Maybe I shouldn't mess with the bargain bins

At my local card show for the past 3 or 4 weekends, the temptation to stop at the table with the $0.50 bins of cards is too much - the cost of being in the 'here and now' as far as collecting or speculating on cards is something I feel is a bit out of whack.

A part of me wants to be in my own little world as a bargain bin hunter, because I want to go through cards I can flag as keepers - I'm not smarter than the guys in the same room might be scheming to selling or trading for cards worth hundreds or thousands of dollar at minimum, but I'm content to make something of my finds.

In the back of my head, I'm trying to salvage 'good cards' for cheap, even if reality dictates the cards I'm trying to set aside - are irrelevant to the 'show me the money' mentality.

I do wonder if I'm going a little overboard with my digs, where I want it all as a hoarder rather than a collector - maybe there has to be a bigger ambition to look for ideally better cards, even if better cards cost money and I'm not going to pay any sort of 'premium' to land cards that maybe cost as much as I'd spend on 40-80 [$0.50] cards.

A couple of weeks ago it was almost a relief not to see the seller setup at the show, where I didn't see the table with the siren song of loose cards - the seller was back this past weekend however and I was planted at this bins once again.

Maybe I was aiming to take only so many cards since things do add up, but go figure - the seller said the cards I was going through were all a quarter each, so that may not be a nickel or dime per card, but any sort of resistance to avoid rummaging through has been rendered hopeless.

This was my haul of cards from several weeks ago, when the seller still had them for $0.50 each - I don't know if the seller even bothers to refresh the cards, but I'm still pulling stuff out, so it's just a crapshoot.

Binder material for my decade stars collection from the 1950s through the 1980s - there might a new focus towards the vintage / old-school guys, though the cards I'll end up with will be either retro cards and/or cards that just aren't as old.

Binder material for my decade stars collection from the 1990s through the 2000s - Hideki Matsui [2003 Upper Deck rookie card] and Alfonso Soriano [fold out 'ticket' insert] ends up being the pair of 'iffy' guys in this grouping, but they are still decade stars for me.

Binder material for my decade stars collection from the 2010s through the 2020s - besides Rafael Devers and Juan Soto, maybe there is a 'wait and see' approach to see if these guys have some lasting power.

I want to believe Brandon Lowe will end up being the next Chase Utley of the decade - a second baseman who might be a little underrated but who has good pop and might string together a solid peak as a hitter.

Other sports - can I really go wrong with any cards of these guys? Stephen Curry? Aaron Rodgers? Peyton Manning? Brett Favre? Charles Barkley? I threw in a Ricky Williams in the mix because the shine was too much to ignore.

Randomness - cards of Eddie Murray and Reggie Jackson I can use for my Topps year-to-year run, a project I've neglected seriously hunting down cards for, a couple of Rod Carew cards I can use for my Angels Opening Day starters projects, a random retro Joe DiMaggio insert and a Pedro Guerrero rookie card for my team boxes 'dump,' a shiny Taylor Hearn Texas [Rangers] parallel from 2019, a 1984 Donruss Murray and Nick Maton [Philadelphia Phillies] prospect card.

Mini-collection material - baserunning [Sammy Sosa], baserunning; plays at the plate [Yordan Alvarez, George Springer], batting; horizontal [Sosa], making the throws; shortstop; horizontal [Miguel Rojas], fun cards; having fun [Favre], fun cards; oddities [Larry Bird], game face; focused [Mike Piazza] and personality shots; fired up [Rickey Henderson].

Mini-collection material - facial hair [Nolan Arenado and Murray], grips [Kevin Gausman and Pedro Martinez], hats-off [Joe Morgan and Jim Palmer], infamous [O.J. Simpson], local / bloodlines [Austin Pettis], retro uniforms [Ken Griffey Jr. and Greg Maddux], shades [Keston Hiura] and tools of ignorance [Piazza - I found a dupe in a penny sleeve].

The process behind my bargain bin digs - the last cuts

When it's 'last call' as far as my mind is concered, I'm trying rein in a good number of cards to take home [from a $0.50 bin] - where I've made up my mind as to how much I'll have to pay [where at times, it's going to be a strict card per card tally from a seller's POV].

