A Blogger Inspired Purchase w/an Update

Are you ready for some flea market posts?  I hope so, because I have two to three posts worth of purchases that I'll be sharing soon.  There's even a card show purchase I made that hasn't been scanned and put away.

On a more productive note, I did scan two care packages containing forty-six cards for my 2006 Topps Allen & Ginter set build.  The first one was a PWE from Bo (@ Baseball Cards Come to Life!) containing eighteen cards for my set:

Greg over at The Collective Mind sent me thirty-nine cards.  Eleven were cards that Bo also sent.  Twenty-eight were unique:

The two bloggers helped bring my 2006 Topps A&G wantlist from 130 cards down to 84.  

Before

After

Thanks to Bo and Greg.... the set build is 76% complete (266/350) with 25 of the 84 missing cards being short prints.  My Sportlots focus will be on my 2011 Topps Update set, but as soon as that is complete I'm gonna try and wrap this one up.

In the meantime... here are a trio of Magic the Gathering Doctor Who cards I purchased off of eBay last week:

2023 Magic The Gathering Universes

Beyond Doctor Who #0148

2023 Magic The Gathering Universes

Beyond Doctor Who #0005

2023 Magic The Gathering Universes

Beyond Doctor Who #0003

I remember seeing Doctor Who pop up on PBS when I was a kid, but I never stuck around to watch it.  Then in the mid 2000's, I started watching the show when The Ninth and Tenth Doctors were piloting the Tardis with Rose Tyler.

Joe over at The Shlabotnik Report showed off The Fourth Doctor on his blog, which motivated me to pick up these three.

Well that's an update on my 2006 Topps Allen & Ginter set build as well as my latest blog inspired purchase.

My next post will most likely be the first half of my flea market finds from three weeks ago.  Until then...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Just Pay Shipping

Most of my posts these days feature cards donated to me by fellow collectors... but believe it or not I buy cards too.

One of my go-to online stores is Baseballcardstore.ca, which some of us used to refer to as the Online Dime Box.  Sadly that name no longer applies, because most of the cards on their site are free.  All you have to do is pay for shipping.

The concept is simple... if you live in the United States or Canada, you can fill up your cart with 1 to 40 free cards and pay the $5.99 shipping charge, then sit back and wait for the cards to arrive.  Obviously the best deal is to choose 40 cards instead of less... which essentially means you're paying 15¢ per card... which is still better than a standard Sportlots order or the COMC minimum.

I'll routinely look for cards that I'll send in care packages, but sometimes I find something for me.

This morning, I got around to opening up two 40ct. packages from them and figured in the spirit of Canada Day, I'd showcase cards from my favorite online shop north of the border.  I've narrowed down my stack in an effort to keep your attention...

#1:  A Pair of Parallels

1992 Topps Gold Winner #531

I figured it was only right to kick things off with one of the greatest Canadian baseball players of all-time.  Plus... you know I love my well-cropped action shots.

1992 Topps Gold Winner #535

Dave Stieb might not be Canadian... but he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays for almost his entire career.

#2:  A Rare Pirates Pose

1987 Classic #34

Tony Pena was one of my favorite catchers from my childhood... and it all had to do with his trademark squat... which I'm sure many of us impersonated.

Unfortunately... there aren't many cards of him in this stance.  And this is the only card I know of where he's with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

#3:  Sexy Stevie

1991-92 ProSet Super Stars MusiCards #176

Fleetwood Mac is one of my favorite groups... and Stevie Nicks plays a big role in that.  Pretty sure it was her Stand Back video that sealed the deal on my childhood crush.

#4:  The Set That Never Was

1997 Sports Time Melrose Place Promo #P

Not gonna lie... I only watched this show for one or two seasons.  I was more of a 90210 guy.  So the fact that this set was never produced didn't bother me.

But whenever I can add a new promo card to my collection... especially for 15¢... I will.

#5:  The Final Five

Here are the final five cards I needed for my 1992 Leaf set:

I actually bought this set complete a couple of years ago, but a handful of singles were damaged by the rings in the binder.  I also purchased the Black Gold parallel set too... and had the same problem.  I still need these eight to complete that set:

Well that wraps up today's post.  Thank you Steven and Nancy for providing a very affordable online option for card collectors.

Happy Canada Day and sayonara!

Another Weekend, Another Show

Last weekend, my buddy co-promoted his second show in three weeks.  Unfortunately it wasn't a card show.  This time around it was a toy show.  The good news is there were three dealers with sports cards and I made purchases from two of them.

Purchase #1:  A Shiny Admiral  $1

1998-99 Topps Chrome Refractor #170

My friend Tony, who was set up next to me at the card show was there and this time around I had the chance to dig through his dollar boxes.  That's where I found this David Robinson refractor.

I might not actively collect basketball cards, but I can't pass up a 90's refractor of a hall of famer for a buck.  Can't do it.

