Expos Extra Episode 3: A Die-Cut Rock and an Unexpected Buyback

EXPOS EXTRA EPISODE 3:
A DIE-CUT ROCK AND AN UNEXPECTED BUYBACK

Been a while since I've done a dedicated Expos Extra post. I really should have been doing several per month since this is the 50th Anniversary of the franchise. It looks like at one time I was trying to keep the Expos posts as a special series so I will try to continue with the theme and try to catch up with the appropriate numbering of episodes.

Here's a story of a lovely lady couple of cards that came in a package of Expos cards that I had purchased from a fellow collector. Actually I'm not sure exactly which package of Expos cards it came from whether it was from a blogger or a collector from one of the forums, or from a blog reader. They were in a package I had gotten sometime late last year (2018). As I said I'm not sure exactly which one. I just recall that when I was doing my mail-day catch up posts at the end of last year or beginning of this year (OH Jeez I need to do one for this Year mid Jan through now UGH) I later noticed these two cards by themselves out of an envelope or box.

Normally I'm not too fond of the type of cards these are; a die-cut, and a stamped Topps Buyback. I make a big exception with these since they are Expos, although not players who ever played in DC, they retired before the move from Canada to Washington DC. When I first started this blog I wouldn't have mentioned them here. One of them is a Hall of Famer and PC player even if he never had been a part of the Expos/Nationals Franchise.

The Players Tim "Rock" Raines and Andres Galarraga both cards are of the 1989 Topps design, the Raines is a 2014 Topps mini '89 and the Galarraga is an original '89 but STAMPED "buyback".

In 2014 Topps inserted special mini 1989 design cards to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of those cards. I'm not to thrilled about minis anymore and even worse they decided to make the minis die-cut cards. The cuts follow the border of the design so they aren't too bad, but I am just tired of these specialty cards. So here is Tim Raines 2014 mini die-cut using the 1989 design card number TM-5 (TM=Topps Mini)

2014 Topps: 1989 mini die-cut: TM-5 Tim Raines Expos

Another specialty aka gimmick that Topps has been doing lately is stamped buyback cards. These are real vintage cards that made their way back to the Topps factory and years later Topps decides to include them as inserts for newer sets but they make a special value/condition damaging stamp to let you know your buyback "vintage" card is now worthless. Except to collectors who are chasing all buybacks. Some buybacks are given special logo stamps this one is one of those trickier "Rediscover Topps" buyback stamp.

 1989 Topps: 590 Andres Galarraga Expos: Stamped "Rediscover Topps" Buyback

OK so I had to make the Raines mini image medium sized to sort of keep the size difference perspective. After making this post I am a little softer on die-cuts like this one that make sense and aren't too outrageous. I am also a little kinder to buybacks as well. However I'm still not 100% sold on either "gimmick"

Welcome to CoopersTown Pudge (and Rock)

With the announcement of the 2017 Hall of Fame Class The Natxpos Franchise has two count them TWO players accepted to Cooperstown. Expos Tim "Rock" Raines (Non-DC Years) and Nats Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez (going as a Ranger aka: Senators 2.0). Raines got in on his 10th and final ballot and Ivan got in on his first ballot. Oh and there was also some guy named Bagwell but since he has no DC connection I won't mention him or show a card of his, sorry fans he doesn't fit the scope of this blog. There was another Expo who was under consideration but didn't make it this year Vladimir Guerrero missed out on the first timer train. Maybe Vlad will get in next year.

IVAN "Pudge" RODRIGUEZ:

2000 Upper Deck Baseball: Most Wanted: MW3 Ivan Rodriguez Rangers

For this next card I played with the adjustments on the scan for the front of the card to try to make Pudge's name easier to read. I wasn't satisfied with the result it looks too grainy. This is actually the second scan of the card as the first one had a hair or thread across the lower left of the card and I couldn't have that.

 2002 Fleer Ultra Baseball: 7 Ivan Rodriguez Rangers

TIM "Rock" RAINES:

1983 O-Pee-Chee Baseball:  227 Tim Raines Expos

 1988 Topps Baseball: 403 Tim Raines All-Star Expos

Expos Extra: Showing My Dollar Tree Hand

Expos Extra: Extra Inaugural Edition

I got the idea for this feature while composing a post on my regular card blog. That post will be published simultaneously with this post. This new feature mostly for this blog is called Expos Extra. It will be for those older Expos cards of players that never called DC their home at least at first then I might start slipping and adding guys who transitioned onto the Nats in DC. I think now I can justify showing them off here at CWC. I know when I first started this blog I said some of those guys I wouldn't mention here, or show their cards. Well I will allow exceptions since they are all the Expos Franchise. I'm using the bloggers prerogative clause that states "My blog, My Rules... So there!"

