Repacked Wax

🏆 We've said it for years and will say it again. 1992 #Donruss is one of the prettiest sets of the decade. Premium card stock. Beautiful print quality. Nice photos. It was actually superior to 1989 #UpperDeck, not to mention the 1990-92 UD issues, in many ways. And the inserts? The re-imagining of #DiamondKings as a short-print insert set was brilliant. They were beautiful. And Elite and Elite Signatures? Off the charts awesome. Had they printed about a billion fewer cards, it's possible they may have retained some value. Do you agree? What's your favorite card issue of the 1990s? #baseballcards #repackedwax

When you think "badass" ballplayers, who comes to mind? Near the top of our list is the late, great #GeorgeScott, who would have turned 82 today. If defense was valued as much as offense in the game of baseball, Scott's name would be spoken as one of the all-time greats. An 8-time #GoldGlove winner at first base, good enough for third all-time, behind Keith Hernandez (11) and Don Mattingly (9), he also was a badass hitter in his prime, even capturing the AL homerun and RBI crowns in 1975. And who but George Scott could wear a seashell necklace during a game, looking like a Bond villain when lesser men would have looked like members of the Partridge Family? 🐚 So, we remember and salute one of the toughest, coolest cats to ever step on the diamond. Who's your favorite baseball badass? #Baseballcards #baseballbirthdays #MLBhistory #baseballhistory #RepackedWax

March 20, 1973 - #RobertoClemente, who died in a plane crash just months earlier, is elected to the Baseball #HallofFame by the Baseball Writers Association, receiving 393 of 424 possible votes. Our question is, who are these writers who voted AGAINST Clemente, probably one of the top 10 to 20 players of all time, and were their media credentials revoked? Who votes against Clemente for induction in Cooperstown after he dies trying to save the lives of earthquake victims in Nicaragua? It's like saying you don't like Mr. Rogers or that Leonardo da Vinci's paintings were average. There are some lines you don't cross. His death and immediate induction reshaped Hall of Fame policy. A player who has been deceased for at least six months is now eligible for induction - a rule created because of Clemente. His induction also made him the first Caribbean-born Hall of Famer and only the second player of Hispanic descent to enter Cooperstown. #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax

1986 was probably the finest season of a very fine career for #Dave Righetti. He set a then-Major League record for saves with 46 for the #Yankees that season with a 2.45 ERA and earning his first of two consecutive All-Star appearances. But even the best have bad days, and Righetti had a really bad one on June 20, 1986 - with a performance that cost rookie start #DougDrabek his first big league win! The Yankees have seen their share of temper tantrums from players, managers and owners alike. But Righetti's meltdown that day in Toronto was particularly epic. In the bottom of the ninth, Righetti inherited an 8-2 lead from Drabek with 2 runners on. Easy as can be. After letting two runs score and loading up the bases, he gave up a grand slam to George Bell, aka Jorge Bell. As manager Lou Piniella ambled toward the mound, presumably to give the flailing Righetti the hook, the pitcher reared back and blasted the new ball he'd just been given by home plate umpire Don Denkinger over the right field wall and into the stands (that's 300+ feet for those of you measuring). Now it was only a matter of who would pull the plug faster, Piniella or Denkinger. The Yanks' manager sent Righetti packing. After the game, the skipper noted "I don't think there's anything wrong with Righetti. Actually, I was proud of him for the way he threw the ball over the wall. He reminded me of when I was playing." So what was your favorite on-field meltdown for the ages? P.S. the Yankees won the game in extra innings. #baseballcards #vintagecards #vintagebaseball #MLBhistory #baseballhistory #RepackedWax

🏈🕺 It's time to dance and do the #IckeyShuffle in honor of former #CincinnatiBengals star running back #IckeyWoods' 60th birthday! If you're old enough to remember the Bengals' #SuperBowl season in 1988 remembers Ickey as one of the biggest and flashiest young stars in the NFL. Sadly, his star burned bright for just one season before injuries derailed his promising football career. Despite being a Fresno, California native, Ickey remained in Cincy long after his playing days, as confirmed by a close friend of ours who once purchased a slab of beef (or was it pork?) from Woods when he was selling meat door-to-door from his truck. He's by all rights still loved and fondly remembered by the community and he's done a good job capitalizing on his name recognition. Our buddy certainly didn't expect he'd meat Ickey Woods, the traveling meat salesman. But who would? So, what's the most unusual or unexpected way you've ever met a pro athlete? #footballcards #vintagecards #RepackedWax

