Digging Up Buried Treasure

Imagine digging through some old boxes of cards and stumbling across cards worth hundreds of dollars.  That's exactly what happened to me last year...

While digging through some of my lower end rookie card boxes, I discovered a 2008-09 Topps Chrome rookie card refractor of Russell Westbrook.  I immediately knew it was worth something, but had no idea that they were selling upwards of $250.

That discovery motivated me to look through my higher end stuff stored at my parent's house.  I wasn't really surprised to find a bunch of cards that fetch anywhere from $5 to $50.  There was actually a time when I was really into collecting basketball cards.

Now I realize that most of my readers are baseball fans.  Don't worry.  I won't be turning this into a basketball card blog anytime soon.  In fact... if you're patient, I've included a nice piece of baseball buried treasure for all of you at the end of this post.

With that being said... basketball is very popular all around the world... so there's a huge market for their memorabilia.

Today I'm going to show off seven examples of basketball cards that represent some of the most valuable cards in my sports card collection.

And maybe... just maybe... even some of the baseball card collectors who read this blog will be able to appreciate these basketball cards.  Are you ready?  Here we go...

Let's kick things off with some rare Air...

#1:  1996/97 Fleer Ultra Starring Role #4 Michael Jordan

Insertion Rate:  1:288 Packs (1:12 Boxes)
Recent eBay Sales (Raw Copies): $395.95 (BIN in March) and $469 (Auction in January)

Michael Jordan inserts have been popular for decades... especially the rare ones.  This acetate insert is truly a beautiful card.


#2:  1998/99 UD Black Diamond Quad Diamond #6 Michael Jordan

Print Run:  #'d 091/150
Recent eBay Sales (Raw Copies): $50 (BIN in February), $112.50 (Auction in February), $191.50+ (Best Offer in March), $191.50+ (Best Offer in April), and  $300 (Auction in January)

The first thirteen cards of the 1998/99 Black Diamond set were Michael Jordan cards.  If you're familiar with this product, then you know that each card had three parallels.  The Quad Diamonds are the rarest.

There's a pretty big price range in regards to completed listings on raw copies, but I definitely call the $50 sale an outlier.


#3:  1998/99 Metal Universe Planet Metal #1 Michael Jordan

Insertion Rate:  1:36 Packs
Recent eBay Sales (Raw Copies): $242.53 (Auction in April), $249.99 (BIN in March), $267+ (Best Offer in April),  and $275 (BIN in March)

This card is sort of a mystery to me, because they weren't exactly tough pulls.  It's definitely a beautiful card, but there's no way that justifies the prices collectors are paying for these.  Maybe 1998/99 Metal Universe were printed in short supply or something.


#4:  1997/98 Metal Universe Championship Galaxy #1 Michael Jordan

Insertion Rate:  1:192 Packs (1:8 Boxes)
Recent eBay Sales (Raw Copies): $???? (Best Offer in March)

This card is the other mystery card.  Not in regards to rarity.  With 15 cards in the set, the odds of pulling Mr. Jordan are 1:2880 packs, which is one per four cases.

No, the mystery has to do with putting a value on this card.  There's only one raw copy currently up on eBay and the vendor is asking $800 (or best offer).  I'm very curious to see what this card ends up selling for.

Okay... now let's take a look at the non-Michael Jordan stuff.


#5:  2009/10 Absolute Memorabilia RPM #146 James Harden

Print Run:  #'d 5/5
Recent eBay Sales (Raw Copies): ????

There are only five copies of this card in existence... and none have popped up recently.  However... the standard RPM #'d to 499 sold for $125.95 back on March 18th.  I think it's safe to say that this card is worth more than that.


#6:  2008/09 Topps Signature Autographs #TSA-RW Russell Westbrook

Print Run:  #'d 125/184
Recent eBay Sales (Raw Copies): $104.49 (Auction in January)

This card is the cheapest card in this post, but I included it because I built this set and I know exactly how difficult it was to acquire this card.  Out of the 85 card set, there are only five cards #'d to less than 200 and Westbrook is one of them.

To put things into perspective... just check out the print runs on these hall of famers who had autographs in this set:  John Stockton (676), Jerry West (649), Larry Bird (499), Shaquille O'Neal (825), Bill Russell (499), David Robinson (899), and John Havlicek (799).


