My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#126 1997 Starting Lineup Classic Doubles Greg Maddux/Cy Young

 

Why I Like It:  Combine two of the greatest pitchers of all time with my favorite line of SLU's and you have yourself a winner. This is definitely one of my favorite pieces ever made and I was unable to find this originally during my run of collecting. Like many of the figures I own now, I bought this post-SLU crash a lot cheaper than these used to go for.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#127 1997 Starting Lineup Terrell Davis FP

 

Why I Like It:  It was the most coveted football piece of the 97 season. This figure was scorching hot as Davis was the hottest running back going in the league at the time. This figure regularly sold for $100 or more at its peak. It was impossible to find at retail level and being a kid there was just no way I thought I'd ever own it. Fast forward many years later after the big SLU Crash and I was able to snatch this for a mere 2 bucks. Crazy how times change. The impact of this figure alone is why it's always been a favorite of mine.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#128 1997 Starting Lineup Classic Doubles Ken Griffey/Ken Griffey Jr

Why I Like It: The Classic Doubles line is an all time favorite of mine. I loved the different pairing Kenner/Hasbro would come up with throughout every sport. This was part of the inaugural baseball line of Classic Double and it doesn't get any better than father and son. I always found it pretty awesome that Griffey got to actually play with his dad towards the end of his father's career in Seattle. Definitely a favorite of mine in my Griffey Collection.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#129 1998 Starting Lineup Ken Griffey Jr. Stadium Stars

Why I Like It: I loved all different lines that Starting Lineup had during my collecting days. The larger Stadium Stars were no exception. This is the only I kept and of course it's of Ken Griffey Jr. who makes yet another SLU appearance on the countdown.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#130 1995 Cal Ripken Jr. Commemortive Starting Lineup

 

Why I Like It:  It commemorates the beginning of Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive games streak. I love the piece as it showcases Ripken in the uniform he wore on the very first game of his streak. I was a kid while Ripken broke "The Streak" so it brings back great memories of what was and still is such a great record. This was pretty popular during the heyday of Starting Lineup Figures. I waited until market crashed to pick this up relatively cheap.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#131 98-99 Vince Carter Topps Chrome RC

Why I Like It: It's my favorite Vince Rookie Card and the only one left in my collection. I remember buying this during my birthday weekend in 1999 as there was a rare card show here in Corpus Christi. I'd wanted this card FOREVER and I believe i plunked down $60.00 of my birthday money to get this. I've always loved Topps Chrome since it's inital release and even though the SP Authentic is the best rookie card of Vince (which I used to own) I always preferred this one because of the reverse dunk photo and of course Topps Chrome finish. It was the cornerstone of my collection for a while.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#132 Ken Griffey Jr/Sandy Alomar Jr 1999 Starting Lineup Freeze Frame One on One

 

Why I Like It:  We continue with the parade of Griffey SLU's with the 3rd straight on the countdown. Multiplayer pieces such as Classic Doubles, Freeze Frames etc were always a favorite of mine. This was a Collector's Club Exclusive back in 1999 and revived the One on One Line that Kenner had in the late 80's. I didn't get it through the fan club, I bought it off Ebay years later. I love the "play at the plate" aspect of this set and of course it features Ken Griffey Jr so it makes it an automatic winner.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#133 Ken Griffey Jr 2000 Starting Lineup

Why I Like It: Not only do I love the diving catch pose, but the story behind as well. I've shared the store in previous post a couple years ago, but for a refresher here we go. I was out helping my friend go to door to door hanging Easter bags and after we got done we stopped by Wal Mart. Of course we immediately dart straight to the toy aisle with me leading the charge. Low and behold I found this and got excited but had forgotten that I didn't have any money to purchase it. My friend, being a collector, ended up buying it. I probably could've have hidden it and had my Dad take me back, but I decided not to and let him buy it. I reallllly wanted it though, and I knew there was a piece in my collection he'd be eying for a while. He's a HUGE Dallas Mavericks fan, and Michael Finley was his guy. He wanted my Finley rookie piece. We ended up making a swap and though it was hard to let go of my Finley (I never traded pieces away that I didn't have doubles of) I felt it was worth it to add this Griffey to my collection. We both ended up happy with the deal and we both still have the pieces in our possession.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#134 Ken Griffey Jr 1997 Starting Lineup

 

Why I like it: It's the first Ken Griffey Jr. I found in a store that I kept unopened during my Starting lineup craze. I previously had the 93 SLU, but I had opened it and I own the 96 Griffey but I bought that at our Flea Market. I found this one at our local Wal Mart. I absolutely love the pose as well, always thought it was awesome. When I sold the majority of my collection, I kept all my Griffey pieces as he's my favorite player in baseball. This won't be the last Griffey SLU you'll see on this countdown.

My Favorite 150 Items in My Collection-#135 1974 Topps Lem Barney

 

Why I Like It: I talked about this card about a year ago, it's my first ever vintage card. Back in the early 90's our little town of Calallen (a suburb of Corpus Christi, Texas) had 3 CARD SHOPS! Hard to fathom when I don't think Corpus has anymore card shops left today. Anyways Pops Cards & Comics was one of my favorite store as I distinctly remember buying packs of 90-91 Hoops and 1990 and 91 Pro Set Football cards there. They had singles as well, and I found this card for a quarter. I only bought it cause it was old. 1974! I had no idea who Lem Barney was and was pleasantly surprised to find out he was a Hall of Fame Player! This card will always be a sentimental favorite to me which is why it makes the countdown here at #135.