COMC mail #3 FIN - the rest of the mess

Mini-collection cards #1 - I'm sure there are other cards that look like Mike Jackson does on his 1975-76 Topps card, but I've wanted it for the past 2 or 3 years just because the giant afro he sports is symbolic a different era of pro sports, where it was big hair, facial hair for baseball guys, afros for many of the pro basketball players through the 1970s.

At some point last year, I was hunting for more oddball mini-collection adds and I found some Venezuelan Winter League cards - the card pictured shows a manager arguing with an umpire, so that added 'awesome action' is a nice touch on a type of card that wouldn't register in my mind.

I grabbed the 2020 Topps SP Photo Variation of Xander Bogaerts because I'd passed up another copy of the same card in-person and while not worth much - it's a nice picture where Bogaerts in a tux looks like he's at a party somewhere looking classy.

I grabbed the 2020 Topps SP Photo Variation of Rhys Hoskins because gum card images are harder to find - I always make them keepers regardless of player.

2007 Topps Chrome Mickey Mantle Story - I'm ambivalent over Mantle retro cards where they fairly plentiful and not that hard to find, but this particular insert has him playing the violin, so that's a fun card to add to my oddities collection.

Mini-collection cards #2 - I saw the 2019 Topps X Vlad Jr. “The Legend” Vladimir Guerrero Sr. off another card blogger's post and was inspired to grab one for inking it up collection; off the same set came the Lourdes Gurriel Sr. card, which ended up being a keeper for my bloodlines collection because he was a Cuban baseball legend who is the father of two big leaguers in Yuli and Lourdes.

More Venezuelan Winter League cards, featuring guys inking it up this time around - it's always nice to have a little change of pace, when my collections consist of mainstream branded MLB cards.

The last oddball card was a 1984 7-Up Chicago Cubs team issue of Tim Stoddard - it may have been a misfit purchase, but I've had on my mind as a 'bonus baby' card since Ryne Sandberg is supposedly the player lurking in the background.

Go figure, I end up finding a complete set, with Stoddard and all at a card show and paid $4 for the entire set - I might have grabbed the Stoddard for about $0.65.

Pitchers hitting photo variations - for potential mini-collection additions, it's a mini challenge for myself to grab cards off COMC featuring players I'm not really emotionally attached to.

I don't know if Noah Syndergaard will hit any home runs in 2022, whether there will be a normal MLB season or if the universal DH will come to play - I'm hoping his arm is sound to pitch in at least 150 odd innings for the Angels.

Maybe needlessly, I actually spend time wondering whether I should pick up these misc cards - where it gets especially harder when I only have so much left in my account [at one time] where I really play around whether I can still grab something at the dollar and under mark.

The 1973 Luis Alvarado seems like a card blogger cult favorite - though I actually grabbed the O-Pee-Chee version, so it's a little odder than his actual Topps card.

The 2017 Topps Museum Collection Roger Maris may not be a type of card that hard to find - but I wanted to find a keeper of an eternal fan favorite and a retro card from a higher end set might just hit the spot.

2019 Bowman Heritage Chrome Prospects Joey Bart - I'd grabbed this cheap chromed up parallel of a top prospect since I thought it might have been a nice find on the down low.

2020 Topps Home Run Challenge Mookie Betts - Betts seems like a type of player I wouldn't go out of my way to collect, but he's that nice, all-around player where I would pick up random cards if I saw them out in the wild.

I don't think the winner cards end up being worth much, but they might be nice oddballs - for the 2021 version of the challenge, I had some fun playing and guessing correctly some winning dates where players would homer.

COMC mail #2 - Angels material

The 30-35 cards I picked up through 2021 came in one bubble mailer where they were sleeved and packed into a team bag, sandwiched between two cards in top loaders - then packed into a larger, team set bag.

I usually do not worry about their packaging regardless of service - they do a pretty good job packing things up.

Go figure, Mike Trout, Tim Salmon, Vladimir Guerrero and Shohei Ohtani are on my Mt. Rushmore of Angels players I collect - I'm not really into odd sized cards like the ones modeled after tobacco cards, but I grabbed the itty-bitty Trout just to have something different in-hand.

