still here

Over a week with no post. A new record. Maybe.

Not much different is going on here. Still working the grind, although this time its 3am to 3pm this week with just one more day left. Next week seems to be the same. It's really crunch time at work, although it always is around this time of year. Plenty of silly shirts to be had for Christmas this (and every) year. As of right now, I am typing this but as soon as its posted and done, I'll be packing up cards. I got a Rush album on (Hemispheres for those curious), cards sorted out and envelopes to fill. Yes, I've been slacking on getting the break cards out but its tough to get the will/want to drag myself to the post office after a 12 hour shift. I am tomorrow though, no ifs and or buts about it.

Seems that the new American Pie set is the buzz right now. With no real baseball set until February I suppose we have to quench that card appetite somehow. I picked up a few packs from the local shop. Got a Hendrix which is awesome. I also got the founding of Motown Records and the introduction of the Atari 2600 (I really like the music base cards). I also got a relic of Susan Lucci, you know, from All My Children? Yeah, exactly. Anywho, its a neat set and I'm pretty bummed I didn't get the UPC code card but I may dabble in a few more packs but won't go nuts on it. If I need a card fix I'll stick to picking up criminally low priced Hall of Fame vintage cards. Which you'll see quite soon.

an update

Things are kind of dark here. Literally. The freak snowstorm we had Saturday night totally devastated the area. Heavy snow combined with the leaves still on the trees plus 20-40 MPH winds produce some very bad conditions. Trees down everywhere cut power to well close to 1 million households in Connecticut. Currently, we are without power and I am writing this from my grandmother's house. She is luckily one with power. My parents, wife's parents or ourselves have been without power since Saturday night. We thankfully are always welcome here at grandmas place, plus the local shop has somewhat amusingly become a shelter for those without power. He has power at the shop but not at home so he decided to stay open on Monday (he isn't open on Mondays) and stay opened later than usual on the two other days (today and Sunday). We charge our phones and such there but we sleep at home. It's quite cold without heat and boring at home without electricity. The town is at about 60% without power, including my work. It's not an issue because I'll make it up later. So for those wondering about my lack of communication or disappearance on the blogsphere, this is why. I've been trying to respond to emails on my phone but I get practically no signal at home. The time at the shop yesterday did produce a focal point for another post but once I get power again, which is hopefully in the next few days, I'll be sure to share it.

patterns and updates

Man, I really wish I could get this scanner/printer to work right. I'd really love to have pictures accompany my thoughts on 2011 Update. I haven't purchased much. A few racks, a $9.99 Target box and some loose packs. With $$$ being a bit tight I'm forced to cut back a little. It's entirely alright though and I'll explain why (I'll get to Update in a second).

This being the second year that I have come back into collecting, I have noticed a pattern with my buying habits. First off, I have cut out a lot of the impulse packs and such that I bought so much of early on in 2010. When I got back into collecting, I had nothing, so naturally buying up anything and well...everything, seemed right. To see what I had missed. It was certainly a good lesson in past years of sets and players and so on but it left me with a mountain of cards. Thankfully I found blogging and fellow collectors on here that were willing to trade for their favorite teams and players. Or maybe they just wanted to finish off a set and I was more than glad to help. Topps flagship is a different story though. I have noticed that in both 2010 and 2011 a pattern has definitely made itself apparent. What I do is buy up a TON of series 1. Probably because it is a new year and the lack of baseball has be frothing for some cardboard goodness. Then series 2 hits and I buy a bunch but it is always significantly less. I'd say about half of what I did for series 1. Maybe it is due to the glut of products Topps puts out in between that kills my wallet and I'm a little burnt on cards at the moment. Or in the case of this year, little work=little money. Then Update hits around now and I end up buying even less than series 2, roughly half of that I'd say. I finish off the sets but then in the case of series 1, I kept buying. I have no idea why but I did. I know that last year in the case of Update, I knew it was hitting in mid-October and I was getting married about a week later. Little time for cards. This year its the summer lack of cash hitting again. So is my pattern due to circumstance or is it just how things work? I would say a little of both. Circumstance certainly has more to do with it but by the time Update hits I'm burnt on collecting and just want to finish off the set and be done with it. Topps releases so much during the year and I try to sample it all (high end not withstanding) so it just kills my drive. I did buy less this year than last year, which is good. Less stuff I don't need and more of what I set out to collect, which is something I wanted to focus on in the 2011 collecting year.

