September 1986

    September of 1986 was the month that I started college at the University of Maine. For that reason (I think) this was where my brain would eventually draw a line between childhood collecting, and the nostalgia that goes along with that, and adult collecting, which will never be as good as childhood collecting. 

    I had no idea as that summer wrapped up that I wouldn't give much thought to collecting again until 1989. I bought a few loose packs here and there in '87 & '88, but without any of the vigor that I'd had up until then. Money was earmarked for more important things like booze and albums by the time I got to college haha. 

    Looking back, I think 1986 was the calm before the storm that was the junk wax explosion. Not that these cards are expensive, but because there don't seem to be as many oddball releases as in the previous few years and certainly not as many as in the years to follow. That being said, there wasn't a lot out there this time that I needed to track down. But I managed to find some fun stuff anyway. 

Robby Thompson 

    I've never actually PC'd the guy with the same name as me even though I've snagged a card here and there if I see one in the wild. This time I made a concentrated effort to snag his rookie cards. It'll be a PC going forward. 

OPC

    I didn't grab as many of these as I have in prior months. That will give me something to chase down next year. 

Topps Game Card

    LOL I guess Topps was tired of having to count up runs every time they received an order for the Send In Glossy All-Stars. Just send us 6 of these fucking generic cards and let's get it over with. 

Dave Anderson

Charlie Lea

    These are for the alma mater collection. These are the only two Memphis State Tigers for the bulk of the 80's as well as two of the guys who had pretty long careers. Tim McCarver and Dan Uggla had pretty long careers and Hunter Goodman appears to be headed for one after his monster 2026 season. 

Kirk Gibson

    A couple of oddballs that look like they came from the same photo shoot. 

Darrell Evans

    After his big 1985 season, Darrell was making the round in the '86 oddball sets. 

Fleer Miniatures

    I've had one of these sets in a box forever but it's been so long since I opened it up I'd forgotten that they had their own stickers too. I like it. 

Fleer Box Sets

    I may or may not already have these. At a quarter each I wasn't going to pass them up.

Tru Value

    Interesting little oddball. I already had one Gibson, so I was pleased when the Whitaker showed up and I could see what an entire piece looked like before it was town apart. I'm guess it's near impossible to find these that have never been opened up?

Sportflics

    When I place two of the same cards side by side, the pics are different. It makes me wonder if at some point in the production process that the lenticular layer was spun 180 degrees or something when it was adhered? The printing nerd in me thought that was pretty cool. (One of my favorite things about the junk wax era was watching the prices of Sportflics crater once the internet was invented. Hands down this was the coolest set released in 1986!)

    Well it's on to October and 1987. I feel like I'm running out of steam a little bit and I'm sure a large part of that goes back the previously mentioned nostalgia effects. 1986 was the last year that has a nice warm glow around it when I think back on collecting in my youth. I'm sure I'll find something though. I always do. 

365 Albums from 1986 - Side 2

 

It's that time again! 

Quick summer recap:

I went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. 

I went to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. 

I went to a cardiologist. 

I went to minor league baseball games in Erie PA and Manchester NH.

I went to my 40th HS Reunion in Maine.

I bought A LOT of cds of albums from 1986. 

I listened to even more albums from 1986. 

    And now that summer is over, I have a top ten list of my favorite albums from May-August! 

1. World Party - Private Revolution

2. Genesis - Invisible Touch

3. Belinda Carlisle - Belinda

4. Peter Gabriel - So

5. Steve Winwood - Back in the High Life

6. Crowded House - Crowded House

7. REM - Lifes Rich Pageant

8. David + David - Boomtown

9. Danny Wilde - The Boyfriend

10. Glass Tiger - The Thin Red Line

    This would be a pretty solid list for the whole year! It's going to be TOUGH to knock anything off of here in favor of anything from the other 8 months of the year.  

June 1985

     June of 1985 was the month we moved away from Michigan, eventually settling in Maine in July, but not before trips to Cooperstown and the Astrodome in between. All in all it was a fun summer. 

    June 1985 in 2026 was a fun month too. I turned another year older and picked up a lot of fun stuff. Let's get to it! 

12. More OPC

    I love that the copywriters decided to take their game up a notch from the standard "Now with" that they used for so long. 

11. Topps Football

    My least favorite 80's football sets. I don't have very many of these and I thought it might be time to try and put it together. We'll see how that goes. 

10. Memphis State University alumni

    I've been slowly building the alma mater collection. There aren't a lot of players to begin with so it won't be too much of an endeavor. Charlie Lea had a big year in 1984 and it shows in what was available in 1985. (He had so big of a year that I have mistaken Dave Palmer for him on one of the cards!)

    Dave Anderson had a year in 1984 too. At least I didn't mistake anyone else for him.

9. Topps Winning Pitch Game Cards

    I remembered you needed these to send in for the Glossy cards. I didn't remember that there were two variations for each run total. I didn't get them all this year. I'll finish them out next year. 

