Featured autograph - Miguel Sano

I picked up a 2013 Onyx Platinum Prospects Triple Threat autographed card for $5 - watching Sano hit is fun and hopefully there is no sophomore slump suffered by this imposing young slugger.

Featured autographs - J.O. Berrios

I picked up a couple of autographs featuring the top pitching prospect [currently #20 among MLB.com's Top 100] from the Minnesota Twins - I'm looking to hold onto these cards for at least the next few years and at least not have to worry about getting Berrios' autograph if he turns out to be a pitching star.

1969 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez #653

I picked this card up for about a dollar as another vintage card 'curiosity' to put away - I've never really considered owning the card, but I've seen over the years, so I wondered if I could randomly add a copy of the 'quirky, oddball' card to my collection.

I probably first learned of the uncorrected error card picturing the California Angels' bat boy in this early 1980s book - I bought the actual book years ago when it was finally discarded and I decided to dig it out for a photo op with the actual card.

Featured autograph - Laffit Pincay

I picked up this 2013 Panini Golden Age Historic autograph card of jockey legend Laffit Pincay for about $3 - I remember when a buddy would tell me about going out for Pincay's autograph and I'd be rolling my eyes because I didn't see him as a mainstream athlete.

Years later, I may still be in the dark as far as learning about Pincay's career accomplishments as a jockey - however his autograph is sure pretty nice and the card maybe a hidden gem [not that it's going to be worth more than what I paid].

1973 O-Pee-Chee Pat Corrales #542

I've heard about this card is passing, though perhaps it was a comment from a Night Owl Cards blog post that gave me a new perspective on the card - the comment links to a YouTube upload of a Ferguson Jenkins documentary where the actual play at the plate happens, with Jenkins being the incoming baserunner who runs over Corrales.

A copy of the card may not make or break a 21st century card collection, but for about a dollar, it's a nice vintage card 'curiosity' to put away - I actually picked up the OPC version because I've always perceived the thinner card stock to be a little cleaner than the thicker, dingier Topps version.

Featured autograph - Mike Scott

I picked a certified autograph of the former Houston Astros pitcher and 1986 National League Cy Young Award winner for $4 - I knew Scott mostly as a junk wax guy, but the pitcher had a five-year run as an ace quality pitcher with the Astros in the mid 1980s before injuries presumably led to his retirement.

Award winner adds - Rookies of the Year

2011 TRISTAR Obak Autographs Red Don Schwall #A40 - I picked up a certified autograph of the 1961 American League ROY with the Boston Red Sox.

Maybe the bat swatch looks kind of blemished, but for about $3 - I grabbed this otherwise nice looking relic card of the 1962 American League ROY.

1970 Topps Expos Rookie Stars Garry Jestadt/Carl Morton #109 - Morton was the 1970 National League ROY and this card was the last, impulsive 'BF' pick-up with whatever funds I had left [maybe about $0.77] to spend before I was going to have my stash shipped.

I actually have a 1977 Topps card card of Morton, but it pictures him on the Atlanta Braves - so that kind of doesn't count.

1974 Topps Gary Matthews #386 - I have a random in-person autographed 1987 Fleer card but pictures Matthews in a Chicago Cubs uniform.

I wanted a team appropriate card close to Matthews' 1973 National League ROY season with the San Francisco Giants - the bonus with this $0.40 pick-up is the nice horizontal action image of Matthews sliding into third base [with the third baseman and third base coach pictured].

Dave Parker game-used material card

I've got some Parker cards in hand though not one picturing him in his prime with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team he won the National League MVP with in 1978 - to fill a hole in my award winners collection, I picked up a Parker 2012 Panini Golden Age Museum Age Authentic Collection material card for $2.

I was really looking for an autograph card but couldn't decide on the cards available - the color of the material caught my eye and I'd like to make believe the swatch was taken from something Parker wore in a game when he was a Pirate.

Featured autograph - Marty Marion

2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Autographs Marty Marion #GBA-MM - I picked up a certified autograph card of the 1944 National League MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals for $7 and change.

Award winner adds - pre-war MVPs

2013 Panini Cooperstown Collection Red Crystal Shard Jim Bottomley #29 [$0.62] - serial #'d 184/399; he was the 1928 National League MVP

For my award winners collection, I'm trying to hunt down the cards of guys who won MVP awards before WWII - players from the era might be a 'special focus' because I have to be more creative in looking for suitable cards for my collection.

I'm not likely picking up original trading cards from when these players were alive and playing professional baseball - reprint and retro sets seem to be my bets to find the cards that fills holes in my collection, though I still want to get a little picky.

2010 Topps Tribute Dizzy Dean #46 [$0.55] - he was 1934 National League MVP

2013 Panini Cooperstown Collection Red Crystal Shard Carl Hubbell #41 [$0.50] - serial #'d 356/399; he was the 1933 National League MVP

2012 Panini Cooperstown Red Crystal Collection Joe Medwick #88 [$0.87] - serial #'d 372/399; he was the 1937 National League MVP

Featured autograph - Terry Forster

Besides being a professional baseball player, Forster had his 15 minutes of fame back in the mid 1980's - when he was called a 'tub of goo' by David Letterman.