🐦⚾ On February 25, 1972, the St. Louis Cardinals made one of the biggest trade blunders in franchise history, although it didn't seem nearly so bad at the time. A 27-year-old #SteveCarlton had just come off the first 20-win season of his career and had asked for a $10,000 raise. Now, rather than pay Carlton, the Cards got the brilliant idea to do a one-for-one swap with the Philadelphia Phillies for 26-year-old #RickWise, who had just put up an impressive 17-14 season with a 2.88 ERA. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, this would probably be the best overall season of Wise's career while in 1972 Carlton would win 27 games, strike out 310 batters, and throw 30 complete games with a 1.97 ERA - leading the N.L. in all four of those categories - en route to his first of four #CyYoung awards and a career that would end in Cooperstown. Wise went 16-16 in '72 and 16-12 the next year, and would ship up to Boston in 1974, while Carlton would go on to be one of the finest pitchers in the history of the game. Nobody could see it coming but Gussie Busch's tight purse strings ultimately cost St. Louis untold success down the road. What was the worst "didn't seem so bad at the time but got worse as time went on" baseball trade you ever saw? #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax #TodayinBaseballHistory

🎂 We had this 1981 #Topps #BillGullickson when we were kids and were convinced he must be destined to be a huge star. If you set the rookie record with 18 strikeouts in a game, you might be the second coming of Nolan Ryan, right? So, we kept this card and every other Bill Gullickson we found in a prominent spot in the pages of one of our star card binders. As it turns out, Gullickson's career was rather pedestrian, except for a 20-game winning season with Detroit in 1991. It's funny how, as a kid, you gravitate toward certain players when collecting and it doesn't always matter if they're good, great or bad, the cards become something special for you. Did you have any players you collected who were not stars and you aren't exactly sure why you thought they were big time? P.S. Happy birthday to Bill Gullickson. He turns 67 today! #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax

💨⚾ It took #DaveStewart a LONG time to find his groove. He came up in 1978 and it wasn't until 1987 that he emerged as one of the top 5 starting pitchers in the American League, anchoring Oakland's rotation during their late-80s, early 90s glory years. A lesser man would have given up on his baseball dreams as Stewart bounced from team to team in the 1980s, from the Dodgers to the Rangers to the Phillies and finally to the A's in 1986. But once he won a job as an everyday starter, Stewart made the most of it, winning 20+ games for four consecutive seasons, a World Series ring and World Series MVP in 1989. Stewart continued to pitch through the 1995 season, but never with the same level of effectiveness he found with the A's. But for those brief couple of season, there was hardly a pitcher in baseball more intimidating than Dave Stewart. We mean, there's a reason they called him Smoke. Stewart turns 69 today and we hope he celebrates by staring down a trembling hitter with that mean poker face just one more time. Who do you think was/is the most-feared pitcher to ever take the mound? #baseballcards #baseballbirthdays #MLBhistory #baseballhistory #RepackedWax

@SWATZ911 @RetroCardSnaps No. They were in memoriam of the commissioner who passed away. Standard part of the set. Surprisingly, or maybe not, there were a few commissioner cards back in the 1950s too.

@RetroCardSnaps Never ever saw one. Were they SP?

Remember chasing these?

🤏⚾ We still feel #MannyMota is the greatest pinch hitter in the history of the game. While he no longer holds the all-time mark for pinch hits, having since been surpassed by Lenny Harris (212) and Mark Sweeney (175), Mota's 149 pinch hits and lifetime .304 average stand as hallmarks of his consistency in the clutch. It's hard to fathom how Mota, who turns 88 today, didn't get more playing time. No, he didn't have great speed or power. But he hit over .300 in 10 seasons of part-time play. How do you not get a guy in the lineup every day when he's hitting .332 in 322 at bats (1966 Pittsburgh), or above .300 for 5 consecutive seasons (1969-73 Dodgers). While Mota only had one All-Star appearance, he went to the #WorldSeries with the Dodgers 3 times in the 1970s. Had he not been on teams stacked with outfield talent (1960s Pirates, 1970s Dodgers) he certainly could have been an everyday player with any one of a dozen other teams, possibly hitting 8th or 9th in the lineup. So today we wish a very happy birthday to our favorite pinch-hitter in baseball history and dream about how many batting titles he might have won if he'd found the right team with a spot in their lineup. Who is your favorite example of an under-utilized player who had superstar talent? #baseballcards #MLBhistory #baseballhistory #RepackedWax

