2010 Topps Triple Threads MLB Die Cut Relics Emerald Parallel #13/18

Here's the fourth and last Triple Threads post of the day.  Pretty basic relic card but I dig the digital design in the background and the green parallel.  Cool card and at least the scan came out good.

2008 Topps Triple Threads Relics Sepia Parallel #27/27

This scan is so terrible.  It's a Sepia parallel so the card is dark, but this is bad.  But gonna post up all the Triple Threads today, so here it is :(

2007 Topps Triple Threads Autographed Relics Gold Parallel #2/9

It's crazy that I got the card in the previous post and this card in the same two week period.  Both Triple Threads autos Gold parallel numbered to /9.  So I'll go ahead and put the blog posts back-to-back.  I like this one just as much as the 2010.  Being three years older, it looks and feels a bit more old school.  I think Topps was still figuring it out a bit as this is only the second year of Triple Threads.  The "376 HRS" looks fantastic, especially with that pinstripe down the middle.  My only criticism is the sticker which from a design point of view, looks like it's just floating in the corner.  Was great when somebody figured out they could put a simple frame around them and really jazz it up.  That said, I absolutely love this card and am stoked to have it in my collection.

2010 Topps Triple Threads Autographed Relics Gold Parallel #4/9

Seems like it's been a Triple Threads time of year here at the Obsession.  Over the past six months a bunch of really nice older Threads cards have come up for sale and I've been lucky enough to snag more than a few of them.  More posts coming soon.  This 2010 Auto Gold Parallel is among the more exciting ones to me.  There's something about that huge, all-wood "pudge" that gets me.  It's just a sticker auto, but something numbered in the single digits?  Makes me feel like a kid again.  Even ten years ago I woudn't have been able to afford this card, so I feel very fortunate to be in a position to own gems like this.  #gratitude and #killercards

2001 Topps Tribute Franchise Figures Game Used Bat Relics with Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox

I can't tell you how stoked I am to finally be able to afford this card.  They aren't numbered and I don't have a sense of the print run, but they very rarely come up for sale.  Fortunately for me, one sold for a huge amount of money (for a non-auto, un-numbered card) about two weeks before this one came up.  That always brings the price way down for the second auction and I was able to grab it.  I really love Topps Tribute and this was the first year it was issued, not long after Fisk was elected to the Hall of Fame, which started a flood of high-end cards.  With bat pieces of three Chicago Hall of Famers, this one is a centerpiece of my collection.

2015 Panini Cooperstown Etched in Cooperstown Sapphire Gem Parallel #07/10

Ima keep the 2015 Cooperstown theme going by posting this sweet card I recently picked up.  Once again, always easier to be patient and wait for folks to lose interest and sell of the cards they were hot to bid on three years ago.  This one has an actual sapphire gem inserted, and I have the ruby gem of this card to go with it.  Never have been able to grab the Dual Etched due to the other dude in the "dual" being Frank Thomas which sends prices through the roof.  This blue is a "sparkle" treatment that really pops in-hand.  Great card.

2015 Panini Cooperstown HOF Induction Signatures

This is the ultimate bad scan.  Actually a decent card in-hand, but the material is a silver foil and just won't scan well.  For the first time ever on this site, I actually applied a filter to the photo so the pic actually looks a bit more sepia than the actual but got the overall point across better.  I really love the overly-huge, complicated sets that force a collector to really dig in - probably the same thing that most collectors hate.  The 2015 Cooperstown set is one of the more confusing, large, repetitive sets out there and I've enjoyed chasing it over the years.  This is the first time I can recall seeing an auto up for sale however.  I think the price reflected the community's hatred of Cooperstown 'cause the price was cheap.  Nice pickup for me.

