I Overpaid & I Liked It

Values in our hobby typically follow the whole "supply" vs. "demand" concept.  Simply put... "overproduction" tends to kill values.

Usually that's not a good thing from my point of view, but today I'm turning things around.  Let's call it "Flip the Script Friday".  Today I want to share an amazing card that features an on-card autograph of a hall of famer that can be purchased for less than $20.

Back in 1995, Upper Deck inserted redemption cards into their Series Two packs.  There were five players available:  Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Roger Clemens, Raul Mondesi, and Mr. October himself... Reggie Jackson.

Take two seconds and just stare at this masterpiece.  Great photo.  Simple design.  Beautiful signature.  Baseball legend.  Can you ask for anything more?

I picked mine up a while back for $20 to $30 and thought I was robbing the guy.  This morning I checked completed eBay auctions for the same card and discovered this card now sells for a fraction of that price.  One closed eleven days ago for $8.50 (+ $2 shipping).  That's insane!  And depending on your point of view, it could be really awesome or really depressing.

Being the bargain hunter that I am... I normally would be frustrated that I overpaid for my copy.  But I just can't help feel excited that collectors who are willing to be patient... now have the opportunity to pick up a signature of one of the greatest players in World Series history for less than $20.

Happy Friday and sayonara!

I've Got Beaver Fever!

If you've ever checked out my website, then you probably know the spectrum of collectibles I hoard is vast and unpredictable.

Sure the heart of my collection is focused on sports cards.  But for the past thirty-something years, I've collected a variety of other things ranging from video games to action figures to comic books to LP's.  Trust me... I know I have issues.

Thankfully I have learned to control my urges... and for the most part, I've stopped buying ever good deal I stumble across at the flea market, card shows, and on eBay.

However... every now and then, I relapse and buy something completely random and not necessarily a necessity.

Introducing my collection of Leave it to Beaver baseballs:

Take a few seconds to laugh it out.  Need more time?  Okay.  Are you finished?  Now you're just being hurtful.  I know this isn't your ordinary collectible.

But that's exactly why I bid on this eBay auction when I stumbled across it.  Even though the show ended its run nine years before I was born, I watched the show religiously during my childhood through syndication.  Heck... I've even started watching the whole series over again on Netflix.

Unfortunately the autographs are slowly disappearing due to the ink and ball selection.  They were signed in the mid 90's for a Leave it to Beaver Fan Club member on cheap, pleather balls.   The good news is that I paid less than $6 per ball (shipped), so it isn't like I broke the bank.

The balls are proudly displayed in my office next to my original Rubik's Cube and Taco Bell chihuahua plush.

Anyone else have Beaver Fever?

C'mon guys.  Keep the comments rated PG.  There might be kids reading this blog.

Happy Hump Day and sayonara!

I Love the 80's #12: Kenner Cards

Kenner Starting Lineups figures are pretty cool.  But Kenner Starting Lineup cards are even cooler.  I know that there are a handful of my cardboard collecting brethren out there who enjoy their fair share of oddballs.

Okay.  So maybe they're not as cool looking as Kellogg's 3D cards.  And sure they don't have the vintage smell of Hostess panels from the 70's.  But c'mon.  These guys are like the Babe Ruth and Ted Williams of oddball sets... they're in a league of their own.

But that doesn't mean there aren't other high quality oddball sets out there for collectors to pursue.  One of my favorites is the 1988 Kenner SLU cards:

It features a simple, good looking design that includes the player's name, player's jersey number, and team logo on the front.  I'm a huge fan of the bright red border that wraps around three-fourths of the card.  I just wish they would have added the player's position somewhere on the front.

The backs feature your standard player information, career statistics, and a facsimile of the player's autograph.  And thankfully it also includes the player's fielding position.

Unfortunately these cards are highly condition sensitive.  These cards were distributed in carded bubble packages, which contained one figure and one card which were distributed in toy sections all around the country.

I've opened up my fair share of these figures and most of the time the cards weren't in mint condition.  They're prone to chipping and can sometimes come out with dinged edges and corners.

But if you're able to overlook condition, you can find most of these cards for $2 or less.  COMC has a handful of these for under a buck.  I've never seen them myself... but I've even heard of people find these in quarter bins and dime boxes.

Back in 1988, some of the smaller name players in the set were distributed regionally.  This made it sorta difficult for people on the West Coast to grab an Ellis Burks.  On the flip side... an Oakland A's fan living in New York might have a hard time finding a Carney Lansford figure.

But thanks to the internet, finding singles for this set are easier than ever.  As of right now, I currently have twelve of the one hundred twenty-four cards in the set.  I sort of feel this is going to be a lifelong project, but it should be a lot of fun to build.

So what do you think?

Sensational?  So-so?  Or shameful?

Anyone else out there collect these?  Or better yet... have some of these available for trade?

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Domo Arigato: Section 36

I've read that Section 36 houses the best seats in Fenway.  Where did I get my information?  Click here.  And since I've never been there myself, I'm going to take his word for it.  Why would I trust a person I've never met who lives 2,500 miles away?

