Group Break Good Luck

Hey Everybody, I'm checking in with what seems like my 1 monthly post.  I know I don't post much anymore and hopefully that will change in the near future but that doesn't mean that my collecting habits have really changed that much.  Sure I hold my "purse strings" a little tighter because of all the recent events that have happed over the last year or so but it has probably made me a better collector overall.  Seems strange, but paying less for cards makes you appreciate them even more.  That being said, I was able to jump into some group breaks on eBay for some recently released products and I think I did really well for price of admission!

First up is the Stadium Club break I got into.  It cost me maybe a few bucks more than I wanted to spend (which I'll get into at the end of this post).  I think I did OK with the results but I was really hoping get Jonathan Schoop rookie autograph.

I did land this nice diecut Cal Ripken card which will go directly in to my PC of him.  I didn't get the base card to join it in the binder but that's ok for now.  I'll wait for the secondary market to settle before adding it, unless somebody has one to trade me!

I also got this rainbow foil Manny Machado which I was pleasantly surprised to get when I opened the mailer at home.  I didn't see it on the video, nor did the breaker pay it any mind.

I didn't get the full team set from the 3 box break but I did get most of it.  I can't complain about the Ripken diecut either!

The next group break I got into was a 2014 Topps Update 3 box.  One box was a Jumbo (so a 99% guarantee of a team set) and 2 hobby boxes.

I ended up with 2 nice Adam Jones inserts.  Not bad at all..

2 Gold Bordered parallels that I won't need to chase down.

2 Cal Fond Farewells which I'm happy about.

Last but not least, this Nelson Cruz Autographed relic card from the All-Star game!  Its numbered 15 of 25 and wow, it's a really cool card.  I've seen a few of these on the 'bay go for a bout 60 bucks.  Even for a sticker autograph, I'm still happy with it.  Some of the ones I've seen on Ebay Nelson's autograph went off the sticker so I'm glad I ended up with one where he "stayed in the lines"!


The last group break I was in was a Bowman Chrome half case break.  I got in to this one with high hopes of getting an Adrian Marin prospect autograph but didn't get one.  But I did get some Marin love in the break:

This is one of the Static refractor #d13/35.  Not bad.  Adrian Marin was drafted in 2012 out of high school in the 3rd round.  He played on team USA in international competition and the Orioles have aggressively moved him through the minor league system by making him one of the youngest players at each level he's played.  That strategy may have hurt his overall numbers a bit but the talent is there.  He just needs to continue to hit and tighten up his glove work a little more.

So 3 group breaks for the price of a blaster and a half.  I don't think I did awful and I surely couldn't have bought the cards for less money.

Thanks for looking at my post!

Trade with Marcus of All the Way to the Backstop

At the risk of sounding too cliche, there are not enough hours in the day to do everything.  I've been pretty busy lately (truly, who isn't these days?), being pulled every which way but loose.  When I have had "free" time, I've just been too exhausted to put finger to keyboard and come up with coherent material here on the blog.  I have been keeping up on reading as much as possible and I was lucky enough to catch a trade bait post put up by Marcus of the All the Way to the Backstop blog.  Here's a few of the awesome cards he sent my way:

It's a shame that the Tsuyoshi Wada era in Baltimore didn't work out.  He would have been the second Japanese player to play for them in an official game. He had the once-feared Tommy John surgery in 2012, pitched for Triple-A Norfolk in 2013 and signed with the Cubs for 2014.

I was able to add a few Ripkens that I didn't yet have in the collection.  Not much to say about these other than that early '90's unlicensed oddballs don't turn my stomach like that Panini garbage that comes out these days.

Last but not least, a card I've been half-heartedly chasing over the past year.  I hadn't been able to find a copy of this card for a reasonable price on Ebay, COMC, Sportlots, or card shows so I was happy to see Marcus offer one for trade.  I didn't buy any packs of the Heritage last year and I don't plan to this year either.  I'll just rely on my wonderful blogging buddies to trade me the cards I need for the Orioles team set.

