If you've been active in the hobby on Twitter, the Blowout Cards Forums or elsewhere online in recent years, there's a good chance you've run into the work of a collector with a knack for Photoshop (he's a graphic designer) and for collecting -- and making -- Jose Canseco baseball cards.

TanManBaseballFan, aka Tanner Jones, amassed an elite collection of the famed Bash Brother and was obsessive enough about baseball cards that never were that he began creating many of them that went missing through the years for himself. Jones seemingly never met a Canseco card he didn't have -- or couldn't live without -- but, then, not long ago, he surprised many who know him with a simple statement.

It was time to sell it all. Why? Well, his story is part of a book he's working on that's coming soon -- Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict.

Continue reading →

Do you have a single card or item in your collection that stands out from the rest?

It's often not easy to pick one when looking at a collection that you spent plenty of time (and likely money) building. Is picking just one favorite a challenge that you could take on? Tweet @blowoutbuzz on Twitter (or send an email at the address below) for more info on how you can have your favorite card or item highlighted here on The Buzz. We want to see what makes you tick.

A collector who we have profiled before is our first to take this challenge. Check it out ...

--

Name: Tanner Jones
Find him at: @tanmanbbfan
Location: Texas
Collects: Jose Canseco

The favorite: 2017 Topps Museum Collection Framed Autographs Wood #MFAJCA Jose Canseco 1/1

Why this matters to me: "Aesthetically speaking, this is more of a work of art than a baseball card. It is completely made of wood, inside of a wood frame, gold-ink signature, gold holo-foil and an awesome picture. ... The wood card is among the most beautiful cards made of Canseco in my opinion, but the entire rainbow is incredible as well. The /5 could have easily made a sweet 1/1, as it is simply gorgeous with its anodized black frame, silver ink and silver holo-foil. The wood card however, absolutely deserves its 1/1 status."

This one's not that simple ... keep reading for more of his story about this card.

Continue reading →

It started as a hobby to bring cards that didn't exist to life -- and now it can help bring your legends' cards into existence.

Tanner Jones is a dedicated Jose Canseco collector who lamented the fact that for years his retired but controversial slugger hadn't been found on all of the new, creative cards being made -- and often not with all of his MLB teams. So he started making cards of his own -- and then one day a year ago the idea of his Custom Cuts kits was born.

"I have had so many people ask me 'How do you do it?' and I've seen the desirability of making your own creations go up significantly," Jones said. "After thinking about it for a while, I thought to myself people are already acclimated to the thought of cut autos why not cut pictures as well? I played around with the template idea quite a while ago, and then back-burnered it until a few months ago."

For now, there are just two types of kits available -- and they allow buyers a start on making their own cards using their own images or documents, while some have used them to re-purpose components of damaged cards into new creations.

Continue reading →

Tanner Jones
Also Known As: Mouschi / Tan Man Baseball Fan / @tanmanbbfan
Website: www.TanManBaseballFan.com
Email: tanmanbaseballfan@gmail.com
Location: Texas
Work away from cards: Website development
Collecting since: 1989

Main focuses: Jose Canseco
Favorite players/teams: Jose Canseco (on all his teams)

Current collecting projects: Ultimately, anything not yet on my list at www.CansecoCollector.com including prototypes, samples, test cards, etc. My most-wanted cards are the 1996 Select Certified Mirror Gold, 1997 Pinnacle Totally Certified Platinum Gold and 1998 Donruss Crusade Red.

Continue reading →