In The Ballpark

eBay Mailbag: Alex Rodriguez

2012-01-29T08:15:00.001-08:00

My latest eBay pickup is a 2010 Upper Deck Biography card of Alex Rodriguez. I paid a total of 6 cents shipped for the card. That’s pretty good for an ARod card. This was one of those penny auctions that I placed a bid on without any expectation of winning. For some reason, there were no competing bidders. To make this an even better deal, I paid using eBay Bucks. By the way, if you still have any eBay Bucks remaining, they will expire this coming week.

eBay Mailbag: Josh Willingham

2012-01-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

My latest eBay purchase is a 2006 Fleer Tradition Rookie Card of Josh Willingham. The card cost me all of 5 cents. I love buying cards for less than the price of postage. You might notice that Willingham is shown in his catcher’s gear, even though his is listed as an outfielder. He is still an outfielder. He actually just signed a 3 year $21 million contract with the Twins. Not bad for a .262 career hitter.

Draft Results Part 2

2012-01-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

So here is the remainder of my draft haul from Cardboard Heaven. It’s interesting to see the different strategies used by different people in the draft. I often found myself saying “Why take that card with that pick?” I sure everybody said that about me a few times. After the game-used and autographs were gone, I basically stuck to rookie cards and shiny cards. The best rookie card is the 1983 Donruss Tony Gwynn. It’s not in perfect condition, but it’s still a nice card. I also think the 2003 Topps Chrome Utley Rookie was a steal. The shiny cards consist of Chrome, Refractors, and XFractors. Overall, I think I did pretty good. The draft was a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the next one.

Draft Results Part 1

2012-01-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

I have received my draft proceeds from Cardboard Heaven. Thank you Cameron. Overall, I think I was a very good general manager. I wound up with 7 autograph cards and a game used jersey card. My first pick of the draft was the Adam Lind auto. That was the card that I was really after. I only sought out autographs to begin the draft. I picked up the lone game used card mid-draft. It’s a no name player, but nobody else took it and it was getting kind of late into the draft. The remaining autographs are Cliff Pennington, Lance Broadway, Dennis Sarfate, Carlos Villanueva, Trevor Crowe, and Ian Snell. I picked up a bunch of other cards in the draft which I will detail in a future post.

Hip Hip, Jorge!

2011-12-26T11:46:00.001-08:00

According to MLB.com, the Rays may be interested in signing Jorge Posada as a backup catcher to Jose Molina. This would be ironic as Molina was once a backup on the Yankees to Posada. It would be sad to see Posada finish his career in another uniform, but there is about a zero chance that the Yankees will sign him. Realistically, Posada has declined significantly in recent years. He is no longer able to start at any position every day. He would probably be best served to simply retire. If the Rays don’t sign him, it’s rumored that the Orioles or Phillies might be interested. I love Posada, but I think he is done.

You've Been Drafted

2011-12-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

There is a baseball card draft over at Cardboard Heaven. You can check it out here. Basically, you get 25 picks for $15.00. There are some pretty decent cards in the draft - plenty of autos and game used cards. There are only 11 spots so you need to hurry.

Royals Hot Stove

2011-11-30T14:47:00.001-08:00

It seems like every off-season the Royals make a few interesting moves that make a few experts believe that they may contend for a playoff spot. By May, those hopes are usually dashed. One of these past signings was Gil Meche. The Royals overpaid for Meche who eventually retired due to injury. The Royals’ latest signing is Jonathan Broxton. Broxton will be the setup man for Joakim Soria. That is a pretty strong 1-2 punch out of the bullpen. Does this make the Royals a contending team? No. But I like this acquisition. The Royals usually make one or two free agent signings and stock the rest of the roster with former Atlanta Braves. I’ll put the Royals down for 75 wins next year.

Cards from Cards on Cards

2011-11-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

I recently completed a trade with Kerry from Cards on Cards. I sent over a bunch of my 1993 Upper Deck duplicates in exchange for some Topps Heritage card of varying years. By the way, if anyone needs any 1993 Upper Deck, let me know. I have plenty. Anyway, here are the highlights of the trade in what I think is chronological order.

The neatest card may be the expired redemption card. A little research reveals that a timely submission would result in a Pablo Sandoval Red Hot Rookies card. Time makes fools of us all though. I ended up with a pretty good haul. Thanks for the trade.

Topps Silk: J.J. Hardy

2011-11-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

My latest eBay purchase is one more 2011 Topps Update Silk card. This one features J.J. Hardy who is currently an Oriole but perhaps best remembered as a Brewer. Hardy actually had a decent year for the Orioles. I really don’t hear his name too much, but that’s probably a function of where he plays. The neat thing about this card is that it is numbered 50/50. I know that is meaningless, but I like that. I only paid $1.99 shipped for this card. These Silk cards are getting cheaper and cheaper. It’s almost the same trend that we saw with game-used jersey cards.

My Newest Alfonso Soriano Card

2011-11-07T17:02:00.000-08:00

I received this 2007 Fleer card of Alfonso Soriano recently. Best of all, it was free. I signed up for Swagbucks and had enough points for this card in about a day with little effort. You earn points by taking surveys and doing web searches and such. I was shocked that baseball cards were available as an award. That’s kind of why I signed up. I like the 2007 Fleer cards because they weren’t too expensive and didn’t have a glossy front. They’re great for autographs. Sure he is wearing a Nationals uniform on a Cubs card but it doesn’t matter. Soriano has been a bit of a nomad since he left the Yankees. He is not the player that he was several years ago. He is now 35 believe it or not. He hit 26 home runs this year, but at the expense of his batting average which was only .244. However, he did make $19 million this year. That’s pricey.

Topps Silk: Rafael Soriano

2011-11-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have purchased another 2011 Topps Update Silk Card. This one is Rafael Soriano of the Yankees. This is my first Yankees Silk card. I only paid $2.24 shipped for this card. Soriano is basically a setup man to David Robertson who is a setup man for Mariano Rivera. Soriano started out as the 8^th inning guy but Robertson took the job. Soriano had an OK season in 2011 but his best season was in 2010 with the Rays. The card is serial numbered 8/50. It is a really nice addition to my Yankees collection.

Topps Silk from eBay

2011-10-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

I purchased my first 2011 Topps Silk card on eBay. The subject is Jon Garland of the Dodgers. Actually, he is technically a free agent right now. It is a card from the Update Series. The serial number is 42/50 which has no significance at all. I entered a high bid of $2.00 for the card which is a lowball bid, but that’s not unusual for me. Someone outbid me and ran the price to $2.25. I wasn’t about to get into a bidding war over a Jon Garland card. But that bidder later retracted his bid which probably caused some potential buyers to ignore this item. I wound up winning this card for $1.34! Barely enough to cover shipping. Thanks mystery bid retractor.

TTM Mailbag: Brandon Morrow

2011-10-22T12:17:00.001-07:00

I received a TTM autograph return this week from Brandon Morrow. I sent two cards to Blue Jays Spring Training and received both back in 237 days. Both the Topps Heritage and Upper Deck First Edition cards were signed in blue Sharpie. Unfortunately, each card has a tiny smudge on the front. It is still a very nice return and my longest to date which gives some hope for some cards that I sent out during spring training. I try to send to Blue Jays players during spring training so that I can avoid sending packages into Canada. I can’t wait for spring training to start in 2012. At best, there are only 5 games remaining this season.

Flea Market Finds

2011-10-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

I picked up three baseball cards at a local flea market recently. The first is a 1998 Topps Opening Day card of David Justice. Justice is shown in a Cleveland uniform where he spent parts of four seasons. The next card is a 1998 Pinnacle of Jason Giambi. Giambi had some decent years as a Yankee. Somehow, he is still playing. Most recently, he played with the Rockies. The final card is most intriguing. At first glance, it looks like a standard 1988 Topps card of Nolan Ryan. However, the border is actually blue instead of white. Also, the card number is “N” which is kind of odd. The card actually looks like it was cut from a sheet or possibly a box of Twinkies. It’s an interesting little mystery card. It’s a pretty good haul and a good time was had by all.

