eBay Mailbag: Adam Wainwright

I bought this 2006 Bowman rookie card on eBay for just 6 cents shipped.  That’s a bargain for a pitcher of this caliber.  It always seems like Wainwright is injured.  But when he’s healthy, he is a stud.  I already had a Fleer Tradition rookie card from 2006 and this card is a nice addition. 

Listia Mailbag: Jesse Crain

I won a 2006 Upper Deck Game-Used Jersey card of Jesse Crain on Listia for just 560 credits.  The jersey swatch has a nice stripe through the middle of it.  I remember Crain as a reliever for the Twins a few years back.  Nowadays, he is with the White Sox.  For some reason, I just don’t hear much about him anymore. 

It's A Gustavo Chacin Sighting

I purchased this 2006 Topps Co-Signers Autograph of Gustavo Chacin on Listia for just 745 credits.  Chacin was a pitching prospect with the Blue Jays.  He spent time with the Blue Jays and Astros.  He hasn’t been in the big leagues since 2010.  I could have sworn he was still pitching in the majors.  I must have confused him with someone else.  He was in the minors for a couple of years and now finds himself in independent ball. 

Autographs from 2006 UD Future Stars

My latest eBay score was a lot of 10 2006 Upper Deck Future Stars Autographs.  I bought this lot mostly for the Russell Martin card.  He is in a Dodger uniform on the card, but he is still a Yankee.  I have been meaning to get his autograph for a while.  I put the rest of the cards back on eBay to recoup some of the cost.  Whatever I cannot sell on eBay will go into the personal collection.  I didn’t realize this at the time I purchased this lot, but much of these cards are clear.  The clear parts actually appear to be white on most scanners.  As you can see from the photo, the lot included some decent names. 

eBay Mailbag: John Lackey

My latest EBay purchase is a 2006 Allen & Ginter card of John Lackey.  It cost me 6 cents shipped.  This card is technically a short print.  That really doesn’t impress me since I don’t collect short prints.  But, in 2006 that would be a big deal.  In 2006, this card would probably sell for $6 instead of 6 cents.  However, in 2012 this card is reduced to a mere common card.  And, John Lackey has been reduced to an injury-prone bum.  He is also a Red Sox now so that’s another strike against him. 

Kenji Johjima

I purchased this 2006 Upper Deck jersey card of Kenji Johjima on eBay for only 65 cents shipped.  The auction title simply read “Kenji Johjima” (like the title of this post) with only a blurry picture to explain the auction.  This was quite unclear.  Was I bidding on the services of the real Kenji Johjima?  I thought he was busy playing for the Hanshin Tigers.  I don't really need any catching done right now, but maybe he could mow my lawn or wash my car.  It turns out that I only won the card.  But it’s a pretty decent card for the price.  It probably does not help the value that Johjima no longer plays in this country.  Let this auction serve as a lesson eBay sellers. 

2006 Topps: Endy Chavez

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

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: 2006 Topps Astros

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.

eBay Mailbag: 2006 Topps Turkey Red

I recently purchased a lot of 2006 Topps Turkey Red cards on eBay for about 75 cents shipped. I have really taken a liking to Turkey Red cards. I wish Topps still made them as a standalone set. There are no Yankees in this lot. However, as a Yankee fan, I can still appreciate Granderson pictured in a Tigers uniform, Abreu pictured in a Phillies uniform, and Pettitte pictured in an Astros uniform. This is another nice addition to the Turkey Red collection at a cheap price. By the way, Juan Pierre’s got it.

Topps Turkey Red Parallels

I purchased the three 2006 Topps Turkey Red cards above recently for six cents a pop. You may notice that these are the Red Parallel cards. I love any kind of parallel cards so this seemed like a pretty good deal. The first card is Willy Taveras sporting an Astros uniform. Taveras has made a career out of his speed. However, these days he plays for the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in the Phillies organization. Although Taveras is well-traveled, it’s hard to believe that he can’t find a Major League job. Who doesn’t need speed? The second card features Kameron Loe. I remember Loe from the Rangers, but then he seemed to fall off the map. I had to look this one up. He actually played in Japan before returning to the states. He is now playing for the Brewers. I love those high socks. They are so old school. You may notice that Loe is in front of a similar skyline to the one Taveras is in front of. Texas must have a lot of skylines. The final card is of Joe Blanton back in his days as an Oakland Athletic. You may notice that Oakland does not have a lot of skylines but it does have plenty of trees. Like Loe, Blanton is sporting the high socks. Blanton was traded to the Phillies where he still plays. He has always been a 3-4 starter. So far, he has had a pretty crummy season, but he’s still starting. And Blanton is the most successful player out of the three. Overall, this was a pretty decent purchase. I expanded my puny Turkey Red collection to include some Red Parallels for less than a quarter. I love cards that do not have a glossy finish and I love parallels. I also purchased some base cards as well which I will discuss in a later post.

Where have you gone Topps Turkey Red?

I miss Topps Turkey Red. These cards were great. The design was simple and had that retro feel that reminded you of the original Turkey Red cards. The card surface had those barely noticeable ridges on them. Best of all the surface had no gloss, which is great for us autograph hounds. But alas Turkey Red was reduced from stand alone set to insert. I purchased the two 2006 Turkey Red cards above for a total of 12 cents. I picked up the Hafner card just because. But I picked up the Anderson Hernandez card because I did not have any Red cards in my collection. The card is essentially the same as a regular card except that it has a red border. I'm a sucker for parallels. I think Hernandez is somewhere in the Nationals system these days. At least I can now say that I own a Red Turkey Red card.