The 1993 Donruss Dominators Salmon has been a curiosity though I must have been aware of the card only through the past 5-10 years, not when it was first issued - searching for different, random things down the COMC maze, I looked up the Salmon and figured I'd finally grab it for $5 and change.

Maybe odd sized non-card items are even less of a thing for me, but I found a seller with an oddball Vladimir Guerrero coin / medallion - it gimmicky, but the shine was undeniable where this item [picturing the elder Guerrero as an Angel] should be a no brainer pick up at less than a dollar.

With the Shohei Ohtani's, I tried to pick up some decent looking inserts / parallels regardless of value - where it's strictly $1 or $2 'fun and games' material rather than something higher brow other collectors are chasing after.

I believe in Jo Adell can still be a star for the franchise - it's a matter of when his prospect pedigree and natural talent translate into a breakout season he can build upon.

The 2020 Bowman's Best Franchise 2020 Die-Cuts Adell is too shiny, too funky to ignore - I'll take it all day for about a dollar.

I may have grabbed the 2021 Topps Stadium Club Adell RC because it is an 'awesome outfield' card - but it never hurts when it also pictures a young player for my 'home team' with star potential.

The Andres Galarraga is an on card autograph though it identifies him as a Colorado [Rockies] player - I had a few opportunities to get his autograph during his last years as a player but this packed pulled autograph gives me something I can file away in my Angels all-time autograph collection outright.

Finally I grabbed a photo variation of Anthony Rendon - besides the guys that have that modern day pro athlete personality, I can appreciate the low-key, metronomic types like Rendon, who I hope bounces back from an injury shortened 2021 season.

COMC mail #1 - some notable ink

Through 2021, maybe I needed to do something about the cards I had in my COMC port because I'd just about forgotten about them - I don't do anything special on COMC [I don't sell, participate in challenges or wait for specials] but when the mood hits, add funds to my account so I can pick up random cards. 

I would have been content to let my cards sit indefinitely - but it looked like economy shipping [$4.99] was back to a more reasonable time frame [maybe a month] rather than taking 4-6 months.

On the other hand, when I'm down to my last $5 on COMC, it's always a game for me where I wonder if I use up my remaining funds or commit to have my cards shipped as intended - I had my cards shipped and they arrived in just about a month, which may not be like the good 'ole days before the pandemic, but reasonable enough with the way things still are.

To nudge things towards having my stash sent out - I picked up a couple of certified autographs.

I was browsing for a certified autograph of Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt on the eBay app and saw one listed by COMC's account - I wondered if the same card [2021 Topps Finest Finest Moments Autographs] would be available on their Web site and made the decision to commit to pick up what I assumed was the same card.

While  Schmidt is still living and has signed his fair share of autographs for pay, who knows when the well will dry up - where seemingly more affordable pack pulled autographs that slip under the radar creeps up in value. 

I don't know if the Schmidt was something I had in mind as a PC addition  - but it has its place where I'll list it as such and squirrel it away. 

I've hung onto a 2004 Upper Sweet Spot autograph of Rolen for the longest time as a 'pride thing' where it's my only certified autograph, in addition to a couple of other IP autographs - but he's gained a lot of support for the Hall of Fame and Cooperstown might be calling in the next couple of year where the same basic autograph [1998 Donruss Signature Series Autographs Millennium Marks] might have asking prices of double or triple with a probable HOF bump.

Angels all-time autograph collection adds

I dug around COMC at various points last winter and picked up these miscellaneous certified autographs for my Angels all-time autograph collection - an on-card autograph of Dylan Bundy was probably the most prominent.

After he was traded to the Angels last off-season, I wanted to see if I could snag one at some point - I still remember Bundy coming into the pro ranks as a hyped up prospect and still have some a couple of loose, empty boxes of 2012 Bowman Draft with his picture on them.

Maybe I could have picked up a certified autograph from one of the Bowman releases from the time Bundy was a stud prospect, just to have something with him pictured in a big league uniform - but something more 'generic' and almost without a team affiliation listed, might have been the more ideal card since he was going to be Angel anyway.