1984 Topps Lot

2011-10-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a lot of 100 1984 Topps cards at a flea market. The cards are in pretty good shape. I really just wanted the Robin Yount card which was the only visible card. The other cards are basically commons. However, buried deep within the stack of cards was a 1994 Signature Rookies Autograph of Kurt Miller. Not exactly Sandy Koufax, but not a bad find. Hey, an autograph is an autograph. Miller spent parts of five years in the big leagues with the Marlins and Cubs. Miller finished his career with a 7.48 ERA and a 2-7 record. Again, he’s not Sandy Koufax. So I got my Yount card and a nice surprise. I don’t really have much use for the other 99 cards so if anyone is interested in trading, let me know.

Card Supplies

2011-09-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

One of the least glamorous purchases I make for my baseball card collection has got to be supplies. I just bought a box of 100 9 pocket Ultra Pro pages for about $20.00 on eBay. I go through these like water. Almost all of my cards end up in these pages. In a pinch, I will buy them in Target. If a card show is coming up, I will buy supplies from a dealer at the show. I haven’t bought supplies from a local card shop in over 10 years. Am I getting ripped off? What is the best source for card supplies?

Dollar Store Packs Part Two

2011-09-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

So here is my second pack of 2011 Topps from Dollar Tree. I only received five cards. There’s nothing spectacular, but I could’ve done worse.

Reid Brignac

Vladimir Guerrero

Chase Headley

Marlon Byrd

Jose Contreras

The Guerrero card is probably the highlight of the pack. The Contreras card certainly isn’t. I think he just turned 70. Decent pack for a buck.

Dollar Store Packs Part One

2011-09-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

I haven’t opened any packs lately. So I figured I would pick up a couple of packs of 2011 Topps Series 1 from Dollar Tree. These packs only have five cards in them, but the price is right. Anyway, here are the results from the first pack. I didn’t get anything terrific, but who cares? The pack only cost a buck.

Brandon Morrow

Desmond Jennings

Daniel Descalso

Jay Bruce

Yunel Escobar

Jesus Montero Has Arrived

2011-09-05T19:18:00.001-07:00

In case you live under a rock or just don’t live in New York, Yankees prospect Jesus Montero made his Major League debut this week. He got his first hit this weekend. Today, he hit his first (and second) home runs against the Orioles. This guy is supposed to be the real deal. Of course, that’s what they said about Todd Van Poppel and Brien Taylor. A search of eBay for his cards yields 850 results. Judging by the prices, I won’t be buying any of his cards anytime soon. The 2008 Bowman Chrome Autos seem to be the high dollar card so far. Different variations are going for $100-$200. It looks like Montero, who is a catcher by trade, will serve as the DH for the Yankees for the rest of the season. This means that Jorge Posada is now a bench player. It is sad to see Posada’s run with the Yankees end like this, but father time catches up with every player. I can’t imagine that Posada would return to the Yankees if he doesn’t retire. As an aside, for the price of a 2008 Bowman Chrome Montero autograph, you could buy an ARod or Jeter autograph. Let that sink in.

I'm Not at the Card Show

2011-08-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

The East Coast National Card Show was today in White Plains, NY. I usually go to about half of the White Plains shows during the year but I didn’t go today. However, that doesn’t mean that my day was completely free of baseball cards. At the last show, I bought a box of about 700 2011 Topps base cards. Today was the day that I finally sorted through the cards and put them in the appropriate team binder. The cards are arranged by number in the box. Unfortunately, I am only up to card #74 because I am easily distracted. Card #74 happens to be Tyler Clippard. I first heard of Tyler Clippard when I received his Topps Turkey Red rookie card. He was a Yankee at the time. He wasn’t that good for the Yankees. Once he went to the Nationals, I figured his big league career was circling the drain. He’s still in the big leagues and he’s an All-Star. Good for him. I’m off to finish up on this box.

TTM Mailbag: Max Scherzer

2011-08-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

My latest TTM Autograph return came from Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers. I received 1 of the 2 cards I sent in 58 days. I received my Topps Ticket to Stardom card back but not my Allen & Ginter. I don’t really care which card comes back. I’m just happy to get the autograph. I wish the card was not personalized. For display purposes, I think cards look better with just the signature. Oh well. I’m still happy to get this back.

TTM Mailbag: A.J. Pierzynski

2011-08-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

My latest TTM Autograph return comes from the Chicago White Sox. A.J. Pierzynski signed 1 of my 2 cards in 42 days. I am happy that I got both cards back. The card that was signed has a cool photo on it so the autograph makes the card look really good. The black Sharpie isn’t weak but it isn’t sharp either. Pierzynski has a reputation of rubbing other players the wrong way. But he is a pretty good TTM signer so he is a friend of mine.

Do These Even Qualify As Baseball Cards?

2011-07-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Of all the cards that I received in this year’s Topps Hobby Box, none were more awful then the two History of Topps card that I received. These cards are the most uninteresting cards I have ever owned. One card commemorates the first Topps set with a giant picture of Sy Berger. The other card commemorates the moving of Topps headquarters which I don’t care about. These cards really have nothing to do with baseball. Needless to say, I am willing to trade either card for anything that legally qualifies as a baseball card. I also have a bunch of Series 1 base and insert duplicates if anyone is interested.

TTM Mailbag: Fausto Carmona

2011-07-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

I received another TTM autograph return this week. Fausto Carmona returned my two cards in just 36 days. I received a 2011 Topps and 2006 Upper Deck signed in blue Sharpie. The Upper Deck is technically a rookie card. Both signatures look great, although the back of the Upper Deck card contains some of the Sharpie from the Topps card. It’s hardly noticeable. Carmona is currently on the DL so I guess he had some time to sign. Overall, this is a great return in a little over a month.

TTM Mailbag: Chase Headley

2011-07-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

My most recent TTM Autograph return comes from Chase Headley of the Padres. He signed my 2010 Allen & Ginter and 2011 Topps in just 14 days. The cards are in perfect condition and so are the actual signatures. Headley has been a good signer so far this year but it's always nice to get a return.

TTM Return: David Robertson

2011-07-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

I received a TTM Autograph Return this week for the first time in a while. During Spring Training I sent a 2009 Topps card to David Robertson. I received the card back in 126 days. The signature looks great. Robertson includes his uniform number with his autograph. It can be difficult to get Yankee autographs so I am happy to get this return back. The card and autograph are in perfect condition. This return was well worth the wait. There is some talk that Robertson should be an All-Star this year. His numbers would support his selection to the team. However, it is hard for setup men to make the team. Oh well. I’m thrilled to have this return.

Flea Market Finds

2011-06-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

So I made another trip to the local flea market this past weekend because I have no life. I walked away with some decent baseball cards though. I bought 22 Alex Rodriguez cards and 6 Albert Pujols cards for a grand total of $3.00. I can’t complain about a deal like that. The cards are mostly base cards but they are in great condition. Most came in top loaders and penny sleeves for some reason. I notice that most baseball cards at flea markets are junk wax with rubber bands around them. These vendors should save themselves the embarrassment and just set fire to these cards.

More TTM Requests

2011-06-23T17:13:00.001-07:00

I haven’t had too many TTM auto returns lately. So I figured I would increase my odds by sending a few more requests out. I mailed out three envelopes to Javier Vazquez, A.J. Pierzynski, and Chase Headley. I feel pretty good about getting these back signed based on past history.

I Own an ARod Autograph!!