Thanks for the great cards, Marcus!

Trade with Brad of Red Sox Fan in Nebraska

I've been reading a lot of 2014 Topps box breaks and pack rips over the last week.  I can tell that 2014 Topps isn't going to go down in history as an all-time favorite design.  Anyways, while perusing my daily reading in the blogosphere, I noticed Brad from Red Sox Fan in Nebraska pulled a couple O's cards from his rips that I was interested in.  We came to a trade agreement so here's the cards he sent:

Even though I have stopped doing my daily searches on Ebay and COMC for Nick Markakis cards, I will still get his cards when they are available.  I've got quite a collection of Nick the Stick but I think my days of super-collecting him may be over unless I win the lottery.

This Manny Machado Power players parallel/game card also caught my eye.  Manny is the future of the O's franchise though I don't currently have the resources to start a huge collection of his cards.  Like Nick above, I'll pick up as many as I can and not fret when I don't get his urine yellow or booger green parallels.

Thanks Brad for hooking me up with these new release O's cards!

Trade with blog reader Shant

I was recently approached by a collector by the name of Shant who had some Orioles cards I needed and offered up a trade.  He sent me a pile of 2013 Topps Updates that I needed as well as a few other O's cards that were pretty cool.

I'm not the biggest Wei-Yin Chen fan out there but I couldn't resist this mini from last year's Gypsy Queen.  I actually look foward to Gypsy Queen each year since Topps has to get creative and come up with a new design.

Shant also sent this Manny Machado X-fractor from last year's Chrome offering.  It scanned a little weird but it's a pretty sweet addition to my Manny binder!

Last but not least, he included this gold bordered parallel from the Update set.  I've always liked the gold bordered parallels and the black bordered parallels, but the other colors are just too much. K.I.S.S. Topps!
 I hope Bud has found a way to get lefthanded hitters out over the winter.  Lefties had some lofty numbers against him in 2013!  Try a split-finger fastball Bud!

Thanks Shant for the nice cards that you sent!

Trade with Judson of My Cardboard Habit

I've been away from regular blogging for nearly 6 months now and I can't say that I'm back to continue regular posting.  There's a variety of reasons that I haven't been more visible but you can read my previous post and pretty much figure it out.  Unless anybody begs me to elaborate on those reasons, I'm not really inclined to write about them.  But I am here right now while I have a few minutes to give thanks for a trade that I recently completed with Judson of My Cardboard Habit.

I will say that 2013 wasn't a banner year for my collection.  I didn't buy as much new product as I had over the past 3 years or so.  That's probably the reason I missed out on adding simple base cards of Orioles like the above Manny Machado card from Bowman Platinum.

Can you believe I actually didn't have this card yet?  I only purchased a couple of packs of Ginter when it was released in August.

Topps Archives is a set that I've never bought a pack of so there's no way I could have obtained this card on my own.  Archives makes me sick to my stomach because it's a lazy product by Topps.  Just mailing it in and resting on their past laurels.  What's going to happen 5 20 years down the road when they need to reprint cards from 2013?  About half of the cards they produced are reprints and the other half only rich people saw (Five Star, Museum Collection, etc.)!

We can't really say that the modern iteration of Allen & Ginter is reprinted.  I guess it is just "reimagined" with all of the modern gimmicks innovations like rip cards and seeds embedded inside.

Judson also made a full frontal assault on my set wantlists.  He knocked quite a few cards off my 2013 Bowman, Topps, and Topps Update lists.  After I finish these 3 sets, I won't build any more modern sets from scratch.  From here on out (or until I change my mind), I'm just going to buy the sets from ebay.  It's cheaper that way anyways.  Busting hobby boxes to build sets is for suckers especially when you are guaranteed a jock strap "relic" card in each box.  No thanks.  

