Spending My Listia Credits

In an effort to avoid Soviet style inflation on Listia, I spent most of my remaining credits on one auction.  I spent about 40,000 credits on 4 game used jersey cards of Josh Hamilton, Garrett Anderson, Freddy Garcia, and Seung Song.  I bought the lot to get the Hamilton card.  The Garcia and Anderson cards will likely go into my collection.  I will probably trade the Song card or sell it as part of a lot at some point.  Song never made the majors, but he is still pitching in Korea.  I have about 4,000 Listia credits left.  I should spend them soon before they become worthless. 

A Pair of Hanks

I picked up a pair of Hank Blalock game used jersey cards from 2003 and 2004 Topps on Listia for around 9,000 credits.  They are both good looking cards and in very good condition.  I didn't realize that Blalock had actually been out of baseball for 6 years.  Where have I been?

Listia Mailbag: The Bossman

I picked up this game used jersey card of BJ Upton on Listia for just about 4000 credits.  The card is from 2014 Topps Heritage.  I wish I bought more Heritage, because I really like the card designs.  In 2014, he was BJ.  But now, he is Melvin Upton, Jr.  That sounds like the name of a scientist, not a baseball player.  The card came with a couple of small stress creases, but they don't take away from the card's overall appearance. 

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.

Discounted Relic Card

I picked up a 2010 Topps Heritage game-used jersey card of Jeff Francis on eBay recently.  Don’t let that $8.00 price tag fool you.  I only paid $0.65 for this card.  Francis used to be the best pitcher on the Rockies, but his stock has fallen in recent years.  It’s a nice card with a nice black swatch of jersey. 

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. 

Cheap Finds on eBay

I purchased this game used jersey card of Erubiel Durazo on eBay.  You may remember Durazo from the Diamondbacks and Athletics.  It has actually been 8 years since he last played in the big leagues.  So why would I have any interest in this card?  It only cost 60 cents.  I basically entered a lowball bid so that if anyone got the card on the cheap, it would be me.  Apparently, I have nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon. 

I Bought A Soccer Card

My latest Listia purchase was a 2012 Goodwin Champions Relic Card of Tim Howard.  Tim Howard is actually a soccer player.  This set covers the stars and legends of different sports.  It reminds me a little of the old Classic 4 Sport sets.  I am not a big soccer fan, but at 303 credits, I could not pass this up.  Plus, when was the last time you saw a green swatch?  As a bonus, the seller threw in a few green mini cards which was nice. 

Miguel Tejada is Back

I bought a lot of three Miguel Tejada jersey cards on Listia for 1,512 credits.  I really only wanted the 2007 SPx and the 2008 SP Legendary Cuts.  The 2002 Leaf was kind of a throw in.  Tejada used to be a pretty big star.  His best days were with the Oakland Athletics.  It was downhill from there.  His was cut by the Orioles at the beginning of 2012.  I would have thought that his career was over, but he just signed a minor league deal with the Royals of all teams.  He most likely used steroids for parts of his career.  That would probably explain the productive years followed by a sudden decline in performance. 

Jake Peavy Game-Used Goodies

I recently purchased a lot of three Jake Peavy "game-used" jersey cards on Listia for 1,571 credits.  That’s about 524 credits per card.  My favorite card of the lot is the 2006 Allen & Ginter.  I have a thing for Allen & Ginter.  The other cards are a 2006 Sweet Spot and 2006 MLB Artifacts.  The Sweet Spot card features an oversized jersey swatch.  Peavy recently signed a new contract with the White Sox.  The White Sox may have gotten a bargain if Peavy can stay healthy. 

Listia Mailbag: Dontrelle Willis

My latest Listia purchase was a 2004 Fleer Tradition jersey card of Dontrelle Willis.  I still have a soft spot for Willis even though he dropped off the face of the earth.  The card cost 427 credits.  There were 2 small creases around the edge of the jersey swatch.  But it was still a good deal.  I would spend this many credits on any jersey card of a player whose name I recognize. 