2011-06-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

Usually when I make an eBay purchase, I don’t spend more than $10. However, I decided to splurge on my latest purchase. I was looking for a nice autograph in the $25 area. I started looking at a bunch of different players. I also looked at Alex Rodriguez autos which are admittedly more than $25. Most of his autos can be had for under a hundred bucks. At the end of the day, I purchased a 2011 Topps Tribute card with a triple relic and autograph. The card is numbered 58/75. The total damage was $73. Not really too bad considering. This is the new best card in my collection. Once I am able to replenish funds, I may purchase a Jeter autograph which will probably run about a hundred bucks. That won’t be for a while though.

I Don't Collect Vintage Cards

2011-06-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

I made a trip to the local flea market this weekend and walked away with a couple of vintage baseball cards. I should point out that I don’t collect vintage baseball cards and I have very little knowledge about them. I honestly have no idea why I bought these cards. Both cards are from the 1957 Topps Set. The first is Jim Pisoni. The other is Bobby Gene Smith. I paid $6 for both which is probably too much given that the condition of each card is only so-so. Pisoni only played for 5 seasons and sported a .212 career average. Smith lasted 7 seasons and batted .243. These guys are not exactly all-stars, but I guess I was drawn in by the allure of old cards. Anyway, if anybody out there is interested in trading for these two cards, please leave a comment.

TTM Requests

2011-06-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

I have not sent a TTM Autograph request out since spring training. Today, I sent out three. I sent two baseball cards each to John Maine, Fausto Carmona, and Max Scherzer. I have seen some recent successes from these players and I would love to get the autographs. For the record, I was 4 for 13 during spring training. Maybe I was too ambitious.

2011 Topps Black Diamond Cards!!!!

2011-05-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

I received my Black Diamond cards back from Topps. They were shipped pretty quickly. I did not get any autographs in my pack but I think I pulled some decent cards. I received cards of Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera, Josh Hamilton, Roy Halladay, and Brian McCann. It’s not a bad pack of cards when Brian McCann is the weak link. These cards look and feel a lot like the Diamond Anniversary cards except that the design is different. The cards re pretty neat. I am satisfied with this little bonus. After all, it’s the least Topps could do after I spent 70 bucks on a hobby box, right?

Card Show Swag

2011-05-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

OK, so here’s how my day went at the White Plains card show. I typically search all tables going right to left. I noticed that there were a lot more basketball and football cards than usual. There were also a bunch of vintage cards. Not really my thing. The free autograph was Stan Bahnsen. I didn’t have anything to get signed so I skipped that. The first card I considered buying was a 1985 Topps RC of Kirby Puckett. The centering was a bit off so I skipped it. My first purchase was a lot of 6 cards. I received game-used jersey cards of Eric Chavez, Carl Crawford, Bartolo Colon, Paul LoDuca, and Hank Blalock as well as an autograph of former Met Ambiorix Burgos. All of this cost me $5 total.

I didn’t really come across anything worthwhile for a long time. I offered a guy $4 for a 2007 Bowman’s Best Melky Cabrera auto but he declined. I finally bought 5 more cards from another vendor for $2 each. My favorite amongst these is the 2005 Bowman Chrome RC of Melky Cabrera. It is graded PSA 9. I know what everybody thinks of grading companies, but I like this card. This vendor also had 2005 Bowman Chrome RCs of Edinson Volquez graded PSA 9. Fear not, I also bought some non-graded cards from this vendor. I picked up a 2007 SPx auto of Rich Harden for $2. That’s a bargain. Imagine what a similar card would go for in Harden’s prime. I also bought a 2008 Stadium Club auto of Carlos Villanueva, 2010 Topps auto of Reid Brignac, and a Topps Co-Signers auto of Matt Albers and Chris Iannetta. All of that for $2 each. I’m not sure why Albers and Iannetta are on the same card but whatever.

My final purchase was the most interesting. I was searching a box of 2011 Topps commons to pick up some cards that I did not get in my hobby box. That’s when the vendor offered to sell me the entire box for $15. Please understand that there were about 700 cards in this box. Needless to say, I bought the box and spent the past two days going through it. This wasn’t the best show that I have been to but I had a great time as always. I also had a great time going through all this stuff.

White Plains Card Show

2011-05-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

I spent the better part of the day attending a card show in White Plains, NY. I'll scan all of my loot and show it off over the next few days. I had a pretty decent haul. However, the show itself was a bit disappointing. It seemed like there were fewer vendors and fewer customers than normal. I guess this is a sign of a slumping industry or a slumping economy. The number of players signing autographs was also disappointing. Stan Bahnsen was the free autograph. I didn't get him because I didn't have anything to get signed. Also, he was way before my time. Fergie Jenkins was signing for $25 a pop which was decent. Jim Kaat was also signing for $25. I did not get either player. I should have gotten Kaat but whatever. Hopefully, the August show will have a few more players. Overall, I actually had a wonderful time. There is no better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than to attend a card show.

eBay Mailbag

2011-05-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

My latest eBay purchase brings me a lot of game-used jersey cards and certified autographs. I paid $6.25 shipped for 8 cards. Many of these cards are no name players. But I liked the Giambi and Pena cards. The game-used cards include Giambi, Pena, and Gookie Dawkins. The autographs include Dave Crouthers, Ramon Soler, Brooks Kieschnick, Tyler Pelland, and Mendy Lopez. The only player on that list that I’ve heard of is Kieschnick. He was a pitcher/outfielder. He was a novelty but quickly faded. Lopez played in the big leagues with several teams between 1998-2004. Pelland, Soler, and Crouthers never made the bigs.

2011 Topps Box Packs 35 and 36

2011-05-04T19:44:00.001-07:00

This is my last post for my Topps Box. Until I get my Black Diamond cards that it. Pack 35 contained Twins closer Matt Capps, Free Agent Kevin Millwood, Angels Team Card, Hot Shot Catcher Buster Posey, Lucas May (Who?), Jason Bay, and Todd Helton. Inserts were Todd Helton again but a Diamond card, Jim Edmonds 60 Years of Topps, and ToppsTown CC Sabathia. That’s a respectable pack.

Pack the last contained current Brewer Zack Greinke, excitable fellow Heath Bell, the injured Josh Hamilton (who is on my fantasy team), Brett Sinkbeil, Neil Walker, the retired Trevor Hoffman, and Evan Meek whoever that is. The inserts included a Diamond Duos Thomas/Ramirez, 60 Years of Topps Yastrzemski with an original back, and ToppsTown Youkilis. So that’s the end of the line. It’s sad in a way. I don’t think I got any doubles of the base cards. I’m not sure if I will collect the set. I’ve never done that before. We shall see.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 33 and 34

2011-05-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Pack 33 of my 2011 Topps Box was one of my better ones. The inserts included a Gold Mike Aviles card, Adam Wainwright Topps 60, and a Toppstown Joey Votto. The base cards were just as good. There were two Yankee cards: Kerry Wood and Mickey Mantle. Also included were Clay Buchholz, Coco Crisp, Jason Jaramillo, Gaby Sanchez, and Justin Upton.

Pack 34 was also decent. The inserts included a Jason Bay Diamond card, Joe Mauer 60 Years of Topps, and Toppstown Mat Latos. Some of you may be too young to remember but that Mauer card is from all the way back in 2009. I think I would prefer the actual 2009 Mauer card. Topps should insert older cards into packs rather than reprints. Anyway, the base cards were Kevin Slowey, Yuniesky Betancourt, Trevor Hoffman, Colorado Rockies, Jimmy Rollins, Ian Kennedy, and Chris Volstad. I would like to get the Slowey and Kennedy cards signed at some point. Overall, that’s a pretty good pair of packs.

2011 Topps Box Packs 31 and 32

2011-04-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Pack 31 yielded some decent cards. I got a Kimball Champions Pablo Sandoval, Diamond Giveaway card, and ToppsTown Billy Butler. The base cards were so-so. They included Cliff Lee, Jack Wilson, Lars Anderson, Batting Average Leaders, Brendan Ryan, Tyler Clippard, and Nate McClouth. Other than the Cliff Lee card, there’s not much there.

