A slice of card show miscellany

I was able to attend a couple of card shows last weekend and maybe the routine is taking a little breather where maybe boredom does set in - on this particular outing, I've bought assorted bulk cards, some dollar cards and a couple of low end singles, but I don't know if I can make my way back into the dealer room, where I just might be done for the afternoon.

However, despite feeling like this maybe it, it's almost a challenge - where I do want to go around and see if there is still at least a table or two to find some keepers.   

I found a table with some $0.50 boxes to dig through - there may have been a small stack of 1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated cards that had some nice images but they weren't priced as commons. 

The seller was packing up his display case and I probably decided to move on - but came back around when it looked like another collector was on a mission, searching deep and pulling cards out of the other boxes at the table.

I figured as long as this other guy [and then another collector] was still rummaging through assorted cards - I would do the same thing as long as it wasn't awkward where the seller was waiting on only me.

The seller started putting some slabs back on the table - maybe just killing time seeing if he had any more bites while people were still lingering. 

I thought something peculiar was happening behind the scenes where maybe it was a guy the seller knew buying him out of the very boxes three people at the table were going through - the seller seemed to get angry for a moment where he told the guy to “get outta here,” but was only really joking around and it looks like money exchanged hands.

I could see where the probable buyer was telling the seller to wrap things up as is - where he probably didn’t want anymore people go through the cards that he may have just bought in bulk.

"This will be it," the seller said to the other guy.

It looks like I found a photo print of Gene Autry and Nolan Ryan sized into a trading card - regardless of how I feel about unlicensed cards or cards printed out of someone's garage, maybe the 'lil photo was too odd not to make a keeper.

On my own, I dug out about 30 cards from the dollar bins and while I didn't consider all them dollar cards - I figured I didn’t have time to play around and weed out 'lesser' cards to leave behind. 

“Can’t really lose for a dollar,” one of the other guys looking through the cards said. 

I presented my cards to the seller and even picked out 12 of the $0.50 cards I was hesitant on buying - maybe I should have just grabbed a handful of the non-dollar cards, because when I tried to show them to the seller, he gestured to let me have the cards and said "I’ll make you happy and give those to you."

A couple of card show single pick ups

So at the card show where the last two posts worth of cards came from, I went back to table with what I term the dollar boxes of doom - through 2021, I was all about raiding those bargain boxes when I could get to them, but perhaps the relative quality had dwindled.

I didn't think I'd see the day where the dollar cards were now $0.50 each, but maybe the seller was preoccupied by other things - however my interests have shifted where I'd rather look for impulse purchases out of the scattered singles [$5-$20] boxes.

As is who knows if I can count on seeing cards I may have flagged in months and months ago - being generally in the same place, whether displayed in one of the showcases or in a box.

I plucked an MLB rookie year Derek Jeter insert and an Ichiro rookie year card, though I wasn't enthused about what I was finding - I thought this seller would have all these boxes of 'interesting' cards, but maybe it just depends on collections the person purchases, what maybe left and what he decides to put out.

I found a 1992 Bowman Mike Piazza RC #461 and while I really wanted a graded copy as part of my scratch the itch list - a loose, unslabbed card was in my wheelhouse as a notable single pick up where I'd rather have the card that not.

I still remember buying loose jumbo packs of 1992 Bowman for $12 each at least a few times off a random seller at the show that still runs at least a couple of times a week - after the fact, I don't think I pulled one notable player or rookie so maybe there was a sequence where pulling cards of note was a no-go.

I found several copies of the Carlos Beltran certified autograph card and while he has a Hall of Fame case with the career numbers that merit eventual induction - he may never avoid questions about his role in the Houston cheating scandal in 2017 and his firing as a New York Mets manager, before he even got to manage in a game.

As I considered making my singles purchases, I was absentmindedly digging through the $0.50 boxes - where I was trying to think about the combination of singles I'd relent to pick up, I just grabbed the Piazza and a Beltran for $20 to have a couple keepers beside all the other bulk cards I picked up.

Some more card show stuff

Some older Angels cards from 'my era,' which was probably 1990s early 2000s - I probably have a number of these cards but they were cheap enough, where I added them into my take home stash.

Mini-collection cards - some batting cards, a home run trot card and baserunning cards.

Mini-collection cards - some fielding cards, a throwing card, a double play throwing card and a pair of 'dirt fetish' cards no matter how incidental.

Mini-collection cards - some 'fun cards' up top including a gum card, a player having some fun and an oddity where Randy Johnson is pictured with a camera.

Bottom row features - a Kris Bryant 'game face, focused' card, a Curt Schilling 'men at work' card and Javy Baez and Kevin Pillar 'personality shots, fired up' cards.

Mini-collection cards - some unique perspective cards in my book, including some 'event captured' cards, some cards with what I consider 'panoramic / majestic' images and a Sean Casey 'signage' card where 'Bud' can be made out in the background.

So it begins for '22 - some card show stuff

I headed to my first card show trip of the year and when I got to the place, maybe things were a little low key outside and I wondered if I was at the right place - when I walked into the gym, maybe the foot traffic seemed lighter and maybe there were more empty spaces where seller tables could be.

There were still the same core of tables such as the higher end showcase guys, the card doctor / card cleaner dude and more of the ‘card bro’ tables where they won't look at you unless you are in their crew - but perhaps the gym just wasn't as packed with commerce and I was just kind of ambivalent about the vibe where it was a little sleepy.

