Instagram Trade With Sam

This trade was several months in the making.  I had pulled a bunch of Ian Kinsler and Mariners cards for a kid named Sam and set them aside.  I has initially hoped that Sam would complete the trade right away, but he didn't have what he felt was enough to offer, so the deal was shelved for a while.  Sam got back up with me recently, and luckily, I had the pile of cards still set aside for him.

I got the above Camo parallel Darren O'Day, which is numbered 39/99, a bunch of Orioles cards and a 2013 Topps Emerald parallel for my set in exchange for the cards I had for him and a few extras I threw in as well.

Sam, feeling bad that it took so long to complete the deal, threw in a few other cards for me (like this Bob Feller manufactured patch) and some for my son, Chris.

Sam might be only 13, but he is a really good guy and a great trader.  I am glad he was able to complete this deal and I have already sent him a second package and am at work on a third.  Thanks for the trade, Sam, I really appreciate it.

Instagram Trade With Austin

I completed a trade with Austin on Instagram when I sent him a 2014 Bowman Chrome blue autograph of Royals prospect Christian Binford in exchange for these two Josh Hart autos.  Hart was the Orioles supplemental pick in the first round of the 2013 amateur draft.

I really love the blue wave auto, but the base auto looks pretty awesome in its own right.  The autograph itself, on both cards, is pretty messy, but it really pops out when scanned, so that's kinda cool.

I really appreciated the trade with Austin, though.  He and I have talked quite a bit over the last few weeks and he's the guy who turned me onto that Jimmie Foxx RC, so I definitely owe him a debt of gratitude.

Instagram Trade With Eric - Huge Orioles Haul

I was contacted recently over Instagram by a young guy named Eric who asked me if I had any Twins cards for him.  Luckily, the day before, I had pulled a ton of Twins for someone else who promptly backed out of the deal, so that left the whole stack wide open to Eric.  He offered up a bunch of Orioles cards for 50 or so of the Twins (for now) and then some other Orioles stuff for a few 1971 Twins and some Joe Mauer/Justin Morneau relics.

I'm pretty certain that I didn't already have this Nick Markakis blue parallel from 2007 Topps Chrome.  This was a nice surprise in the package.

I know I didn't have this 2004 Just Minors Markakis card, though.  This was one of the specific cards that Eric brought up in our trade conversation that I happily accepted.

For some reason, I also didn't already have this 1972 Topps Frank Robinson card.  I was glad to go ahead and get it, even though I really haven't had Frank as a PC.  I know I will sometime soon, I just haven't gotten around to starting it up.

Finally, Eric gave me these sealed 1991 Crown Orioles team sets.  There were 4 sets and I have 3 of the 4 now.  I may look into picking up the individual cards of Brooks Robinson and Cal Ripken.  Apparently, these sets consist of every person that has been on the Orioles since the team relocated to Baltimore in 1954.  Pretty cool stuff.

Thanks for the trade, Eric!  Also, thanks for helping me unload that Twins stuff.  That (and our subsequent deals) really helped clear out some room in my boxes.

Mailday - 2014 Topps Cal Ripken Trajectory Auto

I knew this card would look awesome when it came, and I was right.  Today, I got in two redemptions that I have been waiting on from Topps.  The most important of which was this awesome 2014 Topps Cal Ripken Trajectory auto.  I was so excited when I pulled it during my box break at Scott's house. Now it's here and I can't take my eyes off of it.

The auto is "on card", if you pay attention to that sort of thing.  I don't normally, but the fact that it is on card definitely kicks it up a notch.  This card looks so great.  It doesn't bother me that it wasn't serial numbered, but that would have been even cooler.  Oh well.

It took almost 4 months for the card to come in, but it was well worth the wait.  I need to get to the card shop and get a magnetic case for this, I think.  I do know that this Ripken auto is now a huge piece in my collection, and, hey, it's a Cal I didn't have!

COMC Pickup - 2011 Topps Tribute Willie Stargell

A long time ago, I bought quite a few cards off of COMC, many of which were of Hall of Famers that I thought looked cool.  I thought I had posted them all, but I found this in my "to be blogged" stack.  I guess I just missed it.

Anyway, this is a 2011 Topps Tribute Willie Stargell that I picked up because I loved the helmet and uniform that he was wearing in the card.  It looks much better in person than it does on the scan.

I am down to just a couple single cards in my "to be blogged" stack.  I need to get a few more trades coming in soon.  I've sent plenty out, I just haven't had a whole lot come in.  Oh well, I know I have some things pending, so that'll help.

A Little More From Dana

Since I hadn't gotten any mail the last several days, I was able to not push back any old trades for the blog any longer.  I have reduced my "to be blogged" stack quite significantly.  One of the bigger portions of the stack was a trade I got from my friend, Dana, a while back.

In the stack were a couple Orioles Spring Fever cards, like the Davis seen above.  I really like those cards, and as you can see above, they scan really nice.

Dana also sent me a Chris Davis "Oyo".  What is an Oyo?  Well, it looks like a little lego man, but its Chris Davis.  I had another, a Brooks Robinson, that my brother, Adam bought me in Cooperstown.  I haven't opened either of them, yet.  I don't know if I should leave them in the box, or open them.  I'm really bad about not opening things like that, but I'm not going to re-sell them, so why not open them and display them?  I guess I just need to figure out WHERE to display them, and have at it.