Pack 32 brought some crummy inserts: Topps 60 Nick Markakis, History of Topps, and ToppsTown Dan Haren. The base cards were a little better: Erick Aybar, Adrian Beltre, Felix Pie, Buster Posey, Arizona Diamondbacks, Roy Oswalt, and Ubaldo Jimenez. Between both packs, I received some decent pitchers and a few good inserts.

eBay Mailbag: Xavier Nady

2011-04-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

I will take a break from my box break to show off my latest eBay purchase. I was unsure if this card was a Black card or a Walmart card due to a subpar picture. It turns out that it is a Walmart card. That’s OK because I only paid 17 cents shipped for this card. It is a 2011 Topps Walmart card #137 of Xavier Nady. I’m not a Nady collector so I’ll just add the card to the general collection and move on. Oddly enough, I pulled a Nady Gold Card from my Topps Box.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 29 and 30

2011-04-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Pack 29 of my 2011 Topps Box wasn’t that great. The inserts were a Hornsby/Holliday Diamond Duos, Cy Young Vintage Repro, and a ToppsTown card of Ichiro. The base cards were Aaron Hill, Ted Lilly, Julio Borbon, Ben Revere (Who?), Brennan Boesch, Jamie Moyer, and Aramis Ramirez. Surprisingly, I have yet to get a double of a base card.

Pack 30 contained a Kimball Champions card of Jose Bautista, Johnny Cueto 60 Years of Topps, and Miguel Cabrera ToppsTown card. I don’t think of Johnny Cueto when I think of great baseball cards of the past 60 years but I digress. The base cards included Matt Joyce, Gio Gonalez, Derek Jeter (Score!), Jeremy Jeffress (Who?), Red Sox Team Card, Chipper Jones, and James Loney. I think that Pack 30 was the better only by virtue of the Bautista and Jeter cards.

2011 Topps Box Packs 27 and 28

2011-04-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Pack 27 of my 2011 Topps Box yielded a Justin Upton Diamond card, a Diamond Giveaway card, and a ToppsTown Manny Ramirez. I heard that Manny retired in disgrace. I hope that works out for him. The base cards were: Yadier Molina, Garrett Jones, Kurt Suzuki, Neftali Feliz, Shin Soo Choo, Freddy Sanchez, and Darren Ford. I have honestly never heard of Darren Ford.

Pack 28 was even more lackluster. The base cards included A.J. Pierzynski, Yorvit Torrealba, John Buck, Scott Cousins, Jake McGee, Ryan Kalish, and Jair Jurrjens. The inserts brought a Kershaw/Latos Diamond Duos, Mickey Mantle reprint, and Evan Longoria ToppsTown card. Somebody needs to explain why Latos and Kershaw are on the same card.

2011 Topps Box Packs 25 and 26

2011-04-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Pack 25 of my 2011 Topps Box yielded a few interesting inserts. I received a 60 Years of Topps Tommy Hanson, Gold Freddy Garcia, and ToppsTown Vladimir Guerrero. The Garcia card shows him as a member of the White Sox, but he has been decent this season for the Yankees. The base cards included Miguel Montero, Derrek Lee, Pedro Alvarez, Ozzie Martinez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Brandon Inge, and David Price.

Pack 26 brings a Diamond Duos card of Brett Wallace and Lance Berkman. Meh. The ToppsTown card was Carlos Santana. The base cards are Lucas Duda, Brian Fuentes, Jon Lester, Hanley Ramirez, Freddie Freeman, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Silva, and Adam Dunn. But wait!! That’s no ordinary Ramirez card. Look at the helmet. That is a sparkle variation card. I almost missed that. This pack just got interesting.

2011 Topps Box Packs 23 and 24

2011-04-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Pack 23 of my 2011 Topps Box was a really good pack. The inserts included an ARod 60 Years of Topps, my second Andrew McCutchen Kimball Champions, and a ToppsTown Buster Posey card. The base cards were decent too.

Seth Smith

R.A. Dickey

Josh Johnson

Wins Leaders

Kevin Correia

Alexei Ramirez

Hank Conger

Pack 24 was an equally good pack. In fact, I think it was better. I got a Diamond Giveaway card, a Neil Walker Diamond card, and Dustin Pedroia ToppsTown card.

The base cards were:

Andrew Cashner

Gregor Blanco

Rickie Weeks

Pedro Ciriaco

Brett Gardner (Yankee!)

Jeremy Bonderman

Nelson Cruz

I don’t think I have any doubles of base cards yet. That’s pretty impressive. Overall, these were a really good pair of packs. The base cards were decent but the inserts were terrific.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 21 and 22

2011-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Pack 21 of my 2011 Topps Box was rather unimpressive. The base cards included Torii Hunter, Koji Uehara, Desmond Jennings, ERA Leaders, Home Run Leaders, Jason Marquis, Tyler Colvin, and Edgar Renteria. The Uehara card will make a good TTM auto candidate. The inserts were pretty lackluster. I received a Diamond Duos card of Joey Votto and Adrian Gonzalez and a ToppsTown card of Felix Hernandez.

Pack 22 wasn’t that great either. The base cards were Ian Desmond, Barry Zito, Mike Stanton, Aaron Harang, James Shields, Milton Bradley, and San Diego Padres. The photograph on the Bradley card is pretty interesting. The background is a Majestic billboard which looks really cool. The Desmond card also has a cool Turkey Hill ad in the background. The inserts were a Lou Gerhig Vintage Repro, Gary Carter 60 Years of Topps, and ToppsTown David Wright.

TTM Mailbag: Gordon Beckham

2011-04-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

My latest TTM autograph return came from White Sox Spring Training in Arizona. Gordon Beckham signed my 2010 Allen & Ginter in 41 days. The signature is in black Sharpie and it looks great. There are no smudges or blemishes. The signature itself looks like what it’s supposed to look like. The “G” and “B” are definitely present. Beckham is actually off to a pretty hot start with the White Sox. I still hope to get a few more ST returns throughout the year.

2011 Topps Box Packs 19 and 20

2011-04-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Pack 19 of my 2011 Topps Box yielded the following cards:

Andrew McCutchen

Mariano Rivera – 60 Years of Topps

Starlin Castro

RBI Leaders – Cabrera, ARod, Bautista

Gaby Sanchez – Diamond

Brian Bogusevic

Gaby Sanchez

C.C. Sabathia

Brett Anderson

Matt Garza – ToppsTown

This was a great pack for the Yankee fan as it yielded a Rivera, ARod, and Sabathia card. This was also a good pack for the Gaby Sanchez collector. But look closely. The two Sanchez cards have different photos and alas different card numbers.

Let’s see what came in Pack 20.

Clayton Kershaw – Kimball Champions

Paul Konerko

Cristian Guzman

Jose Ceda

Omar Vizquel

Paul Molitor – 60 Years of Topps

Chris Narveson

Melvin Mora

Jon Niese

Carlos Gonzalez – ToppsTown

OK, so this pack was a little less impressive. The inserts were decent, but the base cards were so-so. But it was a decent haul between both packs.

2011 Topps Box Pack 17 and 18

2011-04-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Pack 17 of my 2011 Topps Box contained base cards of Brad Lidge, Daniel Hudson, Chase Headley, Matt Lindstrom, John Danks, Pablo Sandoval, and Felix Hernandez. I might send the Hudson card off to get autographed TTM. The inserts were pretty decent. I got a Mark Teixeira 60 Years of Topps, Robinson Cano ToppsTown, and Michael Brantley Diamond card.

