The Legend

The Legend

Monday, January 25, 2016

Spanky Buyback

2015 Leaf 25th Buyback Mike LaValliere Buyback Auto/40

If only this card would have had a "Spanky" inscription it would have easily made my top ten list.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this card hit eBay. LaValliere only had one certified auto that I knew of and it featured him in his White Sox uniform. I bought that card last year thinking it would be my only chance for a certified auto. 

The guy is the epitome of world class athlete, right? The physique of a Greek God and the looks of a Hollywood star!

In all seriousness it is always exciting to see a guy like LaValliere get some love from a new set. Say what you want about the Leaf buyback process, but it is super cool that they went out of there way to get some lesser known names to sign from the 1990 set. I hope that Jay Bell will get one soon.  

The card itself cost me more in shipping than auction price (around $4.25).  I know Van Slyke is in the set as well, but the card is going for a little more than I'm willing to pay right now. 

Yay Spanky! 

Thanks for reading. 



17 comments:

  1. Love the buybacks and nickname cards. SPANKY!

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  2. I've gotta ask, how did he get that nickname?

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  3. Lavalliere was always a great $1 catcher pickup in my early fantasy baseball leagues in the early 1990s.

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    1. He was a pretty good hitter considering he had no speed or power. Average and obp were both above league average.

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  4. I just met him on Saturday. I believe he's the first player that I asked for an autograph where I called him by his nickname rather than being formal.
    Really nice guy.

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    1. I've heard only good things. He has a pretty big personality that matches the persona. He still helps the Pirates a lot during spring training and the camera always seems to find him.

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  5. I the variety of players in the Leaf buy series and Topps Fan Favorites. Baseball fans like the little guys just as much as the big stars . . . sometime more!

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    1. I love the concept of Fan Favorites, but I feel their choices have been a little odd lately. I always go back to including Sid Bream as a Pirate last year. Bream is very well liked but he was probably part of the worst play in Pirates history as a member of the Braves.

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  6. Nickname Greats is such a good concept for an autographed set.

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    1. My favorite nickname cards were from National Treasures but the Fleer version is cool too.

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  7. I didn't know that Leaf did buybacks, that's really cool!

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    1. You should check the list. Most are very affordable. Maybe a cool Red player that doesn't have much in the way of certified autos....

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  8. Sweet card. 1990 Leaf is such an iconic set... and perfect for buyback signatures.

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