30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Most Bang for My Buck

Sure I enjoy busting open packs, but if the Cardboard Gods made me choose between buying singles or buying blasters, I'll choose singles any day of the week.

The bottom line is I'm all about getting the most bang for my buck and purchasing cards off of COMC offers way more value than opening retail packsToday's post shows off six cards that set me back $20, which is roughly the cost of a blaster boxShould I have held out and just purchased a blaster Let's see...

Card #11953 Red Man #5  $7.65


I'll kick things off with the oldest card in the lot.  Is it real?  Who knows.  Is it damaged?  Sure is.  Regardless for the price it was worth the risk and the damage (in my humble opinion).


Card #21966 Topps #36  $1.13


I honestly can't believe I found this second year Catfish for this price.  What's even crazier is the fact that there were a few to choose from.


Card #32012 Topps Archives 3D #NNO  $1.56


The 1968 Topps 3D test issue are some of the rarest cards around and they're not cheap.  Since I'll never be able to afford an original, I settled for the 2012 version (which used a different image) for a very small fraction of the price.


Card #4:  1970 Milton Bradley #NNO  $2.31


Vintage Clemente for approximately the price of a Big Mac Yes, please.


Card #52008 Bowman Chrome Refractor #194  $8.25


I was excited to add this shiny rookie parallel to my collection.  It was the most expensive card in this lot, but I've grown to really enjoy Joey's Votto-isms.


Card #61977 Topps #6  $0.95


And rounding out the $20 COMC haul is this league leaders card featuring two first ballot hall of famers.  If you're looking for an affordable way to collect vintage hall of famers, then you might look into league leader cards.

Now if you're one of those people that calculated how much I spent, you'll notice that these six cards actually set me back $21.85.  Well the extra $1.85 covers the 9.25% tax I'd have to pay on a blaster purchased in San Jose.  Like I said... gotta get the most bang for my buck.

Well there you have my personal COMC Blaster.  I realize that determining whether or not this beats a blaster fresh off the Target shelf is totally subjective.  But as you can imagine, I feel this was $21.85 well spent.

What do you think?  Which was the best deal?  Worst deal?

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

21 comments:

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

Definitely better than any $20.00 blaster! Got your package, thanks posting soon.

night owl said...

Just think what else you could've bought with the 60 bucks spent on A&G blasters. That Campy is a beaut.

arpsmith said...

I would rather have the Campanella than a blaster, add in the other cards and it is overwhelmingly in favor of the COMC purchase. Nice pick ups!

shoeboxlegends said...

Yup COMC all the way, as usual! Great cards Fuji!

Peter K Steinberg said...

You did very well. You got all the cards you wanted and none of the those that you didn't (though I guess some of those unwanted's become trade bait). Still, you hit a grand slam.

Tony Burbs said...

I don't collect any of the players, sets, or teams on the cards above and I'd still rather have them than the contents of your average blaster! Excellent haul and absolute steal, all the way around, for twenty bucks.

Hackenbush said...

Not sure what the Campy goes for but I like it. Also the 66 Hunter seems like a steal. From a personal standpoint the Votto would be the worst deal. I don't think I've ever seen a singles vs blaster post where I would have recommended a blaster. Not quite the same (although for some they are) but packs are like lottery tickets. Unless you like all cards equally.

Nick Vossbrink said...

Yeah I need to look into those modern 3Ds. I do love getting a blaster's worth of singles from COMC or Sportlots or Cardbarrel.

Nick said...

There's really no reason for me to ever buy a blaster when stuff like this is available on the 'net for a simple click. But then again this hobby isn't always about being rational.

CaptKirk42 said...

$20 of vintage is a load of a lot better than a modern blaster. Plus it isn't random (well not in the surprising way of random, more like controlled random)

Angus said...

Beautiful Campanella!

Mark Hoyle said...

You done well. You know my answer. I’d take your pickups any day of the week

Matt said...

As fun as it is to rip packs, sometimes a straight up purchase works better like this one.

Reds Card Collector said...

A Bowman Chrome Refractor Votto for less than $10? That's unpossible! Nice cards Fuji!

Brett Alan said...

I, too, find myself buying a lot of league leader cards--and multi-player cards in General--from vintage sets, because they're such a good deal for the level of player you're getting.

GCA said...

Yeah, not even close.

A small chunk of one single current set with probable dupes, fraudulent "hits", and tons of players for teams nobody collects
vs.
A variety of unique and amazing singles tailored to your specific tastes with originality, diversity, and quality.

Always a no brainer.

SumoMenkoMan said...

That 3D Card is awesome! Much better than a blaster. COMC has been a game changer for sure.

Collecting Cutch said...

Those Clemente cards are awesome

The Lost Collector said...

More and more I realize it. Singles are the way to go.

Fuji said...

john miller - glad it arrived safely

night owl - i know, i know. i should come back to this post whenever i even think about buying a blaster in the future.

arpsmith - i just hope the campy is real ;)

shoeboxlegends - thanks

peter k steinberg - yeah... most of the ginter will be passed along

hackenbush - busting packs is definitely a form of gambling. and retail blasters is like playing the slot machines with the worst odds

nick vossbrink - one of these days i've gotta look into cardbarrel

nick - "this hobby isn't always about being rational" best quote of the day

captkirk42 - controlled random > surprising random

angus - thanks! it was love at first sight

mark hoyle - when i think of vintage, you're one of the first people i think of

sport card collectors - i wish i could snap my fingers and get rid of the pack ripping itch

reds card collector - glad to see someone else appreciate the votto

brett alan - vintage league leader cards offer great value

gca - you summed it up perfectly

sumomenkoman - not sure if i'd still be collecting without ebay and comc.

collecting cutch - wish i could afford to own the original

the lost collector - i figured it out a while back, but i still get the itch to bust packs. smh

Greg Zakwin said...

The Campy looks real, obviously not having it in-hand I can't say for sure but nothing looks off to me. Also, it's such a sweet card.