30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Better Late Than Never

As we approach the most wonderful time of the year... I figure the least I could do is shift gears and be more positive and cheerful to wrap up 2020.

COMC gave me a push in the right direction, by finally sending me my inventory that I requested back on August 1st.  Originally they estimated the shipment would take place on November 2nd.  After corresponding with Matt in their customer service department... they finally shipped out my cards on December 4th and arrived on December 9th.

Although I was a little annoyed by their shipping delays... I'm not going to lie... seeing that box was a very nice surprise Better late than never, right?  

I've scanned all of the cards I plan on writing about, but I'm not going to drop the whole load on you in one post.  My guess is this shipment will provide me with at least six to eight posts worth of content.

Today I figured I'd focus on one of my favorite sets that Topps has produced this year.  It's the 2020 Topps 1985 Baseball Relic cards:

2020 Topps 1985 Baseball Relic #85R-TG
2020 Topps 1985 Baseball Relic #85R-RH

When I first saw these cards, I actually considered building this set.  However budget cuts quickly cooled my jets.


I did rush over to COMC and grab this pair for $7.75 back in early June.

Two months earlier... I picked up the bat version of the Rickey on eBay for $5.30 ($3.25 + $1.75 shipping and $.30 tax).


Unfortunately... if you look to the left of the bat piece, you'll notice a slight crease.  

Here's a closer look:



Although 99% of the PWE's I receive have zero issues... this was the exception.  But I'm going to focus on the positive, remember?  The seller offered me a $3.50 refund and this is a nice addition to my Damaged Card PC.

Speaking of the Damaged Card PC, I picked up another Rickey on COMC for $3.24:

2001 Donruss Studio Diamond Collections #DC-17

At first glance, you might not notice the crease that runs through the top (second base) and bottom (home plate) of the game-worn jersey swatch:


Based on the asking price of this card, I knew this card was damaged when I purchased it.

Well that wraps up the first of my COMC haul posts.  I have another one scheduled for Thursday, but after that I promise to sprinkle them here and there to spread things out..

Until then...

What's something positive about 2020?

C'mon.  It can be hobby or non-hobby related.

One hobby related item that stood out to me is that its popularity is higher than it has been in a very long time.  I realize this isn't good for people wanting to bust open blasters, but I'm one of those people who enjoys seeing new collectors.

Lego Chess #40174

As for non-hobby related... I want to shout out The Queen's Gambit.  If you have access to Netflix and you are looking for something to watch, you might want to give this miniseries a shot.  I know how to move the pieces on the board, but I'm far from being good at chess.  One of my students beat me in four or five moves last year.

Anyways... my point is... you don't have to love chess to enjoy this show.

Well that's it for today... happy Tuesday and sayonara!

19 comments:

John Bateman said...

Its ending in 16 days?

karsal said...

Non-hobby: Re-connected with a past love.
Hobby: Starting a dedicated collection for my new grandson.

Nick said...

It's bit painful that COMC shipping is taking so long, but man is it gonna be FUN when my latest 300+ card order shows up! (Whenever that may be...)

I found a good job where I don't have to deal with customers in 2020, so that's a big positive.

night owl said...

Positive? THE DODGERS WON THE WORLD SERRRRRRIIIIIIEEEEEEES!!!!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Jeremya1um said...

Glad you got your COMC cards, and I love the relics.
2020 had a few positives. The Rays made the World Series. I acquired a few nice Randy Arozarena cards. My family found some fun zoo documentary programs on TV. My wife’s cousin who didn’t think she could have kids got pregnant. I also finished the missing cards in the 1998 and 1992 Topps sets.

John Sharp said...

Celebrated my 15th Wedding Anniversary on October 21st.

I've added lots of Matt Boyd cards to my collection, and I started a monthly donation to his charity work in Africa.

Some goodness always comes through, even in the darkest of times.

Chris said...

