2010 Topps Chrome Blaster

Yo ho ho!

The perfect companion for Gint-A-Cuffs:

1995 Fleer Ultra Reboot...WTF!?!?

Nothing says cards quite like mid-'90s Canadian CGI cartoons.  With a little help from Wikipedia, here are the cards I got:

Admiral Matrix - AKA Dot Matrix - Originally owned a local diner and many other "businesses" (as seen at the end of one episode in the first season). Took over as COMMAND.COM in the third season.

Evil Clutches - AKA Megabyte - A "command and conquer, and infectious" computer virus, and the series' main villain. He is the opposite of Hexadecimal, and is an "Order Virus." Once came from the virus known as Killabyte. When merging with his sister Hexadecimal, they form an even more powerful virus called Gigabyte. Has an English accent.

Armor Pile - Part of the game Castles & Knights within the Mainframe world.

Hyper Activity - AKA Enzo Matrix - Dot's younger brother who idolized Bob as a hero, later grows up to become the renegade simply known as Matrix. In keeping with the computer theme of the show, "ENZO" is an acronym of four common computer processor status register flags, (E)nable Interrupt + (N)egative + (Z)ero + (O)verflow.

Checklist 2 - Showing the whole crew!

Terrible Twosome - AKA Hack and Slash - The two most commonly seen Henchmen in Megabyte's employ. Neither of them is very good at problem solving. During the 3rd season they switched sides and joined the COMMAND.COM side of Mainframe.

The over-the-top use of computer words is painful.  I have no idea wtf this crap is.  Mid-'90s Fleer Ultra was supposed to be cool, I thought. 

 
Even Canadians are dissappointed in Canadians for that acid trip of a show.

Seadogs and scalawags beware...

...for fierce wars are here for wagin'.  Present ye arms for battle and to the victor, aye, he gets the treasure, matey!  But stead fast and tread lightly, Davey Jones' locker holds many a surprise...RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!

Another Trade with BA Benny

I'm always amazed that BA Benny can find stuff for me.  As a player collector, I accept the fact aht I will liekly have more to send than there will be to receive, especially when trading with someone who collects multiple baseball teams, multiple football teams, and multiple players. BA Benny, however, always seems to fill a bubble mailer to the brim with goodies.  I usually have a pile going for him at all times, and when it reaches a reasonable size, or when I'm sending out other packages, I pack it up and ship it out.  He hit on my David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, BJ Upton, and Justin Upton player collections.  Here are the highlights from a team bag-full:

 There were also a couple of former Hokie footballers, including one with a VT uni:

Oh yeah, can't forget the gem of the trade:

 Thanks, again, Mike!

On a funny note, he also included a card of Jordan Zimmermann.  Close...same team and almost same last name, but different position.  Oh well.  That's not the first time that has happened to me, either.  I frequently get Jordan Zimmermann cards and Grady Sizemore cards.  At least I have a monopoly on the Upton name...safe either way.  



Gint-A-Cuffs: Go Sign Up

What are you waiting for.  Go here and sign up. 

LCbS pickups...get it while it's hot.

That's not a typo, I mean LCbS.  Local Comicbook Store.  They also have some cards.  I  had no intention of making any major purchase; I just didn't feel like going home after work yet.  The first card I picked up cost a whopping 10 cents. 

2003 Topps #3 Jimmy Rollins

I think this may be the first time I paid 10 cents for a card and went through the trouble of scanning both sides.  Anyway, it's 2003 Topps #3, which filled a need in my Topps #3 collection. I'm now up to 62%, not including the 4 I have in my Topps Diamond Giveaway account.  I also went through the bargain relic/auto box.  The cost was $4 a relic and $5 an auto, and buy 3 get one free.  The price is pretty reasonable considering the selection in the box.  I would say 30% of the cards were worth the $4/$5 or more, which is better than most LCS's do.  After digging through the box, my pile stood at 10 cards.  Here comes the math part.  If they are buy 3 get one free, I want a multiple of 4. I didn't want to go up to 12, so I went down to 8.  Then, I factored in the amount of money I had to spend.  After the Rollins card, I had spent 10 cents more than I had available.  For those of you who aren't mathemagicians, that means I had $0 to spend when I walked through the door.  As such, I narrowed it down to 4 cards.  I can hide a 4-card purchase from my wife (starting to understand the title of the blog, yet?).  Three of the cards were relics that caught my eye, and are available for trade.

