Listia Mailbag: Ricky Nolasco

I recently picked up this 2013 Allen & Ginter game used jersey card of Ricky Nolasco on Listia for about 5,000 credits.  I think that's about two bucks.  Or, it might be five hundred dollars.  I'm not sure.  In any event, it's a cool looking card.  I like how the A&G relic cards have the mini card inside the frame.  It's like a Russian nesting doll.  Nolasco was a Marlin on the card, sporting the then new Miami Marlin jersey. 

Possibly My Last eBay Purchase

I scored a bargain on eBay by snagging a lot of 4 CC Sabathia cards.  I really bought the lot for the sole Yankee card from 2010 Topps.  However, the 3 Indians cards were all from brands that I don't have much of.  All of this cost me a grand total of 16 cents with free shipping.  So, why would this be my last eBay purchase?  Aside from being all around morons who ruined the site over the past decade, the powers that be at eBay decided to restrict my account from all selling because my performance level was below standard.  It's really my fault since my feedback rating was only at 100%.  Oh wait, that's the highest possible percentage from a mathematical standpoint.  So, I've decided to take the liberty of restricting my buying on the site and take my business elsewhere.  Anybody have any suggestions for a decent auction style site to buy/sell cards?

Pack Break: 2013 Topps Series 2

I broke open a pack of 2013 Topps Series 2 cards.  I didn't really pull anything noteworthy.  I did get a David Freese mini card.  However, I did notice something odd about the Jonathan Papelbon card.  It seems as though he is about to eat a large meal, possibly Bryce Harper.  If there was any doubt as to whether Papelbon is nuts, just look at this card.  

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  I always view Thanksgiving as the perfect opportunity to show off my cards of Jimmy Gobble.  Gobble pitched for the Royals in the mid-2000s before ending his career with the White Sox.  This is a 2004 Topps Future Stars card that Gobble was forced to share with some other guy.  

Listia Mailbag: Jose Reyes Silk Card

I picked up this 2013 Topps Update Silk Card of Jose Reyes on Listia for about 4800 credits.  I am a fan of silk cards even though they are kinda gimmicky.  However, I prefer the silk cards that look like the design from the given year.  Here, the Reyes card shows a rookie card from 2001. The card came with a small crease on the right side, which is visible in the photo.  Otherwise, it's a great looking card of a former Met.  

2012 Topps Stickers Part 2

The rest of my 2012 Topps Sticker packs were relatively uneventful.  There aren't any parallels or inserts to look out for.  However, I did pick up cards of Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, and Derek Jeter.  I do have a few complaints.  First, many of these cards were damaged.  I don't know whether the retailer, Listia seller, or Topps is to blame on this one.  The cards do seem a little flimsy since they are actually stickers.  Second, there are way too many cards of team mascots.  Some of them don't even have names.  Finally, there are many cards which feature two team stickers on them.  That's fine, but don't put two card numbers on one card.  You can see the picture below.  It's confusing.  The price was right.  However, for similar money, I think I would prefer Topps Opening Day.  That's just my two cents. 

2012 Topps Stickers Part 1

I won an auction on Listia for 20 packs of 2012 Topps Stickers.  The whole lot set me back about 4400 credits, which is less than two bucks by my calculations.  You can see in the photo that the packs were marked down from 99 cents to 93 cents.  So, I would have paid 18 bucks and change in a retail store.  What a bargain!  Well, let's see what's inside the packs before declaring this a bargain.  Here's the first pack:

Nothing too spectacular.  I'm not a fan of wasting cards on team mascots like the beloved Raymond from the Rays.  I assume that fans love him.  The Ichiro is definitely the pull of the pack.  I will share the highlights of the remaining packs in a separate post. 

