Trade with Matt of Cardboard Anathema

I recently contacted Matt of the relatively new Cardboard Anathema blog.  Matt has just recently jump back into the hobby and started up his own blog.  I found Matt's blog through My Cardboard Mistress' trade post.  I've found so many great blogs by looking at other's trade posts.  Trading is a great way to get your blog recognized in our community.

Here are just a few of the awesome cards that Matt sent to me:

Matt is building the 1971 Topps set.  I commend his efforts because it is not an easy set to complete.  I assume that this is one of the doubles he has acquired during his trek towards completion.  I really like the 1971 set.  "Game Changer" is a word that comes to mind when I think of '71 Topps.

Here's a quirky card from Collector's Choice 1998.  While it looks like a cypher card from Allen and Ginter from the scrambled letters on the left, it actually just says "StarQuest".  This is only a "Single" so I wonder if the double, triple, or homerun versions of this card have different pictures.  I'll make an educated guess and say no because of the Starquest inserts in 08 and 09 Upper Deck.

The Final Card I'm going to show off is this Brooks Robinson from 2002 Upper Deck World Series Heroes.  I'm not fond of the Yankee pinstripes in the background of the card front but the rest of the card is nice.  It really seems classy with the dual American flags, logo, and year foil stamping and the stars surrounding the frame of the actual photo.

Thanks Matt for the fantastic trade package you sent and I look forward to seeing more great posts from your blog.

An appropriate card from Topps

After all of the earthquake hullaballoo at work today I get home and got a bubble mailer from Topps.  You know most everybody has seen one of these in their mailbox:

Not everybody is as lucky to get boxes from Topps with unopened semi-vintage packs and diamond rings like you-know-who!

I thought this might be my Alexei Ramirez autograph from last year's Allen & Ginter or maybe my Manny Machado autograph from this years Bowman.

No such luck.  Just a Rockie with a blown out elbow:

It's a shortprint from this year's Heritage set.  This is what I got for my 44 cent stamp in the NPN's.  With all the Rockie-ing and rolling that the earth's crust did today, fate sent me this Jorge De La Rosa card.  I was about 50 miles away from the epicenter of the quake, there was a good amount of shaking going on but there was no damage to the building I was in.  It was evacuated as a precaution and the all clear was given about a half hour later.  It was definitely an interesting experience that I won't soon forget!

Back on track here though, I always do these since I got a pretty nice return from the 2004 Bowman Product.  Check it out:

Grady Sizemore Autographed game base relic card.  Sorry the scan is blurry but apparently Screwdowns scan worse than chrome cards!  The funny thing about this is that I had already pulled one of these out of the packs that I got the NPN address off of. I don't remember the odds of getting the card out of the packs but the odds of getting the same card as an NPN have got to be astronomical!

Craigslist Ads

I keep scouring the local Craigslist ads hoping to find that one big haul like some other bloggers and collectors have been able to get for a reasonable price or even free.  Maybe the stars will align one day but today wasn't it.  Check out these:

http://richmond.craigslist.org/clt/2560723166.html
http://richmond.craigslist.org/clt/2550676996.html
http://richmond.craigslist.org/clt/2557429595.html
http://richmond.craigslist.org/clt/2531485559.html

Wow some great deals to be had, I don't know if I can pass these up!

8-17-11: Bowie Baysox @ Richmond Flying Squirrels

I usually try to make it down to the Diamond whenever the Bowie Baysox are in town playing the hometown Flying Squirrels.  It was Irish Heritage night so the Squirrels were wearing green uniforms and there was a lot of Irish music being played.  There was even a group of Irish Dancers.  my fiancee was working last Wednesday, I decided to fly solo and see if I could catch some good autographs before the game by arriving early.  I got nearly everybody I wanted! Here's the one I wanted most:

LJ could be the heir apparent to Brian Roberts in Baltimore in a year or two.  I also got his 2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks card signed!

Joe Mahoney was responsible for most of the Baysox offense this night. He had a 3 run triple in the first inning.  His signature looks so much better on this card than the one I got back from spring training this year.

I was also able to get the Baysox starter Bobby Bundy to sign my custom.  He hasn't fared as well in Double-A as he did in Frederick.

