NASCAR Special Paint Scheme of the Month: 2016 Trevor Bayne Throwback

Another month where I almost forgot to get one of these in. This month's post again comes from the 2017 Donruss set, a set I really liked- and which showed a bunch of special paint schemes.

2017 Donruss #108

For the Southern 500, all but one of the teams came out with a special paint scheme, most of them throwbacks. (and the others called throwbacks even when they didn't actually throw back to anything). Trevor Bayne's car was a throwback to Mark Martin's standard paint scheme from 1996-97. Unfortunately for Trevor, his engine blew on lap 161 and he finished last.

This is one of only two cards that show this car. The other is from Lionel's 1/64 diecast line, which does not appear in my collection. (Hopefully someday). Of course, the Donruss card does have a bunch of parallels, but none of them appear in my collection, either.

More kindness from NHL collectors!

After yesterday's post was already written and scheduled, I had a big mail call.

Four big packages arrived! Two of them from Canada! The very top box is a trade with Trading Card Database member Bevans, who I have not been able to mail to yet due to being sick...don't have the energy to get the cards out. The small handful of non-sport cards comes from frequent trading partner Shawn Norris, the box on the bottom right comes from Sportscards from the Dollar Store and will be getting a return package from me at some point hopefully soon as well. The big box on the bottom left comes from a guy on a Facebook hockey card group I joined. I mentioned that I learned the history of the NBA through cards and wanted to do the same with hockey, and he liked that so sent me a big box of cards. A few of them took some damage (I think someone sat on the box!) but most of them are fine, and some of them are pretty amazing- my first stick relic is in that box!

The box from Douglas of Sports Cards from the Dollar Store is mostly of people not previously in my collection...I was going through and posting the new people 10 at a time as I got them, but with these two boxes, there's probably around 400 new people for my collection. I may have to rethink that project, perhaps I started it too soon. If I keep up what I was doing that will mean I don't do anything else for probably the rest of the year.

I'm still working on documenting the cards, and that alone is going to take me several more days! Just wanted to get these posted real quick.

Once again, collecting the NHL helps my NBA collection.

This is getting kind of strange. I've been collecting the NBA for more than 20 years, and the NHL for 9 months. Yet once again, it (the NHL) has helped me bring clarity to my NBA collection.

When I began collecting the NHL, there was no question that both the Topps and O-Pee-Chee versions of a card would count as part of my collection. Likewise the Pro Set and Score issues in both English and French. (And, had I known about them at the time, Upper Deck as well). There was not a second thought given- they counted.

So why, in all these years, did the International versions of the Upper Deck and much later, Panini, issues for the NBA not count in my mind, but were considered a separate collection?

I have no idea, to be honest. It just was. That's how I'd always done it, so that's just the way it was.

No longer.

As of today, I have officially integrated my International editions to my NBA collection, adding a total of 771 cards to my NBA collection, and making it so every card I have that's actually an NBA card- no college crap- officially counts for my collection, for the first time ever. It also means that from now on, when I hit a milestone...it's actually going to be the real number. No more asterisks, no more having to change it when I officially count something.

It brings me very close to my next milestone, but luckily doesn't cross it so I don't have to change my official records...with the inclusion of the International cards, it brings me to 87,924 NBA cards...although there is still an asterisk as I know my count is off, I'm treating this number as correct, until I finish scanning everything and can do a recount. That's still several years away. Not that the official count or milestone cards mean anything to anyone other than me.

Now I need to make paper listings for them and add the missing sets to my "Sets missing from my collection" page.

For the past week+, I've been working on scanning the International cards that needed scans for the Trading Card Database. It's a lot. Most of them in fact. It took me four days to do the 1995-96 Collector's Choice Spanish II set alone. Here's some scans..

 The 1992-93 Upper Deck International sets had the cards that were inserts in the USA release as part of the base set.

 The rookies also got base cards- something they did not get in the American release.

 1993-94, as far as I know, did not have any unique cards, other than the backs.

 As I previously mentioned, 1994-95 had exclusive inserts and parallels. Integrating these cards into my collection officially also allows me to add some more cards of some rarer players, like Bazarevich here.

 I scanned three versions of this card in the past week- the British, Portuguese and Spanish versions. It's also available in Japanese, French, German and Italian, one of which I had previously scanned, but the others are not in my collection. I do believe the 52 on his jersey is photoshopped/airbrushed as he originally wore 25.

 One of my all-time favorite subsets. I have them all in the American and Spanish versions, but only some of the others.

 1996-97 had no exclusive base cards, but did have exclusive inserts.

I know I have more of the 1996-97 Fleer European cards somewhere, because I remember buying packs of them back in the day when they were current. But I have no idea where they are, for the most part. They didn't "count" so I didn't keep track of them. The team logo cards were exclusive to the European set, and all four that I can find now came later. If/when I ever find the ones I got new, they will be officially added to my collection as well.

