Read The Fine Print

Last month, I received a nice Christmas card in the mail from Angus over at Dawg Day Cards and inside of the card were a bunch of baseball cards and stickers.

Right out of the gate my eyes were drawn to this card:

1983 Kellogg's #8

Kellogg's 3D oddballs are quite possibly the greatest oddball issues ever created.  I remember being so jealous of one of my friends who had sent away for a complete set of these.  I'm sure the eleven year old me would have pretty much traded anything in my collection for this card back in the day.

The only downside to these cards are the summaries on the card backs.  Could they use a smaller font?  Maybe I could read this back in 1983, but I definitely can't now.  Thank goodness for scanners.

The second card that caught my attention was this:

1984 O-Pee-Chee #230

I don't remember exactly the first time I stumbled across O-Pee-Chee baseball cards, but I know that for years I considered them subpar compared to their Topps counterparts.  These days, the roles have been reversed.  I truly treasure every 70's or 80's OPC baseball card I can get my hands on.

He also sent a team bag full of stickers.  Not the kind that Fleer and Upper Deck would insert into their packs.  I'm talking about the ones you collect and stick into those albums.  Back in the 80's, I'd always see them near the checkout stands with a box of packs nearby.

1984 O-Pee-Chee Sticker #327

At first glance, I thought that I might already own some of these stickers.  However upon closer inspection, I realized that these were the OPC version.

1984 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #3 and #4

I had no idea that these even existed, but it makes sense that if they produce Canadian versions of cards, they'd do the same for stickers.

Angus sent me practically the entire Oakland A's team set:

Now all I need is the sticker album.  Just kidding.  I'd never actually peel these, because as far as I can tell... once you remove the backing the Topps and O-Pee-Chee stickers are exactly the same.  Although it wouldn't surprise me if there were some variations that existed.

Angus also sent a labeled sleeve filled with the 2017 Topps New Era cards.  However, I'm kinda dense and assumed that when he wrote New Era on the Post-It note, he meant modern cards.

I was really intrigued by this card of Khris Davis:

2017 Topps New Era #3

I found it interesting that Topps would choose a photo of him bunting, since he's best known for hitting home runs.  Then when I flipped the card over, I noticed the New Era logo at the very bottom and the memories of a few bloggers writing about this oddball issue came rushing back into my head.

Collectors who purchased a New Era hat and a team set at the ballpark received a pack of these New Era oddballs.  Davis was the only Athletic to receive a card in the base set.

However the A's did have three guys included in the New Era insert set:

2017 Topps New Era '87 Topps #97T-2

2017 Topps New Era '87 Topps #97T-8

2017 Topps New Era '87 Topps #97T-13

You probably noticed that these look very similar to the cards Topps included in their Series 1 and Series 2 flagship packs.  Unfortunately there isn't a New Era logo printed on the card like there was on the Davis.  However there are a few ways to tell the difference.

#1: The 30th Anniversary stamp on the New Era cards are white, while the ones inserted into flagship packs are silver foil.

#2: The card numbers are different.

#3: The super small Topps codes on the back at the bottom are different.

Anyways, it's a really good thing that Angus labeled that sleeve, because I probably wouldn't have noticed the difference, since I rarely read the fine print.

By this point, I was analyzing all of the remaining cards with extra care as if they were Da Vinci Code clues.

1991 Silver Star AuthenTicket #1

Back in 1991, Silver Star created 8 different holograms.  Rickey was one of them.  Each hologram came with one of these AuthenTickets which described the athlete's accomplishment.  This one commemorates Rickey breaking Lou Brock's all-time stolen base record.

If you look closely, you'll notice Litho'd in Canada is printed on the back of this ticket.  I actually have one of these in my collection, so I pulled it out to see if Angus had sent me a special Canadian version.

Unfortunately... the one I picked up at the flea market has the same thing printed on the back, so I'll assume all of the Silver Star AuthenTickets were printed in Canada.

