The real DFG Group Break Haul

As some of you may know The Real DFG over at DFG hosted a 5 box hockey group break. The price point was really low for one team and one random team. I picked the Flyers of course and my random team was the Anaheim Ducks which worked in my favor as you will see shortly. It was a good mix of cards for a good price. Thanks for hosting!

I only took pics of 3 cards (got around 50 or so)

 

The middle card is a sweet relic of Sergei Fedorov numbered out of 220. The Roenick is some sort of parallel numbered out of 450 and the Sharp is some sort of parallel numbered out of 1650. I received many other shiny and diecut cards. Also, I was very impressed with the business card in the package, a very nice touch. 

Just some random musings as well, I am enjoying this blogging thing. I like sharing with the card world the pickups and I enjoy the banter of trading. Since starting the blog i've already have agreed to 2 trades and I look forward to posting those when they come in!

Thanks for reading!

Mondo Group Break Haul (It's a real good one)!

I participated in Thorzul's group break over at Thorzul will rule's blog. I had the White Sox and the Dodgers. The Dodgers portion was much more plentiful but all of this stuff is quality.

Check it out:

Dual Relic Mark Buehrle and Johan Santana 12/99
Mark Buehrle Spectrum relic 69/75
Frank Thomas/Magglio Ordonez Game used ball (had no idea this existed but I like it!)
Harold Baines Legendary Cuts relic 130/199

 

James Loney Topps 206 mini relic framed

Darryl Strawberry relic 20/50

Maury Wills Legendary bat card 

Matt Kemp relic

Orel Hershiser relic 10/88

 

2 Bill Madlock Relics

Jeff Kent crazy super thick card 13/18 

Jeff Kent spectrum relic 89/99

 

2 Bill Madlock Legendary cuts 75/199 and 169/199

Maury Wills Bat card

And in my opinion the coolest card a SIX relic card, three jerseys and three bats

Hideo Nomo, Kazuhisa Ishii and Chan ho Park on the front and Rickey Henderson, Shawn Green and Al Oliver on the back 39/75

Awesome haul. 

If anyone is interested in trading feel free to contact me. Night Owl I know you expressed interest in some of these let me know which ones and we can work something out.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

Ebay Purchase!!

I just bought a redemption on ebay, submitted an offer and seller accepted.

Check it out..


























Ridiculous, can't wait to display it!!

Case Recap and Review!

Topps Chrome this year is a large improvement over last year. Last year the Heritage Chrome inserts and vintage chrome got a bit tiring to see pack after pack. This year chrome got back to its roots and the only additional insert was the die cuts which are a big hit. They are nice looking cards that come one per box. The addition of non rookie short printed autos is a nice touch and adds some more chase appeal.

Overall I would give Chrome a solid A.

Recap of the case:

Atomic Refractor: Cliff Lee (03/10) (odds 1:383)

Cut from the Same Cloth: Matt Moore/Jeremy Hellickson Dual Auto(2/5) (odds 1:8,430)

Redemption Card: Bryce Harper Black Auto Refractor ?/100 (already redeemed) (odds 1 in 4 cases?)

Sepia Auto: Zack Cozart (73/75) (odds 1:395)

Black Auto: Jesus Montero (66/100) (odds 1:296)

Blue Auto: Collin Cowgill (181/199), Eric Surkamp (157/199), Drew Smyly (39/199) (odds 1:149)

Refractor auto: Chris Parmalee (449/499), Jordan Pacheco (41/499), Wily Peralta (472/499) (odds 1:73)

Base Autos: Devin Mescoraco, Brad Peacock, Jacob Turner, Jarrod Parker, Drew Smyly, Zack Cozart, Addison Reed, Tom Milone, Austin Romine, Chris Parmalee (2), Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Tsuyoshi Wada, Matt Dominguez(2)

Red Refractor: Jayson Werth (1/25), Robinson Cano (22/25) (odds 1:153)

Gold Refractor: Dan Haren (4/50), Ryan Howard (32/50) (odds 1:82)