2015 Topps Update Rookie Sensations Insert Sticker Auto #18/25

Back when these came out I really enjoyed this card.  The base cards were in Chrome Update, then the 5" x 7" parallels came out on the Topps website.  Thought that was it, so big surprise when Fisk gets a rare look in the Update series.  Kinda tossing off some extra stickers to beef up the product probably, but still.  For a player that doesn't get that many lower-end cards these days, it's fun.  I like the super retro photo from the early '70s combined with the really slick stock and glossy finish of a modern card.

2017 Panini Flawless Legendary Signatures Base Auto #18/20

Another scan that looks like poo.  This card stock is glossy and really pops in-hand.  Looks like the scanner calibrated to the blue sharpie which looks amazing.  I just picked up the Ruby /15 parallel of this over the weekend to boot.

2008 Donruss Playoff Prime Cuts Timeline Quad Relic #10/10

Was a big weekend for card updates at the Obsession house with three days off for the Veteran's Day weekend.  Time for some much needed maintenance to the collection.  Am not certain that this card rises to the standard for a blog post, but evidently when I made the scans this weekend - I did.  In keeping with the prime directive of this site, I do this hobby because it gives me pleasure so here goes.  I thought it was rare (and therefore cool) to find a quad jersey piece numbered to /10 up for grabs on an auction site for less than an arm and a leg.  Usually these are listed as Buy It Now for (pinky to lips) One Million Dollars.  So a nice low-numbered quad jersey that's 10 years old for cheap.  Cool card.

2011 Topps Triple Threads Autographed Relics 7x Jersey Relic & Sticker Auto #15/18

Picked up this little gem a couple months ago for about half of what it's worth - love that.  I've posted here a lot lately that I'm going through a Triple Threads phase right now.  Party because I can finally afford that level of card and partly because you can grab older TT's for cheap when people dump them.  Fun to troll the Interwebs and snag these great cards for probably 25% of what they were selling for shortly after their issue.  Of course, that doesn't bode well for the value of these cards as an investment, but that's never been my objective.  All in all, a beautiful little gem.

2015 Leaf 'Q' Pure 25th Anniversary Clear Autographs Gray Parallel

Brian Gray over at Leaf gets my vote for being a good dude and a friend to the hobby - a collector's owner.  I can't imagine how tough it is to compete in the marketplace against giant corporations and turn out a good product.  These cards are very simple but cool.  Like that they're encased.  Love the clear see-through card stock.  Love the on-card autos.  I wish I'd grabbed a parallel version that had some color, but got this grey version very cheaply on an auction site.  This card looks a lot better in-hand than this scan.  Overall, a good auto that I'm happy to own.  Thanks Brian for trying to do good stuff for the collector!

2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Signatures Bat Barrel Autograph #08/25

One of my favorite autos.  Blue sharpie on a wood bat barrel - just awesome.

2012 Topps Triple Threads Autographed Relics White Whale Printing Plate 13-piece Bat Relic Auto #1/1

We all know that adult card collectors are all about getting the cards that you drooled over and dreamed about when we were kids.  In the beginning you were lucky just to get the $0.35 for a wax pack of 1980 Topps and you were happy if you got a couple cards that weren't dups.  As we age and our budgets get better, we get better and better cards and collections.  For me this card represents another rung up that ladder.  Just a cheezy sticker auto 1 of 1 to some, for my budget this is a holy grail kind of card and it made me extremely happy and proud to bag it for a good price.  Will always have an honored place in the Fisk Obsession.  I've got enough 1 of 1 cards now that I recently added that attribute as a column in my Fisk inventory spreadsheet.  Up to 97 autographs, 273 relic cards, 632 numbered cards, and now 4 Juan de Juan.  Love this card and feel lucky to have it.

2009 Upper Deck Icons Immortal Letterman Manufactured Patches Complete Set # /45

This set took me seven years and $120 to put together.  What else can I say that the scan doesn't already say?  I wish I could have a custom frame made with top loaders attached so I could hang the whole set on a wall someplace.  May be a future man cave idea.  I know they're just cheezy manufactured patches, but I just love this set.  So happy to have finally completed it this year.