I was aiming for the table with what I call the dollar boxes of doom, though perhaps I've been more interested in the $5-$20 singles - however, it seemed like a smaller set up and people were already planted there, so I decided to wander around to see where I can find myself.

I decided I’d switch things up and start with good ‘ole Mr. Dependable, a seller with a 3,200 count box of cards for a dime each - I was worried about missing out on the better material at the dollar boxes of doom, but I needed to plant myself somewhere where I’d made up my mind I wasn’t going to be missing out on much regardless.

Building up my stashes where it’s about plundering what I can out of the baseball rows - I’m trying to keep things straight even as loose cards are spilling all over the place and I'm not exactly sure how to corral them into piles that make sense.

I need some ‘table management’ where set my stacks of cards where after about 45 minutes, I'm just about done - I need to figure out what I have and start to wrap things up.

I dutifully count things out and end up with 375 cards [maybe I went one over where I suspect I counted a dupe as one card] - after calculating the totals, I was charged $20 and my first bulk haul of the year is in the books.

These may represent players I'm iffy about or cards I don't think I'd ever consider picking up in there here and now - but I'm looking for keepers, whether it's on a whim or perhaps cards that are mini-collection material, loose / random cards for my team boxes project on the side and just other loose card projects.

Some Florida Marlins curiosities showcased for some reason - maybe I'm putting myself through a bad 'repack' trip, but my game plan has never been that serious, where no one is going to stop me from setting aside cards left and right.

I've already given myself license to 'freelance' with these rummages - do I start to shift focus on grabbing cards of fan favorites like a Raul Mondesi, Jason Varitek or even a Brad Radke to squirrel away as team boxes material?

Maybe Mondesi was the only one I thought was collectible at some point and my interest in him peaked over 20 years ago - just going through all these cards, I wonder if faux nostalgia is setting in, where time has passed to make what was once 'common' and 'meh' old school cool all these years later.

How about Fernando Tatis Sr., who had a solid big league career - but it's probably 50/50 now whether fans remember him for hitting two grand slams in an inning an/dor being the father of a big league superstar.

Misc - nice 'gum card' score on the reverse image of a 1997 Pinnacle Certified Raul Casanova #122.

Misc - I think whenever I'd have acquaintances who discover I had an interest in cards, their first thought was to mention Chan Ho Park, which was annoying.

After 25 years, I'm still messing with cardboard and on the down low, have decided to make a few of Park's cards keepers as I find them - including a couple of rookies and an insert from his dreadful Texas Rangers years.

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.

A look back into a 2021 collecting goal

With all my card interests, it can be easy to spend a couple of weeks focused on one thing, then on a whim, just drop what I'm working on - to dwell on something else in the meantime, while the previous thing is put on hold.

Like everyone else it seems, I have a yearly set of collecting goals, but maybe it gets too long winded to fully break down on a blog - I feel like a goof when I don't catch up to any of them and so maybe it is easier to keep them offline.

The least I could really do is fish out one or maybe a couple things to recap from the last calendar year - maybe the more intricate the goals I've set, the harder it is to keep track of and figure out whether it fits into one of the following classifications. 

Passing grade - an achievement. 

I’ll take the results - did not meet a numerical goal, but came close to the spirit of achievement.

No grade - something incomplete, unfinished but not quite a failure.

Work in progress - something to be followed up on but perhaps didn’t quite focus hard enough on. 

Fail  / rejigger / L - a combination of one or all of the three means I missed my mark otherwise and I may have think about what may change as far as a goal. 

A pro tip for myself would really try to keep things simplified - where even if I've listed goals that aren't as ambitious, they are realistic and I'm not wondering why I even put them out.  

As it goes, one of the things that I jot down is to refine my Angels collection - I don't know if I'll ever be a traditional team collector, where I'm dutifully collecting every single card, but if nothing else, I want to build on the idea that there is a focus on a home team as far as what I collect.

There maybe different 'bullet points' as far as my regional focus goes - one of my goals was seeing if I could get the last 20-30 years of Angels Opening Day teams in plastic pages to display in a binder. 

I gave myself a passing grade where I actually I put 40 years [1981-2021] worth of cards in pages where I worked on this regional loose card project for a little bit - while I'm still missing stragglers, I felt like I could go ahead with displaying what I had so far, especially with a lure of seeing what the project looks like when completed.

Through 2022, this specific goal stays intact, where I hunt down cards I may still need for the pages I've made - as well as seeing where I can get a good number of cards to justify making more pages for another run of years [1980 and before]. 

A look into my collecting goals for 2022

I have a yearly set of collecting goals, but maybe it gets too long winded to fully break down on a blog - I feel like a goof when I don't catch up to any of them and so maybe it is easier to keep them offline.

The least I could really do is see if I can put one or maybe a couple things I kind of want to do for the current year - there might have been a pre-pandemic build up as far as my personal collections where it served as my collecting centerpiece regardless of the rest of my interests.

With my PCs, I've been content to let them sit where they are kind of neglected - maybe I feel like there is an idea I've done what I can with them and it's not like I'm going to be keeping up in trying to find new additions.

Goals for 2022 #1 - putting more time into PCs - rounding up loose pick ups from at least the past couple of years, making them official, straightening things out and beefing up my personal collections with 10-15 cards. 

Ultimately it might be a case where it's mostly about focusing on what I have and what I haven't accounted for - maybe I'm fine with adding what I'd consider 'complimentary' cards rather than true PC cards, where I've gotten away from thoughts of any serious additions to my PCs. 

I'd be happy if I found 1 home run card where there is some stature and value while generally still being attainable for an average collector - but with the funny business that has gone on for the past couple of years, that ship may have sailed for good.

