BIRTHDAY BOOLSHEET BLASTAR - PART 19: 50 CENT REJECTS - J

 TIME FOR MORE ABANDONED CHEAP-BUT-NOT-QUITE-DIME-BOX-CHEAP CARDS. THIS TIME WE'VE GOT PLAYERS FROM THE J SECTION OF THE BOX. THERE WEREN'T AS MANY OF THESE AS I EXPECTED, NAMES STARTING WITH J ARE PRETTY COMMON

ONE OF THE REASONS I HAVE SO MUCH 1992 DONRUSS TRIPLE PLAY CARDS (BUT STILL NO COMPLETE SET, GRUMBLE GRUMBLE) IS BECAUSE THE JUMBO PACKS HAD ONE OF THESE DIAMOND KING SPINOFF CARDS PER PACK. THESE LOOKED REALLY GOOD IN 1992 AND WERE SUPER EASY TO GET AT ONE IN SIX PACKS FOR A SMALLISH TWELVE CARD SET. WALLY JOYNER WAS A FAVE OF MINE SINCE HE WENT TO A HIGH SCHOOL NEAR WHERE I GREW UP AND EVENTUALLY PLAYED A SEASON AT FIRST BASE FOR THE BRAVES. I NEVER COMPLETED THE GALLERY OF STARS SET EITHER DESPITE ALL THOSE PACKS I RIPPED AND ALREADY HAVE TWO OR THREE WALLYS. THAT'S HOW JUNK BOXES WILL DO YOU SOMETIMES

DAVID JUSTICE CARDS GETTING PURGED BY A CARD SHOP IN ATLANTA IS A LITTLE ODD, BUT NOT WHEN HE'S IN A CLEVELAND UNIFORM. I REMEMBER LOOKING UP TRADE DETAILS ON A COMPUTER IN AN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE AT MY UNIVERSITY WHEN A BUDDY OF MINE FOUND OUT ABOUT IT WHILE WE WERE DEALING WITH SOME SORT OF COLLEGE PAPERWORK. I'M NOT SURE IF WE WERE ACTUALLY AUTHORIZED TO USE THE COMPUTER BUT WE DIDN'T GET BUSTED AND I WAS SAD WHEN I FOUND OUT MARQUIS GRISSOM GOT TRADED TOO. I THINK I ACTUALLY NEEDED THIS CARD FOR MY LEAF SET WHICH MAKES UP FOR THE SAD MEMORIES

I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS CARD WAS MIXED UP WITH THE REST OF THE PLAYERS WHOSE NAMES START WITH J? I GUESS IT WAS MIXED IN WITH THE RANDY JOHNSON CARDS BUT RANDY IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN ON THIS CARD. HE WAS WEARING A JACKET DURING THE CELEBRATION. MAYBE SOMEONE FIGURED THAT OUT AND GAVE IT THE BOOT. I DOUBT THERE'S A HUGE MARKET FOR A SUBSET CARD FROM THE UPDATE SERIES OF A COMPLETELY DEFUNCT RETRO-STYLE SET

AHH, HERE'S AN ACTUAL RANDY JOHNSON CARD. YOU ALL ARE CHASING HIS 1989 CARD WITH THE MARLBORO AD BUT HERE'S A CARD FROM 1983! DIDN'T KNOW RANDY WAS ORIGINALLY AN OUTFIELDER ADN ABOUT A FOOT SHORTER DIDJA. OK, SO IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT RANDY JOHNSON BUT YOU ONLY NEED TO FOOL ONE COLLECTOR TO GET THAT SWEET, SWEET FIFTY CENTS

ADAM JONES OFFICIALLY RETIRED LAST YEAR WHICH MADE ME A FEEL A LITTLE SAD AND A LOT OLD. I LIKED SEEING HIM PLAY AND WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE PHOTO OF HIS INSANE CATCH IN THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC THAT LOOKED LIKE A RENAISSANCE PAINTING WITH ALL THE FANS IN THE BACKGROUND. THIS IS A GREAT LOOKING CARD BUT THE DESIGN REALLY HITS HOME JUST HOW MUCH HEAVY LIFTING THE RED STRIPES WERE DOING IN THE ORIGINAL 1985 DONRUSS DESIGN

GREGG JEFFERIES ROOKIE CUP!!! TOPPS WITH THE DEFINITIVE JEFFERIES ROOKIE CARD. TWO YEARS AFTER EVERY OTHER BRAND PUT HIM IN THEIR BASE SET. AND A YEAR AFTER TOPPS' OWN GREGG JEFFERIES FUTURE STARS CARD. NOT TO MENTION BOWMAN. STILL, ROOKIE CUPS ARE RAD. NOT FIFTY CENTS FOR A 1990 TOPPS CARD RAD BUT THAT'S HOW IT GOT INTO THE JUNK BOX

WHILE THERE WEREN'T MANY PLAYERS WHOSE NAMES START WITH J IN THIS PILE THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT WAS A SMALL PILE OF CARDS. EVERYONE'S FAVORITE BLAZING SADDLES REFERENCE HOWARD JOHNSON WAS REPRESENTED QUITE WELL IN THE BOX. FROM TRASH (1987 TOPPS, 1991 FLEER) TO HIGH END CLASSY STUFF (STADIUM CLUB, LEAF, 1989 UPPER DECK) TO ODDBALL (1987 DONRUSS UHHH THE ROOKIES? OPENING DAY ROSTERS? WHICH IS THE BLUE BORDER ONE). DECENT STUFF. BUT THAT'S NOT THE BEST STUFF

DENNY'S HOLOGRAM FOR THE WIN! THIS ONE IS FROM THE INAUGURAL 1991 SET AND IS SO SHINY I WAS UNABLE TO TAKE A PICTURE WITHOUT AN UNINTENTIONAL HAND SELFIE. THESE EARLY HOLOGRAM CARDS ARE UNDERRATED IN MY OPINION AND I ENJOY PICKING THEM UP WHEN I CAN. I DIDN'T DISCOVER DENNY'S EVEN HAD A BASEBALL CARD PROMOTION UNTIL ABOUT 1995 SO THERE AREN'T MANY CARDS FROM THESE THESE EARLY SETS IN MY COLLECTION. LITTLE GEMS LIKE THESE ARE WHY I KEEP BUYING BOXES OF JUNK