2003 Donruss Estrellas

Totalmente en Espanoli

The third and final pack in the mini theme is Donruss Estrellas. These cards were produced for two years, 2002 and 2003, in 2002 they were known as Super Estrellas. The text on these cards is in Spanish.
The 2003 series consisted of 100 base cards, 5 insert sets and 25 different posters. The inserts are:
Estrellas (Stars),  
Poder de Cuadrangular (Power of the quadrangular Diamond?), 
Nacion de Origen (Nation of Origin),  
Leyendas del Pasado (Legends of the Past), 
Precision de Lanzamiento (Precision Throw), 
Thank you Google translate 
And a 5x7 poster, which is inserted one per pack.

The pack:
#28 Jeff Baker Rockies Novato 
#37 Jeff Bagwell Astros
#67 Roger Clements Yankees
#75 Bobby Abreu Phillies
#99 Eric Hinske Blue Jays
#PC1 Jason Giambi Yankees Poder de Cuadrangular
Adam Dunn Poster

What a great idea to include the poster that is also the complete checklist.
Bien hecho.

2003 Topps Red and Blue Backs insert

When Topps produced its first baseball cards back in 1951 they decided to go with two different sets called Red Backs and Blue Backs, although their official designation is 'A' series and 'B' series respectively.  Their objective was to use baseball cards to increase sales of their candy products. The cards were packaged as two connected cards along with a piece of caramel in a penny pack. Unfortunately the candy would 'melt ' and ruin the cards.

The cards were designed like playing cards, with rounded corners and either a blue or red back. The front showed a players picture and an 'action' (ball, strike, double). Long before Topps Attax the intention was to use the playing cards as a baseball card game. The game didn't catch on with card collectors, which led to a different (and more popular ) approach in 1952.

 

There are 52 cards in the Blue and Red sets, totalling 104 cards.

In 2003 Topps chose to produce an insert set that copied the 1951 design. Inserted in a ratio of about 1 to 12 in hobby packs and 1 to 8 in retail, the Red and Blue back insert is larger than its original counterpart and slightly more affordable.
Blue backs were inserted in Series 1 packs and Red backs in Series 2 packs. The cards are unnumbered although for checklist purposes I have used the designation used at The Cardboard Connection.

Blue Backs set Checklist

1 Albert Pujols
2 Ichiro Suzuki
3 Sammy Sosa
4 Kazuhisa Ishii
5 Alex Rodriguez
6 Derek Jeter
7 Vladimir Guerrero
8 Ken Griffey Jr.
9 Jason Giambi
10 Todd Helton
11 Mike Piazza
12 Nomar Garciaparra
13 Chipper Jones
14 Ivan Rodriguez
15 Luis Gonzalez
16 Pat Burrell
17 Mark Prior
18 Adam Dunn
19 Jeff Bagwell
20 Austin Kearns
21 Alfonso Soriano
22 Jim Thome
23 Bernie Williams
24 Pedro Martinez
25 Lance Berkman
26 Randy Johnson
27 Rafael Palmeiro
28 Richie Sexson
29 Troy Glaus
30 Shawn Green
31 Larry Walker
32 Eric Hinske
33 Andruw Jones
34 Barry Bonds
35 Curt Schilling
36 Greg Maddux
37 Jimmy Rollins
38 Eric Chavez
39 Scott Rolen
40 Mike Sweeney

Red Backs Set Checklist

1 Nomar Garciaparra
2 Ichiro Suzuki
3 Alex Rodriguez
4 Sammy Sosa
5 Barry Bonds
6 Vladimir Guerrero
7 Derek Jeter
8 Miguel Tejada
9 Alfonso Soriano
10 Manny Ramirez
11 Adam Dunn
12 Jason Giambi
13 Mike Piazza
14 Scott Rolen
15 Shawn Green
16 Randy Johnson
17 Todd Helton
18 Garret Anderson
19 Curt Schilling
20 Albert Pujols
21 Chipper Jones
22 Luis Gonzalez
23 Mark Prior
24 Jim Thome
25 Ivan Rodriguez
26 Torii Hunter
27 Lance Berkman
28 Troy Glaus
29 Andruw Jones
30 Barry Zito
31 Jeff Bagwell
32 Magglio Ordonez
33 Pat Burrell
34 Mike Sweeney
35 Rafael Palmeiro
36 Larry Walker
37 Carlos Delgado
38 Brian Giles
39 Pedro Martinez
40 Greg Maddux

