Under The Tree: 1994 Playmates TMNT Sewer Sports All-Stars – Slam Dunkin’ Don

Playmates issued their first line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures in 1988. That initial release consisted of the four turtles, Splinter, April, Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop, and a Foot Soldier.

As TMNT mania grew, so did the toy line. Action figures began to take on various shapes, sizes, and themes. In 1991 Playmates introduced the Sewer Sports All-Stars sub-line of figures. Six figures made-up this sub-line – Slam Dunkin’ Don (basketball), Shell Slammin’ Mike (wrestling), Grand Slammin’ Raph (baseball), Shell Kickin’ Raph (soccer), Slap Shot Leo (hockey), and T.D. Tossin’ Leo (football).

Slam Dunkin’ Don has always received more attention. Mainly due to the fact he is wearing a jersey with the #23 on it. Everyone instantly connects that to Michael Jordan.

Over the years it was common for Playmates to reissue their figures. Subtle changes would be made from year to year. The Slam Dunkin’ Don from 1994 is considered a holy grail to many TMNT collectors. What makes this version so special? Its the color of his basketball jersey. For some reason the Slam Dunkin’ Don released by Playmates in 1994 is wearing a white jersey. Every release prior to and after 1994 has him wearing a red jersey. An unopened Slam Dunkin’ Don from 1994 can be worth thousands if in nice condition.

What’s in the package? Of course you receive the figure which features “amazing spring powered hoop shootin’ action”. Accessories include a turtle ball and garbage can rim.

The inclusion of a trading card is also a nice bonus.

Pin Highlight: 2022 Little League World Series Grand Slam Parade

The 2022 Little League World Series kicks off tonight with the Grand Slam Parade. Games start on August 17th.

The Downtown Festival begins at 4:00 p.m., and the parade starts at 5:30 p.m. New York Yankees Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera will serve as the Grand Marshal.

Collectible lapel pins are a main draw for Little League fans. I began to see some 2022 pins show up as early as mid-July. Many more will follow as the week goes on.

Here is what the 2022 Little League World Series Grand Slam Parade pin looks like for this year.

People who are on the parade committee receive a special pin.

Card of the Day: Rafael Nadal 2006 Ace Authentic Grand Slam #17

Card of the Day: 1992 Topps Trash Can Trolls – Slam Duncan #9a

How To Spot A Fake 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk Michael Jordan #7

Fans who attended the 1985 All-Star Weekend Banquet in Indianapolis received a 9-card set of Star basketball cards featuring the Gatorade logo on them. It’s official name is the 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk set. The set includes Checklist #1, Larry Nance #2, Terence Stansbury #3, Clyde Drexler #4, Julius Erving #5, Darrell Griffith #6, Michael Jordan #7, Dominique Wilkins #8, and Orlando Woolridge #9.

Technically there are (10) cards in this set. Terence Stansbury was a late substitute for Charles Barkley. Both cards were produced, but the Barkley card wasn’t released along with the others. Eventually the Barkley card leaked out, and collectors saw it surface on the secondary market.

Star cards are notorious for being counterfeited. That especially goes for Star cards of Michael Jordan. I can’t stress how many counterfeit Michael Jordan Star cards there are floating around. You can easily find them on eBay.

Counterfeit examples of the Michael Jordan 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk card are all over the place. Some people advertise them as authentic, while others do the whole “reprint” or “RP” thing. People use the word “reprint” or the letters “RP” on their listings in an attempt to fool you into thinking that specific card came from a manufacturer like Star. Places like eBay don’t know how or just don’t care enough to learn how to distinguish between the two. The people making these homemade cards are fully aware that passing them off as the real thing could come back to haunt them. Calling them reprints might not bring in the same amount of money, but it still allows them to move their hoard of counterfeits. Its a horribly abused wording loophole.

When placed side-by-side the difference between an authentic example and counterfeit can easily be seen. One of the biggest red flags of a counterfeit is the lack of a line going through the letter “N” in “JORDAN” on the front. I’ve never seen an authentic version without this printing defect. Most counterfeits forget to include this element. Overall photo blurriness, and incorrect coloring can be other signs of a counterfeit.

Flipping the card over you’ll see more red flags. Counterfeit backs tend to have thicker/bold font. In some cases the font is a completely different color especially in Jordan’s bio. Its not uncommon for the text in Jordan’s bio to be broken too on a counterfeit.

If capable, compare the Jordan with another (less expensive) card from the same set. The printing techniques should be similar. Star did not print Michael Jordan’s card any differently.

Counterfeit front

Authentic front

Counterfeit back

Counterfeit back

Authentic back

Card of the Day: Rusty Kilgo 1990 Grand Slam Midwest League All-Star #11

Card of the Day: Bud Collins 2013 Ace Authentic Grand Slam Auto

“Pin-Up” of the Week: 2015 Little League World Series Grand Slam Parade Committee

There are about 300+ pins hanging on my wall.  All pinned to lanyards.  A large chunk of the collection are pins from the Little League World Series.  They all vary in rarity.  One of the harder to find pins that I acquired this year was this 11th Annual 2015 Grand Slam Parade Committee pin.  I’ve never seen this specific pin for sale before.

The Grand Slam Parade has kicked off the Little League World Series for the last 11 years.  Its a big celebration that features every team participating in the World Series.  Plus there are marching bands, antique cars, fire trucks, military equipment, the list just goes on and on.  They usually get a baseball player to be the Grand Marshall.  Over the years they’ve gotten many retired/HOFers to take on that role.  For 2015 they had Jim Leyland.

Its not uncommon for people in the parade to be giving out pins.  Throughout the city of Williamsport there are different places you can buy the annual Grand Slam Parade pin.  For the past seven years these pins have been split into two pieces like a puzzle.  I don’t think the committee pins are made available to the public.  You probably need to be on the committee to get one.  This pin slipped through the cracks.

Flashback Product of the Week: 1997 Grand Slam Ventures Champions of Golf Masters Collection

When Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters Tournament, collectors were eager to get their hands on his cards.  At the time, they had to settle for only a few.  The first being his S.I. for Kids card that came packaged inside the popular kids magazine the year before.  The second being his 1997 Grand Slam Ventures Champions of Golf Masters Collection Gold Foil and Gold Ink versions.

The 1997 Grand Slam Ventures Champions of Golf Masters Collection is a 62-card set.  It has in it one card for every Masters Champion from 1934 to 1997.  Luckily, Tiger Woods just made the cut.  The most common version you’ll find are the Gold Ink cards.  They issued thousands of these within sealed sets.  The Gold Foil version is much rarer and was only made available to collectors that subscribed to the series.  Both version are very condition sensitive due to the black borders.  Obviously, the Tiger Woods cards are worth the most.  Sealed boxes can be found for $100.00.

Take A Look At These ITG Patches

When you have a bigger relic, you sacrifice a card’s overall design.  But when you have patches this beautiful… forget the design.  Take a gander at these Grand Slam relics found in ITG Heroes & Prospects “Hits” Series 2 Low Numbers.  The release date is 8/3/11.