Back in November of last year I wrote up a post that details how to determine easily which language each card comes from. I had to use it here to make sure I had everything straight. It's my only post I've directly bookmarked.

We are the Champions

Although I've been on a hockey kick lately, the NBA is still what my day revolves around. This past NBA season saw one of the most amazing teams ever...when 4 of my 5 favorite players in the league came together to pretty much destroy the rest of the league. When Panini put out a special team set for the Warrior's championship, I had to get it...it arrived on Monday. Without further ado, here are the fronts of all 24 cards, in numerical order.

The great thing is, if this team stays together, we could see them win a lot more. A Bill Russell Celtics era run is not impossible. I hope it happens...and if Panini does another championship set next year, I will try and get it...even if, for some reason, the Warriors don't win. Yeah, I don't see that being an issue.

Seeing Double

As I've mentioned before, I love error cards...getting a new one is a huge thrill. They have a very small presence on Cardboard History, something that's on my "To-Do" list to fix, but I have not gotten around to it yet.

I got a pretty spectacular double printing error in the mail today, courtesy of Trading Card Database member purtz5979. He posted this card on the Card Identification Forum and I commented on it's errorness. He was kind enough to send it to me and it arrived in today's mail.

Do not adjust your set, the card really looks like this in hand!

I've been collecting error cards for decades and this is only the third double print of this style I've been able to acquire...and by far the most dramatic.

Here's the front.

Unfortunately, it's normal 😁

Thanks again Paul!

New NHL Players added to my collection: 1761-1770

The third round of this series begins with three more players from 1980-81 Topps, and will also kick off another big run of a set that will continue unto post #4.

1761. Don Murdoch

1980-81 Topps #203

 I do believe that jersey is painted on, even though he did play 10 games for the Oilers the previous season.
Murdoch, from Cranbrook, British Columbia, had a rather short NHL career. He played from 1976-77 through 1981-82 with the Rangers, Oilers and Red Wings. He was an All-Star in his rookie season, and placed second in Calder Cup voting that season. His brother Bob also played in the NHL but is not present in my collection. Don played 320 NHL games, scoring 121 goals and 117 assists.

1762. Blair MacDonald

1980-81 Topps #32

From Cornwall, Ontario, MacDonald had a long WHA career before joining the NHL. He played 7 years in the WHA and only 5 in the NHL. All told, he played from 1973-74 to 1982-83 and played a combined 695 games, scoring 262 goals and 365 assists. He played in the 1980 NHL all-Star game.

1763. Pete Mahovlich

1980-81 Topps #72

From Timmins, Ontario, Pete Mahovlich had a long career, from 1965-66 through 1980-81, and to 1986 in the minor leagues. All told he played 884 games, scoring 288 goals and 485 assists. He won 4 Stanley Cups, all with the Canadiens. He played with the Red Wings, Canadiens, Penguins, and back to the Red Wings. His brother Frank is a Hall-of-Famer and does appear in my collection.

1764. Dan Ratushny

1993-94 Upper Deck #245

A very obscure player, but historic for me- this is my 5000th different NHL (or at least professional) hockey card! In fact, it's the only NHL card Ratushny ever got, though he did get minor league cards. The native of Nepean, Ontario played in exactly one NHL game, very clearly with the Canucks. He didn't score a goal, but he did get an assist during the game. He played in various minor leagues and International leagues until 2000-01, including representing Canada at the 1992 Olympics.

1765. Jonni Vauhkonen

I debated including these players who got cards in the World Junior Championships subsets over the years, but since they got cards in standard NHL sets, I have decided to include them. Since they are representing National Teams as well it was another nod towards including them. Most if not all of them played professionally in Europe which I would collect cards of if I was able to. Vauhkonen played in Finland from 1992-93 through 2001-02, then one year in England and one in Germany.

1766. Igor Alexandrov

Alexandrov played professionally in Europe until 2008-09, alternating between Russia and Germany. He also played one year in the USA in the AHL.

1767. Ondrej Steiner

Steiner played in Europe until 2009-10. He mostly played in the Czech Repubic but also in Russia, Denmark and Finland.

1768. Michal Cerny

If I am correct, he played in the Czech Republic from 1990-91 through 2002-03, except in 1998-99 where he played in Slovakia.

1769. Darcy Werenka

Finally, somebody who has a Wikipedia page! He never played in the NHL, but he played in minor leagues and in Europe until 2011-12.

1770. John Emmons

Emmons actually did play in the NHL, after being drafted in 1993, he didn't debut until 1999-00 with the Senators. He also played with the Lightning and Bruins, and only played through 2001-02. He played 85 total games, posting 2 goals and 4 assists. He played in minor leagues and Europe until 2002-03.

The next post leads off with more WJC competitors. I don't currently have enough cards to make up the 10 people I am showing in each post, so I have to get some new cards before I can finish it and post it. This is a problem I don't think I'll have much trouble solving, considering my COMC order is due in soon and I'm waiting on packages from several bloggers and Trading Card Database members...

