guess the sig...

Should be an easy one. This pic was taken by me, from an item I now own. First to guess correct wins....something. I haven't decided what exactly, yet. I'll reveal the answer (and item) tomorrow afternoon.

Oh yeah, does anyone collect card pack wrappers? I have Topps wrappers that I opened up nicely from 79-90. There are some gaps in there but there are about 7 or so different ones. They came from when I was opening up older Topps backs a little while back. Claim 'em and they're yours.

for the shortees!

Ok, short prints are a funny thing. One one hand they are disliked by many collectors, especially set collectors because it makes their quest that much harder. One the other hand, sometimes short prints can be done right. Case in point:

Topps has done legend variation short prints for the last three base sets. They may have dabbled in this before but 2009 was the year they really started to go big on these. The above picture was borrowed from ShaneK over at Off the Wall Cards. It was the best picture of multiple cards I could find when I Googled it (hope he doesn't get mad!). Anyway, I have taken quite the liking to these as I have mentioned before. Only this time I am really chasing them hard. After the few eBay auctions come in, I'll be at about more than halfway with series 1. There are supposed to be 25 (according to the series 2 sell sheet, there are 25 in both series 1 and 2) but I have found only 24. I have searched everywhere for the final one but it doesn't seem like it exists. No, Adrian and Carl in Red Sox unis don't count. 25 legends. I even asked the Topps Blog but no one responded back. Well regardless, I want them all. I want them from 2009 and 2010 also. Seriously, if you have any of the short prints from any of those three years I will trade heavy for them if I need them. Really, let me know. These are short prints that I really don't mind due to the fact that collecting them is entirely optional and won't make your set incomplete without them, unlike Heritage and Ginter's and whatever. Let me know if any of you come up with anything, I have cards waiting to trade!

blogger is wacky

Blogger is totally being wacky on me. My followers started to not show up (new today), BA Benny's blog would crash my browser. I can't leave comments on certain blogs and now when I tried to sign in, it wouldn't let me. I changed my password and everything and it just kicks me back to the sign in part. BOOOOOOO. What is going on???

Well, I decided to download a new browser for my trusty old Mac here and it has certainly done the trick. I can sign in just fine, BA Benny doesn't crash any more (which made me quite happy, as I was very sad that I couldn't read his stuff). I even commented on a post! The kind I couldn't comment on before. Like mine here. I can now comment on my own posts. No idea why I couldn't with the old browser but oh well. I am using this browser only for mail, and Blogger. Kind of a pain but to ensure this one doesn't get all screwy, I have to limit its exposure to this bad old internet. Yay! All is well in blog-o-land!

Oh yeah and 2011 series 2 is coming in two short weeks. I can't wait!

new favorite set

Upper Deck has had some great products over the years. From their groundbreaking 1989 debut set, changing the baseball card landscape as we know it, to their excellent 2009 Goodwin Champions set, a wonderful homage to the original, and many sets in between.

This is one such set. 2001 Upper Deck Hall of Fame. I had picked up a few of the base cards a while ago, to add into my Hall of Fame personal collection. Guys like Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Honus Wagner, etc. They featured great black and white pictures on the front so I grabbed a few. Well, flash forward to that show I talked about a few days ago. Some of the dime box cards I grabbed were from this set also. It was enough to make me want to finish up the set. I had roughly about half and I remembered that my local shop had a bunch in his HoFer box. I headed over and pulled a bunch more I needed (I had a list this time). I am now 11 cards shy of the 90 card set. I know he probably has the last couple I need, I'll just have to do some looking. Enough of the backstory, on to the cards!

Here is the base set:

These cards are 1-50. These are the main cards of the series and most all feature black and white photos (even on some of the more recent Hofers like Mike Schmidt, which looks awesome in b&w). Jackie here is one of the few color pictures, which are about 10% of the set. The fronts feature the year they were inducted into the hall. The most recent being 1999 (Yount, Brett and Ryan). One of the best aspects of the set is the inclusion of Negro League players like Josh Gibson here, Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell.