Anyway, enough of my silliness, how about some Update?

Again, I would love to have pictures but I almost don't need them because its Update and we've all seen them. When the set hit eBay I scoured to see if they had added any more legends variations and found that they had. 25 more to the fray, bringing up the total to 74 for all three series. If you need the list, I added them to the checklist on baseballcardpedia. I would like to collect them all again, so If you come across any, I'll definitely trade for them. I did manage to pull one, Paul O'Neill. I will trade for any of them but I won't be actively chasing the parallel versions just the regular white border ones.

Speaking of parallels, Update is FILLED with them and I don't mind. The congnac parallels are pretty nice and the Target red border are really cool too. Wal-Mart has a blue border (of course) and the Hope Diamond blue I haven't seen in person yet but I'm sure they look nice too. Speaking of Wally and Target, did anyone buy an blaster from either place? Do they still have the throwback and all black parallels? I hope not. As cool as the throwbacks are I think the red/blue borders are much nicer and I hope that blasters replaced the old parallels with the new ones.

As far as inserts go it seems that there are only Topps 60, Kimball Champions, and Diamond Duos, which are numbered the same as series 2 and have NO distinction as to which set it comes from. No idea why Topps did this but if you get a DD-22 from series 2 and DD-22 from Update, they look identical save for the players, making set building that much harder...if anyone even bothered collecting them. Sure ToppsTown are there but no one cares and thankfully are a little harder pull. I will be collecting the Kimballs too and will have a list up soon on my wantlist page.

Other than that Update is filled with some great action shots from the summer, All-Stars and some new rookies and is pretty much what you expect from series three at this point. I would like to finish off a set and if you find yourself with some extra Update you don't mind donating over, I'll gladly take 'em.

closed

The break sign-ups are now closed and we will begin the picks tomorrow! Certainly there will be fun and surprises so stay tuned!

an update, of sorts

I have been rather busy as of late, hence the lack of a post in about a week. Also the lack of sending out the break cards. Right now, what is going on is work has finally gone back to a full 40 hours. We'll see how long it lasts, which most likely won't be too long, as it is convention season so we usually get pretty mobbed with work around then. I am also helping my wife's aunt and uncle redo their deck. They decided to buy the wood, get the wife's father (the man knows everything about carpentry, machines and pretty much everything else) and do it themselves. I don't blame them, they will end up saving around $7000. All it takes is a little sweat and hard work from the five of us and it is all good. They have been very good to us, so we could do nothing but help in anyway we can. So there we have it. That's what is going on. Right now I have half of the break packages finished. I plan on doing a few more tonight and the rest tomorrow, to have them all sent out on Saturday morning. The business explained above plus me taking my time with these (so I don't screw anything up), and pulling the extra cards makes me behind. Fear not, they will be sent Saturday. I am also selling a few things on eBay (here.) and if you see anything you like, let me know. If you'll notice, the Heritage set is up. I am giving up trying to finish it off, it's too much hassle. I know now for next year not to buy too much and feel as if I have to finish. There is also the Bowman set I quietly finished also due to me buying too much. I have also cut back on purchases severely due to lack of funds/interest. Thankfully I have enough series 2 and there isn't much else on the horizon. I have seen some previews of Tier One, that is due out in November. Looks OK but seems like its a sequel to Tribute and will probably be just as (if not more) expensive. It DOES have on-card autos though. All of the autos are. I guess that is a good selling point but then again, shouldn't they all be? I mean, I understand why Topps uses stickers. It's just way easier. Get Hank Aaron to sign a thousand of them and you can use his signature all year round in 12 different products, then you can leave him alone throughout the year. It's excellent business but they look pretty ugly. Thankfully they have switched to the white-ish/clear stickers, which look a little better. Oh and one last thing. If I have any current pending trades with any of you, I will address them next week when things slow up a little. If we were in the middle of a deal you'll probably see an email from me shortly.

well...who was it?

