Official Card Carrying Member

There's truth behind the saying "when it rains, it pours" as care packages flooded my mailbox last week.  Unfortunately I was so busy with parent/teacher conferences, I didn't have the opportunity to open any of them up until this weekend.

Normally, I'd sit down and open all of the packages up in one sitting.  However this time I'm going to do things a little differently.  I'm going to open them up one at a time and slowroll them for maximum entertainment value.

First up was a small brown box from Collecting Cutch who just wrapped up his very popular Save Second Base Event which takes place annually during the month of October.  He handed out some pretty generous prizes and I was fortunate enough to win one of them.

I'm very excited to show off this lovely lady... but I'll save her for tomorrow's post.  Why?  Well... because there was one card that Brian sent me that truly deserves its very own post.  So without further ado... here's my official ticket into the Superfractor Club:

2018 Chrome Sapphire Edition Superfractor #608

Just in case you're not familiar with "superfractors", they're the one of one refractor parallels that collectors who tear into packs of any Chrome or Bowman Chrome products dream of pulling.  Now I've pulled several one of one's over the years... but I've never pulled or even owned one of these.  Although... I did buy wannabe Barry Bonds signed superfractor earlier in the year.

Thanks to Brian... I no longer need to pretend about being a member of the Superfractor Club.  I'm an official card carrying member.  He even took the time to write me a handwritten note that I've actually saved and attached to the penny sleeve protecting the card:

Thank you Brian for this beautiful card.  This was truly an exciting moment on my card collecting timeline... which is why I wanted to cherish it before I reveal the other cool cards you sent... that I'll share tomorrow.

Until then... feast your eyes on the latest addition to my Kurt Suzuki PC:

What about you...

Are you (or were you) a member of the Superfractor Club?

If so...

Did you pull the superfractor yourself?  Did you buy it?  Or was it a gift?

Happy Monday and sayonara!

Afterword:  Giving Thanks

I was originally going to save this "thank you" for Thanksgiving.  However Trevor's challenge, along with a stack of care packages staring at me has motivated me to thank this amazing blogging community a few days early.

We've said it in numerous blog posts that this community of bloggers and readers who support our blogs is very special.  Not only when it comes to collecting cards... but also when times are tough.  And I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who has taken the time to read my posts, shoot me an email, reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook, comment on my blog, trade cards with me, or taken the time to package and send a card or cards my way.

We may not be family in the traditional sense of the word... but what we truly have something special within our blogosphere and I truly appreciate that.

TWiB: Campy, a Rare Insert Pull, Making Mistakes, and Giving Thanks

I've been waiting for this day to arrive since the middle of August.  Thanksgiving Break is officially here... and that means I have nine days to recharge my batteries and relax.

It's also Saturday which means another This Week in Blogging post...

#1:  Symbol of Courage

On Tuesday, Jim over at cards as i see them, showed of his latest addition to his mind-blowing hall of fame collection... which happened to be a beautiful Roy Campanella Topps Tribute game-used bat card.

1959 Topps #550

In the post, he mentioned that he would have celebrated his 99th birthday this past Thursday.  I figured I'd celebrate his special day by showing off this beautiful card that Commishbob gave me a few years ago.  This was one of those cards I had wanted ever since the first time I saw it.

Happy belated birthday Campy!

#2:  Kudos to Topps

I've been very critical of Topps the past few years, but it's only because I remember when they were the symbol of excellence and were my favorite baseball card company.  These days they're the only baseball card company with MLB logos which stinks, because they can produce whatever they want and there are collectors out there who will end up buying it.

However today, I wanted to actually commend them for their Home Run Challenge inserts which allow collectors to collect cards and interact with the game by predicting when players will hit a home run.  You can read about what happens if their prediction is correct by clicking here.  The Lost Collector predicted Ronald Acuna would hit a home run on August 9th and won a nice card for his collection.

1997 Collector's Choice You Crash the Game #CG28

The Home Run Challenge inserts reminded me of the You Crash the Game inserts of the 90's.  The premise was simple.  If the player featured on the card hit a home run on any of the dates listed, they could send the card into Upper Deck for a prize which was a special version of the card.