Pack 18 contained a Ryan Howard ToppsTown, History of Topps card, and a nifty Diamond Duos card of Jeter and Cano. That History of Topps card is the biggest waste of cardboard I’ve ever seen. I’ll trade that for 3 magic beans. The base cards included David Aardsma, Andres Torres, Tom Gorzelanny, Tim Hudson, Hunter Pence, Max Scherzer, and Michael Brantley. The Gorzelanny and Scherzer cards may be destined for a TTM auto. BTW, Scherzer really stunk it up today but so did Phil Hughes. Also, how did I wind up with 2 different Michael Brantley cards? Also, who is Michael Brantley?

2011 Topps Box Packs 15 and 16

2011-04-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Pack 15 of my 2011 Topps Box contained some decent pulls. I got a Diamond Duos card of Kevin Youkilis and Wade Boggs. I know it’s a Red Sox card but its still cool. I also got an insert of former Cardinal great Stan Musial and a base card of current Cardinal great Albert Pujols. The ToppsTown card was Victor Martinez. The other base cards were Brian Duensing, Omar Infante, ERA Leaders, Josh Tomlin, Kyle Davies, and Jason Kubel.

I think that Pack 16 may have been even better. I’ll start off with a Kimball Champions card of Pujols. Then, I’ll add in a Diamond Giveaway card. There are also base cards of Ichiro and Ryan Braun. The ToppsTown card was Jose Reyes. Other base cards included Russell Branyan, Luke Scott, Brewers Team Card, Ronny Cedeno, and Johnny Cueto. I may try to have the Luke Scott card autographed TTM.

Between both packs, this was a pretty good haul. I ended up with Pujols cards in back to back packs and scored a Diamond Giveaway card.

TTM Mailbag: Orlando Hudson

2011-03-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

My latest TTM autograph return comes from Orlando Hudson at San Diego Padres spring training in only 9 days. I received two cards back with a signature in blue Sharpie. The cards are a 2007 Upper Deck and 2010 Allen & Ginter. Hudson has been signing a lot during this spring training. This is a great looking return. Thanks to Mr. Hudson!

Contest at It's Like Having My Own Card Shop

2011-03-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, there is a new contest created at It's Like Having My Own Card Shop. Just click on this link to enter. The prize is an Ian Kinsler jersey card. All you have to do is guess the correct random number and click on an ad. Good Luck.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 13 & 14

2011-03-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

I have made it to packs 13 and 14 of my 2011 Topps box. Pack 13 was rather unimpressive. The best card was a Kimball Champions of Shin Soo Choo. Why is he on an insert card? I got an Al Kaline card which is cool. The ToppsTown card was Joe Mauer. Overall, this pack was certainly not full of All-Stars. It was mostly full of roster fillers.

Pack 14 was much better. Inserts included a Ty Cobb Repro, Keith Hernandez Topps 60, and ToppsTown card of Ubaldo Jimenez. Hernandez is a broadcaster for the Mets these days after a great playing career so I’m keeping that card. That alone would beat pack 13. But wait, there’s more. The Ike Davis card is pretty cool, but the ARod card is the big grab in this pack. I’ll get to the end of this box eventually. I promise.

TTM Mailbag: Jon Rauch

2011-03-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

My latest spring training TTM autograph return comes from Jon Rauch of the Blue Jays. He sent my 2007 Topps card back in 16 days with a beautiful signature in blue Sharpie. 2007 Topps cards can be tricky to get signed but this one came out fine. This is one less Blue Jay to get during the regular season which means I have saved money by not having to send cards to Canada. Also, I don’t quite understand how to send international mail. Anyway, this is a great looking return. I hope to get a few more back in the next couple of weeks.

TTM Mailbag: Nyjer Morgan

2011-03-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

My latest TTM autograph return comes from Nyjer Morgan. This card came back from Nationals Spring Training in only 9 days. The card is a 2010 Allen & Ginter signed in blue Sharpie. I already owned a certified autograph of Morgan, but I wanted a TTM autograph also. Overall, the card is beautiful with no smudges or dinged edges. As an added bonus, the stamp on the return envelope was not canceled by the post office.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 11 and 12

2011-03-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Pack 11 of my 2011 Topps Box Break contained a nifty Gold card of Jose Guillen and my first Stephen Strasburg card. Inserts included a Topps 60 card of Ian Kinsler and ToppsTown card of Nick Markakis. The Duke and Cuddyer cards may also be good TTM autograph prospects, but that will be for a later day. That’s a pretty decent pack. Pack 12 was almost as good. I got a Roger Maris card and a Trevor Hoffman Diamond card. Also, I got a Mariano Rivera card. The photo is pretty cool with Jorge Posada coming out to the mound. The ToppsTown card was Josh Johnson.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 9 & 10

2011-03-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Pack 9 of my 2011 Topps Box produced a vintage reproduction of Jimmie Foxx, a Topps 60 card of Adam Dunn, and a ToppsTown card of Brett Anderson. I got some decent base cards too, including a Pujols League Leaders card and a card of new Yankee Russell Martin. Also, I may try to get that Maholm card signed TTM at some point.

Pack 10 contained one really good card. That would be the Jeter Kimball Champions card. I’m keeping that one. The ToppsTown card was Andrew McCutchen. I think Pack 10 had the best card but Pack 9 was the better pack.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 7 & 8

2011-03-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here are packs 7 & 8 of my 2011 Topps Box. Pack 7 featured a nifty Duke Snider card but not much else. The Diamond Duos cards shows Greg Maddux and Jeremy Hellickson. Greg Maddux is a Hall of Famer once he is eligible, but I don’t know who this other guy is. The ToppsTown card was Ryan Zimmerman.

Pack 8 contained a Juan Marichal card. Also included was a Diamond version of the White Sox team card. These are really cool cards. The rest of the pack was pretty ordinary. The ToppsTown card was Adam Jones.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 5 & 6

2011-03-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

Packs 5 & 6 of my 2011 Topps Box yielded some decent cards. Pack 5 brought a pair of unknown Padres, a Gold card of Xavier Nady, a Topps 60 card of Hanley Ramirez, and the mandatory ToppsTown card, this one featuring Mike Stanton. This was a decent pack but Pack 6 was better.

Pack 6 contained a Diamond Giveaway card (not pictured), an ARod card, a David Price card, a Kimball Champions of Andrew McCutchen, and ToppsTown of Andre Ethier. Also, the Soriano and Lannan cards may be future TTM Auto attempts. I still can’t get over the quality of this year’s photography. It’s really bright and vivid.

2011 Topps Box: Packs 3 & 4

2011-03-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

Continuing on with my Topps Hobby Box, I present to you packs number 3 & 4. Pack 3 contained the following:

Reid Brignac

Vladimir Guerrero

Chris Carpenter

Roy Halladay

Cincinnati Reds

Emilio Bonifacio – Diamond

Jose Contreras

Marlon Byrd

Starlin Castro – ToppsTown

Diamond Giveaway Card (Not Pictured)

As for Pack 4:

Hong-Chih Kuo

Brandon Morrow

Chicago White Sox

James McDonald

Atlanta Braves

Mike Stanton – Gold

Jay Bruce

Yunel Escobar

Alex Rodriguez Topps 60

Hanley Ramirez ToppsTown (Not Pictured)

Pack 4 was definitely the stronger pack with a gold card and ARod card. Also, Pack 4 had a couple of potential TTM Auto attempts with Morrow and McDonald. However, I just sent a request to Morrow. I also just sent a request to Vladimir Guerrero as well. I love Topps Gold cards. I am also taking a liking to these Diamond cards. The card surface is much smoother than I expected. I still don't think that I will enter the codes for the Diamond Giveaway, but maybe I'll change my mind.

eBay Mailbag: Relic Cards

2011-03-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

I'll take a break from my Topps Box to share a lot that I found on eBay. This purchase was a lot of 9 game-used relic cards. I received cards of Mike Lowell, Jeff Kent, Carlos Delgado, Kelly Johnson, Brian Giles, Lew Ford, Noochie Varner, Shaun Chase, and Dylan Davis. I don’t know who those last three people, but that’s OK. I will probably trade or sell some of these cards. However, I only paid $6.75 shipped for this lot so I think I got a decent deal. Any time I can get relic cards for under a buck each I will jump on it. I still like game-used relic cards even if they feature no name players.