On my regular blog in the last few days I mentioned the booty I got from a repack adventure at the Dollar Tree store near me (part 1, part 2). These are the Expos cards I got from the Repacks and well since the latest year of a card pulled was 2002 from the first pack NO Nationals just a few Expos.

This poker hand of cards are Expos ancestor cards of my Homie Team The Nationals. Since these guys never played in DC or called Washington their home I wasn't going to show the cards here at first. Finally I decided I would after coming up with the Expos Extra feature title. Plus it gives this blog some more potential which might help me post to it more often.

Now on to the cards:

1994 Pinacle 355 Ken Hill Expos

(Front and Back)

Pinnacle way back in the day made a very fine product. In recent years Panini (was Donruss) still makes a fine product including some in the Pinnacle name but without the official licensing from MLB so they can't use team logos or the team names. That means logos are airbrushed out, cropped out or covered up by card design.

1994 Upper Deck 274 Home Field Advantage Larry Walker Expos

(Front and Back)

It's all Upper Deck's fault. Yes there I said it, way back in 1989 they set a very high quality bar for the baseball card universe and now everything is in ruins but still very high quality. These Home Field Advantage cards are a sub-set within the main set. I have made a mental note to at least get all of them if not the complete main set.

1984 Topps 390 Tim Raines AS Expos

(Front and Back)

Mr. Raines was "The Rock" way before Mr. Johnson was, but both are cool. It is a shame that the Expos couldn't afford to keep the high salary high quality stars like Tim Raines on their roster. Had they been able to keep those guys in the early 2000s they would still be in Montreal and I wouldn't have a Homie team.

1997 Pinnacle 10 Jeff Fassero Mariners (Marked Mariners but in Expos Uni)

(Front and Back)

I have said before that I don't like this particular Pinnacle year's design because of the gold foil and being difficult to read the players names sometimes, especially when I first got one or two of these cards. When I first got this card I saw the Mariners name and logo and laughed a little. Then I studied the card a little more and discovered the weird picture border cropping they did to the profile picture on the back. I checked the other 1997 Pinnacle card I had gotten from that repack and it had the same weird "crop design". I don't like it. It doesn't do anything for the card.

1984 Topps 503 Elias Sosa Padres

(Front and Back)

The uninitiated are wondering why I have included this "riding into the sunset" (is that a Dimebox term?) Padres card on my Nationals blog in a post of Non Washington Expos? Well just check out who Mr. Sosa was playing for in 1979-1981. Yes Siree them Canadian Fellers up in Montreal.

Oh that's it I've shown my hand. Cash in your chips folks. The game is over.

Old Draft Post: MR. 500 RBIs Ryan Zimmerman

NOTE: I Don't know what I was waiting for to post this probably a picture to attach to it (now done). For some reason I had this originally in my post drafts on my regular Kirk's Knook blog from early April. Due to the format I know I was planning on cross-posting it here, but I don't know why I abandoned it other than I was neglecting my blogs around the time this happened. I am posting it here but not on my other blog. I should have posted this when it happened back on 10 April 2012.

Ryan Zimmerman 500th RBI from MSANsports.com video posted on MLB.com

HoooooYah! Ryan Zimmerman got RBI number 500 in Tuesday Night's game (10 April 2012) vs. The Mets on a sacrifice fly. He flied out to right fielder Lucas Duda, catcher Wilson Ramos beat the throw and scored. Ryan is the first Nat to get to 500 Ribbies and only the 7th player in the Expos/Nationals Franchise to achieve this career plateau. He joins Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Vladimir Guerrero, Tim Raines, Jose Vidro and Tim Wallach in the team's 500 club.

As usual The Z-Man was very humble upon the announcement. He wasn't even aware that he was that close to that level of accomplishment.

Note: Ryan now has 510 RBIs under his belt as of this update 24 May 2012.

Related Articles:
Zimmerman Notches 500th RBI in Nat's Win
NATS: Ryan Zimmerman Hits 500th RBI
MLB: Why the Washington Nationals Will Finish First in the NL East in 2012 - Optimistic article. Time and the rest of this season will tell if that prognostication will be fulfilled.

Expos Mentioned this post:
Gary Carter
Andre Dawson
Vladimir Guerrero
Tim Raines
Jose Vidro
Tim Wallach

Nationals Mentioned this post:
Wilson Ramos
Ryan Zimmerman