That Rickey bat relic is a bummer. I traded for a David Ortiz relic that was shipped in a PWE and arrived with a crease straight across the center :/

Something positive about 2020? I still have a job and the family finances were somehow unaffected by the pandemic. Everyone in my family is still alive and well. Joe Biden won the election.

My card-related good news will be posted tomorrow :)

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

Positive stuff in 2020; My children all bought houses in the last few months (well, one is still being built). I didn't dump thousands at card shows (instead I spent it on supplies, which are nearing the end of the task).....That's a big DOUBLE positive in itself. I gave away a boatload of cards this year. Already know my hobby goals for 2021. 2020 really wasn't any different for me than the last 6 years. I wake up on this side of the grass, and that makes everyday a win.

Matt said...

Never knew lego made a chess set. Interesting

Tom Robak said...

A positive for 2020? We’re still here!

Nachos Grande said...

Positive for 2020: My collection is in the best shape it's probably ever been in.

Brett Alan said...

THE positive for 2020 is that Joe Biden won.

bbcardz said...

Night Owl took the words right out of my keyboard.

The Lost Collector said...

Those Rickey relics are great. Something positive for me is that the company I work for is thriving, and we're hiring when most either aren't or cutting back. I was able to give jobs to two people who lost theirs during the pandemic. I take great pride in that.

SumoMenkoMan said...

Glad the package finally arrived. Sounds like that is the norm right now with a lot of orders. Even my 1-card purchase from eBay will take over a week to ship.

Peter K Steinberg said...

Nice cards and bummer about some of the damage. I've heard some hellish stories of COMC this year but I've just found in general even though they have good stuff it's way overpriced. Maybe one day I'll give 'em another shot. Something good about 2020? Hit neat milestones in my PCs and in general have managed to stay productive and positive throughout.

sg488 said...

Non-hobby:I got my retirement straightened out and financially set for life at 60, I no longer have to work unless i want to.Hobby:Stadium club set was great as always.Queens Gambit was great and kids all over the world now are discovering chess.

Steve at 1975BaseballCards.com said...

Agree with all the comments - don't know of any card bloggers that were really impacted with covid health wise so that's positive at least for now. Vaccine is here. Got good blogs to read and you're still at it.

Fuji said...

john bateman - nice. now that i'm on break, i want the remainder of 2020 to go nice and slow.

karsal - congratulations on both of these things.

nick - 300+ cards? can't wait to see what you picked up. and congratulations on the new job. it's always a bonus to enjoy your job.

night owl - lol. congratulations night owl... and all loyal dodger fans.

jeremya1um - quite the list jeremy! congratulations all around

john sharp - happy anniversary! that's really cool that contributing to his charity. and i love the positive attitude. i need to work on that

chris - the job and family finances are definitely huge positives. i know a few people who have been hit hard this year financially. hopefully the economy will be able to bounce back sooner than later. and i can't wait until #45 hands the keys over to #46.

johnnys trading spot - congratulations to your children. those are huge milestones. supplies this year have been insane. glad i stocked up right before the lockdown. although... i'm running low on penny sleeves.

matt - i think they retired the set... and then brought it back recently (because chess has become really popular). i bought it either last year or the year before when they were on sale.

tom robak - very true. hope everyone has a safe holiday season

nachos grande - good to hear. i'm happy with my collection too, but i need to start downsizing sooner than later

bret alan - that was a huge win. hopefully our country can start to heal sooner than later

bbcardz - congratulations!

the lost collector - glad to hear that business is thriving and you were able to make a difference for two people. you have every right to be proud.

sumomenkoman - i've got an ebay order stuck in new york for the past week. but considering how hard some areas got hit with snow, i'm not going to worry or stress over it. right now with the holiday season, i'm sure the united states postal service is doing the best they can.

peter k steinberg - congratulations on reaching those collection milestones. i'll probably give them a shot eventually.

sg488 - yeehaw! that's awesome! i'm hoping to be able to say that one day. the one thing i'm bummed about is that i can't run my chess club this year

steve at 1975baseballcards.com - yeah... don't know of any either. and hope it doesn't happen. trying to stay positive.