2005 Leaf Century Collection

Year: 2005

Manufacturer: Donruss/Leaf

Set: Leaf Century Collection

Card Number: 119

Card Type: Base

There were some great sets that came out in 2005.  I like to think it was all that competition that led to some great ideas and products.  Leaf Century Collection was one of those sets.  I have to say the checklist and hits were great.  Robin is featured in the main checklist and the base card, like all the 2005 sets, has color, relic, and signature parallels. 

Five K

If you read this blog regularly you' know I started sponsoring Robin's Trading Card Database (TCDB) player page.  It was something I had wanted to do for a while and really for only $5 a year for the sponsorship I'm not sure why I didn't do it sooner.  I know there are quite a few collecting websites out there, but I really like the TCDB. I have been an active member since 2009 and I'm glad to add the little financial support I can.  I've made Robin my priority on the website, making sure that checklists were correct and updated, and new checklists added that he's included in.  Well though concerted efforts Robin how has over 5000 cards listed on the TCDB.  A big chunk of those came when I updated the Brewers police card checklists by adding all the different city issues, that was over 600 cards alone.  And I know there are more cards to add with some SGA's and team issues that haven't been added yet.  

The screen grab below was taken this morning so it's current. You'll notice almost 32% of the cards have images attached.  I know that a lot of the rarer 1 of 1 cards and printing plates we may never have images for, but I like the idea of a place where you can get a checklist for a set, player or team and they have representative images for those sets, if not complete image galleries.

If you haven't checked out the database give it try.

2008 Tri Star Signa Cuts

Year: 2008

Manufacturer: Tristar

Card Set: Signa Cuts

Card Number: NNO

Card Attributes: Autograph, Serial Numbered

Serial Number: 014/150

This card is by far the ugliest Robin Yount autograph card I have in my collection.  You might know Tristar from it's repacks, it's website, where you can buy autographed memorablia, or it's collector's shows.  For a few years Tristar also put out it's own series of cards.

The back is generic, but at least the front has the player name.  Of course to get around all sorts of legal stuff, you get no mention of team or even a player photo.  The card is serial numbered, but damn it's ugly.  I think this card actually looks worse in hand.  The large sticker autograph sticks out like a sore thumb in the large white field.

But this card was cheap in terms of certified Robin Yount autographs and in the end it's still a Robin Yount card.

1977 Saga Disc

Year: 1977

Manufacturer: MSA

Set: Saga Discs

Card Number: NNO

If you collect MSA discs from the late 70's you know that these Saga discs are some of the hardest and rarest to find.  While MSA put out these kind of discs from 1976 to 1978, Robin is only found on 1977 issues and only on certain ones.  This was actually a found treasure for me, because I didn't have this on my inventory, but while rummaging though some boxes that I keep a lot of my oversized stuff in I came across this.  It's also one of the reasons one of my collecting goals this year is to really go back though my collection and make sure I have it inventoried correctly.  

The front of the disc is identical to a lot of the standard MSA discs that year with only the back telling you what set it came from.  These are considered some of the rarest discs, because they were regional giveaways.  These discs were given out with a purchased school lunch in Philadelphia.  How about that?!  Given out in one city to kids!  But through the miracle of the internet, while these are rare they are not impossible to find.  The information above was gleamed from the Standard Catalog, but what exactly the Saga Company was was not.  I have to assume it was a food provider or supplier in the Philadelphia area, but my searches have come up empty.  Anyone know?

2008 Donruss Threads Century Stars Blue Jersey relic card

Year: 2008

Manufacturer: Donruss

Set: Threads

Card Number: CS-13

Card Type: Insert Relic

Insert Set: Century Stars 

Relic Type: Jersey

Card Attributes: Memorabilia, Serial Numbered

Serial Number:060/100

I'm not sure why, but I was all over this set when it came out in 2008.  It might have been that Robin was in the set and had a bunch of new cards for me to chase.  We also get one of our first tastes of  a non-MLB licensed baseball project.  But here Donruss gets a few liberties, things it could not get away with now thanks to Upper Deck's 2010 baseball set and lawsuit from Topps.  You can clearly see that there is no team name on the card, but there is a piece of the Brewers's logo visible, although not fully, on the batting helmet and chest.  The back of the card also clearly states, although very small, that this card is not authorized by the MLB or team.  But not having the blatant air brushing and uniform color change makes these cards very appealing.  It doesn't hurt that the card also has the Brewers color scheme.  

