An Early Christmas Present

As a diehard Oakland Athletics fan... there hasn't a lot to cheer about the past few weeks.  But this morning I woke up and discovered that my favorite player is returning to my favorite team.

Hopefully, he can turn things around for both himself and the struggling Athletics.  Worst case scenario... at least he'll bring some stability, a solid defensive glove, and veteran leadership to the A's pitching staff that has recently started to struggle.

Welcome back Kurt!

Happy Friday and sayonara!

Cheap Cool Cards #35: 1988 Upper Deck Promo Cards

Back in the early 90's, I was fortunate enough to get hired by my local card shop who introduced me to the world of promo cards.  Since then, I have accumulated hundreds of different promo cards ranging from baseball to non-sports to soccer cards.

And recently, I picked up the two promo cards have have eluded my collection for twenty-five years.  

They're the 1988 Upper Deck baseball card promos:

#1 DeWayne Buice

#700 Wally Joyner

These cards were distributed in a variety of ways and actually have an interesting story behind them.  It even involves a little bit of Upper Deck's history.  If you're interested, I encourage you to read this article.

As for me... I grew tired of seeing them sit atop my cardboard wantlist, so I headed over to COMC and purchased the pair for $9.50.  With that being said... they're officially the most expensive cards in my promo card collection.  But at least I didn't pay the high prices these cards once commanded from card shops.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!

Another Completed Project

This weekend... I received my COMC shipment that included a very special Dave Parker autograph.  His 2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites autograph was the final piece of a puzzle that I started over three months ago.

Project Started:  June 9th, 2013

Project Finished:  August 18th, 2013

First Card Purchased:  #BSA Benito Santiago

Final Cards Purchased:  #FM Fred McGriff and #MG Mike Greenwell

Total Number of Cards:  58 (w/o Pele)

Total Number of Redemption Cards: 2 (#BS Bret Saberhagen and #DC Dave Concepcion)

Total Number of Cards Traded For:  2 (#DM Denny McLain and #MW Mookie Wilson)

Total Number of Cards Purchased on eBay:  54

Total Number of Cards Purchased on COMC: 1 (#DP Dave Parker)

Total Number of Cards Purchased @ LCS:  1 (#BSA Benito Santiago)

Favorite Cards:  #VC Vince Coleman, #RD Ron Darling, and #BW Bob Welch

Total eBay + COMC + LCS Purchases:  $509.17

Total Cost of Project:  $517.17 (added $8 for shipping involving trades and COMC)

I know that this sounds like a lot for fifty-eight autographs of guys who aren't even in the hall of fame.  And guess what... you're absolutely correct!  But can you really put a price on the entertainment and the challenge I received from building this set?

Plus... $517.17 included thirty-one extra autographs.  One of them was a triple of Benito Santiago, which went into my San Diego Padres PC.  But the other thirty autographs will either be sold on eBay or end up in my tradebait.

Here's a look at the thirty extras...

Today's question...

What would you do with the extra autographs?

Happy Monday and sayonara!

It's Over!

It was a nice run while it lasted... but tomorrow, I officially report back to work.

Justice League Europe #6: September 1989

Autographed by Bart Sears

Yesterday I attended the San Jose Super Toy Show at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds and picked up this autographed comic book for 60¢.  I don't really read comic books.  I don't really collect comic books.  And I have never heard of Bart Sears.

But I love autographs.  And I love bargains.  Which is why this is now part of my collection.  Plus... the cover says it all as I head back into the classroom.

I'll summarize my show purchases a little later in the week.  Until then...

Have a good evening and sayonara!

Hidden Treasures: Kristi Yamaguchi Autographed Book

A few months ago, I picked up a book for my best friend's daughter called It's a Big World, Little Pig!  

It's written by Olympic gold medalist, Kristi Yamaguchi... who I've had a small celebrity crush on since I was a teenager.  Anyways... last week I met my friend for dinner and she mentioned that her and her husband were surprised to find that the book was autographed.

I was surprised too.  The store I had purchased it from is called Nikkei Traditions and it's located in San Jose's Japantown... which happened to be where we decided to meet for dinner.

The store usually closes pretty early, so we walked over to the store before heading to the restaurant.  I immediately headed over to the bookshelves and found a bunch of copies remaining.  All of them were signed...

Children's picture books aren't exactly my cup of tea.  But Kristi Yamaguchi sure is!  I ended up grabbing another copy for myself.  There isn't a COA... but I know she has a strong presence in the community, so I trust that it's real.

Best of all... it was less than $20.  To put things into perspective... her pack pulled autographs rarely sell for less than $50 on eBay.

It won't exactly allow me to retire early, but it was a pleasant surprise I wanted to share with  any of my readers who live in the Bay Area. and might happen to be Yamaguchi fans.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!