Contest Plug and The Trade Pile Grows!

  Hello all. Another contest out in Blogoland to promote. Fantastic Catch is celebrating 50 followers by giving away 3 spots in his group break. Sounds good to me so head on over and check it out.

   The Trade Pile has a new card on top so that makes 3 cards up for grabs. Same deal as usual, I post a card or cards and you have a chance to claim the pile for something off my Want Lists. If nobody claims I will add more to the pile til somebody claims said pile.

2012 Topps Archives Deckle Edge #3 of 15 Jose Bautista

1990 Topps K-Mart Super Stars #25 Nolan Ryan (Rangers)

2002 Topps Gallery #85 Hideo Nomo

Thanks For Reading!

Trade Pile #5 Grows

  Hello all. The latest trade pile doubles to 2 cards. Same deal as usual, I post a card or cards and you have a chance to claim the pile for something off my Want Lists. If nobody claims I will add more to the pile til somebody claims said pile.

2012 Topps Archives Deckle Edge #3 of 15 Jose Bautista

1990 Topps K-Mart Super Stars #25 Nolan Ryan (Rangers)

    Jump in if you want them.

Thanks For Reading!

Trade Pile #5

    Hey all. Today brings back my blatant rip off of  Nachos Grande's "Trade Stack". He's totally cool with it so all is good.
     Same deal as usual, I post a card or cards and you have a chance to claim the pile for something off my Want Lists. If nobody claims I will add more to the pile til somebody claims said pile. Pretty simple so let's begin a new Trade Pile.

Let's begin with an insert from 2012 Topps Archives.

2012 Topps Archives Deckle Edge #3 of 15 Jose Bautista

   Claim away before it's gone.

Thanks For Reading!

Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder?? Fuji Asks...

Hello all.
      The legend out in Blogoland known as Fuji has another question to ask so here it is.

What is the ugliest card set you've ever seen?

   It's a pretty straight forward question but I bet the answers vary greatly. I will put my 2 cents in with the 1957 Topps set.

    I am sure there are some out there that love this set for various reasons and that's all good but I am not one of them. Now as a collector there are many cards in this set that I would love to have, Mantle, Aaron, etc, but it's surly not for the card design. I don't think design is the best word since there is no design. Let's see, picture, a few words, done. Not much going on here. Even the colors used for the names doesn't make sense. Redlegs player = powder blue and white print?

   That's just my opinion and this is what makes card collecting so much fun, the variety of each collector's tastes and opinions.

    P.S.  The Mets actually won today!

Thanks for Reading!

 

It's Never Too Many Trades From Too Many Verlanders

    Hello again all. Today I finally get to a trade post way overdue. When Sam over at The Dimwit pulled me back into Blogoland (Thanks again Sam) one of the first people to contact me was Dennis of the great Too Many Verlanders blog. (By the way, he's running a cool contest over there) We had begun talks on another one of our colossal trade before my little hiatus and I had some cards set aside for him so when I was back we picked up on the trade and finished it off around a year after we started it. Dennis and I have had some crazy big trades in the past and this one was no different.

     He sent so many card that he sent 2 different packages, one big white box for the base and inserts and a bubble mailer with the hits. Dennis has a gift for hitting all my team collections in our trades.

This is a tiny representation of the great white box cards.

Mets always good!

Yankees work for me.

Jets, Saints, and Giants make me smile.

    Dennis is one of my main football trade partners and he always hooks me up. Once again, these are a small fraction of the selection of cards in the box.

   Now the premium cards in the trade are some sweet additions to my various team collections.

   Three stellar relic cards for the Big Blue binder. The Shockey patch is 097/200, the Steve Smith NFL 3 piece is 204/849, and the shoot myself in the leg Plaxico dual jersey is 034/125.

 

  Gang green checks in with 5 fantastic additions. Two D'Brick autos,the  Leon Washington NFL 3 piece is 103/849, The DeWayne Robertson rc ball/jersey is 505/750, and the Kellen Clemens triple relic is 24/50.

  The Saints tip the scales with 7 awesome cards to finish up the football portion of this trade. A Rickey Williams  jersey from 2002, the NFL 3 piece shows up again  at 603/849. The Colston R&S is 010/115 and a great 3 player relics of Brooks, Blake, and Horn.

    I trio of autos as well. A Topps Reserve of brooks, a 2011 Jenkins, and a 2008 RC auto from Adrian Arrington rounds out the bunch. I feel special when I can get a Michigan Wolverine like Arrington from Dennis but fair is fair as I have sent him Saints from Michigan as well.