2011 Topps Box: Pack 2

2011-03-05T10:30:00.001-08:00

OK, so here is Pack Number 2 of my 2011 Topps Hobby Box. The base cards included Aaron Cook, Victor Martinez, Jered Weaver, Jayson Werth, and Peter Bourjos. (Who is Peter Bourjos?) Anyway, I also received a Diamond Duos card featuring Ty Cobb and class act Miguel Cabrera and a nifty looking ToppsTown card of Ryan Braun. I really don’t have too many Braun cards so this is a nice card. But wait, didn’t Topps short me a few cards? No. And here’s why.

That’s right. I got my one hit per box in the second pack. It’s a jersey card of Matt Garza. I could have done worse. I could have done better. Overall, it’s a pretty nice looking card. Now I’m faced with 34 packs of disappointment. Oh well.

2011 Topps: Pack 1

2011-03-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

I’m starting to bust open my box of 2011 Topps. So far, I just opened one pack just to dip my toe into the water. I will document the contents of each pack. So who was my first card of 2011? The answer is…

JIM THOME

Ok, so maybe that’s not the most exciting card, but you have to start somewhere. The first pack contained the following:

#253 Jim Thome

#151 Fausto Carmona

#205 Ty Wigginton

#313 Chris Coghlan

#159 Chris Perez

#11 Wins League Leaders

#109 Average League Leaders

#60YOT-3 Monte Irvin

#TT39 Adrian Gonzalez

#KC9 Chase Utley

The Good: The photography is excellent. The photos are bright and detailed action shots. I like the Kimball Champions card design, but I wish the cards were normal size. Also, I think the ToppsTown cards are improved. They look more like insert cards rather than fillers. I don’t know much about the codes. Are they worth while?

The Bad: I don’t like cards that feature multiple players from different teams like the League Leaders cards. I also don’t care for the 60 Years of Topps cards. It’s basically a reprint set. Call me when you have an original 1954 Topps card.

So those are my impressions after going through 1/36 of the box. I can’t really make any conclusions yet, but I’m happy so far.

I'm Finally Trying 2011 Topps

2011-03-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

After a few weeks of surfing eBay and reading blog posts about 2011 Topps, I have finally taken the plunge. The proof is pictured below.

I paid $65 for one hobby box from an eBay seller. I haven't started opening the packs yet. But I will document each and every pack on this blog. I will also participate in that wrapper redemption thingy I've heard so much about. I'm pretty excited. It looks like I will have a busy weekend.

TTM Mailbag: James Loney

2011-03-01T20:03:00.001-08:00

My most recent TTM autograph return comes from James Loney. I sent this request out during 2010 Spring Training. I received my 2008 Topps Opening Day card back in 352 days. That’s a long wait, but it was worth it. The card looks great. The signature is in blue Sharpie. This return was a bit of a surprise. I certainly did not expect to see this card again after such a long wait.

TTM Mailbag: Adam LaRoche

2011-02-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

My latest TTM autograph return comes from Adam LaRoche c/o his home address. He signed a 2007 Topps card in just 19 days. The card was signed in black Sharpie. LaRoche will play with the Nationals this season.

2011 Topps: Hobby Box vs. Jumbo Box

2011-02-20T19:31:00.000-08:00

I will admit it. I have yet to buy a single pack of 2011 Topps yet. I'm probably the only person on planet earth who hasn't. I guess I'm a late adapter. However, I am seriously considering purchasing a box from eBay. However, after doing some window shopping for hobby boxes, a thought occurred. Maybe I should look at jumbo boxes. Now I have a dilemma. Should I buy a hobby box or a jumbo box? The hobby box contains 360 cards and contains one hit for a price of around 70 bucks. The jumbo box contains 500 cards and contains three hits for a price of about 120 bucks. In any event, I could resell the diamond giveaway cards to recoup some of the investment. So tell me blogosphere...
WHICH BOX SHOULD I BUY?
Feel free to leave comments no matter what your opinion.

Contest at Crinkly Wrappers

2011-02-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

Do you like free baseball cards? Then you need to enter the contest at Crinkly Wrappers. All you need to do is leave a comment stating what your favorite Topps set is. The prize is pretty cool too. The winner gets one card from every Topps set from 1952 to present. That's a clever prize.

TTM Mailbag: Adam Kennedy

2011-02-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

My latest TTM autograph return comes from Adam Kennedy c/o his home address. He returned a 2008 Topps Heritage card in only 7 days. The signature is in blue Sharpie without any smudges. Unfortunately, the card got a small ding on the bottom left corner while traveling through the mail. The card still looks great though. Topps Heritage cards are excellent for autographs. Kennedy will go to Spring Training with the Mariners this year.

TTM Mailbag: Ken Singleton

2011-02-13T13:16:00.000-08:00

My latest TTM autograph return comes from Ken Singleton. He returned a 1982 Topps card to me from his home address in only 7 days. The signature is in black Sharpie. The nice thing about older cards is that you have to worry about removing the glossy finish from the card before sending it out. I actually bought this card at a garage sale. This card was in a box of about 700 cards that I paid five bucks for. I never saw Ken Singleton play, but I do watch him as a Yankees announcer on the YES Network. By the way, Spring Training is just around the corner. J

2006 Topps: Endy Chavez

2011-02-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

I know the hot topic right now in the world of baseball cards is 2011 Topps. But I made a small purchase involving the Topps set from five years ago. I bought a 2006 Topps card of Endy Chavez on eBay for one cent shipped. The best reason I can give for doing this is that I had nothing better to do. Chavez is a utility player. 2006 Topps is a ho-hum product. All Topps base sets are ho-hum. But every collector needs to have some Topps base cards. They are a staple in every collection. I think this is because all of your other cards look better by comparison.

TTM Mailbag: C.C. Sabathia

2011-02-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

My most recent TTM success took 341 days to receive, but it was well worth the wait. I sent a 2006 Topps card to C.C. Sabathia during 2010 Spring Training. I finally received it back last week with a beautiful blue signature on it. I did apply baby powder to the surface of the card prior to mailing. I didn’t think I would ever get this back. That’s why I only sent one card. I only wish that I had sent a card of C.C. in a Yankees uniform. Oh well. The card looks perfect. This is probably my biggest TTM success ever.

eBay Mailbag: 2009 Topps T-206

2011-01-30T09:54:00.001-08:00

My latest eBay purchase was for three 2009 Topps T-206 cards of Luke Hochevar, Tim Hudson, and Kosuke Fukudome. I paid a grand total of 8 cents shipped. I really like the retro cards because there is no gloss on the surface of the card. The backgrounds leave a little to be desired, but the images of the players look really sharp. The set has all sorts of variation and parallels which is an added bonus. I have never actually purchased a box, pack, or even a single of this product. Maybe I will do so next year if the product still exists.

Derek Jeter Rookie Cards and More

2011-01-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

I bought an interesting lot on eBay recently. I paid $13 shipped for the entire lot. I received a 1993 Topps Jeter RC and a 1993 Upper Deck Jeter RC. I bought the lot to get those two cards. I love the 1993 Upper Deck card. I have about 8 of them. I also got a Manny Ramirez Upper Deck RC, a Michael Jordan baseball card, and a Huston Street base card. But wait, there’s more. I received three game-used jersey cards of Kerry Wood, J.D. Drew, and Pee Wee Reese. I think I got a good deal when you consider the other cards that I received. I will probably keep the Jeters and trade/sell the others.

New Contest from Wicked Ortega

2011-01-04T20:38:00.000-08:00

The latest contest in the blogosphere is at My Past Time……. I Love It!!. It's easy to enter. And best of all, the grand prize is a 2008 UD Masterpiece Set. That's a cool prize.

