White Plains Card Show Recap

I attended the White Plains Card Show yesterday.  It was a lot more crowded than usual.  I assume this was because Mariano Rivera was signing autographs.  For a mere $299.00, you could have your item signed by Rivera.  I love Mo, but I had to pass.  That’s a lot of money.  It was another $99.00 if you wanted an inscription.  He signed autographs for about 3 hours.  On the plus side, I received a free Rivera custom card upon entering the show.  

 

I spent a good deal of time searching the dime boxes of various dealers.  I finished the day with about 50 dime cards. 

I also paid 50 cents each for a pair of 2013 Bowman Reprint cards of Albert Pujols.  Apparently, these are called blue sapphire cards.  I saw shiny and I pulled the trigger. 

Overall, I purchased 8 autographs from two different dealers at $2.00 each.  I was surprised at how many dealers were selling low priced game used and autograph cards.  I bought the two Josh Thole autographs from the same dealer.  I guess he is less popular since leaving the Mets.  Also included were autographs of Noah Lowry, Tyler Pastornicky, Luke Hochevar, Daniel Hudson, Cole DeVries, and Joe Benson.

Ruben Sierra was the free autograph signing at 1PM.  The line was huge.  I guess everybody who showed up to get Mariano’s signature stuck around for Sierra.  I waited on this line for about an hour and twenty minutes.  The signature looks terrific in blue Sharpie.  But, here’s the funny part.  Once I got up to Sierra’s table, he didn’t look at me, talk to me, shake my hand, or acknowledge my existence in any way.  Why?  Because he was talking to someone on his smartphone in a language that I believe was Spanish.  I am not exaggerating at all. 

Following the autograph signing, I had a quick lunch and continued through the show floor.  I only bought one game-used card.  This Joba Chamberlain card comes from 2011 Topps and cost $2.00.  I was tempted to buy a Phil Hughes game-used card from the same dealer for $2.50 but I passed.  Both pitchers caused heartburn on multiple occasions for Yankee fans before leaving town. 

Finally, I picked up a handful of 2014 packs for a total of $5.00.  I will show the contents in another post.  I had a great time as always.  And I think I picked up a few good deals.  And catching a brief glimpse of Mariano made the day a little more exciting. 

2013 Bowman Pack Break

I opened a pack of 2013 Bowman recently.  It was fairly uneventful.  The highlight of the pack was the Justin Upton Gold card.  Otherwise, it was a typical Bowman pack where I have heard of some of the players and the other players are stuck in the minors somewhere.  Anyway, here is a list of the spoils.  


-Michael Reed
-Ben Rowen
-Jose Altuve
-Aroldis Chapman
-Justin Upton (Gold)
-Kevin Medrano
-Zach Bird
-Alex Rios
-Cliff Lee

Mets Gypsy Queen Lot

I picked up 3 Gypsy Queen cards of Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, and Jonathon Niese on eBay.  The whole lot cost me 14 cents shipped.  Go figure.  All three are current Mets.  I am never sure whether Gypsy Queen cards feature photos, drawings, or both.  Whatever the image on the front is, it’s very well done.  Niese and Murphy should be OK this season if they stay healthy.  The Mets are going to have a problem at first base.  It’s basically a tossup between Ike Davis and Lucas Duda.  Neither is a great option.  Both are banged up at the moment.  I would throw Josh Satin out at first base.  He couldn’t do any worse. 

Gold Parallels!!!!

I picked up a lot of 3 2013 Bowman Gold cards on eBay recently.  I paid 50 cents for the lot.  I honestly don’t remember bidding that much for these cards, but it’s still a good deal for some nice cards.  The cards feature three big name pitchers: Dan Haren, Barry Zito, and Josh Johnson.  Perhaps, they are a little past their prime, but they are all pretty accomplished.  Overall, it’s a pretty decent lot. 

Jason Kubel Lot

I picked up a pretty nifty Jason Kubel lot on Listia recently.  It contained 5 autographs, 3 game-used cards, a 2013 Topps Cracked Ice parallel and a base card from 2013 Pinnacle.  This was a fairly large purchase for me at roughly 7,500 credits.  Kubel is a former and current Twin.  He also spent some time in Arizona.  I threw a few of these on eBay just to get some cash out of this deal.  But the rest will be added to my collection. 

Bowman Platinum Lot

For a total of 12 cents, I picked up a pair of 2010 Bowman Platinum cards on eBay.  The foil didn’t really scan well.  The first card is Chris Coghlan and the second is Kyle Drabek.  Coghlan has always been kind of a spare part.  But Drabek was a decent prospect.  I accumulated a few of his cards a few years ago.  He has been plagued by injury.  He should be decent if he can stay healthy. 

Matt Cain Card or Checklist?

I picked up a lot of 5 2012 Topps Update cards of Matt Cain on eBay.  Somehow, I only paid 16 cents shipped for the entire lot.  This is a checklist card that features Cain’s perfect game.  I typically don’t like checklist cards.  Checklists have a segregated binder away from my “real” cards.  However, these cards are only half-checklists, so they will earn a spot in my Giants binder. 

Pack Break: 2007 Topps Series 2

I would like to be on the record as saying that 2007 was probably the worst Topps design of all time.  For some reason, I seem to have a lot of the product.  And the product continues to find me.  This pack of Series 2 came to me as part of a repack.  There were only 6 cards.  Here they are:

Jon Lester
Francisco Rodriguez (above)
Mark Teixeira (above)
Juan Morillo
Jason Michaels/Travis Hafner
Brian Giles

I Got a Second Chance

I picked up this 2010 Bowman Chrome rookie card of Ike Davis on eBay recently.  I actually got this card on a second chance offer.  On the few occasions when I have gotten a second chance offer, I always feel like I am getting some kind of bonus.  Of course, it’s just as likely that the seller had multiples of the item and wanted to sell both.  Davis had a downright awful 2013 that included a trip to AAA Las Vegas.  He finished 2013 batting only a few points above the Mendoza line.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.  In honor of this man-made pseudo-holiday, I have posted Bobby Valentine's 1992 Topps card.  As an added bonus, here is an article about how Valentine was name Director of Public Safety in Stamford, CT.  I'm not kidding.