What I’ve tried to do in 2016 - my PCs

At the start of the year, I had a set of collecting goals I never got to posting - maybe it's a little too long-winded to try and go over what I did and didn't do, so I'm just going to summarize some of the things I've tried to prop up as far my own collecting projects.

Collecting is always a thing, but for much of the year, things were kind of meh and I was just muddling along - I think it's fine to leave some interests / projects alone ‘as is,’ even for a prolonged period of time, with the idea that I’m coming back to them at some point.

I needed to focus inward, in putting away things I’ve picked up, so I can transition towards another year of collecting - as much as I would worry about feeding the best, I’ve tried to ‘reset things’ to straighten out some of the interests, so my intentions are a little clearer with what I want to as well as dealing with the state of interests that may have gotten away from me.

1.) Personal collection project - I get the idea of having a PC to showcase a select number of showcase cards from my entire collection.

As is, I’ve left my PC cards ‘as is,’ through 2016 and after watching a YouTube video or two in November [basically another collector's 'top' collection] - did my interest in revamping my PC really pick up.

I've already added a few stand alone cards over the past couple of years to kind of rework what my collection of my best cards look like - I can't compete with the guys hoarding super premium cards, so instead I've set out to add PC cards that are old school, like your basic rookie cards from the at least 20 years ago and older, including the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. #1, a 1992 Bowman Mariano Rivera #302 and a 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly #248.

I had created a Google Sheets file for my four PCs I've established [Top 30 PC, Top 30 alternate PC, a Top 50 common PC and a Top 50 fun PC] and tried to re-jigger the listings around - adding cards as well as weeding out ones I felt were outdated.

I went on some ‘supply runs’ to my LCS, to buy up some new holders - to give me peace of mind that I’m cycling in some newer individual card holders as opposed to using dingy, old toploaders from 2000.

I’ve really been in a daze as far as having regional collection of PC cards and to just see what I maybe able to cobble together, I decided to add a regional component [#’s 31-50] to my Top 50 common PC - to make things easier as far as filling out my Top 50 common PC with no pressure in making a separate 'Top 30' list for just the team I'm collecting.

I’ve listed out miscellaneous Angels cards and while I feel the content falls a bit short, especially with regards to everyone's favorite Angel in the outfield, it’s the cards I’ve picked up - so I need to see if there is something to build on, so there maybe a foundation to funnel better cards, better players where I could eventually branch out into some sort of ‘stand alone’ regional PC.

I think I can add a few of the Angels certified autographs I’ve picked up - that I will double count towards my PC and my all-time Angels collection.

Ranking the 30 MLB teams on my watch - New York Yankees #8 of 30

The Yankees will always be relevant and I'm not going out on a limb to say some Yankees team in the future will win another World Series sooner than never - but how long has it been since they've been the No. 1 destination for a big money free agent?

It seems like all their moves in recent seasons have been to sign replacement quality players - instead of going bonkers and signing a handful of All-Star talents in the prime.

Even if they are able to re-sign second baseman Robinson Cano - the Yankees seem to be just another MLB team at the moment unless they get back to their old ways of either developing impact players that aren't merely trade bait and/or going after the top two or three free agents in the market in any given off-season.

Closer Mariano Rivera has retired and though re-signed for 2014, A-Rod seems toast and Derek Jeter is facing baseball mortality - which seems so hard to imagine just several years ago.

Card shop finds - loose 2013 Topps Update cards

#US 21 Junior Lake 

#US 45 Joey Terdoslavich - Emerald parallel 

#US 51 Brett Marshall 

#US 137 Yoervis Medina - Target Red parallel

#US 243 Marwin Gonzalez - x2 

#US 263 Austin Romine - Gold parallel serial #'d 1810/2013 - bonus baby / cameo by Mariano Rivera.