I hate to sound like such a cynical asshole in this post (or maybe not).  I fully realize that I might lose readers by sounding like a Debbie Downer but the state of the hobby and baseball right now is just depressing to me.  If it weren't for blogging, I would have mothballed or even trashed my collection long ago!

So lost in all of my ranting was Judson who I apologize to for hijacking our trade post to spread libel about Topps.  I sincerely thank Judson for trading with me.

Multiple Trade Post

I've received quite a few smaller trade packages in the mail lately.  While the volume of cards received might have been small, each and everyone of them filled a hole in my collection.

First up a Nick Markakis from 2007:

This one came from Dennis of Too Many Verlanders.  This package showed up in my mailbox as an unannounced surprise.  He was digging through some boxes at a card show an though I would like the card!  Boy, was he right!  When I'm dime box digging, I always try to think of my fellow collectors too.  Nothing beats trade bait on the cheap! BTW, this is the refractor version of the insert set and it's numbered 434/500.  It's tough to see the refractory finish in the scan.

Tom from the nice blog Waiting 'til Next Year sent me this Pro Debut from this years set along with a nice stack of 2013 Bowman to help with my set.  Schoop is probably the most advanced offensive prospect the Orioles have now that LJ Hoes is now an Astro.

Next, is a spanking-new Manny Machado Insert from 2013 Topps Series 2.  I think the Chasing History set is pretty well designed, but I think the "records" that are being chased are some what coincidental.  Manny never had a multi-HR game in the minors and on his second day after getting The Call, he smacked 2 dingers in a game.  So I guess that means he'll be chasing that record now....  I dunno, just seems like they had to get the best players in an insert set so they had to think up some off-the-wall records for them to "chase".

I think I will be forever chasing the UD Documentary set from 2008.  162 cards for the team set will keep me busy for quite some time.  BTW, the Machado above and the Markakis are from a reader of the blog named Kyle.

Next is a Gold parallel from this years Bowman that was delivered from Brian of Play at the Plate.  I still don't have the base version of this card though.  I'm sure with "Crush" hitting so many dingers this year, we'll be seeing more and more of his cards in products.

This Machado comes to me from Bryan of Golden Rainbow cards.  I've seen several cards that are in this insert set and I like them a lot.  I love action shots on baseball cards more than posed shots so the Chase it Down insert set is right up my alley.  I won't be collecting the set, just picking up the Adam Jones and calling it complete.

Bryan also included this sweet Miguel Gonzalez gold parallel in a later PWE in the trade.  I'm not quite sure why Topps didn't put the rookie card logo on any of Miguel's cards this year.  As far as I can tell, he hadn't had any cards issued before this year.  If Topps isn't going to put the designation on all of the cards, then don't do it at all!

Thanks to all the great traders that sent these awesome cards!

Trade with Matt of Once a Cub

I've been slacking on getting any posts up lately.  It's not that I've been lazy, it's just that I've been very very busy.  I've been working a lot of over time lately and on top of that I've been working outside in the yard when I get home from work.  I've had limited hobby time but I've made a few deals.  This trade is from Matt of Once a Cub.  He busted a few Opening Day blasters with his buddy Ty in a winner takes all pack wars.  He pulled this nice looking Nick Markakis shiny and I had to have it:

It scanned really well I think!

Moving along, he also included this surprise IP autograph that he got from Orioles Fanfest some years back:

Jay was my de facto favorite player right after Cal retired and then his career sort of fell off the map.  I'll always have a soft spot for the guy even though he was implicated on the Mitchell Report.

Here's the other autograph that he added in the package.  Mark Williamson was a good player for the O's for a number of years in the late 80's /early 90's.  1991 Fleer might not win many awards for design but it sure looks good autographed!

The final card I want to show off is another blue sparkle from Opening Day.  Manny is an exciting young player that I've enjoyed watching play during his short career.  He's holding his own against major league pitching as well as playing stellar defense.  Once he gets over his learning curve offensively, the rest of the league better watch out!

