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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
