Remembering the Astrodome with Expos!

I recently received a message on Twitter from Marc of Remember the Astrodome fame looking for my address because he had some cards to send me.. 

Well.. What I got was a shoebox full of team bags.. In those bags are set needs, Expos, and Blue Jays.. 

Now... I'm showing a few sets today that he helped add to.. I'll have more next post as well.. 

First up is 1990 Score.. Now remember, I decided to continue to collect that set.. These cards put me a little closer.. 73.3% according to the Database Gods.. 

The Boyd is from the Traded set and since I already have two copies of it, goes into the big box of Expos. 

The other two Score Traded are the same thing.. 

These three 1991 Fleer are cards I needed for the binder, so I have them separate.. 

These are all adds for the set.. Included in there is Peter Steinberg's favourite John Kruk. 

With these cards, I'm now at 83.3% complete for this set. 

I have some Bowman and some other stuff to show off next time. 

Today was a bad day mental health wise, so I really don't have much to say.. I will say thank you to Marc, aka Bru on Twitter! 

COMC Order

I placed a COMC order before Christmas and received it today. The majority of it is Expos for the Frankenset, though I did get a couple Jays as well. 

These 9 all fit into the Frankenset. I actually bought two of the Renko In Action so I would have one for the set and one for my collection. 

The Pete Rose OPC replaced my current Card 300. Showing him in an Expos uniform, looking at COMC, there's a Donruss and a Fleer card.. Otherwise, it's Topps Traded and unlicensed stuff from Leaf years later.. 

The Canadian Greats were from the Leaf/Donruss sets in the 80s. I only needed a couple to have them all.. So I got them.. The Raines is a duplicate for the Frankenset. 

The Haney Rookies card, I'm honestly not sure why I picked it up, other than to have one closer to finishing that need.. 

The Bullock Stadium Club I picked up two of. The Walker Bowman I got two of as well. 

The Walker Stadium Club, I for some reason, now show as having multiples of, but I don't recall having them before.. So I need to relook. 

The Pinnacle Walker I got multiples of as well. 

I also got three copies of the Walker Cyberstats card to fill each need.. One for the Expos, One for the Canadians, and one for the Frankenset. I love the look of the card, so it took over 221. 

The Circa card is very 1995 Fleerish.. 

Jason Bay was a multiple pick up as well. I don't recall if I had it for the Canadians binder and the Expos binder already, but I got two.. I'll really need to split my collections on TCDB to keep track I think.. 

Finally a couple 2004 Expos cards for the set. I love the team cards, so I will almost always have them in when I can. 

So.. Those were the cards I picked up from COMC. I'm going to catalogue them in a spreadsheet so I can keep track of what I have where.. 

But this brings me to an issue I'm sure others doing the accumulation projects run into.. Accuracy and not being completely sure if your numbers are correct.. I'm severely tempted to go through and recount my duplicates and everything else, minus sets.. I'll just keep the info from the sets on TDCB, I think.. Though if it's only the duplicates I'm worried about... It may be something I do later on in the year. 

Paring Down the Collection Set 2

I've made a decision on another set already. I came across the 1993 Pinnacle set.. While I love the look of the first two Pinnacle sets, I'm far and away closer to completing the 1992 set, so I've decided against trying to complete 1993.. 

These cards are beautiful. I just don't see myself getting the rest of the set. 

 That said, I do love the Now And Then cards contained in this set. I will be collecting them. 

One other interesting thing that comes from this set is one of the few cards made that shows Dave Stieb as a member of a team other than the Jays. 

2020 Collecting Goals and the First Decision Post

Well, as we hit that spot that the scientists like Neil DeGrasse-Tyson like to remind us is arbitrary.. 

Happy New Year... Three days ago... 

I'm not one to celebrate too much about the Christmas or New Years holidays now. Never was one for New Years. It always depressed me. The passage of time coupled with the year end retrospectives always made it a time where I would feel.. Incomplete? I've never been one to go out and get drunk, so that aspect is lost on me as well. 

But I know you're here for the card aspects here.. So while I don't like setting goals or resolutions.. 

I do have a couple goals for 2020..

