TWIB: Dime Box Vintage, Wax Stains, and The Little General

Another week closer to Thanksgiving break.  Another This Week in Blogging post.  Another Sayonara Salute tribute to a baseball hall of famer.  But before we get to that, let's start off with the oldest card in this post...

#1:  Dime Box Vintage

1958 Topps #255

Back on Monday, Daniel over at It's like having my own Card Shop asked his readers what was the oldest card they ever purchased from a dime box.  His 1955 Topps Herman Wehmeier beat out my Bob Turley by three years.

I had to do a little digging to come up with an answer to his question and when I did, I discovered that along with the Turley, I also picked up this Ferguson Jenkins rookie card for a dime too:

1966 Topps 254

It was actually part of a flea market haul back in 2015.  Remember when I'd hit the flea market three or four weekends a month?  Times sure have changed.

#2:  Wax Stained Rookie Cards

Last Sunday, Chris The Collector opened up four packs of 1987 Topps football cards and pulled a rookie card of Charles Haley that came with a nice bonus: a gum stain.

Most collectors would be bummed by a gum stain, but I try to be optimistic (sometimes).  Considering there's usually only one or two cards with wax or gum stains per pack, they're rarer than cards without them.  That's why I try to cherish the ones I come across.

1983 Topps #356

I was digging through my binder and the first one I discovered was this rookie card of Gary Anderson.  Anderson is a 4x Pro Bowler and ranked third on the all-time scoring list.  It's not easy to see with the red and gray background, but there's a nice brown wax stain on there.

1974 Topps #173

The other wax stained rookie card I'll feature today is this Randy Jones.  Padres fans know his as one of the best pitchers in their franchise history.  Baseball fans know him as being the 1976 Cy Young Award winner.

If any of you want to put up your wax/gum stained rookie cards up for adoption, I will gladly provide a loving home.

#3:  Not So Mysterious Judge

2015 Panini Immaculate Collection Prime Swatches #41

A few days later, The Collector showed off some mystery packs he purchased from the Baseball Card Store and he asked his readers if they had any recent success with mystery packs, grab bags, or repacks.

I typically stay away from these sort of items unless I know I'm gonna get a good deal.  Back in the day, I'd often purchase mystery packs from YouTubers, because they'd guarantee certain hits or had a reputation for delivering solid value to their packs.  One of those YouTubers was Ricky Russo.

The Aaron Judge patch card came out of one of his mystery packs.  At the time of purchase I had no idea who this Yankee was.  But a year later, he took the hobby by storm.  This was the first card that popped into my head when I thought of Chris' question.

Sadly the hobby community lost a dedicated and very entertaining collector this year when RR passed away.  His generosity touched a ton of collections out there including my own.  His followers and friends were devastated, but the good news is his wife left his YouTube channel untouched, so his videos and legacy have been kept alive.

#4:  Chicks Dig the Long Ball

If you enjoy pitchers who aren't afraid of picking up a bat, then click here.  Rosenort wrote an excellent article about disliking designated hitters over on his blog:  Condition Sensitive.

His post inspired me to dig up some wood held by Mr. Maddux:

2001 UD Pros and Prospects Game-Used Dual Bats #PP-MJ

2001 SP Game Bat Edition Piece of the Game #GM

2002 UD Diamond Collection #378

And after flipping through my Maddux album, I discovered the oldest card I own of him holding a bat is this Upper Deck card from the early 90's:

1991 Upper Deck #115

And even if you're not ready to agree with Rosenort, there's no arguing that chicks did the long ball...

Just ask Heather Locklear.

#5:  The Little General

1974 Kellogg's #36

After this sentence, I'm not going to comment anymore about the number of stars we've lost in recent weeks.  It's too depressing and surreal.

1993 Norton Books #NNO

Instead, let's just remember one of the greatest second baseman to ever play the game...

2001 UD Hall of Famers Bat #B-JMo

2002 UD Diamond Connection Memorable Signatures Jersey #J-JM

1974 Topps #333

Morgan was a 10x NL All-Star, a 5x Gold Glove Award winner, a 2x NL MVP, and a first ballot hall of famer.

1975 Topps #180

1976 Topps #420

1977 Hostess #2

He was primarily remembered for his time with the Cincinnati Reds where he won two World Series rings, but today I'm gonna wrap up this post with the a trio of cards featuring Morgan wearing the jersey of the team he wrapped up his career with...

1984 Topps Traded #82T

1985 Topps #352

1985 O-Pee-Chee #352

Rest in peace Mr. Morgan.

Well that wraps up another post.  No specific questions today, but feel free to comment on wax or gum stained cards, repacks, Ricky Russo, designated hitters, Heather Locklear, and of course Joe Morgan.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Depression & Don West

Whenever I'm feeling down and out, I turn to my college buddy and hobby hero... Mr. Don West. During the 90's, Don and I would hang out until the wee hours as he'd entertain me with his legendary sales pitches.