     Now some baseball treats. The Yankees come in with some fun cards. The Stoneburner and Murphy Donruss Elites are both /50 while the Colter Bean auto bat card is 044/256. A Nick Johnson jersey from his tenure with The Bombers is 151/250 and the Soriano manu patch looks great. I do wonder why they didn't use Yankees colors and added so much red to the patch.

     A couple of Mets manu patches finish off the grandness of this tremendous package. A Reyes to represent the NY Giants makes no sense to me but does look good. The Phil Seibel Sweet Beginnings  rookie manu is 0160 /1430. I am actually trying to get one of these from each team so if  anybody has any let me know and we can cook up a deal.

   There you have it, another killer trade with Dennis of Too Many Verlanders. If you have any Michigan alum to trade, he's your man and trust me it's always a good trade over there.

    Check out my Pack Rip Cafe today for some 2007 Fleer fun. I just past 50 followers over there and would love to see that number grow.

     I'm out of here for now, keep rocking your cardboard dreams people.

Thanks For Reading!



If I Had To Only Pick One...

     Hello all.  As you may or may not know, All Trade Bait, All The Time is holding a fun contest to celebrate 10,000 hits and today he asks:

  If you were limited to focusing and collecting only one aspect of cards, what would it be?

   Now first off, I have to say I am very happy that this is not the case as one of my favorite parts of collecting is the variety of my collection. Some days I am in the mood to chase Mets cards other days I run with my non Mets players collections  and let's not forget the Jets, Saints, and Giants spurts I go through. Relics are always fun for me and my American Flag cards have really picked up as of late. There are so many other genres I like as well so I guess what I am saying is variety is what drives my collection and passion for the hobby.
   For the sake of the contest question I will play along and probably have to go with my NY Mets collection. The Mets are of course my favorite team and if I had to narrow down to only collecting one thing,  the Mets at least  could still offer some variety mixed in. Autos, relics, and serial numbered would most likely be my main focus but team sets, RC's, parallels, and Mets players would continue the variety that I enjoy so much.

   Let's just say I am glad I am not limited in the range of my collection and look forward to continuing on the many tangents of the hobby.

   Head on over and answer the question yourself, I look forward to reading the other responses.

Keep rocking your cardboard dreams!

Thanks for Reading!

A Quick Trade and Some E-Bay Scores

   Hello all. I have some cards to show off for you today. First up is a hit and run trade with Colbey over at Cardboard Collections. He has been on a roll lately with some good pulls and one of his latest was a cool Archives Oscar Ganble auto card.

    I commented on my admiration for the card and my positive opinion of the Archives auto checklist since they went with a very cool group of players from the past. The man they call Fly Wheels (Colbey) shot me an e-mail saying that I could trade for the card and he really hoped I could find a Terry Pendleton or Sid Bream auto from '12 Archives if I happen to come across one. Well I did come across a Sid Bream sitting in the box of Archives I opened when it came out. I set it aside and forgot about it til Colbey jogged my memory so the trade was on and done just like that. Thanks Colbey!

     Next up I have a few E-Bay wins.

   A couple of 2010 Topps Finest Letter Patch autos. The Tobi Stoner is 037/217 and leaves me just needing the "E" /217 to complete the name. The Thole is a refractor 67/75.

   Along the Manu-Patch line I found a seller with a bunch with a nice combined shipping deal and I ended up winning these.

    I know some folks out in Blogoland don't care for the manu-patch cards but I am definitely a fan and with a group of players like this I couldn't go wrong. I lost a Hank Aaron and a Tom Seaver but walked away winning the Carter, Jackson, Mariano, and 2 Schmidt's. They really look sharp, especially the number ones.

   Lastly on the E-Bay side was a couple of cards for my "American Flag" collection.

 These are 1954 Topps Scoop cards. The set was mimicked after newspaper headlines and were actually smaller then the standard size cards. The card on the right has been well loved while the left card is in decent shape for a 58 year old card.

The backs show the headline that the front art depicts. you can see the difference in size from the standard card size. There are a few others in the set that show American Flags so I am on the hunt for those next.


That will do it for now. Keep rocking your cardboard dreams!

Thanks for Reading!

He May Be A Dimwit But He Can Sure Trade Well!

