It's that time of the year again... when thousands and thousands of collectors are flocking to the National Sports Card Convention... while I'm chilling at home.
Part of me is okay with that. Some of you know that I'm not a big fan of crowds, so the idea of competing with a pack of collectors over some dime boxes or dollar bins isn't exactly appealing.
On the other hand... I would be there in a heartbeat if it was held somewhere in the Bay Area. I'd even consider traveling down to Southern California or up to the Pacific Northwest... if they ever decided to host it out on the West Coast again. But ultimately... three things prevent me from going out to New Jersey, Illinois, or Ohio.
#1: Anxiety
I'm not the biggest fan of flying. This is something I've been dealing with the past ten to twelve years... and it's specifically related to confined spaces. I'll still fly from time to time, but I try to keep the flights under two hours.
#2: Time
I'm currently on summer break... but that means spending more time with Papa Fuji. He trumps card shows.
#3: Finances
I'm not saying I can't afford to take a short vacation to Illinois. I'm just not willing to. I'd rather use the money I'd spend on my flight, hotel, food, car rental, and other travel expenses... on adding new cards to my collection.
Speaking of new cards... Matt over at Cards Over Coffee kicked off a blog bat-around this morning titled: The Blogger National 2023. He's asking fellow bloggers to show off some cool cards, favorite cards, or even a recent mail day.
I just so happen to have some cards that I've recently added to my collection that fit these requirements.
Let's start off with this some autographs I would definitely consider purchasing at the NSCC... had some very generous people not donated them to my collection:
2023 Topps 1988 Baseball Autographs #88BA-DAS
Rod over at Padrographs sent me this sweet on-card autograph of Stew and I've been waiting for the right time to showcase it. I remember when he pulled it back in February while looking for a 2023 Topps #70 for his buddy.
Oh how I do enjoy myself an on-card autograph of a fan favorite.
Here's another one I recently added to the collection:
2022 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #72FF-AN
Alyssa Nakken is the first full-time female coach in MLB history and back in 2020 she became the first woman to coach on the field in an MLB game.
I've been targeting this autograph ever since I saw her name on this checklist, but I've been waiting to find a copy in my price range. Then last month, Reader X sent me a large box of cards and this autograph was included.
He also sent me this really cool Vida Blue autograph:
2021 Topps Archives Signature Series 1982 Topps Buyback #431 (#'d 02/99)
I had planned to use this card in a tribute post after Vida passed away back in May. But life happens and I'm finally getting a chance to show this card off. Like Stewart and Nakken... Blue is a Bay Area legend and fan favorite. And I'm very thankful to Reader X for these autographs.
By the way... I don't just sit around waiting for people to send me autographs. Here is a stack of them I picked up off of COMC that I recently had shipped to me:
2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites Autograph #FFA-WW
In 1972, left-handed Wood (and Cleveland's Gaylord Perry) led the American League with 24 wins. I bought this card for a collection involving my birth year... and it only set me back $3. This is one of those deals that was too good to pass up.
2003 Team Topps Legends Autographs #TT-JR
Joe Rudi was an integral member of The Swingin' A's who won back-to-back-to-back World Series in the 70's. I'm always on the lookout for affordable signatures from these teams.
The last three autographs were a little more expensive, but worth the price (in my opinion):
2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Refractor Auto #PA-JC
I feel like Canseco is one of the most polarizing players in our hobby's history. Collectors tend to either love him or hate him, but I'm actually somewhere in the middle.
Back when he was crushing balls for the Athletics... I loved him. But after years of following his shenanigans on and off the field... that love has turned bittersweet. That being said... I really wanted this card when I saw it and as a result... overpaid for it.
I paid $18.25 for it... which is the same amount I paid for this:
2015 Topps Star Wars Tek Signers #93
Asajj Ventress has one of the most fascinating character arcs in the Star Wars universe and I've been a fan of her since I started watching The Clone Wars. Last year I had the opportunity to meet and talk to Nika Futterman who voiced the character in the show. She was really cool, so I decided to add her signature to my Star Wars PC.
Once again... a card I overpaid for... but like the Canseco... I don't have any regrets.
The final card I'll share today is a buyback autograph of Graig Nettles:
2002 Donruss Recollection Buyback Auto (#'d 41/41)
Nettles is mostly remembered for his days with the New York Yankees... but as a Padres fan... I have been looking for a signed card of his featuring him in a San Diego uniform. This is the only one I've ever seen... and when I saw it for $14.50... I bought it immediately.
Well there you have it. Eight cards that I've recently added to my collection without attending the 2023 National Sports Card Convention.
Thank you Rod for the Stewart autograph! Thank you Reader X for the Nakken and Blue signatures. And thank you Matt for inspiring this latest Blog Bat-Around.
Hope those of you who are at the National are finding some awesome cards for your collection. And for the bloggers who didn't attend... I hope you will join this year's Blogger National BBA.
Happy Saturday and sayonara!