These might be the 10 'other cards' that I might have just put back [where I wasn't going to spend $5 more on 10 more lousy cards] - but go figure ended up in my stash anyway.

The die-cut Chipper Jones insert, the shiny Tom Glavine parallel and the boxed set Jim Abbott are likely binder material - the Sammy Sosa goes into my batting [horizontal] collection, where I try to round up cards of unique images of batters at the plate.

I don't know if the Chipper insert does anything for me, since it's a little loud, but doesn't 'pop' like a refractor - but Jones ends up being one of my guys on the down low.

The Glavine was just too shiny to ignore - even though I probably underrate his HOF career as far as sentiment goes.

Abbott remains a larger than life figure because of what the one-time big league pitcher was able to do without a right hand - but maybe I'm lukewarm on picking up a run of his cards up because through the junk wax era, he had his share of cards.

Maybe the period of time where cards were getting a little fancy, Abbott had moved on from the Angels for a bit - maybe his second stint with the team through the mid 1990s, was really the beginning of the end.

McKenzie might end up being a decade stars / binder guy so I ended up grabbing the 2021 Panini Diamond Kings insert - he had flashes of success in his rookie year in 2020 but maybe the results are a little uneven this past season, especially with his walk totals.

I don't know how to classify Kyle Hendricks where at the moment he doesn't get into my binders as a decade stars guy - even though he's been consistently great, he doesn't have flashy stuff and just isn't that in your face kind of big leaguer.

There was probably a 4-5 year stretch from the mid 1990s onward where Brett Favre was the biggest thing in the NFL - the back of the card I picked up has him having a little bit of 'photo op' fun where there is someone taking his picture while he's playfully spinning a football like a basketball.

I like the Steve Francis card because it shows him 'hoopin over a bewildered Tim Duncan - which reminds me of this tweet.

These are a pair of Ted Williams inserts from the mid 1990s - I grabbed them because it looks like they have a lenticular, 3D surface that make them a little more unique.

The process behind my bargain bin digs - mini-collection material

Maybe I intend this post to be a little all over the place, but to have something to go with my other post - here are images that showcase my focus towards the mini-collections.

I have mini-collections for baserunning, home run trots, base hit gestures, fielding plays [separated by positions] and a horizontal batting shot - it doesn't seem that long ago that Vladimir Guerrero was an active player through the late 2000s and now his son is enjoying a breakout season on his own as a big league star.

The shiny cards are a pain to take pictures of because of the excess glare - but the way they 'pop' is quite the nice sight to see.

There is a couple of Derek Jeters, a Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza and Rickey Henderson to add star power to my mini-collections - I like the 1997 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Big Shots insert because there is a lot of dirt on the uniform, while the 1996 Upper Deck V.J. Lovero [R.I.P.] inserts are classy.

Maybe the Piazza is a fun card / oddities add because while he had 'unfamiliar' stints with the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics at the end of his MLB career - in his prime, it was strange to see him traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to end up on the Florida Marlins, for a stint lasting 5 games.

There is a Tim Anderson refractor which is nice with him fired up, a random Upper Deck Masterpieces Eli Manning / David Tyree card and a Bryce Jarvis card - Jarvis was a first round pick in 2020 and a son of a former big leaguer [Kevin], so that's a bloodlines collection add.

The rest of the cards [a Pedro Martinez might be obscured on the top right corner] - feature stars signing autographs and doing a little fan service for the fans.

This top row of this assortment features 'pitchers hitting' cards with Greg Maddux on the bases and ready to take his hacks alongside the batting cage - it maybe the last card I would ever think about picking up, but a 2019 Topps Chrome Kolby Allard '84 Topps #84TC22 ends up a keeper.

The second row features a 2013 Topps Chrome David Ortiz #79, one that has him in a Boston Red Sox 'retro uniform,' a 1994 Topps Stadium Club Rickey Henderson #654 that goes into my 'shades' collection and a pair of cards of NBA legends Patrick Ewing and Ray Allen - which coincidentally features a pair of other NBA legends [Roger Murdock and Kobe Bryant] making 'star on star' cameos.