#US 267 Nick Tepesch 

#US 267 Nick Tepesch - Emerald parallel 

#US 278 Jose Alvarez 

#US 302 Yan Gomes - Gold parallel serial #'d 1302/2013 

#US 329 Henry Urrutia - Target Red parallel

2013 Topps Update Jumbo Pack MO-JO

I was looking to bust three or four loose packs of 2013 Topps Chrome [maybe $3 each] at the card shop - on a whim, decided to go with a 50-card hobby jumbo pack of Topps Update for $11.50.

As I'm thumbing through the cards, it looks like all I pulled were base cards and cheap inserts - it doesn't look like there was either a relic card or an auto [not that any one I pull would be particularly valuable, but at least I can say I pulled one.]

I'd like to think I'm the eternal optimist when it comes to busting a hobby pack or box - I always believe there will be a card or two that will make a bust worthwhile, but sometimes I need to reign myself in because I really am just throwing money away.

I could have used the $11.50 towards picking up a hand collated set online or maybe a 72-card retail hanger pack, since those have 22 more cards in a package - maybe a better chance to pull rookies and others who maybe appearing on a Topps card for the first time.

Pack one
#US 287 Brandon Morrow
#US 97 Alexi Amarista
#US 69 Martin Perez
#US 29 Scott Van Slyke
#US 246 Don Kelly
#US 29 Shin-Soo Choo
#US 84 Stephen Drew 

#US 195 Chris Johnson - it was just going to be one of those packs, when the first eight cards in this pack were ones I pulled last week.  
#US 124 Jason Kipnis
#US 307 Mike Carp

#US 9 Cody Allen 
#US 72 Adam Jones
#US 71 Cody Asche
#US 258 Jose Bautista
#US 129 David Wright

#US 56 Kyuji Fujikawa
#US 255 Alex Wood
#US 16 Alex Gordon
#US 316 David Wright
#US 157 Marco Scutaro
#US 104 Matt Carpenter
#US 202 Yoenis Cespedes
#US 174 Jose Mijares - Gold parallel serial #'d 1041/2013
#CH-108 Shelby Miller - Chasing History insert
#US 115 Drew Stubbs - Emerald parallel
#MM-49 Kyle Gibson - Making their Mark insert

#US 313 Mariano Rivera - odd, this one doesn't have the same picture as the 2013 Topps Chrome Update card I pulled last week, so I went to eBay to see if this was some sort of SP variation.

Who knows what the card maybe worth next year or in a few years, but my pull was actually the SSP version - I couldn't believe there was actually one card that saved this apparent bust of a break and it wasn't just some run-of-the-mill pull I was hoping for, but a card featuring a baseball icon.

Oddly enough, before my card shop trip, I was at a Target briefly looking through a $8 tribute magazine of Rivera - while my enthusiasm for what he has done as a player and as a role model is sort of muted, I realize his contributions mean something to Major League Baseball fans.

#TM-43 Frank Thomas - 1971 Topps Mini insert - ugh, I pulled this one last week.
#FF 8 Nolan Ryan / Yu Darvish - Franchise Forerunners insert - ugh, I pulled this one last week.
#US 81 Casey Kotchman
#US 165 A.J. Pierzynski
#US 147 Charlie Morton
#US 225 Chris Getz
#US 310 Boone Logan
#US 182 Luis Valbuena
#US 141 Chris Carter
#US 42 Rafael Betancourt
#US 125 J.J. Hardy
#US 226 Michael Cuddyer
#US 223 Jose Valverde
#US 105 Corey Kluber

#US 252 Preston Claiborne
#US 214 Jean Segura
#US 3 Chad Qualls
#US 211 Jarred Cosart
#US 192 Hyun-Jin Ryu
#US 286 Aroldis Chapman
#US 91 Prince Fielder
#US 35 Andrew McCutchen
#US 221 Allen Craig

First PSA DNA submission yields mostly slabbed goodness

I stopped at the post office Saturday morning because I had a package waiting for me - I was hoping it's my PSA/DNA order because I've been fretting over the status of a stash of six autograph cards I sent to PSA/DNA through their March 2013 special, which was $15 [plus insurance / shipping depending on the declared value of my total order] to have an item with a $150 declared value authenticated, graded and slabbed with a blue flip.