Thanks Matt for the awesome trade!

5-1-12: Bowie Baysox @ Richmond Flying Squirrels

The big move is getting closer but I still had enough time to sneak out to a Flying Squirrels game this past week. I usually only go when there are free tickets involved or the Bowie Baysox are in town.  I had this date marked on the calender since the schedule came out because I really wanted the travel coffee mugs that they were giving away that night........ NOT!  Well the coffee mugs are nice I really went because I wanted this:

And I GOT IT!  Say what you will about Pro Debut, but this autograph turned out awesome!  And not to mention it's Manny freakin' Machado!  He comes as advertised.  He made some great defensive plays in the field and had a decent night at the plate going 1-3 with a walk.  I can't wait to see him play on MASN on a regular basis.

I also got Ronnie Welty on 2 cards which turned out great.  Ronnie's played pretty good so far this year so Triple-A might not be too far down the road for him.

I also got Jonathan Schoop on both of these cards from last year.  He's struggled a bit so far in Double-A but I'm sure he'll figure it out and start mashing again soon.

And the mystery autograph for the night.  Anybody that guesses who this is gets the satisfaction of knowing who it is.  He's been mentioned on the blog before (that really narrows it down).  He's a player that did a really nice thing for me at a Squirrels game last year.

The Baysox won the game 2-0 with a great pitching performance from Zach Clark and some timely hitting by the offense.  I had a good time talking to some of the other fans at the game and just being able to spend sometime not thinking about packing and moving.

Blaster Break: 2011 Bowman Chrome

I know a lot of people don't really care for Bowman or Bowman Chrome but I actually do like them.  I picked up this blaster a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting the breaks.  Here we go:  

These futuristic "Bowman 2021" throwforwards(?) are pretty neat I think.  I was very pleased to get Machado out of the box.  I'm not as thrilled to get a Yankee card but at least its a refractor.

I think this box was supposed to be sent to a Braves area.  I go the 2001 Throwback Chipper in the same pack as I got the regular base issue.  The Will Myers card is interesting because I thought I heard somewhere that the Braves were interested in trading for him.  It seems the Braves and Royals have been pretty frequent traders the last few years much like the Orioles and Rangers.

I told you that this was a Braves box.  Huddy is a refractor though its very difficult to see in the scan.

This post does it for this blaster but it is only the tip of the Chrome iceberg so stay tuned.

Card Show Wrap Up: Part 2

Here's part 2 of my card show wrap-up (if you couldn't tell from the title!)

5. 2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Buster Posey Refractor. I think this card was mistakenly in the wrong box. It was nestled deep in the 7 for 5 dollar box so I couldn't refuse to pick this card up. It looks awesome in person and its in great condition. My Scanner refused to pick up the refractory shine this time.

4. 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars USA Star Prospects 18U National Team UD Game Jersey Manny Machado. What a mouthful to say! I got this card on the cheap from a guy who had a ton of Team USA cards. Most of the higher end Manny stuff was out of my price range but I did drool a little bit on the glass!
3. 2001 Pacific Private Stock Brady Anderson bat card. I've been looking for a Brady Anderson relic card for some time now and I finally got one! He doesn't have many but this one looks awesome! There is even a short bio on the back along with stats. When was the last time you saw a relic card with those on the back?
2. 2007 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Legendary Materials Brooks Robinson. These last two cards I got for a combined 20 bucks a triple relic card #d to 99 of a Hall of Famer and.... you'll see. This is a great looking card. Maybe one of these days I'll feel bold enough to open a box of Legendary Cuts.
1. 2009 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor Autograph Nolan Reimold. I'm sorry if you feel a little let down by the top card on the countdown. I really have a soft spot for Nolan for some unknown reason. Maybe its because he is one of the few legit prospects the O's have in the Upper Minor leagues right now. Regardless this is my favorite card of the show. It doesn't look like it but the autograph is actually on card!
I hope everyone enjoyed seeing my favorite cards from the show!