Contest at 2008 Topps Set Blog

2011-01-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

There is a contest at My 2008 Topps Set Blog. It's easy to enter. All you have to do is become a follower of the site. The prize is a good one. The winner gets a box of 2010 Bowman Chrome cards. To get started, click on the link below.
http://topps08.blogspot.com/2011/01/contest-win-box-of-2010-bowman-chrome.html

2010 Topps Orange Refractors

2010-12-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

I purchased a lot of 2010 Topps Orange Refractor cards on eBay recently. For a grand total of 51 cents, I received James Shields, Lance Berkman, and Mark Teixiera. I really bought this lot for the Teixiera card. However, the Berkman card is a plus since he was a Yankee this year. I have been getting a lot of Berkman cards lately for some reason. I don’t buy packs or boxes of Topps Chrome since there are only 4 cards to a pack. Also the surface is not ideal for autographs if the opportunity arises. I really would have preferred a color other than orange but who am I to question Topps. The red in the Astros logo kind of clashes with the orange. These cards are not serial numbered which would have been nice even if it were numbered out of 1000 or 2000. But for less than a buck, how can I complain?

Christmas Swag: 2010 Bowman Chrome

2010-12-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

What better time than a few days after Christmas to show off some of the cards I received as gifts. Actually, the only cards I received were contained in a 2010 Bowman Chrome blaster box. Each box only contains 24 cards. I received a precious checklist which gave me 25 cards. I was kind of disappointed with the contents of the box. This box sells for 20 bucks. I received a numbered Top 100 card of someone I never heard of. I also received a Yunel Escobar refractor. It really took me two days to realize that this card was a refractor. Either my eyes are terrible or Bowman needs to differentiate the refractors from the base cards a little more. So unless some of these kids make it big, this box was a bust. But that’s OK because these cards were a gift which makes them special in my mind.

TTM Mailbag: Josh Hamilton

2010-12-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas. I will show off my Christmas swag in a future post. Josh Hamilton delivered an early Christmas present to my mailbox with a TTM return. I sent this request out during Spring Training, but Hamilton signed a bunch of cards during last offseason so I expected the wait. The finished product was well worth the wait. I received a 2009 Topps Update card signed in blue Sharpie. The card looks perfect. The card is undamaged and the signature looks flawless. I didn’t send out too many TTM requests this year, but this is my best return for 2010. Maybe my New Year’s resolution should be to send out more TTM requests.

2010 Topps Update Silk: Mitch Maier

2010-12-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a 2010 Topps Update Silk card of Mitch Maier for $2.05 shipped from an eBay seller. A lot of unknowns get cards in the update set. Maier isn’t exactly unknown, but he does play in Kansas City. Maier has gotten some playing time in the outfield during the past two seasons. He hasn’t done anything spectacular though. The card is serial numbered 34/50. I think the best part of this card is the powder blue Royals jersey. I really like that color. I wish the backs were not blank, but it would probably be difficult to cram all of that statistical information into such a small area. I am happy with my purchase. I got this card for less than the price of an average pack.

2010 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor: David Ortiz

2010-12-11T12:53:00.001-08:00

I purchased a 2010 Topps Blue Refractor of David Ortiz on eBay for $2.24 a while ago. Why would a Yankee fan do such a thing? Because his eBay Bucks were about to expire so I took what was available instead of losing the credits. I plan on either reselling or trading the card. However, it is a cool looking card. It is my first blue refractor card. The blue border really makes the card pop. It is serial numbered 141/199 which is an added plus. Too bad that it’s a Red Sox card. It’s also too bad that eBay Bucks have to expire, but at least I got something out of the deal.

My First Albert Pujols Lot

2010-12-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

I purchased a lot of 12 Albert Pujols cards for about six bucks on eBay. It’s not that I collect Pujols cards or anything. Maybe I should though. The guy is a true superstar after all. I just realized that my collection lacks Pujols cards. I probably tripled my Pujols stash with this purchase. There are some neat cards in here. I got a 2010 Topps 206 base and bronze card. I think those are my favorites. Pujols cards seem to go for about 40-60 cents each on eBay. He is one of the most popular players amongst collectors so this is no surprise. I like buying these player lots because you never know what you will find. Every now and then you will find an unusual card or a parallel or insert. I probably will not become a Pujols collector, but I will continue to buy player lots just because they can be just as fun as opening a pack of cards.

Lance Berkman: We Hardly Knew Ye

2010-12-04T19:24:00.000-08:00

My latest eBay purchase was a lot of 18 Lance Berkman cards that cost me 23 cents shipped. All of these cards feature Berkman as an Astro but Berkman played for the Yankees this season so I had to pick them up. Of course, Berkman just signed with the Cardinals. That didn't last too long. The only cards I didn’t really want were the Topps Attax cards. I don’t really get them. I guess it’s a card game or something. Otherwise, I think I did really good with this purchase. I paid less than two cents for each card. Where else can you do that?

2010 Allen & Ginter Black Mini: Jose Lopez

2010-11-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

I purchased a 2010 Allen & Ginter Black Mini of Jose Lopez for only 60 cents on eBay. I like Allen & Ginter in general and I like any kind of parallel. The black border looks really cool. I just wish the card was full size. Lopez had a rough year in 2010, but he is technically a former All-Star. Much like Mark Redman is a former All-Star. Lopez happened to be the best player on a bad team. Hopefully, next year turns out better. In 2010, he hit .239. Compare that to 2008 when he hit .297. I think I got a good deal especially if Lopez can turn things around next year.

Pack Break: 2008 Upper Deck

2010-11-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

I picked up a pack of 2008 Upper Deck Series One cards for 51 cents from an eBay seller. There are 8 cards per pack. So what did I get? Here is the loot.

Joe Mauer
Damion Easley
Jeff Keppinger
Jim Leyritz YSL
Carlos Lee Starquest Common

So where are the other three cards you ask? Well, here is the rest of the pack.
Derek Lowe Game Used Jersey

How cool is that? I pulled a game-used jersey card out of a 51 cent pack that is two years old. I know its only Derek Lowe but still? I think I got my money’s worth.

The Rise and Fall of Rich Harden

2010-11-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

Do you remember when Rich Harden was the next big thing as a prospect for the Oakland A’s? For a while, he was the next big thing. And then he got hurt – repeatedly. By the time he left Oakland in 2008, it was a downhill trip. Harden was recently released from the Rangers and now finds himself without a team. I don't think he even made any postseason rosters. All of this may explain why I was able to buy one of Harden’s 2004 Donruss Studio cards on eBay for all of six cents shipped. It is a pretty cool looking card. It features a portrait of Harden in his Oakland uniform with the Bay Bridge in the background. Harden may try following in the footsteps of Kerry Wood by moving to the bullpen. He probably cannot succeed long term as a starter.

eBay Mailbag: Eric Byrnes

2010-11-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

My latest eBay purchase was a lot of 7 Eric Byrnes cards that cost me a grand total of 12 cents with shipping. Byrnes had his best years in Oakland and Arizona. At this point, his cards probably aren’t worth much more than 12 cents. All 7 cards feature Byrnes as a Diamondback. I received 3 Upper Deck Starquest cards – one of which is uncommon. I also received 2 Bowman cards – one of which is Gold. For 12 cents, I think I got my money’s worth.

Topps Replaced My Card!!