The backs feature full stats:

Its really cool to see full stats on every player in here. These are some monumental careers here and to have it all listed is fantastic. Even the Negro Leaguers have full stats too. Its also pretty cool to see how many of these players stuck with one team their whole career.

This is the 'Origins of the Game' subset:

These are cards 51-60. The idea of this subset is to showcase the best of the originators in the game. Legendary names like Tris Speaker, Christy Mathewson and Cy Young reside here.

The National Pastime subset:

These are cards 61-80. This subset goes into depth and talks about some of these legendary players. The base cards have nothing but stats on the back (but not an issue) and these cards go into a little detail about these guys careers.

The Hall of Fame Records subset:

These are the final cards of the set, 81-90. This focuses on the records that will probably never be broken (or at least any time soon). Like Walter Johnson's 110 career shutouts, Cy Young's 511 career wins and Joe DiMaggio's incredible hit streak of 56 games.

Overall this set is exactly for what I am looking for in a set focused on baseball's history. Incredible photos, legendary players and a great design for each of the subsets are a whole great package for me. The hits, from what I red, were great too. Getting jerseys and bats (and autos from living players) of these guys, plus more that weren't in the base set, is always a good thing. Upper Deck done right.

card show pick-ups

Hit up the card show today. My goal was to come out with most of the 2011 Heritage I need to finish the set off. While I was mostly unsuccessful (I did manage to get about 8 cards I needed, wantlist is updated on right), I did walk out with some great stuff:

Some quality vintage, with the best part being what I paid for all of them. I spent most of my time (and money) at one dealer. Apparently he buys up collections cheap and sells cheap in return. For the six cards above, I paid $15. The Rose is my first Vintage card of him. The Munson is his final year card and the two 75s are the achievements in the beginning of the set with Aaron and Kaline hitting milestones. He had a great many boxes of stuff, including 5, 10 and 50 cent boxes and dollar, three dollar and five dollar boxes. He also had some $15, $25 and $40 boxes but I didn't get anything from them. A lot of graded Bowman's in there, new stuff not vintage. I pilfered through the 'cent' boxes and came up big with a ton of cards for my PCs, including Fleer stickers from the early 80s, Griffeys, team cards and some Hall of Famers.

These were almost a no brainer, being that he only wanted $3 each for them. For that price I was more than willing to take the chance on these being actual autographs of three fantastic Hall of Famers. I looked at the autos and compared to ones I saw online, and I'm no handwriting expert but I am almost willing to bet they are authentic, signed in person autographs. Maybe someday I'll have them authenticated but for now they'll go right in the binder. The two Donruss cards look fantastic with the blue marker autos. A great bunch of pick ups today even though I didn't get what I intended. Oh well, Heritage will be finished someday.

2011 bowman- the crinkly take

While at Target this afternoon, I decided to check the card isle (what else?) and noticed they did in fact have some 2011 Bowman for sale. Only a gravity feed though. No racks, no blasters, no anything else, so I grabbed some packs (seven packs to be exact, about a blaster minus the free one). While I don't buy heavy into Bowman, there isn't a Topps baseball product that I don't buy zero of. With the exception Triple Threads last year, I bought at least a few packs of each set released last year. That includes Tribute and that second Bowman set, Draft Picks and Prospects and even Pro Debut (just for ha-has). This year is no different, I even picked up an Attax rack pack but stayed away from Tribute this year. So Bowman. What's the deal? Lets take a look:

The base cards:

The base cards have a fairly simple design this year. I really like the bottom foil team logo, player name and position. I think it works very well. The red portions under the picture are a little weird but I guess they couldn't surround the picture with a red border again like last year. The gold parallels look decent too, with the gold foil in place of the silver. Overall I'd have to place this design right after 2010 as my second favorite Bowman base design from the past five years. (my order of favorites goes: 2010, 2011, 2008, 2009, 2007)

The prospect set:

This design seems a little more cluttered than the past few years offerings. The picture seems a bit small with the huge autograph area and large borders surrounding the picture itself. I like the team logo being on the fronts though, that is a big plus. The chrome versions look exactly the same but shiny. I kinda prefer it as I really like shiny. As for where I would place this within the past five years, it wouldn't rank as high as the base cards do. My favorites in order for the prospect cards are: 2010, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2007. It seems like I'm not really a fan of 2007 Bowman eh?