Goals for 2022 #2 - putting more time into A-Z singles collections - rounding up loose pick ups from at least the past couple of years, making them official, straightening things out and beefing up my A-Z singles material with 20-25 cards, where the collection serves as the pipeline for my next PC cards.

I don't know if I ever was able to revamp my A-Z singles collections, even before the pandemic - I just had these random mix of cards that may or may not have some value, but the biggest aspect is the idea I'm a collector for better or for worse, where maybe I sit on things rather than looking to flip.

Maybe I have to keep track of things better - that might mean making sure in addition to having a better idea of cards that may go into my personal collections, there is a better idea of cards that I might be able to sell off when I need to.

2021 Panini Absolute Baseball blaster recap

I saw a display of $15 blaster boxes at the monthly card show I went to and was definitely tempted because some was baseball and while it was likely dead stock from a retail flipper's POV - I'll take my chances where I can pick out of a couple of boxes to rip for a little south of $20 each rather of the other way around.

The safe play may have been two blasters of 2021 Topps Stadium Club, but I went with a miscellaneous Panini product and a 2021 Topps Fire blaster - it was an opportunity to grab two blasters I hadn't seen before and regardless of likely outcomes, I wanted something different.

Go figure with the MLB locking out its players, it might be an appropriate time to bust something only licensed by the players association - where you have big league players' cards without any MLB logos and no licensing from Major League Baseball itself.

The break ended up being underwhelming because the cards are pretty bland from base cards to the scattered inserts - nothing that shines and/or pops and the lack of MLB licensing only adds to the certain boring feel.

My per box, on average blaster exclusive autograph or memorabilia card was of a young pitcher who was part of the 2021 World Series champion Atlanta [Braves] - who made one WS start and wasn't very good at all.

Pack one

#74 Lucas Giolito

#31 J.P. Crawford

#88 Fernando Tatis Jr.

#46 Mike Yastrzemski

#74 Lucas Giolito - Green parallel

#SS-1 Joe Jackson - Statistically Speaking insert; Green parallel

#P-10 Bobby Witt Jr. - Prospects insert

#PO-8 Nelson Cruz - Power insert

Pack two

#4 D.J. Lemahieu

#62 Kris Bryant

#20 Xander Bogaerts 

#77 Matt Chapman

#31 J.P. Crawford - Green parallel

#RC-4 Sam Huff - Rookie Class insert

#RC-24 Ryan Mountcastle - Rookie Class insert; Green parallel

#SS-6 Freddie Freeman - Statistically Speaking insert

Pack three

#100 Clayton Kershaw

#58 Willie Adames

#16 Max Scherzer

#TT6S-TD Tucker Davidson - Tools of the Trade 6 Swatch Signatures; retail serial #'d 49/99; blue ink, clear hologram auto

#88 Fernando Tatis Jr. - Green parallel

#No. I-7 Mike Trout - Icons insert; Los Angeles; Green parallel

#UH-3 Frank Chance - Unsung Heroes insert

#No. I-12 Tony Gwynn - Icons insert; San Diego

Pack four

#73 Jose Ramirez

#30 Christian Yelich

#87 Jeff McNeil

#45 Brandon Lowe

#46 Mike Yastrzemski - Green parallel

#ET-4 Trevor Story - Extreme Team insert; Green parallel

#RC-19 Triston McKenzie - Rookie Class insert

#PO-13 Reggie Jackson - Power insert

Pack five

#3 Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

#61 Gil Hodges

#19 Jacob deGrom

#42 Bryce Harper

#4 D.J. Lemahieu - Green parallel

#RC-18 Andres Gimenez - Rookie Class insert; Green parallel

#ET-10 Randy Arozarena - Extreme Team 

#SS-11 Max Scherzer - Statistically Speaking insert

Just to add one last bit here - I found it funny another collector actually tweeted a picture of the very card show display I bought my blasters from, to say there is a lot of excess supply [likely not going anywhere].

Cards people who buy modern don't care about

I was trying to make something out of my time at the monthly card show and ended up at a seller's tables where his father usually tags along to help out - I don't ever really get to know the individuals behind the tables, but this guy seems more of a card shark where he busts all sorts of basketball, football, soccer, maybe non-sports unopened along with primarily with higher end singles in his showcases.

His material at the lowest end consists of $0.50 boxes, mostly for other sports - but he brought out his other boxes [which were quarter cards] where he may have had a bigger table setup and had his family hanging out as well. 

I tried to dig through the baseball row of his quarter boxes, even though it's probably just older material from 2020 rather than newer stuff through 2021 - I like the idea of rummaging through cheap-o cards where regardless of value, see legitimate star power in my probable take home stash.

I may have to cap the total number of cards I end up with where I don't want to necessarily blow my wad at one spot - I came up with 36 assorted cards for $9, including some NFL and NBA stragglers that somehow made it as keepers.