8. Lots of Tigers cards that I already had

    I just bought a big ol' stack because I can never have enough 1985 Tigers in the house. To me these are the cards that commemorate the 1984 season and they will always have a home here. 

7. Lots of Tigers cards that I didn't already have

    My OPC and Leaf needs were pretty big. They are now both complete. 

6. Drake's

     It wasn't until after I received these that I discovered that Willie Hernandez was in this set too. I love the picture of Gibby from the 1984 World Series. 

5. Topps and OPC stickers

    I have several completed sticker sets from the 80's but this isn't one of them. I was at both of the games that Wilcox is pictured on (Game 3 of the ALCS and Game 3 of the WS). As far as I know these are the earliest cards/stickers that depict a game I attended. I'd like to build out both collections more.

4. General Mills Lou Whitaker sticker

    Weird oddball. I love that I now know how to say Detroit Tigers in French. 

3. All-Star Game Program Inserts

    I'd heard of these but I thought they were actual cards. These look like regular program pages that were cut apart. I'd love to hunt down a full program one day to see how they looked before they were cut. (Sparky is there for size reference)

2. Memphis Showboats

    Wait, what is this on a Detroit Tigers blog?!? This falls under the "Other Stuff" category. The Showboats were gone long before I ever moved to Memphis, but they are still revered some 40 years later. Reggie White will eventually cost me a few bucks. These are a fine start to the team set. 

1. Cain's Discs 1984 World Champions Detroit Tigers

    I had no idea these even existed before coming across them on Sportlots. I was stoked to order them and shocked when they arrived still in the wrappers! I'm guessing the odds are long for me finding the ones I'm missing still in the wrappers, so eventually these guys will all be released from their cellophane prisons. But for now that's where they're going to stay. 

    Once again it was a fun month of pickups. I'm going to take a summer break from my 80's project in July and August. I've got a vacation coming up centered around my 40th HS reunion in Maine, with trips to Cooperstown and a couple of minor league games along the way. 

    I'll be back at it in September, seeing what I can scrounge up from 1986! 

May 1984

     May 1984 was a great month. The Tigers were doing OK. School was almost out. I would soon get my first job and have a little money in my pocket to go watch Tigers games all summer and load up on baseball cards. 

    May 2026 was a month. The Tigers were fucking horrible. I added a lot of cards to make up for it, leaving little money in my pockets. 

    Let's take a look already.

13. Topps Milton Bradley Championship Baseball

    Ok, this wasn't a new addition. More like a "I forgot I had them" and found them in a box. 

    I had the board game back in '84. I will have to hunt that down one of these days. These will do just fine for now. 

12. OPC Checklists

    Yeah, I'm still doing that.

11. O-Pee-Chee "Traded"

    Yeah, I'm still doing that too. I didn't complete this one though. Rose, Morgan, and Perez were all a little higher than I was prepared to go this time. Next year.

10. Charlie Lea

He's an alma mater guy (Memphis) and I've been slowly adding his Canadian cards. I love that Stuart card!

9. O-Pee-Chee Tigers

    While I was diving in the O-Pee-Chee bin on Sportlots, I added a bunch of Tigers. I didn't add them all though, still missing Trammell and the Whitaker AS card. 

8. Fleer Tigers

    While I was diving for something else on Sportlots that will show up later, I grabbed these too. I didn't need them. I have at least 2 of each card already, but it's '84 Fleer, ya know?

7. Topps Ralston Purina

    I really don't remember if I had this one or the Cereal Series set back in '84, but I know I had one of them. One day I'll add the other one. 

6. Topps Tiffany Dave Rozema

    This is the last single player card I need for the Tigers set. I still need the Jack Morris/Steve Carlton League Leaders card and then I will have the complete team set (not counting the Traded Set).

5. Topps Drake's Alan Trammell

    A sweet looking card that had somehow eluded me all these years. 

4. Topps All-Star Baseball Game Sweepstakes

    These were the cards you needed to send in for the Glossy Send In cards (duh, it says that right on the front!) I ordered the "4 Runs" card too, but the eBay seller canceled the sale, refunded me my money, and sent me a dollar coin in the mail instead. Bizarre! 

3. Topps Nestle Sparky Anderson

    My first Nestle card and it's a beauty! 

2. Fleer Team Stickers

    I love stickers. Especially these. So pretty. 

1. Donruss

    I completed this set in the summer of '84. Donruss was plentiful in Michigan. I was surprised when I learned years later that they weren't plentiful everywhere else. Years later I sold that set. In the summer of 2006 I started rebuilding it by picking up lots here and there over the years until I got down to these last 10 cards. I think it's been about 10 years since I found the Strawberry and Mattingly RC at a show and I hadn't added anymore since then.

    Well now I've completed that set for a second time. (I didn't need Johnny Grubb. The seller that I bought Randy Bush from had a two card minimum. There are worse commons to add)

    That's a wrap on May 1984. It was a fun month and I'm looking forward to June and the 1985 stuff to come!