If I had pulled this card back in 1997, I would have had mixed feelings.  I would have been excited since Griffey ended up hitting not one, but three home runs during that four game stretch.  Unfortunately it was against my beloved A's.

COMC Image

This is the card that collectors received for redeeming their card.

#3:  1954 Bowman

1954 Bowman #21

If you're a fan of the 1954 Bowman baseball set, I encourage you to head over to It's like having my very own Card Shop.  Earlier in the week, Daniel wrote a few posts dedicated to his LCS purchases involving this set.

Over the past few years, I've really grown to appreciate the 50's Bowman baseball sets.  The Vic Wertz pictured above is the lone 1954 sitting in my vintage binder... although thanks to Daniel... I am watching a couple on eBay.

#4:  A Super Rare Pull

Two days ago, Doug over at Sportscards From The Dollar Store showed of an insert he recently pulled from a pack of 2020-21 Upper Deck Series 1 hockey.  This wasn't one of those ordinary run-of-the-mill inserts that are currently flooding the hobby.  It was one of those super rare... 1:4000 packs... kind of pulls.

Congratulations Doug!  And kudos to Upper Deck for creating an insert you'd actually jump for joy if you were lucky enough to pull it.

1993-94 Donruss Elite Series #10

I couldn't think of any hockey inserts sitting in my collection with those kind of pack odds, but had I pulled this Gretzky out of a pack of 1993-94 Donruss back in the day... I would have definitely been jumping for joy.

In case you're wondering... I didn't.  I picked up this card back in 2015 at the Capitol Flea Market for $2.

#5:  We're Only Human

Yesterday, Matt over at Run-Fore!-Kelloggs Baseball Cards shared a pair of mistakes he made on eBay recently.  His were nowhere near as costly as the one I made back in 2014 when I purchased this card:

2013 Five Star Rainbow Foil #41

Click here if you want to read the full story.  Otherwise... let's just say that you shouldn't use drugs and buy cards at the same time.

#6:  One Thing Leads to Another

One of my favorite things about reading card blogs is learning new sports trivia.  Yesterday over on John's Big League Baseball Blog I discovered that Bill Freehan had a .545 batting average back in 1961 while playing for the Michigan Wolverines.  I've never really paid any attention to college baseball statistics or records, but his post inspired me to do some research.

2015 Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-PI

Did you know that Pete Incaviglia holds the record for the most home runs in NCAA history?  He hit 100 while attending Oklahoma State from 1983 to 1985.  According to this Bleacher Report article... it's highly unlikely anyone will break this record.

#7:  Giving Thanks

Wrapping things up this week is an inspiring idea from Trevor over at Bump and Run Football Card Blog.  He challenged fellow bloggers to write a small "afterword" at the end of your blog posts for the next seven days in which you'd share something you are thankful for.  I love his idea and hope others will join in as well.

Obviously there are plenty of things in my life that I am thankful for, but my parents will always be at the top of my list.  Each of them played huge roles in my life and I wouldn't be the person I am today without their support and guidance.  They will always be my heroes and personal role models.  Thank you Mom and Dad.

Well that wraps up another This Week in Blogging post.  Here are today's questions of the day:

What is something you love about Topps baseball cards?

Do you have any memorable mistakes you've made involving eBay purchases?

Do you follow college baseball?  Any specific teams?

As always... I look forward to reading your responses... and any other comments related to this blog post.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Early Birthday Celebration

Baseball has always been fascinating to me, because of the numbers and lists.  And when you look at Stan Musial's career... his numbers are simply breathtaking and he's near the top of a lot of baseball lists.

He started his MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1941 and wrapped it up twenty-three years later in 1963... which was almost a decade before I came into this world.  But that's the thing... when you accumulate the kind of numbers Musial had... you become a legend.

I have a deep appreciation for guys who spend their entire careers with one professional franchise as well as guys who have the ability to hit for average.  Musial fits both of these categories... which is why I've accumulated a small collection of Stan Musial cards over the years.

In honor of his 100th birthday... which is this Saturday... I was hoping to show off my latest addition to the Musial collection.  Unfortunately... COMC failed to ship on schedule... so I'll have to write about that vintage pickup another day.

In the meantime, here's the rest of Musial PC:

1959 Topps #150

Pinholes.  Rounded corners.  And a collector's initials written in red ink.  Who doesn't appreciate cards with character?

