It's Been Awhile

Hello everyone.  Sorry about the sporadic posts.  I've been keeping myself busy with work and recreation... that even includes hobby related stuff.  There are even three posts sitting in my drafts waiting to be edited, revised, and published.  I just need to sit down and hammer them out one at a time.

Plus there are still the handful of care packages I received earlier in the summer as well as a handful I have received since the start of the school year... that need to be shared on the blog.

However... I'm trying to view my blog as a source of recreation rather than obligation in an effort to lower levels of guilt and stress.  So the posts will be published... but I'm not going to force the issue.

Today I just wanted to catch everyone up on what's going on over here since it's been awhile since I've hammered out something for you all to read.

Let's start things off with my 2024-25 school identification card:

The Oakland A's have been my favorite baseball team for over four decades.  I wanted this year's yearbook photo to be a tribute to their final season in the Bay Area.

If you look closely... I utilized one of those 2012 Triple Play Eye Black inserts.

Here's a better look:

This is he first time since 2021 that I've shown off my school ID.  Damn.  Three years.  It's been awhile.

It's also been awhile since I opened up a blaster box of 2024 Topps Chrome U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Team Hopefuls.  Overall... the box was underwhelming, but I did manage to pull a pair of keepers:

2024 Topps Chrome U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Refractor #119

2024 Topps Chrome U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Black Refractor #164 (#'d 07/10)

Both of these guys represent the final group of NBA stars I followed and collected.  I didn't buy this box with the intention of collecting either of these guys, but they honestly saved the box for me.

Getting back to stories from the classroom... this semester I have a student who happens to be the younger brother of a student I had seventeen years ago.  Last week, he brought in this Jordan Love jersey:

His older brother gave it to me for my birthday and included one of the nicest notes I have ever received.  

It's been awhile (probably close to ten years) since I last saw him, but he's coming back to the Bay Area during the holidays so hopefully we'll get together and catch up.

Let's wrap things up with a few cards I originally set aside for World Afro Day, which took place this past Sunday:

1975-76 Topps #236

1976 Topps Traded #74T

2014 Topps Gold #8

I'm four days late... but that's better than a couple of weeks, a couple of months, or a couple of years.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Hoops I Did It Again

 When my Little League career ended back in the mid 80's... my hoops career bounced and took off.  A few years after that my interest in collecting basketball cards followed.  This lasted throughout the 90's until I sold off my collection in the early 2000's and picked up right where I left off when I returned to the hobby in 2008.  Sometime around 2010 my interest in the NBA and buying basketball cards faded and hasn't bounced back.

These days I will still add them to my collection when I stumble across deals that are too good to pass up or when fellow bloggers send them my way.  I'd estimate basketball makes up less than 10% of my collection.  That's quite the fall from grace when you consider that they once represented 30 to 35% of my collection a decade ago.

That being said... I still have thousands of basketball cards sitting in boxes.  Two weeks ago I decided to sit down and organize a 5,000ct. box filled with stuff I've tossed in there over the past decade or so.  And since we're in the midst of the NBA Finals, I figured I'd show off some hidden treasures from my sort.

The first card is the newest addition to my Prime Number PC:

2009-10 Panini Basketball HOF #46 (#'d 001/599)

This is the 75th addition to my collection of cards that are the first serial #'d card in the run.  It also slides into the #2 spot in regards to size of print run.  

The only card serial numbered #1 in my collection with a higher print run is an Eddie George insert #'d 0001/1750.

Next up are a pair of Stephen Curry inserts from his rookie year.  Both are run-of-the-mill cheap looking, overproduced inserts:  

2009-10 Panini Generations #8

2009-10 Panini Rookies & Stars Studio Rookies #9

However the card on the left sells for around $40 and the one on the right fetches around $20.  Not bad for a pair of boring inserts.

The next card is probably the most valuable card I found:

2009-10 UD Greats of the Game #36 (#'d 30/50)

I might not follow hoops on a regular basis... but even I know The Beard.  It was pretty cool to find this rookie card #'d to 50 of this future hall of famer.

1997-98 Metal Universe Planet Metal #11PM

This insert set became popular a few years ago when Michael Jordan inserts started soaring in value.  It doesn't command triple digits like MJ, but it's still a cool card to add to my insert binder.

And last but certainly not least is this card of The Glove:

1998-99 Ultra Exclamation Points #13EP

The saying "they don't make them like they used to" definitely applies to modern day inserts.  This card is made of two parts... the sleeve (shown above) and another card that fits inside:

I was surprised that I wasn't familiar with this insert set, since 1998/99 was one of my peaks in basketball card interest (thanks to Vince Carter).  Part of it might have to do with the fact that these inserts were tough pulls (1:288 packs).

Basketball card posts are pretty rare on this blog, so I might as well kill two birds with one stone and feature some cards recently donated to my collection.

First up are some more cards from Reader X... also known as Xavier Higgins.  He sent me two large care packages which included a few Los Angeles Lakers cards.  I already showed off the Kobe cards here.  Here are the rest of the Lakers he sent my way:

2019-20 Panini Chronicles #75

2019-20 Panini Chronicles #162

2019-20 Panini Chronicles #176

I will happily accept any King James cards people want to send my way... especially ones featuring him with the Lakers.

