I've Waited 15 Years for this Pat Burrell Card

1999 Fleer Mystique #134

In the summer of 1999, the hottest Phillies baseball card, and perhaps the hottest card in the hobby for a short while, was the Fleer Mystique Pat Burrell rookie card.  I tried in vain to track down a copy of this card at a reasonable price, settling instead for the less scarce but equally desirable Burrell rookie cards from Upper Deck Encore, E-X Century, and Fleer Brilliants just to name a few now defunct sets.

The Fleer Mystique Burrell card was numbered to just 2,999 and it wasn't unusual to see baseball card dealers selling the card for no less than $50.  I distinctly remember overpaying for the Marlon Anderson card from the set.

Up until this Christmas, the Fleer Mystique Burrell card was on my Ten Most Wanted - Modern want list along with a seemingly impossible to find 1995 Collector's Choice Update card of Charlie Hayes.  My Mom added both cards to my collection as the final two cards to appear as part of this year's Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim.

1995 Collector's Choice #567

I didn't even realize the Hayes card existed until I took the time about a decade ago to update all my Phillies checklists.  It's a common card to be sure, but I've never been able to find it on eBay, on COMC.com or at any of the baseball cards I've attended.

It should be noted that along with the ten fantastic baseball cards added to my collection, my Mom gave both my son and me three baseball card binders and a 100-count box of nine-pocket pages.  She also took a chunk out of Doug's 2014 Topps Opening Day and 2013 Topps Archives want lists.  Doug has been taking breaks from Lego building to sort cards and slide them into pages in his new binders.

Which is pretty much what I would have been doing at his age (and I'm still doing now), thanks in part to my Mom.

2011 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim

Part 1 - Continuing a Tradition

Part 2 - 1971 Topps Set - 13 More Down

Part 3 - 1952 Topps Phillies

Part 4 - 1951 Bowman Phillies

Part 5 - Curt Simmons - Two New Bowman Cards

Part 6 - 1955 Bowman and Topps Phillies

2012 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1941 Double Play Litwhiler & May
Part 2 - 1963 Topps John Herrnstein rookie card (featuring Willie Stargell)
Part 3 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 1
Part 4 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 2
Part 5 - 1950 Bowman Del Ennis

2013 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1998 Upper Deck Scott Rolen
Part 2 - 1968 Topps Phillies Team Card
Part 3 - 1966 Topps Bob Uecker
Part 4 - 1955 Bowman Robin Roberts
Part 5 - 1965 Topps Johnny Callison
Part 6 - 1954 Bowman Richie Ashburn

2014 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1952 Bowman and 1953 Bowman Color Richie Ashburn
Part 2 - 1950 Bowman Roberts, 1951 Topps Blue Backs Jones, 1955 Bowman Wyrostek
Part 3 - 1995 Collector's Choice Hayes and 1999 Fleer Mystique Burrell