The insert sets:

Bowman having inserts seems a little weird. It started last year (I think) and continued this season. I don't seem to remember getting inserts in Bowman in any of the years except last year. The Bowman's Best look cool and just like the original 1994 design. Damn, It's really weird to think that 1994 is considered retro now. The only insert I didn't get one card of was the Bowman's Brightest. The Topps 100 looks better this year over last years with a smaller emphasis on the number '100' on the front. I like the Finest Futures design and the Topps of the Class design is ok but nothing special.

All in all, this years Bowman is a solid set design-wise, through and through. While I may not prefer this year over last year, it is certainly close to the top. Hopefully the rookie crop this year proves to be as good as last years. Bryce Harper, Brandon Belt and Michael Pineda lead the way as the hot prospects (well, based on what I've read) of this year so far. I'm sure many more will prove themselves as great first year players like last years Buster Posey, Starlin Castro, Jason Heyward, Mike Stanton, Carlos Santana, Brennan Boesch and the list goes on. I would have counted Strasburg but he didn't finish the season out. We'll see who gets the call-ups later on this season.

*sigh*

Well, first off an apology is in order. I apologize that my trade bait posts haven't been posted, as I said the first would be the tail end of last week. I know I posted one up a little bit ago but that was all silly stuff. Barely any bites but it is understandable seeing as how it was a bunch of politicians and entertainers and such. What happened to the rest you ask? The teams, the relics, the autos, etc. Well, I am in a bit of a collecting rut. There isn't anything I am really looking for at this time. Yeah, I said I wanted the throwback patches from 2011 and the bronze framed Gypsy Queens. I guess I still may but part of me kinda doesn't. 2011 Heritage has slowed to practically nothing, seeing as how most have moved on to Gypsy Queen (and Bowman this week). I may have to finish it up at a show (there is one this Saturday) or online via eBay but I really don't want to pay $2-3 bucks per schmuck player due to him being a high number short print, never mind a star player. I don't really need any more Jays at the moment, until I get my act together and get a want list going. I keep getting too many duplicates, so a want list seems to be in order. I guess I just don't have a strong desire to collect much right now and lumped in with that is a lack of want to post up stuff and waste your guys' time. Why post stuff when I'm not looking for anything?

Sigh....So hopefully this will pass soon and I'll want to start to collect something. Then I can post up the bait and see what I can get for it in regard to that collecting goal. I'll still make trades but I can't see myself going all out right now with these massive posts filled with trade stuffs. Well, to be fair there wasn't a ton but it is all still pulled and in a separate box.

Also, I do have a plentiful amount of 2011 series 1 and inserts, 2011 Heritage and Gypsy Queen available for those that need some of those sets.

huh?

Anyone else having trouble with Blogger? I posted up a post yesterday and now it is gone. Wasn't anything special, just talking about 2011 Bowman coming out next week and asking if it was still relevant or whatnot. Just weird. I got comments on it and everything. Poof! Just gone. I've been trying to sign in since last night and this is the first time I've been able to. This happened to anyone else?

when a bowman set hits shelves, does anyone care?

Hey. Hey. You know what? 2011 Bowman ships next week. Remember? Bowman? Most collectors/bloggers who are keeping current are still all over Gypsy Queen. Weirdly I haven't really bought much more except a blaster and two rack packs since that first initial purchase. Even with all the great hits I keep seeing coming from retail I just don't feel like chasing it. It's a fine looking set but I really can't get into another short printed end of a set. I still haven't even finished Heritage yet. I need to take my needs list to a show and buy up a bunch of she short prints. It seems everyone on here is exhausted of their supply. I need ONE more common to finish the short set. Card 246 to be exact. Then it is on to the short prints and the few inserts I need, then I never have to worry about 2011 Heritage and I can concentrate on series 2 when it hits in early June. Then I'm good until August when Lineage hits. Well, we'll see how that turns out. Seems cool enough but I'll have to wait to see it in person.