2010-11-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

You may recall that I purchased a box of 2010 Allen & Ginter a while ago. I had a lot of fun opening that box even though I didn’t pull anything that great. However, contained in that box was a mini card of Vasco Nunez de Balboa that was badly damaged. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, but I paid $78.00 for that box. So I wrote a letter to Topps demanding justice. And to my surprise, I got it. Topps sent me the same Balboa card in perfect condition. They even threw in a polite form letter. I was hoping for a few extra goodies, but that would be greedy. Thank you for your customer service Topps. I salute you.

eBay Mailbag: Hideki Okajima

2010-11-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased a lot of 9 Hideki Okajima cards from an eBay seller for a grand total of 22 cents shipped. I’m still a Yankee fan so I apologize for this purchase. But there was a Sweet Spot card and a Turkey Red card involved so I pulled the trigger. At any rate, I only paid about 2.5 cents a card so I got a decent deal. Okajima is a pretty good reliever. He was a much better investment than fellow countryman Dice-K who cost the Red Sox over 100 million dollars. And to all of my fellow Yankee diehards – I’m sorry.

eBay Mailbag: Ricardo Rodriguez

2010-11-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

I purchased a game-used jersey card from an eBay seller recently for a grand total of 65 cents. The card featured Ricardo Rodriguez from the 2001 Bowman Draft Picks set. My first task upon receiving this card in the mail was to determine who the heck this guy is. Thanks to baseball-reference.com, I discovered that this guy spent parts of 4 seasons in the big leagues with Cleveland and Texas. Although featured as a Dodger on the card, he never played for them in the big leagues. He didn’t do anything spectacular while in the majors, but he had his cup of coffee. Good for him. I should probably do this kind of research before bidding. But I can’t really complain. I got a game-used jersey card for some loose change.

Who Are These People?

2010-10-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

You may remember that I purchased a box of 2010 Allen & Ginter a while ago. Included in that box were a bunch of cards of non-baseball players. I thought this was unusual since I purchased a box of baseball cards. What gives? I wound up with 21 of these non-baseball cards. I don’t even know who half of these people are nor do I care. I like Allen & Ginter but these non-baseball cards are a pet peeve of mine. Anyway, I would like to trade them for a handful of Allen & Ginter cards of any year as long as the cards feature actual baseball players. If anyone is interested, just leave a comment or email me.

eBay Mailbag: Garrett Atkins

2010-10-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

I recently stole 3 cards of Garrett Atkins from a seller on eBay recently. I actually didn't steal them but I did pay 6 cents for all three. I received a 2008 Allen & Ginter which is my favorite since I now love Allen & Ginter. My second favorite is the 2008 X-Ponential followed by the 2007 SP Authentic. Two of those cards are inserts by the way. Atkins spent most of his career with the Rockies. Atkins now struggles with the Orioles. But then again, most of the Orioles struggle.

eBay Mailbag: Clint Sammons

2010-10-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a total of 5 Clint Sammons cards on eBay. I paid a total of 11 cents for these cards. I received 4 2008 Topps cards and a 2006 Bowman. Sammons is not a big name player. In fact, he spent all of 2010 at AAA Gwinnett. If that’s not bad enough, he hit .162 in 271 at bats. Brian McCann has nothing to worry about. In his limited big league time in 2007, 2008, and 2009, Sammons boasts a sub-.200 batting average. Anyway, I don’t think I can go wrong with an 11 cent purchase.

Contest Winnings from Drew

2010-10-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

I recently won a contest that was held by Drew at Drewscards. Actually, I was a co-winner, but that’s not the point. Anyway, my prize was a Tri-Star Obak box topper of Roy Hofheinz. He is the man behind the Astrodome. This is my first Obak card. It is quite a neat looking card as you can see below. Big thanks to Drew for the prize.

eBay Mailbag: Luke Hochevar

2010-10-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

My most recent eBay purchase was a 2010 Allen & Ginter card of Luke Hochevar. The card cost a total of 7 cents. I now have a thing for Allen & Ginter and this was a cheap pickup. I like the matte finish and I like the old timey design. Hochevar's 4.81 ERA led him to a 6-6 record in limited duty. He's on the Royals so cut him some slack.

2010 Allen & Ginter Box Break

2010-10-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

I finally busted my box of 2010 Allen & Ginter. This was a fun box to rip open. There are a lot of different inserts and parallels in this set. Anyone who wanted to build the entire set would quickly realize that such a task would be expensive and time consuming. Anyway, without further ado, here are the highlights of my box.
There were 13 Short Prints in the box.
I received 8 Regular Minis (Ad Backs and Regular Backs) and 3 Black Minis.
Each box contains 3 hits. Unfortunately, the first 16 packs yielded 0 hits. I started to get nervous. Could this box be a dud? No. I received all 3 hits of the guaranteed hits in packs 17, 22, and 24. That’s a strong finish. The hits are pictured below. I received a Hanley Ramirez Bat Card, a Melky Cabrera Bat Card, and an Autograph of Ricky Nolasco. I also pulled a bunch of cards featuring non-baseball personalities like Copernicus and Leonardo DaVinci. I hope to trade those cards at some point. I guess I could have done better and I could have done worse. Overall, I am satisfied with this box. I did not pull anything spectaular but it was fun to bust and I got some nice cards out of it. I probably could not recover my initial investment but that’s OK.

eBay Mailbag: 2006 Topps Astros

2010-10-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

I purchased two cards on eBay for a total of 7 cents. The first is a 2006 Topps card of Charlton Jimerson. Jimerson was last seen playing in the Angels organization. The other card is a 2006 Topps SI for Kids card of Craig Biggio. This is why I purchased the lot. For some reason, I own very few Biggio cards and a ton of Jeff Bagwell cards. Both are probably going to the Hall of Fame. So for a few cents, I made a small contribution to my collection of Craig Biggio cards.

2010 Allen & Ginter Hobby Box

2010-09-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

My latest eBay purchase was a Hobby Box of 2010 Allen & Ginter. I paid $78.00 for the box. That's big money for me. I haven't bought a hobby box of cards since 2007 Topps. I never bought a box of Allen & Ginter before. I’ve actually never purchased a pack either. The box contains 24 packs containing 8 cards each. I am guaranteed 3 hits in the box which is part of the reason that I made the purchase. I imagine that I’ll get stuck with three no name jersey cards. I will share the contents in a subsequent post.

eBay Mailbag: 2007 Topps Commons

2010-09-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

I purchased three 2007 Topps base cards on eBay for a total of 9 cents. The first is a NY Mets team card. I am not a fan of team cards but whatever. The next card features career backup catcher Mike Redmond. Redmond is currently a man without a team, but I don’t think he is officially retired. The final card features Jeff Francis who is still a part of the Rockies starting rotation. Overall, not a bad purchase for 3 cents a card.

2005 Bowman Game-Used Jersey Cards

2010-09-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased three 2005 Bowman Game-Used Jersey Cards from an eBay seller. The grand total came to $2.44 with shipping. The first card features Conor Jackson. Jackson is now playing for Oakland. Actually, he is on the disabled list again, so he is not really playing for anyone. Jackson spends a ton of time on the DL. The second card is Yusmeiro Petit. Petit came up in the Mets organization. He got some big league time with Florida and Arizona. He is currently in the Seattle farm system. The final card is that of Melvin Mora. Mora also came up in the Mets organization, but he spent most of his career with Baltimore. Mora is now playing with Colorado. When did that happen? I was not aware of that. Anyway, I think I got a pretty decent deal on this lot. I like 2005 Bowman and these cards are a good addition to the collection.

East Coast National: Part Six

2010-09-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

The final purchase that I made at the White Plains show was a pair of autographs that cost me $5. The first card is a 2007 Topps Co-Signers Dual Autograph of Nook Logan and Chris Young. This is my first dual autograph. I’m not sure how these two players are related or why they are on the same card but it is a cool looking card and well worth the money. The dealer seemed surprised that it was in the 2 for $5 box. The second card is a 2007 UD Future Stars auto of Carlos Gomez. Gomez was a top prospect for the Mets when he and others were traded for Johan Santana. So there it is. I'm finally done with my card show posts!

East Coast National: Part Five

2010-09-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

I purchased a bunch of common cards from the 10 cent boxes at the East Coast National Card Show. I came up with some decent finds. They are pictured below.

I also bought a few more cards out of a 20 cent box but I think they were worth it: