Cards From the Night Owl (Part 4)

Enough commentary on these already...geez!  More Bucs from the nocturnal one.

Two things here:  1) Wally Backman looks like he is trying to escape from the confines of the box Topps bordered around him, and 2) Why is Dave LaPoint so happy?

Look there...another team card.  Lovely, isn't it?

I'm not sure if there is a whole team set here but I bet it is close.

Owl inadvertently helped me with my Series I set with three cards and a ToppsTown card.  I'm not complaining.

Cards From the Night Owl (Part 3)

(Somehow I inadvertently posted part 4 before part 3 last night.  That's what lack of sleep gets you I guess.)

Finally, we are onto the baseball portion of our show.  I am really starting to get fired up over putting together this Pirates collection.  I am especially enjoying the older stuff that I used to have as a kid, circa 1984-1989.  Plus they are really looking good in the binder I have for them and it makes it easier for my son to look through them since he is now intrigued by the thought of collecting.

I got a little long winded on the last two parts of this trade post so I am going to keep it brief here and showcase the cards.  They speak for themselves.  I am still going to have to split this into two posts since the picture content is going to be enormous.

Thanks to Night Owl for all the great cards and the awesome Steeler schedule.  I think my Bucco's collection has doubled, if not tripled, in size.

A slough of A&G cards as well as a few OPC baseball from last year.  I never liked the A&G but that was because I didn't own any.  No I do, and now I like them.  Go figure.

A nice mix here highlighted by the center square.

A few Topps Heritage that didn't really do it for me when I saw them on other blogs, but now that I own them, it's a different story.

Gotta love the Madlock Diamond King and I really like the airbrushed helmet on Barry's head in that Post card.  John Smiley is the 3 of clubs...I figured him more for an ACE (**comical drum hits ensue**)

Some oldies but goodies.  I though that Ken Brett might have been my oldest Pirate but I forgot that my brother found my old stuff including my 1954 Dick Groat card.  I'll show that some other time.

80s Cheese with a 90s card on the bottom...how'd that get on this page?

Finally some Reuss-age, and Omar Moreno, and a team card.  Does it get any better than team cards?

Cards From The Night Owl (Part 2)

Continuing with the cards I received from Night Owl over the weekend, I bring you the second of three sports featured in the package...football.  I know what you are thinking by now.  First hockey cards, and now football.  Is this the same Night Owl?  There must be two different people using the same name, right?  What's next?  Non-Sport cards?  Well, I assure you, my friends, it is the real nocturnal avian.

1993 Classic 4-Sport Jerome Bettis

First was a 1993 Classic 4-Sport Jerome Bettis card, featuring Jerome during his Notre Dame days running over Northwestern's Willie Lindsey.  I suppose this was a preview of things to come since he would spend the next 12 years running over guys in the NFL.  I already had this one.  In fact I think I have a few of these but I always welcome Bettis cards regardless of whether I have them or not.  Which brings me to the next card...

 

1993 Classic Jerome Bettis #10

Another 1993 Classic Bettis only this one comes from the main Draft set.  Another one that I thought I had but it turns out, it was no where to be found in my Steeler album.  I guess I can't say that anymore.  Upon closer review, it looks like Classic took another shot of the same game against Northwestern as in the 4-Sport card.  The only difference is, this time, Jerome is busting through some tackles.

  

1990 Pro Set Super Bowl Set Terry Bradshaw

Ok, I know everyone has 1990 Pro Set cards.  I know everyone has tons of 1990 Pro Set cards.  It doesn't matter if they are football or hockey, everyone, everywhere, has 1990 Pro Set cards.  Again, I thought I had this one too.  Guess what?  I didn't.  I have two other Bradshaw cards from this set but this one is different.  This set came out to celebrate Super Bowl XXV by showcasing teams and players of the past Super Bowls.  As you can see by the top, Pro Set is the Official NFL card.  