Because 755 days ago, Section 36 left this comment on one of my blog posts:

I had recently won a contest over at 30 Year Old Cardboard.  The prize was four John Smoltz rookie cards and I mentioned that I wanted to track down the three remaining cards.  Section 36 mentioned that he had one for me.

Over the two years, I eventually picked up the 1989 Upper Deck John Smoltz and to be honest I had totally forgot about my goal to pick up the remaining two.

Until this past week... when Section 36 sent me this:

Isn't it a beaut?  1989 Score baseball won't be winning any awards for best card designs in the near future, but out of all of Smoltz's rookie card photos... I like this one the best.  I'm a fan of action shots... especially well centered, action shots.  Be that as it may... everyone has their own personal preferences, so you can judge for yourself.  Here's a peek at six of his seven rookie cards:

The Upper Deck card gives the Score a run for his money, but in the end I like Score's photo better.  Now that it's fresh in my memory, I'll make sure to quickly secure his Bowman rookie the next time I see one floating around a quarter bin.

That's not the only thing he sent me.  He also targeted a bunch of my PC's and sent me three team bags full of cards.

Let's start of with three of my player PC's:

I've totally been looking for that 2009 Topps Heritage card of Frank Thomas, which utilizes the 1960 Topps baseball card design.  There's something cool about seeing The Big Hurt wearing an A's cap.

Speaking of A's... he threw in this jersey card of Terrence Long:

After all of these years, I'm still in love with memorabilia cards.  That's especially true when they look like this card.  By the way... what ever happened to Mr. Long?

Moving right along... he also hooked me up with a nice stack of Tony Gwynn cards:

Huge fan of Gwynn, the 1972 Topps baseball card design, and of course minis.   In short... I'll never grow tired of seeing Tony Gwynn on a 1972 Topps mini.

There were also a pair of Ohka's...

Which could be for my Montreal Expos PC... but was more likely intended for my Japanese PC.

And finally he threw in some Brett Favres, Michael Jordans, and Kobe Bryants:

Thanks a lot Section 36!

Give me a week (or two... or three) and I'll ship out some Red Sox cards for your collection.  Hopefully one day I'll live out my dream and actually attend a game at Fenway.  If and when I actually go... I'll look for some tickets in your section.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!

Blessing in Disguise

Yesterday I went to the sports card wholesalers intending to spend less than $20 on a variety of top loaders, some monster pads, and a few baseball holders... but ended up spending a lot more than that.

Usually when I go there... it's strictly for supplies.  However... this school year has been a little rough and by the end of the week I figured I'd buy myself a little treat with some of the birthday cash I had burning a hole in my wallet.

I ended up grabbing a pair of 2014 baseball boxes:

2014 Finest Baseball $89

2014 Chrome Baseball $58

As you can see... my wholesaler's prices are roughly the same as the major online dealers... although DA Cardworld and Steel City Collectibles are selling Finest in the $86 range this weekend.  Oh well... win some, lose some.

Let's see what I ended up pulling.  I decided to bust the box of Chrome first since it was cheaper.  And overall I was pretty happy with the purchase.

Let's kick things off with a card I was hoping to pull:

My craving for Chrome began last Saturday when a vendor at De Anza had a gorgeous Tanaka refractor for sale. I figured it was a long shot to pull the parallel, so I'm completely happy with the base version.

Next up...

I'll probably be ostracized from the cardboard community for saying this.  But I actually love the colored refractors in Chrome.  Although I can't say the same for the atomic refractors.

Up next is one of my favorite cards in the box:

This card looks awesome!  And although I can't confirm it... I think the All-Time Rookies inserts are one per case.

Finally let's wrap this box up with the two guaranteed autographs:

Or in my case... an autograph and a redemption card.  No... I'm not complaining.  I completely realize that the Abreu is worth more than all of the other cards combined.  Overall I'd say my 2014 Chrome box break was pretty solid.

I probably should have stopped while I was ahead.  Of course... I didn't.  Here are the highlights from my 2014 Finest box:

This is easily my favorite card in the box.  Ironically... I wasn't a fan of this subset back in the 90's.  But for some reason, this card really stood out among the crowd.

I also pulled three numbered refractors:

A pair of beautiful autographed rookie cards:

And a Springer base rookie card:

I was a little disappointed that I didn't pull the Tanaka or Abreu rookie cards, but that's the risk you take when you bust wax.  Which leads me to the title of today's post.

This hobby box purchase was sort of a blessing in disguise, because it reminded me why I typically stay away from box breaks.  I completely understand the entertainment factor that plays into tearing into packs.  When I was a kid, there are only a handful of things that could compete with sitting on my porch busting packs with my buddies.

But right now... I'm at a point where I'm okay with busting two or three hobby boxes a year.  Don't get me wrong.  I have zero regrets.  It was an entertaining thirty-plus minutes.  The only thing I'd do differently is probably wait until Black Friday when these boxes will probably be a fraction of the price.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!