1. 1978 Topps  I'm currently 29% into collecting it. It's my birth year set and I'd like to finish collecting it. I realize there are some expensive cards in it, so while completion may not be in the cards this year. even getting to 75% would be a win for me this year. That said. Anyone who has 78s let me know!!

2. Jays and Expos Collections  I'm continuing with them obviously, but I think this year I want to concentrate on the Topps Flagships for both teams. Go back to the start year for both teams and make sure I have the team sets from there. If I can complete this over the year, great!

3. Canadians Collection  Obviously keeping this one going as well. I'm also thinking about revisiting my Canadians in the Big Leagues thing I was doing for a while when I first started. 

4. One MILLION Expos  Now I know I won't get to One Million this year.. I'm barely over 11,500.

I don't know.. 30K? A Great year maybe 50K? This obviously means I need to get stuff out of my house as well.. Some stuff I've been sitting on for ages. 

5. Refocus My Collection There are some sets I'm collecting that I like.. There are some I'm collecting for the simple fact that they were there.. There are some that I'm collecting that I don't even like.. 

Well.. That last part is what this is about.. I want to go through my collection and decide if I actually Like the set.. If I do and I'm at say 50%+, I'll keep collecting it.. If I don't like the set, I'll pull my needs from it and trade off the rest.. I did find one exception to this one already though.. 

1992 Score

It's one of those sets I've been collecting on and off since 1992.. I don't know what it is.. I just can't really become too big of a fan of it.. I mean visually it's a nice card

But there's something about it that... Meh?? Realistically the only Flagship set I collected in 1992 was Donruss.. Topps' design bored me, but I ended up getting an OPC factory set. I like Pinnacle. Leaf is nice, though I like the Black Gold ones better than the Base.. Fleer was bland. Upper Deck was interesting, but it was also the same design basically three years in a row.. 

Then there's Score. The photos used are decent. Very Focused on the player involved. I don't think I'm a fan of the "Void Border" though. That band of.. Nothing... that the pictures invariably bleed into. 

The backs of the cards, I like. I like the information on the back, the stat lines giving minor league teams as well. The one thing I've always liked about Score sets are the bios. 

Sadly, this one will be one I'm going to get rid of aside from the cards I need to fill my collections. I do like one of the inserts though and will continue to collect it.. The Impact Players insert I really liked.. 

The Impact Player Inserts I'm 68/90 for completion. 

Expos Frankenset Pages 85-88

The last post for now on the Frankenset.

Page 85

Card 757 is a 1991 Topps Mark Gardner

758 is missing

Card 759 is a 1985 Topps Jim Fanning

Card 760 is a 1986 Topps Andre Dawson

Card 761 is a 1992 Topps Mike Fitzgerald

Card 762 is a 1982 Topps Mike Phillips

Card 763 is a 1989 Topps Dave Martinez

764 is missing

Card 765 is a 1992 Donruss Junior Noboa

Again, the Noboa is a cheat. It says he's a Met, but shown in Full Expos beanie uniform.. 

Page 86

766 is missing

Card 767 is a 1992 Upper Deck Gary Carter

768 is missing

769 is missing

770 is missing

771 is missing

772 is a 1992 Upper Deck Archi Cianfrocco

Card 773 is a 1991 Topps Tom Foley

Card 774 is a 1987 Topps Wayne Krenchicki

Page 87

Card 775 is a 1992 Topps Ivan Calderon

776 is missing

Card 777 is a 1991 Score Nelson Santovenia

778 is missing

Card 779 is a 1982 Topps Grant Jackson

780 is missing

781 is missing

Card 782 is a 2003 Topps Total Zach Day

783 is missing

Page 88

784 is missing

785 is missing 

Card 786 is a 1992 Upper Deck Matt Stairs

Card 787 is a 1986 Topps Vance Law

Card 788 is a 1982 Topps Woodie Fryman

Card 789 is a 1991 Upper Deck Barry Jones

Card 790 is a 1992 Upper Deck Ken Hill

791 is missing

792 is missing

And there we have it. That's the final pages of the Frankenset.. 

If you have Expos and are willing to ship to Canada, let me know.. I'm sure we can work something out.. 

Expos Frankenset Pages 81-84

The second last page of this Frankenset for a while, aside from when I acquire cards to fill gaps.. I may also revisit if I acquire interesting cards.. 

