Blog - Page 2 of 48 - Tan Man Baseball Fan

YASSSS!!!! I Unexpectedly Captured a Unicorn!!!

Twenty years ago today, Jose took his last swing in the majors. It is hard to believe that two decades have passed since we have been able to enjoy his handiwork at the plate! It also is crazy to think that he has been retired for longer than he played (1985-2001). If you read this previous article, you know how special patch cards of Jose Canseco that were created during his playing career are to me. There are very few - only two official releases. The 2000 Upper Deck Game Jersey Patch (STILL gives me goose bumps!) ... ... and 2001

Timothy Keefe – 19th Century Baseball Giant in more ways than one!

Tim Keefe is not well known by the average casual baseball fan of today since he died nearly a century ago, but he was a giant in 19th century baseball, in more ways than one. His storied career spanned a very formative time during baseball, with his first year being the last year pitchers pitched from 45 feet away, and his last year being the first year they pitched from 60 ft 6 inches away. His father Patrick was a POW in the Civil War, and all four of Patrick's brothers were killed during the war. Keefe was known by

What is Your Favorite Multi Player Card?

What is YOUR favorite multi player card? If I had to pick my favorite dual card, I'd say it is this one. I lost out on it a couple years ago, then bought out the guy who beat me. I had never seen one before or since. Canseco and Clark were front and center for the Battle of the Bay (the 1989 Earthquake World Series) - it was a clash of the titans. If you were a California kid in the late 80s, this was likely your life for a while. In 2005, the Battle of

1915 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb – A Historical Art Piece from World War 1

"Buy me some peanuts and..." A year and a half ago, I picked up this beautiful 1915 Cracker Jack Ty Cobb. While we 80s babies had to deal with wax stains, World War 1 era collectors dealt with caramel stains from Cracker Jack packages. The staining on this copy is an unobtrusive reminder of its journey - a journey I can only dream about. Imagine a child over a century ago sitting in the stands at a Tigers game holding a package of Cracker Jacks with his favorite baseball player coming up to bat. Between pitches, he digs into the

When a Grail Card of Your Favorite Player Doesn’t Exist

There are grail cards in the hobby that I'm halfway happy Canseco wasn't in for fear of how much it would cost, and halfway wish that he was because they are so beautiful. The 97 Finest Gold Refractor is a prime example of this. I finally decided to create one of my own. Here it is, complete with deckle edge, and atomic refractive properties!

Canseco’s FIRST Official Auto Patch Card – 2002 Leaf Certified Fabric of the Game /10

What is Canseco's first official A's patch card? What is Canseco's first official auto/patch card? What is Canseco's first official A's auto/patch card? You are looking at it! Months after Jose announced his retirement, 2002 Leaf Certified Fabric of the Game was released. Though Canseco hadn't played for the A's for five years, Leaf decided to create a card of him on the team he was best known for. This version, though serial numbered to /33, gave something extra special to the first /10 holders: a signature! Out of those /10, some had patches embedded, while others had white

My Honus Wagner Rookie Turns 122 Years Old Today!

As we all know by now, the rightful spot of the #1 highest selling card once again belongs to a T206 Wagner which just sold for $6.6 million dollars. Days prior, Nicholas Cage sold his house for $6 million. It is amazing to think that someone paid more money for a little piece of cardboard than a beautiful massive mansion owned by an A list celebrity. (That would TOTALLY be me to go for the cardboard!) While it is the most expensive and famous card on the planet, did you know, the T206 is not Wagner's rookie? His rookie was

Canseco’s 1988 World Series Grand Slam Cards

10-15-88: Kirk Gibson did something big. I don't quite recall, but that's not important. Blah. Earlier in that game, the legend of Jose Canseco grew when he hit his first ever grand slam on the biggest stage in the world of baseball: Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. The Home Run wasn't run of the mill, either. It was a 400ft line drive missile to straight away center field, and actually dented the NBC camera it hit! (Here's a video of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxLrDqpwYn8 ) In 2003, Topps commemorated this missile grand slam by creating a Canseco card for it.

I Created Four Custom Jumbo Patches for my Collection

Recently, I was shown an amazing collection of jumbo patch cards of various players. I *LOVE* jumbo patch cards - the problem is that my favorite player doesn't have too terribly many of them, and far fewer logo jumbo patch cards. I thought I'd "go back to my roots" and create some cards of my main dude inspired by designs of sets I wished he was in - as you can see, I amped them up quite a bit too :) It has been a while - here they are! Obviously, these aren't game used patches, but they still mean

Using Baseball Cards as Memory Markers

Many of my childhood memories are attached to baseball cards. I remember one late morning in 1989 going to the house my parents just bought. We were about to move, and while I don't remember much about that day, I do remember being in the passenger seat with a box of 1989 Topps, and a handful of packs from the movie Eight Men Out. I was on cloud nine - it is one of my earliest memories being happy. I remember sitting at the table later that day opening it with my uncle watching the progress. My gosh, how I

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