#7: 1999-00 Topps Gallery Autographs #TD Tim Duncan

Insertion Rate:  1:2,637 Packs (1:109.87 Boxes)
Recent eBay Sales (Raw Copies): None

I've saved the best for last.  This is hands down my favorite card out of the seven featured in this post.   I've always enjoyed the way #21 played the game.  He was quiet, yet affective.  And when I stumbled across this autograph, I was pretty stoked to find it.

Duncan hasn't signed for a lot of products over the years... and unfortunately none of these have popped up recently on eBay lately.  However similar Topps cards have sold anywhere from $291.78 to $425 on eBay.

Okay... I'm sure some of you are wondering...

What am I planning on doing with these seven cards?  Well... the Jordans are part of my Jordan PC and probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon.  The Duncan will go into my basketball hall of fame autograph collection.

As for the Harden and Westbrook... I'll probably throw them up on eBay eventually.  Although... I'm planning on sending in some cards into PSA to get graded, so they might be part of that submission.  Or who knows... maybe I bring them back down to Vegas in a few weeks and rebury them.

By they way... if you're a baseball fan and you've stuck around this long, here's the baseball buried treasure I promised...

Back in 2012, I found this signed Dave Parker jersey on Steiner for $10.

Yeah.  That's not a typo.  $10.

I probably should have this jersey framed and displayed somewhere... but sadly this piece of baseball memorabilia is buried somewhere.  My office?  My buddy's garage?  My parent's home?  Who knows... I'm sure I'll dig it up eventually.

What about you...

Ever dig through your collection and discover some buried treasure?

Okay... since this might be the last basketball post of 2018... this might be my only chance to feature this song on the blog:

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

A Pleasant Surprise From My Past

Once upon a time, basketball was my favorite sport to play.  It was my favorite sport to watch on television.  And it was my favorite sport to collect.

But things change.  People change.  I changed.

These days... I rarely pick up a basketball and I never watch any NBA games (except when I attend the occasional Warriors game).  As for collecting... I'll pick up a basketball card every now and then.. but only if the price is right.  It's pretty safe to say that basketball is my least favorite sport to collect.

However I recently took a trip down to Vegas to hang out at my parent's place.  And while I was there... I decided to spend an afternoon flipping through my collection and scanning a bunch of cards for future posts.  Among them were a handful that I had completely forgotten about... including three autographs of this year's MVP... Mr. Kevin Durant:

2007/08 UD Premier Exclusivity Auto #EXKD

Durant has been a star since he arrived on the scene seven seasons ago.  He's already four time scoring champion, five time all-star, and one of the most popular players in the league.

2007/08 UD Artifacts "Autofacts" #AFDU

Which brings up the question... how the heck did I let these cards slip from my memory?  Heck... I'm not even sure how I acquired them.  Did I pull them from packs?  Buy them?  Trade for them?

2007/08 SPx "Super Scripts" #KD

I guess all that really matters is that I now know about them.  And after a quick look on eBay... it's good to know that I have a few extra dollars if I ever need it.  They're easily three of the higher end cards in my collection.

Today's question of the day...

What are some cool, forgotten cards you've stumbled across in your collection?

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

Little Orphan Dickey

What happens when you're a pitcher who has his breakout season at the age of thirty-eight and ends up winning the NL Cy Young Award?  Well a few things happen.  You get shipped off to Canada where you'll be playing for a contender in 2013.  And... people start checking their commons boxes to see if they own your rookie card.

That's exactly where I found this:

It's R.A. Dickey's 1997 Bowman Chrome International parallel.  I know it's not his rookie card, but I've always been one of those collectors who actually likes rookie card parallels.

There's not a lot of upside in terms of value for this card, since he's at the tail-end of his career.  But... who cares?  For years, it was crammed into a box with thousands of other commons... unprotected and forgotten.

Now it has a new home that includes a penny sleeve, a toploader, and a team bag for protection.  As the proud owner, I promise to treasure it and never leave it feeling neglected again.

What are some of your famous common card box finds?

Happy Monday and sayonara!

It's not always rainbows & butterflies...

Here are a pair of records I'm sure Dickey doesn't want:

Most Wild Pitches (Inning) - 4 (5th Inning on 8/17/08)

Most Home Runs Allowed (Game) - 6 (4/06/06 vs. the Detroit Tigers)

And since I'm being a Negative Nancy, what's up with Pete Carroll in Seattle... what are you trying to do buddy?  Do you want the Seahawks to be America's Most Hated Team?  You're up by 30 in the 4th quarter and you decide to run a fake punt?  Not cool.  At least you sort of apologized.

