This list supersedes all previous Interest Lists posted and updated prior to Sept. 6, 2025.

Scroll past all of this backstory text to get to the actual list.

A little history about my collection: I collected religiously until about 2002, before I began a new love in journalism. I’ve added several thousands of cards since, but many of them don’t really interest me. I also used to follow baseball religiously until I began my journalism career, so the collecting went hand-in-hand with it.

The general gist of it is that I enjoy collecting players who played during the 1990s and earlier, with only a few exceptions. There are players who were rookies in the late 1990s who continued to have cards into the 2010s, and I’ve missed out in collecting their cards since. Lots of them make up the more recent cards on my list.

I don’t follow a whole lot of professional sports anymore, having kept to high school and small college sports with my journalism career. However, I do enjoy following the local players and those who I had the opportunity to cover their games over the years. Likewise, and perhaps most importantly, I don’t care for the current state of the collecting hobby – box breaks, sold-out Walmart shelves, colors of the rainbow variations, and all of the bells and whistles. That would be a full-time job for me, and while it’s great to see people engage in that line of work, that’s just not me.

I collect to collect. It used to be all about quantity, but that backfired very quickly with the crash of the hobby. About 85% of my collection – the really, really low-end of it – is awaiting resale of some sort, cards that have served their personal purpose to me and are ready for a new home.

Much of my collection involves collecting player’s career team arcs. For each player I choose to collect, I would like to have one card of that player for each team they have played for.

What is an “Interested In” List?

It is a list of baseball cards that I have an interest in adding to my collection. Notice that I did not flat out say that I WANT to add the cards to my collection. I prefer to look at the card with my own two eyes before making a decision to buy it. I always get the feeling that dealers see a card on my list and tell me, “but you want it, so buy it.” I am VERY careful about buying cards. I have to be extra certain that I am getting a deal that is comforting to me before actually buying them. The list used to be called a “Want List” until dealers began to pressure me into buying cards at times that I was not comfortable.

I figure that much of what is listed is either 1) buried in mass boxes, or 2) available online but are priced more than what I’m willing to pay at this time.

Much of my collecting story deals with the past. But what about the present and future?

Collecting goal No. 1: Tell a history of baseball. Many cards in my collection are reminders of several unique baseball feats. Not all are highlight cards, but they have an interesting story to show. I enjoy finding records and having a card of the player from the year after achieving the record (as the stat is incorporated in the back of that card).

In addition to local active players, one of the other interesting reasons why I continue to have at least some eye on pro baseball is to learn of new records being set. My journalism and history passions make me root, in a way, for interesting storylines to happen. As long as it’s not one of those ugly, alphabet soup sabermetric stats, I’ll keep an eye on it.

Collecting goal No. 2: Build PCs of local players. There are certain players who have a permanent spot on my Want List. Those players are as follows … Gary Kolb, Dan Kolb, Jake Junis, Seth Blair, Steve Eddy, Danny Matznick, Mike Foltynewicz and Eduardo Acosta. If I know of any other Sterling and Rock Falls players with minor league baseball cards, they will be added to that list. I don’t actively search for those players when I’m out buying, but when I wind up stumbling upon their cards, I immediately put them in my buy pile.

While I have most of what I’m looking for in the “locals” category, I still am seeking multiples to add to this aspect of the collection on a smaller scale (see Sub-list section at the bottom of this page).

Collecting goal No. 3: Complete the List …

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CODY’S “INTERESTED IN” LIST

Notes:
1) Many cards after 1996 also come in different parallel (chrome, refractor, etc.) and variation (multi-color, special stamp, etc.) forms, and players sometimes may also be featured in insert sets within the same brand. While those are often glamorous, I prefer to have the simple base card.
2) With most vintage cards (pre-1970), I tend to want to find them at a prize about 10-15% of its Beckett value. This isn’t an expensive hobby for me. Go to Beckett.com to find prices.
3) Most hall of famers before 1960 (Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Bob Feller, Enos Slaughter, etc.) and most semistars before 1950 (Jeff Heath, Frank McCormick, Paul Derringer for example) aren’t on this list. Roger Maris is not, either. These categories, which are the most expensive cards, will be focused on after most of the current list has whittled down.