 

1996 Pittsburgh Steelers Team Schedule

This has to be the best piece in the whole lot.  A 1996 Steelers team schedule pocket fold-out that is in perfect condition.  I sort of collect team pocket schedules and anytime I can get my hands on Pittsburgh ones, I jump at the chance.  I actually have all but three from the 90's.  I might showcase them on here someday.  I know there a lot of people out there that collect schedules and there is a big market for these out there.  I actually started keeping them for their advertising and since I am somewhat of a pack rat, they have accumulated ever since.

Just think, I haven't even got to the baseball stuff yet.

Cards from the Night Owl (Part 1)

I received a nice size box in the mail the other day from none other than everyone's favorite nocturnal resident, Night Owl.  I haven't been able to find many traders yet but I am getting there.  Night Owl, as most people know, is a Dodger collector and since I have been out of baseball for so long, my selection is sub par at best.  After searching one day through trade lists, I actually happened upon some stuff on his list.  So I am guessing this was my payment.  And what a payment it was.  I am going to break it down into separate sections since there is so much to display.

On top of the box was a note that said that there wasn't a whole lot of non baseball, which was fine with me considering what he did decide to include.  Since my focus is on Pittsburgh sports, he stayed with the theme and greeted me  

first with this:

1991-92 Upper Deck 50/50 Club (Lemieux, Gretzky, Hull)

I didn't even know Night Owl had hockey cards let alone these beauties.  I will say that I already have the 50/50 card (in fact I probably have about a dozen or so) but it is one of my favorite sketch cards, ever.  It features three members of the 50 goals in 50 games club members.  For those non-hockey fans, I would say this is the rare hockey equivalent of the 40/40 club in baseball.  Very hard to achieve. 

The 50 games criteria is actually 50 team games, not player games.  At the time the card was printed, these were the three active players that were part of the club.  It features Mario Lemieux who scored his in 88-89; Wayne Gretzky who tallied his contribution three times in 81-82, 83-84, and 84-85; and Brett Hull who is a two time member with back to back years in 90-91 and 91-92.  The other members of this elite club include Rocket Richard and Mike Bossy.  Lemieux also missed the club three other times, mainly due to injuries, in 92-93 (50 in 48 but team 78), 95-96 (50 in 50 but team 59), and 87-88 (50 in 51).

Then with this...

 

1991 Foodland Penguins Jaromir Jagr

The second card is one that has eluded me for many, many years.  I have always tried to get my hands on the Foodland cards of the early 90s but other than a few singles, I have not been very successful.  I have bid on these sets hundreds, literally hundreds of times on Ebay to no avail.  At least now I am one card closer.  

Those unfamiliar with these sets should know this one is from the 1991 Penguins Foodland Safety set.  It was a regionally produced set that was distrubuted by the grocery store Foodland in conjunction with the "Take A Bite Out Of Crime" crime and safety promotion campaign.  There are 15 cards in the set, this one being number 11.  I don't normally scan the backs of cards but this one had to be shared.  As we see here, we are reminded that Hockey is an international sport and everyone needs to learn English to play it.  We also learn that stereotyping is bad.

This is actually Jagr's Foodland rookie card since it was the first one that was produced for him in any of these sets.  I have the Lemieux, the Randy Hillier, and John Cullen from this set already.  I know I used to have the Zarley Zalapski and Tony Tanti cards from this one too but I have no idea what happened to them.  1996 was the last year that Foodland put these sets out.

And then this gem...

2008-09 O-Pee-Chee Gold Sidney Crosby

I wish there was a better way to scan shiny cards.  This shot really doesn't do this one justice.  The Gold Parallel versions of the OPC set look exactly like the regular issue but are glossy and have a metallic coating that make them look almost like refractors without all the prism-y things.  What better card to have from this parallel set than this one.  World Junior Gold Medalist, Art Ross winner, Pearson Award winner, Hart Trophy winner, Olympic Gold Medalist, and Stanley Cup Champion.  I think he won a couple ESPY Awards too.  Regardless of what you think of this guy, who wouldn't want that resume?

More to come on this awesome box from Night Owl...