Question: Why does the Bat Knob from '05 Prime Patches seem to show the number '32' in a yellow marker instead of Frank's well known '35'?
(11/22/06 - 6/14/08)
Asked By: Scott L., Honolulu, Hawaii (email withheld by request)

Answer: This question has been in my "In Box" for a couple of years now and while I tried very hard to answer this with hard proof - I just can't seem to locate a physical example. So, I hope this link answers your very good question. If I can ever get ahold of an example - I'll be sure to add it to the site. ;-D

Question: Why isn't the 1990 Topps NNOF Error on the '10-Toughest List'? (1/17/08)
Asked By: (name, email, and location not given)

Answer: Before I get to your question, please remember that I will not answer questions from anonymous emails. At the very least I expect a location. The only reason I'm replying to the question is that it's come up before, and in the previous incarnation of the site, I used to answer it all the time. So...

As I'm typing this it's now January 2008, and this makes the 37th consecutive month - consecutive meaning each and every month for the past 3 years - where at least one example of the NNOF was advertised on eBay. Now, I don't know if they're the same cards being flipped, shilled, relisted, or completely different cards. But what I can say with some authority is that I have a piece of scrap paper where I chicken-scratched a simple decade-long calendar - it's taped next to my desk. And on that paper is a notch marked for every NNOF listed for sale and in what month. And without fail, at least one example per month has seen the auction block for the past three years straight. Now, I dunno about the rest of you, but that does not qualify as "tough" in my book.

The tough element is the cost, and that speaks to money management rather than difficulty in locating a copy. JMO. <hands raised in defense>

Question: What can you tell me about this "Mini Poster"? (1/9/08)
Asked By: (name, email withheld by request) - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Answer: These are not technically "mini posters", but that's how they're marketed by sellers. These are salesman samples.

Instead of lugging large unwieldy posters to buyers, these samples are carried by salespersons so that they can be either mailed-to or easily carried & shown to prospective buyers. I couldn't see it in the picture you sent, but I've added one to the Jumbo/Supers Gallery to highlight what I'm referring to. Notice on the back of these guys (sometimes on the fronts) you'll see a series of digits or mixed series of numbers & alphabet letters. It's a code placed there by the poster manufacturers and used by retailers to place their orders with the poster company.

Fun trivia: Try entering that code number into Google. Sometimes the codes are still valid and will lead to either the manufacturer or retailer still offering that poster. <g>

Question: I read that the 1996 Studio Silver Press Proofs were issued in "Magazine Boxes" - what can you tell me about it? (11/01/07)
Asked By: JM - Mississauga, Ontario/Canada

Answer: Good question and I've answered you by amending that page. Please click here.

Question: In your FAQs you make it sound like you don't like to count the cards in your collection - does that mean we (all other Thomas Collectors) are doing it "wrong"? (8/19/07)
Asked By: (name, email withheld by request) - Bennington, NE.

Answer: Not at all. <hands raised in defense>

You're taking what I wrote, as a generic (but honest) response to a generic question, as a personal attack against yourself and others who count their cards. I do not have an issue with you if that's how you view/organize your collection. In fact, I have a lot of respect for collectors who have the ability to quickly and efficiently locate and identify cards that they have or don't have in their collection.

I was conveying how infuriating it was dealing with this particular collector who repeatedly insinuated incompetence on my part since I couldn't give him absolute precision about something I personally didn't find all that important. What I was trying to say was: As long as you're happy - I'm happy for you. But DO NOT expect that what makes you happy should be something that makes me or anyone else happy. That's a form of fascism.

I'll say it again: If you want to view/organize your collection with that kind of precision - I applaud you. I respect you. I'm happy for you. :-) Just don't attempt to make me feel inferior because I don't do it exactly as you do it.

Question: Have there been any cards of Frank Thomas as a Charlotte Knight? (5/23/05)
Asked By: (name & email withheld by request) - Chapel Hill, NC.

Answer: Good question. To the best of my knowledge - no. To date there has been no Charlotte Knights (AAA) Minor League Issue that shows Frank's first trip to Triple-A Ball while rehabbing his repaired ankle in the spring of 2005. (on his way up he was promoted directly from Double-A to the Bigs in 1990) However, I have created a "card that never was" showing him in a Knights uniform. You can check it out here.

UPDATE 10.24.07: The Charlotte Knights FINALLY issued a card of Big Frank (two years after the fact) - you can see it here!

Question: How many autographed cards do you have? (2/24/07)
Asked By: (name & email withheld by request) - New York, NY.

Answer: That's an unusual question. <g> {:-)

Hmm... well, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I don't do physical counts anymore. So the best I could do is an estimate. And since I know several of you like to differentiate between "on-card" versus "foil/sticker", I'll break it down that way in addition to a grand total estimate.

Grand total estimate: 80-90 total pack autographs. Which breaks down this way: 35-40 On-Card and I guess ... 45-50 something Foils/Stickers. Additionally, I have 2-3 "in-person" autos on cards, but they weren't pack busted. Additionally, I didn't count the UDA material since those weren't "pack busted". BTW, two questions for myself to other Frank collectors: How do you quantify baseball cut autos like Sweet Spots and Sweet Sigs? And how does one quantify a true cut sig made into/used in a card? (2004 Fleer America's National Packtime Signature Swing - White) <lol>

And just for fun - I have 2 fake autographs on cards. <lol> One I got because I was a newbie collector, this was... what... maybe 15 years ago. (that's a depressing thought - <lol>) and the other I purchased on purpose because I wanted a sample of a "good" forgery. Whomever this guy was - I was genuinely impressed. It was damn close to the real thing and I had to see this bugger in person to verify it's authenticity. Almost as good as one I could do - if I were forced to. <eg>

Question: Do you own everything seen on the website? (1/28/07)
Asked By: (name & email withheld by request) - Midland County, MI.