2017-18 Panini Status Materials #M-BLP

Lopez already has a place in my Stanford PC.  Now he has found a home in my Los Angeles Lakers PC as well.

Next up are a quartet of basketball cards sent to me by Elliptical Man:

1996 Skybox Texaco USA Basketball #1

1996 Skybox Texaco USA Basketball #4

1996 Skybox Texaco USA Basketball #11

Food issues receive a lot of press on blogs.  Gas station issues need love too.  Here's the team card:

1996 Skybox Texaco USA Basketball #14

Team USA has some basketball fans worried as they prepare for this year's Summer Olympics.

That didn't seem to be the issue back in 1996.  That team featured eleven future hall of famers (sorry Glenn Robinson) and went 5-0 on their way to winning a 2nd consecutive gold medal.

Elliptical Man also sent me a few San Francisco 49ers cards... which for the most part will be passed along to my students.  However... I did add these two to my binder collection:

2019 Panini Black Friday #35

2011 Topps Super Bowl Legends #SBL-XXIV

Thank you Xavier and Elliptical Man!  I might have lost interest in the sport, but I still enjoy adding basketball cards to my collection.

What about you...

Are there any sports you've lost interest in over the years?

If so...

Do you still collect their cards?

I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was exceptionally busy and included my first trip to a flea market in over a year.  Stay tuned.

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Overtime

This weekend Papa Fuji celebrated his birthday.  I wasn't able to visit him in Las Vegas, but the family did sing him Happy Birthday over Zoom.

2009-10 Bowman '48 Locker Room Collection Autograph Patch #LRCAP-LB (#'d 12/24)

He's not an avid basketball fan, but he enjoyed rooting for the Celtics back in the 80's... while I supported the Lakers.  Good times.  Happy birthday Dad!

A Different Approach

Today's post was originally going to focus on some early 90's baseball cards, but after spending the entire afternoon yesterday watching the sickening and scary events that took place at the Capitol Building... I pulled the plug.

I started writing down all of the emotions that ran through me yesterday... which spanned from feeling heartbroken, sad, and disappointed to offended, disgusted, and infuriated.  But ranting on this blog won't make me feel any better.  Trust me.  I vented to my father and best friend yesterday... and those feelings were still with me when I fell asleep last night.

That's why I decided to try a different approach and write something more positive and patriotic.

2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball #USA86

Representing your country in a positive way has to be one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Kershaw was a member of the USA Baseball 18U National Team back in 2005.  I couldn't find any information about how he fared, but that doesn't matter to me.  He's always been one of those guys with a clean reputation.  One of those guys who gives back to the community and has done plenty of work for various charities.

But we can't all be Clayton Kershaw.  I'll never represent our beautiful country on the baseball diamond or any other sports arena... but I can be a positive role model for my nieces, nephews, and students (past and present)... and explain to them that even on the darkest of days, the sun will eventually rise.

Thirteen days left.  

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Recharging the Batteries

If my mind and body were an iPhone, my battery level would be in the red.  I'm physically and mentally exhausted.  However... I won't bore you with details.

Today is our country's birthday.  It's a day of celebration... and the reason I have a much needed four day weekend.

Tuesday @ Santa Teresa Golf Course

If things go as planned, I'm going to hit up a two flea markets, play two rounds of golf, sort the stacks and stacks of cards sitting on my desk in my office, watch the 3rd season of Stranger Things, eat at least one salad a day, and be in bed by 10pm every night.  If I can write three or four future posts to get ahead of the game, I'll call it the perfect weekend.

Speaking of writing posts, I probably should stop rambling about my personal issues and show off some cards.  Here are three slabbed Team USA cards that I've been waiting to write about.  Today is the perfect day to finally sit down and write about them.

2010 Bowman #108

This card was part of a large order I made over at 4 Sharp Corners back in March.  It's one of Seager's first trading cards and I thought the $16.52 price tag seemed like a solid deal at the time.  Then again... when I was purchasing the card, I thought Seager was going to bounce back big time in 2019.  That hasn't really happened yet, but he's still young and hopefully has plenty of years left in the tank.

Next up is a card I picked up over a year ago on COMC:

2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks and Prospects #100

Two years in a row, Meadows has started the season off as one of the league's best hitters.  And two years in a row, he's cooled off big time during the summer.  I picked up this card for $12.20 while he was still with the Pittsburgh Pirates.  A month ago this would have seemed like a pretty good deal.  Unfortunately he's only batting .155 in his last 22 games.

It's America's birthday, so I'll try to round out this post on a happier note with the lone bargain:

2010 Bowman Chrome #USA5

I picked up this Lindor back in February off of eBay for $27.12.  I've been wanting an affordable copy of this card for a few years and figured this it wasn't going to get any cheaper.  I was right.  Well... at least for now.  You never know how these you guys' careers are gonna turn out.

Okay.  That's it for today.  If things are going as planned, I should either be sifting through my flea market haul (wishful thinking), watching Stranger Things, or taking a nap before heading down to my buddy's barbecue right about the same time this post is published.

What about you?

What are your holiday plans?

Happy 4th of July and sayonara!