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Diamond Kings Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #14

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Diamond Kings Juan Soto #23

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Diamond Kings Bryce Harper #24

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Diamond Kings Carolina Blue and White Paul Goldschmidt #26

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Diamond Kings Lime Green Nolan Arenado #29

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Mythical Juan Soto #M-13

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Retro 1986 Cal Ripken Jr. #R86-1

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Retro 1986 Rickey Henderson #R86-4

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Retro 1986 Nolan Ryan #R86-6

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Retro 1986 Cal Ripken Jr. #R86-16

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Stained Glass Miguel Cabrera #SG-4

2020 Panini Donruss Optic Stained Glass Rafael Devers #SG-7 - x2; one is actually a Prizm parallel

2020 Panini Prizm Vladimir Guerrero #165

2020 Panini Prizm Red, White and Blue Prizm Anthony Rendon #1

2020 Topps Chrome Prism Refractors Joey Votto #9 

2020 Topps Chrome Prism Refractors Paul Goldschmidt #89

2020 Topps Chrome Refractors Rafael Devers #93 

2020 Topps Chrome Baseball 1985 Topps Baseball Rafael Devers #85TC-8 Rafael Devers

2020 Topps Stadium Club Chrome Miguel Cabrera #117

2020 Topps Stadium Club Chrome David Ortiz #199

2020 Topps Stadium Club Chrome George Brett #242

2020 Topps Stadium Club Chrome Roger Clemens #308

2020 Topps Stadium Club Chrome Gary Carter #317

2020 Topps Stadium Club Chrome Mike Piazza #398

2020 Topps Stadium Club Chrome Refractors Jose Ramirez #22

2021 Topps 70 Years of Topps Baseball Bryce Harper #70YT-13  

Basketball

2019-20 Panini Status Seth Curry #18 

Football

2020 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Elite Aspirations Jerry Jeudy #2

2020 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Absolute Blue Jerry Jeudy #2

2020 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Prestige Draft Picks CeeDee Lamb #2

2020 Panini Mosaic Montage Aaron Rodgers #M12 

2020 Panini Select Russell Wilson #4

2020 Panini Select Joe Montana #19

2020 Panini Select Jerry Rice #20

2020 Panini Select Peyton Manning #31

2021 Topps Update hanger box recap 1

This was the first of two $10 hanger boxes from the book store - have two more hanger boxes from Target I'll have to formally go through, but this had the best results out of the four.

#US33 Marcus Semien

#US194 Miguel Castro

#US88 Victor Caratini

#US25 Chi Chi Gonzalez

#US114 Patrick Wisdom

#US61 Marwin Gonzalez

#US178 Ryan Weathers - Rookie Debut

#US283 Sergio Romo

#US174 Mario Feliciano RC

#US164 Andrew Knapp

#US239 Matt Shoemaker

#US115 Tyler Wade

#US127 Luis Guillorme

#US259 Deivi Garcia - Rookie Debut

#US132 Jameson Taillon

#US212 Bobby Dalbec - Rookie Debut

#US177 Andrew Stevenson

#US310 John Nogowksi RC

#US275 Mike Foltynewicz

#US301 Luis Gonzalez RC

#US101 Keegan Thompson RC

#US280 Gregory Santos RC

#US282 Lance Lynn

#US246 Brent Honeywell RC

#US190 Rony Garcia RC

#US224 Steve Cishek

#US305 Bryan Garcia RC

#US287 Alex Verdugo / Enrique Gonzalez - Veteran Combos; Top Shelf

#US255 Jake Lamb

#US103 Kyle Finnegan RC

#US286 Jonathan India - Green parallel serial #'d 432/499; happy to pull a rookie year parallel of the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, so glad it's not the Rookie Debut subset. 

#70YT-38 Pete Alonso - 70 Years of Topps insert

#86B-8 Javier Baez - 1986 Topps Baseball insert

#T92-27 Andrew Vaughn

#T92-34 Gerrit cole

#T92-18 Shane Bieber

#T92-14 Luis Robert

#US209 Jordan Luplow

#US185 Khalil Lee RC

#US97 Adam Duval

#US65 Andres Gimenez RC

#US214 Luis Patino - Rookie Debut

#US118 Jose Quintana

#US146 Luke Jackson

#US293 Jimmy Lambert RC

#US302 Jarred Kelenic RC

#US11 D.J. Peters RC

#US98 Magneuris Sierra

#US248 Miguel Sano / Byron Buxton - Minnesota Mashers

#US151 Garrett Hampson

#US155 Miguel Cabrera / Jeimer Candelario - Snow Tigers

#US276 Willy Adames

#US41 Alex Kirilloff - Rookie Debut

#US18 Billy Hamilton

#US30 Brock Holt

#US26 Taijuan Walker

#US166 Chris Gittens RC

#US171 Matt Moore

#US105 Chad Kuhl

#US20 Josh Staumont - man bun

#US66 James Paxton

#Us117 Hirozaku Sawamura RC

#US92 Tyler Stephenson - Rookie Debut

#US228 Dylan Moore

#US19 Chase Anderson

#US67 Angel Rondon

#US120 Seth Brown

TTM autograph received: Carl Erskine

This was my last success of 2021 and it came from the one time Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher and TTM signing great - I sent an autograph request to him back in 2018, but found a random card in a dime box at the monthly card show I go to and took a chance in sending out a repeat request with [$10] as a donation / fee.

2021 Topps Update blaster recap

I finally got my hands on some 2021 Topps Update and while it may not be a big deal, I feel like retail offerings are still trickier to find in-person - one of the stops tagging along with my mother running errands was at a Barnes and Noble book store where I've heard of accounts where they've sold cards in the past year [i.e. 2021 Bowman Mega Boxes].

On the other hand I don't know if each store just put the cards out in the shelves and I've never seen them [not that I go to bookstores much at all in the here and now] - what happened however, was when I was waiting in line to make a purchase, I saw someone approach the counter and ask the sales associate for trading cards.

I couldn't believe my eyes when the person dug out some blasters for the person look at - when I finally had a chance, I followed suit to ask for some cards myself and ended up with this blaster, along with two $10 hanger boxes.