2006 SP Legendary Cuts When it Was a Game Jersey Tony Gwynn #48/75
2005 Topps Pristine Legends Valuable Performance Bat Relic Robin Yount
2003 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Sweet Swatch Jersey Mike Piazza

The Gwynn sold me with the pinstripe and the numbering /75.  The foil has a refractive quality, too.  The Yount bat is just a cool card design.  The Piazza was a no brainer given the number of people that collect him or collect Mets.  The cool blue pinstripe doesn't hurt either.  The fourth card is one that I had to buy given recent events.  I hope this is a case of buy low sell high.  Mike Morse has absolutely been killing it lately, so I'm hoping to make a couple bucks off of this, or trade it for something decent if someone wants it.  I was pleasantly surprised to find this in the bargain bin:

2005 Leaf Certified Materials Next Generation Mike Morse RC Auto #380/499

Hopefully he can keep it up this season.  I've been meaning to put some trade bait up for quite some time now, and I hope to do it soon.  For now, these 4 cards are available.

Since I was then $13.10 in the hole for the LCbS trip, I went ahead and grabbed some packs, because, well, why not.  4 packs of 1999 Topps Finest Ser. 1, 1 pack of 2000 Justifiable, 1 pack of 2000 Vanguard.   All together, this trip cost me the price of a blaster.  I say that's a win.

new (card show) pickups

I hesitate to call it a card show, since it is usually just one guy.  Once a month, there are a few tables set up at the local mall for a memorabilia show.  There's typically only 3 guys...the card guy, the jersey guy, and the plaque guy.  This time, however, there were three card guys...ish.  The regular guy was there, and I picked up most of my cards from him, but, yet again, I didn't have my want lists with me, so it just ended up being PC guys.  I didn't buy anything from guy #2 because he had 1 5000 count box with no prices at all and one showcase with nothing good.  Guy #3...ish...had a 1000 count box of junk, a 60% off box (book value I assume), a 5000 count box of 10-cent crap and a box of "vintage" behind the table.  I ended up getting 2 cards from him for 50 cents.  He tried to sell me a 1959 Don Drysdale that had paper loss from the picture circle, severely rounded corners, and a crease down the middle.  I've got nothing against bad condition cards, but listen to his selling pitch: "This '59 Drysdale is a $100 card, but I'd go $15 for it."  I think, by definition, if he will sell the card for $15, that makes it a $15 card.   However, this card was not a $15 card.  It was a $1-box card.  Anyway, I digress.  Back to the cards I did get.  All of these for $4 wasn't bad for the day.

2003 Topps Series 2 Pack

I picked up a pack of 2003 Topps Series 2 at the LCS not too long ago...well, ok, it was quite a while ago...because I never opened any. 

1:
Matt Stairs,
Evel Bastida-Martinez Draft Pick,
Mark Grace,
Morgan Ensberg,
Frank Catalanotto,
John Olerud Gold Glove,
Brendan Donnelly,
Vance Wilson,
Armando Benitez,
Aaron Heilman and Jose Reyes Prospects

>>>Not quite epic, not quite epic fail.  The Reyes card is probably the highlight, unless you happen to be an Evil Bastard Martinez superfan...oh wait, I misspelled that, its Evel Bastida-Martinez.  Just for the record.  John Olerud is the man.  He is the ultimate underrated player. 
 

The greatest shoes ever created

The way my office at work is set up, my desk faces the doorway.  My two large computer monitors make it such that the only way someone can tell I am at my desk is by looking for my feet.  Today, those people get a special surprise, because I am wearing the greatest shoes ever created.  I haven't worn my Converse All-Stars in a couple of years.  I finally busted my Chucks back out.  Everytime I wear them, I fall in love with them all over again.  Get your imitation crap out of here.  If the logo doesn't say Chuck Taylor, you're just kidding yourself. 