2018 Panini Donruss Retro 1984 Signatures Gold Parallel #04/10

Got the blue parallel when this set was released and just picked up the Gold for a surprisingly cheap price for a numbered to 10 card.  It's a sticker auto with a so-so photo but Topps and Panini really know the way to my heart (and wallet) with the re-use of the old 70's and 80's designs.  I owned about a billion 1984 Donruss - many of them would be quite valuable today.  But when I sold off the original collection in 1991, I got a very good price at the time for my Mattingly and Strawberry rookies.  Ahhh, breathe in the nostalgia.....

2003 Fleer Flair Greats Home Team Cuts Dual Relic with Jim Rice

This isn't a card I would typically post on The Obsession, but I can't recall ever seeing this one on eBay before.  I have the single card of Fisk, but I believe the duals are fairly unusual.  Some of that is the fact that it's a 15-year old card.  Also interesting is that the card has no number on the back.

2011 Topps Tier One Top Tier Autographs Gold Parallel #06/10 slabbed PSA 8

To be honest, I really wish I hadn't sent this off to PSA.  Not at all sure why I did except I had a voucher that was expiring and it was one of my favorite autos at the time.  The holder they put it in is like 2" thick.  It's gross.  Can't store it anywhere, bulky, clunky, uggh.  Takes a gorgeous numbered to 10 on-card auto on thick stock and makes it......meh.  Maybe one day I'll figure out how to liberate the card from the holder without destroying it.  Until then, it sits in my "shrine" where I can see it every day and as the Fisk Obsession prime directive goes......it makes me happy.  Thanks for looking.

1973 Topps Candy Lids - slabbed PSA 5

Boy there's so much to say about this issue of cards.  I love it that it's an actual Topps company issue.  I love it that it's oddball.  I love it that it's candy related.  I love it that it's rare.  I love that there are "proof" cards and a 1972 "test" issue out there.  Little buckets of candy.  Just wierd.  When I first started a serious Fisk collection in 1998, I never thought I would even see one of these, much less own one. I bought this one on eBay pretty cheaply many years ago and sent it to PSA myself.  I think the 5 grade is pretty good - can't say I recall seeing one higher.

For those interested, here is a great article on the whole Candy Lids thing, much more articulate and well-researched than I could ever attempt.

Suffice it to say, this is one of my favorite cards in the Fisk Obsession and one of the main reasons I enjoy collecting - it makes me smile.

Original box of 1973 Topps Candy Lids with four example tubs.  The player image is on the inside of the lid.

2012 Topps Triple Threads Relic Combos Sepia Parallel Triple Relic with Frank Thomas & Paul Konerko #24/27

I've been oogling this card for several years now and never quite had the opportunity.  So when I was able to snag this on eBay last week, got super stoked.  Three of my favorite players of all time on one card.  And you know how I love Triple Threads.  An ideal card for me.  The "South Side" lettering is just plain cool.  What else can be said, just a killer pickup.

2005 Topps Pristine Personal Endorsements

I wasn't in the card game in 2005, having rejoined the hobby in 2008 after a nine-year layoff.  So I don't know anything about Topps Pristine, the history of this release, etc.  But I have to say, this card in-hand is a WOW card.  At first glance without an obvious Topps logo, I would have assumed this was an Upper Deck or maybe Donruss card (the sticker hologram isn't as noticeable in person).  This is a surprisingly high-end print for the Topps company.  I don't know what to call the printing technology except that it doesn't appear printed - more like engraved or stamped foil.  The whole thing has a hard metallic shimmer that is incredibly beautiful in the hand.  Very nice job here Topps. If I was at the Topps corporation, this is one release I would go back to the vault for and recycle.  Very happy to have grabbed this for cheaper than 2018 autos are selling for today.  Great card + great price = happy Fisk obsessive.

