Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Mail Day
Psuedo presents that I sent payments for before Christmas arrived in the mailbox yesterday: 2005 Bowman Draft Henry Sanchez Chrome refractor [$3.25 plus $3.00 s/h on Ebay], 2005 Prime Patches Miguel Tejada jumbo jersey #'d 193/330 [$1.75 plus $2.00 s/h on Ebay], 2005 Bowman Draft AFLAC Chrome redemption [$9.00 plus $1.50 s/h on Ebay] and another 2005 Bowman Draft AFLAC Chrome redemption [$9.99 plus $2.00 s/h on Ebay].

Sunday, December 18, 2005

2004 Topps Traded break
I knew Topps didn't have any nice hits in their 'base brand' products like Topps Traded, but with some money, I bit the bullet this past Saturday and picked up a box for $50.

I was hoping to pull some Howie Kendrick cards [base, gold, chrome, refractor] but ended up with a 'pitiful' break.

Regular traded set - 180/221 [with one Kendrick]

Gold parallel - 12 random [one featuring Felix Hernandez]

Chrome - a handful of chrome FY/DP and veterans with the best one out of the FY/DP bunch a Homer Bailey.

Chrome refractors - Juan Uribe and Dustan Mohr

GU/auto - Ramon Nivar bat [puke]

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Stuff I value

Contemporary Toppers [$150-$200] - certified autograph cards of icons, PSA/DNA certified autograph cuts of icons and other items.

Memorabilia - featuring single signed baseballs including Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench, Bill Mazeroski, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Carl Yastrzemski, Bob Gibson, Johnny Bench, Frank Robinson, Lou Brock, George Brett, et al.

I’d like to pick up single signed baseballs for still living Baseball Hall of Famers (and probably those that will pass on the next five years). I want to prioritize guys I have not absolutely gotten or tough to wrestle an autograph from (high profile superstars, doesn’t sign memorabilia at golf tournaments). Otherwise I have to stick to what I have (8x10 flats, unofficial baseballs, scrap of paper) until I can upgrade to a single signed baseball.

Certified Autographs Cards - certified autographs of superstar players featuring single or multiple subjects (per card) and certified autograph cards that feature a patch or other material pieces.

'Traditional Rookie cards' - BGS/PSA graded [and some ungraded] rookie cards of players from the last 25 years and before.

Certified autographs cards - certified autographs of players consisting of non Hall of Fame players, award winners, and certified autograph cards from rising stars/prospects.

Rookie year parallels - looking for cards of better known top prospects, including refractor, serial numbered and autograph parallels.

Regional considerations:
California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels
-
A.) Cards for autographs - varies; whenever available
B.) PSA/BGS graded rookie cards and rookie-year parallel cards of prominent stars past and present along with top prospects [position players].
C.) Cheaper premium cards - dual material, patch cards, certified autographs and selected rookie year parallels.
D.) High end premium cards - 1/1 button cards, super patch material cards, et al.
E.) Scrapbook collection - featuring common cards [base, numbered and other parallels, parallels] that I maybe able to display.

Turn back the clock sampler run - I’m planning to collect a run PSA graded Topps cards from 1952-1980. Ideally all cards will feature Hall of Famers, though that probably depends on condition [affordability] and availability.

Collecting topics - typically common cards categorized into of secondary classifications.

Material card bonanza - featuring a bat barrel or 'premium super patch' piece card of a superstar (Vladimir Guerrero) or an icon/legend; a popular HOFer and/or member of an exclusive statistical club.

Various material cards - patch cards, dual material pieces, et al.

Featured pack pull
2005 Bowman Chrome Draft Ricky Romero refractor [#'d to 500] autograph.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005



Mail Day
A 2005 Donruss Greats Roberto Clemente bat card [$12.50 plus $2.00 s/h on Ebay] arrived in the mail Monday.

Jersey and bat cards mean nothing in today's trading card collecting game.