Anyway

Page 81

721 is missing

Card 722 is a 2002 Upper Deck 40 Man Troy Mattes

723 is missing

Card 724 is a 2003 Topps Total Britt Reames

Card 725 is a 1981 Topps Steve Rogers

Card 726 is a 1991 Donruss Junior Noboa

Card 727 is a 1993 Topps Jonathan Hurst

728 is missing

Card 729 is a 1991 Score Mel Rojas

Obviously a couple Wrigley shots here with Noboa and Rojas. 

For some reason, I remember Britt Reames, but of course that was around the time the Expos were a revoloving door.. As soon as you showed talent and the possibility of making more than a couple million, you were gone..  

Page 82 

Card 730 is a 1982 Topps Gary Carter

731 is missing

Card 732 is a 1984 Topps Terry Crowley

733 is missing

Card 734 is a 1991 Score Scott Anderson

735 is missing

736 is missing 

737 is missing

Card 738 is a 1989 Upper Deck Mike Aldrete

Page 83

739 is missing

740 is missing

741 is missing

Card 742 is a 1987 Topps Andy McGaffigan

Card 743 is a 1990 Upper Deck Mark Gardner

Card 744 is a 1993 Donruss Rob Natal 

Card 745 is a 1990 Topps Hubie Brooks

Card 746 is a 1990 Upper Deck Delino DeShields

Card 747 is a 1989 Topps Wil Tejada

Natal is a bit of a cheat here, as the card lists him as a Marlin. He was taken by the Marlins in the expansion draft, but the card shows him in full Expos uniform, so I'm including him. If I get a better representation for that number, I'll consider it..

Page 84

Card 748 is a 1988 Topps Reid Nichols

Card 749 is a 1990 Upper Deck Oil Can Boyd

Card 750 is a 2001 Topps Grady Sizemore/ David Krynzel

751 is missing

752 is missing

Card 753 is a 1990 Upper Deck Howard Farmer

754 is missing

755 is missing

756 is missing

It's rather interesting to see who the Expos have drafted that ended up doing well elsewhere. 

Sizemore, obviously, never played for the Expos. He was traded to the Indians with Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Lee Stevens for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew. 

That was 2002.. The Expos ended up in 2nd place that year. Mind you, it was a DISTANT second.. 

But this was the era that MLB owned the Expos. 

Also, the same season, they traded Jason Bay. 

Expos Frankenset Pages 77-80

There are three posts left in this Frankenset string. The last three posts will feature four pages each just to get it done and over with.. 

After that's complete, I'll look at maybe doing a post on what I plan to accomplish this year.

Page 77

Card 685 is a 1986 Topps Tim Wallach

Card 686 is a 1992 Donruss Dennis Martinez

687 is missing

Card 688 is a 1990 Score Mark Langston

689 is missing

690 is missing

691 is missing

Card 692 is a 2004 Topps Total TJ Tucker

Card 693 is a 1990 Donruss Jeff Huson

Page 78

694 is missing

Card 695 is a 1993 Topps Kent Bottenfield

696 is missing

697 is missing

Card 698 is a 1993 Upper Deck Jimmy Jones

Card 699 is a 1979 Topps Hal Dues

700 is missing

701 is missing

Card 702 is a 1990 Upper Deck Rookie Threats

It's DeShields, Grissom, and Walker. 

Page 79

Card 703 is a 1986 Topps Tim Wallach

704 is missing

705 is missing

706 is missing

Card 707 is a 1987 Topps Bob McClure

Card 708 is a 2003 Topps Total Scott Hodges

709 is missing

Card 710 is a 2002 Topps Orlando Cabrera

Card 711 is a 1986 Topps Jeff Reardon

Page 80

712 is missing

713 is missing

Card 714 is a 1990 Topps Marquis Grissom

Card 715 is a 1992 Score Brian Barnes

716 is missing

Card 717 is a 1989 Upper Deck Spike Owen

Card 718 is a 1991 Score Howard Farmer (Hey it's Wrigley!) 

Card 719 is a 1992 Upper Deck Marquis Grissom

Card 720 is a 1989 Topps Tim Wallach

I'm thinking about adding this as one of the numbers that have no cards associated. 

It's from a set I received made by a member of the Trading Card Database.