Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[hobbs11]

Originally Posted by hobbs11

Opinions on unicorns are like heartbeats - everyone's got one. I'll put this up there easily as one of my top three unicorns and appreciate the finding and posting Buster!!

Well why yes Merkle, I will offer my own updated top three list of unicorns - 70s edition. Thanks for asking! I kid, I kid.....lol. However here they are anyway with a request for - in color & non studio shots - just in case anyone has recently tripped over them virtually or found them in some old photos.

Ruppert Jones - KC - 1976, Frank Linzy - Phils - 1974, Woodie Fryman - Reds - 1977.

BTW - It's amazing how much my own list has been shortened over just these past two-three years. Big shout to tnfoto's board and all the usual suspects who have helped locate. Much appreciated!

[Buster Narum]

I can't really say exactly why, but the one I'd get the biggest charge from finding would probably be Dennis Ribant on the 1969 Reds

[DeweyintheHall]

In the spirit of the moment, I have a few Unicorns from 1978 that I'm still hunting. The definition I use is that there is no known image, of any quality, of the player in that uniform. So here, in case anyone has stumbled upon one in the 2 or so years since I last posted them, they are:
Rob Dressler, Cardinals
Kerry Dineen, Phillies
Horacio Pina, Phillies
Cito Gaston, Pirates
Steve Foucault, Royals
Stan Perzanowski, Twins

Bonus - Mark Wiley is a 1978 Unicorn, as far as I can tell, for 2 teams - the Blue Jays and the Padres

Not quite Unicorns, but...
I've never seen anything of Tim Johnson in the 1978 Brewers unis, and my all-time prized find would be a John LaRose in a 1978, red-capped Bosox uni.

[Terry D]

Here are some of mine, guys from the 1980s (my era) for whom no image has yet been discovered (by me yet, anyway):

1. Tucker Ashford, Rangers, 1980
2. Dave Hostetler, Pirates, 1989
3. Mark Ross, Pirates, 1987
4. Tom Edens, Mets, 1987
5. Bob L. Gibson, Mets, 1987
6. Randy Elliott, A's, 1980
7. Mike Patterson, A's, 1981
8. Rusty McNealy, A's, 1983
9. Dave Hudgens, A's, 1983
10. Fred Holdsworth, Brewers, 1980
11. Albert Hall, Pirates, 1989
12. Dennis Kinney, A's, 1982
13. Kevin Bell, A's, 1982
14. Ben Callahan, A's, 1983
15. Rich Wortham, A's, 1983
16. Ed Farmer, A's, 1983
17. Steve Comer, Phillies, 1983
18. Renie Martin, Phillies, 1984
19. Nelson Norman, Expos, 1987
20. Jack Daugherty, Expos, 1987
21. Bill Campbell, Expos, 1987
22. Bob Owchinko, Expos, 1986 [Image posted on this site some time ago is actually a photoshop job from his 1983 Topps card with the A's]
23. Jamie Quirk, White Sox, 1984

I may have more later, it's been a while since I cross-checked the UIN list.

[Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Terry D

Here are some of mine, guys from the 1980s (my era) for whom no image has yet been discovered (by me yet, anyway):

1. Tucker Ashford, Rangers, 1980
2. Dave Hostetler, Pirates, 1989
3. Mark Ross, Pirates, 1987
4. Tom Edens, Mets, 1987
5. Bob L. Gibson, Mets, 1987
6. Randy Elliott, A's, 1980
7. Mike Patterson, A's, 1981
8. Rusty McNealy, A's, 1983
9. Dave Hudgens, A's, 1983
10. Fred Holdsworth, Brewers, 1980
11. Albert Hall, Pirates, 1989
12. Dennis Kinney, A's, 1982
13. Kevin Bell, A's, 1982
14. Ben Callahan, A's, 1983
15. Rich Wortham, A's, 1983
16. Ed Farmer, A's, 1983
17. Steve Comer, Phillies, 1983
18. Renie Martin, Phillies, 1984
19. Nelson Norman, Expos, 1987
20. Jack Daugherty, Expos, 1987
21. Bill Campbell, Expos, 1987
22. Bob Owchinko, Expos, 1986 [Image posted on this site some time ago is actually a photoshop job from his 1983 Topps card with the A's]
23. Jamie Quirk, White Sox, 1984

I may have more later, it's been a while since I cross-checked the UIN list.