One of the things I like is being able to rummage around and see if I can find some of the most random cards to add to my Angels all-time autograph collection - maybe I have to double check if each of the players such as Matt Ramsey, Thomas Field and Tony Campana actually played for the Angels, but I can nerd out a little finding out they did and can squirrel away their 'junk certified autos.'

As the case maybe these cards often picture players from a hodgepodge of teams, from the minors to the major leagues - I'd really like to put a premium on cards that picture players as an Angel, but I'll take what I can get.

I did find an an an autograph of Jose Suarez, who might have been the team's top pitching prospect entering the 2019 season, thought that may be the equivalent of the No. 15 [or lower] ranked prospect in a deeper MLB organization - I don't know if he's gotten a real extensive look the past two seasons but he's still either young and inexperienced or just doesn't know how to get big league hitters out to stick for good.

I grabbed an autograph of Mike Mayers, pictured as a one-time St. Louis Cardinals prospect years ago - he was an an under the radar find that actually had a great year out of the Angels bullpen in 2020.

I grabbed an autograph of Julio Teheran, just so I don't have to worry about digging up the random in-person autograph card I got when he was still a top prospect at the 2010 Futures Game - he was a longtime starter with the Atlanta Braves with mostly positive results, though maybe the writing was on the wall with his peripherals in recent years and the gamble the Angels took on him failed.

Finally I grabbed an autograph of Tommy La Stella, a previously useful if unheralded platoon player with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs - who had a chance to play on an every day basis with the Angels a couple of years ago and continued to play well for the Angels this past year before being traded to the Oakland Athletics.

La Stella found some pop in his bat and was named to the All-Star team in 2019 - before a broken leg derailed his season.

I might have gotten a couple of La Stella in-person autographs, once in the Arizona Fall League and once in spring training - I think since he signed only one, the cards I'd gotten inked up were for sets I was chasing, so I wanted one outright.

I hope nothing 'funny' was going on when the certified autograph card from 2014 was signed - but it looks more of a complete, 'fancier' autograph, than any other versions of La Stella's I've seen.

More contemporary Angels pick-ups

At times there is no rhyme or reason for picking up random Angels cards because frankly the idea of being a team collector seems overwhelming - I'm not ever going to be hyper focused trying to keep track of all the releases [past, present and future] and working around [trades, purchases, etc] to see if I can have ownership of a perpetual number of team sets.

As is, I do consider the Angels my team and one of my ideals is to have that one big league team to focus on - where it's fun to have new team related cards to go through, even if they don't go towards team sets other collectors may boast about completing at some point.

The lone Mike Trout is 2019 Bowman Sterling Continuity insert #BS-20 - I like to imagine the card is a harder to find pull, but it's a $2 card at best.

I mentioned picking up the trio of quarter century old Garret Anderson cards last year - they are probably binder material that helps make collection of 'GA' cards pop.

I picked up a couple of random Topps On-Demand issues featuring pitcher Griffin Canning and infielder David Fletcher - while they might not be outright stars, each gives a couple of current 'second tier' Angels players to collect.

There was some uncertainty about the health of Canning's arm during spring training - but the righty seemed good to go for much of the shortened 2020 season and was awarded a Gold Glove at his position.

Fletcher has established himself as this generation's David Eckstein as a runty looking guy - who can play all over the diamond and can be a spark plug at the plate or on the bases.

I picked up a Shohei Ohtani is a 2019 Donruss Action All-Stars insert / Pink Fireworks parallel No. AA4 because it pops nicely without costing much - though it may get confusing describing what these alternate versions of non-base set cards are supposed to be.

Finally I picked up a 2020 Finest Flashback Anthony Rendon #58 - I might only have 2-3 Angels cards of the third baseman and maybe they mean a bit more at the moment.

While the original 1993 Topps Finest was never a thing in my collecting universe - after the fact, it's nice to travel back in time to see a re-imagined version of the first Topps Finest cards, featuring current players.

Some vintage Angels pick-ups for TTMs

These were more 'here and now' finds off COMC when I tried to get my cards shipped last month - digging around collecting forums I browse, I've seen random autograph successes by mail with these former players and hope to get their autograph in my collection while they are still signing.