2003 Upper Deck Standing O! baseball

This set consist of 126 base cards, of which all are available in a circular die cut variation. This set includes 42 short-printed rookies, including Yankee slugger Hideki Matsui.
Randomly Inserted: 42 World Premieres (1:4 packs) 84 Regular Die Cut Parallels (1:1 packs) 42 World Premieres Die Cut Parallels (1:48 packs) Starring Role (1:240 packs).

The Red Sox avialable are;
#13 Nomar Garciaparra
#14 Pedro Martinez
#15 Manny Ramirez

Although the pack suggest looking for unique game use cards featuring box scores, the odd ball within me is looking forward to the die cut and embossed cards in the shape of a baseball!
There are 4 cards per pack. I have 3 packs.

Pack 1:
#11 Rodrigo Lopez Orioles
#13 Nomar Garciparra Red Sox
#83 Carlos Delgardo Blue Jays

#S-46 Al Leiter Mets die cut

Pack 2:

#6 Curt Schilling D-backs

#10 Gary Sheffield Braves

#55 Miguel Tejada Athletics

#S-38 Kazuhisa Ishii Dodgers die cut

Pack 3:

#24 Omar Vizquel Indians

#29 Josh Beckett Marlins

#74 Matt Morris Cardinals

#S-24 Omar Vizquel Indians

Hip Hooray, finally a Red Sox from one of these packs.

I must say I liked the round die-cut cards very much.

2003 Upper Deck 40 Man

The incredibly enormous 990 card set from Upper Deck.

The Red Sox available are;

 

#204 Nomar Garciaparra
#205 Pedro Martinez
#206 John Burkett
#207 Johnny Damon
#208 Doug Mirabelli
#209 Derek Lowe
#210 Shea Hillenbrand
#211 Brandon Lyon
#212 Trot Nixon
#213 Jason Varitek
#214 Tim Wakefield
#215 Manny Ramirez
#216 Todd Walker
#217 Jeremy Giambi
#218 Ramiro Mendoza
#219 Bill Mueller
# 220 David Ortiz
#221 Mike Timlin
#222 Alan Embree
#223 Bob Howry
#224 Chad Fox
#225 Damian Jackson
#226 Casey Fossum
#227 Steve Woodard
#228 Freddy Sanchez
#764 Johnny Damon AS
#766 Nomar Garciaparra AS
#769 Shea Hillenbrand AS
#773 Derek Lowe AS
#774 Pedro Martinez AS
#777 Manny Ramirez AS
#840 Nomar Garciaparra T40
#841 Manny Ramirez T40
#842 Pedro Martinez T40
#880 Jason Shiell NR
#881 Kevin Tolar NR
#938 Mike Nicolas NR
#945 Ryan Cameron NR
#963 Boston Red Sox TC

There are two parallel versions; Rainbow and Red,White and Blue.
Included in each pack is a UD Vintage Update card.
There are 10 cards per pack and I have two packs. There must be a Red Sox in here somewhere.

Pack 1:

#1 Troy Glaus Angels

#47 Ricardo Rincon Athletics

#57 Kelvim Escobar Blue Jays

#193 Herbert Perry Rangers

#297 Tony Flore Twins

#475 Ramon Martinez Cubs

#627 Roger Cedeno Mets

#834 Jeff Kent Giants WS

#890 Mike Ryan Twins NR

#335 Sandy Alomar White Sox Vintage update

 

Pack 2:

#69 Frank Catalanotto Blue Jays

#369 Octavio Dotel Astros

#474 Matt Clement Cubs

#475 Ramon Martinez Cubs ????again????

#570 Kurt Ainsworth Giants

#643 Clay Condrey Padres

#680 Hector Mercado Phillies

#820 Luis Castillo Marlins AS

#917 Matt Bruback Cubs NR

#297 Mike Neu Athletics Vintage update

That is just depressing.

