Trade with a Backstop!

I recently completed a very quick and easy trade with Padres collector All The Way to the Backstop! He said I like Darin Erstad.. I knew I had a bunch of those cards I could send his way.. I didn't really ask for anything in return and I got a whole bunch of good stuff!

 

A little bit of everything in thee cards. Abreu, Lee, Rollins, Howard and even Werth when he wasn't all cavemanish with the facial hair. A classic 1986 Schmidt All Star. Those cards never get old! 

The card in the middle is a David Buchanan minor league card. My first! Love the vintage Jim Kaat (pre 1980 qualifies as vintage in my mind). The picture of the stadium is nice. I'm definitely going to one game this year, we'll see how the year goes how many more I attend. Went to 3 last year and had a great time at each one!

Thanks for the trade! and Thanks for reading!

Some former Flyers autos!

I'm currently watching the Flyers game so what better time to show off this pretty cool card I picked up for a good price. For about 5 bucks I got a dual auto of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter.

2 good pictures and both autos are on card. Sucks they traded them and then the Kings won the cup. But thats the way it goes. Hopefully some of the kids they got for those trades can start stepping up into bigger roles.

A quick shout out to Roy and Kalib for helping me out with Topps Series 1, you saved me much angst of opening packs and seeing my 8th Kyle Farnsworth (anyone need one?)

Thanks for reading!

Card show coming up in Philly this weekend can't wait!

2013 Topps Base Want list

Over the last week or so I've opened quite a few packs. I have some cards 4-6 times but I am still missing these base cards:

If you have any of the following lets make a deal!

 11,31,33,55,70,96,118,134,147,208,222,227,267,281,314,319,320

Edit: Thanks to Kalib I will only need number 31 and 208!

Only 17 more cards!

I have a stack of 200 doubles or so, if you need any number besides these good chance I may have another, or if you wanted to swap other card I'm sure we can work something out!

Thanks for reading and look forward to trading!

That's Patch-tastic!

Cheesy blog titles aside.. I picked up another addition to my Ryan Howard Triple Threads collection. It's my 2nd Sapphire one and I'll be on the hunt for the others! The seller was reasonable and we were quickly able to work out a fair deal!

The one on top was the one I just acquired. They really look nice together. If anyone happens to run across the other Triple Threads sayings and its the Sapphire version let me know, I am interested! I've found a couple of the Ruby's on ebay but the sellers want more then triple what I paid for each of these which is too much for non auto cards in my opinion. They sure did a good job putting prime pieces in these cards though! Go Phillies!

Thanks for reading!

Trade with Foul Bunt!

I recently completed a quick and easy trade with William over at Foul Bunt. He posted a Frank Thomas card I was interested in and I sent him stuff he wanted and boom trade! Although thats usually how it works.

Check out some of the stuff!

A whole lot of shininess! The Frank Thomas is a new one to add to my collection from last years Gypsy Queen. The Robin Roberts is my first Topps Tribute base card. The Co signers Ryan Howard Jimmy Rollins is a cool looking card and also only umbered out of 75. The other Howard is also a new one to add to my ever growing Howard Collection.

The main even that started the trade...

A pretty sweet Bat Relic featuring two photos of The Big Hurt!

Thanks for the trade William, look forward to the next one!

1995 Frank Thomas inserts!

I recently picked up some fun PC cards for my Frank Thomas Collection! I always wanted these cards when I was younger but I was never lucky enough to pull them in a pack and I couldn't afford to buy the singles at the time! I got these all for not expensive (probably paid more on shipping total).

Check em out!

This Hot Numbers insert is from 1995 Flair. It's cool it lists all of his great numbers up to that point! Look at the focus!

I always loved these hobby only Team Leaders cards. I want to eventually complete this set but so far this is the only card I have. If anyone has any for trade, I'm interested!

Last but certainly not least 1995 Emotion NNN TENSE! Feel the N tensity! I like the shininess of the card. These were the one per box (or slightly worse odds I don't remember) that came from this set. I would love to crack a case of 1995 emotion and write a story with all the emotional words on the cards! Now that would be blogging.

