Letter Never Sent: The Kid

Also an R.E.M. song from many moons ago, "Letter Never Sent" also applies to the very thoughtful and generous package that recently arrived from Kevin, aka The Diamond King.  

Included in the yellow mailer along with three very robust team bags filled with cards was a nice note from Kevin, imparting apologies for the long-delayed delivery.  Well, that was a pleasant surprise to me, since I hadn't even recalled any prior promise of, well, anything!

But, sure enough, Kevin was kind enough to go through my player collection lists a while ago and found a bunch of great cards of my all-time faves that were missing from my collection.  Because there were so many great pieces to show off, I figured I'd break it up into a few posts.

This one honors the great Gary Carter, aka The Kid, who left us entirely too soon.  So, here are my top-five favorite Carter cards from the recent DK package...

1984 Donruss

It's tough to argue with '84 Donruss, right?  And this one features that classic Gary Carter smile.  Was there ever a more genuinely good guy in this sport than Gary?

1984 Topps Glossy Send-In

I really like the All-Star cards that Topps used to produce as wrapper redemptions.  This one, from 1984, is especially glossy, and captures Kid in a candid moment prior to a game.

1986 Fleer Box Bottom

I'm a sucker for box bottoms and side panel cards and the like.  And this one was neatly cut out and kept in very nice condition.  It's doubtful you would look as good if you began life as the bottom of a cardboard box, all right?

1987 Fleer Star Stickers

Fleer's Star Stickers feature some of the best action photography from this era of Fleer cards, in my opinion. This one appears to show Gary celebrating the final out of a Mets victory at Wrigley.

2001 Topps Stars

Perhaps the nicest card of the bunch.  Topps Stars was a product that came out when I wasn't collecting, but I'm definitely enjoying it many years later.  The golden silhouette of Carter's shadow is a really cool touch.

My next installment will feature one of Gary's most famous battery mates...

MK