Of course it looks like a Clemente bat card is a fairly common pull in 2005 Donruss/Playoff releases.

Still, this is Clemente and possessing a card with a sliver of a bat he used in a MLB game is just too cool.

Image is from the Ebay auction I won.

Sunday, December 11, 2005


Mail Day
A 2005 Donruss Prime Patches Jim Edmonds 'jumbo' jersey card [$3.49 plus $2.50 s/h on Ebay] arrived in the mail Saturday.

There is something nice about having a card in your hand with a big swatch of a game-worn jersey - even though the material is only a one-color piece and not a patch of some sort.

Image is from the Ebay auction I won.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Dare to compare
1.) Hank Blalock - Mike Greenwell
2.) Nomar Garciaparra - Don Mattingly
3.) Adam Dunn - Reggie Jackson
4.) Pat Burrell - Jack Clark
5.) Prince Fielder - Mo Vaughn

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Mail Day
A 2005 Upper Deck Portraits B.J. Upton certified autograph 8x10 card [$12.99 plus $3.00 s/h on Ebay] arrived in the mail.

Even the autograph is not on the oversized card itself, but on a sticker, the way the card looks is pretty darn good.

Image is from the Ebay auction I won.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Imromptu card show trip

Bought a Casey Kotchman unlicensed head shot 8x10 photo for a $1.50 each - I wasn't paying attention at all and I didn't realize it was kind of mangled up. I guess there goes my $1.50 in the trash...also bought a Paul Konerko 1998 Studio 8x10 card for $1.50 as well - I guess the Konerko was in a little better shape.

There was booth with a guy selling wax...Bought a pack of top-loaders for $1...I was biding my time, knowing that I kind of hate to spend [my own] money, but had to pay the piper every so often [even as I have other items I'd like]. I impulsively tried my luck, even though I think I'd rather buy random retail packs, than from a card show booth [no matter how well the booth's display looks].

2005 Topps Update [x3/$4.50 total] - a handful of base cards including those featuring young players that I can get an get signed if I so desired. Three of them included Ricky Romero [Toronto Blue Jays/CSUF], Andrew McCutchen [Pittsburgh Pirates] and Cliff Pennington [Oakland Athletics].

I also got a Barry Bonds home run insert [HR #571].

2005 Bowman Draft [x3/$9 total] - I was hoping for something decent, but not expecting much. I did get a 'dreaded' Signs of the Future auto [of Angel Guzman - Chicago Cubs].
Mail Day
Two cards arrived in the mail on Saturday:

2005 Prime Patches jumbo jersey card of Vladimir Guerrero [$22.61 plus $2.99 s/h on Ebay] - nice looking card for my personal collection, though the three color [blue, white and red] material is part of the color scheme of the patch piece as opposed to perhaps a true 'super patch' card, where the colors consist of discernible patch material. So, the card is basically a one color swatch that happens to feature three colors. [Does that make any sense?]



2005 Prime patches jumbo material card of Vernon Wells [$0.99 plus $2.50 s/h on Ebay]
- I was surprised at how thick the card stock was - this is really nice looking card [though a default pull these days - single color jersey swatch - ugh...] with just enough space on the jersey material to get autographed perhaps.


Images are from the Ebay auctions I won.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Grassroots collecting
I wish I could go pick up and bust some unopened boxes as a collecting ideal:

[2004 Topps Traded, 2005 Bowman, 2005 Donruss Throwback Threads, 2005 Donruss Zenith, 2005 Fleer Tradition 2005 Fleer Platinum, 2005 Topps Turkey Red, et al].

It doesn't take much to pique my interests as a baseball card collector, especially when it is the middle of winter and there is no real MLB baseball to follow. Part of collecting is the materialistic aspect of having cards in your hand [can be at any time during the year], part of it is following a sport during the season.

Still, there are so many trading card releases coming out - the caveat is making concessions because I can't collect everything. I want to gamble on some unopened boxes featuring cards that might be valuable - rookie-year parallels of pretty good prospects, but I don't want to be caught up in not being able to make a move [on a single card/box] because I've blown my wad before better shit has come out.