Sepia Refractor: Eric Surkamp (18/75), Clayton Kershaw (58/75), Ryan Braun (66/75), Derek Jeter (38/75) (odds 1:55)

Black Refractor: Jhoulys Chacin (24/100), Mariano Rivera (5/100), Salvador Perez (86/100), Joe Mauer (22/100), Adam Jones (57/100), Jeff Locke (40/100), Joe Benson (73/100), Wilin Rosario (15/100) (odds 1:41)

Blue Refractor: Carlos Santana (179/199), Matt Hague (4/199), Ryan Zimmerman (169/199), Justin Mourneau (55/199), Joe Mauer (104/199), Brian McCann (150/199), Brian Wilson (44/199), Tim Hudson (23/199), Tyler Pastornicky (70/199), James Darnell (124/199), Devin Mescaro (80/199), Michael Taylor (138/199), Adam Dunn (149/199)

Die Cuts: Jose Reyes, Michael Pineda, Ichiro, Curtis Granderson, Albert Pujols, Ian Kinsler, Jose Bautista, Cliff Lee, Derek Jeter, Matt Kemp, Josh Hamilton, Giancarlo Stanton

I received the exact right amount of Xfractors (4 per box) and base refractors (8 per box).

If you couldn't tell throughout my posting, this case was amazing by my standards. Completely destroyed the odds 3 different times. Last year my only hit like that was a Adam Dunn printing plate. To get 3 in one shot is amazing. Currently the die cuts are not up to trade cause I am exploring going after the set. If you are interested in any of the other refractors/base cards etc let me know and we can try and figure out a trade. If you want any close up pictures of a particular card that can be provided. Today was a fun day of baseball card pack ripping and hanging out with my super awesome girlfriend.

Thanks for reading !!!

Whats in a Case (Part 12 of 12)

And the pack busting fun is over, it was highly enjoyable to bust my 2nd case ever. I think I did quite well over all. I did not complete the 3rd set so I have many many doubles, triples etc that if you need any cards please send me a list and we can work something out. The last box had one lowlight and one highlight.

Onto the hits:

 

The highlight is the Derek Jeter sepia. Its a truly nice looking card. The lowlight is the Chris Parmalee auto.. I got 3 of them in 12 boxes. I would've liked a little more variety then that. The diecut stayed true, got exactly one per box and they are all nice looking cards. 

My last post on this case will be a wrap up post. I'm willing to trade all the cards except the phillies I pulled. I know my want list is woefully not updated at the moment but I hope to fix that sometime this week. Thanks everyone for reading and I hope that I've conveyed the enjoyment I've gotten from the cards as much as possible. The only hit missing is the uncut redemption sheet oh well maybe next time!

Whats in a Case (Part 11 of 12)

After the 11th box, I am still 15 cards short of the 3rd base set. There are plenty of quadruples and quintuples now. I am more then willing to trade these extra base cards to help fill out sets. This box had 2 really great hits. I can't complain at all about this case as it continues to impress. I just hope the last box is as good as the entire case.

Onto the hits:

Sorry about the small size guess I forgot to zoom in (I was never a good photographer). The auto that has a glare is a base auto of the Japanese pitcher Wada. One of the big hits is a Jesus Montero auto black refractor. The other is the Robinson Cano red refractor (2nd red of the case). I've received 2 gold and 2 red and the red are almost twice as rare. Go figure.

Onto the last box, I will write about that one and give a quick stats post to wrap it up!

Whats in a Case (Part 9 and 10 of 12)

The momentum has slowed a little near the end here. Two boxes left. Tons of excitement with 3 major hits beating the odds. This case has continued to beat the odds with the next 2 boxes as well which is always appreciated. Box 9 though did not have one single card needed for the third base set. Box 10 did manage to knock out a few and as of writing this I am currently 15 cards away from base set 3. The diecuts continue to be favorite cards in every box.