Every one of the Oakland players on your list are available in the McWilliams HOF archive:
Specifically, Elliott (OAK 80), Patterson (OAK 81), McNealy (83 OAK), Hudgens (OAK 83), Kinney (OAK 82), Bell (OAK 82), Callahan (OAK 83), Wortham (OAK 83) all there. I have McNealy and Hudgens, but the Hall stipulations allow no posting on forum like this.

[Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by DeweyintheHall

In the spirit of the moment, I have a few Unicorns from 1978 that I'm still hunting. The definition I use is that there is no known image, of any quality, of the player in that uniform. So here, in case anyone has stumbled upon one in the 2 or so years since I last posted them, they are:
Rob Dressler, Cardinals
Kerry Dineen, Phillies
Horacio Pina, Phillies
Cito Gaston, Pirates
Steve Foucault, Royals
Stan Perzanowski, Twins

Bonus - Mark Wiley is a 1978 Unicorn, as far as I can tell, for 2 teams - the Blue Jays and the Padres

Not quite Unicorns, but...
I've never seen anything of Tim Johnson in the 1978 Brewers unis, and my all-time prized find would be a John LaRose in a 1978, red-capped Bosox uni.

The records show that Brace shot Perzanowski, Foucault, Dineen and Dressler with those teams, so hang onto hope. If the plans move forward, the Brace archive is being sold individually to each major league team. With the sales in progress, it's a totally random shot which teams have acquired them. You could do a lot worse than contact each team in question.

[SDL]

I had a unicorn a few years ago...Jim Landis in a Red Sox uniform. Somebody told me about a site that would have it. Considering that Landis was with the Red Sox for a very short time, this was a rare one indeed..

Got it..and got it signed .

[Merkle923]

I have now removed nearly all the images that I have posted here the last four years which were the product of my own photography, or for which I had obtained reproduction rights (often in part to share with this community). Some - like the Jesse Jefferson shots - remain.

I will try to explain this unemotionally. The locking of the Topps image hosting site was because of its abuse by one of our members, "Rainmaker," who in his previous incarnation "Rico43," was permanently banned for posting copyrighted images, for personal abuse, and for even identifying members by their actual names - and yet chose to come back anyway under a new account. I have had an informal role at Topps as a consultant since 2001. Upon finding some of its negatives were being sold in print form before they had even come up for auction on eBay the company's initial inclination was to go after the entirety of this site with, at minimum, a cease-and-desist letter. I had, I believed, reassured them that the problem would come to an end and their rights would be fully respected. In the interim, "Rainmaker" led efforts to work around the security measures at the site Topps uses and again I had to make a case that most of this was unknowing and unintentional and would cease. Again, cooler heads prevailed and Topps' focus has since shifted to an Atlanta Braves' fan site with which this individual is associated.

I have also been in conversation with a friend of 15 years, the New York-based photographer Steve Moore, who guards his publication rights jealously and who had sold a few prints of transient players like Brick Smith to the above-named member and was surprised to find them suddenly showing up online when he hadn't been prepared for anything like that.

I hope what has been written here about the Brace images is true. That would be a boon to us as collectors and hobbyists and I would welcome it as I have about 1,000 color Brace images in my collection, mostly of obscure players with obscure teams which I hope can see the internet light of day. Sadly, I don't know what can be believed in this case. I - and others - have repeatedly been told by this individual that he and I worked together on a baseball card project in 1989 at the Guernsey's Auction of Topps production materials in New York. We may have met; I have no recollection of it, or him, nor does reviewing any of the articles or research data I generated at this auction make the slightest reference to him nor refresh my mind in any way whatsoever. He keeps mentioning it and taking umbrage when I do not confirm his claim.

In any event: while this site has often had its share of conflict (with a small "c") and I have been at least as unnecessarily flippant and snippy as anybody else (and for all of that, I apologize), the behavior of this one member has crossed a line for me, and I cannot participate here any longer.

I thank all of those who have been generous with your images and your kind words, and I wish you all good luck with your pursuits and our shared pastimes.

[rrb77]

I accept your apology, and I also would like to apologize for any comments I probably have made. Written comments many times can be interpreted incorrectly and I probably am guilty of that. I have enjoyed your photos and will definitely miss your contributions. Thanks for everything and I hope your future endeavors are successful!

[cinemaodyssey]

Though I have chosen not to involve myself with any of the recent quarrels, I can say that I will truly miss your invaluable contributions. I can only hope that you never lose the passion for baseball photography that forms the common bond that brought all of us here in the first place.

[Oriole1952]

I want to thank you, and all the others here who have provided such great pictures. I have saved many of them and will cherish them as long as I have the passion. I really feel it is wrong to use other's images and market them. I know this happens on Ebay with a couple of sellers who sell images that I KNOW came from here and other personal sites. Thank you again for your time, effort and all the great pics.....