CURRENT LIST TALLY …. 90 CARDS

Cards not affiliated with a MLB franchise:
1909 T-206 Frank Shaughnessy (Roanoke Tigers, minor league)
1915 Cracker Jack, Ward Miller (St. Louis Terriers, Federal League)
1976 Laughlin Indianapolis Clowns, Nancy Miller (Negro League)
1976 Laughlin Indianapolis Clowns, Toni Stone (Negro League)
1981 or 1982 TCMA Portland Beavers, Willie Horton (minor league)
1996 Pinnacle FanFest, Bud Selig (MLB Commissioner)
1997 Grandstand Chillicothe Paints, Ed Acosta
2007 and 2008 Traverse City Beach Bums Team Issue, Nick Pepper

Angels:
1975 Angels Postcards, Whitey Herzog
1975 Angels Postcards, Don Drysdale
1976 Quad City Angels TCMA, Joe Maddon ((Minors))
1976 Quad City Angels TCMA, Carney Lansford ((Minors))
1995 Stadium Club, Rex Hudler

Astros:
1966 Topps, Robin Roberts
1976 Dubuque Packers TCMA, Bruce Bochy ((Minors))
1987 Mother’s Cookies, coaches (w/ Gene Tenace and Yogi Berra)

Athletics:
1986 or 1988 Mother’s Cookies, coaches (w/ Bob Watson)

Braves:
1956 Topps team card (w/ Charlie Grimm & Bucky Walters)
1958 Topps team card (w/ Charlie Root)
1984 Braves Police, Luke Appling

Brewers/Pilots:
1970 Topps, Ted Kubiak
1993 Finest Refractors, Pat Listach
1998 Pacific Invincible Team Checklists, Julio Franco (+ others)
2008 Topps Year in Review, Prince Fielder

Cardinals:
1962 Tulsa Oilers Pepsi, Gary Kolb ((Minors))
1998 Grandstand Memphis Redbirds, Vince Coleman ((Minors))
2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, Walt Jocketty
2008 Topps Year in Review, Rick Ankiel

Cubs:
1932 Cubs Team Issue, Leroy Herrman
1946 Exhibits Salutations, Paul Derringer
1951 Bowman, Smoky Burgess
1983 Quad City Cubs TCMA, Shawon Dunston ((Minors))
2008 Topps Cubs Gift Set, Alan Trammell

Diamondbacks:
2002 Diamondbacks Keebler, Robin Yount (+ others)
2020 Topps Big League Park Oddities, Edwin Jackson

Dodgers:
1952 Bowman, Andy Pafko
1957 Topps, Dodgers team card, feat. Jackie Robinson
1977 Clinton Dodgers TCMA, Mike Scioscia ((Minors))
1977 Clinton Dodgers TCMA, Dave Stewart ((Minors))
1979 Clinton Dodgers TCMA, Alan Wiggins ((Minors))
1986 Dodgers Coke Postcards, Cesar Cedeno
2008 Topps Heritage, Luis Gonzalez

Expos:
1977 O-Pee-Chee, Expos coaches (w/ Mickey Vernon)

Giants:
1987 Mother’s Cookies, coaches (w/ Don Zimmer)

Indians/Guardians:
1967 Topps, Joe Adcock
1961 Indians Team Issue, Luke Appling
1974 Indians Team Issue, Larry Doby
1986 Waterloo Indians ProCards, Dave Bresnahan ((Minors))

Mariners:
1980 Mariners Postcards, Bill Mazeroski

Marlins:
1993 Marlins Publix, Vada Pinson
1997 Marlins Pacific, Jim Leyland

Mets:
2002 Fleer Mets 40th Anniversary, Ralph Kiner
2008 Topps Year in Review, Julio Franco (w/Roger Clemens)

