matter of fact with this card I have only one mini card left to find to finish the quest.  Series 2 featured 4 different backs all with some differing rate of difficulty finding.  The most common being the Polar Bear backs and the rarest being the Carolina Brights.  Mixed in the middle were the Red and Black Piedmont backs.  And I'm glad I was able to find this pinstripe Piedmont Black variation to help get me one step closer to completion.  Now all I need is to find a Piedmond Red Blue Jersey mini and I'm done. 

2002 Topps St. Michael Hospital 1982 Reprint SGA

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: St Michael SGA

Card Number: 435?

I love my fellow Brewers collector's.  Andy aka All Time Brewers on Twitter was posting some of his finds from a recent large lot of Brewers cards he picked up and asked if anyone knew anything about this card.  Lots of people chimed in.  This card was part of a 6 card set given away at game sometime in 2002.  You can see the whole checklist here.  I jokingly asked if he came across another one of these in his lot I'd love to trade for it.  He sent me a message back offering me the card PWE since I was a big Yount guy.  I'm working on a thank you package as we speak.  I know these cards shouldn't be that rare as I assume thousands were handed out at the game, but I've only seen a couple of these pop up over the years.  So thanks to Andy for adding a great and hard to find oddball to my Yount collection.

2002 Topps Tribute

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: Tribute

Card Number: 40

Card Type: Base

We are on the downhill run of my Black Friday COMC pick-posts, I promise.  But we still have a few more cards to get through.  Like I've stated before this year was more about filling in holes than picking up cool parallels or inserts, but I still managed a few of both.  The next card up is probably from the highest end set in the bunch.  Tribute was one of Topps' first real premium high end brands and still is, even if it's been eclipsed by even more expensive sets.  The set features some great autographs, relics, and auto relic cards, some of which Robin has in the set, there are also two very low numbered parallel sets called, First Impressions and Lasting Impressions.  

This is another card that should have probably already been in the collection, but was somehow missed.  The cards is very shiny. I like the overall look of the card, the set is themed around Milestones and celebrates Robin's 3000th hit. I even like that Topps used it's copyright notice as a border on the back of the card.

2002 Topps Gallery

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: Gallery

Card Number: 194

Card Type: Base

Still working through my Black Friday haul from COMC.  Next up one of favorite sets that Topps produces.  Topps started the brand in 1996 and still puts out sets today, although the past couple year's have been retail exclusives.  I didn't know much about the artist, Ron Stark, but he does have a website and appears to be as active as ever as a sports artist.  

What's most odd about the set is there aren't a ton of parallels to chase.  Other than the inserted printing plates there's not any full parallel sets.  There are a couple player variations for certain players, Robin is not one of them.

2002 Fleer Authentix - Ballpark Classics

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Fleer

Set: Authentix 

Card Number: 7BC

Card Type: Insert

Insert Set: Ballpark Classics

You know what you don't see much anymore?  Cards with suffixes.  Plenty of inserts with prefixes, but not many suffixes.  That was a Fleer's MO for a long time.  Most of the base inserts would have a suffix and  if that insert had a relic or autograph parallel it would usually have a prefix.   At end of Fleers lifespan as a standalone company things started getting a little wacky.  Ahem, but this post is about the next card to be featured from my COMC Black Friday haul.  

Like most of my purchases and pick ups last year from COMC it was more about filling in holes than picking up flashy low numbered card like I did the year before.  This is another card that slipped through for almost 2 decades.  According to baseballcardpedia.com the over all odds for pulling one of these inserts was 1:22 for hobby and 1:24 for retail making them about 1 per box, so not to easy to pull.  This insert also has 2 dual relic parallels, one being unnumbered and the gold version being numbered to 100.  The base insert has numbered parallels.

Overall it's not that great of an insert with Fleer using black and white or sepia tinted photos.  I suppose it was suppose to make the card look vintage or nostalgic, but really it just makes the card look drab.