Robin actually has three different relics in the set and a couple autographs.  As a guy who collects Robin's cards I also pay attention to little things like that this card has two colored relic swatches that were  used.  This blue one featured and also a plain gray swatch.  There is no differentiation within the set, meaning both colors were mixed into the 100 issued cards, but for a Yount collector they are two different cards, at least for me and I'll feature a gray swatched card sometime in the future.

1990 Upper Deck

Year: 1990

Manufacturer: Upper Deck

Set: Flagship Baseball

Card Number: 567

Card Type: Base

Back to simpler times.  1990 would be Upper Decks second baseball set.  For a few years in a row Upper Decks sets all looked very similar.  A very nice clean, simple card for Robin.  And a nice large second photo on the back.  I do like that the front features a batting photo and the back a fielding. Plus holograms!!  Upper Deck didn't have to bother with filling up the back with words.   And you only got 5 years of stats, but really it was all about the pretty pictures those first couple of years.  

2005 Donruss Studio Portraits Gray Border "White" Diamond Kings back

Year: 2005

Manufacturer: Donruss

Set: Studio

Card Number: SP-91

Card Type: Insert Color/Back Parallel

Insert Set: Portraits

Parallel set:  Gray Border - Diamond Kings back

Card Attributes: Serial Numbered

Serial Number: 48/60

In 2005 Donruss and Upper Deck were competing to see which company could produce the set with the most confusing and numerous parallels and inserts.  Upper Deck put up a good fight, but in the end I think Donruss won hands down with sets like this and Diamond Kings.  Studio Portraits was an insert to Donruss' popular Studio brand.  The old Studio sets are still some of my favorites from the early 90's.  

The insert features a very nice photo of Robin.  The parallels, I'm not sure if there is a base insert, feature various border colors and photo effects.  To make it more interesting there is also an advertising variation on the backs.  Donruss put their various brand logos on the backs.  This grey border card has the Diamond Kings logo.  It's possible this is also called the white border, I'm not sure it's a super confusing set.  To make matters worse many of the cards are very low numbered.  My example here being numbered to just 60.  To make matters worse I don't think the whole checklist is paralleled.

While the set is confusing and frustrating I'm still glad things like this exist out there for me to hunt and find.  

2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini parallel

Year: 2011

Manufacturer: Topps

Set: Gypsy Queen

Card Number: 61

Card Type: Mini Parallel

Mini Set: Base

I do love the tobacco sized mini cards.  Robin's grace the checklist of Gypsy Queen many times and he's also been lucky enough to included in the variation checklist.  This card is just the base mini parallel to the main set.  Just smaller and skinnier.  You can see his mini variation here.

2011 would be the inaugural year for Gypsy Queen a brand that is still being produced today.  It was pretty popular when it came out back in 2011.  Not one of my personal favorites, I'm more of an Allen and Ginter fan, I just love the oddball stuff Topps puts in it.  This set also had some neat relic cards featuring stamps and coins.

Baseball Digest September 1991

Year: 1991

What: Baseball Digest, September 1991

I can still remember buying this magazine right off the rack.  It's a little dirty and the cover is scuffed up, but still a great reading copy.  

Baseball Digest is still around although it's bigger now and in full color, and  now only publishs 6 issues a year and digital content. It's also kind of pricey.  Anyways Robin was featured in this fall issue and gets a 3 page spread talking about his accomplishments and his run up to his 3000th hit.

1992 Ace Novelty MVP Pin

Year: 1992

What: Ace Novelty Co MVP Major League Collector Pin  (92130)

I featured Robin's 1990 Ace pin late last year.  I ended up picking his 1992 pin from the latest wfbookman Yount auction on eBay a few weeks ago, the same place I got my 1990 pin.  The 1992 pins come attached to a smaller backing and don't feature a few baseball card.  The pins are about the same size, but this year's pin features an action shot.  The checklist has a nice selection of stars to choose from, although Robin is the only Brewer in the bunch.

2013 Panini Cooperstown Orange Sparkle Matrix Parallel

Year: 2013

Manufacturer: Panini

Set: Cooperstown

Card Number: 97

Card Type: Color Parallel

Parallel Set: Orange Sparkle Matrix parallel

Card attributes: Serial Numbered

Serial Number: 089/325

The 2013 Cooperstown set is full of color parallels.  And depending on where you turn for your information this parallel set is called multiple things.  Beckett calls it the Orange set.  Fair enough.  Cardboard Connection and Panini's own checklist call this Matrix.  Umm Ok.  Regardless it's still a great looking card color wise.  It reminds me of the sparkling fabric they use to use for padded bar stools and chairs, especially at bowling alleys or that really expensive prismatic paint they use on cars.  Still the card looks very nice in hand.  