Bowman on the other hand, seems like a set that the blogging community doesn't get too big into. Seems more of a speculator set rather than a collector's set. For obvious reasons of course. There is always at least one hot rookie that sells for way more than he should and they jump all over it. I get it, it is their right as consumers to resell their stuff and get paid what ever the market allows. It almost seems like we kinda 'let them have it' with Bowman. The dealers/speculators scoop it up, sell it out, go nuts and the collectors don't touch it, save for a few who buy some to get their team cards or to see what it looks like (this is where I fall). Rarely it seems that we go heavy into a Bowman product. I'm generalizing here, while I realize that some of you do enjoy the Bowman set for its rookies and prospects and such. Personally I feel it is too confusing with the numbering. Just make it one big set! You don't need BDP BDPP BPP numbering. 1-500 or so does just fine. People will buy it no matter what the number on the back is. Then again, if people aren't really collecting a set of it, does it matter? Guess not.

So what do you think of Bowman as a whole? Does it have a place in the hobby? Is it overdone? Should it just be rookies only without the veterans? Or should it just go away?

...

a trade post

A trade post? Haven't done one in too long. I should post more of these, as I get many great trades. More often than not it is usually stuff I need for sets and plain old base cards are boring! Well, I am super appreciative of every card I get in a trade but some trades stand out. Especially when it involves cards you really want (like ones that get posted and you ask if they are for trade) as opposed to cards you need to slim the old want list. I'll be highlighting two such trades right now:

The first comes from Shane over at the Off the Wall blog. Here is what he sent over:

Many of you have traded with Shane before but this is actually the first time we had ever exchanged cards. The Munson was the focal point of the trade. I had seen his want list for 1975 Topps and he needed the Jim Palmer card I had. He had said the Munson was a duplicate, so I mentioned I had the Palmer. I sent that over plus some minis which he loves, and some stuff from his set needs and some random Red Sox. There were many more Blue Jays in the return package and a lot of oddball stuff I needed like the baseball highlights and Drake's cards, along with yearbook stickers and Topps Big. The black refractor is from 2002, which I have ZERO refractors for, nevermind black. Oh yeah and the Jimmy Key rookie that I didn't have yet either. I assume the three auto'd cards up top are either TTMs or in person autos. Good stuff either way. The Munson also marks the first I have from his playing days. Always good.

The second trade comes from Ryan over at "O" No!!! Another Orioles Blog. Ryan and I have traded a few times now. Check out what he had sent over:

Two cards but what cards they are. He pulled the Teixeira from his box of 2007 Goudey and I had mentioned that I was interested. It was a while ago, and we hadn't made a deal but Ryan didn't forget. Once he posted up the Willie Mays, I Knew I wanted to try and trade for it. He was interested in the Ripken bat and Markakis auto I pulled from Gypsy Queen. Those, along with stuff from his want lists, various Orioles and some other surprises made their way over to him. He should be getting that package any day now.

A big thanks to Ryan and Shane for the great cards they sent over. I'm looking forward to more trades in the future!


Also: I need card 18, Christy Mathewson from Gypsy Queen. I need multiples. Three to be exact. The first person to send over three copies of the card (regular card, not a parallel or mini) gets something awesome. Three base cards, it's all I ask. Let me know!

trade bait...part one

Ohhhhhhhhhhh goodness. The trade bait is here! Well....sorta. In this post is everything that is non-MLB related (except two cards). I wanted to get these guys out of the way before I started posting up actual teams. Lets have a look shall we?

