Cards from Scott!

I can finally post these. They have been in my scan folder way way way too long (song reference). Scott is one of my dozens of readers and he always keeps an eye out for Frank Thomas cards. Always much appreciated when he reaches out with some new ones. I finally (my bad) hit him back with a decent package of cards so I'm going to post The Big Hurt's that he has sent over semi recently.

Really like the Leaf Limited cards. I remember as a kid in the 90s thinking those were way out of my price range.

A nice mix of base and inserts. Always up for receiving parallels, even though some aren't 'worth' as much they are still hard to find. I am now up to 821 unique Frank Thomas cards. That's larger then my Ryan Howard PC. Although I have way more autographs and relics of Howard (mainly due to prices)

Thanks for the cards Scott and hope you liked the return cards!

Some stuff

Just popping on the blog to say hello. 'Hello!' Watched the Eagles get a really good win on the road against the Rams. Unfortunately it's sounding like Wentz is done until next year. Eagles obviously still make the playoffs (clinched the division) but who knows after that. Foles has played in the playoffs  before so hes not completely unfamiliar but the offense has to change without Wentz. Like Cubs fans used to say, there is always next year...

These are all of my 1993 Finest Refractors. ***Not all originals, clearly** Although, I am glad I snagged the Howard out of 25 at some point. They seem to be tough parallels to come by. I'm still trying to complete the Phillies team set of the originals. Still need the Kruk and Schilling. I'm not willing to overpay so I'll be on the lookout for a decent deal. Just to give you guys and girls an idea for the other 4 Phillies, none were more then 15 dollars. Saw an unopened box of 1993 Finest at the show a couple weekends ago. The guy wanted 650.00! Can't open the box at that price since there are so few cards that you'd make your money back. Heck, I'd be beyond thrilled if I hit the Frank Thomas refractor out of a pack, and I don't think its worth 650. (I paid significantly less for the one pictured above). Whoever thought shiny=good in baseball cards is a genius though. Still holds true today.

Thanks for reading!

Philly Show Recap (some cool stuff!)

Yesterday my wife and I went to the Philly Show in King of Prussia. The big draws on Saturday for signers were Mike Schmidt and Rhys Hoskins. We decided not to get any do to the price point though. Schmidt was 150 for normal signed stuff and Hoskins was 85. We arrived around 11 AM and the parking lot was packed. Literally had to park at the very back of the lot. The show itself was very busy. It was nice to see young and old people throughout the show and it seemed like most people were buying and browsing. We tend to talk to dealers and most of them seemed to be doing well or at least faked having a good time.

This show we had a good list to work off of. It was almost all vintage though. Working real hard on completing some Phillies team sets and knocking off some random PC cards that I've wanted.

In no particular order..

 

This is 1965 Topps Embossed. It's a fun little set. Lots of big names. There are only 4 Phillies though, just need one more to complete this endeavor. 

 

This was one of the big rookie HOF cards I've wanted. Already have the Ryan so putting this next to it looks real nice. The card itself is in good shape, no creases or bad corners, its just diamond cut so I didn't pay a premium for it. 

 

A big push was focusing on the Phillies multi team cards in the 60s. I had picked up some by happenstance and finally made a list of what I needed. Some real good players on these cards. 

 

This card has some wear to it (one of the corners is real bad) so it was real cheap. Happy to grab the Fisk for cheap though. 

 

A few more Phillies from 1972. A couple of high numbers. The 1963 Rookie stars card was new too. When I was putting the cards in binders I realized I had duped this card. Not the end of the world and then I realized I mistakenly bought the other variation. (one says 1962 on the top). No idea which one is rarer but glad I have both!

 

A pretty sweet Miggy Rookie Card. I figure he counts for the Hall of Fame Rookie Card PC. I'm pretty confident he'll make it first ballot after he retires. He's most like Albert Pujols and Frank Robinson through his Age 34 season according to baseball reference. Solid.

 

This is my Wife's PC addition. She's always on the lookout for fun cards and squirrel cards. If you have any squirrels let me know, will trade or buy!

 

This polished off the 1967 team set. That short print on the left was tough to find. It's a sharp card. Also, can't go wrong with a card featuring Clemente and Aaron.

This finished off the 1969 team set as well. The rookie stars didn't quite pan out but I've heard of those Home Run leaders. 

All in all the show was a good time. Looking forward to the next one. Saw a few 52 Mantles but not that many. A PSA 2.5 could be yours for the low price of 17,000 (although the dealer said he would work with us on the price a bit). (no I cannot afford that). 

Thanks for reading and Happy vintage hunting!