I'm not quite the authority on collecting catcher cards but I like to round up the 'tools of ignorance' guys just the same - I picked up the cards of [Piazza, Willson Contreras and Yogi Berra] as probable binder material, but figured why not make them mini-collection adds to add to my yearly totals.

Finally I picked up a couple cards featuring Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain because they are iconic NBA figures who have a lifetime's worth of narratives behind their playing careers - maybe I wanted to step out of my comfort zone for a moment and pick these up, even if there was only a dollar spent between the two pieces of cardboard.

The process behind my bargain bin digs

These were my $0.50 hauls from the card show trip I made a couple of weeks ago - maybe I've been on a bit of a loop where this seller has been a priority stop.

If nothing else interested me, I could say I spent my time trying finding cards to give me some cheap thrills - even if it’s dated material from 10, 15, 20 years ago or older, time has passed where I can show some love for what I've generally overlooked.

It’s just hard not to skip over cards but I did try to go through all the rows from this seller's bins - maybe when I see someone else doing what I do, there might be a little competition.

I’m trying to stay in my lane and dare I say a little territorial, but maybe I need to calm down - I was making a mess and maybe there was diminishing returns as far as cards I was actually finding, yet this is kind of my jam.

I probably spent a good hour or so trying to grab stack after stack to see if there was any cards of interest to pull out - it’s a weird feeling when I'm in my own world, while someone else might give some the cards a brief look and walk away like there isn’t anything there worth their time or someone else might actually be pulling cards, just to put them back and walk away.

I was such a shark, it’s like I’m stuffing my face with all this food at a buffet - yet I’m clamoring to get up and serve myself another plate of goodies.

I was actually trying to have a look at a binder of certified autographs / relic cards I thought the seller was handing over to another guy for him to have a look - where in reality the book had already been sold to that other person.

This 1997 Fleer Ultra Season Crowns Mark McGwire #6 doesn't photograph well and is only worth a dollar - but it's a binder card all day long.

The process to weed out cards is a pain because I want it all, I can’t have it all - but I want to be able to walk away with as many cards with no regrets left behind.

I settled on a plan was to split my keepers into two distinct stacks of 40 cards - it wasn’t easy at all where I am overwhelmed, but I have rein things in where I've got to commit to picking up the cards that have piqued my interest.

Maybe a priority is finding stuff to squirrel away, where there might not be upside in the cards I find - but some overlooked [if admittedly low end] parallels, inserts and maybe rookie material may end up in my mini-collections, my decade / binder star collections or other loose card projects stewing in my mind.

In my head, I definitely try to get on a run where I try to look for more of a certain player, card type, brand or era - but maybe I'd rather have a mix of cards where I'm looking to be surprised by the next cards I might be tempted to set aside.

Maybe it's sweet relief to be able to pay for the stuff I found and be able to move on - at this show date, there may have 20-30 tables that were kind of spaced out and foot traffic wasn’t as dead as I’d anticipated, though I didn’t necessarily find another table to buy more stuff after I was done with my 'treasure hunt.'

2021 Topps Series 2 blaster box recap

On Target.com, I grabbed my fill of 2021 Topps Series 2, which amounted to two blasters and a hanger box bundle of 2 - if there are cards available, a casual browse of the Web site or app might lead to opportunities to pick something up, rather than taking a chance to see if something will be found on the shelves.

Target stopped selling cards in their stores a while ago and I've had less reasons to drop into the big box store - but it's more convenient to order online, even if there isn't that thrill of discovery and I have to wait at least a couple of weeks for my cards to get to me.

Pack one
#501 Jason Heyward
#378 Austin Slater
#609 Chris Sale

#332 Wil Myers
#433 Braxton Garrett RC
#653 Vince Velasquez
#351 Keone Kela

#478 St. Louis Cardinals team card - feat. Yadier Molina smiling, showing some joy which seems rare as he’s all business as a pro ballplayer.

