And then there was 2

'74 Topps has definitely been a work in progress for quite some time now.  But I've managed to whittle the want list down to 2 cards, despite what you see on the blog's want list, which currently says 9.

I have 7 cards in my Sportlots box at the moment and I'm only a couple of orders from pulling the trigger and getting it shipped to my door.  This will be my biggest order yet, 250 cards total from a myriad of sets across 3 different sports.   I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this one!

This post, however, is about the pair of  arrivals that came in Saturday and today, which brought that total down to just a pair.

Every time I see this card, I just can't grasp that its the Bucky Dent that hit the homer in game 163 of the 1978 season to eliminate the Red Sox from the postseason.  I learned a couple things about Bucky while looking up his stats on baseball reference.

He went to Miami Dade College and Hialeah High School down here in South Florida.  He was also drafted in the 1st round, 6th overall by two different teams.  The White Sox were the ones that wound up with Dent after he was drafted twice by the Cardinals in '69 and '70 but did not sign either time.  

Other things I learned.  He was traded to the Yankees by Chicago for LaMarr Hoyt and Oscar Gamble, plus $200,000.  (wow)  Bucky finished 2nd in the 1974 Rookie of the Year voting behind Mike Hargrove, but ahead of George Brett and Rick Burleson.  

I'm now finally the owner of the psychedelic Steve Garvey card.  I've seen it so many times on various blogs over the years; now that I have it hand I realize just how weird this card really looks.  

Thurman Munson appearing late in my set builds is becoming a common theme, as he was one of the last cards in my 73 and 75 sets, and I still have wants for him in both 71 and 72 Topps.  I may have to go out of my way to at least get the '72 copy before the last 10 cards on the list.

Sticking with the theme of not buying just one card from a seller, I grabbed a high number card from the neglected '59 Topps set build, featuring Orioles 1st baseman Bob Hale.  The high numbers are also getting pricey, as I paid about $5 for this card.  It is in pretty good shape though, the centering isn't bad and the corners are a bit soft, but not dinged.

The final two cards I need for the '74 set?  Big names indeed.

#126, the first series checklist and #597 the Manny Trillo rookie.  I'm quite positive you'll see a complete set post for '74 Topps sometime in November.  

No more procrastinating.

Enjoy the hobby!

Robert