Earlier today the world watched President Donald Trump get sworn into office and right nowreaders of this blog will witness the inauguration of this year's Wallet Card. Two years and ten days ago, my 1995 Skybox Emotion Tony Gwynn was selected to be my inaugural Wallet Card. The thick card stock held up so well that after one year, I decided to let it serve a second term.
During that time, it went with me on a variety of adventures. Here's a quick recap:
Staff Meeting @ School Library
Mountain View Farmer's Market
Bowlmor Bowling Alley in San Jose
Dave and Busters @ Great Mall
GTS Distribution in San Jose
Oakland Coliseum
AT&T Park
Lighthouse Point @ Santa Cruz
San Francisco
High School Soccer Game
Red Rock Casino @ Las Vegas
Hukilau in San Jose Japantown
Newport Beach
Branham High School Flea Market
But now it's time to turn our attention to my newly selectedWallet Card:
1986 Topps #10
1986 marked the end of an era for me as a collector. The following year I discovered baseball card boxes at Price Club and started buying cards not just for fun... but for profit. Over the years, I eventually rediscovered the "fun" in collecting again. But there's still a part of me that gets excited when I find a really good deal at the flea market, because I know that I could make a profit if I wanted to. Ideas like that didn't cross my mind in 1986.
By the way... I'm suffering from one of the worst head colds I've ever had. Every time I cough, I get the worst pain in my head. Anyways... here are the two Tony's hanging out with members of my cabinet and refrigerator. Happy Friday and sayonara!
I think most of us would agree... when it comes to our hobby... there really isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to collect cards. There are an endless number of ways for people to enjoy our hobby.
However there are certain topics that often garner very strong opinions from collectors that sometimes have them choose sides. Over the years, I've read my fair share of arguments involving the use of PWE's, the decision to get cardsgraded, and of course discuss the ethics behind the great pack searching debate. Today's post revolves around the disdain for dealers who utilize the term, eBay 1/1 in their listings to increase the value of their product.
If you're not familiar with the term, watch the video above. The YouTuber does a great job of explaining what they are as he discusses his frustration with vendors who use them. As a fellow player collector, I totally understand his frustrations and if you read the comments on his video, you'll see that his subscribers do too. With that being said... I'm here to confess my sins and admit to the collecting world that I have actually fell for the scam and paid a premium on two separate occasions in recent months for a pair of dreaded eBay 1/1's. Last month, I purchased this 2015 Topps Tekautograph of Jose Altuve:
The fact that the card was serial numbered01/25 convinced me to bid a few dollars higher than I'd normally pay for this card. I had been monitoring a few copies on eBay and was looking to spend $15 to $20 (+ shipping) on it. I ended up paying $22.50 (+ $3.45shipping) for it. A few months earlier, I paid $7 for this 2015 Panini Clear Vision Jumbo Jerseys Primecard of Derek Carr:
I normally wouldn't go out of my way to pick up a Derek Carrmemorabilia card, but this one caught my eye when I noticed it was also the first card in the run. Had this card been numbered 02/49, I probably would have paid $3, maybe $4 tops. But since it was an eBay 1/1... I paid a premium... although technically this wasn't an actual eBay purchase.
I realize that most collectors wouldn't pay a premium for these eBay 1/1's and I can totally see why. However as a guy who actually collects them, I've got to face the fact that there are going to be times when I dig a little deeper into my pocket.
Does this only encourage eBayvendors to continue the trend?Yeah. But I enjoy collecting them... and like I said at the beginning of the post... there really isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to collect cards.
Okay, it's your turn...
What are your thoughts on vendors who try to capitalize on so called, eBay 1/1's?
Have you or would you consider paying extra for a special serial numbered card?
I have a dream that one day the Oakland Athletics will actually hold onto their homegrown talent and players like Sonny Gray will one day lead the franchise back to the World Series.
I have a dream that one day there will be card shows every weekend in communities all over the country for collectors to attend and enjoy.
I have a dream that one day card companies will figure out a way to draw more kids into our hobby, so that sports cards can avoid the same fate that Pogs and Beanie Babies suffered.
I have a dream that one day Major League Baseball comes to their senses and gives Upper Deck back their license so that they can begin producing UD Masterpiecescards of Tony Gwynn again.
I have a dream that one day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'sdream will come true.
Happy belated birthdayDr. Martin Luther King Jr.! Although my parents will always be my personal role models and heroes, I have always held a deep admiration for you and the role you played in fighting for equal rights for America's minorities. Thank you.