 

2003 Upper Deck Honor Roll

Here is an interesting concept from 2003, a 161 card set from Upper Deck. The first 130 cards in the set are two different cards for 65 players, the even numbered cards #2- #60 are short printed and apparently seeded into packs in a ratio of 1 to 6. Card #131 is a short printed (#to1000) exclusive Hideki Matsui card and the next 30 cards are Freshman Class rookies and prospects (#to2500).

There are two parallel sets called Silver Honors (#to150) and Gold Honors (#to25)

There are three relics inserts available; Dean's List Jersey, Grade A Batting Gloves and Leather of Distinction. An interesting feature of the Dean's List jersey is that each player has two cards, one for each initial in their name. Well maybe not that interesting really.

The Red Sox available are;

#23 Nomar Garciaparra
#24 Nomar Garciaparra SP
#39 Pedro Martinez
#40 Pedro Martinez SP

There are 5 cards per pack. I have two packs.

Pack 1:

#21 Miguel Tejada Athletics

#68 Shawn Green Dodgers

#81 Rafael Palmeiro Rangers

#104 J.D.Drew Cardinals

#108 Brian Giles Pirates

 

Pack 2:

#7 Mike Piazza Mets

#53 Bernie Williams Yankees

#88 Rafael Furcal Braves

#93 Roy Oswalt Astros

#97 Larry Walker Rockies

 

In terms of Red Sox, I am seriously opening some crappy packs lately.  



2003 Upper Deck Series 2 baseball

The 2003 Upper Deck baseball card set includes 540 cards, divided into two series and an update set of 60 cards. Series 2 is numbered 271 to 540. This includes Star Rookies numbered 501-530 and Season Highlights numbered 531to 540.

The Red Sox available in series 2 are;
#330 Manny Ramirez
#331 Johnny Damon
#332 Trot Nixon
#333 Tim Wakefield
#334 Casey Fossum
#335 Todd Walker
#336 Jeremy Giambi
# 337 Bill Mueller
#338 Ramiro Mendoza
#540 Nomar Garciaparra SH CL
I have two packs that are marked $2.99 and have a big blob of silicone on the top, so I am guessing they were once part of a repack.

Pack 1:

#290 Mark Hendrickson Blue Jays

#295 Erubiel Durazo Athletics

#366 Bernie Williams Yankees

#371 David Wells Yankees

#452 Justin Wayne Marlins

#456 Todd Hollandsworth Marlins

#520 Termel Sledge Expos

#533 Miguel Tejada Athletics

 

Pack 2:

#283 Ramon Hernandez Athletics

#317 Jeff Conine Orioles

#364 Miguel Olivo White Sox

#381 Billy Wagner Astros

#445 Ray Durham Giants

#452 Justin Wayne Marlins

#482 Kris Benson Pirates

#522 Phil Seibel Mets

Having no luck with these packs at all.

 

 

 

2003 Donruss Team Heroes packs

This is an amazingly confusing set to come anywhere near completing. There are so many variations and exclusives the mind goes a bit numb.
Firstly the 548 set was released in two separate series. The first contained cards 1- 540, then the final 8 cards were issued as part of the Rookie and Traded series.
There were a number of inserts available in packs bought at  Hawaii, Atlantic City and Chicago conferences.
There were two parallel sets available; Glossy and Stat Line. Stat Line was issued in different quantities depending on the stat.
There are also some autographs to collect too.
The base Red Sox available were:

#67 Bobby Doerr

#68 Pedro Martinez

#69 Roger Clemens

#70 Nomar Garciaparra

#71 Trot Nixon

#72 Dennis Eckersley

#73 John Burkett

#74 Tim Wakefield

#75 Wade Boggs

#76 Cliff Floyd

#77 Casey Fossum

#78 Johnny Damon

#79 Fred Lynn

#80 Rickey Henderson

#81 Juan Diaz

#82 Manny Ramirez

#83 Carlton Fisk

#84 Jorge De La Rosa

#85 Shea Hillenbrand

#86 Derek Lowe

#87 Jason Varitek

#88 Carlos Baerga

#89 Freddy Sanchez

#90 Ugueth Urbina

#91 Rey Sanchez

#92 Josh Hancock

#93 Tony Clark

#94 Dustin Hermanson

 

There are 10 cards per pack and I have two packs.