The Baseball Season is Over

The baseball season is over.  That also means that the fantasy baseball season is over.  My team finished first in the league.  Hurray.  Enough with the bragging though.  The playoffs start tonight.  I don't know if the wildcard game can be considered the playoffs, but it's baseball and I'm ready to watch the game.  I'm worried about my Yankees.  CC Sabathia is busy not drinking alcohol, so he won't be a factor.  I don't think his absence will be a big loss.  He had a terrible year.  I don't think the Yankees will go far into the playoffs though.  I just have a bad feeling.  The best team in New York might actually be the Mets. 

My World Series Prediction: Blue Jays over the Cardinals in 6 games (Sorry Yankees)

Remember Johan Santana?

I picked up this Fleer Ultra game used jersey card of Johan Santana on Listia for about 2,000 credits.  Listia credits seem to be subject to a bad case of inflation, so that's not a terrible deal.  The jersey swatch is navy blue, which beats the standard plain white.  Santana hasn't pitched for the past 2 years.  He has been with the Orioles and Blue Jays organizations, but has not played in the majors due to injury.  Apparently, he will attempt another comeback in 2016.  Santana last pitched in the majors in 2013.  It would be a longshot, but I would like to see him succeed.

Pack Break: 2007 Fleer Ultra

I found a lonely pack of 2007 Fleer Ultra and decided to liberate it.  Here are the results:

Tim Hudson
Brad Lidge
Hunter Pence
Hideki Matsui
Jim Edmonds

That's not a bad haul.  I got a Pence rookie and a Yankee card.  I like the design of this set.  But Fleer could have given us a few more cards in the pack.

1989 Bowman: The Cadillac of Junk Wax

 

I decided to bust open 4 packs of 1989 Bowman that were sitting around.  Would I get a Ken Griffey rookie card?  No.  But, I did find a Gary Sheffield rookie card.  That's not a bad second prize.  Also, I came around a Barry Bonds that was badly disfigured due to its proximity with a stick of gum for the last 25 years.  I mean this thing was gnarly looking.  Otherwise, there wasn't really much to write home about.  Maybe next time.  

Listia Mailbag: Eric Chavez

I picked up this 2007 Bowman Heritage game-used jersey card of Eric Chavez on Listia recently.  It cost me about 1,000 credits.  It has a couple of minor imperfections, but it's a really nice card.  Chavez is best known as an Athletic.  He retired as a Diamondback last year.  He also spent a couple of years with the Yankees. 

Pack Break: 2014 Topps Jumbo Pack

I popped open a jumbo pack of 2014 Topps Series 1 over the weekend.  It was a decent pack with plenty of parallels and inserts.  The Mariano card has got to be the best card in the pack.  Here are the highlights.

 

Yu Darvish
Junior Lake
Carlos Villanueva

Lee Smith
Mike Carp
Ryan Howard

Mariano Rivera
Mike Trout
Manny Machado

U-S-A...U-S-A

I picked up a jersey card of Cody Satterwhite on Listia for about 700 credits.  This is a Team USA issue from Upper Deck.  Satterwhite is now a prospect in the Mets minor league system.  I'll be impressed when he hits the bigs.  I'm not a big fan of the Team USA cards.  It seems like most of the players turn out to be duds.  My favorite Team USA card has got to be the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire rookie card.  That was a cool card. 

2009 Topps Sampler

I picked up this lot of 9 cards from 2009 Topps on Listia for a little over a hundred credits.  I don't have any of these cards, but I particularly wanted the Ian Kinsler card, which is pictured dead center.  I don't have too many Kinsler cards.  The photo on this card actually shows Kinsler from behind as he rounds the base.  There aren't any big names here; just your average base cards.

TTM Mailbag: Evan Gattis

Here's my second TTM autograph success from spring training.  The good news is that I received my 2013 Topps card back from Evan Gattis signed in blue Sharpie in just 24 days.  The bad news is that the blue Sharpie was badly smudged and went everywhere it wasn't supposed to.  I used a little baby powder on the card to decrease the glossy finish on the card prior to mailing.  The card has a partial fingerprint on it, so I don't think I had a chance.  Just the same, I'm happy to have the card back signed. 