1992 Sentry SGA Robin Yount Commemorative 3000th Hit card set - 3000th Hit card

Year: 1992

Set: Sentry Foods Robin Yount Commemorative 3000th Hit SGA

Card Number: NNO - 3000th Hit

Here we are at the end of the road for this great set.  The final card in the commemorative set obviously celebrates the great milestone and the Hall of Fame entry ticket.  As a matter of fact every member of the 3000th Hit club is in the Hall of Fame with the exception of 4.  Pete Rose, because he's ineligible, Raphael Palmeiro, probably because of his alleged PED use, Derek Jeter, because he's not eligible yet, and we all know Jeter will be a first ballot guy, and Alex Rodriguez because he's still playing and may not get in due to PED use.

Robin had tons of other accomplishments that garner his admission into the Hall, but being part of the 3000th hit club is like no other, well maybe the 700 HR club.  Robin wouldn't stop at 3000 either he'd go on to add 142 more before calling it quits.  And his milestone came almost exactly 6 years from reaching 2000.  Robin became the 3rd youngest player to reach the milestone and still is, but Jeter made it to #4 back in 2011.

Over all it's a great 4 card set.  Great design, great photos, nice information on the back.  And they're not that rare.  20,000 were given out on Sept. 25, 1992 which back in the 90's made it rare, today not so much.  The Standard Catalog prices the set, at least back in 2011 at about $15, but I would suspect you can find this set for closer to $5 or cheaper.  Well worth adding to a Yount card collection.

1992 Sentry SGA Robin Yount Comememorative 3000th Hit Card Set - 2000th Hit card

Year: 1992

Set: Sentry Foods Robin Yount Commemorative 3000th Hit SGA

Card Number: NNO - 2000th Hit

Happy Valentines Day!

The third card from this four card set celebrates of course the next milestone in Robin's chase for 3000 hits, his 2000th hit.  Which happened just over 6 years from him reaching 1000 hits and just over 12 years from his first hit.  He would also become the first Brewer in the young franchises history to record that mark.   

Again I love the photo selection for this card.  A crisp photo of Robin in full swing and Brewer's pinstripes.

1992 Sentry SGA Robin Yount 3000th Hit Commemorative Card Set - 1000th Hit card

Year: 1992

Set: Sentry Foods Robin Yount Commemorate 3000th Hit SGA

Card Number: NNO - 1000th Hit

The next card in this great stadium giveaway is Robin's 1000th Hit card.  The hit came in August, 1980.  I little over 6 years from his first and Robin would add an additional 1000 hits just about every 6 years after that too.  For a stadium giveaway the set and the cards are very well done.  I think the backs could have been given a little more attention, but the write up on the back is great and the overall layout on the front is very appealing. I also like the photo selection for the cards.  In the first card we get a classic 1970's Yount and here we get that classic early 80's baby blue uniform and with Robin base running with a well used batting helmet.

1992 Sentry SGA Commemorative Card Set - First Hit card

Year: 1992

Set: Sentry Foods Robin Yount 3000th Hit Commemorative SGA Set

Card Number: NNO - First Hit

Sentry Foods and the Brewers have a long history of sponsored giveaways in the 90's.  There are quite a few stadium giveaways or SGA's from that time that Robin has cards in.  I'm slowly working on getting those sets in the Trading Card Database, but I just recently added my favorite set of the bunch, the one that features only him and celebrates his 3000th hit.  

According to the Standard Catalog these were given out to the first 20,000 through the gate on September 25th, 1992.  Just over two weeks from when Robin got his 3000th hit.  There are 4 cards to the set.  They came in a little envelope, I have scans of it below.  None of the cards are numbered instead each card celebrates a milestone on the road to Robin's 3000th hit.  The first card in the series celebrates Robin's first hit in April of 1974.  I was almost a year old.  

Robin would also go on to get his first career home run in that game.  