As it goes, I've already gotten back Billy Moran and Leo Burke, both signing the card I sent to each one - due to the lack of familiarity and the passage of time, I feel like I'm not really in a position to add autographs of the countless old-timers [1960s, 1970s for example] from my favorite team's history, but I need to find a way to try.

Featured autographs - a certified quartet

These aren't the greatest big league players, but to quench my thirst for new autographs featuring current guys I don't expect to see - I picked these up so I can say I have their scribbles squirreled away somewhere.

Austin Hayes - the outfielder had a breakout minor league year in 2017, fell back a bit in 2018 and has spent the past couple of years trying to stick in the big leagues for good.

Dakota Hudson - the righthander gave the St. Louis Cardinals another good, young starter to build on besides Jack Flaherty until he needed Tommy John surgery towards the end of the shortened 2020 season.

Sean Reid-Foley - Foley might have been the No. 1 pitching prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays system before the emergence of Nate Pearson as that No. 1 guy in recent seasons.

Parker Markel - I wouldn't have noticed he already made his big league debut in 2019, but the Angels signed him last off-season and I jumped the gun, hoping he would make a big league appearance with the Angels in 2020.

Maybe I was inspired to put this post up when I saw Markel had moved on and was just signed by the San Diego Padres - to show I buy my share of random things for reasons that don't actually play out in reality.

Some random non-sport additions

I can never get into anything other than baseball, where collecting just doesn't hit right when I'm not seeking out cards picturing dudes who play ball for a living - but going down the COMC rabbit hole leads to different places where I'm tempted to pick up cards I wouldn't normally consider, so there is something else to look at.

For the nostaglia, I grabbed a couple of cards of Jennifer Love Hewitt, who might have been destined to be the 'it' girl of the early 2000s - while the actress is still working in Hollywood, currently cast in a TV show, time flies and perhaps her star is a little bit more low key into her early 40s.

I also picked up a couple of cards of Rosamund Pike, including a 'cool' acetate insert - the British actress' most notable film in the U.S. might be Gone Girl, which I have not seen.

However Pike has been a low-key favorite for playing an up-and-coming, by the books MI6 agent who just happens to betray James Bond in Die Another Day - which is probably a popcorn movie for me.

Finally I grabbed a card of Lauren Cohan, another British actress best known for her portrayal of Maggie Greene in The Walking Dead TV series - I may have wanted this particular card several years ago, but I was only really into the TWD for the first 2 or 3 seasons before realizing it wasn't a series that was going to wrap up quickly with some resolution and/or happy ending.

Some random award winner additions

With MLB awards being handed out, it's time to look for loose cards of 2020 winners to add to my collection - in the meantime, I was able to add these three COMC stragglers as upgrades to my collection.

Al Dark was a successful manager who guided to the Oakland Athletics to a World Series championship in 1974 - as a player, he was the second MLB Rookie of the Year winner after Jackie Robinson and the last single ROY winner before there was one awarded for each league.

I was able to get a 1971 Topps card signed by Dark through the mail years ago [he passed away in 2014] and while I'm mostly satisified with any random cards for my award winners collection - I wanted a card [1982 Cramer Baseball Legends #3] showing Dark as a player, even if it's a retro issue from the early 1980s as opposed to an authentic vintage card.

I was familiar enough with Willie McGee as a minor star who played through the junk wax era of the early 1990s - a fan favorite with the St. Louis Cardinals, his breakout postseason helped the 1982 team win the World Series and three years later, was named the 1985 National League MVP.

I wasn't familiar with 1980 American League Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau except as a hot rookie star who made a lot of noise as a cult favorite with the Cleveland Indians - he was a one year wonder who failed to really build upon his promise and was a poster child for 1980s card collectors as a baseball card bust.

I was able to pick up a 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Nicknames certified autograph - it would have been nice if the it was on-card, but I like how Charboneau was able to fit in his autograph and his 'Super Joe' nickname on the themed insert set.

Some miscellaneous Keston Hiura finds

The Milwaukee Brewer was my pick to click as a breakthrough star in 2020 after a good rookie season in 2019 - I thought it would be fun picking up a few low end Hiura cards including four rookie cards and a couple of other prospect cards.

