1993 Reds Team Signed Baseball

There aren't a lot of signatures on this baseball, but I like having this as part of my collection due to the fact that Perez was managing the Reds when this ball was signed. He only lasted a portion of the 93 season with the team going 20-24 before being fired. Not sure why you would fire a manager after 44 games with a win/loss record just below .500 but what do I know. As for the signatures on the ball, there are a total of 12 and I can make out 11 of them: Tony Perez, Tim Costo, Jeff Branson, Tom Browning, Steve Foster, Ty Griffin, Ricky Stone, Dan Wilson, Chris Hammond, Brian Dorsett, Scott Ruskin

Combing the Desert

One of the projects I've been working on this past year has been to complete the 1991 Topps Desert Shield Cincinnati Reds team set. I was recently able to purchase four more card: Tim Birtsas, Randy Myers, Hal Morris and Dan Wilson. I only have two more cards until this project is complete (Paul O'neill and Eric Davis). I should be able to wrap this set up hopefully within the next few months.

By the way, did I mention I was a huge Spaceballs fan? 

1990 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

35 cards total in the base set and traded

10 Barry Larkin
46 Rob Dibble
94 Herm Winningham
110 Tommy Helms
120 John Franco
151 Rick Mahler
176 Luis Quinones
203 Mike Roesler
234 Mariano Duncan
260 Eric Davis
289 Norm Charlton
332 Paul O'Neill
364 Rolando Roomes
402 Eric Davis
418 Tom Browning
445 Danny Jackson
492 Ron Oester
516 Tim Leary
553 Scott Scudder
581 Ken Griffey
604 Ron Robinson
627 Jose Rijo
642 Jack Armstrong
664 Johnny Bench TBC
668 Joe Oliver
687 Tim Birtsas
712 Todd Benzinger
737 Chris Sabo
772 Jeff Reed
T13 Glenn Braggs
T38 Billy Hatcher
T55 Tim Layana
T76 Hal Morris
T78 Randy Myers
T96 Lou Piniella

1991 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

31 cards total in the base set and traded

13 Mariano Duncan
45 Chris Sabo
92 Danny Jackson
122 Paul O'Neill
151 Tom Browning
175 Jack Armstrong
204 Herm Winningham
258 Chris Hammond
289 Tim Birtsas
309 Norm Charlton
334 Todd Benzinger
363 Rick Mahler
400 Barry Larkin
419 Jeff Reed
444 Glenn Braggs
493 Jose Rijo
517 Joe Oliver
550 Eric Davis
577 Bill Doran
581 Luis Quinones
604 Billy Hatcher
627 Tim Layana
642 Hal Morris
662 Rob Dibble
669 Lou Piniella
688 Rosario Rodriguez
713 Scott Scudder
730 Barry Larkin
767 Dan Wilson
780 Randy Myers
T65 Chris Jones

1992 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

36 cards total in the base set and traded

24 Randy Myers
48 Scott Scudder
61 Paul O'Neill
77 Jack Armstrong
91 Jeff Reed
136 Bill Doran
197 Glenn Braggs
220 Jose Rijo
262 Terry Lee
283 Reggie Sanders
304 Joe Oliver
321 Lou Pinella
332 Chris Jones
339 Tom Browning
356 Luis Quinones
372 Kip Gross
389 Barry Larkin
432 Billy Hatcher
465 Barry Larkin
485 Chris Sabo
528 Steve Foster
547 Herm Winningham
589 Mariano Duncan
610 Eric Davis
649 Norm Charlton
674 Mo Sanford
714 Calvin Reese
744 Chris Hammond
757 Rob Dibble
773 Hal Morris
T7 Scott Bankhead
T8 Tim Belcher
T10 Freddie Benavides
T67 Dave Martinez
T92 Bip Roberts
T96 Scott Ruskin

1993 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

34 cards total in the base set and traded

29 Dwayne Henry
56 Chad Mottola
57 Norm Charlton
83 Reggie Sanders
110 Barry Larkin
138 Joe Oliver
165 Jose Rijo
193 Steve Foster
219 Bip Roberts
245 Chris Sabo
276 Paul O'Neill
301 Cesar Hernandez
328 Scott Ruskin
356 Freddie Benavides
361 Scott Bankhead
382 Tim Belcher
404 Barry Larkin
437 Chris Hammond
470 Rob Dibble
503 Tony Perez
515 Greg Swindell
546 Hal Morris
577 Tim Costo
608 Bill Doran
642 Milt Hill
671 Dave Martinez
702 Tim Pugh
733 Tom Browning
764 Willie Greene
784 Jeff Branson
813 Dan Wilson
T36 Dallas Green
T105 Bobby Kelly
T112 Kevin Mitchell

1994 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

40 cards total in the base set and traded

12 John Smiley
41 Kevin Wickander
69 Jacob Brumfield
95 Tim Pugh
126 Hal Morris
154 Dan Wilson
183 Rob Dibble
221 Larry Luebbers
246 Thomas Howard
250 Barry Larkin
278 Calvin Reese
306 Scott Service
335 Kevin Mitchell
368 Jeff Branson
428 Willie Greene
457 Roberto Kelly
485 Joe Oliver
513 Tim Costo
527 Chris Sexton
542 Chris Sabo
581 John Roper
616 Chad Mottola
619 Tom Browning
647 Reggie Sanders
673 Bobby Ayala
686 Paul Bako
688 Brian Dorsett
705 Jose Rijo
733 Bip Roberts
743 Pat Watkins
779 Ruffin/Spradlin
T19 Chuck McElroy
T37 Jeff Brantley
T55 Ron Gant
T73 Erik Hanson
T77 Bret Boone
T91 Hector Carrasco
T103 Deion Sanders
T109 C.J. Nitkowski
T127 Tony Fernandez