I don't always wear shoes, but when I do, I prefer Chuck Taylor's.

Trade with 20youksox

I recently hit up 20youksox of The Pack Prodigy with a Youkilis Auto that I wanted to get to him.  When someone collects a player like he does, and a rare card of that player shows up, it makes you want to get them the card so it will have a good home.  I really wasn't concerned with getting much in return, which, as usual, resulted in me recieving a sweet package.  First, he knocked a bunch of cards off my 2009 Allen & Ginter list, including these:

That leaves me 10 base, 7 SP, 1 National Pride, and 1 Highlights Sketch away from my goal.  If you have any of those to trade, please let me know.  I would love to finish the 2009 set before the 2011 set arrives next month.  I will trade at a premium for these!  Also in the package were some great PC cards:



A Justin Upton RC that had eluded me until now, and a nice refractor.



A sweet David Wright relic from 2010 A&G.
The colors on this work on so many levels.

While the Wright relic is awesome, my two favorite cards fom the trade are these:

2004 Topps BJ Upton Prospects (w/Delmon Young)
and a killer 2008 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor #072/150

The beauty of the blue refractor isn't justified by that scan.  It is just incredible in person.

Thanks, again, 20youksox, for the great trade!

1956 Topps #3: Elmer Valo eBipped me.

What's not to love about this '56 Elmer Valo.  He's got the standard odd look, a sweet background picture, and a great comic on the back.  This is my second '50s Topps #3.  Of the cards I have left to get, the '65 AL Home Run leaders is the only card after the '50s that should be tough to get.  I've placed low bids on a couple, with no success, but I'm trying to get it for less than $10.  With Boog Powell, Harmon Killebrew, and Mickey Mantle on it, it won't be easy.  

Apparently the eBay seller decided to eBip me:

Well played.

2 Packs of 2002 Topps Series 1

I picked these up at the LCS a while back mainly because I didn't own any 2002 Topps.  I didn't really start collecting again until David Wright cards became the norm in 2005. 


2002 Topps Series 1



Pack 1:
Richie Sexson,
Boof Bonser Prospect,
Freddy Sanchez Prospect,
Mike Piazza Hobby Masters (1:25 packs),

Mike Bordick,
CC Sabathia,

Albert Pujols,

Einar Diaz,

Manny Ramirez,

Byung-Hyun Kim,

Rickey Henderson Season Highlight Career Walks Record

>>> Very happy with that pack.  Two really good Rookie Cuppers, a shinyish Rickey and a sweet Piazza insert. Is it just me, or is every Boof Bonser card a prospect card. 

Pack 2:

Adrian Beltre,

Mark Grace,

Michael Barrett,

Jason Bay Prospect,

East Meets West Masato Yoshii and Masanori Murakami (1:24 packs),

Eddie Taubensee,

Larry Bowa MGR,

Andy Ashby,

Frank Catalanotto,

Carlos Febles

>>>Not bad.  The Bay RC is pretty cool and the insert is pretty sharp. 

Well, that was a fun foray into a set I never ripped a pack of.

1963 Topps #3: Taking down a giant

I managed to get a great deal on this beauty of a Topps #3.  It's amazing to me that this card was so reasonable to find considering it is 5-for-5 for HOFers. I love the floating heads. 

A pair of crappy college basketball packs

Since the basketball season is over, I might as well post these two packs I've had for a while.

First up, 2006 Press Pass Basketball

I've opened a pack before, to not much success aside from a psychadelic insert of Adam Morrison, which I equate with not much success.

Adam Morrison,
Shelden Williams,
Charlie Villanueva Rookie Review Blue Foil,
Kevin Pittsnogle Old School

>>> 4 cards, 6 eyebrows (sorry Charlie, I had to).  I didn't have the heart to scan another Morrison card...or the stomach.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, though, the Old School cards are sweet.  Unfortunately it is a WVU Mountaineer that I gave to my mentor at work who is a big WVU fan.

