Card of the Day: Tony La Russa 1986 Topps #531

Card of the Day: Bobby Grich 1986 Donruss #207

Card of the Day: Ruben Sierra 1986 Fleer Update #105

Card of the Day: Dave Kingman 1986 Topps #410

Card of the Day: Donnie Shell 1986 Topps #291

Under The Tree: 1986 HG Toys SPORTFREAKS Series 1

As a kid my #1 toy to play with were action figures.  I had bins full of Batman, X-Men, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers.  If only I could go back in time and convince my younger self to keep all of them in their packaging.  Yeah right!  Like that would’ve worked.  I never kept them mint in box.  Those little pieces of plastic were released from their clamshell prisons and immediately thrown into an adventure I had conjured in my head.  I lost a Rambo figure while visiting the beach.  The ocean took it away.  I like to think he’s still hanging out at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean with all of those unopened cases of 1952 Topps Baseball High Numbers.

HG Toys released a line of action figures in 1986 called SPORTFREAKS.  If you’re looking for accurate figures that resemble your favorite sports heroes, these might not be for you.  SPORTFREAKS are the total opposite.  They’re crazy looking, mutant-like creatures that enjoy playing various sports.  They came in three sizes – 2.5″, 7″, and 15″.  Each size has their own set of figures.  In other words, you won’t find the same 15″ figure in 2.5″ or 7″ size.  The 15″ figures have some articulation, but the 2.5″ and 7″ do not.

15″ Pinetar Pete – Other figures in this size include Pigskin and Hoop Dribbles.

7″ Ox – According to Ox’s bio “Ox snorts fire, hoots the ground, gets down on all fours and stampedes through the line.  Ox is a vegetarian who hates the idea of steak and hamburger, can you blame him.”  The 7″ line is the most common.

2.5″ Team Pack – Figures in this size also came packaged individually.  Like the 15″ figures, these aren’t the easiest to find.

I don’t believe this toy line was successful enough to see a Series 2.  If you came across a prototype figure that some HG Toys employee took home with them, that could hold some value.  For the most part, these creatures have been long forgotten.

Card of the Day: Rockett Wheeler 1986 ProCards Syracuse Chiefs #26

Card of the Day: Jose Canseco 1986 Donruss Rated Rookie #39

How To Spot A Fake Greg Maddux 1986 ProCards Pittsfield Cubs Card

A key card that any Greg Maddux collector can add to his or her collection is his 1986 ProCards Pittsfield Cubs MiLB card.  Valued at $70-$100, this is one of the earliest cards to feature the 2014 Hall of Fame inductee.

BE ON ALERT FOR COUNTERFEITS!  They’ve been making the rounds.

Here is an example of an authentic card:

ProCards were cheaply manufactured, which resulted in a minor defect in the printing of his last name.  The “DD” in his last name are slightly cut off at the bottom.  Every authentic card has the same defect.

Here is an example of a counterfeit card:

Not only is the font different, but the “DD” in his last name are completely in tact.  The “DD” on an authentic example have flat bottoms, where on the counterfeit you can see a curve.

How To Spot A Fake Barry Bonds 1986 Topps Traded Rookie Card

Unless you have his Topps Tiffany counterpart, the basic Barry Bonds 1986 Topps Traded rookie card doesn’t carry much value like it once did.  With that being said, counterfeit copies are still floating around.

Keep these tips in mind.  We don’t want that $5 going towards a counterfeit.

• The counterfeit is printed on a thicker card stock than the original, and has a weight of 1.70 grams compared to a weight of 1.42 grams of the authentic card.
• When comparing the edges of both cards, looking straight down on the edge, the counterfeit has a bright white stock compared to the off white, almost yellowed color of the authentic card.  The counterfeit also has a smooth edge compared to the choppier edge of the authentic card.
• On the front of the counterfeit, the font of the “Topps” logo in the upper right corner is noticeably smaller than the font on the authentic card.
• The trademark “R”, located just above the word “Topps”, touches the “S” in Topps on the counterfeit, while there is a noticeable space between them on the authentic card.
• On the front, the font size of the name “Barry Bonds”, at the bottom of the card, is visibly smaller on the counterfeit than the authentic card.
• The overall fuzziness of the photo on the counterfeit compared to the authentic card is another sign to look for.  A good place to look to help spot the counterfeit is in the blue sky background just to the left of Barry Bonds’ head.  On the real card the sky is made up of blue and white print dots, while on the counterfeit the background has blue, white, red, and black print dots.
• One sign giving away the counterfeit is the bright white look of the white card stock on the back, which looks almost bleached.  The authentic card has more of an off white color as opposed to the white card stock on the counterfeit’s back.
• You will notice the card number “11T” has a diamond shaped box around it.  On the authentic card, the corners of this diamond are rounded, while on the counterfeit they come to a point.  The diamond around the “Topps” logo on the back shares this same characteristic.
• The font size of the card number “11T” is noticeably thinner on the counterfeit than on the authentic card.
• Look on the back inside the white box which says “Talkin’ Baseball”.  On each of the four corners in this box there is a black line located just inside the corners.  On the authentic card the lines are straight, while on the counterfeit the lines are rounded.