New NHL Players added to my collection: 1751-1760

In the second installment of this series, all 10 players highlighted come from a run of 1980-81 Topps that populated a 100-card snaplock I purchased in June. They finished the first post and will start the third post as well! I had quite a big run on the set, getting more than 20 cards from it overall.

1751. Thomas Gradin

1980-81 Topps #241

My first card really showing the neat Flying V uniform that Vancouver wore at this time. From Solleftea, Sweden, he played 677 games scoring 209 goals and 384 assists, spanning the 1978-79 through 1986-87 seasons. He mostly played for the Canucks but ended his career with a final season with the Bruins.

1752. Doug Jarvis

1980-81 Topps #76

Jarvis hails from Brantford, Ontario. He played in the NHL from 1975-76 through 1987-88 with the Canadiens, Captials and Whalers. He played 964 games, scoring 139 goals and 264 assists.  He won four Stanley Cups with Montreal and two awards: 1983-84 Selke and 1986-87 Masterson Memorial Trophy. He never missed a game in his NHL career, and is currently an assistant coach for the Canucks. His record of consecutive games played of 964 still stands as of the conclusion of 2016-17.

1753. Nick Fotiu

1980-81 Topps #184

From Staten Island, NY, Fotiu is the first player who was in the WHA to appear in this project. He played from 1974-75 through 1988-89, playing a combined 756 games scoring 65 goals and 81 assists. He played for the Whalers, Rangers, Whalers again, Rangers again, Flames, Flyers, and Oilers.

1754. Rocky Saganiuk

1980-81 Topps #64

From Myrnam, Alberta, Saganiuk had a short NHL career but a long professional career. He played in the NHL only from 1978-79 through 1983-84, for the Maple Leafs and Penguins, scoring 57 goals and 65 assists. However, he played professionally in other leagues up through 1994-95!

1755. Dick Redmond

1980-81 Topps #36

From Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Redmond had a long career, playing 771 games and posting 133 goals and 312 assists, playing for the North Stars, Golden Seals, BlackHawks, Blues, Atlanta Flames and Bruins. His brother Mickey played in the NHL as well but is not present in my collection yet.

1756. Bill Derlago

1980-81 Topps #11

From Birtle, Manitoba, Derlago played in the NHL from 1978-79 through 1986-87. He played for the Canucks, Maple Leafs, Bruins, Jets and Nordiques. He played for three teams during 1985-86. His totals are 555 games played, 189 goals and 227 assists.

1757. Joel Quenneville

1980-81 Topps #19

I was pretty excited to get this card as it's only the second Colorado Rockies card in my collection.
Quenneville, from Windsor, played in the NHL from 1978-79 through 1990-91. He played for the Maple Leafs, Rockies and Devils (moving with the team in 1982), Whalers and Capitals. He played 803 games, scoring 54 goals and 136 assists. He has found considerable success as a coach, having been a coach for the last 22 seasons, with the Blues, Avalanche and Blackhawks, where he led them to three Stanley Cups in the past decade. He has been coach for 1539 games, winning 851 of them. In his 21 years behind the bench, his teams have only missed the playoffs twice. (discounting 2004-05 which was locked out). Perhaps surprisingly, he has only one Jack Adams award, which he won in 1999-00 with the Blues.

1758. Dave Hutchison

1980-81 Topps #78

Hutchison, from London, Ontario, is another player who played in the WHA before the NHL. He started with the Philadelphia Blazers and moved with the team to Vancouver, then, joining the NHL, played with the Kings, Maple Leafs, Black Hawks, Devils and ending his career with the Maple Leafs again. He played a combined total of 681 games, scoring 19 goals and 112 assists.

1759. Reggie Leach

1980-81 Topps #70

Unfortunately on my copy, whoever had it first scratched too hard on the black covering the name and scratched off some of the card surface itself.
From Riverton, Manitoba, he played 934 games spanning the 1970-71 through 1982-83 seasons. He scored 381 goals and 285 assists during that time. He was a two-time all-star, with the Stanley Cup in 1975 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1975-76. He played for the Bruins, Golden Seals, Flyers and Red Wings. His son Jamie also played in the NHL.

1760. Rogatien "Rogie" Vachon

1980-81 Topps #110

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, Vachon played 795 games from 1966-67 through 1981-82. He would win 355 of those games, 51 in shutouts. (23rd most all-time) He played for the Canadiens, Kings, Red Wings and Bruins. He was a three-time All-star, 2 time Stanley Cup winner, and won the 1967-68 Vezina Trophy. With more than 46,000 minutes played, he ranks 15th all-time in that category as well.

And that concludes Chapter 2 in my project. I really don't like the 1980-81 set much due to the hidden names, and total lack of names on the back, but at least they are standard size, unlike the 1980-81 NBA set!