Purchase #2:  One Hot Bo  50¢

Tony is one of only a handful of dealers that actually lugs around bargain bins.  That's why his table was busy almost the whole time at the card show three weeks ago.  He doesn't have dime boxes, but he does have a 50¢ bin.  That's where I found this Bo Jackson insert:

1990 Score Hot Card #2

It's rare to come across a Junk Wax Era insert that I'm not familiar with, but this card fits that description.  I'm not going to say I've never seen it before, but I don't remember if I have.  According to Beckett, they were inserted into 100 card blister packs that contained both Series 1 & 2 1990 Score football cards.

It's from 1990, so I'm sure there are millions of these floating around... but that doesn't take anything away from the beauty of this card.  The rising (or setting) sun behind a well-cropped Bo with black borders combines well to form a hot looking card.

#3:  A Sportscaster Signature  $5

2004 Absolute Memorabilia Fans of the Game Gold Autograph #237

Have you ever seen a sportscaster running the 40 yard dash in a business suit?  If so, it was probably Rich Eisen.

My friend Tom specializes more in non-sports cards, but he has a couple of boxes of sports cards.  While killing time at the show, I decided to dig through his stuff and I found this card with an $11 price tag.  He said I could have it for five bucks.  Sticker-graph or not... I can't pass up this card for that price.

Overall... I was pretty happy with my show purchases.  The third dealer had some dollar boxes, but I didn't find anything I could use.  I didn't go through his boxes until the last hour of the show, so chances are they were already picked through a few times.

Most of the show was spent collecting money from customers interested in purchasing a photo op or autograph from Giancarlo Esposito, who is famous for his roles in Do The Right Thing, Breaking Bad, and The Mandalorian.

Fans were getting him to sign everything from action figures to Darksabers to plastic money barrels.  But the most creative item I saw was a guy who had him sign a Jordan 4.  The gentleman was inspired by this famous scene in Do The Right Thing:

I truly wish I had thought of that.  Oh well.  I didn't walk away empty-handed.  As a thank you for helping out, my buddy Mike hooked me up with this signed Funko Pop:

I also asked him if he could get me a 16 x 20 photo signed by Esposito and David Acord:

Acord is a sound editor at Skywalker Sound and is the voice of Grogu.  He was also signing at the show, along with one other autograph guest. who is popular among Seinfeld fans...

If you don't recognize who this is... you're probably under the age of thirty.  If that's the case, do yourself a favor and watch this:

Thanks Mike for hooking me up with these very cool pop-culture autographs.  I also appreciate you hooking me up with the free table at the card show.

As for the rest of you, here are today's questions of the day...

What's your favorite Junk Wax Era card design?

Do you have a favorite sportscaster?

Do you have a favorite Spike Lee movie?

Are you a fan of Seinfeld?  Favorite character?

1.  I'll probably dedicate a post to answer the Junk Wax Era question.  For now... I'll just go with the 1987 Topps baseball design.

2.  My favorite sportscasters are Jon Miller and Tom Tolbert.  Miller has a calm demeanor and knows his baseball trivia... while Tolbert sounds like a guy you'd want to hang out and barbecue with.

3.  Do The Right Thing is hands down my favorite Spike Lee film.

4.  Yup.  Right up there with Curb Your Enthusiasm, Eastbound & Down, Freaks and Geeks, and The Office.  Favorite character?  George Costanza.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

TWiB: The Real Sam Malone, Coins & Stamps, Another 80's Variation, and my 1st 2021 Card

The news about people being stuck at home, the loss of power, numerous traffic accidents, and the impact of freezing temperatures around the country was heartbreaking.  It honestly put a lot of things into perspective for me.  That's why I thought I'd start things off by stating that I hope all of you are able to stay safe and reasonably warm.

Hopefully some trading cards and blog posts will help distract some of you who were impacted by Mother Nature personally this week.  So let's dive into This Week in Blogging...

#1:  Let's Celebrate

1991 Stadium Club #1

Figured I'd try to start off with some happy news and wish Dime Box Nick a happy 29th birthday!  He celebrated his special day by ranking his Top 5 Dave Stewart cards.  Stewart shares the same birthday as him and happens to be one of my favorite 80's pitchers.  If you want to see which cards made his list, click here.

1999 Pokemon Fossil #58

1999 Pokemon Fossil 1st Edition #58

1997 Pokemon Fossil #NNO

This week also marks the 10th anniversary of This Card is Cool, which is a blog that focuses on everything from Japanese baseball cards to Pokemon cards.  Happy anniversary Ryan!

By the way... if you're interested in Pokemon cards, please check out Matt's latest post on Cards Over Coffee, which covers the McDonald's Happy Meal cards.