Box 9 hits:

 

I'm happy I pulled the Addison Reed auto, I like that hes the closer of the white sox and want him to do well. The Zack Cozart auto is the Sepia version numbered out of 75. The Mauer is nice since now the blue and the black were pulled. The Brian Wilson is cool too, gotta love the beard. 

Box 10:

 

The Drew Smyly is the third blue auto refractor that his hit this case. I think thats pretty impressive. Back to back boxes, back to back Zack Cozart autos. Another Brave as a blue refractor.. I will trade those for Phillies refractors if anyone is interested. 

 

I'm excited to open 2 more boxes and I hope everyone is enjoying this journey through a case. This is my first time documenting this type of thing and any tips or comments are greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

Whats in a Case (Part 8 of 12)

It would have been near impossible to top that last box with that ridiculous hit. The collation continues to be strong, so far through 8 boxes there is only one quadruple (Ichiro). This box was not a let down, had 3 different colored refractors and a base auto refractor.

Onto the hits:

 

I was very happy to see the Ryan Howard gold and the Cliff Lee diecut (going to the game tomorrow to see them both!). The Drew Smyly autograph is nice. I like his name don't know much else about him. The Parmalee is the first auto double but is the refractor. Overall getting the Howard put this box in the great category in my mind since I'm a Phillies guy. 

Onto the next box.. on too much of a roll tonight to stop now!

 

Whats in a Case (Another Ridiculous hit) (Part 7 of 12)

The collation perfectness continues. I have exactly 0 quadruples, 2 complete sets and working on the third. This box absolutely destroyed the odds. Without further ado here are the hits:

 

There were only 3 hits associated with this box, normally this would warrant a call to Topps cause I'm missing some guaranteed cards but I'm not upset one bit and you will see why shortly. The Jeter diecut is nice and I believe my girlfriend decided that we are collecting this set. The auto is of Brad Peacock (he has the best first name ever). 

Here is the monster: (Based on the odds of the back of the pack this is a 1 every 29 CASES hit)

Yes that is a dual autograph of Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson numbered 2/5!!!

Ridiculous!!

Halfway Done! (And Enjoying it all!)

Holy Collation! 6 boxes. Can't make this stuff up. Had 3 cards left to complete the base set. One pack left. Pull an extra blue refractor (2 in one box score!) and get the exact 3 cards needed to complete the set. I wonder if the person who put this case together did this on purpose. It was like a eery moment of awesome.

Now onto the hits!

 

The diecut is Curtis Granderson which is cool. Both of the blue refractors are twins, Morneau and Mauer which is really cool to pull the M&M boys in the same box. The Pacheco is a refractor auto. The Romine is cool maybe he'll become the starting catcher for the yankees. Apparently Eric Surkamp is stalking me cause I got a sepia refractor and a refractor auto of his. (If I get the super refractor I will collect the rainbow). The black refractor is of future hall of famer Mariano Rivera. 

If I had to pick a favorite card it has to be the 2 blue refractors. Love that they both came in the same box. 

Thanks for reading!

Whats in a Case (Combined Part 4/5 of 12)

My girlfriend and I just finished opening up 2 more boxes. To say lady luck is on our side is an understatement. We have another monster hit that came out of box 5. Completely crushing the odds in this case. I figured I was done celebrating and high fiving after the Harper hit but I am just as happy about this one for a different reason. It's a Phillie and a big piece of their team. And oh yea its an atomic refractor numbered out of 10.

Box 4 hits:

The diecut is a sweet Matt Kemp. The Sepia refractor (which honestly look really good) is Ryan Braun. Received another auto blue refractor of Colin Cowgill. All in all a solid box but not spectacular.

Box 5 hits:

 

The 2 autos were base and the diecut is a nice one of future hundred millionaire Josh Hamilton. The name on the blue refractor is cutoff but it is former Phillies prospect Michael Taylor. The crown jewel of this box is the Cliff Lee atomic refractor. It is a pretty card and super short print. I'm sure I'll be busting some more soon. Not even done half the case and I feel like it's been more then solid. Also, the collation so far has been incredible. One complete base set and zero triples through 5 boxes. 

