As If I Needed Another Player Collection

It doesn't take much for me to collect a guy. (It's even easier if it's a girl, but that doesn't happen often.)  So after a bit of quick research, I decided to add another player to the long list of "I want everything".  

Back in the day when I started most of my PC's, I just happened to have a few of the same player that weren't part of a set build (I was only a few sets in at this point), and thought "he's cool" - in the binder(s?) he went.  The consequence of this is that there are a few guys that I look at now and think "If I need to sacrifice a couple of these, he's one of them."  I only have real attachments to about a dozen or so out of the 60+ PC's I maintain.

Edwin Jackson is the newest draftee to my player collection team.  He technically supplants Royce Clayton, because I collect them for the same reason - modern player that has been on several franchises over his career.  Jackson has now set the record at 14 teams.  Clayton had played for eleven, which was the top total before Edwin.

The 39-year-old right-hander last pitched in the major leagues in 2019 with the Detroit Tigers. More recently, he helped Team USA capture a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.  

Along with the Tigers, Jackson also made stops with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Devil/Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays. 

His career accomplishes included an All-Star appearance in 2009 with the Tigers, a no-hitter in 2010 with the D-Backs and a World Series title in 2011 with the Cardinals, a three-year stretch that perfectly captures his nomadic career. He finishes his days as a pitcher with a 4.78 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 412 games (318 starts). He struck out 1,508 batters in 1,960 innings.

Above are the five base cards that I happened to have in my extra stuff.  I thought I had seen several of his cards as I have been sifting through "The Hoard", but I probably sent them off to Cubs collectors or in set chunks.

I should be able to find his basic cards pretty easily.  Often he is limited to Topps flagship, Update, and maybe Heritage, GQ and Upper Deck flagship aside from his rookie year (2003) where he's in just about everything, but as a dreaded rookie.  

He's also got a lot of rookie autographs too, and since I'm not much of a rookie collector, I figured I'd see if eBay had a good batch to give me a head start.  

Boy, did I hit one!

Thanks to eBay seller sellwhatIfind, I got 27 cards, broken down into

4 Unnumbered RC's
6 #'d RC's, as low as /10
2 Auto/Relic RC's /22 and /150
14 Autos- 13 RC 1 non rc #'d as low as 16. Almost all under /100
1 1/1 Rookie Printing Plate

And I offered 3/4 of the asking price and was accepted!

This 2003 Just Minors is sticker-sealed in a top loader so it doesn't scan perfectly.

2003 Elite Extra Edition die-cut /100.  I like how they stamp across the sticker.  A lot of these have that feature.

'03 Flair Future Fame, Fleer Genuine Upside and Fleer Authentic Ticket To The Majors.  Some of the higher serial numbers of the bunch.

These two '03 Leaf Limited Phenoms are both shiny silver, but the rainbow shiny Silver Spotlight scans bluish.

Pairing these two low numbered ones throws off the chronological order.  Anyway, we have the first of many 2004's, Fleer Authentic Club Box Ticket to the Majors - this time /25.  Jumping ahead to '05, this Diamond King gold is /10.

Cyan Press "Proof" Plate 1/1 from Fleer Classic Clippings.  Had to use a magnifier to find that on the front. 

At some point I'll look up which particular Flair parallels these are, but for now I'm just basking in the low-numberedness.  I kind of like the parchment paper that the one auto is on.

The second Fleer Genuine [Insider] Upside in this lot.  This is the 2004 flavor bronze base version.  There aren't actually other color or gold/silver parallels, just "Reflections" /99.

This '04 Fleer Platinum Inscribed looks more like a minor league issue until you find the Plat logo.

Still more Fleer, this one Sweet Sigs Platinum Autograph, in EJ's case numbered to 22.  I always go back (or in this case forward) to the 2007 Sweet Spot Classics autos that are famous for fading.  Glad this one hasn't done that.  Probably looks worse in the scan.

A trifecta of Playoff Honors, which I just started as a set not too long ago.  Will need another one of these base cards.  

More fancy '04's.  Studio auto and two from Skybox Limited Edition, nice die-cuts.

Two of the few regular base.  I figure you probably know what the backs looks like...

Besides the printing plate, this is the biggest hit of the lot.  The one swatch + auto - Donruss Prime Patches from 2005.

The Mirror White and Gold auto flavors of 2005 Leaf Certified Materials.  These scan real nice.

And finally, the UD Trilogy Generations Future Signature numbered out of 35.  It's really faint right above his nameplate on the front.

So howzzat for a jump start?  I actually made a graphic checklist for all the base cards that he has thinking I'd just go for the regular stuff to show all the different teams.  But after finding this auction, I guess I'm a supercollector in the making.

I think I remember seeing Edwin live at a game in the outfield before first pitch.  Can't recall what game it was.  I thought it was cool that he played for both Washington and Baltimore.  That's why Pete Richert is one of my PC's.  

What inspires you to start a player collection?