Yep, not eight minutes after my post went up yesterday, was the signature guessed. Wickedortega guessed quick and correct (the man knows his stuff), and has won an yet-to-be-determined prize. It'll be cool though. I am holding in the picture above a bat signed by Willie himself. Personally, I feel the two best living players to sign a bat would be Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. I'm counting it strictly on home runs though. No, Barry does not (and will not ever) count in my book. Hank is the true Home Run King. Then the Babe, then Willie. Griffey would be a fantastic bat to have signed too. Hmm... So yeah, a new piece of memorabilia for the very small collection. Nothing else but those signed baseballs and that Vernon Wells mini helmet. It's a start though.

Also on my mind as I write this, is that the 2011 Topps Update sell sheets are live (see bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog for more details) and I am kinda excited for it. Yes, more of the same but the new parallels look cool, although I won't be chasing them, they would be nice to get. The best part? The Hank Aaron veteran short print that was shown! Finally Hank joins the fray. I know they do it based on who they have the license for but its about time. Who else can we hope for in series two and Update?

Lets run down the list:

Hopefuls:

Roberto Clemente
Mark Fidrych
Duke Snider
Cal Ripken Jr.
Ryne Sandberg
Gary Carter
Al Kaline
Don Mattingly
Barry Larkin
Roberto Alomar (now that he's in the HoF, and an SP as a Jay would rule!)
Mike Piazza (hey, they had Frank Thomas in series 1)


Probables:

Sandy Koufax
Pee Wee Reese
Robin Roberts
Mickey Mantle (they did it with series 2 in 2010...)

Well, we'll just have to wait a week for series 2 and until October for Update to see who they add in there. I know the series 2 sell sheet showed Nolan Ryan (awesome) and another Babe Ruth (huh?). Personally, I'd love to see all these guys in there but Topps may think otherwise. I am going based on who had autos in series 1 (well, not all these guys had autos), and those who I'd really like to see.

OH...and the best part. If you noticed on the Update sell sheet about the two new parallels (the hope diamond and cognac) they speak of the rest of the 709 cards in series 1 and 2 will be available in those colors too. 709 total minus the 660 regular cards equals 49. These 49 are for the short print legend variations from series 1 and 2. Meaning I finally got my answer, that there are only 24 short prints in series 1 and the 25 will be series 2. Weird way to get my answer but there it is.

a couple of things

While going through the entrants in the 60 years of Topps contest, I noticed that there were many new blogs that I did not have on my list to the right. Some are rookies and some have been at this a while. If you haven't checked these blogs out do so soon. Here is some good reading:
in a far away land
the lost collector
one out away
just a bit offside
swingin' a's
cardboard conundrum
this card is cool
better luck next pack
the angels in order
dropped third strike
garvey cey russell lopes
no relics pulled
potch wheeler and the cardboard heroes

Let's hear it for the new guys! Show them some love by stopping on over and reading what they have to say. If I missed anyone, let me know and I'll add you post haste.


I still have an overabundance of 2010 Topps. I sent some out to some of you and am willing to send out more if some of you need them. Series 1, 2 and Update are available. Just send me an email with your want list and I'll see what I have and send them on over.


I also still need a fellow Blue Jays fan that needs some cards as well. I have a lot of duplicates that I can send to any Jays collector in need. Really, just ask.


That is about it for now. Really, take my cards! Oh and one last thing. I do have a pile of cards up for grabs to anyone who wants them. The pile includes anything not made by Donruss, Fleer, Upper Deck or Topps (stuff like Classic, O-Pee-Chee, Tristar, etc.), and some of my duplicates that are not Blue Jays. Although I can include them if you do want them. First taker who is brave enough gets the stack.

contest update plus mail!

