Spitting Image: Set Need Pick-Ups

While most of the single cards I bought this weekend were for the Cardboard Zoo or player collections, I lucked into a few cards I needed for various set collections. Roberto Alomar cards had a major appearance in my bag, because the first dealer I visited had several nice Alomar cards in the quarter box. I have a story to tell about the quarter box, but I'll save that for tomorrow. For now, Alomar and the others for the sets:

 This is a 1998 Topps Stars 'N Steel card made from real steel. Topps wasn't the first - they stole the idea from the 1996 Leaf Steel set, and I'm sure there was a card made of steel before that. I know Topps made those Gallery of Champions mini cards in the '80s, but there has to be something before that. I've been building the '99 set, but this is the first '98 issue I've come across.

 1992 Team Pinnacle, one of the hottest insert sets ever. The best cards from this set fetched $50 or more when it was released. Cards are still hard to come by and book for up to $20 - I have three of the nine cards in the set. I will eventually feature this set on this blog.

 Ack! Another Alomar! I grabbed two Teks from the quarter box, but this pattern was the only one I needed. I shall finish my pattern variations set someday.

 20th Anniversary Retrospectives are always welcome at a quarter a piece.

 So is this 2008 UD Presidential Predictors Running Mates insert I didn't have. I believe the only cards I need now from this set are the rare ones.

 I expanded my Team USA collection to include the WBC releases, but I missed this set, so Chen starts off another insert set that will never be completed!

 Wow! Alomar as a future Hall of Famer. If I didn't need this card for the set that seems impossible to complete, it would fit perfectly in the Hall of Fame collection. The rotunda that is "behind" Alomar is overlaid in front of Alomar on the card, making this card a freaky mind trip if you look at it any way but straight on.

 I don't know what inspired Donruss to bump the Diamond Kings set in 2008 Threads to 58 cards, but it's been slow going at putting this set together.

Speaking of difficult sets, these cards are from the much-more-difficult-than-2008 2005 Baseball Heroes set. My 2005 set sits at 20% completion.

Tomorrow, I'll show off some vintage pickups. Everyone loves vintage! Except the communists! You aren't a communist, are you?