If the game had ended after the first five batters of the game, Bowie would have won 4 to 0.  There isn't that much to say about the game after that because Bobby Bundy had a tough night.  I was excited to see him pitch and he did show some bright spots but it just wasn't enough.  He was staked to a 4-0 lead and the Flying Skunks knocked the ball around the yard on him.  The final score ended up 8-5 with Richmond prevailing.  An interesting moment during the game was when Bowie's hitting coach Denny Hocking blew a gasket over a controversial home run and was subsequently ejected.  I'd never seen him so angry but I never saw him play much with the Twins either!

Overall it was a great night to catch a ballgame even though Bowie didn't win.  They are in the playoff hunt so if they make it in, I might try to make it to Bowie to catch a game if my schedule permits.

Trade with Ben of Baseball Cards Rule

This trade can be summed up in basically one word:  Shiny!  I contacted Ben over at Baseball Cards Rule about a trade a little while back and we finally hammered out an awesome trade.  He had several Orioles cards I needed and I sent him several cards he needed for his player collections.  Here's a few of the shiny cards he sent me:

 I would guess that Ben is a big Rafael Palmiero fan because there were a bunch of nice cards of him in the package.  This shiny comes from Leaf Certified Materials, a set that I never really paid much attention to.   I never paid much attention to any Leaf cards really.  Their checklists always were confusing to me with so many different tiers and variations to collect.  It really was off putting when they were around.

 I really like this card of Mike because it looks like it has texture but it doesn't.  Even though the card looks faded, Topps was just getting the hang of Chromium technology back in 1994.  The Bowman's Best sets aren't ones I really paid much attention to before now.

And the Coup de Grace of the package was this card from 1993 Finest.  I've been on the hunt for one of these since it came out and 18 years later I finally get one to fill the hole in my Ripken PC binder.  What a great card!

Thanks Ben for the cool cards!

Cal Ripken Cardboard Appreciation #17

1986 True Value Superstars #22

This card is a true oddball through and through.  It is an odd shape so it doesn't fit into 9-pocket pages or regular sized toploaders.  The thing that strikes me most about this card is that Cal's position is listed as just plainly "infield".  I wonder if True-Value considered Cal's move to shortstop as only temporary and tried to cover themselves in the future in case he moved back to the hot corner or first base?

My Contest Obsession

I might have stolen somebody else's clever post title but for this contest it fits.  Jeff over at My Sports Obsession is having a contest that ends tomorrow at 5pm EST.  Get over there and sign yourself up!  Here is the link the CONTEST.

A Couple 2011 Topps Lineage rack packs

On my way home from work I decided to pick up some of the newly released Topps Lineage. I had fully intended to pick up a blaster box of this product but saw the rack packs hanging there. I will say that I am no pack searcher but I was able to see that Cal Ripken was on the front of the first pack and Markakis was on the front of the next one!   How could I resist my 2 favorite players basically put on a silver platter for me? Why does Topps make these wrappers sooo easy to see through?

Anyways, I did get other cards out of the pack including this Zach Britton Rookies insert and his regular base card!  I did have some major Orioles-jo in these packs (at least in my opinion!).

I got 2 mini '75s which are pretty cool.  These 2 sluggers surprisingly haven't battered Orioles pitchers as the rest of the league has this year.

I got 2 Platinum Diamond parallels that I don't have much to say about either player:

And I was able to pull a Mini 1975 relic card:

Carlos Lee!  My lucky Astros mojo pack breaking streak continues!  It's not like these relics are too hard to pull since they are 1:10 rack packs.  I'm happy with it though.

I did enjoy this break and I could see a blaster in my near future.  The design of the cards might be a rejected Topps flagship design or leftover from Topps Total but the player selection is pretty solid.  It was refreshing to see Albert Belle on a card again and to see a new pose of George Sisler.  The card backs are a little disappointing but I don't think it would be appropriate to see just lines of stats on the back since it looks so close to regular Topps cards.  Overall, I like the set for what it is: a smaller Topps set with some new ideas and NO SHORTPRINTS!  I might build this one but we'll see.