[Terry D]

Thanks for all the hard to find photos, especially the 80s guys. I hope you find a good online home for your collection.

[banosd]

Merkle, what made your involvement most special was your sharing of your own high-quality photos that you took yourself. I hope another site comes along that makes you and other photographers excited about sharing baseball history!

[bru]

Truly sorry to see you go Merkle. Thanks for everything you brought to this site, I discovered many fantastic images because of it. I hope you find a way to display your collection somewhere at some point.

[caribeño]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

I have now removed nearly all the images that I have posted here the last four years which were the product of my own photography, or for which I had obtained reproduction rights (often in part to share with this community). Some - like the Jesse Jefferson shots - remain.

I will try to explain this unemotionally. The locking of the Topps image hosting site was because of its abuse by one of our members, "Rainmaker," who in his previous incarnation "Rico43," was permanently banned for posting copyrighted images, for personal abuse, and for even identifying members by their actual names - and yet chose to come back anyway under a new account. I have had an informal role at Topps as a consultant since 2001. Upon finding some of its negatives were being sold in print form before they had even come up for auction on eBay the company's initial inclination was to go after the entirety of this site with, at minimum, a cease-and-desist letter. I had, I believed, reassured them that the problem would come to an end and their rights would be fully respected. In the interim, "Rainmaker" led efforts to work around the security measures at the site Topps uses and again I had to make a case that most of this was unknowing and unintentional and would cease. Again, cooler heads prevailed and Topps' focus has since shifted to an Atlanta Braves' fan site with which this individual is associated.

I have also been in conversation with a friend of 15 years, the New York-based photographer Steve Moore, who guards his publication rights jealously and who had sold a few prints of transient players like Brick Smith to the above-named member and was surprised to find them suddenly showing up online when he hadn't been prepared for anything like that.

I hope what has been written here about the Brace images is true. That would be a boon to us as collectors and hobbyists and I would welcome it as I have about 1,000 color Brace images in my collection, mostly of obscure players with obscure teams which I hope can see the internet light of day. Sadly, I don't know what can be believed in this case. I - and others - have repeatedly been told by this individual that he and I worked together on a baseball card project in 1989 at the Guernsey's Auction of Topps production materials in New York. We may have met; I have no recollection of it, or him, nor does reviewing any of the articles or research data I generated at this auction make the slightest reference to him nor refresh my mind in any way whatsoever. He keeps mentioning it and taking umbrage when I do not confirm his claim.

In any event: while this site has often had its share of conflict (with a small "c") and I have been at least as unnecessarily flippant and snippy as anybody else (and for all of that, I apologize), the behavior of this one member has crossed a line for me, and I cannot participate here any longer.

I thank all of those who have been generous with your images and your kind words, and I wish you all good luck with your pursuits and our shared pastimes.

Merkle , Many , many , many Thanks not only for your art , but also for your kind contributions to all of us . If we ever could take a photo of the word , and action of ¨sharing ¨ , and brotherly love that photo would be of Merkle . A legend in our passion . Again , many thanks , and all the best for you .
Caribeño
Puerto Rico

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

I have now removed nearly all the images that I have posted here the last four years which were the product of my own photography, or for which I had obtained reproduction rights (often in part to share with this community). Some - like the Jesse Jefferson shots - remain.

I will try to explain this unemotionally. The locking of the Topps image hosting site was because of its abuse by one of our members, "Rainmaker," who in his previous incarnation "Rico43," was permanently banned for posting copyrighted images, for personal abuse, and for even identifying members by their actual names - and yet chose to come back anyway under a new account. I have had an informal role at Topps as a consultant since 2001. Upon finding some of its negatives were being sold in print form before they had even come up for auction on eBay the company's initial inclination was to go after the entirety of this site with, at minimum, a cease-and-desist letter. I had, I believed, reassured them that the problem would come to an end and their rights would be fully respected. In the interim, "Rainmaker" led efforts to work around the security measures at the site Topps uses and again I had to make a case that most of this was unknowing and unintentional and would cease. Again, cooler heads prevailed and Topps' focus has since shifted to an Atlanta Braves' fan site with which this individual is associated.

I have also been in conversation with a friend of 15 years, the New York-based photographer Steve Moore, who guards his publication rights jealously and who had sold a few prints of transient players like Brick Smith to the above-named member and was surprised to find them suddenly showing up online when he hadn't been prepared for anything like that.