🐶 February 16, 1989 - #OrelHershiser becomes baseball's first $3 Million Dollar Man. Coming off a storybook season that saw him set a still-standing Major League record of 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched (it's actually 67, but record keepers don't count the 8 shutout innings he pitched in the NLCS), secure a #WorldSeries ring with the Dodgers and win the #CyYoung, Bulldog was the hottest arm in baseball. He also should have won the NL MVP, but that honor went to teammate Kirk Gibson. Unfortunately this was a turning point in his career. Orel was just as good in 1989 but the Dodgers weren't, and he led the league with 15 losses despite posting a 2.31 ERA. The next season was a complete loss when Hershiser tore his labrum muscle and missed almost the entire season and a big chunk of 1991. It wasn't until he joined Cleveland in 1995 that he would again relive some of his earlier glory. Even though he wasn't nearly the pitcher he was in his 20s, he was a stalwart in the Indians starting rotation in '95, '96 and '97, helping them to 2 World Series appearances. Gooden and Clemens get most of the love for pitchers of the era. But Hershiser was an ace in his own right and was richly rewarded for it. Who is your favorite pitcher from the dawn of the Big Money era between 1980 and 2000? #baseballcards #MLBhistory #baseballhistory #RepackedWax

💘🕺⚾ Alas, #BobbyValentine's Day comes but once a year. Let us recognize this occasion in the manner in which Bobby would have wanted - with baseball cards, bubble gum and ballroom dancing (Bobby was apparently a very skilled ballroom dancer back in the day). Most of us remember Valentine as a manager with the Rangers and Mets (and a brief stint in Boston). He also was an overwhelmingly popular manager in Japan. But what a lot of us don't remember was he was a pretty darn good hitter who got a bit of a raw deal when he came up to the Majors. Bobby batted .274 with the Dodgers in 1972, which wasn't bad for a middle infielder at the time, but was chronically underused before being dealt to the Angels, where he was again underutilized despite hitting okay. In fact, he never had 400 at-bats in a season and his playing time was seriously curtailed after age 24 - and his playing days ended at just age 29. This was a guy who consistently batted above .300 in the minors. We think he could have done more if he had been an everyday player in the big leagues. #HappyValentinesDay #baseballcards #MLBhistory #baseballhistory

For every team there are dark times for fans, when the hometown ballclub just can't seem to post a winning record for years on end. In Cleveland, that period from was pretty much the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, plus the early part of the 90s. Even during a 30-year stretch of mediocrity, fans will come to love and remember players, even if they're bums. In Cleveland, before we had Omar Vizquel at SS, we had #FelixFermin. Before #KennyLofton, #AlbertBelle and #MannyRamirez, we had Mel Hall, #CorySnyder and #JoeCarter in the outfield. And before Carlos Baerga, we had US Virgin Islands native #JerryBrowne at second from 1989-91. It wasn't that Browne - who turns 60 today 🎂 - was terrible with his lifetime .271 average. He was just ... ho hum. A perfect fit for the ho hum Tribe teams in the late 80s and early 90s while Belle, Alomar, Thome and other future stars were still playing minor league ball. We still loved watching Browne and the rest of the pre-Jacobs Field era Indians play. We loved our old Municipal stadium. But we do wish they could have won a few more games. Who is your favorite hometown player from an era your team was cellar dwelling? #baseballcards #baseballbirthdays #MLBhistory #baseballhistory #RepackedWax