Answer: Everything except two items. The first is the Fleer MLBPA Check seen on the O'Connell page (FAQs). And the second can be found under "My Favorites" - The 1998 Fleer Showcase Perfect 10 listing. Other than that - yes, I own an example of everything you see on the site. Note: The use of the lightly screened "www.frankthomascollection.com" on it means that an example of that item is in my collection. :-)

Question: Beckett, PSA, and other grading services slab Frank Thomas 'wrong backs', so why don't you list them as part of the checklists? (7/9/04)
Asked By: (name & email withheld by request) - San Diego, CA.

Answer: That's a good question. Obviously there are errors which merit grading since they're authentic. However, most errors, and in particular 'wrong backs/wrong fronts', cannot be properly quantified in a checklist. Their very inconsistent nature (unplanned printing mistakes) defies anyone cataloging them with any accuracy.

Do we, as Thomas collectors, try to add cards that don't have foil? What about cards that're miscut? Cards that are unfinished? Even I collect unfinished cards since they reveal the printing process - something I find very interesting from a professional standpoint. So, do I add unfinished printing proofs to the checklists? No, because it's not truly a "card". While it's close to becoming a card, only a fan of Frank would find it interesting.

Because printing errors are mistakes - there is no reliable way of maintaining a list of each and every type of mistake that occurs during the printing process. So, no, I don't list 'wrong back', 'wrong fronts', 'blank backs', 'blank fronts', etc. The one single exception I made is for the most famous/infamous printing error in card history - and we all know which card I'm talking about. <g> ;-)

Question: Why aren't any promos part of the "10 Toughest" or at least the "10 Near Toughest" Lists? Specifically the Pinnacle Brands "XXXX" Promos? (1/27/05)
Asked By: (name & email withheld by request) - Dillon, CO.

Answer: Another good question. (and, yes, I remember you) :-)

Clearly there are some very rare promos. Several of which would make the list, most notable among them is the 1993 Pinnacle Cooperstown Promo #20. But the debate about what constitutes "rare" is unending. Since the printing records for many of these promos are virtually nonexistent, all we're left with is conjecture and educated speculation.

The examples you're talking about are among the most debatable promos that exist. Cards which skirt the fine line between 'rare' versus 'unusual' (meaning they could be placed in the same category as unfinished cards) are the so-called "Art Department" or "In-House Sample" promos from Pinnacle/Donruss/Leaf/Studio during the years 1996-1998. These cards are identified by the "XXXX/number" or "XXX/number" imprint or stamp. (the "X's" indicated where the individual numbers were going to be added)

Now, according to some collectors/dealers, these represent the ultimate in rare promos since only a small handful were crafted for the art & marketing departments, who were given a chance to make suggestions or changes to the final design before the actual printing took place. This stage even precedes the official promo stage since these "XXXX" cards were never intended for the public to see.

Despite that fact, to the best of my knowledge, no major guide lists these cards. I believe it's due to this reason:

With enough practiced skill, and some crafting equipment, someone can imprint the "XXXX/number" or "XXX/number" onto a blank promo. As a graphic designer with a printing background, with some effort and if I were so inclined, I could add those holofoil numbers onto a card. I suspect that's the reason why no other guide lists them. The possibility, however remote, that this could happen darkens the validity of these promos.

Let me be clear: I'm not saying these "XXXX/number" or "XXX/number" cards are fakes. In fact, in my opinion, the examples I've seen and collected are indeed genuine. A clear and indisputable example can be seen here. But the vulnerability of these cards to fraud limits their collectibility. Which is sad since, as I just mentioned, all the ones I've seen or gathered are genuine. Due to the potential problems with these issues - I don't list them in my "10 Toughest" or "10 Near-Toughest" lists.

It's entirely up to you how you want to quantify these promos.

Finally, I would point out that several promos did make the '10 Toughest List': The 1994 Leaf Limited #1 -and- The 1998 Pinnacle Bankruptcy Issues.

ADDENDUM: One of the funniest things I've seen is how Beckett handles these 'Art Department' promos. Firstly, they deny they exist or insinuate they're fraudulent (non-listing). But this is where things get funny. Their own "big guide" - The Beckett Almanac - actually shows & uses one of them as representative of a Donruss Studio insert. Check it out yourself: Beckett Almanac 2005 Issue, Page 932, the 1996 Studio Hit Parade insert. <laughing hard> What a bunch of presbyopic hypocrites.

Question: Do you think there will be a 'Mother's Cookies' card of Frank Thomas? (9/4/06)
Asked By: Dean (email withheld by request) - Beaverton, OR.

Answer: An awesome question! Many longtime A's fans know that Mother's Cookies, a brand of cookies once made in San Francisco, created annual baseball cards for both Bay-area, westcoast, and other select MLB teams; producing fairly rare regional/food issues for players like Mark McGwire.

Unfortunately, the original Mother's Cookies company was sold and re-sold several times from 1996-2005, creating uneven and unstable leadership. When it was finally sold to an investment group in early 2006, the new owners opted to close down the original San Francisco operation (putting more than 200 longtime employees out of work) and moved the core business to Ohio and Canada. The new owners have shown no interest in collaborating with Major League Baseball, and more specifically the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants. In fact, I regret to say that the new company has little respect for the tradition of Mother's Cookies or the great city and fans/consumers that created them, despite using "tradition" as a marketing ploy in order to sell the product. It's highly unlikely that a Frank Thomas Mother's Cookie card will ever be produced.

Good question though. <nod> ;-)

I have created a "card that never was" showing him in a wishful Mother's Cookies issue - you can check it out here.