From what I've read, the biggest difference between PSA/DNA flips is blue is basically for authentication and grading of the autograph - while red flips is for the authentication / grading of the card and authentication of the autograph.

This might be a one time submission so I wanted some autograph cards that meant something in my collection - if I sent some oddball autographs cards for submission, I might be stuck with a reminder of something I don't really care for either way.

I decided to submit with two Mariano Rivera, two Derek Jeter and two Kirby Puckett autographed cards - through the special.

Though not perfect, PSA/DNA is the industry standard as far as autograph authentication is concerned - on a whim, I was looking to submit some cards that have been in my collection for the last 15 years and maybe looking for some validation.

After putting together the packaging I was mailing to PSA/DNA and hoping it would get to their offices safely, I realized I'd forgotten to sign and date the submission form I'd filled out - after someone from PSA/DNA contacted me through e-mail to resolve that little problem, I assumed my order was good to go, though I didn't know if it was going to take a while to process my order.

I was waiting around the clock, day by day, looking for any confirmation of my order and/or results being posted - maybe I was looking for a courtesy e-mail, but I didn't get anything at all and perhaps an option would be to give PSA/DNA a call.

I signed up with my personal info to create an account on the PSA Web site to see if I can get some kind of status check - however, I shouldn't assume PSA/DNA would process my order and tie it back with the account I just created on the PSA Web site after I'd already sent my cards in. THERE WAS NOTHING IN MY CREATED ACCOUNT TO INDICATE ANY ORDER AND I WONDERED HOW LONG I'D HAVE TO WAIT AROUND.

The small box I received at the post office after signing / writing my name / giving my address was from Newport Beach, so it had to be from PSA/DNA - it looked sturdy enough that I was hoping there would be slabs inside.

From all the lurking and reading I've done on autograph message boards - a possibility is not having everything I sent in authenticated and I wondered what my reaction would be if none of my cards were slabbed.

Eventually I tried to rip into the well packaged box as delicately as possible and saw what I'd paid $18 each [with insurance/shipping] for - for my first time, I was relieved to see five cards slabbed, though it became apparent soon enough that I had one clunker that failed to pass muster with PSA/DNA.

Results
Two Rivera autograph cards - I'm thinking both of these cards were sent through the mail in the late 1990's since I wasn't out at the ballpark for two or three years after 1996.

Both cards were slabbed with the autograph on the 1997 Score being graded a Gem Mint 10 - I like the 1993 Bowman second-year card though I wish I'd found a way to pick up his 1992 Bowman rookie card instead.

Two Jeter autograph cards - the one I got in-person back in 1996 was slabbed and the one I got TTM in the late 1990's was unslabbed and 'tagged' with 'N4' questionable authenticity.

Until now, I thought the Jeter I got TTM was good but then maybe Jeter used a clubbie to sign his mail back in the late 1990's - when he was started getting overwhelmed with fan mail.

Two Puckett autograph cards - which were both authenticated and slabbed with the autographs being graded.

I never had the opportunity to get Puckett in person but in the late 1990's - wrote to him a couple of times to get a couple of cards signed.

For all my worrying, my submission took about 20 business days then just these last several days to ship back to me - I was worried I'd have to wait at least a couple of months or longer to receive my order, but I got my autograph cards back, even though I don't know what to do with my supposed Jeter miss.

Autograph requests through the mail received: Mariano Rivera and Chone Figgins

Mariano Rivera c/o New York Yankees [spring training] - signed my card in black ink and kept my other card in about three weeks. Don't know what to do about the smudge in 'Rivera' though.

Chone Figgins c/o Seattle Mariners [spring training] - signed my card in black Sharpie in about two weeks and returned the other unsigned.