🧦⚾ Sometimes, as the old saying goes, "the check is NOT in the mail," and that's a good thing if you're #CarltonFisk. Because you know, by 1980, all Fisk had done for the #BostonRedSox was win Rookie of the Year honors, go to the All-Star game 7 times and pretty much establish himself as one of the top 3 catchers in the game. How did they reward him? By paying him as little as possible ($195,000). Skinflint GM Haywood Sullivan was so irritated by Fisk asking for money on par with his performance that he purposely mailed Fisk a new contract a day after the contract deadline, making him a free agent for 1981 by default, which was upheld by an arbitrator on Feb. 12, 1981. Of course, we all know that Pudge packed his bags and jumped on the next train to Chicago, trading his Red Sox for White Sox and a $3.5 million contract ($580,000 in year 1, which was triple what he was being paid in Beantown). Fisk went on to play 13 more seasons for the White Sox, and while his best years were in Boston, clearly it was Chicago that took care of him as the future Hall of Famer he was. It must have stung for Red Sox fans to see Carlton don black and white for the rest of his career. What free agent leaving your team was the toughest pill for you to swallow? #baseballcards #MLBhistory #baseballhistory #RepackedWax

It's June 11, 1962 and the Indians are playing the Red Sox in Boston. #TitoFrancona (the elder) is on first and the bases are loaded, the game is 0-0 and Earl Wilson is on the mound for the Sox. As the pitcher goes into his windup, Francona yells "Hold it, Earl!" and Wilson stops his windup, assuming time was called. The ump calls Wilson for a balk, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Boston manager Mike Higgins is of course furious, but the umps claim they didn't hear Francona say anything to disrupt the pitcher's windup, thus the call stands, and the batter, Willie Kirkland, takes it deep to give the Indians a 4-0 lead. The Tribe went on to win the game, despite Wilson's later failed attempt to drill Francona in the back when he came to the plate. It's that kind of quirky stuff that we love and which makes baseball so unique. In what other sport - except for perhaps during the snap in football - can the outcome of a game turn on someone shouting "hold it?" Francona was a wily one, and it's no wonder son Tito Jr. (Terry) made such a great manager. He got it from his old man. #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax

🎷⚾ Who is #DaveSax? Of course, some of you may remember he's the older brother of lauded #Dodgers second baseman #SteveSax who barely got a cup of coffee in the Majors with Los Angeles and Boston. But if you ask Steve, legendary hitting coach #WaltHriniak, his former high school coach, scouts and anybody else who saw him play, Dave was actually the better hitter of the two. Now remember, Steve was a former Rookie of the Year and 5-time All-Star, and he was convinced his brother was a better ballplayer. That's saying something. To say Dave Sax was criminally under-appreciated might even be an understatement. After all, it was Dave's own MOM who convinced a scout to take another look at him after Steve was drafted in 1978 and Dave was completely ignored. With #MikeScioscia firmly entrenched behind the plate for the entire decade of the 1980s, the Dodgers gave Sax almost no playing time in 1982 and 83, even though he was killing it with a .317 average at AAA Albuquerque in 1982 and a .343 average in 1983 (remember, this is a catcher we're talking about) and released him. Signed by Boston, he went an impressive 11/36 (.306) in the 22 games he played in 1985 and hit well at AAA too. But alas, it was the same old story with the Red Sox - back to the minors. Sax continued to languish on other teams' minor league rosters before hanging it up at age 33 after the 1992 season. It's hard to come to any other conclusion than to say Dave Sax never got his due. Why no team ever gave him his shot is inexplicable. In an era where catchers were expected to hit .240 in a good season, Sax could have been a superstar at the position. Can you think of anyone else in baseball who was this talented but overlooked in this way? #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax

🦏⏳ 44 years later and it still stings for #Phillies fans. On January 27, 1982, Philadelphia shipped off young prospect #RyneSandberg along with #LarryBowa in exchange for #IvanDeJesus - a move that remains one of the most painful “what‑ifs” in franchise history. Bowa was 36 years old and wanted a two‑year extension to stay in Philadelphia. Phillies GM Paul Owens refused to give him that deal. To move Bowa, Owens needed a trade partner, and the Cubs were interested. Cubs GM Dallas Green had just left the Phillies after managing them to the 1980 World Series title. He knew the Phillies’ farm system intimately, including a young infielder named Ryne Sandberg. Green refused to make any trade unless Sandberg was included. This should have been a massive red flag for Philadelphia, but Owens agreed. Owens believed prospect Julio Franco would soon block Sandberg’s path to the big‑league infield. That made Sandberg feel like a “luxury” the Phillies could afford to move. Iván DeJesús had a reputation as a strong defensive shortstop and had once posted elite assist totals. Even though he was coming off a terrible 1981 season (.194 average, 0 HR), the Phillies saw him as a steady veteran replacement for Bowa. And so, the trade was made. Sandberg was just 23 when the deal went down, but Chicago quickly realized what Philly didn’t. He blossomed into a superstar, stacking up 9 straight Gold Gloves, 10 consecutive All‑Star selections, and ultimately earning a place in the #HallOfFame in 2005. A franchise icon. A Cubs legend. The other “Mr. Cub.” And DeJesus? He hit .239 in his first year with the Phillies, followed by two more underwhelming seasons before being moved to St. Louis, where things didn’t improve. Today, we tip our cap to Ryne Sandberg and his indelible memory. An all‑time great and one of the classiest players the game has known. #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax

💰💸 Is it crazy to think that #PhilPlantier could be a $10–15 million‑a‑year slugger if he played in today’s game? His baseball cards were on fire for a while in 1991, and Boston once believed he was the next big thing. For a guy who wasn’t especially big, Plantier packed serious power - and plenty of swing‑and‑miss. He crushed 27 homers in 443 AB at Single‑A Lynchburg in 1989, then followed it up with 33 homers at AAA Pawtucket in 1990 - 11 more than #MoVaughn, who wasn’t exactly a lightweight himself. Of course, the strikeouts came with the package: 122 and 148 in those seasons. Plantier never quite stuck in Boston, but he finally broke through with the Padres in 1993, hitting .240 with 34 HR, 100 RBI, and 124 K - the one season where everything clicked and he played full‑time. After that, he bounced around as a part‑time outfielder, never recapturing that magic. But with the way baseball has evolve, where strikeouts are tolerated and 30–40 homer bats get everyday jobs, it’s hard not to wonder whether Plantier would’ve found a steady role in the modern game. #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax

🍖 Little did we know until this morning that former big league pitcher and 1983 National League All Star #AtleeHammaker is the father-in-law of fellow one-time All-Star catcher Yan Gomes. We're not sure if this means they toss a few innings at family Thanksgiving gatherings, but maybe. Hammaker was a lefty, born January 24, 1958 (happy 68th birthday today!) in Carmel‑by‑the‑Sea, California. After being drafted as the 21st overall pick in 1979, he debuted with the Kansas City Royals in 1981 and spent most of his career with the San Francisco Giants (1982–1990), later pitching for the Padres and White Sox. 1983 was a career year for Hammaker, in which he led the NL in ERA (2.25), WHIP (1.039) and strikeout to walk ratio, although he pitched just 172 innings and went 10-9 on the season. These days, besides being half of perhaps the greatest family softball game battery in history, Hammaker lives with his wife in Knoxville, Tenn., is dad to five daughters, owns some Papa John's franchises and works as an amateur pitching instructor. 🎂 Happy birthday, Atlee Hammaker. #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax

🫧 #KurtBevacqua turns 79 today. And of course, he's perhaps best-known for his Bazooka-blowing prowess thanks to this legendary 1976 #Topps baseball card. For a guy without much of a bat, Bevacqua managed an impressive 15-season big league career despite never logging 300 official at-bats in a single season, never hitting more than 6 homers in a season and batting .236 lifetime. But what he did well was stick around through the ups and downs. Bevacqua debuted in 1971 with the Cleveland Indians and played through 1985, suiting up for seven MLB teams including the Royals, Brewers, Rangers, Pirates, and Padres. He earned the nickname “Dirty Kurt” for always having the dirtiest uniform - a badge of honor for a player who left everything on the field. Bevacqua also became something of a Padres legend during the 1984 World Series, hitting two home runs and posting a .412 batting average as San Diego’s designated hitter. 🎂 So happy birthday, Kurt Bevacqua. Thanks for the memories, the magic, the bubbles, and the dirtiest uniform in the league. #baseballcards #baseballhistory #MLBhistory #RepackedWax