Angels on eBay

I recently picked up a bunch of later year Angels cards on eBay.  There were 21 cards in all costing me $1.06 shipped.  Although I had some of the Topps cards, I didn't have any of the Topps Heritage or Bowman cards.  That's why I went after the lot.  My favorite cards were the 2 Andrew Romine rookie cards.  I love rookie cards.  Also, Romine's brother, Austin is in the Yankee organization. 

If It's Shiny, I'll Take It

I picked up a 2013 Topps Chrome card of Nick Franklin on Listia recently for 25 credits.  Why?  I cannot say.  It was shiny so I snagged it.  Also, I don't have much of the Topps Chrome product.  Franklin is shown as a Mariner on the card.  However, he was traded to the Rays last year in the David Price deal.  Franklin hasn't really impressed anyone in the bigs so far, but he is still young. 

TTM Mailbag: Tyson Ross

My first TTM autograph return of spring training came from Tyson Ross of the Padres.  Mr. Ross signed my 2014 Topps Update card in just 15 days.  The card came back in great condition with his signature in thin black Sharpie. 

Autographs By The Pair

I picked up a pair of certified autographed cards on Listia recently for 999 credits each.  The first is a Stadium Club card of Travis Denker.  I love Stadium Club cards from any year.  The photos are always great.  Denker was last seen playing for the Laredo Lemurs in the American Association.  But, he did get his cup of coffee at least.  The second card features Andy LaRoche.  LaRoche is still hanging out in the big leagues.  He used to be the next big thing for the Dodgers back in 2005.  But looking back, it was brother Adam who made a bigger impact in the majors.  LaRoche is currently with the White Sox organization.

Bern Baby Bern

I picked up a pair of early Bernie Williams cards on Listia for just 23 credits.  The cards are from 1992 Score and 1993 Topps.  These are second and third year cards respectively.  Bernie still looked like a dorky kid in these photos.  I'm fairly certain that I already own both cards, but you can't have too much Bernie.  And the price was right.

Cards from Drew

Thank you to Drew who sent me a bunch of cool Minnesota Twins cards. Here are a few of the highlights.

Three oddball cards of Kirby Puckett circa 1992 courtesy of McDonald's

 

My first 2015 Topps card

 

My first 1970 Topps card (I think)

 

And mini Delmon Young

A.J. Burnett: Part Two

OK, so here is my second A.J. Burnett purchase on Listia.  It's a 1999 Topps Chrome Traded rookie card graded PSA 9.  It only set me back 2,500 credits.  I have always had a soft spot in my heart for 1999 Topps Traded and its Chrome counterpart.  It had rookie cards of Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford, CC Sabathia, Josh Hamilton, Alfonso Soriano, and about a hundred guys who now work in a car wash.  I had bought individual cards from the set over the years, but never a card of Burnett.  I was also tempted  to buy the base set as it contained an autograph.  I never bought one though, fearing that I would pull a Mike Nannini autograph.  Anyway, I am pleased to add the Burnett card to the collection. 

A.J. Burnett: Part One

A.J. Burnett has been a rather respectable starting pitcher with many teams over the years.  He was garbage with the Yankees, but decent elsewhere.  I recently picked up 2 of his cards on Listia from different sellers.  The first is this Topps 206 game used jersey card.  That's a swatch of bright green jersey for those of you keeping track.  That's pretty unusual.  It made the card stand out to me.  And it only cost about 1,000 credits which is economical.  Stay tuned for the second Burnett card. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  Here's a gratuitous Bobby Valentine card from 1989 Topps and a link to his sports bar in Stamford, CT.

Stickers!!!!