A few days ago, our lives crossed paths again. And I assure you... it couldn't have come at a better time. You see... my life sort of fell apart this weekend. Oh heck... there's no point in hiding it, since I'm sure all of you have heard by now...

The Green Bay Packers lost their first game of the season.

There... I said it. Now, it's time to move forward... and this video of my buddy Don helped me take the first step:

So did you watch it? In case you didn't... my buddy is selling some baseball cards and "at this price, you can't afford not to buy it." Here's his offer:

- One hundred baseball cards from the 70's for $34.90 ($29.95 + $4.95 shipping/handling).

- Each package is unique and randomly pulled from an assortment of killer '70s baseball cards!

- Cards in the video are an example of what might be found.

- Your cards may or may not arrive in plastic cases.

It's tempting right? I mean... don't take it from me... here are direct quotes from the man himself:

"Nothing that I've ever sold before, in the past compares to this moment right now."

"And I mean this from the bottom of my heart... BUY THIS... because this is the greatest deal ever offered on any kind of media in the history of the world and I'm not kidding."

"You'll feel so good about yourself".

"C'mon... It takes you back to when baseball was pure."

"Don't question this deal... just order it."

"Order now... and relive your dreams... and go back in time...we don't get that opportunity very often."

Alright... what do you think? Anyone else want to "relive your dreams"? Seriously... if I was a billionaire and money wasn't an issue, I'd consider buying one of these just so I could post a review. But the fact is... $34.95 can buy me a ton of 70's cards on COMC that I actually want.

So, if I have any readers who are wealthy, I implore you to head over to my Don's site... Wild West Deals and pick up one of these packages.

If not... I hope at the very least you were entertained by my buddy who's offering "the greatest deal offered on any kind of media in the history of the world."

Today's question is...

On a scale of 1 (he's worse than expired redemption cards) to 10 (best thing since on-card autographs)...

How entertaining do you find this guy?

Happy Hump Day and sayonara!

Hobby Hero(es) #5: Doug, Rob, & Dmitri @ Card Corner Club

I love sports cards. I love collecting them. I love sorting them. I love trading them. I love talking about them. I love writing about them. And I love listening to people talk about them.

Right now... I check my iTunes on a weekly basis for these three sports card podcasts:

The Hobby w/Mike Schopp

The Sports Card Show w/Colin & Ryan

Card Corner Club w/Doug Cataldo, Rob Bertrand, and former MLB all-star Dmitri Young

All three are informative, entertaining, and are excellent sources of cardboard news and discussion. I've written about Colin & Ryan in the past... but today I'm going to write about Doug, Rob, and Dmitri... and why I think of them as hobby heroes.

Every time I listen to their podcast, it's an opportunity to take a break from the real world and just soak in some great cardboard discussion. The banter that goes on between Doug and Rob is both legendary and comical. I look forward to hearing what they're going to argue about next... and more often than not... I find myself shaking my head at some of the things Doug says, and agreeing with Rob. Regardless, both men stand up for the rights of card collectors.

Then there's Dmitri. Over the past few months, I've slowly grown to admire Dmitri Young as a fellow card collector. But it's not for reasons you might think.

My Dmitri Young Sports Card Trifecta

It's not because he has one of the most impressive rookie card collections out there, nor is it because he shares an MLB record with George Bell & Tuffy Rhodes as being the only players to hit three homeruns on Opening Day.

Both of these these things are awesome... and make me envious... but they're not the things that make him a hobby hero (along with Doug & Rob).

Nope... it's the fact that underneath those two things which make him famous... he's a human being...just like the rest of us. A human being who shares a common interest. A human being who stands up to his personal battles, doesn't back down, and overcomes them to share with others. A human being who is a positive role model to not only his own children, but for others who want to play sports and/or collect cards.

Merriam-Webster defines "hero" as a man admired for his achievement and noble qualities.

My definition of a "hobby hero" is a person who has a positive impact on the sports card collecting community. And these three gentlemen do just that.

And before I forget... I encourage you to go check out their blogs:

Dougology

Voice of the Collector: The Anti-Beckett

Da Meathook

Now it's your turn...

Based on my definition...

who would be some of your hobby heroes?

Besides the Card Corner Club cast... here are the other members of my Hobby Hall of Fame:

Mario @ The Wax Morgue

Colin & Ryan @ Sports Card Radio

The Legendary Don West

arfalc77 (aka 7's) on YouTube

I've been pretty busy... so I'll have to update the contest scores this afternoon. I appreciate all of the comments... it's been fun reading all of them.

Have a great day... and enjoy the rest of your week. Sayonara!