Thanks for reading!

 

Whats in a Case (Part 3 of 12) Monster Hit!

This box proved to be quite fruitful. After 3 boxes I have a complete 220 card base set. Just to put that in perspective last year after 11 boxes I only had 2 base sets of 2011 Chrome. I am well on my way to completing more then 2 base sets which will make trading the base cards much easier. This box had not 2, but 3 autographs.

First the regular 'hits':

 

The Pujols diecut is pretty awesome.  I don't often pull nice cards of his so I was happy to see it. The gold is numbered out of 50 thats the first gold refractor of the case. The autograph Wily Peralta is a refractor numbered out of 499. The McCann is a the blue refractor numbered out of 199. Of all the colors even though they aren't the rarest I really like the blue ones. Last year the atomic refractors were the favorite, they look really nice in pages together. The other auto is a base auto of Tom Milone. 

Last but not least my monster hit:

Yes that is a Bryce Harper redemption for a black refractor numbered out of 100!! Super excited to pull something so crazy. I'm leaning towards keeping it and hoping hes the next big thing. I plan on redeeming it at least to have the card in hand and if I want to sell it I would have the physical card to ship. What made this all the sweeter is its just a bonus hit in the pack there was still 4 cards and the redemption card. I don't 100% know how rare it is but based on my sources (Dan from the other world) it could be one every 4 cases. I can't wait to see the card in hand and I will show all of you (currently all 6 of my readers) what it looks like. 

I will be busting another box shortly, this case had already surpassed my expectations!

Thanks for reading!

What's in a Case (Part 2 of 12)

What can I say? With the help of my beautiful girlfriend we opened the 2nd box of the case. This box featured some harder to pull cards. We got the first red refractor of the break and a auto blue refractor (I'm a big fan of the auto refractors I think they look really good).

Without further ado:

 

The die cut is Michael Pineda which who knows if he will recover back to his rookie form. The auto refractor is Eric Surkamp numbered out of 199. The other auto is Matt Dominiguez of Miami and according to the back of the card he played baseball with his father and two brothers growing up. The Werth is numbered 1/25 (ebay 1/1!). I'm a Phillies fan if you couldn't tell by the name of the URL so I still like Werth even though he is on the upstart Nationals. The other refractor is rookie Matt Hague from Pittsburgh, I don't know much about him. 

I would say the card of the box is the Werth I like the red and I like the player so hard to beat that!

Thanks for reading!

What's in a Case (Part 1 of 12)

As I stated yesterday I would post my first box results (the interesting stuff). Everyone has seen the base cards by now. In this box I got a decent smattering of cards. There were no doubles which is always nice and the inserts fell at the exactly correct rate.

Onto the cards:

 

The 2 autos were underwhelming, although Paramelee seems like he might turn into something. The Kershaw looks super nice and is numbered out of 75. The Diecut cards are real sweet. I haven't decided if I'm going to go for that set it would look really nice together. The Chacin is numbered out of 100 I like the way the chrome on the batter makes him look like a ghost. The Zimmerman is numbered out of 199, I like him this year cause I traded for him in fantasy baseball right before he got on the crazy hot streak (I'm going to the playoffs thanks Ryan). 

I would say the winner of this box is the Kershaw, the player the photography and the low print run make that the best card of the box. 

Thanks for reading!

Chrome has been delivered! (And Fantasy team #2)

As stated in my previous post about Fantasy Football I was only doing 4 leagues this year... well now it's five another league needed a person at the last minute and I took the spot. My 2nd draft was tonight and as usual it was a good time. This league has been around since before the internet and its almost the same guys every year.