#635 Tanner Houck - image variation

#T65-49 Juan Soto - 1965 Topps Redux; with a fully formed backs, I almost want to make believe these inserts give you two different brands of cards in one i.e. the flagship Topps and a re-imagined Topps Heritage off-shoot.

#477 Tyler O’Neill
#559 Edwin Encarnacion
#445 Dakota Hudson
#557 Christian Vasquez

Pack two
#573 Trey Mancini
#411 Joe Musgrove
#386 Christian Walker

#613 Ramon Laureano

#575 Jared Walsh

#621 Angels team card - feat. Trout, Ohtani and Simmons [?]
#380 Andrelton Simmons
#373 Michael Fulmer
#86AS-38 Nolan Arenado - 1986 All-Star

#T66-46 Randy Arozarena - 1965 Topps Redux
#448 Austin Nola
#574 Mark Melancon
#349 Sean Murphy
#517 Michael Conforto

Pack three
#549 Marcus Stroman
#602 Delino DeShields Jr.
#397 Isiah Kiner-Falefa
#336 Victor Reyes
#643 Alex Wood

#461 Ryan Zimmerman
#596 Josh Hader
#431 Andrew McCutchen
#609 Chris Sale - Rainbow Foil parallel

#T65-37 Bryce Harper - 1965 Topps Redux
#471 Jared Oliva RC
#472 Marcell Ozuna
#590 Adam Haseley
#491 Michael Chavis

Pack four
#453 Starlin Castro
#633 George Springer
#385 Dellin Betances
#541 Corey Dickerson
#410 James McCann
#466 Walker Buehler

#604 San Diego Padres team card - feat. Fernando Tatis Jr.
#406 Estevan Florial RC
#PDC-32 Vladimir Guerrero - Platinum Players insert
#T65-23 Casey Mize - 1965 Topps Redux
#648 Franchy Cordero
#520 Yoan Moncada
#632 Tom Murphy
#647 Shogo Akiyama

Pack five
#538 Jazz Chisholm RC
#619 Corbin Burnes
#548 Luis Alexander Basabe RC
#446 Alex Avila
#362 Garrett Crochet RC
#637 Rafael Montero
#356 Eddie Rosario
#372 Picture Time - A Win is Worth 1,000 Words - feat. Atlanta Braves outfield trio, Ronald Acuña Jr., Cristian Pache and old man Nick Markakis
#414 Hanser Alberto

#T70P-SM Stan Musial - 70th Anniversary Patch Cards; I was looking for the stand-alone wrapper, but these cards were actually inserted with the regular cards.
#T65-12 Javier Baez - 1965 Topps Redux
#430 Mike Zunino
#342 Austin Romine
#554 Adam Eaton
#415 Nicky Lopez

Pack six
#503 Kyle Hendricks
#616 Alex Dickerson

#582 Dwight Smith Jr.
#639 Eric Hosmer
#641 Nick Markakis
#646 Homer Handoff - Roundtripper HB Dive - feat. Giancarlo Stanton and Phil Nevin

#361 James Karinchak
#335 Ryan Weathers RC
#86B-36 Daulton Varsho - 1986 Topps 35th Anniversary

#T65-5 Jo Adell - 1965 Topps Redux
#518 Adrian Morejon
#383 Miguel Sanó - this was probably favorite card because while the player hasn't been relevant, I like how he does a little dirt toss as he's heads out of the dugout to start a game.
#441 Daz Cameron RC
#543 Luis Urias

Pack seven
#502 Kevin Newman
#447 Carson Kelly
#611 J.T. Realmuto
#660 Kris Bryant
#429 Clint Frazier
#579 Craig Kimbrel

#387 Andrew Heaney

#353 Baseball is Fun - Rays Go Wild After Game 4 - feat. Brett Phillips, Hunter Renfroe and Willy Adames
#377 Drew Rasmussen RC
#T65-19 Francisco Lindor - 1965 Topps Redux
#374 Jose Garcia RC

#593 Chad Wallach
#654 Sam Huff RC
#473 Kyle Schwarber