The subject of last Saturday's post in this series was Jim Abbott, and a more than a week later I'm back with his final 13 JustCommons pickups spanning 1995-2013:
Jim Abbott 1995 Collector's Choice SE
As with Hal Morris, I picked up an Abbott from this set. It's not exactly high-end, but the blue borders are cool, so why not add it, as cheap as it was?
Jim Abbott 1995 Fleer Update
The company sure put the "LSD" in "Fleer Update cards," didn't they? Considering this is an update set, it's kind of funny that it's not as updated as it could have been for '95, since Jim headed back to the Angels in July after signing with the Sox as a free agent that April.
Jim Abbott 1995 Select
Another nice example of a quality Select card, good deal. Horizontal shots seem to be the way to go for pitcher cards, don't they? I love the perspective with the ball coming right at you while Abbott finishes his follow-through.
Jim Abbott 1995 Stadium Club (#7)
Jim Abbott 1995 Stadium Club (#569)
Here's another example of an update series that couldn't quite get it right! Jim's Series I card correctly shows him with the Yankees, but the second card hails not from Series II, but instead the "High-Number Series." So, you know, you'd think it would have him with the Angels, but apparently not. They're still nice photos, though--I'm just not a fan of the rest of the design, as I mentioned in Morris' post.
Jim Abbott 1996 Donruss
Hey, it's the love-it-or-hate-it 1996 Donruss set. I consider myself in the former category, even if the foil box at the bottom oddly obscures parts of photos. Anyway, here's another nice look at Abbott, pre-pitching motion, with his glove in his right arm.
Jim Abbott 1996 Fleer
Yay, it's one of my co-favorite Fleer sets of all time! 1997's is the other, of course. The matte finish, the great photography, the backs, and the overall simple design put this offering at the top of Fleer's trophy case.
Jim Abbott 1996 Select
And we're back with another Select issue. This one again features two photos on a horizontal design, and the smaller insert tops a nice wood grain background.
Jim Abbott 1996 Summit
Abbott wasn't exactly at the summit of his career in 1996, when he went a career-worst 2-18, but of course this set show's 1995's stats, which weren't nearly as bad. The actual pinnacle of Jim's 10 seasons was clearly 1991, in which he placed third in Cy Young voting with career bests of 18 wins, a 2.89 ERA, and 158 strikeouts.
Jim Abbott 1999 Fleer
While I don't love '99 Fleer nearly as much as the '96 and '97 sets, it's definitely in the top 10. The full-bleed photos look great, and I think my biggest knock is the cursive team name. Also, I'm probably still longing for more of that classic matte finish. By the way, Jim was back for his second tour of duty with the ChiSox in '98, and actually won all five of his starts in his penultimate season.
Jim Abbott 2004 USA Baseball 25th Anniversary (#1)
Jim Abbott 2004 USA Baseball 25th Anniversary (#184)
Jim Abbott 2013 Panini USA Champions
These two sets may be almost a decade apart, but both celebrate Abbott's achievements with Team USA, including a complete-game shutout over Japan in the (demonstration sport) gold medal game in Seoul, 1988. This trio is a nice way to close out today's post.
Another lucky 13 cards put Jim's PC at a robust 91 cards, meaning his century mark is not too far away.
Well, we're down to just a pair of posts in this series, and then I can get to my COMC pickups for the year, interspersed with a couple eBay scores and a nice little haul from Sportlots too!
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