2002 Upper Deck Piece of History MVP Club Relic Card

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Upper Deck

Set: Piece of History

Card Type: Insert, Relic

Insert Set: The MVP Club

Card Number: M-RY

Card Attributes: Relic, SP

Relic Type: Pants

I've been on an eBay hiatus for almost a year.  No buying or selling.  But as my summer work schedule slowed down I decided to jump back in sell a few cards to build a little nest egg in my Paypal account and maybe hunt for a few treasures.  I've been searching for this card for over 16 years.  Beckett has this card listed as a short print or SP, but doesn't have an estimated print run.  But I can tell you I've maybe seen 3 of these come up for auction in the last decade and a half and a quick search over at Worthpoint.com show about 4 or 5 unique auctions in the last ten years.  So lets just say it's been hard to find and even harder to pick up as the few cards bid on have gone for way more than I wanted to pay.  So I was very pleased to have picked up this card for less than $6 delivered.  It's the last card of Robin's in the set I needed.  Robin is featured in the base set as well as 3 inserts sets.  Tape Measure Heroes, Hitting for the Cycle, and the MVP club, he also happens to have cards in the two of the relic parallel sets,  this set and Tape Measure Heroes.  The two color relic was a big deal in 2002 when most relics were plain, one color swatches, but it seems like there were lots and lots of pieces of Robin's pinstriped pants to go around back then.  A great addition to the collection and I'm glad to finally be able to cross this card off the want list.

2002 Donruss Classics Timeless Treasures Chicago National Parallel Promo

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Donruss

Set: Donruss Classics

Card Number: 175

Card Type: Parallel/Promo

Parallel/Promo Type: Chicago National 

Card Attributes: Serial Numbered

Serial Number: 2/5

I'm pretty sure I don't own any 1 of 1 cards featuring Robin.  So this card, numbered to just 5, is probably one the rarest I have.  It took me a little research to figure out exactly what I had.  The card is stamped with the National Logo, but it's hard to read.  I'm not sure if these were prizes or inserted into packs or part of a VIP bag.  If anyone knows let me know.

I'm sure I got this off of eBay way back in the day, but how much I paid for it has been lost to the winds of time, but I doubt it was super expensive, because even before I had a mortgage, wife, and child I was pretty frugal with my card spending.  But who knows?  Still a great card from the height of insert/parallel frenzy that was the early 2000s.

2002 Topps 206 Mini Carolina Brights Back Pinstripe

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: Topps 206

Card Type: Mini Pinstripe Back Variation

Card Number: 289

Back: Carolina Brights

I featured this cards twin or rather other image variation back in November of 2015.  If any card or cards were my white whales these were probably it.  I absolutely love the 2002 Topps 206 set.  I loved the hits, the design, the inclusion of the tobacco sized minis, the variations to chase.  I loved it all and I opened quite a bit of this back in the day.  I especially loved that Robin was included in the checklist.  

In my mind it's this set that helped set up what we have today.  From all of Topps' vintage sets like Allen and Ginter and Gypsy Queen to Upper Decks Goodwin Champions and Goudey releases.  And while this is was not the first set to feature tobacco sized mini's it was the first one to make them popular and having multiple back variations to chase added to the fun or frustration.

2002 Topps 206 Mini Carolina Bright Back Blue Jersey

Year: 2002

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: 206, or Topps 206

Card Number: 289, Blue Jersey variation

Card Type: Mini Parallel

Parallel Type: Carolina Brights Back

Something else fresh from the mailbox.  If you had the joy of collecting back in 2002 and opened any of the three series of Topps 206 you remember all the great mini back variations.  Topps wasn't the first to bring back the tobacco sized mini cards, but they were the one to cement them back into the collecting world.  2002 marks a return for me back into the collecting world, or rather a point were I focused for a time on it.  And this set, specifically series 2, because that's the series Robin was in, was part of that.  Each series had a different collection of back parallels.  For Series 2 there were the common Polar Bear backs, the Black and Red Piedmont, and then the rarest of the backs these Carolina Brights.

I have literally been looking to add this card and the variation to my collection for 13 years.  It just so happens I had an eBay alert set for these cards and luck would have it that a seller listed not one, but both of the variations recently.  Not only that but listed them at a reasonable price.  I ended up picking up both cards for under $4 a piece.  That's a steal when you consider the last time I saw one of these up for auction it went for over $12. The Standard Catalog lists these at 6 to 12 times the base cards for rarity and worth.

 I'm still missing one Black Piedmont and one Red Piedmont back for the set, but it's always nice to close out a couple cards from your most wanted list.

2002 Topps Gold Label MLB Award Ceremony relic

Year: 2002

Card Manufacturer: Topps

Card Set: Topps Gold Label

Card Number: ACR-RY (Class 1, Gold)

Card Type: Insert

Insert Set: MLB Awards Ceremony Relic

Relic Type: Bat

It's been a while since I posted a relic card.  Here's a nice bat relic from the 2002 Gold Label set.  2002 would be the last year for the Gold Label brand.  Back in 2013/14 Topps asked for suggestions on what collector's would like to see.  One of my suggestions was to bring back Gold Label, Tek, Laser, etc, but not as sets, as inserts.  And in the 2014 Topps did in the Update set.  Gold Label started back in 1998 and at the time was very high end.  

