Seasons of Love

It's unofficially the season of love, so I figured I'd share some items I love to collect that aren't your everyday, pack pulled Rickey Henderson base card, Frank Thomas insert card, Greg Maddux memorabilia card, Kurt Suzuki parallel, or Tony Gwynn autographed card.

Heck some of the items I'll be sharing with you aren't even cards.  But since that's what 98% of my posts focus on, let's start with them.

I have a huge collection of promo cards from the 90's and 2000's that covers everything from baseball to hockey to non-sports.  My fascination originated when I worked at a card shop to help supplement my income during my early teaching years.  These days, I'll pick up as many as I can find while digging through dime boxes.

The shop I worked at had a huge selection of non-sports packs and one day my boss let me pick out ten to fifteen 25¢ packs and a collection was born.  These days I have over 100 different unopened non-sports packs.

And speaking of packs, I also have a nice variety of unopened Japanese baseball card packs.  This is a fairly new collection that I started about four years ago.  I think I presently have 52 different packs, but I have a few people who are actively helping me find new packs.

Wrapping up the unopened pack collections is my latest endeavor... 80's cello and rack packs with key rookie cards showing.  There are only a handful right now, but I try to pick them up whenever they're affordable.

Let's switch gears and take a break from cards.  Don't worry... there are several more card related items I love to collect, but I'm a big fan of adding variety to my collection.

One of my favorite pastimes is collecting bobbleheads, McFarlanes, and of course Kenner Starting Lineups.  I've had to cut back on my purchases, because I don't have the space to store them.  However... sports figurines and bobbles will always have a special place in my collection.

I also have a small collection of Star Wars action figures.  This passion stems from my childhood.  Back then there wasn't anything I'd rather receive for Christmas or a birthday than a new Star Wars action figure or vehicle.

If toys were at the top of my list as a child... it's a safe bet that books were towards the bottom.  In fact, I've never been a huge fan of reading books (hopefully you're not reading this Jen).  I read a lot of books as a kid, but that's because my parents and teachers made me.  However a few years ago, I started reading and buying books involving trading cards:

There are currently seven different sports card books on my bookshelf... and my personal favorite is Josh Wilker's Cardboard Gods.

Over the years, I've also collected my share of comic books.  But recently, I've started to target trade paperbacks.  I like the idea of having a series of comics held together by one spine.  Plus it's easier to store and takes up less space.

The next three collections I'm about to share often leave me scratching my head, because I can't figure out why they receive so little hobby love.

First up are the Donruss/Leaf puzzles from the 80's and early 90's.  They're unique and the artwork is stunning.  However I can't remember the last time I met someone who shares this interest.

It also baffles me that there aren't more Kenner Starting Lineup card collectors...

I know a lot of their 90's designs are boring, but their late 80's stuff is awesome!  I guess I won't complain too much.  Less demand often equates to lower prices.

And finally there are the Sports Illustrated for Kids cards:

They've been around for over twenty-five years and I have yet to meet another collector who's building this "living" set.  Maybe it's because the checklist contains much more than baseball players.    SI includes every sport imaginable... including ice skating, swimming, snowboarding, and of course surfing.

And that's perfectly fine with me, because I collect autographs of surfers too:

As you can see, I collect a variety of things.  Actually... I left out several key items due to time constraints.  Maybe one of these days I'll show off my video game or vinyl collection.

Until then, I wrap up this post with a collection of misfits:

(It's hard to see, but there's a huge crease on the back and a small crease on the front.)

Each year I add anywhere from five to twenty new cards to my Damaged Card PC.  Every now and then I'll receive cards from an eBay vendor that aren't quite up to my regular collection standards.  Plus I have a few friends who end up donating their damaged cards to my collection instead of tossing them into the trash.  As crazy as it sounds... it's actually fun to flip through this binder.  It's a shame that cards don't talk, because I'd love to hear their war stories.

What are some things you love collecting outside of your average pack pulled piece of cardboard?

I hope all of you enjoyed Valentine's Day weekend with your significant others.  If you didn't see my Friday post, I'm currently holding my first contest of 2015.  You can check it out... here.  I'm giving away some packs of Denny's cards.

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Flash(p)ack Friday #4: 1995 Denny's Baseball

They might not be 70's Kellogg's or Hostess baseball.  What the heck am I talking about?  They're not even in 80's 7-11 Slurpee Discs' league.

But 90's Denny's baseball cards were pretty cool nonetheless... and they made several appearances on my card collecting timeline.  I don't want to even think about how much money I spent on food during college study sessions at America's favorite coffee shop in an effort to get my complimentary pack of cards.  Sadly... I never even came close to completing a set of Denny's cards back in the day.

But everything changed last night when I busted a bunch of packs of 1995 Denny's Baseball produced by Upper Deck.  I picked up a box filled with 135 packs off of eBay for $9.99 (free shipping):

Yup... that's just 7.4¢ per pack.  Each pack contained one card from the twenty-eight card checklist.

My first pack contained one of my favorite players from the 80's and 90's... Mr. Kirby Puckett:

The card design features both a holographic portrait and a photographic action shot, along with the player's name and the team he played for.  It also includes the Upper Deck logo in the upper left corner and the Denny's logo in the upper right corner.

The card back includes a written summary of highlights, as well as 1994 and career statistics.  Collectors were also treated to the player's position, the card number, another photograph, and the team logo.  To top things off... Upper Deck made sure to write "limited edition" on each card, so you know these things are valuable (wink, wink).