Unfortunately, he only hit .212 this past year, though I’m inclined to give players who struggled through a 60-game MLB season a pass - the 24-year old has the talent and presumably the aptitude to bounce back, though contact issues [16 walks / 85 strikeouts] may prevent him to be a hitting star outright.

Digging around through COMC in the winter of 2019, I sought out the Hiuras while passing over some similar types of cards - featuring Vladimir Guerrero Jr. [he was okay, but probably underwhelming] and Fernando Tatis Jr. [do’h, he was the second year big leaguer who actually broke out as a superstar].

1956 Topps Bill Sarni #247 pick up

This was the oldest card in my COMC delivery and was purchased because I wanted something random and vintage to add to the mix - I now have this 65-year old Topps card where I can make out the familiar image of the MLB icon, Jackie Robinson as a 'bonus baby,' making a cameo on another player's card.

Check Out My Cards - shipment arrival

I had my cards shipped last week and go figure, it only took about a week to get my cards in-hand - I was pleasantly surprised to see a COMC package in my mailbox, when I still see where other collectors on forums, on Twitter complain about the long wait time and/or not getting their shipment of cards according to schedule.

Your mileage may vary, but maybe this time, paying a COMC shipping premium was better than a blaster - especially when I can’t find a loose baseball blaster out in the wild to save my life.

My collecting activity the past several months has been to cobble together through the mail autograph requests - maybe this 'new' stash will give me something to go through and get me back to playing with my cards.

Check Out My Cards - trying to tie up loose ends

I don’t know what I did messing around with COMC, but I've finally had cards [around 70] I've bought over the last year finally shipped - against my best interests, I even bought more stuff, going with the worst option to pick up cards I need in the 'here and now.'

I had wondered if I was ever going to have the cards I’ve bought shipped - the longer my island of misfit toys was sitting in my account, the more I worried about forgetting them, when they should have been in-hand already.

Because of the pandemic excuse COMC has flouted, I might have gotten my shipment on some unspecified date next year if I used the economy $4.99 s/h fee - I assume they are still making like they are backlogged, but to get my cards in a seemingly more reasonable three or four week time frame [in 2020], I went with economy rushed, which is $4.99 for the first item and $0.25 for additional items.

With how this particular year has dragged on for the worst, it's hard for me to see into 2021 as being reality until the year finally changes over - despite the idea I’m being finessed by circumstances COMC has created for themselves to marginalize their Web site [as opposed to their consignment service through eBay], I paid up get to see if I get my miscellaneous cards to me sooner than never.

Featured autograph - Claudell Washington

I would have thought Washington was a longtime California Angels player when flipping through his 1990 junk wax era cards with the team - but the outfielder, who recently passed away only really spent the 1989 season and part of the 1990 season with the Angels.

It seemed like years ago, but only earlier in January, where I went through my miscellaneous box of cards featuring Angels players I don’t have an autograph of - I had some unsigned cards of Washington, but sending one through the mail may have cost at least $15, through a glorified middle man.

I might have been bored and adding a little bit of spending money to my COMC account, relented to pay $6 for a random signed card of Washington - particularly on an Angels card likely supposedly certified by a third party authenticator that I’m not really familiar with at all.

Maybe I should have paid the premium for the secret address to send Washington TTM but I'll take my chances that the autograph I did get is otherwise authentic - there is a seal affixed on top of the semi-rigid holder and according to the fine print information printed on the back, if it is ‘tampered with or broken,’ the certification [spelled certiification on the label] becomes invalid.

Once I get the card in-hand, I’ll probably risk 'decreasing the value' by taking the card out of the holder - to add the Washington autograph with my other signed Angels all-time cards.

Image courtesy of COMC.com

1995 Raging Color Classics Burlington Bees Jeff Poor #15

For my 'inking it up' mini-collection, I managed to sneak this obscure team set card purchase - picturing this one-time minor leaguer in the act of grabbing a ball along the railing to sign.