Pack 1:

#43 John Ennis Braves

#74 Tim Wakefield Red Sox

#142 Corky Miller Reds

#221 Lance Berkman Astros

#273 Marquis Grissom Dodgers

#382 Pat Burrell Phillies

#400 Steve Carlton Phillies

#440 Robb Nen Giants

#447 Allan Simpson Mariners

#459 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners

 

Pack 2:

#13 Troy Percival Angels

#69 Roger Clemens Red Sox

#100 Jon Lieber Cubs

#172 Brian Tallet Indians

#211 Jeff Bagwell Astros

#270 Jacie Robinson Dodgers

#280 Richie Sexson Brewers

#339 Robin Ventura Yankees

#439 J.T.Snow Giants

 #448 Antonio Perez Mariners

Finally some more Red Sox.

I couldn't really go wrong with these considering there is over 25 Red Sox in the base set.

Still 2 is pretty good.

2003 Upper Deck MVP retail pack

In 2003 MVP was one of a large number of sets produced by Upper Deck. The MVP set consisted of 330 base cards, actually 329 cards as card number 248 didn't exist. The first 220 cards were issued in hobby and retail packs, the next 110 as part of a factory or update set.
There were three parallel versions available; black, gold and silver.
There were three inserts; 90 Sports Nut, 15 Express Delivery and 90 Celebrations, also available in a silver parallel set.
There were also the ridiculous number of relic, auto, game used cards.
The base set Red Sox available were:

#29 Nomar Garciaparra

#30 Pedro Martinez

#31 Manny Ramirez

#32 Shea Hillenbrand

#33 Johnny Damon

#34 Jason Varitek

# 35 Derek Lowe

#36 Trot Nixon

Red Sox available in the factory set were;

#236 Byung-Hyun Kim

#237 Freddy Sanchez

# 238 Jason Shiell RC

#239 Ryan Cameron RC

 

There are 8 cards per pack. . I have two packs,which are marked as retail.

 

Pack 1:

#22 Tony Batista Orioles

#61 Brandon Phillips Indians

#62 Karim Garcia Indians

#85 Brad Penny Marlins

#155 Marlon Anderson Bay Rays

#161 Aramis Ramirez Pirates

#163 Josh Fogg Pirates

#173 Trevor Hoffman Padres

a big lump of UD cardboard

 

Pack 2:

#1 Troy Glaus Angels

#51 Ken Griffey Jnr Reds

#92 Lance Berkman Astros

#107 Richie Sexson Brewers

#143 David Wells Yankees

#185 Freddy Garcia Mariners

#192 Scott Rolen Cardinals

#201 Aubrey Huff Bay Rays

a big piece of UD cardboard

 

A Huff, a Fogg, a Penny, two Garcia's and two pieces of useless cardboard but not one Red Sox.

 

 



2003 Upper Deck Series 1

The 2003 Upper Deck baseball card set includes 540 cards, series 1 is numbered 1 to 270 . This includes Star Rookies numbered 1-30 and Checklists numbered 261-270.


Red Sox in Series 1 are;
#89 Pedro Martinez
#90 Shea Hillenbrand
#91 Derek Lowe
#92 Jason Varitek
#93 Tony Clark
#94 John Burkett
#96 Nomar Garciaparra
#97 Rickey Henderson
#262 Derek Lowe SH CL

There are 8 cards per pack. I have two packs marked 'Retail'.

 

Pack 1:

#4 Bobby Hill Cubs Star Rookie

#45 Billy Koch Athletics

#79 Geronimo Gil Orioles

#129 Raul Mondesi Yankees

#131 Rondell White Yankees

#188 Cesar Izturis Dodgers

#173 Moises Alou Cubs

#239 Pokey Reese Pirates

a big lump of cardboard.

 

Pack 2:

#2 Alex Cintron D-backs Star Rookie

#53 Steve Cox Bay Rays

#99 Carlos Febles Royals

#169 Fred McGriff Cubs

#179 Mark Grace D-backs

#208 Mike Lowell Marlins

#215 A.J.Burnett Marlins

a big lump of cardboard

 

Yikes! Terrible, unless you are a Cubs fan.