Trade with Robert of $30 a Week Habit

I contacted Robert at the new $30 a Week Habit blog about some of his wantlists he has posted.  He is just jumping back into the hobby and is on the process of building 2010 and 2011 Topps sets.  I'm sure all of us around the blogging community have some spare cards from those sets laying around so help him out!

Anyways,  here's a couple of the cards he sent me in exchange for the Topps flagship commons I sent him:

 First off, he sent me one regular Topps base card.  That brings my set need down to one stinking card and it couldn't be of a stinkier player either: #573 Nyjer Morgan.  I really can't stand the guy.  He has a severe case of little man's syndrome and he is a dirty player.  If anybody has an extra #573 to help me finish off my set, I would much appreciate the help.

 I really get into the horizontal cards.  1956 Topps, and 1960 Topps are favorites of mine and now I can add 2001 Fleer Tradition to the list.  I had limited exposure to this set until this trade and I do like it a lot. The thing I don't like about this card is the text above the name banner.  What a sad day for Orioles fans.

 Earl Weaver has been in the news lately.  Well, at least Orioles news!  He had his 81st birthday this past weekend so happy belated birthday Earl!  Another news clipping was that he is selling off a bunch of his memorabilia including his World Series ring, and some special jerseys given to him by Eddie Murray and Cal Jr.  Also another interesting thing I learned yesterday was that Earl was ejected in both games of a doubleheader.  That takes some real talent!

Finally, I have my first in-hand 2011 Allen and Ginter card.  I'm not a big fan of A&G other than collecting the Orioles team sets.  I haven't bought a single pack this year and don't plan on it either.  It seems like a good year to skip this set because Topps really screwed the pooch with its cash cow.  From what I seeon blogs and forums, there are really crappy relic cards, near impossible autograph cards and collation issues with the product.
Back to Derrek Lee above, I'm not really sad he's gone from the Orioles.  I was initally excited when he signed here in the offseason but that wore off quickly when he failed at nearly every turn to drive runs in.  Even though we got the best of the three 1st basemen we were chasing this past winter.  Adam LaRoche is out for the season and Adam Dunn can't hardly hit is shoesize against lefties!  Lee was cold towards fans and wasn't what we thought he was going to be offensively.  At least the minor leaguer we got in exchange for him is mashing the ball down on the farm!

Thanks Robert for the trade.  I look forward to seeing some great posts coming from your new blog!

Cal Ripken Cardboard Appreciation #16

1985 Topps Super #48

I know this looks like the regular base card with one BIG difference.  It measures in at nearly 7 inches high by 5 inches wide.  1985 Topps really has grown on me in the past few years.  Actually a lot of different sets have as I have begun to "appreciate" cards more instead of just "collect" them.

Moldy, FTW!

Nolan Reimold hit a walk-off home run!  Way to go Moldy!

Another Contest!

I just stumbled upon another contest at a blog I didn't know existed until today.  This contest is over at the Cheap Card Collecting blog.

Here's the link to sign up right here.


Good Luck!

The Daily Dimwit's Contest!

Sam of the Daily Dimwit is running a contest with a nice lot of cards as the grand prize.  Here is a link so you too can get in on the drawing:

The Daily Dimwit's Contest

Time is running out for you to enter.  Good luck to all the contestants!

My Bridal(?) Shower haul

My Fiancee had her Bridal shower last weekend and I was lucky enough to get some baseball loot along with all of the kitchen hand towels, mixing bowls, and silverware sets.  I wasn't in attendance but several of her friends were nice enough to think about me while shopping for gifts that are (mostly) for her.  To say the least, I was surprised to see that I actually got some gifts of my own.

First off I got this book  "Orioles Essential" by Thom Loverro.  Its got Cal Ripken on the cover so I'm pretty sure its a good book.  I'm still learning about the Orioles history so this book will come in handy when I get around to reading it.

Another one of her close friends bought me a pack of this year's Topps series 1.  While I got nothing of real interest in the pack, it was still nice of her to think of me.