To get on a soapbox for a little bit, with people generally being 'weird' about getting autographs and pro teams from the majors to the minors putting up barriers around the field in the guise of protecting fans - the days of player / fan interaction will be reserved for only VIPs and maybe a simple scene like card picture shows will not be a thing, even at your Podunk ballpark [which may not even exist anymore] in the 21st century.

As far as tracking down a copy of the card, maybe I was looking up some Jesse Ibarra cards, because I wrote to the guy TTM over 20 years ago and he had some ‘goofy’ minor league feat like hitting grand slams from both sides of the plate in one game - Ibarra shows up in the set where the Poor card was from and I might have saved a listing for the Poor card on my COMC watch list.

I guess the Bees [a one time farm team of the San Francisco Giants in the mid 1990s] set can still be purchased on eBay, so the card may not be as obscure where no listings are found - still, where was I going to find a copy of the card outright being sold as a single [?]

Goofing off in the middle of the night, I relented to grab the card [for a 'hefty' price of $1.45] just because it might be a card that might be stuck on my wantlist in perpetuity - I wanted to be able to have in my port and be able to wax poetic about it because it's just too random.

Images courtesy of COMC.com

COMC finds - binder stars / decade stars

I had a haul of cards I'd gotten from COMC come in - after I'd started the shipping process, my order only took about a week, which was a pleasant surprise.

On their Web site, COMC lists when to expect delivery depending on the service chosen - I figure I don’t have a claim to anything otherwise if it they ship within the estimated window for the $3.99 economy charge, even if it takes two or three weeks.

I've had misgivings about a typical COMC order taking too long, but I actually got my shipment about five days earlier than expected - maybe the Web site might be an option again as far as picking up the most random cards and having them shipped sooner than never.

I kind of see COMC as a glorified swap meet of sorts - however they always seem to package cards well enough, regardless of shipping method chosen.

It’s nice to finally go through the cards I've had sitting in my account - though there maybe a caveat with some of the random cards I’ve chosen to pick up as far as finding an actual spot for them in my collections.

I’m trying to list and put away as many of the cards I purchased - while trying to feel something for most cards, so they aren't meaningless after the fact.

The following are too random to be stand alone A-Z singles or PC cards - yet I’d rather showcase them as highlights within others cards of the same player, than be obscured as rank-and-file additions within my A-Z inserts collection.

2002 Topps Gold Label Awards Ceremony Relics Class 1 Gold Andy Pettite ACR-AEP [$4.75] - considering their franchise history and late 1990s dynasty run, I'd probably be a New York Yankees fan, if not rooting for the Angels.

I was doing a random search and this card caught my eye - it's kind of shiny card featuring an image of a relevant Topps card in the inset image and a window with a pinstripe jersey swatch.

Pettitte is hardly a favorite but on the down low, maybe I want to build up a micro-mini collection of selected cards - featuring the Yankees Core Four [Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada].

1997 Topps Team Timber Frank Thomas #TT5 [$1.05] - I thought it would be cool to have a card in hand that was printed entirely on some sort of simulated wood material.

I've never seen these cards except for a Rafael Palmeiro on a page of scanned cards - these may have been long forgotten inserts and wanting a ‘sample’ card from the set, a more appealing player choice [Thomas] wasn't that much more than a Palmeiro.

The card fronts actually feature a more conventional glossy surface and not a 'wood' feel like I'd anticipated - it's actually the back of the cards that have a sort of matte / textured surface that may resemble a wood finish.

I suspect it's to make the cards seem like they actually came from a piece of wood - but it looks like someone poured water on the surface to create some depressions going down from top to bottom.

2003 Donruss Diamond Kings DK Evolution Barry Bonds #DK-16 [$1.25] - Bonds may not be going to the Hall of Fame since he was presumably both a perpetual ass and an alleged PED abuser, however I was drawn to his bad ass act when he broke the single-season and career home run marks through his 40s.

2003 Donruss Diamond Kings DK Evolution Tony Gwynn #DK-21 [$0.99] - unlike Bonds, the player was considered a saint where he was universally loved as a professional baseball player and a person, R.I.P.