2016 Topps The Mint Golden Engraving Autographs #68/99

I could be wrong but I think this is the first Fisk "inscription" autograph I've purchased.  That "HOF 2000" really grabs me.  This scan is a TERRIBLE representation of this card.  The card itself is printed on extremely thick, heavy cardstock.  It took a 180 point magnetic to hold it.  Second, the overall printing is very glossy black, almost mirrored finish.  Very classy, very expensive printing.  Lastly, the gold sharpie for the auto and inscription are just awesome.  In any of the 100 Fisk autos I own, don't one even close to as nice as this.  Finally, baseballcardpedia.com notes that The Mint is, on a per box basis, the most expensive product Topps has ever released at an MSRP of $899 per box for.....FIVE CARDS!  I don't track the current release stock market like a lot of guys, so I'd be curious no know how this release ended up selling.  Per card average of the MSRP, this card should have cost $180.  Picked it up for 20% of that.  Just shows to go you how these cards really won't hold their value over time.  I do this because I love it, not for the money.  Thanks for looking!

2003 Topps Retired Signature

I've always liked this set of cards and have coveted this Fisk auto for a very long time.  Just didn't (and don't) want to pay the exorbitant prices that some folks ask.  This particular one I picked up in 2012 for - get this - three dollars.  Yup $3.  Three single George Washingtons.  It's a steal.  What is funky about it is that it is not encased as most 2005 Topps Retired cards are.  It's a naked card in a top loader.  So I'll continue to hunt for an encased one at a reasonable price.  Meanwhile, here's this beauty of a win in the Fisk Obsession collection.

2003 Fleer Rookies and Greats Boyhood Idols Jersey Auto #18/50

As I was filing away newer cards, I keep running across cards that really catch my eye that I haven't put on the blog before.  Picked this one up back in 2012 for $7.  That's right, seven bucks.  I love catching deals like that on The Bay.  Granted, this card is ugly as sin but it's still an auto numbered to /50, so don't hate.  The overall layout isn't bad for 2003.  I like the Boyhood Idols script with the double shadow (white/black/burgundy).  Also, the black background makes it overall very dark so it really doesn't pop but I appreciate the design effort.  If it were me and I was going to use the white "autograph box" that they have at the bottom, I would have gone for a lighter contrasting color.  As it is, the black/white contrast really makes this card all about the autograph box.  Overall experience is , "yup, I got an auto".  But push this design forward ten years and put a 2-color patch and on-card auto with a colored sharpie and this could be a hit. 

2006 Upper Deck Artifacts MLB Game Used Apparel Jersey Auto #05/30

I've always liked the look of the UD Artifacts release.  It's got that 19th Century script and sepia tones that really give it an old time feel.  I've rarely seen Fisk autographs come up in the Artifacts line though, so when I ran across this one I had to have it.  Made an offer and grabbed for a very reasonable price considering it's numbered to /30.  I don't love the sticker and the way it's positioned, partially covering the title logo and the borders of the jersey holder below, but it's a solid add to the collection.

2003 Fleer Fall Classics All-American Collection Autographs #058/100 and #13/75

These are old purchases for five or six years ago, but ran across them while filing some other cards in 2003 last week and pulled them out to scan.  Wierd, they don't look as good in the scan.  For a relatively plain card, they have a nice pop to them in person.  I like that they're identical cards but one is to /100 and the other to /75.  Great photo of Fisk too, bet that guy was out at second.

2005 Fleer Showcase Masterpiece Showpiece 2-color Patch #1/1

Haven't got too many One of One cards in the Fisk Obsession just yet.  I think this is my third, and first to be posted.  As cards go, it's not a stunner.  But when it came up for sale, I couldn't recall seeing anything from the "masterpiece showpiece" set before.  Rare, great 2-color piece of a letter patch, and stamped "1/1" in red foil on the back.  Nice pickup, makes me smile.

2017 Topps Triple Threads Relic Autographs Gold Parallel #8/9

You know it's time to retire Triple Threads when the jersey relic spells "Hitz Carlton".  What does that even mean?  Anyway, the design is very good.  Another awesome Gold Parallel /9.