2013 Topps Sorting update. I am missing quite a few of the base set. I am planning to have the want list up after work tomorrow. I have a ton of doubles and triples etc so hopefully we can help each other out!

Thanks for reading!

Quick 2013 Topps Update

Just opened a whole bunch of random packs. After sorted I will see what doubles I can trade and what base cards I need to complete the set to facilitate some trades. The cut to the chase cards are really nice!

Trade with Underdog (half done!)

I recently almost completed another trade with the Underdog! He sent me another nice mix of cards so I thought I would share with everyone. The reason I say half done is because I am still working on what I want to send back. I have a few cards in mind just have to put it all together (I'm shooting to send it Saturday) Without further ado!

The Richie Allen from 1969 makes another appearance! I was listening to sports talk radio and they were talking about Richie Allen and apparently he used a 40 ounce bat and always said the harder the wood the farther the ball goes. I'm a big fan of the Roy Halladay popup. The Own The Game Jimmy is super shiny. I hope he has a big year this year. All I remember from last August when the Phillies weren't playing so hot and Jimmy didn't run out a few ground balls and that was the talk dujour for a few days. Run it out Jimmy and get on base more often!

The Curt Schilling on the top right is a interesting card. It has stars and has an interesting feel. Now once we invent feeling over the internet I would show everyone. Now you  might be asking yourself why would Brad scan Travis Lee?!? He is not known for doing anything of note but I assure you I have a reason and I will tell you now. The only Grand Slam I have ever seen in person was Travis Lee against the Dodgers in Veteran's Stadium! That was fun! I missed Kevin Millwood's perfect game (still regret not taking those tickets) but I did see a Grand Slam!

 

I scanned Adam Eaton.. not because he was ever good for the Phillies. But he was once put on the DL for stabbing himself in the stomach with a knife trying to open up a CD!!! 

Thanks for reading and thanks for the almost done trade!

Trade with Wicked!

As many of you know The Baseball Don is a great trader and a great guy. The first package he sent me is stuck somewhere in a USPS warehouse probably destroyed or something, but being the upstanding guy that he is he sent another one without hesitation and he did not disappoint. I sent him an ARod auto some sepia refractors and a few other relics and he sent back a ton of stuff. I just scanned some highlights.

We have 3 autos in this scan, of Jim Eisenriech, Greg Luzinski and Al Dark. The Al Dark is really cool cause it is on an actual 1960 Topps card. Eisenreich was one of my favorite Phillies on the 1993 team! There's also a sweet Richie Allen from 69 Topps!

There's a nice mini of Pedro Felix numbered out of 50! My first numbered mini out of Ginter! The Curt Simmons auto is pretty cool. The card is in the middle is an Oscar Mayer card of Frank Thomas! Definitely a crazy odd ball ! And oh yea my 2nd Auto of the Big Hurt was included.

Here's some more awesome cards. The Frank Thomas is actually a slide.. If I had a projector I would make him the size of the wall and take down all the pictures in my apartment, it would be great. Another Phillies auto of Kent Tekulve. Some more relics and awesomeness. The Ryne Sandberg with a Phillies hat.. oh what could have been if they didn't trade him to the Cubs.

Thanks for the trade Wicked!

The Absolute GEM of my Collection .. 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle

I am still giddy that I have this card! I picked it up a couple weeks ago and it just makes me happy to have it be the number one card in my entire collection! It's not in perfect shape but it still looks quite good and the picture is quite sharp. I'll let the picture speak for itself.

The Main Event of my Mantle collection:

Graded 2 but there isn't any major flaws. The back is clean as well! This was the last piece of the Mantle puzzle and it carried a steep price but it was worth every penny! I will let the card speak for itself!

I hope everyone enjoyed my Mantle Series! I'm not sure which player I'm going to go after next, but I enjoyed chasing these cards too much, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to give it a go for more vintage fun!

Now that you've seen all the Mantles (minus 52 Topps) what's your favorite? Personally, I'm still partial to 1955 Bowman thats the card that started this chase!

