Buyback Franken-set: Brett's Buybacks

March was a little crazy for me.  So much so that I didn't get around to even a single Buyback Franken-set post for the entire month.  Let's prevent that from happening in April too by getting to a great package of buybacks that was generously sent my way a few weeks back now by Brett (better known as 'bamlinden') of My Hockey Card Obsession.

1980 Topps #44 - Bill Fahey

Brett sent me a baker's dozen of buybacks; one of them was a duplicate and today we'll review the other twelve to see how they fare as far as the franken-set.  First up, catcher Bill Fahey's 1980 Topps card.  This one is from the 2014 Topps 75th Anniversary buyback program, and if I'm not mistaken 1980 was the most recent set you could possibly land a buyback from at the time.

A pensive Pena, also from the 2014 program, already occupies slot 44 of the binder.  Something about Roberto's "The Thinking Man" pose combined with the sparse background has always made me appreciate this one.

Fahey goes down.

1972 Topps #143 - Garry Jestadt

How about another Padre (you'll notice a theme here as the post develops), this time courtesy of the great '72 Topps release.  If I were to rank Topps' efforts from the '70s this one would be fairly high on the list, so I always appreciate getting them in buyback format.  If you don't recognize Garry Jestadt by name, don't be too hard on yourself.  He played just three seasons in Major League Baseball, and never eclipsed 100 games played in any of them.

This '76 Jerry Grote has been holding down slot 143 in the binder since the early days of this project.

Even being a '72 wasn't enough for Garry to supplant that fantastic photo of Grote.

1971 Topps #6 - Ed Spezio

Moving back another year in time, how about a '71 Ed Spezio?  Ed hit just .231 in 1971, his last full season with San Diego.  Seems like Brett somehow stumbled upon a treasure trove of Padres buybacks!

Rough match-up for Spezio, as he's pitted against a Heritage Chuck Schilling buyback here.

My Red Sox fandom wins out.

1976 Topps #241 - Hector Torres

The stream of Padres buybacks continues, with a '76 Hector Torres.  Hector batted on the wrong side of the Mendoza Line in 1976, and was out of baseball a year later.  A nice enough posed photograph though.

Torres draws an '89 Brett Butler in the battle for franken-set induction.  This one's sort of a coin flip as I don't have a real affinity towards either card.  Butler was the better player by far, though.

So, I'll stick with him.

1973 Topps #71 - Johnny Briggs

How about the sideburns on this '73 Johnny Briggs?  Now that's a '70s card!  The power-hitting Briggs was in the midst of a five-year stretch where he hit double digits in home runs each season.  He was even named on an MVP ballot or two in '73.  To me though, the best thing about this buyback is that it's a new number for the franken-set!

Even better, it gets me a new completed page in the binder!  Plenty of strong candidates here for best buyback on the page, but I guess I'd have to go with that great Expos Gary Carter at lower left.

1979 Topps #342 - Dave Roberts

And we're back to the Padres!  Dave Roberts was with the club for a few years, but was constantly bouncing back and forth between the minors and the big league club.  I love the shoddy chest protector depicted on this card.

Previously holding down slot 342 was pitcher Bob Humphreys, who appears to be the owner of one of the flattest heads in human history.

I like Roberts donning the tools of ignorance over this cap-less '66 Topps offering.

1973 Topps #112 - Gary Ross

Next up, a bespectacled Gary Ross courtesy of '73 Topps.  I had to do a double take when I saw Gary's stats from 1973.  He made 58 appearances, but to the tune of a 5.42 ERA.  The Padres must have had a rough set of arms in the bullpen to say the least if they rolled Ross out there close to 60 times despite that downright terrible ERA.

Ross didn't stand a chance as far as the franken-set goes, as he was pitted against a rookie card buyback of the great Kent Tekulve.

It was obvious how that one was going to go.

1977 Topps #63 - Tito Fuentes

I've always found this '77 Topps Tito Fuentes card to be somewhat comical, and I'm happy to finally have a copy in buyback form.  I've mentioned this on the blog before, but something about that headband/hat combo makes Fuentes look a bit like Sloth from The Goonies to me.

This '79 Jack Brohamer stands between Fuentes and the franken-set.

The fact that I'm a Boston fan came into play here as well.

1979 Topps #683 - Dan Meyer

Speaking of '79s, here's Dan Meyer rocking that awesome early-era Mariners trident cap.  I didn't realize that Meyer played for a dozen years in Major League Baseball, but to be fair he hung up his cleats when I was still just a toddler.  This is my first #683 buyback as well.  Interesting that with all the Padres in this package, the two cards that were new numbers for the franken-set were a Brewer and a Mariner.

1969 Topps #333 - Ivan Murrell

Here's a buyback that I'm both familiar with, and unfamiliar with at the same time.  This one is from the 2014 Topps buyback program, but I have this exact same card from the 2015 and 2018 Heritage buyback programs as well.

Dick Drago's '75 card already bumped those other two versions of the Murrell...

...and obviously the result is the same here.

1974 Topps #32 - John Grubb

Johnny Grubb was coming off of a great rookie season in 1973 when this card was printed up, in fact he finished 6th in Rookie of the Year voting.  1974 was another good year, in fact Grubb was named an All-Star in '74 for the lone time in his lengthy MLB career.

Grubb actually has to square off against a fellow Padre for the franken-set.  This '73 Fred Norman is such an under-rated card in my humble opinion.  The great action shot, the empty stands, those glorious mustard-color uniforms.  It's going to take a very special buyback to unseat this one.

John Grubb is not that buyback.

1969 Topps #444 - Joe Moeller

We'll wrap it up with one last non-Padres buyback.  Love this '69 Joe Moeller, featuring a classic wind-up pose.  I'm not all that familiar with Joe's career, but any buyback from the '60s is cool in my book.  Who does Joe draw in the battle for franken-set inclusion?

Ouch!  Rough opponent for Moeller.  Cal Ripken Sr. with a tip of the cap on his '88 Topps release.  This one came to me courtesy of Dime Box Nick if I recall.

As much as I'd have loved to have included Moeller in the binder, I just couldn't oust the Ripken.

Thank you so much Brett for your thoughtfulness and kindness in sending these my way!  All twelve of these now have a home in my collection, and the one that was a dupe has already been set aside for another blogger that I know will appreciate it.  Down to 146 empty slots in the binder still to fill!

Franken-set Progress: 646/792 (81%)
1990 Topps Buyback Set: 111/792 (14%)
"Rejected" Buybacks: 585
Total Buybacks in Collection: 1,342