There's an old saying, "those who can't do... teach and those who can't teach... become administrators". Back in October, I took over our school's Leadership class because the administrator who runs the class went out on maternity leave. Over the course of these three months, I have discovered a newfound respect for her and her job. Between managing the Leadershipkids, my own classes, and trying my damnedest to stay mentally sane... my life right now is straight up "ridiculous". With that being said... Last night'sCFP National Championship was ridiculouslylong. I love watching football and last night's game ended up being one for the ages, but four plus hours is way too long for this fan. I passed out early in the third quarter and missed all of the excitement, but I'm grateful to be watching the replay right now as I pound out this post. While we're focusing on the ridiculous, I figured I'd show off the latest addition to my Rickey Henderson collection:
The card itself is ridiculouslyawesome. However you'd have to be ridiculouslyrich or brave to bust Topps Dynasty. One card boxes sell for around $300 to $350. Talk about a high risk/high reward product. You can hit the jackpot and pull a Babe Ruth or Roberto Clementecut signature. However there are plenty of guys like Freddie Freeman and Sonny Gray too, which sell in the $50range. I can't imagine dropping three bills on a box and pulling a $50card out of it. I'd be ridiculouslydisappointed in myself for taking such a ridiculousrisk. Wanna hear another ridiculousthing about this Rickey? I picked up this card for $120 (+ $5shipping), which is a ridiculousamount of money for me to spend on a single card. But what's even more ridiculous is the fact that I'm too scared to crack the seal and freeRickey from his plastic cell. Yeah. I admit that I'm ridiculous. Need some more ridiculousness in your life? Check out this lot of 2016 Topps Archives 65th Anniversaryautographs I recently purchased off of eBay:
Last week, I picked up these seven autographs for $13.50 (+ $3shipping), which is a little over half of the suggested retail price for a sealed box of this product. The ridiculousthing about this purchase is the lack of resale valueTopps is offering its customers. The day after I bought this lot of autographs, another collector won this auction:
A complete set of this product with 16autographs for just over the cost of two unopened boxes. That's flippin'ridiculous.
Okay... I'm starting to get a little ridiculous myself with the amount of times I'm using the word "ridiculous", so I'll wrap up this ridiculouspost with this card...
1997 Genuine Article #19
At first glance, there isn't anything too ridiculous about this card. However... what if I told you that the guy pictured on this card is Roy Rogers, not Roy Rodgers? Is it possible that Mr. Rogerspurposely added a "D" to his signature to be ridiculous? Of course. Or maybe Andrew Havens, the president of The Genuine Article was ridiculouslystupid and didn't catch the spelling error before he forged all 7,500signatures. Whatever the case is... I'm getting ridiculouslytired. So do me a favor and leave a ridiculouscomment down below. Today's topic...
When it comes to blogging and collecting in general... one of my least favorite things to do is scan cards. That's why I admire and respect guys like Night Owl and Dime Box Nick. Both of these guys aren't strangers to twenty scan posts. Me? My readers are lucky if I have one twenty scan post per year. And today isn't going to be it. Sadly... I have more than enough material from my latest COMC shipment to accomplish this feat... but I'm back in the classroom, so time is a factor, and to be brutally honest... I'm way too lazy. That's why I'm narrowing my 133 card order down and showing off only a handful to save both of us a lot of time. So let's the scanning begin... The Biggest Card: 1999 Crown Royale Cramer's Choice Award #9
This card is a box topper and the latest oversized card for my Gwynncollection. Back in the 90's, I always wanted one of these for my collection. These days they're a lot more affordable and easy to find. I ended up paying $3.60 for this card. The Most Expensive Card: 2016 Topps Strata Signatures #SS-RCL
I'm surprised you can find on-card autographs of one of the greatest pitchers of the modern era for only $38.95. However... that's what happens when less and less people are collecting cards and Topps continues to flood the market with autographs. The Cheapest Card: 2002 Fleer Box Score Debuts #11BSD
I have never had any luck finding dime or quarter cards on COMC, so it didn't surprise me to see only five cards with a price tag of 50¢ or less in my shipment. This card was the cheapest at 38¢, but it's well worth the money, because it contains an actual newspaper clipping from Javon Walker'sdebut game. The Quintessential Village Idiot: 2014 Topps Tek Auto #HT-JC
It's really hard for me to watch a person embarrass themselves. Seriously... it makes me feel uncomfortable and I have to turn away. That's how I would describe a bunch of Canseco'slife choices. But when it comes to collecting, I tend to make an exception for him, because I loved watching him during his time with the A's... when he brought a lot of excitement to the East Bay. A Top 10 Card: 1996 Leaf Signatures Bronze #TRHO
I'm building the autographed team set and ever since I started this project... Hoffman'ssilver parallel has been holding his place. I paid more than I would have liked ($15.50), but it feels good to cross this card off of my list. The Oldest Card: 1990 Fleer Update #U97
Sorry no vintage this time around. I picked this card up back in July for $7.50, because it was cheap and Butler was one of my favoriteGreen Bay Packers back in the day. Side note... this card was the only graded card in the shipment. The Thickest Card: 1997 Excalibur Game Helmets #12
How thick is this card? Well... take a look:
That's a side by side comparison with a stack of 15regular base cards out of 2016 Topps Updatebaseball. The TD is so thick that I couldn't find a top loader to fit it. I have it sitting in a 25ct. slider box. The Bargain Bin Card: 1999 Topps Autographs #A15
$1.83 may not sounds like a bargain to you, but I remember this card back in the day. Topps inserted autographs into their 2nd Seriespacks at a rate 1:501hobby packs. That's a lot of packs! Plus Chavez isn't exactly a scrub. I know he wasn't a perennial all-star, but he was an Oakland Athleticfan favorite and the winner of 6consecutiveGold GloveAwards. $1.83? Yeah, that's a bargain in my book.
Well... there you have it... my 133 COMCcard shipment in a nutshell. There are a few other cards that I might share in individual posts, but the rest were either shipped out in holiday care packages before Christmas or just weren't worthy of being scanned. I told you... I'm not a fan of scanning cards.
Believe it or not, I haven't added any new cards since that Black Fridayweekend. That's over a month, which I think is a personal record. However, I was lucky enough to win$50 in store credit from one of their scratchers. Plus I won some shipping credit on another scratcher. Maybe this upcoming weekend, I'll look for a card or two for my collection.
Did anyone else win any store credit from their COMC scratchers?