Pack 2 is 2004-05 Sage Hit Basketball

Herve Lamizana,
>>> Who?
Tim Pickett,
>>> ummm, who?
Shaun Livingston Q&A,
>>> Ok, a little better, at least now we're in the NBA.
Devin Harris,
>>> Nice, an upper level NBAer
Diana Taurasi Lottery Pick 1st Overall
>>> Wow, the best card in the pack is a womanish looking person.  So appropriate with my post about the season being over.  This is further proof that the WNBA doesn't matter:  On the back of Taurasi's card, they list the top 13 draft picks...for the NBA!

Question for my readers:
 
How many WNBA games will you be watching this year?

1975 Topps #3: Bob Gibson Highlight

Yet another #3 checked off the list:

Some Topps Series 2 for good measure

I'm not trying to finish the Topps flagship set like most people, but I always tend to pick up a few packs here or there because, well, it's Topps flagship.  At Wal-Mart the other day, I picked up a retail pack, a rack pack, and a hanger box.  I already showed of the not sparkle I got. Here is most of everything else:

Why not start with base cards...I picked the third retail pack from the top, the third rack pack back, and the third hanger box.  In honor of that, Topps decided I should get the same 3 base cards in the same order in all three packs:

At this point you should be thinking, "wow, if he really noticed the base cards, the rest of the stuff must not have been very exciting."  You would pretty much be right.

The inserts were unspectacular, including double Matt Hollidays.  I love the look of the Dimond Stars set, but really...a double...that's not easy to do.   My special Wal-Mart card for the hanger pack was Adrian Beltre.  In Series 1, I got a Jackie Robinson...we'll call the Beltre a little dissappointing.

Ah, yes, Greinke times 3.  At least one of them is different.  My three parallels pretty much stunk.  At least the Kimballs minis are nice. 

My two diamond giveaway codes revealed these:

1983 Topps #53 Mike Witt

Not too impressive there.  Sure, it's better than an '87...but isn't really knocking my socks off. 

1983 Topps #321 Brewers Leaders (Yount/Vuckovich)

Well, it's another '83, but at least this time there is a HOFer.  The .331 average shown for 1982 helped Yount earn unanimous AL MVP honors.  Any guy that has a lemonade named after him is okay in my book.  100% Rockin'.

Seriously...finding that site made buying these cards worth it.

I also got these two guys for the PC, which was nice:

Everything is for trade...except the Verlander and Upton, of course. 

Burdick Collect 2.0

This is based on the famous Barack Obama Hope image.  Not bad for Microsoft Paint.

One month until 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter!

We're roughly a month away from 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter, and I'm starting to get excited.  I've got 3 boxes ordered, so this will be my one big set of the year.  It's by far the most I have ever spent on cards in one fell swoop.  I built up the funds in an eBay selling binge, so I'm not too worried about it.  One of those boxes will be reserved for 2011 Gint-A-Cuffs, which I'm greatly looking forward to.  As a spectator for Gint-a-Cuffs since its inception, I'm pumped that I will finally be participating.  I am also honored that my banner design was selected for the Gint-A-Cuffs site.  Mark has done an outstanding job with Gint-A-Cuffs in the past, and this year looks to be no different.  Topps is already on-board as a sponsor.

I figure now is a great time to put together my master wish list for 2011 Topps A&G.

For reference, I'm using the checklist on  http://www.sportscardradio.com/.

Base:

   1-350

   128 Michael Cuddyer

   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Mini:
   128 Michael Cuddyer
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Mini A&G Back:
   128 Michael Cuddyer
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Mini Black Border:
   128 Michael Cuddyer
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Mini No Number:
   128 Michael Cuddyer
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Mini Bazooka Back #/25:
   128 Michael Cuddyer
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Mini Wood #/1:
   128 Michael Cuddyer
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Framed Printing Plates (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) #/1:
   128 Michael Cuddyer
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   236 BJ Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Framed Cloth #/10:
   160 David Wright
   185 Justin Upton
   275 Justin Verlander
   321 Mark Reynolds
   340 Ryan Zimmerman