I picked up a pair of 2013 Topps Sticker cards on eBay for less than a quarter.  Both cards are Giants: Sergio Romo and Matt Cain.  I have inadvertently been accumulating Cain's cards for quite some time, however I have very few of Romo.  I'm not a big fan of sticker cards, in general.  These cards remind me of the sticker cards found in the 1980's.  The stickers don't actually have a practical purpose.  But if we need them, they will be there. 

TTM Mailbag: Clayton Kershaw

After a long period of no returns, I finally received a TTM autograph in my mailbox this week.  It comes from Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.  It was postmarked from Dallas, TX.  I originally sent it to Dodgers Spring Training in Arizona last March.  The return took 339 days, but was well worth it.  The card is a 2011 Topps base card and is signed beautifully in blue Sharpie.  I'm thrilled to get the card back.  I doubt many 3 time Cy Young Award winners would take the time to sign.  Very cool.

Cheap Topps Heritage

I won a Listia auction for this 2013 Topps Heritage of Logan Forsythe recently.  Forsythe is sort of a spare part for the Rays these days.  However, I like Topps Heritage, so I pulled the trigger.  Also, most importantly, the card only cost me 4 credits.  That's a rounding error.  That being said, how hard is it to put a baseball card in a penny sleeve before putting it in a plain white envelope?  I'm not complaining.  I am just making a public service announcement. 

2014 Topps Chrome: Now with Bonus Pack

I recently purchased 3 packs of 2014 Topps Chrome which happened to come with the bonus 3 card pack of Orange Refractors. The Orange Refractors turned out to be the best cards of these packs. Without further ado, here are the spoils.

Pack 1

CC Sabathia

Tommy Medica (Xfractor)

Marcus Stroman

Mark Trumbo

Pack 2

Giancarlo Stanton

Francisco Liriano

Joey Votto (Refractor)

Yangervis Solarte

Pack 3

Curtis Granderson

Brandon Moss (Refractor)

Tommy Medica (again)

Robinson Cano

Orange Pack

Justin Verlander

Stephen Strasburg

Kolten Wong

Who Is This Guy?

I bought this 2012 Bowman Draft Picks card of Matt Olson for less than a dime on eBay.  I'm always prone to picking up single cards from Bowman, since packs go for such exorbitant prices.  Olson was drafted in 2012 and has played as high as Single A in the Athletics organization.  Yet, he has a Bowman baseball card.  Go figure.  Check out the background of the photo, though.  I believe those might be Mets colors on those players.  Anyone have a different opinion?

Random 2011 Topps

I picked up this 2011 Topps base card of Tim Collins on Listia for 23 credits.  This card is from Series 2.  I don't have much Series 2 from 2011, so I pulled the trigger.  Collins has been a reliever for the Royals for the past few seasons.  2011 counts as a rookie card.  Note the logo on the card.  Also, check out that cool leg kick. 

Trade With Bo

Not so recently, I completed a trade with Bo from Baseball Cards Come to Life.  I sent over some of my extra junk wax and miscellaneous cardboard.  In exchange, I received some nifty Twins and Yankees cards.  In the picture, are two cards from 1996 Fleer Ultra – Chuck Knoblauch and Brad Radke.  The Radke card is a rookie.  I also received a National Pastime card of Hideki Matsui.  The last card pictured is a 2007 Allen & Ginter rookie of Kei Igawa.  In 2007, there were tons of Kei Igawa rookie cards.  In the end, Igawa was way overhyped.  It was a nice haul of cards though.  Thanks for a great trade Bo!

Listia Mailbag: Jeromy Burnitz

I recently picked up this game used jersey card of Jeremy Burnitz on Listia for just 673 credits.  I was one of only 2 bidders, so I guess there wasn't much interest.  The card is from 2002 Upper Deck MVP.  It features a plain white jersey swatch.  The card itself is also plain.  There is no color other than black, white, and gray.  Burnitz was in his second stint with the Mets in 2002.  The Mets promptly traded him to the Dodgers for minor leaguers the next year.