1995-96 Fleer Flair Hardwood Leader #9

Oh and I almost forgot... Billy over at Cardboard History just celebrated 25 years of being an NBA fan.  Congratulations Billy!  He mentioned that 1995-96 Fleer Series 2 was the first pack of basketball cards he opened, so I dug into my binders and this was the first card from that set I found.  Although... technically these Hardcourt Leaders inserts were in the Series 1 packs.

#2:  Factory Team Sets

On Monday, The Shlabotnik Report featured a great post breaking down the 2012 Topps New York Mets factory team set, which offered player photo variations and unique numbering.

2017 Topps Yankees Factory Team Set #NYY-16

I've purchased a few of these Topps factory teams sets over the years, because I enjoy the rookie card variations that are sometimes offered.

#3:  The Real Sam Malone

1999 Fleer Sports Illustrated Autograph Collection #NNO

On Monday, Matt over at Cards Over Coffee showed off the Ted Danson signed photo he recently acquired in a trade.  He talks about a few of the television shows and movies that Danson has appeared in over the years.  The one that stood out to me was Cheers, because it was one of those 80's television shows that I'd watch with my mom as a kid.

Sam Malone (Danson's character on Cheers) was inspired by a real MLB pitcher from the 60's and 70's:  Sam McDowell.  According to this article, McDowell struggled with alcoholism... but later turned things around and became a substance abuse counselor for a few MLB teams.

By the way... anyone else notice the error on the back of the McDowell card?  He never played for the Cincinnati Reds.  That being said... I've confused those old Cleveland hats with Cincinnati hats more than a few times myself.

#4:  Two Hobbies Unite

2003 Topps Gallery Currency Connection #CC-WM

In celebration of President's Day, Collecting Cutch showed off some fantastic coin cards on his blog.  I've always been fond of these collectibles that combine two popular hobbies into one.

2010 Panini Century Collection Souvenir Stamps #45

The same thing can be said for stamp cards.

#5:  The Big Hurt in Oakland

Peter K. Steinberg featured a sunset card of Frank Thomas over on Baseball Every Night earlier in the week.  I'm a huge fan of the guy and love it when I see him wearing Green & Gold.  Figured I'd share one of my cards as well:

2006 Flair Showcase Stitches #SS-FT

I'm always looking for an excuse to show off one of my Frank Thomas A's cards.

#6:  Check the Back

1987 Sportflics #31

If you own some 1987 Sportflics, you might want to flip them over and check out the copyright date.  If it says 1986, then you have a factory set version, while the ones with 1987 were pulled from packs.  Looks like the Gwynn sitting in my binder came from a pack:

By the way... I learned this little variation tidbit earlier in the week over at Kerry's blog: Cards on Cards.  

#7:  My 1st 2021 Gwynn

A lot of bloggers have written their 2021 Topps flagship reviews and check out my blaster posts.  I personally haven't seen or looked for any blasters myself, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I get my hands on some singles.

2021 Topps Blake Jamieson 1951 Topps #20

In the meantime, a post over on Wrigley Wax reminded me that I actually own a few 2021 Topps trading cards.  It's from the Blake Jamieson 1951 Topps online set that was released a few weeks ago.  I picked up the Week 2 box, because it included a bunch of players I collect including the Gwynn you see above.

#8:  Other Sports

As much as I enjoy collecting baseball cards, I actually enjoy reading non-baseball card related blog posts almost as much.

1996 SPx Tribute Autograph #T1

Paul over at Card Boarded  (a hockey card blog) announced earlier in the week that he's going to start collecting Jeff Gordon cards.

And Billy over at Cardboard History wrote a nice post about Jarome Iginla in honor of Black History Month.  He mentioned Iginla's interest in diabetes even though he doesn't suffer from it.

1994-95 SP #181

Anyways... seeing his name reminded me of the days of busting packs of 1994-95 SP searching for Sergei Samsonov rookie cards.  These packs also contained one of Iginla's rookie cards too.

#9:  Movie Mania

If you're into watching movies... then you should check out Elliptical Man's new blog series:  Film Friday.  It's a series where he'll be giving his readers 100 movie recommendations.

Yesterday was the first post in the series and the topic was Books & Plays.

1991 Starline Hollywood Walk of Fame #143

It wasn't featured in his post, but the first movie that popped into my head was To Kill a Mockingbird which features Gregory Peck.

By the way, this week I opened up two boxes of 1991 Starline Hollywood Walk of Fame and combined with a stack of singles I purchased at the flea market... I was almost able to produce two starter sets.  I know this is a long shot, but if anyone has any singles from this product laying around here are the 35 cards I still need.  I have a ton of duplicates available for trade.  Collation was terrible.

That wraps up another This Week in Blogging post.  As much as I enjoy and appreciate the number of views each of these posts receive, I'm thinking about scaling them down.  Between the research, writing, and digging up cards from my collection... these posts end up taking up a large portion of my Saturdays.  And in this day and age... rest and relaxation is something my mind and body needs for mental health purposes.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!