Alright so the contest is going incredibly well. Fifty-three entrants as of right now! I love reading your responses as to what your favorite Topps year is. Very interesting. I don't believe I have picked a favorite yet but I think it would have to probably be 1987. I had so much of that year when I was a kid collecting that I swear I must have had two full sets. Not that I would know because I wasn't even close to being organized. I kept them in a shoebox. I didn't care though, they were still great.

Now. For the update. Since this contest has gone so well that I have upped the ante. Now instead of one winner takes all, there will now be THREE winners. That's right three of you who entered will win the one of each year full run of 1952 to 2011 original Topps cards. I managed to pull together a half a set (twice) last night and filled in the rest today at the show. As it stands right now, with 53 entrants, that leaves about a one in eighteen chance of winning. Not too shabby. I plan on using the random.org site to pick a winner. I'll still announce the winners Monday. If you haven't entered yet, do it now!

These came today in the mail. I won them off eBay for about 99 cents each.

Put out by Churchman's Cigarettes around 1930. They apparently came out with all sorts of crazy sets. Just in these three examples alone are three different sets. The Market in Roman London is from the Story of London series, the Peak Forest Tramway 1802 is from the Landmarks in Railway Progress series and the Tjimeta Bridge is from the Wonderful Railway Travel series. See? Weird stuff. Seems that they had flags and birds and such too. They are about the size of a standard tobacco card like the T206s. I thought they were cool and were only a buck each.

topps would say d'oh!

More errors? Topps doesn't make errors. Ever.


....sure. Just ask Frank Thomas. Anyway, this years Topps set (series 2 and Update) included some cards I really liked called Vintage Legends. We've all seen them. Babe Ruth on a 1975 card, Mel Ott on a 1968, etc. Well, while going through the ones from Update today, I noticed an error on Topps' part. Maybe someone at Topps doesn't know their stuff, or maybe it was Tibor's day to work the photoshopping machine. See if you can spot the error on Mr. McCovey here:

What year is this, 1988 Topps right? Ok, got it. Check the back:










...did you see it? Vintage Legends are supposed to depict a great player out of his era. The front of the card is supposed to show what year they put him into for the blurb on the back. Well it looks like Willie got the Delorean stuck in junk wax hell that is 1988 on his way to 2004. The front shows 1988, the back says 2004. I know you all know what 2004 Topps looks like, but here is a refresher:

See? The only thing 88 and 04 Topps have in common is the big team name at the top. Oh and a white border. Other than that the designs are quite different. While the card still gets its point across but in a flawed manner. Oh well, just a goof on Topps' part there. I severely doubt that it will be corrected but an interesting error to say the least.

update (two ways)

So I'm either really lazy, or really busy. I still haven't made it to the post office yet, but I will tomorrow. Usually it is lazy with me, but busy is really the issue. Work picks up quite a bit this time of year and the 55+ hours will be starting very shortly (like next week). These boxes will get out tomorrow, and for the better. I will announce the Topps portion on Monday. I know I know, I've been saying this for a bit now, but its true this time. Plus it'll be fun.

The other update refers to Topps Update, as I FINALLY received my master set in the mail today, after winning it around Oct. 20th. Yes, it has taken that long to get here. Apparently he had the flu. I can excuse that. A delay in shipping is nothing compared to what awaited me in the set...or what didn't await me rather. You see, I was going through the cards, only to find out it was missing a total of 25 cards. Yes, twenty-five missing cards. Oh wait, 26, because I was promised a random auto too. That I didn't get. This is what I can't forgive. Shipping? No problem. Missing promised cards? A definite problem. Thankfully, out of those 25 I had 18 of them already from packs I bought. I contacted him about the issue and he was surprisingly right on top of it. I sent the message and about 25 minutes later I had a response. So there is that. He asked for a list of what I was missing, and he is damn sure going to get that 26 card list. I don't care if I already have some, they should have been there. He blamed it on his hired help, which is kind of understandable as people are usually sloppy when they don't care.