White Plains Card Show: Part 3

I found a few good deals in a dollar bin at the White Plains Card Show.  First, I picked up a 2008 UDx Autograph of Marlon Byrd.  It’s a sticker autograph and certainly not a star player.  But I couldn’t pass this up for a buck.  Second, I bought a 2012 Topps Jersey Card of Sergio Santos.  The neat thing about this card is the jersey swatch.  It is blue with a white pinstripe.  I believe this is from a throwback uniform.  The funny thing is I lost an auction for this very card about a month ago.  Finally, I purchased a 2012 Gypsy Queen Jersey Card of Nelson Cruz.  This is my first Gypsy Queen Relic Card.  I now have regret about some of the cards I did not pick up out of this box, including a few Jesus Montero cards.  Oh well.

My First Listia Purchase

Recently, Nachos Grande posted about Listia.  Listia is an alternative to those of us who are sick of paying ridiculous fees to sell on EBay.  Listia charges no fees to sellers.  Instead of getting money for your items, you get points which you can use to bid on other items.  I have been a member for a couple of weeks and am pretty happy so far.  This site seems to be best suited for selling low dollar cards rather than your prized 1952 Mantles.  I have sold a few unwanted cards so far.  I just made my first purchase.  It was a 2004 Fleer Ultra Rocco Baldelli jersey card numbered 283/399.  (Plug to tjscards)  Remember Rocco Baldelli?  I got 600 credits for signing up, and the card cost me 330 credits.  So it was really free.  I think.  Any opinions on EBay vs. Listia vs. COMC?

eBay Mailbag: Relic Cards

My latest purchase from eBay netted me 5 game-used jersey cards for a total of $3.54 with shipping. The haul included:

2009 Upper Deck 20th Anniversary Tim Hudson
2009 Upper Deck USA Jake Barrett
2008 Upper Deck Gustavo Chacin
2007 Bowman Heritage Pieces of Greatness Ivan Rodriguez
2006 Fleer Ultra Fine Fabrics Brian Roberts

It’s a pretty good value for 5 relic cards. I think this is my first Chacin card ever and it’s a jersey card. I’m not too keen on those USA cards though. It’s not that I’m not patriotic, but who the heck is Jake Barrett? Anyway, if someone wants the Barrett card as part of a trade, it’s available.

2007 SPx Jersey Card - Jered Weaver

I recently received a 2007 SPx jersey card of Jered Weaver as part of a lot on eBay. This card was less than a buck. I like this card for several reasons. First, the design just looks cool. Second, the card doesn’t feature Jeff Weaver. Also, it’s numbered (43/50) which always draws me in. I wish this was a white home jersey, but what can you do? The “SPX” across the card is a creative way to display the jersey swatch, although I’m not sure why the X remains blank. How much would it cost to throw in an extra piece of jersey? I received another SPx jersey card in this lot which I’ll show off some other time.

For the Brian Giles fan...

My latest eBay purchase was 5 game-used cards for a total of $4.00 including shipping. All 5 cards feature Brian Giles. He is still technically playing although he has been on the DL most of the year. There are 4 bat cards and 1 jersey card. I know Giles is pretty much washed up but these are pretty nice looking cards for only 4 bucks. I think my favorite card of the lot is 2002 Fleer Names of the Game only because it’s a jersey card. I’m partial to jersey cards over bat cards. I also like the 2004 Donruss because Giles isn’t in a Pirates uniform. Also, the card is numbered 96/100. By the way, look at the 2001 Fleer Platinum RC Lumberjacks card. (Top Middle) That bat swatch is about to poke him in a bad place. Watch out Brian!!

Random Jersey and Bat Cards

My latest eBay purchase was 8 jersey and bat cards for a grand total of $6.26 including shipping. The jersey swatch on the Saberhagen card really sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s a really bright shade of sky blue. I guess that color wasn’t considered ugly in the 1980’s. You couldn’t pay me enough to wear that color jersey. Actually, yes you could. I also think the Troy Glaus is pretty interesting. This card actually features a game used base. I’ve never gotten a game used base card before. The base feels (and smells) like hard rubber. The back of the card says that the base was used in 2001 at Edison Field. In theory, this could be a card for any member of the Angels. I know a lot of people are sick of jersey and bat cards but I really like them. They offer an opportunity to own a tiny piece of Major League memorabilia in the form of a baseball card. Because so many of these cards exist, they are relatively inexpensive.