Then there's Mason Crosby missing two more field goals yesterday.  Eight consecutive games.  You've missed a field goal in eight consecutive games?  That has to be some kind of record... right?

I know I'm just a spectator who doesn't have a clue what it takes to be an NFL coach or player... but I'm also a fan who buys your memorabilia and like most fans wants to watch good football.

Okay... enough ranting... looks like somebody is moody and needs a nap.  Sayonara!

Hidden Treasures #9: Jackie Robinson Illustration

Every February, my school celebrates Black History Month by having the students research an individual they admire and consider to be an important figure in our country's history.  When they're finished, the students choose one of the following: write & present a speech, write a report, or create a poster of their person.  95% of the students choose to create a poster.

It's pretty amazing the amount of talent that passes through my classroom each year.  There's simply not enough space on my classroom walls or blog page for that matter to show it off.  But the poster at the top of this post is special, because it was a gift from one of my students who knows I have a deep admiration for Mr. Robinson.

No... I'm not some freaky stalker who eats, sleeps, and dreams of Jackie.  But I frequently use Mr. Robinson as an example of "courage" and "perseverance" in my class.  In fact, the following quote is hanging in the front of my class:

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

You might be wondering... why didn't you show this off in February?  Well... I actually misplaced it and discovered it buried in a stack of papers on my desk while I was cleaning my classroom this morning.

So Aimee... if you're reading this. I apologize for the delay, but thank you very much for this poster.  By the end of the week, I should have it framed and hanging in my office @ home.

Everyone else... have a great week!

Hidden Treasures #9: Cards From The LCS

I'm not sure about you... but finding a bargain at my local card shop is like finding a needle in a haystack. Please don't get the wrong idea. I completely understand the hardships of running a card shop and their attempts to compete with the internet. Unfortunately, the ones in my area lack the ability to offer competitive pricing.

In fact, the only things I usually purchase at my LCS are supplies and the occasional oddball insert. But last Saturday, found a guy selling a 1976 Topps football card set on Craigslist, so we decided to meet at the local shop. While I was waiting, I decided to kill some time looking through the owner's 5,000 count boxes. They were labeled 25¢ per card, but he told me he'd only charge me 10¢ per card if I found anything.

Two hours later... which includes the fifteen minutes it took to meet the Craigslist guy... I walked away with 200 dime cards. There were a handful of Tony Gwynn cards I didn't have, along with a handful of cards for my students. But the bulk of the haul was a stack of additions to my 90's insert binders. Here's a sample of my haul:

Greg Maddux

1999 SPx "Star Focus" #SF2

2000 UD Ionix "BIOrhythm" #B12

Nomar Garciaparra

2000 UD Ionix "Reciprocal" #R45

1997 Bowman Chrome "Scout's Honor Roll Refractor" #SHR15

2000 UD Ionix "Atomic" #A10

More 90's Baseball Parallels

1997 Flair Showcase "Row 0" #29 Joe Carter

1996 Donruss "Silver Press Proof" #133 Mariano Rivera

1997 Pinnacle Certified "Mirror Red" #94 Dwight Gooden

1997 Pinnacle Certified "Mirror Blue" #20 Bernard Gilkey

Topps Basketball Black Gold

1993-94 Topps "Black Gold" #18 Shaquille O'Neal

1993-94 Topps "Black Gold" #19 Anfernee Hardaway

1993-94 Topps "Black Gold" #23 Chris Webber

Gridiron Goodies

2000 Bowman Chrome "By Selection Refractors" #B8 J. Smith/T. Pinkston

1997 Absolute "Leather Quads Gold" #16 Hill/Frerotte/Kaufman/Johnson

Hasek & Hull

1997-98 SPx "Bronze" #4 Dominik Hasek

1994-95 Finest "Division's Finest Clear Cut" #15 Brett Hull

In terms of Beckett value, I scored big. But let's be serious... 90's inserts & parallels just don't command the attention they once did. Which is a blessing in disguise, because I'm a huge fan of them and always will be.

Attention Cardboard Collectors: If you want to dump your 90's inserts & parallels of stars & superstars for 10¢ a piece... I'll buy them all day long.

Okay... it's your turn:

How many local card shops are within 15 miles of where you live? How often do you visit them?

Happy Thursday everyone... and sayonara!