On one other note, (ok, so its three updates) my sets will be finished soon! If you remember I posted up a want list of the couple of sets (2002 Topps, 2005 Topps, 2009 206, and 2010 Chrome) I was missing cards from. I really wanted to finish up these sets before the end of the year. Thanks to a trade (thanks a ton Kenneth), Chrome got finished. EBay finished up the 2009 206 once the last three cards get in my hands. The best one though is the 2002 and 2005 Topps. Both factory sets were missing cards. I used the Million Card Giveaway to trade for the three missing cards from both sets (2 from 2002 and 1 from 2005), and those along with all the pre-1973 stuff I unlocked (39 cards total in this order) are on their way from Topps. I have about 50 more cards left in my account that I don't really want but I'm not sure what to do with yet. I'll keep you posted with what I will do with them.

supply is exhausted

That's right, the supplies are exhausted! Many of you responded and I am trying to fulfill everyone with at least some cards. Please, no more takers until I post up some more lots to give away. These are fun to make and I hope that you guys will enjoy the cards I put into each lot here. When I think of more lots I will be sure to post them up. A fair warning; I will only send out one lot per reader, and this includes future lots, so if you are getting one now, please don't request one of the future lots. Again, I just want to spread the cards out to as many unique readers as possible. Now, back to sorting! Thanks for reading!

personal collection is decided!

Its later than usual, and I'm being extremely lazy. I have decided that my personal collection will consist of Hall of Famers (Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Jackie Robinson, etc.), but not particularly original cards. New cards work just as well, as the 2009 T206 cards look fantastic for all the HoFers they added into the mix. Those are in. Players from my hometown of Southington (Rob Dibble, Carl Pavano), team cards like I mentioned before and other cards that just catch my eye. Cards that make me think: If I were to seel my whole collection, what would I want to keep? I may branch out to guys that are from the surrounding area, and I did think about the same birthday idea, but only came up with one player so far. I was also thinking pitchers who threw perfect games as I think its such an incredible achievement. We'll see what else I come up with. Tomorrow SHOULD be the Topps Chrome experiment as long as I'm not busy (I shouldn't be).

quickie post

I wasn't in the state today, and I didn't have much of anything to post. The Topps Chrome experiment is over, and I'm just waiting on two cards to get here to have everything (the 220 card set, a Jays team set, Mike McCoy auto, and the Vernon Wells rainbow; regular, refractor, x-fractor, orange, purple, blue, gold, red, and plate). Money-wise it worked out pretty good in comparison to how much I spent on the box. I'll break it down probably tomorrow, if I've the time. If not then, then Tuesday.

recent trades-update

I didn't get a chance to explain why the four cards I chose from each of those trades were significant. I was busy earlier when I originally posted and I wasn't sure if I would have the time tonight to go over it, but I do now, so I will. On with the cards!

Here we have some of Ryan's former cards. I always enjoy getting Blue Jays minis, be it from packs or trades. When I posted that busting of the Upper Deck X blaster I got at discount from Wal-Mart, I mentioned that I liked the X-Ponential inserts, and the Wells is no different. The Bowman Shawn Green is probably one of the 'loudest' cards I've gotten in a while. IT is from the mid-90s so it makes sense. As for the silver signed Molitor, I collected the Collector's Choice set back when it came out. I would rush down to the locally run convenience store, grab a few packs and scurry home to open them up. I always loved getting the silver sig. cards in those packs, and this is a good recollection of my youth (there were actually two more in the box with Molitor too).

Here are the ones from Kerry. I started collecting Griffey a few months back, and its always fun to get one of him in a White Sox uniform, due to him not being there for long. I don't have many Jays Cansecos, so those are always good. I have never seen Leaf 1996, so I felt I had to show it. Finally, the Hentgen card looks like a bad (good?) acid trip, and definitely look straight out of the mid-90s (which it is).

So there you have it. The explanations for the above cards, which I definitely wanted to do, and should have initially, but time did not allow for it as I said. Again, a big thanks to Ryan and Kerry for the great Jays additions!