Baseball stuff:

The Brian Johnson auto comes from 2010 Topps Chrome (I believe the USA autos were case hits) and the two purple fellows next to him are from 2010 Bowman Platinum retail rack packs. The other two cards are part of the Topps Archives series. The 1994 prospects card is from the 2002 factory set (card 2 of 10) and the Bench/Allen is part of the actual 2001 Archives set (card 437 of 450). I figured they were unique enough to have up here.


Basketball:

My one, lone basketball hit is of the Bulls Joakim Noah and is numbered 13/25, looks like a nice swatch though.


Football:

Hey, I know what you're thinking, "What are you doing with those two fancy Joe Montana rookies?" Well, yes they are indeed 1981 Topps Joe Montana rookie cards. One catch though: They've been LAMINATED! Why anyone would do this is beyond me but I won these as a door prize raffle at the local shops annual Super Bowl trade party. They were laminated about an inch apart, as to make it like one big card. I have carefully cut them to regular card size but you cannot remove the laminate without destroying the cards. So they are what they are. Montana rookies. Laminated. The Jerry Hughes auto is numbered 159/250 and is from 2010 Certified. As is the Carson Palmer jersey, numbered 07/50 (some nice orange paint on that swatch there).


Politics or historical figures:

Hillary comes from 2008 Topps baseball, while Calvin Coolidge's seat relic (from Griffith Stadium), comes from 2009 Topps American Heritage. The other two (Grant, Washington) come from 2009 SP Legendary Cuts and are numbered short prints.


Celebrities:

Oh man, talk about saving the best for last. Upper Deck loves loves loves celebrity mumbo jumbo. Here we have an autograph of Matt Prokop. Apparently he is an actor and your kids can probably tell you he is from High School Musical 3 and Hannah Montana. The top card is an authentic piece of Hollywood Memorabilia, as once worn by Sean Penn in the movie "21 Grams" (never saw it). The final two big letter manu-patches come from 2009 UD Icons of world champion poker players, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth. Sweet!

If you see anything you like here, simply leave a comment claiming which cards you like and I'll get to you with an email and we'll work out a deal.

Oh yeah, fellow collector 'axemanohio', I need you to send me an email with your series 1 needs (my email can be found in my profile there). I can't find your email address and I can't reply to the comment you left. I'll be more than happy to help with your set, I just can't contact you.

trade bait...

...the 'how to' edition. For those that have any desire to make a deal with me, please read the following post.

There isn't any trade bait in this post. This post is intended to state how I am going to go about this process. I know some of you guys who post up trade bait make it easy on yourselves and put up some random cards. That is probably the best way to do it but since I have to go and make things difficult this is how I am going to go about it.

At first I stated I would be going by division. Once I found a bunch of cards for each team (some much more than others), I realized that I would have way too much to post up here. So, the new way I am going to go about it is two random teams. Two teams that I pick out of the box of stuff I have picked out to post up without looking. I'll pull the two teams and post up the cards I have for trade for each of those teams. What I have pulled from my collection is essentially anything that isn't a base card. Inserts, parallels (not ALL but anything sort of significant, no Wal-Mart black cards for example but I will offer them to you if I have any from a team you pick), relics and autos. You can tell which teams I have never traded stuff from because there is a lot of pulled cards from teams I haven't traded away.

What I am looking for:

2011 Topps manu-patches:

These are the only five I have. If you have ANY that are not these and you want to trade them, I want them. These are not up for trade though.

2011 Gypsy Queen framed paper parallels:

I have very few of these too but there are only 100 so it shouldn't be too hard to finish up.

I would also like to finish up 2011 Heritage soon too. Base cards are down to maybe six but the short prints are still quite a few. That list is still on the right and is always up to date.

These are the priorities. If you have a trade bait section of your own and want cards I have but don't have anything I stated above, we can work from that too. The first actual trade bait post will come some time this week. Be sure to check each time because I may have a relic/auto/parallel from a set you are currently collecting. I have some good surprises in my collection so you never know what will pop up. Stay tuned and I can't wait to make some deals!