Featured autographs - assorted certs

Sifting through the miscellaneous cards I've collected, maybe I want to start showcasing some of the 'hidden' gems over the years - I still think back to an old prehistoric Beckett Baseball Card Monthly story / contribution where a collector had these loose cards on his bookshelf [I specifically remember a 1992 Topps Stadium Club Will Clark as the picture used for the story] and how he cleaned up his bookshelf, through the cards he kept and cards he discarded.

The title of the 1990s article [something like Bookshelf of Doom] - was a riff off the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom movie of the 1980s.

Getting back to the cards, these were certified autographs I've collected over the past 15 years - they may have had spots in my personal collection listings, but when I revamped my PC a few years ago, these cards may have been rendered irrelevant.

I dug them out recently, so they aren't loose - to file them away in my A-Z inserts collection:

Phil Hughes [top right] - he was pretty hyped up as a young New York Yankees pitcher and FWIW, he was also a one-time card collector who used to post on Beckett Message Boards [circa 2007].

I thought this 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition auto was a great get for $5 at a spring training card show 11 or 12 years ago - but Hughes' star potential never really materialized over parts of his 12 year MLB career.

Eric Chavez [top left, top center] x2 - Chavez was a rising star third baseman back with the Moneyball A's of the early 2000s and I wanted to put away a couple of nicer looking certified autographs issues from early in his professional baseball career.

I kind of have an obsession with early autographs of professional athletes, particularly when their autographs devolve over time - Chavez's autographs tended to look like chicken scratch and were never as good looking as the ones on these cards.

Kevin Youkilis [bottom center, bottom right] - these certified autographs were a couple of my first COMC purchases in 2012; Youkilis was a Boston Red Sox fan favorite but not surprisingly, age caught up with him as he entered his 30s as a big leaguer.

Corey Hart [bottom left] - this card was most likely a pack pull and may have been worth a little something, when it was likely his only prospect era certified autograph; Hart was a two-time All-Star and a fan favorite in Milwaukee when he was doing good through his prime years, though he was essentially done as a productive MLB player after 30.

Random cards

During some down time 'at work,' I was hanging out next to some guys going through a discarded shoe box of cards - a person who didn't want the box of cards gave them to someone else who was going through the cards with three others to see if they could find any useful ones they needed [with the rest being given away to kids].

I wasn't privileged enough to go through the cards [mostly 2000's cards and with a number of minor leaguers from major brand sets who never quite made it] - but one of the guys let me keep a card or two that I liked when he would go through a stack.

2000 Topps Traded John McDonald #T27 - first Topps card, not a rookie though.
2001 Topps Stadium Club Jason Kendall #78 - slides back on a pick off attempt.
2002 Topps David Bacani #694 - I've been vaguely aware of this guy since he played high school baseball in the same league as my high school [the league has since been realigned]; now the baseball coach at Santa Margarita High School, Bacani was named CIF Division I Coach of the Year this past season.
2004 Topps Total Erick Aybar RC #866 - I thought his skills as a player were all tapped out but he's having an All-Star season and has been a little more dynamic than I've given him credit for.
2006 Upper Deck Dewon Brazelton #772 - maybe the most random of cards, but the pitching bust is shown trying to bunt, so I grabbed it for my collection since I wouldn't be looking for it otherwise.
2007 Upper Deck Kevin Youkilis #584 - inking it up
2008 Upper Deck Jake Peavy #627 - didn't need this one but I took it because it was offered.

COMC mail day Part 1 of 4 - my first two purchases

My first Check Out My Cards shipment arrived in a little more than a week - eyeballing the 14 cards I had shipped through their bulk shipping option, there were no obvious problems with any imperfections that may have been caused by shipping.

The cards I had shipped were placed [no penny sleeves] into a team set bag sandwiched by two top loaders and placed into a bigger team set bag - my package was shipped in a bubble mailer and came with a print out of the invoice sent to me through e-mail.

I'm giving myself a 'four post window' to sort of talk about the cards I got from COMC - my first ever COMC purchases were a couple of Kevin Youkilis certified autograph cards for $10 each.

The only time I got Youkilis' autograph in-person was on my 'autograph book' all the way back when he was a rookie in 2004 - so I wanted to have a couple of certified autograph cards of his for my A-Z singles collection.

'Youk' is not a Hall of Fame bound player but has put in his time in the Major Leagues as a 'regional star' and his certified autographs will always have some value - even if it's only the $20 I paid for the two cards I picked up.

2005 Leaf Certified Materials Mirror Autograph Red #156 Kevin Youkilis/50 #31/50 Item: 6078651 $12.00 $10.00 1/21/2012 11:47:55 AM

2006 Flair Showcase Fresh Ink #KY Kevin Youkilis Item: 5789220 $15.00 $10.00 1/21/2012 11:48:39 AM