Here's a peek at the entire set:

Presently... the set contains only six hall of famers, but Ken Griffey Jr. is a shoe-in and who knows... maybe one day... Bagwell, Clemens, McGwire, Piazza, Sheffield, or Sosa eventually collect enough votes to earn admission to Cooperstown too.

Okay... typically Friday the 13th is a day reserved for bad luck.  But today we're flipping the script.  In other words... today is your lucky day, because if you're here reading my blog, you have the opportunity to WIN some cards and unopened packs.

It's time for my first contest of 2015.  I'm going to give away a starter set of this oddball issue.  Plus I'll throw in a stack of unopened packs to help the winner complete it the old-school way.

What do you need to do?  Just answer the following questions:

1.  How many packs did I need to bust last night to build a complete set?

2.  How many Gwynn holograms did I pull last night?

3.  What was the final card number I needed to complete my set?

4.  How many cards are in the starter set I'll be giving away in this contest?

Example:  10, 11, 12, 13 or 10 packs, 11 Gwynns, #12, and 13 cards

The person who answers the most questions correctly wins the prize.  If there's a tie... I'll randomize the names on Random.org and pick the name on top after five randomizations.  I'll wrap up the contest a week from now on Friday, February 20th at noon PST.  By the way... collectors who support my blog on CCW, please feel free to join in.  However since I don't log into my CCW account on a regular basis, please leave your responses directly on my blog:  http://sanjosefuji.blogspot.com.

Oh..and believe it or not... I'm on my break next week.  What's that mean?  Well... I should have all of my "IOU" care packages in the mail by the 21st.  Thank you to everyone for your patience.

Happy Friday the 13th and sayonara!

Half Man Half Amazing

Every now and then I'll attend a Golden State Warriors game.  Be that as it may... my NBA fandom is pretty much six feet under the NHL, NFL, or MLB.  However you don't need to be an NBA fan to know that the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend has arrived... which means another slam dunk competition.

Rest assured... I won't be watching it... but after strolling across a video on ESPN earlier today, I was reminded that this is the 15th Anniversary of the dunk contest that ended all other dunk contests.

1998 Collector's Edge Impulse Pro Signatures #8

In fact... it was fifteen years ago... to the day when Vince Carter set the bar so high it crushed the souls of all future NBA dunk contest participants.

If you don't believe me, see for yourself:

Is that video clip too long for you?  Then let's go straight to my personal favorite:

Insane, right?  And for those who prefer dunks in actual game situations... then feast your eyes on epic Olympic Vinsanity:

Fifteen years later, I couldn't tell you whether or not if VC is still in the league.  But one thing is for certain... he's the greatest dunker I've ever witnessed and it's not even close.

Who's got your vote?

Who do you think is the best dunker of all-time?

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

He's a HOFer in My Book!

I'm a huge fan of Baseball Digest.  It seems like each time I pick up an issue... I walk away looking for a new person to collect.  I recently finished an article written about Tony Oliva's 1964 rookie season that opened my eyes to this amazing ballplayer.

Before the article, I knew Oliva had very respectable career numbers that would sometimes lead to his name being entered into HOF discussions.  However I had no idea just how impressive his rookie numbers were... nor did I understand just how mentally tough this guy was.

The article actually motivated me to add an autograph of his to my wish list.  It took a little longer than expected, but I finally won this card off of eBay:

2004 Sweet Spot Classic Signatures #63

To be honest, I was a little shocked at how much his signature sells for.  There are plenty of hall of famers whose autographs sell for less than Oliva.  And although I spent a little more than originally anticipated ($22.83 + $2.75 shipping)... at the end of the day, I'm happy to add this to my collection.

Okay... it's your turn.  I was born one decade too late to truly appreciate Mr. Oliva. 

Any of you have fond memories of him?

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!

Domo Arigato: ucffans @ CCW

A couple of weeks ago a generous mystery package arrived in my mailbox, but I had no idea who sent it.  It contained a Augusta GreenJackets minor league baseball cap, an autographed baseball, and some baseball cards for my collection:

I checked my email and did a few searches to see if I could figure out the mystery shipper, but came up empty-handed.  Then this past weekend, I was contacted over on Card Collector's World by my buddy... ucffans.

He asked if I had received the box he shipped and the mystery was solved.

Ucffans mentioned in a prior message that he coached with Oakland A's prospect Josh Whitaker and asked if I was interested in his autograph.  Unfortunately... Yahoo sometimes confuses CCW messages with SPAM and I didn't read his message until this Saturday.  But at least it gave me a clue to who signed and personalized the baseball:

Pretty sweet, right?  99.9% of the autographs in my collection aren't personalized... but the ones that are tend to be that much more special.

But wait... another mystery reveals itself.  Is this actually Josh Whitaker's autograph?  Go ahead... look at the signature again.  I've stared at it several times now and still struggle to see it.

However... if you said "yes", you're correct.  I kinda see the "J", but can't really make out the "osh".  However... I just received confirmation from ucffans himself and it is indeed the future Athletics outfielder.

According to Athleticsfarm.com, it looks like Whitaker will start the year off in Nashville.  However who knows what will happen at Spring Training.  Best of luck Mr. Whitaker!

In addition to the ball, ucffans also send me a handful of new cards for my collection:

I'm always excited to add a new Ichiro to the binder.  My newly established A's/Padres/Expos vintage binder also found a few new tenants.  Last... but certainly not least... who doesn't like finding a Chicken in their stack of cards?

Thanks Brett for this awesome package!  I'm not usually into prospecting... but I'll definitely follow Mr. Whitaker this spring.

Happy Monday and sayonara!