It's kind of a minor miracle but I guess it happens where I get an opportunity to find cards when I'm not really expecting to - at my local Target, I did find some loose hanger boxes, so I grabbed a couple more in the wild.

Pack one

#US84 Bailey Ober RC

#US273 Mike Minor

#US148 Daniel Vogelbach

#US175 Ha-Seong Kim - Rookie Debut

#US100 Jon Lester

#US288 Carlos Rodon - Rodon Twirls No No

#US4 Mitch Moreland

#US285 Vladimir Gutierrez - Orange Foilboard parallel, serial #'d 034/299

#ASG-18 Bo Bichette - 2021 MLB All-Stars insert

#70YT-31 Mark McGwire - 70 Years of Topps insert

#T92-42 Kyle Lewis - Topps 1992 Redux insert; the originals had a thinner card stock and a back of the cards had 'creamier' feel. 

#US121 Trevor Stephan / Nick Sandlin - Rookie Combos RC

#US323 Jorge Ona RC

#US204 Willians Astudillo

Pack two

#US211 Luis Patino RC

#US140 Andrew Vaughn - Rookie Debut

#US196 Akil Baddoo RC

#US309 Keibert Ruiz - Rookie Debut

#US9 Jose Urena

#US161 Michael Wacha

#US201 Brad Miller

#US64 Archie Bradley

#US157 Josh Reddick - Rainbow Foil parallel

#T70P-RY Robin Yount - Topps 70th Anniversary Logo Patch

#T02-46 Randy Arozarena - Topps 1992 Redux insert

#US285 Vladimir Gutierrez RC

#US322 Adam Ottavino 

#US173 Sam Hentges RC

#US83 Joe Panik

Pack three

#US207 Zack Collins

#US291 Eric Sogard

#US153 Daniel Lynch RC

#US95 Hunter Renfroe

#US144 Taylor Trammell / J.P. Crawford - Leather Flashers

#US172 Giovanny Gallegos

#US150 Zack Wheeler

#US58 Austin Dean

#86B-47 Jacob deGrom - 1986 Topps Baseball insert

#T92-33 Giancarlo Stanton - Topps 1992 Redux insert

#US14 Dane Dunning

#US59 Steven Matz

#US230 Charlie Culberson

#US87 Matt Harvey

Pack four

#US70 Alex Vesia RC

#US279 Asdrubal Cabrera

#US82 Jordan Holloway RC

#US252 Raisel Iglesias

#US12 Nick Gordon RC

#US243 Lane Thomas

#US46 Ryan McKenna RC

#US237 Will Craig RC

#ASG-7 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 2021 MLB All-Stars insert

#T92-28 Christian Yelich - Topps 1992 Redux insert

#US266 Sterling Sharp RC

#US222 Brady Singer - Rookie Debut

#US57 Seth Elledge RC

#US78 Jed Lowrie

Pack five

#US107 Nivaldo Rodriguez RC

#US48 Bo Bichette / Marcus Semien - Veteran Combos; Fast Friends

#US129 Sean Doolittle

#US21 Huascar Ynoa RC

#US38 Julio Teheran

#US254 Cole Tucker

#US42 Tyler Nevin RC

#BG-25 Jo Adell - Topps Black Gold insert

#T92-24 Cody Bellinger - Topps 1992 Redux insert

#US182 Ashton Goudeau RC

#US263 John Gant

#US191 Shane McClanahan - Rookie Debut

#US256 Josh Palacios RC

#US281 Elias Diaz 

Pack six

#US111 Jackie Bradley Jr.

#US47 Taylor Trammell

#US71 Sam Huff RC

#US261 Luis Garcia - Rookie Debut

#US295 Cristian Pache - Rookie Debut

#US154 Frankie Montas

#US199 Pat Valaika

#US50 Josh Bell

#TC92-2 Aaron Judge - Topps 1992 Redux insert; Chrome

#T92-9 Ryan Mountcastle - Topps 1992 Redux insert

#US274 Tyler Ivey RC

#US270 Merrill Kelly

#US327 Tony Watson

#US143 Jake Cronenworth - Rookie Debut

Pack seven

#US49 Martin Maldonado

#US257 Ke'Bryan Hayes - Rookie Debut

#US209 Jordan Luplow

#US185 Khalil Lee RC

#US197 Dylan Carlson - Rookie Debut

#US208 Brian O'Grady

#US187 Tyson Miller RC

#US219 Francisco Mejia

#86B-8 Javier Baez - 1986 Topps Baseball insert

#ASG-4 Nelson Cruz - 2021 MLB All-Stars insert

#T92-4 Shohei Ohtani - Topps 1992 Redux insert

#US317 Myles Straw

#US133 Garrett Whitlock RC

#US234 Carlos Hernandez RC

Mostly a 1986 Topps Traded repack brick

The highlights of this may have been the XRCs of fan favorites like Wally Joyner, Andres Galarraga, Bobby Bonilla John Kruk and Bip Roberts - I'd prefer a repack with a lot more variety as far as brands and years go, but there is a good mix here and I'm just glad the 'bulk' wasn't mostly junk wax era flagship Topps.