18 comments:
I remember going to the National at the Cow Palace back in 1987 ,it was a blast.
yEP, i CAN'T SEE ME EVER SPENDING MONEY ON A FLIGHT, HOTEL FOR SEVERAL DAYS TO GO TO A nATIONAL. OOPS caps lock on again. I'm too tired to correct it, sorry. The Hotels double their rates for this thing and they're bad enough without that. If they ever came back to Atlanta or did one in Florida I might go probably would. Enjoy the little bit of summer you have left and tell Papa Fuji I say HI!
That Wilbur Wood card is so cool, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing my blog bat around and for joining in! Great cards, I keep meaning to add a Canseco auto
Matt-CardsOverCoffee
Those are some great looking autos! It's kind of neat to see a young Canseco, before all of those shenanigans you alluded to.
I have wondered why the National hasn't been in CA (or anywhere west) and planned to go when it was here in NJ. But the pandemic effed everything up and by the time it returned, everything from gas to hotel rooms to card prices were well above what I was comfortable paying.
(also I hate flying too, only got on a plane once- for my honeymoon)
I don't blame you for not wanting to fly out to a National. Hell, I've never been to one and I'm reasonably close to Chicago and Ohio. But the airfare, hotel, etc. make it kind of a pain, and I have a great time at my monthly show and elsewhere, so I'm happy with what I have. Also, good on you spending time with Papa Fuji while you can!
Very nice cards as usual today, by the way. Fan Favorites and buyback stuff is pretty much guaranteed to be fun. And that's awesome that you got to meet Asajj Ventress' voice actor and then get her autograph.
Nettles as a Padre?! That Dave Stewart looks great.
The National has frequently been close to me - I am about 2+ from Atlantic City, but I have never chosen to go. Doesn't have to do with the crowds as much as that it just does not appeal to me, even as a collector. Just my personal preference. I do hope you're able to go to one at some point on or near the west coast...they should do a better a job of moving it around. It's not like AC is a central location.
Love the autographs on this post. Great names, great cards. I think I would have to go with Wilbur Wood and Graig Nettles as my favorites. Those are two you don't see very often.
That's a good group of autos.
Great auto of Wilbur Wood. He pitched so much. Check out his GS stats. He also lost 20 games in a season - twice.
That Wilbur Wood is easily one of the better looking FF autos that I've seen.
those are great looking autographed cards! i had a redemption in with topps for a stewart auto back in 2013 or so. after a couple of years they send me a replacement auto of evan gattis. maybe now i will go and finally pick up one of stew.
Got the Gwynns. Thanks.
Johnny - apparently Atlanta is a candidate for a future National.
Would I go to the National if I didn't have to travel? Maybe. But zero way I'd make it into a trip. That's a lot of money to spend on cards that's not spending it on cards.
Anyway. Nice haul of ink here. The Stew looks great but the Nakken is fantastic.
Very nice additions (like that 86 Donruss Nettles auto in particluar).
Excellent pickups! What was the scenario where you wound up talking to Nika?
sg488 - that's awesome! i'm kinda bummed i didn't go... but i'm sure my mom and dad had zero interest in taking me. and honestly... i was in middle school at the time, so i probably had zero interest in having them take me
johnnys trading spot - LOL IT'S OKAY. seems like everything is getting more and more expensive. if it came out to atlanta and i'm retired... i'd consider going. one of my good friends lives there, so i'd have a place to stay. i'd just need to get my butt out there and pay for everything else
john sharp - yeah... love cheap on-card autographs
matt cards over cards - thanks for kicking off this bba. as for canseco... the good news is they are pretty cheap. he signs a lot these days
chris - heard that a lot of the dealers are from the east coast and it would be very expensive to lug their stuff out to the west coast... which would make sense. i just think they should have it here every five years or so to make it fair for west coast dealers
dennis - i wish there were more monthly shows here. i feel like they are slowly drying up around here. but maybe i'm just out of the look since i'm hanging with pops. as for the voice actor, she was really cool. we had a great discussion about ventress and we even talked a little about poker
the lost collector - lol. don't worry there aren't a lot of signed cards of nettles wearing brown and gold. maybe they will have a national down in san diego and have nettles be a signer :D
the snorting bull - i'm pretty sure this is my only auto of woods... and possibly nettles too
elliptical man - thanks. always happy to add more on-card autographs to my collection
runforekelloggs - wood is also one of only a handful of pitchers who won and lost 20 games in the same season. talk about a guy who could eat up innings
jon - glad they used that action photo instead of the portrait photo they used on his real 72T card
gcrl - good news is stew's signatures are cheap. i feel like i've seen them for under $10 before.
elliptical man - good to hear. hope you can use a few of them
nick vossbrink - yeah, i'd rather spend my money on cards than on flights and hotels. but it would be cool to meet up with other bloggers. i'm so torn.
sean - i was pretty happy to see that over on comc... and glad it wasn't insanely priced since he doesn't have a lot of padres autographs
jafronius - my buddy promoted a comic con and she was one of the signers. i was helping him out, but was assigned to the lady who voices naruto (maile flanagan). btw... flanagan is awesome too. anyways nika's table was next to us and the show was pretty dead after the first couple of hours. i went over to her table and told her how much i loved ventress and we just started chatting. really wish i had something for her to sign, but i didn't bring anything.
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