A 'new' Rookie

I recently received this Ryan Howard card. It was hard to find and I had to beat out some other people on bidding. Believe it or not (believe it cause it's true) I do not have all the 2003 Elite Ryan Howard variations. I quite like the look of them. Would love to open a case of this stuff if I could ever find it, seems like fun. This is back when Elite had logos and was actively not paying MLB for the privilege.

Hard to see the numbering but its on the left hand side. 29 out of 43. Hard card to track down these days. Even the auto that used to go for big bucks is numbered out of 100 (I have 2 of those now). Would love to find and be able to afford the other parallels for this card.

Also, Ryan Howard was at the Eagles game this past Sunday. I like to see when local other teams support a team that's doing well. He isn't a Cowboys fan. Eagles mania is strong on sports talk radio in this town. It's a fun ride I hope it keeps going!

Thanks for reading!

Back Again (also Bowman Platinum break!)

I was actually out of town for most of the month and didn't have the time pre-trip to write up a bunch of posts. My wife and I took a nice trip overseas and visited London and the Netherlands. We had a great time and saw lots of sites and ate lots of food. Onto more important things when it comes to baseball card blogging.. showing newer-ish baseball cards. Back when Bowman Platinum came out I was able to get my hands on 2 of the Collectors boxes and decided to open them both. Forty packs total and I enjoyed the break. It was entertaining and I think I did well.

Check out the wares.

 

Let's get straight to the meat and potatoes. The Amed Rosario is numbered out of 75, he got some time up with the Mets this year and is a highly ranked prospect. The Dalbec is numbered out of 25, I don't know a ton about him but the Red Sox are always popular. Torres is the Yankees number 1 prospect and he pulls a Judge this card will pay for my retirement. The Mejia is a solid hit as well. Pretty happy with the 4 autos. Wish they were on-card but I do like the design. 

 

The Torres at the top is actually the rarest hit of the break. The insert out of 25 was 1 in 1,000 something packs. 

Did manage to pull the Judge base (no Bellinger but I purchased it separately later). The Moniak is the rookie Image Variation. Pretty cool to hit a semi rare PC card. I hope he plays well for the Phillies in the future.

Thanks for reading! Next Philly show is December 1st-3rd. Seems like a lot of good signers including Rhys Hoskins!

Wrapping up the Heritage break! (one pretty good hit)

Sorry I'm slow at posting. You know how it goes. Or you don't, dozens of people might read this post and we are all different in our own ways. Either way here is the last box of heritage I was lucky enough to open.

 

Big fan of these as the box topper. It was cool to get an original card even if the stamp is encroaching on Sam McDowell's face.

 

Pulled auto #3 of the break (Paul Goldschmidt and Manny Machado the other 2). Jose De Leon hot case, hit the blue auto, the trade error variation and the action variation! Hall of fame career here we go!

 

This is the Eric Thames action variation. Man he was amazing in April/May and then he really slumped hard through the summer. If I remember correctly he started to hit a bit at the end of the year. If he can keep that power and hit for some average he could be a nice piece of that young Brewers team.

 

A few shiny cards!

Here's the big one! David Peralta throwback uniform variation! 1 in 1648 packs! One of the rarer cards I've ever personally pulled. Pretty fun card to hit. Still have it as of now but may sell later.

Overall, I really enjoyed opening these boxes. I have at least 6 base sets though so yea if anyone wants to trade or buy one I'm listening. I completed all the insert sets except the combination one. I have only one SP set though but a ton of doubles/triples etc if anyone needs those I can check it out for you. Collation wasn't bad though just opened a lot! The boxes were consistent with certain packs. You knew the Nolan Ryan insert was at the end.

Very pleased with the break considering if I sold 2 cards (Peralta and Machado) I'd make my money back basically.

Thanks for reading!

What's in a half Case Box 5 and 6!

I decided to combine 2 boxes into this post. I got busy this week and didn't have time to post or I spent every night watching Rick and Morty instead who really knows. (My wife knows but don't ask her it would spoil the truth). Let's get right to it!

Box 5:

 

This was the box topper. Which is so much better then the ad panels you usually get. Pretty cool to get an authentic card even though its stamped. When I saw the rookie part I dreamed of Bench or Ryan but that's ok to get 2 guys who weren't quite as good. 

 

Real happy to hit a Goldy auto. I believe I will redeem this one. He was a monster on my fantasy team this past year and I'm a fan of how he plays. Rarely takes days off and is always giving his all. This is the standard blue version.

 

Only pulled on Chrome, the Shin Soo Choo. He gets paid a lot of money, good for him. The Greg Holland is a yellow back short print. Don't know if that made it 'harder' to pull but I doubt it.

Oh yea! This was a purple hot box! Every pack had a purple refractor which was fun. I just scanned some of the better ones, no Bellinger unfortunately. Happy to get Alfaro though for the PC.

Box 6:

 A decent rookie chrome card. He has a lot of potential.

