BBA: The Blogger National 2026

There was a time when I would have jumped at the opportunity to attend The National Sports Collectors Convention.  The only thing holding me back was money.  These days it's way more than finances keeping me away from the largest card show of the year.

It's the timing.  The NSCC is always scheduled right around the time I'm getting ready for the new school year.

It's my back.  I've heard that this show is huge.  Standing around at a local mall show digging through boxes starts to wreak havoc on my lower back after 3 or 4 hours.  I have no idea what the NSCC would do to me.

And it's the crazy crowds.  Based on what I've heard, the NSCC crowds are insane.  Thinking about it gives me anxiety.  Bottom line... the older I get... the less I enjoy standing shoulder to shoulder with people.

Thankfully Matt over at Cards over Coffee started a Blog Bat-Around for collectors who aren't attending the show.  He wants us to show off some of our coolest cards or recent mail days as a way of us getting together in our blogosphere instead of in a large showroom floor.  This is much more my speed.

Let's start off with something that's right up Matt's alley:

2006 Rittenhouse Battlestar Gallactica

Season One Autograph #NNO

Not sure if he's a Battlestar Galactica fan, but I know he enjoys collecting autographs of celebrities.

One of the things I did over summer break was binge watch the entire four seasons.  It's definitely one of my favorite television shows and Grace Park is one of my biggest celebrity crushes.  When I finished the show, I wanted to add her Season One signature to my collection.  It pairs perfectly with the Season Three autograph I purchased years ago:

2008 Rittenhouse Battlestar Gallactica

Season Three Autograph #NNO

I've made a few eBay purchases over the summer, but I'm hoping to write dedicated posts for them.  However I do want to show off this blog-inspired purchase:

1977 Sertoma Stars Puzzle Backs #NNO

I saw someone post a single (or a few singles) from this set.  It's one that I had never seen before, so I started doing some digging and it led me to purchasing the Joe Jackson.

There are a few others cards from this set that I'd like to add to the collection like Satchel Paige and Lou Gehrig, but for now Jackson will suffice.

The card backs are puzzle pieces that when put together feature the 1913 Pittsburgh Nationals.  I did some digging on the internet and the gentleman on this puzzle piece is Fred Clarke, a hall of famer and the manager of the Nationals that season.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to remember where I saw this set.  If you recently blogged about any 1977 Sertoma Puzzle Backs, please comment down below and I'll give you credit.

Update:  Red Cardboard is the one who opened my eyes to the 1977 Sertoma set.

Switching gears... I want to show off another present from Ryan's (@ SumoMenkoMan) advent calendar.  However let's take a peek at the haiku riddle first:

I immediately knew he was referring to these gachapon balls, which come out of vending machines (that are really popular in Japan).  

Here's what I ended up pulling:

The first three contained key chains.  Two were mini Star Wars action figures and one featured Mt. Fuji.  Inside of the 4th ball was another Mt. Fuji related item:

It's a draw string pouch that I'll probably use to hold spare change in my car.

This might seem like a weird time to show off these gachapons, but I recently opened up them as part of my summer sort.  I also wanted to note that if I ever actually attend the NSCC, chances are I'd be meeting up with Ryan and hopefully a few of you.

If you check out Matt's post, he shared some stuff that Dennis over at Too Many Verlanders recently sent him.  Dennis also sent me a care package (back in December) that I opened up this morning.  I was going to use it as part of this Sunday's Sort, but this post seems more appropriate.

Here are the highlights:

1982 Fleer Stamps #123

Let's start with the oldest item in Dennis' care package.  It's a third year Rickey oddball... and it's fantastic.  Rickey loves stamp collecting.

Later in the decade, Sports Illustrated decided to produce a new magazine titled Sports Illustrated for Kids.  Each issue included trading cards like these:

Sports Illustrated for Kids Series 3

Technically these nine football cards were released in the early to mid 2000's.  The first series cards looked like this:

2004 SI for Kids Series 3 Throwback #341

This card is a reprint of Emmitt's Series 1 card that was released back in 1991.  The key difference is the original SIFK logo was replaced by the silver SIFK 15th logo in the bottom left corner.

As we transition into the 90's... we're gonna see some truly special cardboard.  Card companies competed with each other to win over collectors and what transpired was an explosion of ingenuity and creativity that ultimately reshaped the hobby.  I understand and respect that it's not everyone's cup of tea... but I truly love 90's trading cards.

I'll let the cards explain why...

1999 Skybox E-X Century E-X-Quisite #7

This is one of those cards that you need to hold in your hand to appreciate.  This gorgeous insert set combines up and coming MLB stars with acetate and cardboard.

Here's another card that utilizes acetate:

1997 Upper Deck Amazing Greats #AG3

Companies also started printing trading cards on wood too... like the above A-Rod.  I wasn't sure why Dennis sent me this card, but upon closer inspection, it revealed this tiny flaw:

Yup.  This is another nice addition to my Damaged Card PC.