1986 Topps Traded

#51T Wally Joyner XRC

2020 Topps Finest James Paxton #96

1986 Topps Phil Niekro #790

#126T Bobby Witt

#6T Don Baylor

#68T Mickey Mahler

#67T Steve Lyons

#125T Mitch Williams

#37T Terry Forster

#34T Mark Eichhorn

#54T Bob Kipper

#25T Mark Clear

#17T Tom Candiotti

#5T Scott Bailes

#62T Rudy Law

#4T Paul Assenmacher

#55T Wayne Krenchicki

#124T Dick Williams

#128T George Wright

#41T Ken Griffey

#116T Alex Trevino

#52T Charlie Kerfeld

#45T Billy Hatcher

#102T Ted Simmons

#109T Tim Teufel

#61T Dave LaPoint

#57T Mike LaCoss

#111T Andres Thomas

#108T Danny Tartabull

#87T Dan Plesac

#15T Steve Boros

#16T Rick Burleson

#92T Bille Jo Robidoux

#120T Bob Walk

#97T Joe Sambito

#72T Andy McGaffigan

#103T Sammy Stewart

#98T Billy Sample

#76T Jerry Mumphrey

#129T Ricky Wright

#17T Bill Cambpell

#119T Ozzie Virgil

#131T Paul Zuvella

#36T Scott Fletcher

#77T Phil Niekro

#63T Rick Leach

#73T John Cerutti

#99T Dave Schmidt

#21T Carmen Castillo

#9T Juan Berenguer

#33T Mike Easler

#78T Randy Niemann

#39T Jim Fregosi

#101T Tom Seaver

#44T Moose Haas

#88T Darrell Porter

2007 Topps Felix Hernandez #435

2007 Topps Mike Mussina #452

2007 Topps Craig Biggio #517

2007 Topps Jim Thome #481

2007 Topps Tom Glavine #410

2007 Topps Gary Sheffield #470 

1981 Fleer Rod Carew #168

1992 Topps Stadium Club Eddie Murray #795

2007 Topps Carlos Beltran #200

2007 Topps Andy Pettitte #32

2007 Topps Gary Sheffield #133 - I realize it just happens, but why are there two Sheffield base cards in the 2007 Topps set? 

2012 Topps Chris Sale #149

2018 Topps Chrome Stephen Strasburg #185

2014 Topps Opening Day Stephen Strasburg #21

2014 Topps Opening Day Chris Archer #153

2014 Topps Opening Day Chris Sale #151

2014 Topps Opening Day Patrick Corbin #68

2014 Topps Opening Day Hyun-Jin Ryu #213

2014 Topps Opening Day Yu Darvish #148

2014 Topps Opening Day Josh Donaldson #11

2016 Topps Opening Day Gerrit Cole #OD-163

2016 Topps Opening Day Stephen Strasburg #OD-194

2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Mini Gary Sheffield #138

2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Alex Rodriguez #64

1996 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Mo Vaughn #480

#100T Ken Schrom

#69T Candy Maldonado

#117T Manny Trillo

#91T Bip Roberts XRC

#12T Bobby Bonilla XRC

#130T Steve Yeager

#66T Jim Leyland XRC

#40T Andres Galarraga XRC

#19T John Cangelosi XRC

#31T Rob Deer

#2T Neil Allen

#7T Steve Bedrosian

#13T Juan Bonilla

#123T Bill Wegman XRC

#107T Chuck Tanner

#59T Mike Laga

#81T Bobby Ojeda

#113T Robby Thompson XRC

#56T John Kruk XRC

#115T Wayne Tolleson

One more 1981 Topps repack brick

#260 Ron Cey

#228 Tom Paciorek

#230 George Hendrick

#231 Joe Beckwith

#232 Mickey Klutts

#233 Skip Lockwood

#235 Scott Sanderson

#236 Mike Ivie

#237 Charlie Moore

#238 Willie Hernandez

#239 Rick Miller DP

#241 Checklist 122-242 DP

#242 Chet Lemon

#243 Sal Butera RC

#244 Tito Landrum / Al Olmsted / Andy Rincon RC

#245 Ed Figueroa

#246 Ed Ott DP

#247 Glenn Hubbard DP

#248 Joey McLaughlin

#249 Larry Cox

#251 Tom Brookens

#252 Victor Cruz

#253 Dave Bergman

#255 Mark Littell

#256 Bombo Rivera

#257 Rennie Stennett

#258 Joe Price RC

#262 Sammy Stewart

#263 Brian Downing

#264 Jim Norris

#265 John Candelaria

#266 Tom Herr

#267 Stan Bahnsen

#268 Jerry Royster

#269 Ken Forsch

#270 Greg Luzinski

#271 Bill Castro

#273 Stan Papi

#274 Craig Chamberlain

#276 Dan Spillner

#277 Alfredo Griffin

#278 Rick Sofield

#279 Bob Knepper

#280 Ken Griffey, Sr.