14 team league, 8th pick: (only need to start 1 WR and 1 RB and 2 flex)

QB: Matt Stafford
WR: Victor Cruz
WR: Marques Colston
WR: DeSean Jackson (he's trying this year!)
RB: Cedric Benson
K: Jason Hanson
DEF:Falcons
Bench: Torrey Smith, Michael Bush, Andy Dalton, Brandon LaFell, Roy Helu, Washington D

Just to give you an idea of the craziness of this draft, some guys taken in the 2nd round were:
DeMarco Murray, Darren Sproles, Ahmad Bradshaw, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Mike Vick

Maybe its just me but I don't understand taking any of those guys when Roddy White or Greg Jennings or even Jordy Nelson is still on the board. The scoring for WR and RB are exactly the same.

Chrome Update:

I have the case in hand... I busted one of the boxes. I will show the cards tomorrow, probably the best card was a dodger.

Thanks for reading!

Quick Chrome Update

According to dscsportscards.com my case has been shipped and should arrive by the end of the day tomorrow! Can't wait to start busting and sharing!

My First Package as an Offical Blogger (Contest winnings!)

As some of you may know Eutaw Street Cardboard (Eutaw Street) was holding a selling out for the national sale. I picked up 168 Frank Thomas cards and some other random goodies. He was kind of enough to offer up some free stuff that he randomized off at the end. I was lucky enough to get first choice and picked up a nice 1990 year book signed by Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. But that wasn't all! In this package I also received my first ever triple autographed card. Cal Ripken Jr, Jim Palmer and Rick Dempsey. Two all time greats on one card, I can't ask for much more. Thanks Kirk!

I know it's not Baseball related but Fantasy Football is upon us

Every year I join 4-5 Fantasy Football leagues. This year I dropped the 5th one and am just going to concentrate on 4. I have a work league, a old neighborhood league, a college buddy league and a league thats been around since before the internet.

So far I've only had the work league draft. This draft is auction style. I think I ended up with a solid team. This league isn't for money just bragging rights so I went for 3 Eagles naturally.

Each team started with 200 dollar budget, 10 team league.

Check out my team:

QB - Aaron Rodgers
WR - Jeremy Maclin
WR - DeSean Jackson
WR - Brandon LaFell
RB - Arian Foster
RB - LeSean McCoy
TE - Jared Cook
K - David Akers
DEF - Houston
BENCH: Matt Stafford, Ben Tate, Mike Crabtree, Donald Brown, Shonn Greene, Martellus Bennett, Randall Cobb, Jacquizz Rodgers

I spent the most money on Rodgers(47 dollars) followed by Foster (42) and McCoy(40). I wanted Calvin Johnson but he went for the most in the entire draft at 52.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments I'm always up for discussing fantasy football strategies.

Also in baseball card news, the order for 2012 Topps Chrome case has officially gone through. I hope to receive the case later this week and start busting and sharing this coming weekend. I will definitely be up for trading and I'm pretty excited to see what comes out of 12 boxes. I haven't decided yet but I think I will be going for the base refractor set. I busted a case last year and got some pretty good stuff in my opinion.

The Beginning (First Post!)

I have finally decided to start my own sports cards blog.

I am mainly a baseball card collector but I dabble in the other sports.

I am a complete homer and cheer for the Phillies, Flyers, Sixers and Eagles (in no particular order).

I was introduced to this blogging community by my brother Dan. dansotherworld

My collecting history:

I began collecting cards in the early 90s when mom would buy us some 1990 topps cards(the 89 upper deck were too expensive). I collected pretty heavily for 5 years. In 1995 I switched to collecting magic cards. I collected those pretty heavily until about 7th or 8th grade. I started trading/buying/selling online in 1995 when I was 10 years old. I sold off a good bit of them in online auctions and then got more interested in sports girls and poker. Through college I didn't collect anything major (nor could I afford too). I recently got back into collecting when I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine last year and opened a 2011 Topps Chrome case. That was a ton of fun to bust and I've been hooked on collecting sets and relics and autos ever since. 

That covers the gist of it.

I have traded with a few of you and participated in several box breaks (which is a fantastic idea to get your team without spending a lot of money on individual boxes).

I hope to have some trade bait pages up and some want/have lists so I can get to completing sets and helping others complete sets.