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.