I also spent a minute or two examining this card very closely as well:

2017 Stadium Club #88

Turns out this is a regular base card from this year's Stadium Club set.  Even though it's not a rare O-Pee-Chee version that unlocks some secret door to the Topps Vault, it's still a very cool card featuring Rickey during his first stint with the Athletics back in the early 80's.

I also analyzed the final three cards very carefully...

1992 Post #25 

1996 Pinnacle McGwire #25

2013 Topps Emerald Foil #316

None of them turned out to be Canadian or New Era versions... but all three are still pretty amazing cards that are truly appreciated.

Thank you Angus for thinking of me and my A's collection during the holidays!  I can't remember the last time I analyzed cards so closely.  It was a lot of fun.

I'll make sure to send you some Dawgs during my next round of care packages.

Happy Saturday and sayonara!

Puppy Love

Dogs are truly man's best friend.  I haven't owned one in nearly thirty years, but one of my closest friends has one.  She's a Bernese Mountain Dog named Mika and humans aside, she's one of the few things I love more than trading cards.

Hopefully my friend isn't reading this... but I actually look forward to seeing Mika more than her.  My favorite thing about dogs are their range of personalities.  Mika is just like her human mom.  They're both princesses who do what they want, when they want.  That's what I love about both of them.

Mika and Chibi @ Santa Cruz

Mika has a sister named Chibi, who belongs to my friend's sister.  I know... it's confusing.  Two sisters who own dogs that are sisters.  Both of them are like giant teddy bears (the dogs... not the ladies) who are very loving and playful.

Anyways... every year during Christmas I struggle to find something for my friend, because she's so picky.  But a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the 2017 Goodwin Champions Canine Companions set on either a blog or possibly an eBay search... which eventually led me to tracking this down:

2017 Goodwin Champions Canine Companions #CC44

Upper Deck has produced one of the coolest insert sets ever.  Well in my humble opinion.  I've been waiting for someone to produce a modern day Bernese Mountain Dog trading card for years and I honestly don't think I could have come up with a better designed card.

This manufactured patch is part of a set that's in the first year of a three year run.  So if you're a dog person... you're in luck.  The 100 card checklist is broken down into six different tiers (sporting, working, herding, hounds, toy, and surfing) with different levels of scarcity.

As you can see on both the front and back of the card, Berners are part of the "working" tier.  According to Beckett, dogs in this tier were inserted in one out of 271 packs. Considering that there are 20 different cards in the "working" tier, this particular card was inserted into one out of every 5,420 packs/271 boxes.  Kinda reminds you of those rare 90's inserts... right?

Sadly this card was only in my possession for a few weeks.  I eventually wrapped it up and gave it to my friend for Christmas.

As most of you know, I've cut back on the number of eBay searches I have saved.  However... even before I handed this card off, I started targeting a replacement.

In fact... I think I like this card more than the Krazy George autograph I nominated as my Favorite Card of 2017.  Sorry KG.

What about you...

Are you a dog person?  Do you have any dogs?  A favorite breed?

Although Berners are hands down my favorite breed, I also wouldn't mind one day owning a Golden Retriever or an Akita.

Well that's it for today.  Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Hobby Resolutions: Past and Present

Once upon a time, I was an ambitious collector who created challenging goals to pursue each upcoming year.

These days I'm more like Michael G. Scott from The Office who is all about trying to keep things simple.

Let's take a look at the hobby goals I created for myself last year and see whether or not I was able to achieve them...


Goal #1:  Maintain an average of 3 posts per week.

Let's see.  52 weeks in a year with 3 posts per week means anything over 155 posts in 2017 is a success.  A quick glance to my Blog Archive on the left side panel will confirm that I wrote 166 posts in 2017.  Grade: A+


Goal #2:  Continue reading your blog posts.

This is one of those subjective grades, since it's impossible for me to go back and calculate exactly how many blog posts I've read.  With that being said, I know that there were times when I went AWOL and didn't leave comments on blogs due to a variety of excuses.  However... overall... I feel like I did a good job of reading your blogs.  Grade: B


Goal #3:  Pick up at least one 1956 Topps HOFer.