Orioles/Browns:
1955 Bowman, Johnny Pesky
1957 Orioles Postcards, Billy Goodman
1960 Nu-Cards, Eddie Gaedel
1963 Orioles Postcards, Luke Appling
1976 English’s Chicken bucket lid, Ken Holtzman
1996 Delmarva Shorebirds Best, Eddie Acosta

Padres:
1990 Padres Magazine/Unocal, coaches (w/ Amos Otis)
1998 Mother’s Cookies, coaches (w/ Dave Stewart)
2001 Padres Postcards, Alan Trammell

Phillies:
1966 Topps, team card (feat. Lew Burdette’s team stats)
1987 Tastycakes, coaches (w/ Claude Osteen)
2015 Panini Cooperstown, Pat Gillick

Pirates:
1977 Pirates Post-Gazette, Terry Forster

(Devil) Rays:
2001 Devil Days Team Issue, Frank Howard (coach)

Rangers/Senators II:
1969 Senators Team Issue, Nellie Fox
1988 or 1989 Mother’s Cookies, coaches (w/ Davey Lopes)

Reds:
1984 Reds Yearbook, Bob Howsam (general manager)

Rockies:
1994 Rockies Police, coaches (w/ Dwight Evans)
1999 Rockies Police, Jim Leyland

Royals:
1974 Royals Postcards, Orlando Cepeda
1983 Royals Postcards, Rocky Colavito
1985 Royals Team Issue, John Schuerholz
1993 Topps Gold, Rich Savuer
1994 Rockford Royals Classic, Mike Sweeney ((Minors))
1996 Pinnacle, Bob Hamelin
2012 Burlington Royals Grandstand, Jake Junis ((Minors))
2014 Lexington Legends Brandt, Jake Junis ((Minors))

Tigers:
1951 Bowman, Charlie Keller
1975 Clinton Pilots, Jim Leyland ((Minors))

Twins:
2006 Topps Hit Parade, Ruben Sierra

White Sox:
1955 Bowman, Phil Cavaretta
1959 Topps, Norm Cash
1978 SSPC, Larry Doby
1995 Score You Trade ‘Em, Rob Dibble

Yankees:
1968 Yankees Photos SCFC, Rocky Colavito
1988 Donruss Yankees Team Set, Jose Cruz
1993 Topps, Derek Jeter

Sub-list: Certain cards of locals – In addition to the cards above, I am interested in multiples of the following cards, but I am capping them at a certain asking price due to the fact that I already have at least one.

1964 Topps, Gary Kolb (Cardinals) ($1.00)
1964 Topps Venezuelan, Gary Kolb (Cardinals) ($5.00)
1965, 1968, 1969 Topps, Gary Kolb (’65 Braves, 68-9 Pirates) ($0.50)
1976 Quad City Angels TCMA (Steve Eddy) ($1.00)
1980 Topps Angels team card (w/ Steve Eddy) ($.50)
1982 TCMA, Steve Eddy (Salt Lake Seagulls) ($1.00)
1990 Best, Danny Matznick (either version) (White Sox) ($.50)
1993 Fleer/ProCards, Eduardo Acosta (Brewers) ($.50)
1999 Fleer Update, Dan Kolb (Rangers) ($.50)
2010 Bowman Draft, Seth Blair (Cardinals) ($.50 for base, parallel price offer will vary)
2015 Bowman, Mikę Foltynewicz (Braves) ($.50 for base, parallel price offer will vary)
2015 Topps, Mikę Foltynewicz (Astros) ($.50 for base, parallel price offer will vary)
2017 Topps Update, Jake Junis (Royals) ($.50 for base, parallel price offer will vary)

— Any other Eduardo Acosta, Seth Blair, Mike Foltynewicz, Jake Junis, Dan Kolb, Gary Kolb, Danny Matznick not mentioned in any above list ($.25 for base, parallel price offer will vary)