Framed Autograph:

   AGA-JMC John McEnroe

   AGA-JU Justin Upton

Framed Relic:

   AGR-JU Justin Upton

   AGR-MR Mark Reynolds

   AGR-RZ Ryan Zimmerman

   AGR-BJU BJ Upton

   AGR-JMC John McEnroe

   AGR-JVE Justin Verlander

Book Cards #/1:   AGBC-6 David Wright/Ryan Zimmerman

Rip Cards:
   RC16 David Wright
   RC29 Ryan Zimmerman
   RC42 Justin Upton
   RC49 Justin Verlander

Red Autograph #/10:
   AGA-JMC John McEnroe
   AGA-JU Justin Upton

Mini Exclusives:
   363 Justin Upton
   374 Ryan Zimmerman
   399 David Wright

Mini Wood Exclusives #/1:
   363 Justin Upton

   374 Ryan Zimmerman

   399 David Wright

Uninvited Guests:

   UG7 Alcatraz

Floating Fortresses:

   FF9 USS Merrimac

   FF10 USS Monitor

Minds that Made the Future:
   MMF1-MMF40

Hometown Heroes:
   HH David Wright
   HH Justin Verlander
   HH Justin Upton

Ascent of Man:
   AOM1-AOM30

Highlight Sketches:
   BHS1-BHS25
   BHS21 David Wright

N43 Box Loader:
   N43-DW David Wright

US Relic Box Loader #/50:
   Virginia

Hopefully my 3 boxes will have all that...

Yeah, I really don't plan on completing this list.  Pretty much everything I get that isn't on this list will be up for trade...you know...a month from now when A&G finally comes out. 

In summary, aside from the base set and PC goals, I plan to complete the Ascent of Man set, the Minds that Made the Future set, and the Highlight Sketches set.  I also want the Alcatraz card (I visited there recently), the USS Monitor and USS Merrimac cards (I regularly drive through the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel), the Virginia Box Loader Relic (duh.), and the John McEnroe Auto and Relic (I've met him and gotten his autograph before).

Besides the base set and your usual PC goals, what would you put on your wishlist for 2011 Allen & Ginter?

1974 Topps #3: Hank times 4

This wasn't a huge card, but a '74 Hank Aaron special is always nice to pick up.  My Topps #3 collection is slowly coming together.

1991-92 Pro Set Les Cartes Des Pros Du Hockey Serie I Edition Francaise

FINALLY, the last two packs of the Kmart holiday box that I am sure everyone is sick of.  I think I have to be close to a record for most posts out of a $4 box.  Anyway, the last few packs are 1991-92 Pro Set Hockey, French Edition.  I don't know any French, so I will keep my commentary to a minimum.

Pack 1:
Ed Olczyk,
Gary Suter,
Derek King,
Ulf Dahlen,
Vincent Damphousse,
Mike Vernon All-Star,
Robert Kron,
Craig Simpson,
Adam Graves,
Chris Chelios,
Dave Ellet,
Tony Hrkac,
John MacLean,
Patrick Roy All-Star,
Bobby Smith

>>> Well, my hockey-ignorant self recognized Patrick Roy, and a bunch of names I vaguely associate with NHL '94 for Sega Genesis, aka the only good hockey game ever made.

Pack 2:
Russ Courtnall,
Todd Gill,
Michal Pivonka,
Phil Housley,
Gino Cavallini,
Zarley Zalapski,
Kevin Hatcher All-Star,
Adam Creighton,
Petr Nedved,
Trevor Linden,
Craig Coxe,
Match-benefice Ace Bailey,
Ray Bourque Trophee Commemoratif James Norris,
Al Iafrate,
Dirk Graham Trophee Frank J. Selke

>>> Totally naming my first kid Zarley.  If your first name is Dirk and your last name is not Nowitzki or Diggler, I don't know who you are.

I'm pretty certain I scanned some cards from the second pack, but I can't find the picture.  Fortunately they are hockey cards, so they're not important...but for the record, I would have scanned Hatcher, Bourque, and Iafrate.

Box. Done.