In regards to creating goals for specific cards, this was the only one I created for myself.  Before 2017, I had five 1956 Topps Hall of Famers sitting in my collection: Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, and Ted Williams.  The goal was to add one more.  I added four:

Willie Mays

Al Kaline

Yogi Berra

Whitey Ford

Writing this post made me realize that I had never written about the Kaline or Berra pickups.  Even more surprising is that I've never written about the Hank Aaron I purchased back in 2013.  I guess I have some writing material the next time I have a bad case of writer's block.

Getting back to my hobby resolution... Grade: A+


Goal #4:  Continue to live within my means.

Here's another one of those goals where I'll have to grade myself subjectively.  I'm pretty good about living within my means.  I pay my bills on time and never leave a balance on my credit cards.  The only debt I current have is the mortgage on my place.  However there have been times when I spend more money on cards than I really should.  After a pretty intense summer shopping spree, I came to the conclusion that I needed to tighten up my hobby budget and focus more on my retirement and an investment property.  And since the middle of August, I've really cut back on purchasing cardboard.

With that being said... I did make two pretty significant purchases recently that I'll share in future posts.  Hey.  Ya gotta treat yourself every once in awhile.  Grade:  C


Goal #5:  Have fun.

Surprise.  Surprise.  Another subjective grade.  Kinda says something about the guy creating these goals, huh.

Anyways.  2017 was a pretty good year.  Even though I dealt with my best friend moving to Oregon and my mother having a hip replacement surgery, the one thing that always helped cheer me up was this hobby and our community of bloggers.  Grade: A+

3 A's, 1 B, and a C = 3.40 GPA.  I'd say that I was pretty successful when I step back and look at the big picture.  As for 2018... I'm sticking with the Michael Scott philosophy and keeping things simple.


2018 Goal #1:  Maintain a Monthly Budget

Although I came pretty close to sticking to a $50 monthly hobby budget the last four to five months of the year, it definitely was a challenge.  I've made the executive decision to double the monthly budget.  This is a more realistic number that allows me to add certain cards (see Goal #2 and #3) to my collection without stressing out too much.  Any unused hobby budget will carry over to the next month.


2018 Goal #2:  Purchase a 1984 Fleer Update Roger Clemens

This is the last high-end rookie card from the 80's that I need for my collection.  Love him or hate him, he was the best pitcher of his generation and I really want to add his best rookie card to my collection.


2018 Goal #3:  Purchase another 1956 Topps Hall of Famer

There are thirty-four hall of famers in the 1956 Topps baseball card set.  I currently own nine of them.  I don't think it'll be too difficult to add one more.  There are a few guys I'm specifically targeting waiting for one to fall into my hobby budget, but there's one condition.  I'm only looking for PSA, BGS, or SGC graded copies.


2018 Goal #4:  Average 3 Posts Per Week

The 30 Day Challenge that Tony created back in March really helped me reach my 2017 goal.  I'm not sure if they'll be another one this year, but I'm hoping to reach the 156 mark for the 8th time in 9 years.


2018 Goal #5:  Complete 2 Card Sets

I'm currently building 40+ trading card sets.  Completing two of them shouldn't be too difficult, although my monthly hobby budget might get in the way.


2018 Goal #6:  Attend 2 (or more) Card Shows

This past year, I started ditching card shows and honestly there aren't many left in the Bay Area to begin with.  I mostly avoided them, because I didn't want to spend money.  However card shows aren't just about card purchases. It's also about camaraderie.

Hooray!  None of my 2018 goals will need to be graded subjectively.  Although... just in case you're wondering... I'm still planning on reading your blogs on a regular basis, continuing to live within my means, and having as much fun as I can.

How about you?

What's one hobby related thing you'd like to do in 2018?

I've really been enjoying all of the "hobby goal" posts out there.  Keep up the great work!  And here's to a a great 2018!  Happy New Year!

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!