And last but not least, one of her former co-workers and still close friend gave me a small gift bag filled with VINTAGE CARDS.  This is the same friend that had me look up some values last summer for a '66 Pete Rose and couple of vintage Yankees for her.  Apparently, she had been cleaning out her mother-in-law's house and came across these old cards.  I'm sure glad she did.  Look at some of the nice cards that I now have:

'58 Ernie Banks!

'66 Lou Brock!

'68 Ron Santo!

A couple '68 Topps Game cards

A few '65 Topps Embossed inserts

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  There was probably over 100 cards in the gift bag so I'm very grateful to have them.  My vintage collection is lacking good quality cards (condition wise) so I couldn't be happier with these.

If my haul was this good, I wonder what I might get as wedding gifts when the big day comes?

TTM Success: Gus Triandos

Since receiving the Orioles Encyclopedia for Christmas last year I have been reading bits and pieces of it off and on this year.  I had always known Gus Triandos was a good player for the Orioles back in the day yet he doesn't get the credit he deserves.  Most of the Oriole teams he played on from 1955 thru 1962 were fairly forgettable but Gus stands out as the only superstar on the team during that period (other than Brooks Robinson when he started to come into his own).  He was the Orioles All-Star Representative for 3 years (57,58,59) and was a solid backstop from what I can tell.

I began to become intrigued with his career and decided to send him an autograph request.  Ryan from The Great Orioles Autograph Project hooked me up with his home address and now after about a 3 week turnaround, I have these to add to my collection:

These are definitely my favorite TTMs that I have received so far this year.  Thanks Gus for taking time out to sign these cards for me.

OH NO!!!'s Poor Vintage Collection #5

The cards that are featured in this recurring theme were found by my father strewn about the floor of an abandoned farm building near my childhood home. There were approximately 1000 cards that laid undisturbed from the late 60's to early 90's when he discovered them. Most are in poor condition because exposure to the elements. He recently gave them to me and I will feature them here on my blog.

1953 Bowman Color #18 Nellie Fox

This card I've been wanting to post for a while now, watermarks and all.  This poor card seems like it could fall apart at any moment and I was scared to take it out of the penny sleeve and toploader to put it on the scanner.  Nevertheless, it is being shown here in all its vintage-y goodness.

I never gave Nellie much of a thought before but he was one hell of a ballplayer.  I knew that he was in the HOF but I never really looked at his stats as closely as I did for this post.  While he was not much of a base stealer, he wasn't a big power guy either.  The stat that really jumps off the page at me is that he only struck out 216 times in his 19 year career!  Mark Reynolds has surpassed 200 strikeouts in each of the last 3 seasons.  Nellie Fox seems like the kind of ballplayer who was just solid all around and did all the little things to help his team win.  I guess that's how you stick around so long and end up in the Hall of Fame.  Unfortunately for him, he was posthumously honored in Cooperstown 22 years after his death.  

He was born on Christmas Day 1927 and passed away December 1 1975 at the age of only 47 in Baltimore, MD.

2011 Bowman Platinum pack break

Since I haven't opened a lot of packs of cards lately, I decided to stop at Target on the way home and see if they had some new Bowman Platinum.  I decided on 2 of the value packs.  3 regular packs and a value pack exclusive 3 purple prospect cards.

From what I've seen from my small sample size break, I like what I see so far.  Last year's product wasn't terrible but this year's is really nice looking. All of the base cards are refractors so thats something I haven't seen before.

Heres some of the highlights of the break:

A bunch of base cards, most notably Aroldis Chapman, Jason Heyward, Tim Lincecum and Albert Pujols.
A few prospects: Manny Banuelos and Tyler Skaggs
3 Prospect x-Fractors (these look great!): Jonathan Singleton, Eduardo Escobar and Kyle Russell
6 Purple Prospects (I'm not crazy about the color of these): Brad Brach, Brad Holt, Matt Lipka, Dustin Ackley, Jared Mitchell and Ronnie Welty

I got one gold parallel: Aroldis Chapman

and I was lucky enough to pull an autograph card:

Hayden Simpson.  According to Baseball Reference, he hasn't had a great first pro season but he still has plenty of time to turn it around.

I guess I did pretty well for just a few packs.  I'll probably pick up another pack or two in the near future and see if I can get lucky again.