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. 

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.  

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

TTM Mailbag: Jason Grilli

I sent out a TTM autograph request to Jason Grilli during 2014 Spring Training.  I received this 2013 Topps card returned signed in blue Sharpie in 237 days.  I got this card back a couple of months ago and forgot to post it.  The card looks great.  The Pirates gave Grilli to the Angels in exchange for walking disaster Ernesto Frieri before the trade deadline.  Apparently, Grilli took his mail with him to the west coast.   I'm very happy to get this card back. 

A Pair of Rays

Here’s a nifty little card from 2013 Topps Update that I picked up on eBay for a few cents.  It’s a dual card of Wil Myers and Evan Longoria.  I usually don’t like dual cards because I sort my cards by team.  Fortunately, the two are teammates.  I bought the card mostly for Wil Myers.  Myers is a highly touted prospect, and I have very few of his cards.  Myers was the key player in the trade that sent James Shields to the Royals.  It was probably a good trade for both teams.  The Royals make the World Series and the Rays have a potential star for year to come. 

Silk Cards: Update Edition

I picked up a pair of silk cards from 2013 Topps Update on Listia for about 1,000 credits each.  The cards feature the player’s rookie card rather than the base card from the 2013 set.  On the left is Tim Lincecum.  His rookie card is from 2007 Topps Update.  I bought a little bit of this product in search of Joba Chamberlain’s rookie.  I never got the Joba card and I never got a Lincecum card.  The card on the right is former Yankee Robinson Cano.  This was the card that I was really after.  It still feels like Cano is on the Yankees.  His presence would beat that of Martin Prado or Stephen Drew.  I never really bought any 2003 Topps.  It’s a decent design, but 2003 was a year that covered my collecting hiatus. 

Matt Holliday is ... Out?

Here’s a quick one card eBay purchase.  It’s a 2013 Topps card of Matt Holliday.  I paid just a few cents for the card.  It features a nice landscape photo of Holliday sliding into home, possibly playing an away game against the Phillies judging by the catcher’s uniform.  The catcher's glove is in an awkward spot, but that is a subject for another post. 

K-Rod in Orange

I picked up a 2013 Topps Update card of Francisco Rodriguez in an Orioles uniform on eBay.  He is now with the Brewers and more importantly my fantasy team.  I actually picked him up as a free agent.  Now he has 17 saves.  I was actually offered David Price in trade for K-Rod.  Because I’m a saves whore, I declined. 

More 2013 Topps

Here’s a quick eBay purchase.  The loot was a pair of 2013 Topps Series 2 cards featuring Emilio Bonifacio and Tommy Hanson.  The cost was 12 cents.  Oddly enough, neither player is still with their 2013 team.  Hanson is now a Ranger, while Bonifacio is with the Cubs. 

Pack Break: 2013 Topps Series 2

I had the urge to open up a leftover pack of 2013 Topps.  This is the Series 2 product, which I don’t have much of.  The highlight of the pack is the Henderson Alvarez Emerald Parallel.  I also picked up the Joe Mauer WBC insert.  Here is the entire haul.
571 Melky Cabrera
502 Patrick Corbin
579 Adam LaRoche
650 Nelson Cruz
520 Peter Bourjos
395 Alexei Ramirez
WBC13 Joe Mauer
358 Henderson Alvarez
474 Brian Omogrosso
378 Joe Kelly
554 RA Dickey
577 Matt Harvey

A New Autograph Added to the Collection

I purchased a 2013 Topps Tier One Autograph Card of Kirk Nieuwenhuis of the Mets on Listia.  I paid about 1,200 credits, but it was well worth it.  The card is numbered 283/399.  The autograph is in blue Sharpie with the number 9 at the end.  Nieuwenhuis started the season at AAA Las Vegas.  He will likely be in New York at some point this year.

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

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. 

Landscape vs. Portrait

This was my latest eBay purchase.  It should be noted that this 2013 Topps card of Troy Tulowitzki is a landscape shot only to accommodate his cannon and the giant vein on his cannon.  It's there if you look closely.  There's no way a portrait shot could contain his throwing arm and that vein.  Good call Topps!

2013 Topps Jumbo Pack Break

I recently popped open a jumbo pack of 2013 Topps.  I did fairly well.  I scanned the highlights of the pack.  I have 3 blue parallel card, including Michael Pineda.  I am now the proud owner of a Yasiel Puig rookie card.  And I picked up a snazzy camo card of Bartolo Colon.  The base cards weren’t that shabby either. 

Insert Card Goodness

I bought a 2013 Allen & Ginter insert card of Ian Kinsler on eBay recently.  It’s kind of a pointless insert set, but whatever.  A lifelong Ranger, Kinsler was traded to Detroit for Prince Fielder.  I have to think Texas got the better part of that deal in terms of talent and production.  But second basemen are hard to come by and Prince Fielder will have to be paid a zillion dollars over the next few years. 

My Annual Silk Purchase

I picked up a 2013 Topps Silk card of Ryan Madson on eBay.  I paid a grand total of a dollar, which makes this the least expensive Silk card I have ever purchased.  I typically buy 1 or 2 Silk cards each year.  Madson is in an Angels uniform, but he never played for the Angels due to injury.  He hasn’t played in two seasons actually following Tommy John surgery.  He is a free agent and will try to latch on somewhere in 2014.