1961 Topps #290

1956 Topps #134

Although this isn't officially a Musial card, it represents the oldest card in my collection with Musial on it.

2005 Absolute Memorabilia Tools of the Trade Autograph #TT-183 (#'d 001/100)

I've shared my opinion on sticker signatures quite clear over the years... but this purchase was made before I stopped purchasing them.  Plus it's one of the nicest cards in my Prime Number PC.

2005 UD Hall of Fame Class of Cooperstown Autographs #CC-SM2

Yeah.  Yeah.  Yeah.  Another sticker-graph.  Fine... here are a trio of on-card autographs for you:

1998 Donruss Signature Significant Signatures #NNO

1999 UD Century Legends Epic Signatures #SM

2002 Topps Legends Autographs #TTSM

And a signed baseball...

The next few cards aren't signed, but they're each very special...

2014 Stadium Club #13

Stadium Club is known for its fantastic photography and this card fits the bill.  His 2020 Stadium Club card features a similar photo which is just as cool.

1992 Score The Franchise #2

I've been meaning to write about this card for years.  I have no idea how I acquired it, but it's a really cool piece of cardboard.  A simple design, fantastic photograph, and limited to only 150,000 copies.  Yup.  150,000.  Extremely limited.

And wrapping things up is one of my favorite non-Kellogg's oddball issues of the 80's:

1989 LJN Baseball Talk #27

Happy birthday Mr. Musial!  You're a legend and will never be forgotten.  Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Fab Five Freddie

If you're looking for a post on the Yo! MTV Raps host... then you're out of luck.  This is about the other Freddie.  The 2020 NL MVP.

I've sort been a closet fan of his for a few years now and I was pretty excited when I heard the news.  He's always had a reputation of being a hard worker and he's consistently a solid player year in and year out.  But this year he was on another level.  This was a pleasant surprise considering he was was dealing with COVID-19 in early July and at one point was praying for his life.

Four months later, he helped the Atlanta Braves make the playoffs and was one game away from playing in the World Series.

Today I figured I'd show off my five favorite Freddies...

2013 Five Star Autographs #FSBA-FF

This is one of my favorite autograph sets produced during the past decade.  I love that Topps used a light beige, marbled background which allows the blue Sharpie to pop off of the card.  Unfortunately the ink on my copy hasn't stood the test of time as well as I had hoped.

2018 Museum Collection Meaningful Material Patch Relic #MMR-FFR

I have a few memorabilia cards of Freddie... but this one is the coolest looking.  It's a shame that Topps doesn't take the extra step in guaranteeing collectors that these swatches were actually used by the player pictured on the front of the card in a MLB game.  If they did... maybe collectors would actually get excited about pulling something this cool from a pack again.

2011 Topps #145

This card isn't in the best condition, but it's one of his official rookie cards and it features a decent photo.  I probably should have picked up a graded copy of this card a couple of years ago when they were more affordable.

Oh well.  I did manage to pick up both of these 1st Bowmans for a fraction of what they're selling for today:

2007 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects #BDPP12

2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks & Prospects BDPP12

Here are two more Freddies that I considered putting into my Top 5:

2018 Museum Collection Archival Autographs #AA-FF

2018 Heritage Clubhouse Collection Relics #CCR-FF

And just in case you were hoping to see the other Freddy, here you go:

1991 Pro Set MusiCards Yo! MTV Raps #33

1991 Pro Set MusiCards Yo! MTV Raps #121

And a few other Freds I had laying around...

2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-FL

2013 Panini Golden Age Historic Signatures #FB

2010 Panini Century Collection Souvenir Stamps Materials #16

1999 Playoff Momentum SSD Stargazing #SG 7

2011 Certified Fabric of the Game #45

Well there you have it.  Seven different Freds... including an astronaut, a hall of famer, an actor, a 7x 1,000 yard rusher, and two MVP Award winners.

What about you...

Do you have a favorite Freddie?

I'm pretty sure I have a Fred Flintstone card laying around somewhere... and I know that Freddie Mercury has a card in the 1991 Pro Set Super Star MusiCards UK set... but I don't own a copy.  Mister Rogers also has some cards, but sadly... I don't think I have any of those either.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!