2017 Triple Threads Gold Parallel

1979 Boston Red Sox Team Issue or Vietnam Series

Oddball alert! The folks here on The Fisk Obsession loves some old, weird oddball cards.  Lots of fun just figuring out what in the heck these cards are!  Very true in this case as well.  There seems to be universal agreement that these are from 1979 and are associated with the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park.  From there details are sketchy and opinions diverge.  I believe Bob Lemke (editor of the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards for many years) reference that the Boston Red Sox may have authorized Vietnam veterans to sell these cards outside Fenway Park as a fundraiser.  Along that line, the good folks over at www.carltonfisk.com list this issue as "1979 Vietnam Series".  The site tradingcarddb.com lists them as "1979 Boston Red Sox Vendor Cards," also implying that the Red Sox authorized these.  Of note is that the images on tradingcarddb.com do not show any names underneath the image - blank cards.  The plot thickens.

Finally, after years of searching finally came across a partial Red Sox team set I picked up on eBay for $17.50.  I pulled the Fisk card out and re-listed the remaining cards and immediately sold them for $14.95.  So I'm all-in on this rare card for about Four Bucks. 

1979 Red Sox Team Issue / Vietnam Series

2018 Topps Series 2 1980 All-Star Game Commemorative Pin Rainbow

I really enjoy it when Topps or Panini put Fisk in the current releases.  It gives me a few days or a couple weeks of fun chase again when I already have 99% of every Fisk card ever issued.  This one from Topps is pretty OK.  Very thick cards with the 1980 All-Star pins.  White is base, Black is /99, Gold is /50 and Red is /25.

1974 Topps Deckle Edge

In the hierarchy of cards that I obsess about on The Obsession, this one is very near to Holy Grail status.  Definitely in the top 5.  I love this proof card, but I still don't have an actual Deckle Edge card in the collection.  The one's I have seen for sale are many hundreds of dollars and I haven't been able to pull the trigger.  I got this one on eBay a few years back and sent it to PSA myself.  Not so happy with the Authentic grade, but maybe that comes along with being a proof card.  It's beautiful to look at but yet, it taunts me.  The obsession continues, in search for an edge made of deckles......

1974 Topps Deckle Edge Proof

2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970's Jersey and On-Card Auto

This is a pretty basic card by today's standards, but I really like the design.  The bright green, blue and purple colors and glossy finish really make this card pop.  The offset of a black and white photo enhances it too.  The "circle" theme where the patch is echoed in the purple concentric rings really finishes it off.  Unfortunately for Upper Deck, the gloss finish didn't allow the blue sharpie to stick really well and the auto reflects some running/smudging.  It's pretty subtle and doesn't detract from the overall eye appeal of the card.  Overall, really dig this card baby!

2001 Upper Deck Decade 1970's Quad Bats

Up to three of these now.  Anybody know of any others?

2007 Topps Triple Threads Relics Autographs Gold Parallel Relic Auto #2/9

The latest in my series of Triple Threads Gold Parallels.  This is the oldest one I've been able to get so far, with Triple Threads having started in 2006.  Those 2006 cards seem to really hold their value.  Anyway, the 2007 to me seems to say "old school" Triple Threads when it was THE hot high end product.  I like the simple 3-letter patch, big and bold.  These days they're getting into complete sentences with little tiny relic pieces!  Anything numbered to single digits is still super cool to me.  Finally, I would love to have the White Sox version of this card. 