Card Show Wrap Up: Part 1

I went to the Chantilly card show last weekend and I am just getting around to posting up the results of what I was able to pick up. I'm going to show my top 10 favorite cards over 2 posts (the second post will be tomorrow). Without further ado:

10. 2008 Bowman Sterling Prospects Zach Britton. I've been looking for this card for a while now and I found it in none other than a bargain bin for a quarter. That's right Bowman Sterling for a quarter. It makes me wonder why "collectors" will pay so much for a "box" of cards and end up selling the base cards for peanuts. I personally will never pay more than 5 dollars for a pack of cards no matter what.

I feel bad for Zach though. He was demoted to double-A which he was none too happy about. I was expecting this sort of move by the Oriole front office at some point during the year to stave off his free agency another year (like the Rays did with Longoria and Royals with Hosmer and Moustakas this year.) The Orioles officially say that it was performance related (he has been getting knocked around the park lately) but O's fans are smarter than that. The O's front office wasn't going to bring him to the big leagues until late April/ early May just for the reason of keeping him under team control for another season. I think McPhail was just waiting for Zach to have a bad outing and use that as an excuse for a demotion. The mid-summer circus has truly arrived in Baltimore and won't be pulling out until the end of September.

9. 1967 Topps #1: THE CHAMPS. I did pay a little more for this card but it is totally worth it. This card really is a classic combo card. Not like the garbage of Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez standing around in the outfield with their hands down the front of their All-Star warm up jerseys.
8. 1954 Bowman Dick Kryhoski. I like 1954 Bowman better than the 55 version. Period. It just seems more classy than the woodgrain TVs.

7. 2010 Bowman Chrome 18-U USA National Team Manny Machado. This is one of my Top 10 Most Wanted Orioles cards. I haven't figured out a replacement for this one on the list yet.

I'm trying to get in on the ground floor with this guy before he really turns into the mega-prospect all the scouts think he'll be. I picked up a few other of his cards at the show and you might see him later on in this countdown.

6. 2001 Upper Deck SPX Brian Roberts Rookie Card. I have other Rookie cards of Brian but not as nice as this one. It has a low serial # which is cool but not like it matters. It was a little pricier but I'm happy with the purchase.

There are 2 schools of thought on Brian right now. There are a lot of people saying he is done and others say he still has some fuel in the tank. I'd like to say that I think he still has some good years left in him. Injuries have totally messed up his last 2 seasons but when he gets fully healthy(and stops sliding head first into 1st base) he will be fine.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the conclusion of my card show report.

Trade with Ted of Crinkly Wrappers

Ted from Crinkly Wrappers and I just completed another trade. We've been pretty good trading partners even before he got his blog up and running. He contacted me about the Joe Morgan Legends shortprint that I pulled out of my series 2 hobby box and a new trade was born.

I already had this card but it is an upgrade of the rough conditioned one I had in my team set binder. I like the early action shot of Boog here calling for the pop up. I like these mid 70s action shots because you just don't see action shots like this nowadays.

Speaking of Team sets, Ted also sent me a full team set of 2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants. All 4 of these cards has great shots of the greats from the Orioles past. This was an interesting set that you could even get a real felt pennant out of your hobby box. Apparently the gimmick wasn't enough of a pull to warrant Upper Deck making a followup set in 2006.

Ted also offered up a near team set of this year's Pro Debut. I seem to dabble in prospecting so Pro Debut is right up my alley. I am a little confused as to why Topps is only putting out one series this year. I really like this shot of Manny Machado. It looks like it was taken a nanosecond before the picture on his '10 Bowman Draft Picks Prospect card.

Thanks to Ted for sending these nice cards my way. Good luck on your Vintage Legends personal Collection. I can't wait to see the finished results!