1952 Topps.. Sorry Bowman Mickey Mantle

I never thought I'd ever write a post kinda disappointed I wasn't able to swing for the 1952 Topps. I decided for this collection to get at least one major card from each of his playing days. I settled for the 1952 bowman! A nice consolation prize!

The card is nice and beat up but I don't have a lot of 1952 Bowman and its hard to find a much bigger name then Mantle! This is my almost rookie card!

Just a quick one tonight kinda tired but all is good! Happy Valentine's day tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

1953 Topps Mickey Mantle...!

Yes, I acquired the famed 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle... The slightly less famous then its brother 1952 Topps. The card looks really nice just one obvious flaw..

The kinda tiny pinhole at the top. It goes through but its really hard to tell on the back of the card. Maybe someone with more knowledge then myself can tell me, why do some of these old cards have pin holes? Did people have really fancy bulletin boards and stick baseball cards up on them? Bike spokes wouldn't do that right? Inquiring minds (me) want to know.

Either way, this card is amazing! The colors and everything else really pop! Only a couple posts left in this Mickey Mantle series! Thanks for all the comments so far I really enjoy them!

1954 Bowman Mickey Mantle!!

Next up, we have a sweet 1954 Bowman Mickey Mantle! Of all the more expensive Mantle's to acquire this was the first one I pulled the trigger on. I am really happy with the condition and look of this card!

In this picture Mantle is smiling! It's a nice change from the later years. I like the nice bright background as well. Interesting fact from the back of the card "the man who brought bubble gum and the tape measure to national prominence". To think desks everywhere would not be sticky if it weren't for Mickey Mantle!

Also Trivia question from 1954.. What modern American Leaguer is first to have a batting average of over .400 in a decade? (I also believe its the last time it happened as well, correct me if I am wrong)

If you didn't already know after reading that the answer is Ted Williams.

I really like this vintage card collecting. I honestly had no plans to go into vintage but I really got into it when I went to a card show with my gf and was searching for cards for my brother Dan at the Other World. I really like doing a certain player and going after all of there playing day cards! I'll have to decide which Hall of Famer or fun player to go after next! Suggestions are welcome!
Exclamation point!

Thanks for reading!

Seeing Double of Mickey!

Onto 1955 Bowman Mickey Mantle. I really like the TV look of this set. It's very appealing to the eye and the cards look good. I happened to grab 2 of them!

Both of these auctions were from the same seller ending within 5 minutes of each other but they were ending during working hours. Being the smart person I am I threw bids on both of them hoping to win one and as luck would have it I won them both! I'm not upset at all having 2 as they both look pretty good. Together they are a 2 by 4! (bad joke I know)

Thanks for reading! More exciting stuff to come!

We are nearing the Iconic Mantle Cards!

I may use the word Iconic too much but in this case I believe it is warranted. Any Mantle from 1956 on down should qualify. They are hard cards to come by and very nice to see in person! This entry is from the awesome 1956 set!

Some kid in 1956 wrote "Good Player" on the top of this copy! Gives it character and now I will forever know he is a good player! The card as you can see is a solid graded one but its still nice. I love the headshot mix with the action shot in the background. It's like the out of bounds short prints from this years tops! Nice catch Mick!

I know I've been discussing a couple trades with a few of you. I'll try and reach out in the next week to finalize some deals so we can get some cardboard flying back and forth! That's what it's all about!

Thanks for reading.. on deck possibly my favorite one of the bunch 1955 bowman!

1957 Topps Mickey Mantle!

This was actually the last card I tracked down for this mini collection. I had a bunch of offers rejected and finally got a seller to counter offer and we came to an agreeable price!

It's also probably the worst condition card but thats ok it was hard to get:

It's nice and beat up. I do like the picture on the card though. He has the same look as the other cards but the action is good.

Too tired to muse at the moment. Ebay selling has been going well. I've sold 10 cards so far, may take a week off then sell some more!

I'm still working on the Panini Cooperston set. I have a want list and trade list on my page if anyone wants to swap a few. I'm really close to completeing the regular base set!

Thanks for reading! Its everyone who reads that keeps me posting!