 

 

2003 Upper Deck First Pitch

There are 270 cards in the base set of 2003 Upper Deck First Pitch plus cards #271 - #300 are short prints.
There are 5 autographs to collect are 6 'stars', Ichiro, Gambi, Garciaparra, Sosa, Griffey Jnr and Griffey Snr.
Obviously Upper Deck were trying to boost this, almost pointless product, with the inclusion of auto's. There is no evidence to suggest it was successful. First Pitch always lagged behind Topps Opening Day, who were always one step ahead.

The Red Sox available are:
#89 Pedro Martinez
#90 Shea Hillenbrand
#91 Derek Lowe
#92 Jason Varitek
#93 Tony Clark
#94 John Burkett
#95 Frank Castillo
#96 Nomar Garciaparra
#97 Rickey Henderson
#262 Derek Lowe
#288 Jeremy Giambi

I have 4 packs and there are 5 cards per pack.

Pack 1:

#15 Shawn Sedlacek Royals

#79 Geronimo Gill Orioles

#84 Mike Young Rangers

#122 Jose Valentin White Sox

#136 Morgan Ensberg Astros

 

Pack 2:

#28 Mike Crudale Cardinals

#32 Troy Glaus Angels

#193 Vladimir Guerrero Expos

#203 Benito Santiago Giants

#290 Tom Glavine Mets SP

 

Pack 3:

#27 Eric Cyr Padres

#113 Doug Mientkiewicz Twins

#133 Mike Mussina Yankees

#192 Adrian Beltre Dodgers

#205 Jason Schmidt Giants

 

Pack 4:

#127 Derek Jeter Yankees

#167 Sammy Sosa Cubs

#198 Brad Wilkerson Expos

#267 Jason Giambi Yankees

#281 Delvis Lantigua Yankees

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Oh dear...



2003 Upper Deck Play Ball

When this set was released in 2003, I remember thinking what a lovely looking set and I would love to collect the whole set thing. I pick-up a few cards here and there, but never fully committed to finishing it off.
The original Play Ball set produced by Gum Inc. in 1939, when no other gum companies were releasing baseball sets, was a simply designed -white bordered, black and white photograph with no writing on the front. The back featured a detailed biography of the player shown.
It wasn't until 1941, which the 2003 set is based on, did Play Ball add colour. This was the final set produced by Gum Inc, who after the Second World War, returned as the newly named Bowman Gum Company.
The artwork on the 1941 Play Ball cards is incredibly stylish, featuring solid backgrounds and shadows with a comic type picture of each player. The back again had a detailed biography of the player.

The 2003 Upper Deck Play Ball set is in the similar stylish 1930's-1940's design.

The 2003 cards are the modern standard 2 ½ by 3 ½ inches, which are bigger than their 1941 counterparts which are 2 ½ by 3 ⅛ inches.

 I will attempt to collect all 73 of the base set cards (and any short prints/reprints to come my way).

I need 0 cards to complete the 73 base card set.

COMPLETED!

Short Prints

74 Ted Williams Summer of '41

75 Hank Greenberg Summer of '41
76 Joe DiMaggio Summer of '41
77 Lefty Gomez Summer of '41
78 Tommy Henrich Summer of '41
79 Pee Wee Reese Summer of '41
80 Mel Ott Summer of '41
81 Carl Hubbell Summer of '41
82 Jimmie Foxx Summer of '41
83 Joe Cronin Summer of '41
84 Charlie Gehringer Summer of '41
85 Frank Hayes Summer of '41
86 Babe Dahlgren Summer of '41
87 Dolph Camilli Summer of '41
88 Johnny Vander Meer Summer of '41

1941 Play Ball Reprints
R-1 Ted Williams
R-2 Hank Greenberg
R-3 Joe DiMaggio
R-4 Lefty Gomez
R-5 Tommy Henrich
R-6 Pee Wee Reese
R-7 Mel Ott
R-8 Carl Hubbell
R-9 Jimmie Foxx
R-10 Joe Cronin
R-11 Charlie Gehringer
R-12 Frank Hayes
R-13 Babe Dahlgren
R-14 Dolph Camilli
R-15 Johnny Vander Meer
R-16 Bucky Walters
R-17 Red Ruffing
R-18 Charlie Keller
R-19 Indian Bob Johnson
R-20 Dutch Leonard
R-21 Barney McCosky
R-22 Soupy Campbell
R-23 Stormy Weatherly
R-24 Bobby Doerr
R-25 Bill Dickey