I want to make smart moves with such a small 'collecting budget.'

I'm not looking for significant pulls, but if I want to buy a product - it will be for the cards themselves and not some secondary, arbitrary reason like looking for base cards to get signed in-person or through the mail.

If I was to bust boxes on a regular basis, midlevel brands($60-$70) like 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition, 2004 Upper Deck SP Prospects, 2005 Bowman Chrome, Bowman Draft/late season releases, et al would be the most collectible products featuring opportunities to pull rookie-year autographs/parallels.

I think rookie-year parallels [such as refractor/numbered cards] have the most potential value as far more common pulls out of products featuring prospects and rookies [particularly position players as opposed to pitchers].

As far as other cards, I need to get low-end cards on the cheap. I think it would ideal to collect insert cards [featuring superstar players, Hall of Famers, et al] such as parallels and game used cards but they aren't too desireable because they are considered redundant, default pulls.

I need to defer to the others as far as the early hype is concerned [busting boxes of a new product] and make my own moves to add selected cards from the latest products in my collection.

I need to pick up singles with modest goals such as acquiring a particular player's rookie card without expectation of value. I want to 'represent,' even though at times, I may not have the most valuable card of a player.

Thursday, December 01, 2005


Mail Day
A 2005 Upper Deck Artifacts B.J. Upton certified autograph insert card [$2.99 plus $2.25 s/h on Ebay] finally arrived in the mail. I paid for this card at least three or four weeks ago [by cash] but it was held up somehow until I received card out of the blue.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Card show on a budget
What are your priorities at the card show, when you only have $10 and change to spend during your time?

If you can, you want to spend $4-$6 on one card [game used/autograph] of a fan favorite or prospect for example. Still, at a card show, it is hard to find something cheap and good when there are only a limited number of booths with so-called bargain bins you can sift through.

Also the price is usually a few bucks more than you’d be willing to pay on cards that are basically given away. If it there was a particular card you wanted, you may pay a small premium [if you consider the plight of the guy at the booth], but usually there is usually nothing compelling about many cards that you may see.

You maybe better of saving that $4-$6 to spend on collecting supplies such as plastic sheets, boxes, top loaders, et al. Maybe a few packs of cards as well.

If you can’t find what you are looking for, you end up settling for cheaper ‘fence busters’ found in the $1 and under bin. That maybe fun, but you need to be careful that what you pick up isn’t getting even more redundant because of the sheer number of cards you already have at home.

You have to be creative, knowing that when you have a nickel-and-dime budget, you aren’t going to pick something that is going to be particularly valuable – just something to bide your time.

Monday, November 21, 2005



Mail Day
2005 Upper Deck Team USA Ryan Zimmerman auto numbered 26 out of 595 [$15.92 plus $2.50 s/h from Ebay].

I put in a two second snipe and won this card, which is apparently the most common version of his certified autograph from the set.

This is where I dabble in prospecting - a cursory pick up of a guy who isn't a secret anymore. Zimmerman is on the fast track - a guy who has actually had a cup of coffee with the Washington Nationals in 2005 after he was drafted and is expected to be their regular third baseman in 2006 after the team traded away Vinny Castilla.

The scan is not my actual card, but the one the seller used in the auction that I had won.

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Mail Day
1987 Donruss Greg Maddux PSA-9 [$9.99 plus $3.50 s/h from Ebay].

It is funny that most the mainstream cards I clamored for back in the day aren't worth much anymore and I don't have to have a millionaire's budget to recapture my nostalgia.



I bought a copy of this card for $6 in the early '90s, but it was off-center. This one is a more attractive copy, though the value has softened over time. Still it is nice having a rookie card of one of the best pitchers of his generation, whether it is worth $50 or $5.

Check out that 'porn star' mustache on Maddux...