Moving on down to 1958! Mickey Mantle of course

We are continuing the countdown this evening! The 1958 Topps set is nice but I don't think its as nice as 1959 personally. I would still lean towards collecting all of 59 over 58. (Besides all the Phillies team sets, I'm still chasing those).

Check it out (You may recognize the picture)

The card itself has one bad corner and some wear along the front, but its still nice and orange! Not sure how Topps decided to put that background for a Yankees card. On a semi kinda sorta related note I ate an orange at work today! It was good!

Just a quick post tonight, my ebay auctions are ending and I'm hoping for some more bids! My first selling experience on ebay is going well (when I was 12 years old I ran some email online auctions if anyone cares) and if you want any Magic the Gathering cards let me know and I'll see what I have, Thanks!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the lovely 1957!

Welcome to the 50s!

We have made it to the 1950's portion of the Mickey Mantle countdown!! I hope everyone is as excited as I am.

Here is the first entry:

As you can see its slabbed a solid 1! I still like it though! The 1959 set is very colorful and nice to look at. If I ever decide to go after a vintage set this is definitely a candidate for inclusion. I am noticing a trend with Mick's photos though. He is always looking longingly past the camera. What is he thinking about? Women, drinks or something existential? Inquiring minds want to know!

On another fun note, my new card case is officially hung up! I already filled it with cards and it looks great! (Will show it later of course) I'm still trying to get the order I like down and debating whether to turn some of the horizontal cards vertical to make some more room for other good stuff! Not a bad problem to have!

Thanks for reading! What's your favorite Mantle?

1960 Mickey Mantle!!

I took a short weekend break from the blog due to mainly being busy and going out! I had my fun and now back to the Mantle countdown! Everyone's favorite colorful set 1960!

I like the lettering as I'm sure everyone else does. It's a nice posed shot and then the little picture on the left hand side. The card itself just has that mark up top but other then that its in pretty solid shape. I don't know what it would grade and I don't particularly care!

I enjoyed the super bowl for what it was, a decent game with some controversy. I am an Eagles fan so I wasn't really cheering for anyone in particular. (And my fantasy team has been long eliminated)

On another unrelated note I retrieved the case I should previously and its awesome! It has 2 hooks on the top so it can hang right up on the wall. I'll be sure to take a picture once I get it filled up!

And yet another unrelated note, I am continuing my ebay sales of my Magic Cards, the first 5 are gone and the next 5 are currently up (ends Wednesday) ebay link If you're into Magic I'm listing a near mint Juzam Djinn and a beat up Beta Sinkhole so some good stuff!

Thanks for reading! I've enjoyed looking at everyones 2013 Topps posts. I've yet to get any myself but I'm sure I will eventually!

1961 Mickey Mantle!!!!!!!

We are almost done the 60s and getting into the rarer Mickey Mantle cards. The 1961 set is a nice simplistic design but its look elegant in its design (yes I just grammatically destroyed that sentence).

The card itself is a bit off center but the rest of it is real nice and clean. I like the look away from the camera shot hes doing in this picture. I'm sitting here watching hockey and talking about baseball and the super bowl is this weekend. Trifecta of sports!

Today I was a little late for work, not cause I overslept or anything like that, because I was trying to figure out paypal. Ebay and paypal don't tell you all the little things you need to do when you decide to sell some stuff. I've used my girlfriend's ebay account quite a bit and am selling some mtg cards through there. I had my paypal linked but didn't change the email address. When the customers paid unbeknownst to me the payment went to her paypal not mine! Ok no problem I'll just gift the money from her to me. But wait shes not verified so first I have to link a bank account to her account so she can receive the money and then gift it. So I essentially gift myself and the payment won't go through. Even though my bank account is verified I forgot to verify my email! Happy ending though I was able to transfer the money and all is right in the world, but that was a fun little online wire transfer adventure!

That was a good way to make a long story ... long.

Can't wait to go to the post office tomorrow! I am picking up the last 2 Mantles (required signature confirmation) They are going to look sweeeeeeet together!

Happy Wing Bowl day (even though it ended around 10 am) and Happy eve of the eve of the Super Bowl!