1995 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

31 cards total in the base set and traded

27 Hal Morris
56 John Smiley
79 Ray Brown
84 C.J. Nitkowski
113 Bret Boone
141 Chuck McElroy
171 Calvin Reese
198 Jeff Branson
236 Jeff Brantley
270 Johnny Ruffin
293 Eddie Taubensee
316 Eddie Priest
322 Erik Hanson
350 Barry Larkin
381 Thomas Howard
385 Bret Boone
401 Lenny Harris
411 Reggie Sanders
447 Hector Carrasco
467 Willie Greene
484 Pete Schourek
508 Deion Sanders
529 Jose Rijo
568 Kevin Mitchell
581 Aaron Boone
604 John Roper
627 Ron Gant
647 Belk/Watkins
T34 Benny Santiago
T93 Kevin Jarvis
T120 Tim Pugh

1996 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

17 cards total in the base set

6 Barry Larkin
26 Brett Tomko
70 Ron Gant
101Steve Gibralter
104 Eric Owens
112 Pete Schourek
120 Jose Rijo
158 Hal Morris
162 Bret Boone
257 John Smiley
271 Jeff Brantley
283 Thomas Howard
293 Barry Larkin
311 David Wells
328 Mark Portugal
330 Reggie Sanders
394 Benito Santiago

1997 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

18 cards total in the base set

33 Mark Portugal
44 Hal Morris
80 Reggie Sanders
119 John Smiley
135 Bret Boone
178 Roger Salkeld
188 Jeff Brantley
204 Aaron Boone
218 Eric Davis
231 Thomas Howard
266 Eric Owens
269 Joe Oliver
326 Eddie Taubensee
349 Pete Schourek
358 Chad Mottola
371 Willie Greene
373 Jose Rijo
420 Barry Larkin

1998 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

15 cards total in the base set

10 Deion Sanders
81 Jeff Shaw
104 Willie Greene
124 Kent Mercker
159 Pokey Reese
177 Hal Morris
194 Joe Oliver
232 Bret Boone
239 Dave Burba
240 Pete Rose Jr.
254 Aaron Boone
302 Barry Larkin
340 Chris Stynes
364 Reggie Sanders
440 Brett Tomko

1999 Topps Cincinnati Reds Team Set

21 cards total in the base set and traded

24 Paul Konerko
42 Chris Stynes
114 Dmitri Young
145 Brett Tomko
170 Bret Boone
189 Eddie Taubensee
205 Mike Frank
311 Dennis Reyes
345 Barry Larkin
388 Pete Harnisch
402 Sean Casey
424 Pokey Reese
431 Jason LaRue
439 Austin Kearns
T50 Adam Dunn
T51 Austin Kearns
T52 Jacobo Sequea
T86 Greg Vaughn
T94 Mike Cameron
T96 Denny Neagle
T107  Michael Tucker

Two More in the Can

Today I knocked out two more of my 2012 collecting goals. I grabbed the last two 1993 Flair Wave of the Future insert cards that I needed AND I finally completed my 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen set. I was able to grab the last five short print cards, but wasn't too thrilled that I had to spend $7.50 for the Chase Utley card. Those things are almost impossible to find so I decided to bite the bullet and shell out the money before they were nowhere to be found. Anyway, with those two sets complete, I'll be spending the next month or two trying to complete my 61 and 62 Topps Reds team sets. The one card I'm not looking forward to trying to get is the 1962 Topps #594. While it is the rookie card of Red's catcher Don Pavletich...it's also the rookie card of Bob Uecker!!! Ouch!

2003 Fleer Authentix

While this isn't on my list of things to do for 2012, I would like to eventually finish my 2003 Fleer Authentix set. When I first saw this I was just amazed by the design of these cards. I've always been a team logo fan, and to put them behind every player photo was sweet. I also like the idea of making a baseball card resemble a game ticket. Genius! Sure, I'm not a big Fleer fan...in fact I hated most of the product they ever released, but this set (along with 1993 Flair) was different. My favorite cards in this set would have to be the Ticket to the Majors cards. Very cool to include a replica hometown ticket on those player's cards. If I had one gripe with the set it would have to be the back of the cards. How difficult would it have been to show the actual stadium on the back of the card instead of some generic stadium drawing. Not that hard in my opinion and it's the voice of the collector that should matter most to card manufacturers. After all, we're the one's buying the product! Anyway, if I can't get around to completing this set later in the year, it'll definitely be on my list of things to do next year.

1990 Leaf

Over the weekend I was able to complete one of my 2012 Collecting Goals. I picked up a 1990 Leaf set for $26.48 that included the complete 528 card set AND puzzle! Sweet. I remember when this set first came out in 1990 and how freakin expensive the packs were...especially for a teenager. This set has always had a special place in my heart, not so much for who's in the set, although that helps, but for the design. Silver ink...that's unpossible! Yes, you heard me correctly...unpossible! Never before had something like that been tried in the hobby and leaf capitalized on that. Going back to who's in this set: Frank Thomas, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, TWO Nolan Ryans, Ryne Sandberg, Ricky Henderson, Ozzie Smith, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs...and on and on! Talk about Hall of Fame set! Of course my favorite card in the set would have to be the Larkin card. Here's hoping he gets the call to Cooperstown today. Sure, the 1990 Leaf set has come down in price since it first came out, but when it comes to collecting it's not about money but for love of the game!