2008 Donruss Threads Baseball Americana Gold Parallel Auto #24/50

From 2007 to 2009, the Donruss brand name - owned at that time by the Playoff Corporation - decided to produce cards without an MLB license.  That being the desperate cash grab that it sounds like, you get these type of cards as a result.  Cheap, uninteresting design.  Player not in uniform, with no MLB team logos.  And a sticker slapped on for good measure.  This card really sucks.  On the flip side, the photograph of Fisk on this card is taken from an on-field celebration event.  Fisk is actually holding his arm surreptitiously by his side and subtly "flipping the bird" to a former rival.  Explains the playful look on his face I guess.  The Donruss/Playoff designers simply cropped off the "one finger salute" and ran with it.  It's fun to think about the kind of hard-nosed baseball, rivalries and plain of good times that led to a moment like this one.  Cool photo if you know the back story.  Other than that, just another auto off my checklist.

2007 Upper Deck Premier Stitchings Green Monster Manufactured Patch Auto #16/25

Here's another sweet auto I got for the price of a nice base card.  Forget the haters, I like the manu patches.  Something different.

2008 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Memorable Moments #1/1

I think this is year I've gotten my first one-of-one Fisk cards.  I have a few now and boy are they addictive.  This one isn't that great but I couldn't hold back from having that "Juan de Juan" in my hand.  What is lame is that UD just changes the little indented story, the text in the "memorable moments" box, then calls that card "1 of 1" also.  So there's no telling how many of these "1 of 1" cards are out there.  There are 2 on COMC right now.

2017 Panini National Treasures Legends Cuts Booklet Material Quad Relic Auto #1/5

For the third Panini card in a row, this one is a whopper.  Still nothing like Upper Deck, but pretty sweet.  It actually looks to me like they paid Fisk to sign slips of paper so they could call them "cuts" but I can't be sure.  Who doesn't love a booklet numbered to 5?

2012 Panini Signature Series Lumber Cuts Jersey/Auto #01/10

Not sure what material this auto in on, but it looks like "lumber" for the Lumber Cuts line.  Pretty cool.

2016 Panini Pantheon Scripted Rudiarius Auto/Bat #02/15

Probably the cheapest Fisk auto I've ever picked up.  Not sure why, the 3D effect is pretty OK.  Alright, it's a bad card.  Gotta work on your game Panini.

2006 Upper Deck Epic Endorsements #04/30

Another not so great photo.  This card really looks fantastic in-hand.  For the 97th time, Upper Deck's quality is way past everyone else.  The sheen on this card is amazing and somehow makes up for the sticker auto jammed right in the middle of the card.  Older low-numbered cards like this don't come up for auction very often.  Really sweet pick up.

2016 Topps Triple Threads Autographed Relics Jersey/Bat/Auto Gold Parallel #3/9

Another day, another 10-piece relic auto numbered to 9.  This time, "Wave It Fair".  Just got this in the mail last week.  Sa-weet!

2012 Topps Triple Threads Autographed Relics #02/18

Your basic Triple Threads.  Sticker is off-center.  Something just catches me about the different relic spellings they put out.  Makes me wanna click "place bid".

1977 Topps Venezuelan

Boy I could write a book about these.  As everyone knows, Topps tried to make an extra buck by licensing card images to a Venezuelan printer, who then turned them into stickers in 1977.  Kids pasted them into books by the hundreds so all the backs are destroyed.  Extremely tough to get in decent condition.  I've seen a PSA 4 as a best condition card and it's worth several hundred bucks.  I got this one for a song, I think due to the mis-cut (MC) qualifier which is very common on these stickers.  Cool card history.

2003 Donruss Diamond Kings Team Timeline - Hawaii Conference Embossed #37/50

I actually think event-based embossed cards could make a comeback.  It's cheezy but hey, we all love a chase.  The concept could easily be overdone, but every few years a special event tag would be cool.  I don't know the story of this particular card or conference other than it is very rare and took me a decade to find one.  Didn't cost much but really glad I have it.

2010 Topps Series 1 Manufactured Hat Relic #30/99

I can see alot of collectors scoffing at a blog post for this card.  Don't care.  Was the first manufactured logo patch I ever got and I loved it at the time.  Numbered to 99 ain't bad.  I paid a lot for it back then too!