  Hello all. A long overdue trade post for you today. It was back in May when I received a few e-mails from Sam of The Daily Dimwit fame inquiring about a Thurman Munson bat card that I pulled from a 2011 pack of Gypsy Queen over on The Pack Rip Cafe some time back. Now at this point in time I was contemplating my return to Blogoland after a 9 month hiatus but hadn't gotten the ball rolling yet. Sam did just that and this trade really got me back in the game.
  Now normally I wouldn't trade a Munson relic as he is one of my all time favorite Yankees (sounds funny coming from a Mets fan, doesn't it) and a great player but when Sam explained his quest to complete the relic set from 2011 Gypsy Queen and offered some pretty cool cards I figured I should help him out. After I dusted off some boxes and found the card, Sam and I began expanding the trade as we always do and it became another big one with some Astros heading his way. He basically finished my 2012 Gypsy Queen base set for me along with several variations and inserts too. Also involved were some other awesome cards.
 

   These were tucked in the box. The two Jeters are my favorite of them.

   A bunch of GQ minis from this year and even a few from last years set. The 2011 Tex is /99 like the 2012 Jeter.

   All these are serial numbered. That Palmer Museum Collection is a great looking card.

    Sam didn't have much in the way of Mets but he made up with some great Yankees hits. The Wang was a big card a few years back before his injury. I love the UD Black transparent auto cards and the Noesi is a sharp lookin auto.

   These are my favorite 3 from the lot of many spectacular cards. I really like the Museum Collection set this year and the quad relic is no exception. Cano's swatch is still dirty. The Nickeas is my first hit from him while a Mariano is never a bad card to get. A nice stitch line across the swatch adds a little extra cool factor.

   If you never traded with Sam, you need to head on over and work out a deal with him, he never disappoints plus he runs a good group break too. Thanks Sam, you got my juices flowing again and as usual we made a great trade.

New post on The Pack Rip Cafe today so go look and follow if you don't already please.

That's all for now. Keep rocking your cardboard dreams!


  

Thanks For Reading!

So I Tried A Box Of Ginter With A Friend Today..........

Hello all,
   My plan was to do a trade post tonight as I have a few to get too including 2 big ones from The Daily Dimwit and Too Many Verlanders but the events from the day will delay them as  I finally had some free time today so I headed down to my LCS. I ran into another regular, Zack, who frequents the shop and we decided to split a box of Allen and Ginter. We have split boxes before and we always have fun and usually have decent luck together so why not. He is a big rookie card guy and I like the inserts and minis so we were in good shape to share the cards and we agreed to split the hits fairly and if we got a "big" one we sell it and split the profit. The N43 Box topper was a good start being a Tony Gwynn. Zack knows I collect him so graciously deferred it to me right away and I in turn gave him first grab at a good rookie card. Well all was going well and we set aside the packs that we saw the hits in til the end. That's the good thing with the Ginters as you can see the black frames without spoiling the surprise and save them til the end. My pile had 2 of the 3 hits, a Bobby Knight relic and a Hank Haney relic. I got the Knight and Zack grabbed the Haney, we were both happy with that. Now his pile had one hit so we would have to work out a fair deal to see who got it unless.............................................
.
.
.
.

    It is a "big'one!!!!!!!

    SWEET!!!
   A Roger Federer framed mini autograph! After high fives were exchanged with each other and John who runs the shop we both agreed to SELL. I have already listed it on E-Bay and am hoping for the best.

    Needless to say, I am happy with the 2012 Ginter and will probably do a box on my own next time I hit the LCS.


That's all for now. Keep Rocking your Cardboard dreams!

Thanks For Reading!

All Trade Bait, All The Time, All 10,000 Hits, All The Contest Info

   Hello all. Another contest to promote over at All Trade Bait, All The Time to celebrate a great milestone, 10,000 hits. He has some very cool cards to give away to mark the accomplishment and thank his followers so go check it out.
    After you enter over there, check out Just A Bit Outside for a group break that will yield at least 19 hits across 4 awesome boxes. Some great teams still left so go on and get in.

Thanks For Reading! 

Contest Over At The Angels In Order! A Fun Break Promo Too For JABOs.

     Busy, Busy, Busy here, regular posting to resume soon I hope. A quick note to direct you to a contest out there. The Angels, In Order is giving away some cool swag and in 5 easy steps you can throw your hat int the ring for a chance to grab some cool cards. Head on over and check it out.

    On a different front, there is a sweet break over on Just A Bit Outside. 19 hit spread over some great boxes makes this a real good deal, check it out.

Thanks For Reading!

Let's Help Out That Sweater Guy!