It might be hard to see from the scans, but the card is super shiny and looks like a brick of gold.  It's also cool that the relic window is on both sides of the card.  This was also a time when Topps and other companies boldly stated that the relic was game-used.  Not event used, not from any specific game, event, or year - Game Used!  Well for what that's worth.  A little odd the back of the card wasn't designed better as the relic cut out covers up some of the wording.

2002 Topps Tribute Milestone Materials relic

Year: 2002

Card Manufacturer: Topps

Card Set: Tribute

Card Number: MIM-RY

Card Type: Insert Relic

Insert Set: Milestone Materials

Relic Type: Jersey

Card Attributes: Jersey Relic

Nothing to really get excited about, at least now.  Back in 2002 this was the bee's knees.  A nice shiny thick stock card with an actually game used relic.  Not an event used, game used for what that's worth.  Single color swatch and unnumbered the early 2000's marked a time with Robin's, and other players, jerseys were being cut up by the truck load for cards like this.  Still a nice card from the Cadillac of sets at the time.  I do like of the M shaped opening for the relic window.  Beats a plain square or circle.  Seems card makers are now just getting back to openings for their relic sets, you know besides Triple Threads.

2002 Topps 206 Piedmont Black Back Mini Blue Jersey

Card Manufacturer: Topps

Year: 2002

Card Set: Topps 206

Card Number: 289

Card Type: Mini Parallel Variation

Parallel Type: Mini Piedmont Black back

Variation: Blue Jersey

I really like the 2002 Topps 206 set.  I opened quite a bit of it back in 2002.  My card collecting has had some  hills and valleys in terms of what I collected and opened in my life and 2002 marked a definite resurgence in my collecting.  Spurred by Robin being featured in a lot of the sets with some great cards and it's also the year I started using eBay.  The 206 set marked the start of Topps' vintage brands that were not just reprints or reuses of their old brands.  And while this set isn't the first modern set to insert tobacco sized mini's, that honor goes to the 1999 Pacific Private Stock set, it does mark the starting point where they become a lot more common.  It also is the start of the manufactured short print in the base set.

Topps 206 was issued in three series for a total of 526 base cards.  Robin's two cards are found in the second series.  Not all, but some players had multiple variations to mimic the variations found in the original T-206 set.  Robin has two variations, one featuring him in a blue jersey and the other in pinstripes with a bat on his shoulder. He also has all the mini parallels that goes with that.  Each series had their own backs. Series 2 featured Polar Bear, Piedmont red and black backs, and the rarest Carolina Brights.

This product was a blast to open with the possibility of original T206 cards, I pulled one of those, some great autographs, I pulled a Joe Mauer rookie auto, and some great relics featuring players from the modern era and the T206 era.  

2002 Topps 206 Mini Blue Jersey Polar Bear back

Card Manufacturer: Topps

Card Set: Topps 206

Year: 2002

Card Number: 289

Card Variation: Blue Jersey

Card Type: Tobacco Size Mini parallel

Card Back Variation: Polar Bear

I vividly remember when Topps 206 came out.  I opened a ton of this stuff. Left me rephrase that I opened a ton of Series 2 of this stuff.  Mainly because Robin had not one, but two base cards, or rather a base card and two variations.  Plus the mini's and the back variations.  I pulled some great card from this set.  I pulled an original T206 buyback, some bat cards featuring vintage players from the original set, and a Joe Mauer rookie autograph, among others. It also came out right about the time I really started getting back into card collecting and my discovery of eBay.

It was also the birth of using vintage designs for a products that paved the way for Allen and Ginter, Goodwin Champions, Champ's, Turkey Red, Topps 205, Mayo, and two more sets of 206.

And while this isn't first time tobacco sized mini's had been inserted in a current product, that belongs to Pacific Private Stock, it is the start of the trend. This set does start the overall return of the tobacco size insert, but wouldn't be used again till 2006 with the inaugural Allen and Ginter set.

Each of the three series featured different mini back parallels.  Robin's card was featured in Series 2 and has the Polar Bear, Piedmont, red and black, and Carolina Bright's backs.

The Polar Bear backs are the most common and can be considered the base backs, then rarity goes, Piedmont Black, Piedmont Red, and Carolina Bright's being the rarest.

I love that the variations for Robin's cards in the set pretty much bookend his career with this blue jersey, classic 70's Brewers, representing the start of this career and the Pinstripe variation representing the end.