#281 Fred Stanley

#282 Rick Anderson / Greg Biercevicz / Rodney Craig RC

#283 Billy Sample

#284 Brian Kingman

#285 Jerry Turner

#286 Dave Frost

#287 Lenn Sakata

#288 Bob Clark

#289 Mickey Hatcher

#290 Bob Boone DP

#291 Aurelio Lopez

#292 Mike Squires

#293 Charlie Lea RC

#294 Mike Tyson DP

#295 Hal McRae

#296 Bill Nahorodny DP

#297 Bob Bailor

#298 Buddy Solomon

#299 Elliott Maddox

#301 Matt Keough

#303 Johnny Oates

#304 John Castino

#305 Ken Clay

#306 Juan Beniquez DP

#307 Gene Garber

#308 Rick Manning

#309 Luis Salazar RC

#310 Vida Blue DP

#311 Freddie Patek

#312 Rick Rhoden

#313 Luis Pujols

#314 Rich Dauer

#316 Craig Minetto

#317 Lonnie Smith

#318 Steve Yeager

#319 Rowland Office

#320 Tom Burgmeier

#322 Neil Allen

#323 Jim Morrison DP

#324 Mike Willis

#326 Biff Pocoroba

#327 Moose Haas

#328 Dave Engle / Greg Johnston / Gary Ward RC

#329 Joaquin Andujar

#330 Frank White

#331 Dennis Lamp

#332 Lee Lacy DP

#333 Sid Monge

#334 Dane Iorg

#336 Eddie Whitson

#337 Lynn Jones

#338 Checklist 243-363

#340 Bruce Kison

#341 Dwayne Murphy

#342 Eric Rasmussen DP

#344 Byron McLaughlin

Card show pickups - mining for the miscellaneous

At the card show I went to, I was doing work digging through a seller's cheapo boxes - after tallying things up, it looks like I grabbed 108 cards that were 6 for $1, another 5-10 cards that were 3 for $1 and/or $0.50 each.

These were three Tyler Wade rookies out of the main brick of '6 for $1' cards I picked up - I wouldn't have cared about him before, though I got his autograph in-person years ago in the Arizona Fall League.

However, the Angels picked him up and while his upside is probably still a utility guy, he is relatively young and if he turns out to have some decent moments as an Angel - then I have rookies of a rank-and-file guy to root for.

These were '3 for $1' as indicated by the red Sharpie mark on the penny sleeves - is it hard to see the Kyle Tucker prospect cards and the Mookie Betts insert pictured up top?

To show off, I'm taking photos of my cards rather than scanning them - but maybe I've never learned the ideal way to do so, where my blog images look relatively decent.

I think the Topps Gypsy Queen Chrome Eloy Jimenez is a box topper - Jimenez looks like he's a fun player to watch, so maybe he's a pick to click as far as collecting on the down low if I ever see his cards out in the wild.

I thought the Anthony Rendon was just another Topps Chrome parallel but it was a challenge to figure just exactly which one was it - further research reveals it's likely a Black and White Mini-Diamond Refractor parallel from Topps Chrome Lite, a product I simply wouldn't have thought about existing.

I vaguely knew that there was a 2021 Bowman Chrome Lite box - but I didn't realize it was made for Topps Chrome as well.

I don't know if a 2021 card of Honus Wagner excites me compared to a card of a relevant baseball subject who is living and playing - but it's another look at the guy who is on that tiny card worth millions, so I guess it's a keeper.

In the bottom row there is a 1984 Fleer Ryne Sandberg and maybe old-school, pre-junk wax era 1980s star cards are keepers - notably when Donruss and Fleer started to be a little bit more high brow looking and may have been harder to find than comparable Topps issues.

Ramon Martinez was on fire for about a couple of seasons where he was the better known Martinez brother through the early 1990s - it feels odd to actually spend $0.33 on a random insert card of his in 2021, but what can I do when it shows him hitting?

Honestly, I don't know if I keep up with any sort of serious team collecting out in the wild - but it's a no brainer to grab a shiny parallel like the Topps Chrome pink Jared Walsh.

These were the $0.50 pick ups - the harder to see pair pictured up top are insert card of Vladimir Guerrero and Ichiro, who seem like they are a pair of bloggers' favorites.

Actually getting opportunities to get their autographs in-person back in the day - maybe it's even more a thing for me to make some of their cards I see keepers.

Are more comtemporary retro cards like the pair of Ted Williams keepers or are they just miscellaneous cards no one looks over twice [?] - I want cards of here and now players but want to build on the idea that certain old timers' cards are not going to get past me, notably inserts, parallels and/or base cards from more premium products.

I thought the Jon Lester was some kind of die-cut insert - I looked it up and it's only really base card from 2019 Panini Leather and Lumber and while its neat, I don't even know if the ridged surface is supposed to simulate anything.

Finally there is a 1981 Fleer Star Stickers Bruce Sutter card - he's holding a bat, so it's another add to my pitchers hitting collection.

1981 Topps repack brick results

At the card show I went to, I was doing work digging through a seller's cheapo boxes - after tallying things up, it looks like I grabbed 108 cards that were 6 for $1, another 5-10 cards that were 3 for $1 and/or $0.50 each.

There was a 'display' of repackaged cards [$3 each of 2 for $5] that were apparently put together by the seller's son [might have been 11 or 12 years old] - actually grabbed three [one had a 1981 Topps Bobby Grich, I'm sure the other had a 1981 Topps Ron Cey on top and the other had a 1986 Topps Traded Wally Joyner XRC.

I tried to ask what was in them to, even though that feels kind of dumb question because it's going to be mostly someone else's discards - maybe I was just hoping not to be skunked where it's junk, junk [cards from the junk wax era, all dupes, no variety in years at all] as opposed to cards [miscellaneous brands, maybe some base stars / inserts, maybe oddballs or a good mix of years] that maybe interesting to go through, even if there was no value at all.

