MOvember Fave Five -- Prolific Mustaches, Card of the Set, and a HOFer PC

Since the end of the month snuck up on me quicker than I had anticipated, I'm going to wrap up MOvember and the 2011 Mustache Set with the Card of the Set and a Fave Five of the Most Prolific Mustaches of the Set.

Card of the Set

Honestly, how could it not be?

Now for the Most Prolific Mustaches of the Set, but be warned, I did a very lazy job of checking the following totals.  I would estimate that the following card totals are off by a plus/minus of thirty-seven (give or take a dozen or two (seriously, guys, I did not spend much time counting these cards)).

FIVE:  Boggs made 6 appearances in the set

FOUR:  Goose made 6 appearances in the set

THREE:  Gibby made 7 appearances in the set

TWO:  Robin made 8 appearances in the set

ONE:  Eck walked away with the crown this year filling at least a baker's dozen slots in the Mustache binder.

The odd part is that there are a minimum of 5 more of his cards that didn't make the set.

Since I've basically run out of Hochevar cards to chase (at least ones that are within my price range), I need a new player to hone in on, so I'm officially becoming an Eckersley collector.

The guy knows how to rock a mullet and a mustache and a HOFer to boot.  With over 2000 cards spanning four decades that I'll need to track down, I'm willing to trade for any and all Eckersley cards with which you are willing to part.  I'm also excited to try tracking down my first HOFer trifecta (rookie, auto, relic).

Thanks for your support this MOvember and be on the look-out for an announcement tomorrow about the theme of the 2012 Mustache Set.

MOvember Fave Five -- Mustaches Of Which I'm Jealous*

*Like Mom always used to say, "Never leave your participle dangling in public."

The best I can hope for this MOvember is that my mustache is

FIVE: 1/8th as hip,

FOUR: 1/8th as walrus-esqe

THREE: 1/8th as creepy

TWO:1/8th as iconic

or

ONE: 1/8th as manly

as the above mustaches.

My MOvember team -- Team Lame-MO -- has raised a cool $500 for cancer research this month.  I'm hoping to round up a few more Warren G. Hardings over the next couple of days, so if you'd care to donate toward a worthy cause, please go HERE.

MOvember Fave Five -- Cards That Didn't Make the Set

Today's Fave Five features cards that didn't make the set for one reason or another.


FIVE -- Yankee Stadium Legacies
The biggest reason they didn't make the set was their odd numbering didn't fit into the FrankenSet parameters.  Also, No Goose = No Entry.

FOUR -- High Numbers
I had to stop the set somewhere and 700 seemed like the place to end it (which turned out to be 703  even though it should have ended on 702 but somewhere along the way my page numbering got goofed and I didn't have time to go back through and fix them).

THREE -- Tough to Tell Mustaches
Sometimes, for one reason or another, it was tough to tell if the player was sporting a mustache in that particular picture.

TWO -- Modern Reprints
Another tough call, but I decided more often than not to leave the reprints out of the set unless it filled a vacant sleeve when I received it.

ONE -- Overproduction Era Mustaches
The reason I started the Mustache Set in the first place was that I wanted a reason to appreciate the boxes upon boxes of overproduction era cards I had sitting around.  So, when the set began, it was mostly cards from 1987-1994.  Then, as older or more unique cards started rolling in, these junk-wax cards got set to the side, and then came full circle when they became unappreciated again. 

676-703

Today marks the end of the 2011 Mustache Set. 

Since I was able to feature all the cards of the set with a little time left to spare, I'm going to end out the month with some Fave Five posts from the Mustache Set.

I'm thinking Fave Fives in the following catgories:

• Players
• Players Featured the Most
• Mustaches
• Cards Featuring Mustaches
• Cards that Didn't Make the Set

But I'm not married to these categories, so if you have one in mind, let me know ASAP and I'll do my dangdest to make it happen.

Thanks again for all your kind words about the set.  It was crazy fun to put together.

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Today, my dad is helping me do some home remodeling, namely installing a new kitchen counter and a dishwasher.

I bring this up because not only is he my handyman/golf buddy/electrician/plumber/carpenter/dog sitter/all-around good guy, but he's also my Mustache Mentor.

His 'stache predates my birth.  (I've even wondered if he loves it more than me.)

Thanks for the help today Pops!

Now, for some cards.  We are creeping ever closer to the end of our set.

623-649

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today, my mustache will be coated in gravy and blueberry pie. 

If you'll indulge me, it seems appropriate to give some thanks today.

• Thanks to my wife, my mom, my mom-in-law, my aunt, and Robert for their MOvember donations.

• Thanks to my wife for letting me get my library card file to store my cards.

• Thanks to everyone who has traded with me this past year.  It is hands-down the best thing to have come from starting this blog.

• Thanks to everyone who donated cards to my Mustache Set.  

• Thanks to all the other bloggers for keeping me entertained, informed, and excited about this hobby that we all love.

 Hope everyone has a great day of celebration and fellowship with their friends and family.

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A pile of All-Stars, a couple of Becks, and a Member's Only Jacket Choice.

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(I'm running out of "clever" things to say about the cards, so I'll let the cards speak for themselves).

And there's still plenty of time left to donate HERE. Every dollar helps and is appreciated!

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MOvember Week 3 -- TeMOing

Mr. Stargell and I decided to hop onto the Tebowing bandwagon with a little TeMOing action.

As week three comes to a close, I am proud to say that MOvember team has raised $470 for men's health research (with $380 coming from my family and friends) and we hope to be able to climb above the $500 mark in the coming days.

If you'd like to help us accomplish that goal, please go HERE.

And here is a cool write-up about some of the professional athletes that have come-aboard the MOvember train in the past couple of years.  

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It's about time Edgar Martinez's face twin Dave Hengel made an appearance in the set.

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Holy Haven Moses!

Heartbreaking

I was digging through the box of 2011 Update that I had previously purchased, ripped in the Target parking lot, and then set aside once I got home, when I stumbled into a card I had forgotten was in the box.

It was simultaneously the best and worst pack pull I've had all year (keeping in mind that I've probably only opened a couple dozen packs this year, which I just verified by using the "Ripping Packs" tag on this post for the seventh time since I started the blog).

The good: it's a #/60 Hope Diamond card of the 2011 MLB World Champions.

The bad:  Yes, the foil is pulling apart from the cardboard on the lefthand side of the card. 

Absolutely heartbreaking.  Of course it had to be this card that was damaged and not one of the more common sparkle or liquor cards.

So, Robert, do you want a highly damaged #19 for your Serial Number Set?

Speaking of Robert (of $30 a Week Habit and Serial Numbered Insanity), you know how card bloggers are always talking about the random acts of kindness that float between card collectors?  Well, Robert really outdid himself by donating his weekly card budget toward my Movember mustache fund.

As much as I've enjoyed all of the fantastic trades, amazing group breaks, and interesting posts I have read and written over the past year, building the Mustache Set has definitely been one of the most gratifying aspects of my re-entry into the hobby.  Thanks for all your kind words over the past two weeks and I hope you are enjoying the cards as much as I enjoyed putting together the set.

And a MOzillion thank yous go to Robert for his generous donation.  I owe you one buddy!

461-487

Oddibe squared < Drabek squared < Cory Snyder's sunglasses

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A Few Good (6th) Men, a few melodramatic villain-staches, and Eck squared. 

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A's and Tigers and Cubbies, oh my!