1987 Kraft Home Plate Heroes Panel Variations

An interesting little tid bit if you happen to care about such things.  While researching some cards online I came across a great five year old post on Freedom Card Board's forums (page 7).  On it the thread creator was offering up oddball checklists he had put together for various players, all you had to do was ask.  And luckily enough someone back then had asked for Robin Yount's.  A lot of the stuff on the list I already knew about, but here and there I was able to pick up some interesting facts. One of those facts was the different variations of panels that Robin had for the 1987 Kraft Home Plate Heroes set.  The standard catalog does state that each player has 5 different variations and there are 120 panel combinations in all.  But the catalog doesn't say what those combinations are.  Luckily the post does and with a little effort I was able to find images off all 5.  I do have the Chili Davis panel in my collection, but Robin is also featured with Dale Murphy, Nolan Ryan, Darryl Strawberry, and Von Hayes.  To mix it up a little more if you're into collecting the whole box there are also two different product boxes to find.  The cards themselves are blank backed  and were created by everybody's favorite oddball food issue card maker MSA.

1990 Brewers Pocket Schedule

Year:1990

What: Trifold Pocket Schedule w Car-X ad.

I ended up picking up a few more items for the collection from wfbookman's lasts big Yount auction from eBay.  First among those is this great 1990 tri-fold pocket schedule featuring the 1989 AL MVP.  Also featuring an ad for Car-X and a nice seating chart for the old County Stadium.  And if you want to know who the Brewers played and when in 1990 here you go.  

1992 Investor's Journal #99 Blue Foil parallel

Year: 1992

Manufacturer: Investor's Journal

Set: Investor's Journal Magazine Inserts

Card Number: 99

Card Type: Color Foil Parallel

Parallel Set: Blue Foil

Print Run: 1750

I love learning new information about my Yount collection.  Recently I noticed an auction that had two of Robin's 1992 Investor's Journal insert cards up for sale, only these weren't the gold foil one's I had seen before and have in my collection, no these were color foil parallels.  And my first thought was what the??!!??   So I started doing some research. If the internet and the sports card blogging community had been around back in the early nineties I'm sure I'd have no problem knowing everything there is to know about these weird magazine inserts.  Unfortunately we were not, but the information is out there. Sort of.

If you're old enough to remember, and I know plenty of us are, the boom of the collectibles market back in the 90's you might remember seeing some of these card investor magazines.  The early 90's were an interesting time in collectibles not just in sports cards, but comic books, beanie babies, and tons of other stuff.  A push that started in the late 80's with a big nostalgia push, remember the comeback of the Monkees, 1960's Batman, and the Beach Boys?  Vintage sports cards really took off and of course people were looking at modern issues as an investment as well.  Something the sports card manufactures were all too happy about and were running their printing presses 24/7.  

This being pre-internet consumers and potential investors were hungry for information and guidance, something that magazines like Investor's Journal, Sports Report, Baesball Card Magazine, Card News, Ballstreet, Beckett, Sports Collector's Daily, and Tuff Stuff rushed to provide.  The 90's are also the era of the magazine insert card as most of these magazines offered insert cards in the form of panels that had to be removed and cut.  

To make this even more interesting publishers offered magazines like Investor's Journal that had limited print runs and/or even serial numbering to make the magazine itself and the cards inside even more desirable.  In the days of the million card or more print runs a card that had a stated print run of only 10000 made it pretty rare.  

A couple of the magazines, including Investor's Journal also offered a rarer parallel limited to 10% of the main magazine print run.  And so here we are with Robin's Blue Foil parallel.  I've found sources saying that this card was found in Issue #6, but I'm unable to verify that.  This card comes from the parallel issue.  Different issues had different colored foil parallels as well.  If you look around you'll find red, blue, silver, and copper.

I was able to pick this card up and Robin's other 1992 Investor's Journal parallel for a great price and the color foil looks great.  A great addition to the collection and I got to learn something.  Anyone remember these magazines back in the day?

1992 3000th Hit certificate and used ticket stub.

Year: 1992

What: Robin Yount's 3000th Hit I was there certificate and used ticket stub.

No I wasn't at the game.  I picked this up years ago for a really good price.  I look around now and people want all sorts of crazy money for these certificates.  I also like that it came with a used ticket stub.  Under the ticket it actually says put your stub here.

It's a cool memento, I wonder how these were distributed, if you had to come back or if the Brewers already had these printed up for multiple days, I mean I'm sure you could ballpark when it was going to happen, but nothing's given for an achievement like this.  You also get some nice facsimile autos for Robin and Bud Selig.  

I've read that these were sold after the event as well and some even have phantom unused tickets.  I can't be sure, but I like believe this was one given out after the game, I mean that's a used ticket right there.  And wow a whole $7 dollars.  Those were the tickets I use to buy on the rare occasions when I was in college and got to go to a game.