#182 Bob Grich

#171 Gene Richards

#10 Mike Flanagan

#19 Jim Clancy

#36 Ed Farmer

#37 Gary Roenicke

#94 Harry Spilman DP

#120 Larry Bowa

#121 Larry Harlow

#122 John Denny

#123 Al Cowens

#124 Jerry Garvin

#126 Charlie Leibrandt

#127 Rudy Law

#128 Gary Allanson

#129 Art Howe

#130 Larry Gura

#131 Keith Moreland

#132 Tommy Boggs

#133 Jeff Cox

#134 Steve Mura

#135 Gorman Thomas

#136 Doug Capilla

#137 Hosken Powell

#138 Rich Dotson

#139 Oscar Gamble

#140 Bob Forsch

#141 Miguel Dilone

#142 Jackson Todd

#143 Dan Meyer

#144 Allen Ripley

#145 Mickey Rivers

#146 Bobby Castillo

#147 Dale Berra

#148 Randy Niemann

#149 Joe Nolan RC

#151 Claudell Washington

#152 John Urrea

#153 Tom Poquette

#154 Rick Langford

#155 Chris Chambliss

#156 Bob McClure

#157 John Wathan

#159 Brian Doyle

#160 Garry Maddox

#161 Dan Graham

#162 Doug Corbett

#163 Billy Almon

#164 Lamarr Hoyt

#165 Tony Scott

#166 Floyd Bannister

#167 Terry Whitfield

#168 Don Robinson

#169 John Mayberry

#170 Ross Grimsley

#172 Gary Woods

#173 Bump Wills

#174 Doug Rau

#175 Dave Collins

#176 Mike Krukow

#177 Rick Peters

#178 Jim Essian

#181 Elias Sosa

#183 Dick Davis

#184 Jim Dwyer

#185 Dennis Leonard

#186 Wayne Nordhagen

#187 Mike Parrott

#188 Doug Decinces

#189 Craig Swan

#190 Cesar Cedeno

#191 Rick Sutcliffe

#192 Braves Future Stars feat. Terry Harper / Ed Miller / Rafael Ramirez 

#193 Pete Vuckovich

#194 Rob Scurry

#195 Rich Murray

#196 Duffy Dyer

#197 Jim Kern

#198 Jerry Dybzinski

#199 Chuck Rainey

#200 George Foster

#203 Bill Gullickson

#204 Record Breaker feat. Ron LeFlore / Rodney Scott

#208 Record Breaker feat. Willie Wilson

#209 Dickie Thon

#211 Derrel Thomas

#212 Steve Nicosia

#213 Al Holland

#215 Larry Hisle

#216 John Henry Johnson

#217 Rich Hebner

#218 Paul Splittorff

#219 Ken Landreaux

#221 Bob Davis

#222 Jorge Orta

#223 Roy Lee Jackson

#224 Pat Zachry

#225 Rupert Jones

#226 Manny Sanguillen

#227 Fred Martinez

End of the year card show meanderings

I've probably gone to more card show dates this past year compared to the last 2 years before the pandemic - however I've gotten self-conscious about showing up to where the scene is a little more unfamiliar perhaps.

I find myself feeling too much like a rando in a room of guys in the know who are simply interested in 'here and now' concepts I'm not vaguely aware of - big time wheeling and dealing involving higher end slabs, other sports [NBA, NFL], non-sports.

Maybe there has always been something bigger, something hyped that people who might be collecting and speculating are chasing after - but maybe I'm stuck in my reality, which has me less emotionally invested in the nuts and bolts of a card show, where it’s harder to cultivate any enthusiasm.

With sellers are more focused on other things besides bringing material catering more to my interests - it takes more effort to find things I can get into.

On the other hand, keying on tables with bulk cards for a dollar and less has me looking forward to that next rummage at shows - where as much as things are different, I can still find my roots at a random card show.

At my last card show trip, I was aimlessly wandering around and found myself digging through boxes at a table in the corner of the main room in a hotel - the table didn't register to me at first glance and now that I've planted myself, it doesn't look like there is any good 'ole baseball in these parts.

I started to find clusters of some old-school and / or vintage cards to go through [even if not seriously consider] - there was some vintage 1960 Fleer Greats, but I'm not sure what to make of them because they are a retro set rather than a set with active players [circa 1960].

There was a father / son manning the table but it seemed clear to me that the adult son [probably in his 30s] - wasn't really into the cards and may have been tagging along as more of chaperone, compared to his old man who was really running the table.

The prices were half off the stickered price - though I worried the prices on the cards might be marked up.

Finding a 1996 Upper Deck V.J. Lovero Ken Griffey Jr. #VJ 10 [$4] may have actually spurred me on to find more cards - though it wasn't going to be that big splash purchase, it might have been a random scratch the itch want.

I found and set aside 1989 Upper Deck Dale Murphy REV NEG #357 [$30] in a yellowed semi-rigid, which may have been interesting - the guy grabbed it for a moment and was telling his son it was some kind of error.

I occasionally see random cards that I might not flag outright but end up dwelling on after the fact - maybe the cards are not semi-definitive or definitive cards for a collection, where it's only a big deal in my head, but types of cards I shouldn't let get passed me.

There was doubt whether I should make the Murphy the centerpiece of what I might have found off these random boxes - the card was a bit more on the quirky side of the junk wax era, but I might be second-guessing myself for not grabbing this error outright.

Finally I found a 1990 Leaf Frank Thomas #300 [$10] and while it's been over 30 long years and I have a graded copy - the card was a status symbol of early 1990s collecting, so I wanted a loose copy, even if there is a tiny bit of worry about potential counterfeits that might be mixed in various collections and/or inventory.

TTM autographs received: Bob Aspromonte

The former big leaguer signed my card and sent a signed index card in about a month - for some fun and games, I like sending out to vintage players, regardless of whether they were notable names or more rank and file guys.

Maybe I don't do it enough even as I realize the pool of retired players perpetually shrinks as the years and decades pass - I just don't have a good cache of excess old-school and vintage cards to send out as TTM stock.