1975 Mailday!

I recently received an e-mail from loyal blog reader Mark. How do I know he’s a loyal reader? Because his e-mail referenced two of my recent blog posts.

Just before the new year, I whined a bit about my 1975 Topps set. I hadn’t completed it, and was having a little trouble finding the motivation to complete it. Then, after the new year, I made one of my resolutions be to just complete the dang thing and be done with it. So, Mark was kind enough to try and help be become a better person. What a guy!

He said he had some 1975 Topps cards I needed, and just wanted an address to send them along to me. (Showing the same generosity he recently showed to a certain Phillies collector.) I complied, and a stack of beauties found their way into my mailbox. Here is a little selection of them.

Really, this sample shows everything that got me excited about the set in the first place. (Ignoring, of course, the two Yankees and Joe Torre.) It has Hall of Famers, rookies, former MVPs, Future MVPs, all-rookie trophies, and more.

The MVP subset is a fun one. It gives the chance to have a “card” of stars from the past. Sure, it’s not exactly the same as having a 1959 Ernie Banks. But, at least I get to look at the card as I flip through the binder. The World Series highlights cards are fun too. A match-up between the Dodgers and A’s doesn’t do much for me. But, being able to live through it with the cards is a nice diversion from the other cards in the set. I mentioned players who would become managers. This selection has three of those in HOFer Joe Torre, Larry Bowa,  and Mike Hargrove. It even has the overlap of stars from the past and the future. You see the very early Mike Schmidt card right next to a very late Frank Robinson card. This allows the set to really span several generations from 1956 when Robinson debuted to 1989 when Schmidt called it quits. (Plus, I know 33 years isn’t even the longest span in the set. I wonder what the longest one is. I wonder which set has the longest span ever. Night Owl?) The 4-player rookie cards are also fun. I was surprised to see the Hernandez, since I had it mislabeled on my wantlist and didn’t know I needed it. Thankfully Mark knew better. The trophy on Bill Matlock’s card and the star on Larry Bowa harken back to earlier times. Sure, they show up on cards today, but something about the look of these just scream “classic.” The league leaders cards are another way to have cards of even more stars. They’re especially fun to look at and ask yourself, “Buzz Capra led the league in something?”

So, a big thanks to Mark. Not just for the additional cards. But for resparking my interest in the set. This shipment reminded me of all the fun elements to the set. It also means that I’m only about 30 cards from finishing the set. I had no idea it was so close. So, I have a new-found dedication to get it finished. It’s within reach, and I want to grab it.

Thanks Mark!