1962 Topps and Topps Venezuelan #10

 While I like the pose, and it is #10 of the set, I really do not like this card as much as most of the other cards Clemente had during his career. The border color is just too drab and doesn't accentuate the image very well. There is also just too much going on the background. I was able to acquire the Venezuelan card from a dealer in Venezuela through eBay. I think most people who could've possibly been looking at the card were hesitant to buy it just because of that fact. The price was not prohibitive for this very rare issue. I, myself, was a little hesitant as well. I worried about the shipping and the fact the United States and Venezuela are not friendly towards each other. Well, my fears were unfounded. The card got to me faster than most cards I order even in the United States, through FedEx. The seller was also very friendly and I wouldn't hesitate to buy from him again.

I really like this Venezuelan version over the other years they printed cards there because on the back, the writing is in Spanish. Due to that fact, it is almost a must have for any serious Clemente collector. Also very telling about this issue, if you do any investigation, is the fact that there is damage from removing it from the album the card was pasted into. I know there are probably some examples without that, making them even more rare and expensive, but I personally like the residue. It tells the story of the Venezuelan card on it's own and makes it more authentic to me. There isn't too much paper loss, and once again, I could really care less how it grades. The corners and edges are fairly good and there are no creases. It is a keeper for me.

Rookie card - 1955 Topps #164

 I added this beauty to my collection earlier this year. It wasn't graded and generally I don't care about grades. I like the card to have good visual appeal and for it to be genuine. The picture is full of color with no creases. It is off center, but I actually like that because it proves that it is authentic. The dimensions of the card are correct so there was no trimming. The corners and edges are great. I got it for half it's worth if you ask me, and these things do not go down in value, unless the zombie apocalypse starts, in which case I am still taking this with me.

There is some small staining along the left edge but it is minor. This card is 60 years old. Also, it should be noted that Roberto had not yet even played a season in the major leagues. This card was a high number though, so I am guessing that it came out in a later series which allowed Topps to add him to the list of active players. He really must have made a good impression to lots of people back then to get a card so soon. His rookie statistics were really not so great, but he was only 20 years old and new to the culture of the United States. Topps also had a great deal of competition back in this time, which affected the players they could show on their cards. There were only 210 card numbers in the set and 206 actual cards. 4 were not issued, probably due to miscommunication and the competition. The card was made though and the rest is history. It is a must for my collection and I'm glad I was finally able to obtain one.

Clemente Corner - In my basement

 So this is my Clemente museum. I found this display case on Craigslist for free. I just had to haul it away. It was at a newly established marijuana shop, but apparently was used for a jewelry store in it's past life and the current owner had no use for it. It was perfect for my collection. It sat in my garage for a couple of years while I let the ideas percolate on how I should proceed. I like that explanation better than sheer procrastination. Anyway, I finally turned the unused case into a gem. I painted over the pink plastic laminate with a metallic paint and cleaned the glass and set the glass shelves and filled it up. I can now look at most of my Clemente memorabilia in an organized fashion. It's not all in there, but most of it is. I still plan on installing an LED light rope around the perimeter to brighten things up a bit.

 So I have a diverse collection. I like anything that has Roberto's image on it. It is a slight compulsion of mine, but it beats what any number of other people may be hooked on these days. Some of the items bring back feelings of nostalgia, such as the 7-11 Big Gulp cup. I didn't have a Clemente back in the day, but I do remember going to a 7-11 and their marketing of baseball players, and a friend also had a collection of them.

 The top is filled with relic cards and coins. Some rare, some not so much. All seemingly make me feel closer to bringing him back to life for me. I usually have a bunch of other cards and magazines that need to be stored on a nice flat surface sitting on top of this display case. It is also the safe zone from pets, and significant others from reorganizing and misplacing things.

 Cereal boxes and figurines.

 Baseballs, beer cans, bats. I do not yet have a true autograph of him yet, but it is high on my list of priorities.

 Closeups of the relic cards. I have over 100 of them, all unique. Some are better designs than others. I originally didn't want to start collecting them, and wanted to stick to vintage cards only. I was swayed eventually. I started with the fairly cheap ones. I stick to a rule of never going much higher than the low book value. There are exceptions of course. I don't go crazy for versions that may be just a different numbered lot, maybe change the color up a bit, but the design is still the same. I mean, come on, how crazy would I have to be to pay twice as much just because there are a few less of the cards in existence, yet they are basically the same? Same bat pieces, same image, same cardboard. I get the multi-colored relics, of which I also do not have, yet salivate over. Plain relics though, with just a different stamped number? Don't go there. Of course, if I happened to get lucky and the card I win has a lower lot number and I still get it on the cheap, I can do a happy dance.

  More relics. I really like the bigger swatches. It makes you feel like you have a huge chunk of the bat or jersey. I'd like to think that I have a good portion of both if you added them all up.

Coins. They are very desirable to me. They last. I have a few Salada variety, Topps variety, and real silver variety. All are awesome. Smallish, but still a feeling of permanence.

My Very First Clemente - 1961 Topps #388

Pictured is my very first Roberto Clemente card. My mother gave this to me as Christmas gift in the mid-80's. Who would've thought that 30 years later I would have continued collecting cards of this highly venerated baseball legend. It probably started as an investment strategy, as he had passed away, was inducted into the hall of fame, and prices of his cards seemed to only be able to go up. That was part of the motivation. I was too young to have ever watched him play with my own eyes, yet watching videos of him in action makes me wish I had been able to witness his skills in person. Most everyone knowledgeable about sports has heard of the stories of his tragic death and the reason why he went on that mission. He is a Latino hero for sure, but he touched me as well. I'm as white as you can get. I took Spanish in high school and won a contest by choosing Clemente and writing about how he was the most significant Latino historical figure. And he was by far. The card itself is a very good representation of Clemente. The portrait takes up nearly the whole card. It is posed, yet he seems not focused on the camera and is not smiling. There are a few imperfections on the card, yet I doubt I would ever trade for a better one. It is still in decent condition as I was old enough to understand that the condition was imperative to get any kind of investment value. My mother helped me understand that, after going through my earlier years not caring and strapping them up with rubber bands and basically abusing my cards. This card was special though. Older than I was. At the time the card picture was taken, Clemente was just coming into his own as a superstar in the league. The Pirates were on the way to becoming unlikely world champions and Clemente would find motivation in being snubbed on a higher vote tally for MVP that year. The following year he was the batting leader for the league. He never looked back and others could not ignore his talent. You can tell even by the card number that Clemente had still not quite reached the upper echelon. Superstars get the card numbers that end with a zero. It wasn't until 1962 that his card number did that (with #10 no less). I didn't have a lot of opportunities to increase my collection back then. My mother went to the local card shop in town and picked from their meager offerings.  Believe it or not there used to not be the internet and you had to go to a store (and potentially long distances) to pick from what seemed like very limited quantities of vintage cards and not necessarily the best quality. This card defied all of that logic. Thanks Mom.