Thursday, November 17, 2005


Mail Day
2005 Donruss Throwback Threads Ron Cey patch #'d 20/25 [$2.99 plus $2.50 s/h from Ebay seller: snwman8].

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

2005 Award Winners

Most Valuable Player

Alex Rodriguez (American League) - I think when you play for the New York Yankees, individual achievements mean nothing when you don't win a championship. Still ARod's anemic playoff stats don't matter. Love him or hate him for his contract, playing in New York or the slap, ARod was pretty darn good in 2005.


Albert Pujols (National League) - I would have liked to see Andruw Jones win, just so that the certified autograph I bought before the 2005 season started would mean something towards my award winners collection. I think Pujols was another sentimental [and probably deserving] favorite among the baseball writers voting after putting up such dominant numbers over the last five years and having nothing to show for his efforts. Derrek Lee was awesome, but his Chicago Cubs stunk it up in 2005.

Cy Young
Bartolo Colon (American League) - Even though he pulled up lame in the American League Division series for the Los Angeles Angeles, he was a horse all season long.

Chris Carpenter (National League) - I think the St.Louis Cardinals' ace was the sentimental favorite among the baseball writers voting after the injuries he suffered [and worked to come back from] before putting together some pretty numbers for the Cardinals over the last two seasons.

Rookie of the Year
Huston Street (American League) - Oakland Athletics' star rookie established himself as one of the league's top young relievers in his first season in 2005.

Ryan Howard (National League) - Suddenly I think it is going to be hard for the Philadelphia Phillies to justify trading Howard with him taking home the Rookie of the Year award. He may have more trade value, but there is a little more buzz to his name now. He isn't some other good, young player that maybe expendable. What happens between him and Jim Thome in 2006?

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Active collection
I want to look at the items I've collected, display them and with the particular cards I've collected - get them autographed as opposed to just cram them somewhere to get out of the way.

Ideally I want cards that I pick up for my collection to have a purpose.

I make it a point to spend my money to pick up cards and non-card memorabilia items. I should make it a habit to learn how to enjoy them instead of moving onto the next fad.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Mail Day
A Ebay winning finally arrived in the form of a 1973 Kellogg's Al Kaline. It is probably worth what I paid for it [$1.52 and a SASE on Ebay].

While it isn't worth much, it has the novelty of being a 32 year old card - making it sorta, kinda of an antique - I just hope for my sake, it isn't trimmed.

Maybe I'll send it for a possible autograph request.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Liberating retails pulls at the Target close to my school:
2004 Upper Deck II ($1.49) - lame Jason Giambi insert, lame Roger Clemens [checklist] - the best card as far as I was concerned was a Gil Meche base card worth half a nickel - you can see a blurred Ichiro cameo in the background.

2005 Bowman Chrome ($2.99) - Hernan Iribarren rookie card

2005 Topps Fan Favorites ($2.99) - Cal Ripken Jr. base card - but also cards of luminaries such as Jerome Walton [1989 National League Rookie of the Year], Jeff Brantley [ESPN], Ron Blomberg [first ever designated hitter], Jim Leyritz [New York Yankees] and Joaquin Andujar - I wouldn't want to pull these guys' [except for Ripken Jr. perhaps] cards during the time they played, why would I want to now?

2005 Topps Basketball ($1.99) - ugh, why did I pick up this pack of shiite?

And...
2005 Bowman's Best ($19.99 for a blister pack of two) - my auto [guaranteed in the blister marking] was a John Barratt with a 'notch' on the autograph sticker, numbered 422/974.

Briefly looking at his stats on baseballamerica.com, it looks like he was beaten up in the Cal League in 2005.

Looking at the back of his card, he is 5'9" - which makes him:

A.) A long shot to make any Major League roster
B.) A lefty specialist

I know if I just wanted 'some cards,' I could do things a little better than waste my time and energy on retail packs.

I feel so violated - but it is like, I'm the one who succumbed to the crap.

This is where I really hurt my collections.