Hobby Hero #4: Mario @ Wax Heaven

A couple of years ago, I was browsing the internet looking for articles on sports cards when I strolled across Wax Heaven, a blog dedicated to my favorite hobby... collecting sports cards. I can't remember for sure... but it's probably safe to say that he was the first blog I ever read. In fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't know what a blog was until I started reading Wax Heaven.

If you've never checked it out, I encourage you to head over there right now. He doesn't post new stuff very often, however it's worth it to go back and read his past posts. Every once in awhile, I'll head over there and read about his Jose Canseco collection or his love for Pinnacle products. Wax Heaven has just about something for everyone... non sports posts, interviews, product reviews, videos, hobby news, 80's stuff, 90's stuff, and even modern stuff like this:

In fact... I first saw this video on his site around a year ago and knew I needed to pick up one of these for my collection.

Well... I received a package from COMC (a while back... before the contest) and inside was this:

Mario was right... these cards are sweet looking and if you don't have one yet... I encourage you to pick one up. The card is made up of five layers: back ground picture w/ x's on it (bottom), card board (to add depth), acetate picture (white jersey), card board (to add depth), and finally another layer of acetate on top (purple jersey).

These cards aren't serial numbered, but Upper Deck lists the print runs on their website. Reed is one of the most common ones with 100 copies being produced. I obviously wanted a Brett Favre, but there are only 10 copies out there and these can get pretty pricey. I placed a bid for $60 once and was outbid. Unfortunately, I can't find the final price... but it was out of my league.

So I settled for Ed Reed, because I was able to pick him up for a bargain price... plus he's one of the most dominant safeties in the history of the NFL. The guy can hit, catch, run, tackle, return punts, block punts... and just about anything else you ask him to do.

Here's a video of Ed making history:

By the way... today's Ed's birthday... so Happy Birthday Mr. Ed!

One last thing I want to share before I end this post... Some of you guys know about and even participated in my contest last month. What you might not know is that the contest was partially inspired by Mario. A little over a year earlier, he had an amazing contest where he was giving away autographs from UD's Spectrum of Stars set. He had people respond to questions... and if he liked your response... you won autographs.

I just went back and read the post where I won these two autographs and it cracked me up. If you're bored and would like to check it out... click here and scroll down. Ah... the memories of growing up Asian.

So here's today's question of the day: Have you ever checked out Wax Heaven? If so, what's your favorite post? If not, what's your problem?... get over there now!

So... thanks Mario for your contributions to our hobby. You're one of the reasons I started this blog.

Hobby Hero #3 : Colin Tedards (Sports Card Radio)

My definition of a hobby hero is a person who has a positive impact on the sports card collecting community. Colin Tedards and his brother Ryan produce one of the best sports card podcasts on iTunes, called Sports Card Radio. On the show, Colin discusses hobby news, scouting reports, product reviews, contests, and provides guest interviews.

In addition to this podcast, Colin and Ryan also run a online forum for collectors called, Sports Card Radio Fan Forum. I encourage all collectors to sign up on there if you're interested in meeting other collectors for discussions, trading, group breaks, or if you want an opportunity to win some free cards.

I think that both of these guys are great influences on our hobby, because they spend a lot of their personal time and finances into bringing collectors together. They're both always positive and their generosity is second to none. I've never seen so many free group breaks and card giveaways.

Here are just of few of the highlights from their box breaks:

Card #1: Seattle Mariners Franchise History (Free Topps Series 2 box break - Mariners)

Card #2: Antawn Jamison Panini R&S "Red Parallel" #'d 098/250 (Free box break - Wizards)

Card #3: Luis Durango on card autograph (Free 2010 Chicle break - A's, Padres, & Mariners)

Card #4: Alex Rodriguez Allen & Ginter bat relic #'d 8/25 ($5 box break - 3 team: Yankees, Mariners, & Tigers)

Thanks Colin & Ryan for everything you do for the hobby. You're heroes in my book!

Podcast: Sports Card Radio
Forum: Sports Card Radio Forum
Ryan's Blog: Sports Card Report

Hobby Hero #2 : Don West

Every once in awhile, the overwhelming stress of life gets me down (I'm exaggerating a little for dramatic affect). When it does, there's one person who can make things all better. No, it's not Mama Fuji. It's not even my best friend. My students? Yeah right. Nope, it's Mr. Don West.

Anyone who collected cards in the 90's and stayed up late to watch Shot at Home knows who I'm talking about. This guy is a hobby legend and one of the funniest entertainers on the planet. If you've never seen him and want a good laugh, check out this site that's dedicated to him: http://donwest.org You can also check out vintage Shop at Home clips on Youtube.
Now, he's not only on the internet... he's also in my PC:


Now all I need is an auto of the one and only... Mr. Ken Goldin: owner of Scoreboard Inc. & Don West's partner in crime.