I hope what has been written here about the Brace images is true. That would be a boon to us as collectors and hobbyists and I would welcome it as I have about 1,000 color Brace images in my collection, mostly of obscure players with obscure teams which I hope can see the internet light of day. Sadly, I don't know what can be believed in this case. I - and others - have repeatedly been told by this individual that he and I worked together on a baseball card project in 1989 at the Guernsey's Auction of Topps production materials in New York. We may have met; I have no recollection of it, or him, nor does reviewing any of the articles or research data I generated at this auction make the slightest reference to him nor refresh my mind in any way whatsoever. He keeps mentioning it and taking umbrage when I do not confirm his claim.

In any event: while this site has often had its share of conflict (with a small "c") and I have been at least as unnecessarily flippant and snippy as anybody else (and for all of that, I apologize), the behavior of this one member has crossed a line for me, and I cannot participate here any longer.

I thank all of those who have been generous with your images and your kind words, and I wish you all good luck with your pursuits and our shared pastimes.

To Mr. Merkle. Hate to see you and your great work of supplying hard to find photos and your own personal player photos go and all the GREAT Art work. You will be VERY GREATLY MISSED. Hope you get your own web site. A VERY FOND FAREWELL. THANKS for all that you had provided.

[rlumpkin1@tampabay.rr.com]

Originally Posted by Buster Narum

I can't really say exactly why, but the one I'd get the biggest charge from finding would probably be Dennis Ribant on the 1969 Reds

YES!! me too. also it would be great to find Mike De La Hoz in a Reds Uni.

[hobbs11]

What with your recent posting, it is evident that your involvement, rationale and gratuitous offerings won't see the light of this forum going forward. Your insight on all things from a historical image perspective as well as the Topps Vault itself, was beyond reproach and will be greatly missed from this side of the monitor.

This 'hobby' just became that much more difficult.....

Here's to you.....maybe we'll see you on the other site - err - umm - I mean side... hopefully.....please. Peace.

[keonleafs]

[jeffersons34n2]

Originally Posted by Merkle923

I have now removed nearly all the images that I have posted here the last four years which were the product of my own photography, or for which I had obtained reproduction rights (often in part to share with this community). Some - like the Jesse Jefferson shots - remain.

I will try to explain this unemotionally. The locking of the Topps image hosting site was because of its abuse by one of our members, "Rainmaker," who in his previous incarnation "Rico43," was permanently banned for posting copyrighted images, for personal abuse, and for even identifying members by their actual names - and yet chose to come back anyway under a new account. I have had an informal role at Topps as a consultant since 2001. Upon finding some of its negatives were being sold in print form before they had even come up for auction on eBay the company's initial inclination was to go after the entirety of this site with, at minimum, a cease-and-desist letter. I had, I believed, reassured them that the problem would come to an end and their rights would be fully respected. In the interim, "Rainmaker" led efforts to work around the security measures at the site Topps uses and again I had to make a case that most of this was unknowing and unintentional and would cease. Again, cooler heads prevailed and Topps' focus has since shifted to an Atlanta Braves' fan site with which this individual is associated.

I have also been in conversation with a friend of 15 years, the New York-based photographer Steve Moore, who guards his publication rights jealously and who had sold a few prints of transient players like Brick Smith to the above-named member and was surprised to find them suddenly showing up online when he hadn't been prepared for anything like that.

I hope what has been written here about the Brace images is true. That would be a boon to us as collectors and hobbyists and I would welcome it as I have about 1,000 color Brace images in my collection, mostly of obscure players with obscure teams which I hope can see the internet light of day. Sadly, I don't know what can be believed in this case. I - and others - have repeatedly been told by this individual that he and I worked together on a baseball card project in 1989 at the Guernsey's Auction of Topps production materials in New York. We may have met; I have no recollection of it, or him, nor does reviewing any of the articles or research data I generated at this auction make the slightest reference to him nor refresh my mind in any way whatsoever. He keeps mentioning it and taking umbrage when I do not confirm his claim.

In any event: while this site has often had its share of conflict (with a small "c") and I have been at least as unnecessarily flippant and snippy as anybody else (and for all of that, I apologize), the behavior of this one member has crossed a line for me, and I cannot participate here any longer.

I thank all of those who have been generous with your images and your kind words, and I wish you all good luck with your pursuits and our shared pastimes.

Merkle...Thank You do much for the photos of my father Jesse Jefferson...your help for me finding these lost treasures meant so much to me. I hope I can continue to locate images of my father. But I just wanted to Thank You for everything. God Bless.