An Apology of Epic Proportions

A while back, I got an email from Jeff Carlson (who blogs at Cardboard Catastrophes), saying that he had a small stack of 1974s from my want list. Cool. I sent him my address and kind of forgot about it.

A few weeks ago, I got another email from Jeff, apologizing for the delay in mailing out the cards and promising to include a few extras to make up for it. What a nice fellow, I thought. I told him there was no need to apologize, but that I was looking forward to the bundle. And when it arrived, I can honestly say I was floored.

In addition to the 74s and a nice stack of 75s and 76s (including the long-desired Herb Washington pinch runner card), he sent about 800 assorted 1978s. I found about 100 or so of these in my comic book shop find, but didn’t have many before that, so I still have a massive needs list on this set. But after sorting through everything Jeff sent, I found myself just 77 cards short of the complete set. What fun! Here are some of the highlights…

I didn’t have a lot of familiarity with this set before Jeff’s gift. It’s a simple look, defined by the very-70s script team name in the corner. It places a deserved focus on the photos, which – carrying on from the 1976 set – are generally very interesting. There are more action shots than in previous years, including this one of Kent Tekulve, looking like Detective John Munch.

And I like these Twins, shown at a unique low-angle perspective under the lights.

There are also some great candid shots, like this one of George Brett with some classic 70s baseball hair.

And here is Al Bumbry, readying his bat with a great smile.

Or George Scott, back in Boston, enjoying some pre-game time behind the batting cage.

This was also a great set for Brewers. 1978 was their first winning season and this set featured the first Brewers cardboard of Cecil Cooper (traded to the Brewers for Scott), looking lean and mean at Yankee Stadium. Also note the black armband, a sign of mourning for pitcher Dan Frisella, who died before the 1977 season.

The set also has some fun oddities, for example this nice paint-up job on Goose Gossage, who had just jumped to the Yankees from the Pirates.

Another nice airbrush job is this Ed Kranepool card. I gotta admit that I’m stumped by this one. Kranepool had been with the Mets forever when this card was made… and his Mets cap appears to be real. So why then is his jersey airbrushed? And why does it look so awkward with all those extra buttons at the top?

1978 also featured some of the coolest manager cards Topps ever issued, with photos of skippers both present-day and as players. The cool thing here is that some of the photos are actually minor league images, making these the rare Topps flagship cards to feature minor league images. Maybe the only ones?

The lot Jeff sent was pretty well-stocked with stars, but I’ll admit that I did not expect this guy to show up…

Man, an iconic rookie card of one of the greatest switch-hitters of all-time? I’ll take every trade package two months late if this is what traders do to apologize.

But certainly, this lot would not include the OTHER big rookie card in the set. Certainly not the card that just gained fame as the only dual Hall of Famer RC in the Topps library. I mean, Jeff is clearly a nice fellow, but…

HOLY SHIT.

Yeah, he threw that one in as well.

Welp, sometime the generosity of traders just knocks your socks and shoes off. And, thanks to Billy of Cardboard History, who sent along a nice stack of pages that he had no use for, I’ve got a home for this beautiful new set… just as soon as I get some new binders.

And, in the spirit of keeping the generosity train moving, if anyone has any 1978 needs, I’ve got plenty of dupes. I’ll send them out right away. I can’t afford to apologize for any delays. 
(Update- in the lag time between writing this up and posting it, I have found homes for most of the spare 78s. I am working on putting together a 'for trade' page that will bee tabs on everything I've got for grabs)