Getting back to the 90's...

1995 Pinnacle Museum Collection #201

This card blew me away when I saw it in the stack.  Pinnacle's dufex parallels might not be as shiny as refractors from the era, but they are still attractive... especially when paired with stellar photography.  I don't usually like to pick favorites, but today this card claims the title.

The 90's opened the floodgates for other parallels, like these color bordered ones: 

2010 Topps Opening Day Blue #115

2011 Bowman Green #174

These two parallels might not have the same eye appeal as the Rickey, but honestly that can be applied to 99% of the parallels from the 2000's moving forward.

They also introduced memorabilia cards to collectors in the mid 90's.  At the time, it was kind of a big deal to have a company purchase game used uniforms, cut them up, and insert swatches into cards, because it allowed collectors to own a piece of the game:

2003 UD Authentics Star Quality Game Used #SQ-HN (#'d 027/350)

2005 Bowman Sterling Jersey #BS-EC

2006 Bowman DP&P Futures Game Relics #FG39

The 2000's saw the memorabilia card market boom.  I feel like card companies have shot themselves in the foot with vague COA's and event-worn jerseys.  Thankfully the Nomo and Suzuki both state that the embedded jersey swatches were indeed worn in a game.

A few years later (not exactly sure when), card companies started creating manufactured relics like this cool commemorative coin card:

2020 Topps Player Medallion #TPM-MC

Although some manufactured relics can come off as being cheesy... I actually like this particular coin card.

Thank you Dennis for this generous care package.  I apologize it too me so long to open it up.

I'd also like to thank Ryan for the very cool gachapons.  If I ever go to Japan, I could see myself going crazy at these vending machines.

And a special thanks goes out to Matt for inspiring this Blog Bat-Around.  Hopefully a few of you will decide to join in on the fun.

Happy Friday and sayonara!

Animal Themed Post

Back in 2021-22 in the midst of the hobby boom... I decided to sell off the bulk of the sticker autographs I had accumulated over the years.  I also stopped searching for new ones for my personal collection.  If the athlete didn't hold the card and sign it, I wasn't interested.

Then I heard that Topps inserted Goose Gossage autographs into their 2025 Topps NPB products and I wanted to add one to my NPB collection.  Unfortunately... Topps had him sign stickers which forced me to decide.  Live without one of these autographs... or make an exception to the on-card autograph rule.

2025 Topps Chrome NPB Autograph #AC-GG

After patiently waiting for one to fall into my price range, I ended up adding this Goose to my collection.  It features him pitching for the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks back in 1990, before he returned to the MLB the following season.  

He is one of four former NPB baseball players to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  Larry Doby, Ichiro Suzuki, and Andruw Jones are the other three.

While I'm on the subject of NPB trading cards, Kenny over at Torren' Up Cards sent me a pair of PWE's back in April & May that contained a few 2025 Topps NPB singles:

He also included some Bandai and Calbee cards:

Franmil Reyes' name popped out.  He played for the Padres a few years ago.  I was also happy to see a pair of Fujis within the Calbee cards.

But the card that stood out the most was this shiny Munetaka Murakami:

2024 Dream Order #CBP01-S02

His MLB start was pretty impressive with 20 home runs in his first 200 at bats, but he's currently recovering from a hamstring strain.  Hopefully he returns to the batter's box soon... and his home run tear continues.

Kenny sent one more item:

Signed Cheki

I have no idea who this lil' bunny is, but I was very excited to add her to my Japanese Model PC:

Thank you Kenny!

Last month... Brendan over at The View from the Third Floor also sent me a PWE filled with some Japanese athletes:

Hachimura is currently the Laker's starting power forward, but this Gonzaga Bulldog made history in 2017 when he became the first Japanese national to play in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

He also sent me this SI for Kids card of Vicki Huber:

1990 SI for Kids #136

Huber is a Villanova Wildcat who won multiple NCAA indoor championships as well as the Broderick Award (given to the top female collegiate track and field athlete) in 1988 and 1989.

Thank you Brendan!

I'll wrap up this post with one more PWE with some Japanese athletes:

2006 Fleer Ultra #176 and #169

This pair was sent to me by Greg over at Crocodile Sports Cards a few weeks ago.  Not sure if Godzilla qualifies as an animal, but Matsui was truly a beast during his NPB and MLB career.

He also send me this trio of Hawks:

1991 Action Packed #259, #256, and #260

And this autograph of the 2008 Texas League ERA leader:

2011 Topps 60 Autographs #T60A-VM

Mazzaro dominated Texas League batters in 2008:

He kicked off his MLB career in Oakland and ended up pitching for eight seasons in the Show... including one in Miami as a Marlin.

Thank you Greg for these cards and this very cool sticker:

Started off with a Goose.  Couldn't think of a better way to wrap up an "animal" themed post than with a crocodile.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!