What’s In The Fireproof?  Part 4

As I worked towards this final installment of “What’s In The Fireproof”, I’ve tried to navigate the cards in a way that would save the best for last.  I realized that it was almost impossible to rank the cards in the fireproof but there are definitely some that stand out.  They either stand out in the way that I obtained them or they are more meaningful than others.  They are all classic pieces that I’ll always hang on to.  No matter how you rank the cards I’ve displayed over the series, the last piece is the very best piece I have in my collection.  

I mentioned in Part 3 that there were a couple of items that weren’t in the fireproof, because of size, that I still considered permanent pieces of the collection.  I will have one more related post to these but it will be sort of like Halloween 3 that was a horror about Oct 31st but it didn’t star Michael Myers.  It’s about the special pieces in my collection but it won’t star the fireproof.  Going through the fireproof has made me realize how fortunate I am to have been able to add these to my collection, either by my own searching and hard work or through the kindness of others.

If you’ve missed the previous 3, I’ll link them here and you can catch up before taking in this last one if you like.  After that, just jump on to the first item in this post and we’ll get started!

Part 1


Part 2

Part 3
1993 Topps Derek Jeter RC Mint 9 – I’m not a big Yankee fan.  In baseball, you either are or you aren’t and there isn’t much in between.  They aren’t a team you can just “take or leave.”  Being an Atlanta Brave fan and being fortunate to have enjoyed those 14 NL East titles, we did make it to a few World Series matchups against those Yanks.  I was not of fan of Jim Leyritz or Charlie Hayes or David Cone.  I also didn’t really consider myself a fan of Jeter but I have always respected what he was able to do on the field.  He was the NY Yankees for many years and there is something to be said for that.  This rookie card was from when I was still trying to play SS in high school.  It’s also one of the few early 90’s cards that has held some value, outside of the nostalgic variety.  If there is any Yankee RC I could have besides Mantle, it would be Jeter.  I’m glad to have owned this card since 93 and even kept it in good enough condition over the years to have it graded out as a 9 a couple years ago.2014 Topps Five Star John Smoltz Auto – Surely you had to know that a Braves legend would make the final segment.  I love the Aaron auto that I have and he is clearly a Braves icon but I saw Smoltz play live and in person and he was on “My Braves” teams.  I love his autograph.  It runs all together like one long name but it’s highly recognizable.  I will never disparage any one of the big three we had in Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine but Smoltzie ranks as #1 for me.  There’s a few reasons too.  First, his stats speak for his Hall of Fame pitching career.  He is only 1 of 2 pitchers that tallied 200 wins as a starter and 150 saves as a closer.  He was dominant in both roles.  He pitched his heart out in game 7 of the 1991 World Series that Lonnie Smith and Kent Hrbek sabotaged.  He threw 7.1 innings of shutout baseball but was bested by Jack Morris on that night.  He’s also a Brave for life.  He played for the Braves for 20 years and was a part of the worst to first transformation.  He did pitch one final year split with St Louis and Boston but I think everybody has forgotten about that.  Finally, he was such a fun player to have on our team.  He smiled a lot, had fun with the reporters, joked with fans during BP and seemed to have a real personality.  But when he got on the mound, he was a total Bulldog.  Not only was he an outstanding pitcher, he is also a tremendous golfer.  And in retirement, he’s even turned out to be an outstanding broadcaster.  Smoltz is a Braves legend and this is an awesome piece!2012-13 Monumental Marks Jerry West Auto #9/10 – I’ve written about this basketball set from 2012 before as I also have a Larry Bird in the fireproof.  This set was so cool to me because the box was loaded with autographs of retired players.  Sure, Jimmy Butler, KD and Anthony Davis were there but I pulled so many legends out of the boxes too.  And that’s what I really love in collecting.  There’s no possibly way, other than this pull, would I ever own a Jerry West autograph.  He is “The Logo” for crying out loud.  This bad boy is numbered to 10 and is dead center on the sticker.  Jerry West is a very influential member of the NBA and I own an autographed card of him with a black and white photo of his playing days.  For my collection, that’s a hard piece to beat!Fleer Focus Dominique Wilkins Auto – This was a fairly inexpensive add to the collection but a must add when I saw it.  Not only is Dominique my all time favorite Hawk and all time NBA player, he’s also a Georgia Bulldog.  He’s still the voice of the Hawks on TV as well.  ‘Nique was SEC player of the year at UGA in ’81 and a 9 time all-star with the Hawks.  He also won 2 dunk contests and a scoring title in ’86.  He was never able to lead us to an NBA title but he played in one of the greatest era’s ever in a conference with Bird, Jordan and the Pistons.  He came close in ’88, losing to Bird and the Celtics in Game 7 of the Semi-finals, 116-114.  He put up 43 in that losing effort.  I was fortunate enough to meet him at a NASCAR race in Atlanta and he signed my program.  I also got a photo with him and it looks like I’m with a giant.  I love Dominique Wilkins as every Georgia Boy should!2007 Gridiron Gear Adrian Peterson Autographed Plate – This was one of my first “big” purchases.  I have always stuck to packs and boxes and hoped for hits but I saw this in a shop in Panama City one summer and had a little extra change in my pocket so I splurged.  At the time, AP was the unquestioned #1 RB in the NFL and a threat to be the greatest ever so the card may have lost some of its initial luster but it still holds special meaning for me.  I also wrestled for a while over its authenticity even though it has all the appropriate stickers and markings.  His autograph has just changed quite a bit and he has also been a big target for fakes over the years.  This one might even be fake but I went so far as to have JSA authenticate it for me and I have a letter stating it’s legit so I’m going to take them and the authenticity stickers at their word.  I was just paranoid after I bought it.  It really doesn’t matter because I don’t plan on ever selling it and for me, it’s the real deal.  And I’ll always remember the day I bought it.  It was a beautiful summer at the beach and I was looking at sports cards.  It doesn’t get much better than that!2016 Panini Classics Hines Ward Auto #d 7/25 – Speaking of buying packs and boxes and hoping for a solid hit, this was a huge one last year.  I loaded up on Panini Classics from DA Cardworld last year because they were around $30 a box and you were guaranteed an auto with a solid chance of the auto being a retired player.  Sign me up for that all day.  I scored several solid retired guys like Harold Carmichael and Mike Quick but when I hit this one, which was a redemption, I completely lost my mind.  Hines is obviously an NFL legend and in my eyes, a certain Hall of Famer.  But he’s also a Damn Good Georgia Bulldog!  He’s near the top (2 or 3) for most fans my age when asked who their favorite all time Dawgs are.  Hines played QB, RB and WR at UGA and played his heart out much like he did in Pittsburgh.  So while he’s a Super Bowl MVP in Pittsburgh, he’ll always be a Dawg in my heart.  And I love his autograph.  He looks like he spends time on it, which is more than can be said for a lot of today’s stars.  The icing on the cake for this was that it came in numbered to 25.  The redemption didn’t reveal that information but it was a sweet surprise!Mickey Mantle Autographed Baseball – Well, here it is folks.  This is the prize of my entire collection and one that will likely never be topped.  Believe it or not, this was actually a gift from a wonderful friend of mine.  He’s a little older than me and went to some shows in Atlanta from time to time.  He scored this (a couple actually) along with Whitey Ford many years ago and had it in a safe deposit box.  He’s also got Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and some other vintage stars.  I’ll never be able to compete with his collection but he certainly pumped up my collection with this truly once in a lifetime addition.  When I look at it, I feel like the kid in “The Sandlot” looking at the Babe Ruth ball.  I hope my daughter doesn’t grab it to play in the yard one day!  This is the piece that actually led to my purchase of the fireproof to begin with.  I will preserve this one until I see my last baseball game and pass it on to my daughter.

So there you have it – The Dub Mentality Fireproof.  There is still room to add to this one but if I keep collecting like I have for the last 30 years, I’ll need another one sooner or later.  I’ve added a lot over the last 12 months alone as I’ve finally started adding lifelong wants to the collection.  There are still some that I’d like to add too.  I’ve never owned a Ken Griffey Jr. Auto, except for the fake that my friend traded me when we were 13.  I’d also like to add a Frank Thomas.  There are plenty of football players I’d love to add like Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Deion, Dan Marino, John Elway, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning.  In basketball, there’s David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Lebron and Curry.  Yeah, I can tell now that I’m going to need a bigger box.  I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what’s in the fireproof over the last few weeks.  Thanks for being interested in my collection and for being a part of the hobby with me.  Until the next post, I hope you add something awesome to your PC!

J-Dub