 The mini's are numbered out of 100. This was the only one in the 7 boxes. (I now have 2!) Edwin had a tough start to the year but once he adjusted to Cleveland he had a pretty strong 2nd half.

 

The Koda Glover is the action variation rookie. He has potential as a closer if he can stay healthy. The Nationals window might be closing soon though with the roster changes they're going to have to make. Doesn't terribly upset me as a Phillies fan.

One more box to go! Already showed the Machado and Goldy which were the 2 big autos of the break.

What's in a half Case (Box 4) (nice hit alert!)

Onwards and upwards! I recently did my first Spartan race. I recommend training for it. Next time I'll actually be prepared. I survived though, hence I can still type up some posts! Hopefully this box provides some fireworks!

 

A couple of shiny cards. Not sure if I like or dislike having shiny in these sets. It's not an homage to 1968 it's more of an homage to 90s inserts. Which I like 1993 Finest Refractors as much as the next guy but they do that sort of thing in other sets. 

 

This Benoit is the yellow back variation. There is a 25 print run for each of these. They are hard to tell on stand alone but if you have the cards in a stack the color difference really sticks out. At least its a Phillies player so it goes straight into the PC!

 

Jose De Leon action variation. I don't know a ton about him just know he was traded from the Dodgers. Hopefully he turns into a nice rotation guy.

Boooooooom! Manny Machado auto numbered out of 68! This was a more then welcome surprise to  hit a Red auto and then hit one of a really good player. Not sure what I'm doing with it yet. It goes for a good amount of money or if I will redeem and wait. I don't love redemption cards in general since I've had both good and bad experiences.

Thanks for reading! More to come!

What's in a Half Case (Box 3!)

Now back to our semi regular scheduled program. We took a break for Gint A Cuffs.I had opened that box about a month ago but was none too thrilled with the results so I literally got my score up on the deadline day! Go Procrastination!

Let's see what was pulled in box 3..

 

A decent Byron Buxton relic. I watched a bunch of Twins games this year because I drafted Ervin Santana on my fantasy team (20th round great pick) and Buxton really looked lost at the plate at the beginning of the year, but man at the end he sure did look good. Hopefully he truely turned a corner on major league pitching and continues it next year. With his speed he is a fun guy to watch.

 

 

Two shiny cards. Reddick is currently in the ALDS against the Red Sox and Kyle Freeland's team fell to the Dbacks. Freeland had an up and down rookie year. He has some decent stuff so I think he can stick around the majors for a while if he continues working hard.

These blue borders are a weird subset in my opinion. Apparently there are 50 of each of them but they are not serial numbered. I believe I pulled 2 total and at first I thought they were just one of those 1 per box type deals and then I didn't see another one. He's the highest paid closer in baseball if you didn't know. He did not perform like the highest paid closer in baseball this year though.

Thanks for reading! Still some big hits to come!

Gint A Cuffs Conclusion!

We are sitting at +83!

Let's go!

Pack 17:

McCutchen

Porcello

Henderson

Inciarte

World's Fair +2

Carew

Price

Gray

Pack Total: +2

Running Total: +85

Pack 18:

Desmond

Ichiro

Lindor +2

Dozier

Sports Fish and Fishing Lures +2

Teheran +2

Kelley 

Tulo

Pack Total: +6

Running Total: +91

Pack 19:

Mattingly -1

Damon

Bradley Jr

Verlander

What a Day Correa +2

Jones

Cain SP +1

Ellsbury Black Mini +1

Pack Total: +3

Running Total: +94

Pack 20:

National Parks 

Gurriel

LeGrand

What a Day DeGrom +2

Solarte

Freeman

Robinson

1984 Topps Doug Geosdz

Brett A&G Back +2

Pack Total: +4

Running Total: +98

Pack 21:

Goldy

Beltre

Sanchez

What a Day Mattingly +1

Smith

Turner

Keuchel SP +1

Margot

Pack Total: +2

Running total: +100

Pack 22:

Renfroe

Gregorious -1

Kluber

Snell

World's Fair +2

Zimmerman

Gehrig -1

Trout

Pack Total: +0

Running Total: +100

 Pack 23:

Cotton

Phillips

Carpenter +2

Wagner

Sports Fish and Fishing Lures +2

Joseph

Bench 

Thompson

Pack Total:+4

Running Total: +104

Pack 24:

Posey

Kipnis

Pederson

Revolutionary Battles +2

Miguel Cotto Relic +5

Thompson

Killebrew SP Mini +3

Pack Total: +10

Running Total: +114

Unfortunately no massive hit to bring up my score. My reign of Gint A Cuffs Champion is over. I will hand my imaginary trophy over to the new winner. May he or she treat the trophy as well as I did these last 2 years. 

Thanks for reading!