First of all, we have the Godfather of the collection, Jackie Robinson, himself. Got the '54 Topps from my Cousin Craig to fill that order. Check.
The second layer is the Grandfathers. These are the thirteen players who were wearing 42 when Jackie's number was retired, and therefore were allowed to continue to do so. I want one card of each player in which their number 42 is showing. So far I've been able to cross nine of the thirteen off of the list:
1997 Topps Mariano Rivera NYY #256
1997 Donruss Butch Huskey NYM #222
1992 Topps Mo Vaughn BOS #59
1996 Topps Tom Goodwin KCR #39
1995 Fleer Buddy Groom DET #55
1998 Topps Jason Schmidt PIT #445
1998 Topps Kirk Rueter SFG #359
2002 Topps Jose Lima DET #542
1998 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Scott Karl MIL #151
I'm still looking for Dennis Cook, Mike Jackson, Lenny Webster and Marc Sagmoen. I know cards exist of the first three with the number showing. But I'm 99% sure that there's no card of Sagmoen with #42 visible, so I'll settle for any card featuring him with the Rangers (I know of only '97 Fleer and Fleer Ultra, off hand).
By the way, I can't let that '95 Fleer Buddy Groom get lost in the shuffle. I hate that set. Hate it with a passion. But this is a great card. The composition, the colors, the emphasis of the number 42... excellent. If mini-collecting has the ability to help find something positive from 1995 Fleer, it's paying benefits already.
As with the others I've discussed recently, this Mini-Collection can now be found over on the sidebar, or you can click here to take a quick peek. If you do, you'll see that there's still only one card from the third (and ongoing) layer of this collection, which consists of players wearing #42 on Jackie Robinson Day. There probably aren't that many of them, and they can be hard to spot unless you're making a conscious effort to look for them. I'm really curious to see just how prolific or exclusive this collection turns out to be.
That leaves just one more mini-collection guide, and then I'm off and running. Thanks for reading (and keep your eyes peeled, por favor!).
Wow, that is a great mini-collection! And I'm glad that I'm not the only one who can appreciate that Buddy Groom card. Both cards of Mo look sharp as well, but the Groom card really sticks out. In a good way, especially for '95 Fleer.
ReplyDeleteWow... love this "mini-collection". I collect #42, but never even thought to collect athletes who were grandfathered in to wear #42. Best of luck in tracking down those last four guys.
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