The lefty spent his last MLB season with the Angels in 1986, getting into 41 games with 41 innings pitched - I was able to pick up this certified autograph card for my all-time Angels autograph collection for about $2 and it's another scribble I don't have to worry about picking up.

Featured autograph - Dave Kingman

The notorious 'all-or-nothing' slugger played all of 10 games as an Angel in 1977 - but it's kind of fun to dig around for the obscure one-time Angels, especially when I'm looking to add more subjects to my all-time Angels autograph collection.

While he signs through the mail for a small fee [$10], TTM isn't a thing for me at the moment - so I grabbed this certified autograph card for about $3.

For the extremes Kingman represented as a big league ballplayer, he might have been considered a cult favorite of sorts, though learning bits and pieces about his MLB career - I can't get past the idea that he once mailed a live rat to a female reporter as some sort of neanderthal protest against women covering MLB baseball towards the tail end of his playing career.

Featured autograph - Shane Victorino

I don't know what Victorino was doing in an Angels uniform in 2015 but he appeared in 34 games and had 84 official at-bats with the team - I picked up this 2015 Donruss insert for $4 because I just needed the most random of Victorino autograph cards to put in my all-time Angels autograph collection.

Because Panini baseball products are not licensed by Major League Baseball - maybe it's a more suitable card for my collection than a comparable card plastered with another MLB team's logo, whether it's on the player's image and/or somewhere on the card.

Featured autograph - Vida Blue

I wanted at least one certified autograph card of Blue to represent one of the two MLB awards he won in 1971 - this $3 card goes into my MVP collection, while I have a 2002 Topps Archives card [a reprint of his 1971 Topps card] for my Cy Young Award collection.

I remember tagging along with a friend to a golf tournament 10-15 years where Blue was appearing along with others like Bobby Bonds [former Angel, since passed away] and Gene Mauch [former Angels manager, since passed away] - unfortunately I had no concept of getting Blue, Bonds or Mauch on anything specific [like getting a card signed to fill a card project], so the best I got Blue and Bonds on was a program with a bunch of other random autographs.

I figured picking up a certified Blue autograph would be the easiest if I wanted a signed card - Blue still signs through the mail for $10, though I didn't want to bother putting together a TTM request I'd have to wait for.

Featured autograph - Steve Stone

I picked up a 2005 Donruss Leather & Lumber Lumber Cuts Stone for $3 - I've known him mostly as the long time TV color guy with the Chicago Cubs and also the Chicago White Sox, not really as a MLB pitcher who was awarded the 1980 American League Cy Young as a Baltimore Orioles pitcher.

I would have never thought about picking up a card like this but I've been trying to add some wrinkles here and there for my award winners collection - maybe chase down the occasional certified autograph and/or memorabilia card for more of the rank-and-file guys as opposed to the more notable award winners [who command a premium for their better autograph / memorabilia cards].

I do remember getting a random card signed by Stone in-person years ago - he was signing with some pen [either ballpoint or some weak pen that wasn't a Sharpie] that didn't stick to the card surface at all.

I also saw him sign randomly at some other point, maybe four or five years ago - though I never bothered to get him to sign a specific card.

Featured autograph - Andrelton Simmons

I was looking to add a Simmons autograph for my all-time Angels collection since the team traded for him last month - I picked up this certified autograph along with about 21 other miscellaneous cards during a Black Friday promotion at my current 'LCS' in Redmond, Washington COMC.

Compared to the other cards I was looking at, it seems like Simmons used a thicker, bolder pen to autograph this card - I think Topps uses a Lumocolor pen for their autograph signings, but the thickness of the ink would lead to think a Sharpie was used instead.

I was on vacation with my parents overseas when I learned about the news of Simmons' acquisition - I didn't expect the Angels to trade their No. 1 prospect Sean Newcomb [along with fellow prospect Chris Ellis, long-time Angels shortstop Erick Aybar and cash] for Simmons and a minor leaguer, but Simmons is regarded as the best defensive shortstop in all of Major League Baseball.

I was looking forward to seeing Newcomb as the next young arm to come through the minors for the Angels - but for all the plays he makes at shortstop, Simmons just has to hit a little bit more to really fit the profile of a star shortstop an MLB team can build around.

Panini Black Friday pack recaps

Pack one
#15 Albert Pujols - we all are waiting to see where he'll end up, how much he'll be getting paid and for how many years.

#201 Terrelle Pryor - serial #'d 173/199 - this one looks like a card from 2011 Donruss Elite; I'm vaguely aware Pryor as more of a 'project,' considering how his college career at Ohio St. ended and how he profiles more as an athlete than quarterback; needless to say he is now Cam Newton...

Pack two
#18 Matt Kemp - the typical modern day metrosexual baseball player exemplified on a trading card.

I didn't pull anything special in these two-card packs, given as promotional items when I made a Black Friday box purchase at a local card shop - I didn't realize Panini inserted cards of baseball players in these packs, giving baseball cards collectors a sneak peek of what the cards look like out of their non-MLB [but MLBPA] licensed baseball product.

NNO Terrelle Pryor - this one looks like a subset card from Playoff Prestige.