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It's Valentine's Day as I compose this post, and I can't think of anything more romantic than a baseball card checklist. I kid, of course, and I'm taking a break from work on a Saturday in an attempt to keep this blog up to date as it chugs towards its conclusion. Similar to where I was when I wrote about the 7th Series checklist (#582) back in October, we're 16 cards away from a complete 1969 Topps set, and the goal is to complete the set in 2026. I've been good at keeping up a somewhat regular posting schedule here, on my new 1955 Bowman blog and my occasionally neglected 1934-36 Diamond Stars blog. The latter should/could wrap up in 2026 as well, as long as I can find the last two cards needed for my set, including the pricey Hank Greenberg card.
Phillies spring training has started in Clearwater, but the snow and ice from almost a month ago is still piled up outside our house. It was a brutal January, a better February and I'm hoping for a calmer March.
Once the Phillies season begins in earnest, and as I turn my attention to the daily exercise of posting game recaps, a hobby I thoroughly enjoy, my set building blogs could get less attention. With the hope of wrapping up this blog and my Diamond Stars blog in the coming months, I need to start to plan what's next. I've already unofficially started collecting cards for a 1959 Topps set build, but I don't want to neglect the 1960s, and committing to collecting the 1966 Topps set seems like a logical next step. We shall see.
I continue to be grateful for my health, my family's health, and the ability to spend time each week writing about old baseball cards.
September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Niagara Sports Cards)
On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show. The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year. I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova. I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.
I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set. My third stop was a smaller table with the impossible to pass up offer of 1969 Topps commons that were only $1, unless marked. The binder was right at the end of the table, making it an even easier sell. The prices on some of the cards were stunningly low, so I was even more surprised when the dealer, Niagara Sports Cards, gave me an even deeper discount upon tallying up my total.
I found 12 cards needed from Niagara Sports Cards, and this was the 11th of those 12, and the 74th of 91 cards for the set added overall on the day. The card was marked at $10, but I paid a little over $7 for it after the bulk dealer discount was applied.
The Card / Orioles Team Set / Checklists
Brooks Robinson (#550) is likely the biggest name to appear in the set's sixth series, nudging out Willie Stargell (#545) for the cameo spot on the front of the card. Nolan Ryan (#533) would eventually surpass them both, but in 1969 he had yet to throw any of his seven no-hitters, and he was only 139 strikeouts in to a career that would eventually lead him to strike out an all-time record of 5,714.
I found it funny that Topps couldn't seem to fit in Yankees Rookies for card #519, shortening it instead to "Yank Rookies." Robinson appears three times in the set, a base card, an All-Star card (#421) and this checklist card.