Hello all,
    A quick note to help out a fellow blogger and great trade partner Greg over at Plaschky Thy Sweater Is Argyle. He is in the running for a Sandy Koufax auto card and needs your votes to win it. If you like his spot out in Blogoland you got to go help him out, if you like my blogs do me a favor and help him out, If you are a Dodger fan go help another true blue Dodger fan out, if you like warm chocolate chip cookies, go help him out, oh hell just go vote for him even if you hate the world and could care less, just go vote for Gregory Zakwin, the dedicated Dodgers fan HERE. He really is a cool dude who deserves to win the card.

Thanks for Reading!

Contest Over At Drew's Place! He's Blogging 1000!

  Hey gang, a quick note to let you know that Drews Cards is holding a contest to celebrate his 1000th post. Wow, that's a lot of posts, congrats Drew! Head on over, he has some great prizes and fun questions to answer.

Thanks for Reading!

Autographed Baseballs Post ala Fuji

    Hello all. Today I answer one of the great Mr. Fuji contest  questions on his latest subject, autographed baseballs. 

 Do you have autographed balls in your collection? If so, do you have a favorite? Why is it special?

   It just so happens I do. I actually have several signed balls in my collection with a Mets theme of course. I have 2 that were obtained from dealers of two Mets superstars, one past and one present.

     As for the present, yes that is a David Wright signature. You say what happened to the ball, why is it all dirty, did you play with it. No I didn't, David Wright did, it's a game used baseball from the last season at Shea Stadium.

     Official Major League baseball. I forgot to photo the other side where the Shea Stadium final season logo is.

My friend John from my LCS gave this to me as thanks for some work I did for the store and it was the best payment I ever received for some side work, especially when I wasn't charging him anyway.

As for the past......

Yup, Tom Seaver HOF inscribed beauty.

   John strikes again. A gift from his personal collection. John is a Yankees fan but not a Mets hater so he can appreciate Tom Terrific's place in Mets history but he really is not a fan of his so he felt it better to give this awesome ball he got from one of those mystery ball boxes to true Met fan where it will be well cared for and he couldn't be more right. (That's a long sentence) Do you see the trend, I don't buy auto balls but these two gifts fit right in my collection. 

     You might think they are my favorites but actually not. As you my or may not remember, I used to be in charge of all the field maintenance at my local little league complex. They have 18 acres (14 or so workable) that contain 7 baseball and 2 softball fields and I was the lucky volunteer who got to oversee the upkeep of the facility. A few years back the NY Mets contacted us about hosting their annual summer camps for baseball instruction for kids. It was great for us to make a few bucks for the fields and it was great for the community to have the opportunity to get some quality instruction from professionals. The big reward was at the end of the week they would have a few ballplayers come down and work with the kids, have lunch and sign balls for them. Usually a retired player and a couple of rookies would show up. I have a George Foster ball and Mookie Wilson ball from one year along with a few other lesser players that came through. My favorite ball comes from one week where a great retired player , a middle reliever, and an just getting going rookie showed up.

    David Wright, Dan Wheeler, and Ed Kranepool. Holy Cow! Now Ed Kranepool is a legend around Metland, Wheeler was a relatively new addition to the team and this Wright kid was a hot rookie just getting going. They all couldn't be nicer and really helped the kids a lot. I had a half hour conversation with Ed Kranepool in the kitchen of the concession stand with a few other league officers where he told some great stories of his time on the Mets then later on Dan Wheeler gave me some excellent tips and drills for my young pitchers on the teams I coached at the time. As for David Wright, he was the coolest ballplayer I have ever met and this is before he became the superstar he is today. After working with the kids, having lunch with them, and signing many balls so every single kid got one, as they all did, he then proceeded to start a pick up game on one of our two major league sized fields with my staff and some of the parents and of course he played third base. He was an absolute blast and even signed a box of a dozen balls in between innings for us to raffle off to raise money for the league. I had to ask for a personal one, all my donated time to the league had to get me some perks after all. I got all three to sign but have since learned a valuable lesson. Balls and pens make a difference. I only had little league balls and regular pens so this was the result after some time.

While the Wright stayed pretty good, the Dan Wheeler faded the worst.

The Ed Kranepool is only a little better now. I guess I got lucky with the pen David Wright used.

  I also got all three to sign one of their Mets Acadamy balls, bad pen on shiny ball didnt work to well but it does look better then these pictures show.

   Over all these are my favorite balls as the experience I had when I got them was as the commercial says, "priceless".

    There you go, another Fuji question and answer.

That's all I have for tonight, keep rocking your cardboard (and auto ball) dreams.

Thanks for Reading!