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.  

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.

Does Jason Marquis Deserve A Silk Card?

My latest eBay purchase was a 2012 Topps Update Silk card of Jason Marquis.  The card was only about 2 bucks.  Marquis is a journeyman pitcher who is now with the Padres.  It seems like he has been around forever.  This is probably the most entry level of all the Topps Silk cards.  It probably shouldn't exist.  It is numbered 30/50.  The Silk cards are going to be different in 2013 in that they will include retro cards.  I am not sure how I feel about that though. 

Topps Silk: J.J. Hardy

My latest eBay purchase is one more 2011 Topps Update Silk card. This one features J.J. Hardy who is currently an Oriole but perhaps best remembered as a Brewer. Hardy actually had a decent year for the Orioles. I really don’t hear his name too much, but that’s probably a function of where he plays. The neat thing about this card is that it is numbered 50/50. I know that is meaningless, but I like that. I only paid $1.99 shipped for this card. These Silk cards are getting cheaper and cheaper. It’s almost the same trend that we saw with game-used jersey cards.

Topps Silk: Rafael Soriano

I have purchased another 2011 Topps Update Silk Card. This one is Rafael Soriano of the Yankees. This is my first Yankees Silk card. I only paid $2.24 shipped for this card. Soriano is basically a setup man to David Robertson who is a setup man for Mariano Rivera. Soriano started out as the 8^th inning guy but Robertson took the job. Soriano had an OK season in 2011 but his best season was in 2010 with the Rays. The card is serial numbered 8/50. It is a really nice addition to my Yankees collection.

Topps Silk from eBay

I purchased my first 2011 Topps Silk card on eBay. The subject is Jon Garland of the Dodgers. Actually, he is technically a free agent right now. It is a card from the Update Series. The serial number is 42/50 which has no significance at all. I entered a high bid of $2.00 for the card which is a lowball bid, but that’s not unusual for me. Someone outbid me and ran the price to $2.25. I wasn’t about to get into a bidding war over a Jon Garland card. But that bidder later retracted his bid which probably caused some potential buyers to ignore this item. I wound up winning this card for $1.34! Barely enough to cover shipping. Thanks mystery bid retractor.

2010 Topps Update Silk: Mitch Maier

I recently purchased a 2010 Topps Update Silk card of Mitch Maier for $2.05 shipped from an eBay seller. A lot of unknowns get cards in the update set. Maier isn’t exactly unknown, but he does play in Kansas City. Maier has gotten some playing time in the outfield during the past two seasons. He hasn’t done anything spectacular though. The card is serial numbered 34/50. I think the best part of this card is the powder blue Royals jersey. I really like that color. I wish the backs were not blank, but it would probably be difficult to cram all of that statistical information into such a small area. I am happy with my purchase. I got this card for less than the price of an average pack.

2010 Topps Silk: Michael Bourn

I purchased another 2010 Topps Silk card from a seller on eBay. This one features Michael Bourn of the Houston Astros. It is serial numbered 41/50. I only paid $2.00 including shipping. That’s a steal. I have never found a Silk card priced this low. I know it’s Michael Bourn but still it’s a pretty cheap card. Unfortunately, there is a tiny spot on the bottom of the front of the card frame. It looks like it may be glue. It doesn’t hurt the appearance of the card, so I really don’t care. Bourn is having his typical year – a mediocre average, a token home run, and a bunch of steals. These Silk cards have the same novelty level that game-used jersey cards had about 10 years ago. I still love game-used jersey cards. I hope I still love Silk cards in 10 years. I hope Silk cards still exist in 10 years.

2010 Topps Silk: Geovany Soto

I purchased another Topps Silk card from an eBay seller. However, this is my first 2010 Topps Silk card. The card features Geovany Soto of the Cubs. It is serial numbered 23/50. I only paid $2.99 including shipping. Soto’s name was misspelled which may have made bidding a bit easier for me. I am starting to build quite a mini-collection of Silk cards. I think I like these cards because of the novelty of a card that is made of silk. The biggest change that I noticed on this year’s cards is the addition of text under the serial number which reads “2010 Topps Baseball Series 2 Silk Collection.” I would also like to see Topps add card numbers to each card. I am very happy with my purchase. I can’t wait to buy more 2010 Silk cards.

2009 Topps Silk: Emilio Bonifacio

I purchased another 2009 Topps Silk card off of eBay. This one is an Emilio Bonifacio card #ed 25/50. I paid $2.49 including shipping which I think is pretty cheap. I know this isn't exactly a Albert Pujols card but still, it's a numbered Silk card for only a couple of bucks. Bonifacio is currently a speedster with the Marlins organization. He played a handful of big league games earlier in the year although he is currently with AAA New Orleans. I really like the design of the Topps Silk cards, but I don’t understand why the backs of these cards are blank. Oh well, they are still cool cards. I should start buying some 2010 Silk cards.

2009 Topps Silk: Livan Hernandez

I bought my second 2009 Topps Silk card from a seller on eBay for a total of $2.84 shipped. I think that’s a pretty good bargain. However, it is a card of Livan Hernandez. Still, less than three bucks bought a Topps Silk card. The card is numbered 50/50. Does this mean that this was the last Hernandez card produced or is it just a number? Some sellers might think this number is somehow worth more because it is the last number. Personally, I don’t care what the serial number is. I don’t understand how one number can be worth more than another. I hate how some people will drive up a card’s price because the serial number matches a jersey number or birthday or some other number. By the way, does anyone know what Livan Hernandez is up to this year? I actually had to look it up. Apparently, he’s hanging on for dear life with the Nationals.

2009 Topps Silk: Carlos Lee

I recently purchased my first Topps Silk card. I got it for $3.79 shipped on eBay. It is a 2009 Carlos Lee card numbered 26/50. It’s not that I’m a Carlos Lee fan, but the card was cheap and I was curious. I was surprised at how thick the actual silk piece is. I was expecting something that was a little more flimsy. Although the picture on the front matches the base Topps card, the back of the card is blank. I really like this type of card. It’s something different then anything else I own. I’m sure the novelty will eventually wear off though. But seriously what a time to be alive – a baseball card made of silk.