2003 Fleer Hardball

This pack took me a little by surprise. When the auction mentioned round cards I knew it was for me. And yes unsurprisingly the cards are round.
There are 240 cards in the base set which includes 25 All-around Stars and 15 Rookies on deck.
There are two parallel sets: Gold and Platinum (#to 50).
There are inserts: 20 Round trippers, 15 On the Ball, 20 Discs and 14 Round Numbers (#to 1,000).
There are also Game Use and Autographed cards.
There are 7 cards per pack.

The pack:

#35 Kevin Mench Rangers

#45 Junior Spivey D-backs

#76 Mark Teixeira Rangers

#94 Ben Grieve Bay Rays

#137 Roberto Alomar Mets

#165 Bubba Trammell Padres

Well there was no Red Sox, but I was not disappointed by this set. This was a one-off set by the looks of things, so it appears not too popular with collectors.

It's not a new concept either. Take a look at the 1977 Pepsi Cola cards.

2003 FLEER Authentix

These packs contained 5 cards. There is a possibility of a memorbilia card in every 8 packs.

The regular set consists of 100 base cards, 10 Future Stars, 15 Tickets to the Majors (numbered to 1,850).
There are inserts Ticket Stubs and Ballpark Classics.
The parallels are Balcony (numbered to 250), Club Box (numbered to 100) and Standing Room (numbered to 25).

Base cards:

#2 Tom Glavine Braves

#21 Moises Alou Cubs

#35 Raul Ibanez Royals

#95 Paul Konerko White Sox

Insert:

#108 Future Star Michael Restovich Twins

A nice concept. Cards that look like tickets, number, tear off section, darker colours. All that effort and they use the same stadium picture on the back of the card. I would rather have the ticket to be honest. No Red Sox again.

2003 FLEER Showcase

The pack contains 5 cards.

The regular set consists 105 basic cards and 10 Showcasing talent cards.

There are inserts SweetStitch.

There is a parallel set Legacy (numbered to 150) and Masterpieces (numbered 1 of 1).

Base cards:

#80 Kazuhisa Ishii Dodgers

#84 Scott Rolen Cardinals

#91 Craig Biggio Astros

#93 Austin Kearns Reds

#98 Robin Yount Brewers

Really nice looking cards. A plain grey outer border and off white inner border with the gloss player picture on a matt background, that makes the player stand out. Good card stock. I bought these from a seller on e-bay who was also selling 'hit' packs, so I guessed there would be nothing but base cards in here. Pity there were no Red Sox.

2003 FLEER Platinum Jumbo Pack

This jumbo pack contained 25 cards.
The regular set consists of 200 base cards, 20 unsung heroes, 15 prospects.
There are inserts Guts and Glory, MLB scouting report, Portraits and Heart of the Order.
There is a parallel set ~Platinum Finish, numbered to 100.

Base cards:

#7 Jose Cruz Jr Blue Jays

#13 Eric Milton Twins

#14 Andy Pettitte Yankees

#43 Johnny Damon Red Sox

#44 Ken Griffey Junior Reds

#49 Mark Prior Cubs

#50 Kip Wells Pirates

#73 Jamie Moyer Mariners

#74 Brad Radke Twins

#92 Ivan Rodriguez Rangers

#93 Steve Finley Diamondbacks

#118 Vernon Wells Blue Jays

#124 Sean Burroughs Padres

#128 Bobby Higginson Tigers

#145 Javier Varquez Expos

#152 Jermaine Dye Athletics

#167 Tim Salmon Angels

#172 Jeff Conine Orioles

#185 John Smoltz Braves

Inserts:

#209 Unsung Heroes Mike Lowell Marlins

#211 Unsung Heroes Eric Hinske Blue Jays
#218 Unsung Heroes Jason Jennings Rockies

#223 Prospects Bobby Jenks Angels

#16/20 Heart of the Order Cardinals

Greg of Night Owl would be happy with these colours. I am not sure about the yellow and blue stripes. The inserts are a nice design and 5 inserts out of 25 is a pretty good ratio.