I was vaguely aware of these lenticular cards but had just forgotten about them over time - I might have thought there might have been a time elapse image where a picture of a player early in his career is contrasted with a current [as of 15 years ago] picture, but this clears things up.

1998 Upper Deck Blue Chip Prospects Todd Helton #BC11 [$1.70] - serial #'d to 2000; it’s not a rookie or anything ‘special,’ but I guess I’d collect the retired Helton on the down low and this one caught my eye as a ‘film cell’ material card.

2015 Topps Update Series MLB All-Star Game Access Albert Pujols MLB-2 [$0.98] - this captures a poignant moment where another big leaguer [Joc Pederson] is hugging Pujols at the 2015 All-Star Home Run Derby for presumably all Pujols has done for Pederson’s developmentally disabled [Down Syndrome] brother Champ in particular.

Featured autographs - one time Angels

For my Angels all-time autograph collection I like the idea of picking up random autograph cards [pack pulled or not] of players who played for the team at some point in their careers - it gives me an opportunity to scrutinize bottom of the barrel certified autographs and consider grabbing them if they picture a current or former Angel, particularly someone otherwise unfamiliar and/or whose autograph I don't have.

Trout fishing - reeling in some catches

As primarily an Angels team collector, I don't always end up focusing on Mike Trout since everyone else does - though I know I can't really afford to pick up his high end cards, I still feel like any particular 'non-rookie, non autograph, non limited' Trout singles are kind of just afterthoughts that I would not want to pay a premium for.

However, to scratch the regional / Trout collection itch, maybe I was looking for cheap Trout cards [$1-$3] that kind of pop and might nice additions - even if they are random, miscellaneous issues.

I grabbed a trio Topps Update All-Star Game Access inserts [2014, 2015, 2016] because as retail exclusive cards, they maybe harder to track down after the fact - these maybe just what I'm looking for as far as low-key adds to a Trout collection without having to think too much about whether they will hold value over time.

2017 Panini Donruss Optic Mike Trout #13 - Diamond Kings Prizm parallel; I might have been looking to snatch up several Panini promotional / oddball issues but it is hard to look at cards that have no logos; this one looks kind of classy and jazzy at the same time.

2017 Topps Finest Mike Trout #FB-MT - Finest Breakthroughs insert; I like the comic book ‘Pow!’ style graphic.

COMC - misc regional related cards

2002 Fleer Classic Cuts Game-Used Pants Ted Kluszewski #TK-P - I needed a Kluszewski to fill a hole in my Angels Opening Day collection and I figured this card with an 'old-timey' looking relic swatch added a little wrinkle to the loose card project.

2016 Topps Archives Snapshots Topps Online Exclusive [Base] Autographs Sandy Alomar #AS-SA - serial #'d 218/350; the patriarch of the Alomar [Sandy Jr. and Hall of Famer Roberto] baseball family, Sandy Sr. played six seasons for the Angels back in the 1970s.

2013 Panini America's Pastime Rookie Autographs Alfredo Marte #252 - serial #'d 94/125; the fun of working on an all-time team collection of autographs is having guys to add that I wouldn’t normally consider; Marte played all of five games with the 2015 Angels after being with the team’s AAA squad for most of that season.

2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball Future Match-Ups Dual Autographs Blue Ink Sean Doolittle, Shane Robinson #N/A - serial #'d 58/75; Robinson played in 65 random games for the Angels this past season and hit only .173 in 98 at-bats.

2015 Panini Elite Extra Edition Prospects Autographs Grayson Long #105 x2 - if he sticks around and climbs up the ranks in the next couple of years, he might be a decent contributor to the big league team.

COMC - 1987 Donruss Will Clark #66

Decades after the fact, prominent rookie cards from the 1980s have been exposed as worthless - featuring more than a few players who just didn't make the leap from superstars to Hall of Famers.

Under inauspicious circumstances, I owned this rookie card for about two weeks, when Clark was among the hot players of his era - things caught up with me soon enough and ever since, the closest I ever got to a Clark rookie was his 1987 Topps.

To square things away, I finally picked up a copy this card - since it represents one of the cards from my early years of collecting, even if that first copy of the card I had in-hand wasn't actually mine.