Anyway, thank you for this trade stack, Dana, like all others.  I really appreciate it and you will have a package being mailed out to you tomorrow!

Mail From Judson - 2014 Topps Heritage Chris Davis Blue Parallel

A while back, Judson (from the blog - My Cardboard Habit) sent me this awesome Chris Davis blue parallel from 2014 Toppe Heritage.  This card has been on my desk for some time now, waiting for me to blog it, and now I finally have gotten to it.  Sorry about the wait.

Judson is a really awesome guy and I feel like I owe him a great deal of Rangers cards.  I just sent him a package of a few Rangers, but I know it pales in comparison to the stuff he has sent me recently.

So, thanks for this card, Judson, I really appreciate it!

Instagram Purchase From Kyle - 2011 Gypsy Queen Brooks Robinson Auto

This card is actually the first thing I bought with my Abreu money, but it happened to get covered by some other recent purchases.  Luckily, I have time this extended weekend to catch up somewhat on blog posts, so I was able to push this forward.

Kyle was the first person I completed a successful trade with on Instagram.  I had been scammed by some punk kid and was going to stop trading on there before I even got started.  I gave the venue another chance and met Kyle (we traded for that Triple Threads Brooks Robinson).  We chat often and he is one of my favorite people on Instagram.  He is the guy who got me to stick around, and I'm really glad because I have gotten some awesome stuff off of there.

This card is an on-card auto and looks really sharp!  I was glad I could get it from Kyle, since I had been watching it for a long time.

As a throw-in, Kyle added this IP autograph of Mike Yastrzemski, an Orioles prospect and the grandson of Hall of Famer, Carl Yastrzemski.  I got to see Mike play for Vanderbilt last year while I was visiting my brother, Adam in South Carolina.  That was a Vandy vs Gamecocks game that Adam took us to, and we had an awesome time.  Little did I know that Yastrzemski would become an Oriole.

Thanks so much, Kyle.  You're a great guy and I'm glad I stuck around, thank you!

Hall of Fame Signed Baseball - Ray Dandridge

One of the Hall of Famers that I had been looking at for some time now, but I had never jumped on (until now) was former Negro Leaguer, Ray Dandridge.  Dandridge (b. 1913 - d. 1994) played in the Negro Leagues for 8 seasons between 1933 and 1944 and also spent some time in the Mexican League. He has been regarded as one of the greatest fielding third basemen of all-time.  Dandridge was elected to the Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee in 1987.

He has to be the cheapest that I have gotten a Hall of Famer for.  I sold a relic card to a guy on Instagram for $20 and turned around and got this ball for $33 shipped.  I was only $13 out of pocket on this one.  The ball is a Bobby Brown OAL ball and came with a PSA/DNA COA.

Dandridge is my 103rd Hall of Famer.

Instagram Trade With Max S.

I completed a trade with a young Cubs fan named Max recently when I sent him some Cubs cards and two Albert Almora Team USA cards in exchange for this Red Schoendienst manufactured patch card and a couple 2013 Emeralds.

I like this patch card in that is represents the Braves' 1957 World Series victory, their only one in Milwaukee.  I keep forgetting that Schoendienst was on that Braves team, as I always think of him as a Cardinal.

The patch itself is pretty cool, and I keep telling myself that I'll pick up the ones of Brooks Robinson, but I wanted to finish up my letter patches first.  Glad I wasn't holding my breath. Anyway, I appreciate the trade, Max, and I hope we can trade again!

Instagram Trade With Joey - 1960 Topps Willie McCovey RC

Again with a graded card!  Another Hall of Fame rookie card.  I've been on fire with successful trades lately.  I have been able to interact regularly with maybe 10 or so people from Instagram enough now that I consider them actual friends, much like the folks from the blogs that I call friends.  One of the guys I chat with who is high on the friend list is Joey.  Joey is a North Carolinian, like myself, and he is also a huge fan of vintage cards.

Joey is also a huge David Ortiz fan, so when I recently asked if anyone wanted me to look through my card boxes for them and he asked for Ortiz, I obliged him.  Most, if not all of my Red Sox stuff goes to either Scott or my brother, John, but I did have a few David Ortiz cards left.  I also had just recently picked up an Ortiz rookie, one where he is referred to as David Arias, that Joey really has his eye on.

So, he offered me this graded - 2 Willie McCovey RC for the Ortiz, which I thought was more than fair.  I also threw in the other Ortiz cards I had, which were ones Scott had told me before that he didn't want, so I didn't feel like I was cheating on him.

I'm really happy with this McCovey.  I know I have said that I don't really like graded cards, but this one is fine with me and it has a cool story to it.

Most importantly, I'm making some good friends in another nice card community.  I'm glad I am able to tie that into my blog, as well.  Here's to hoping that with all these young folks on Instagram, that one.) the card hobby is alive and well for a new generation and two.) I hope to see some of these young guys want to start blogs and keep this niche of the hobby going as well.  Here's to hoping!

Thanks for the trade, Joey!

COMC Pickups - Some Set Needs and a Cheap Relic

I had a good bit of store credit built up on COMC so I figured it would be a good time to use a little bit of it to knock off a couple set needs.  Above is the 1959 Phillies team card, card #8 in the set. That low number has been mocking me in my needs list, so I finally figured out which card it was and took it out.  The back is unmarked and the card is in pretty good shape.  I got the card for $13.25, which was lower than any I saw on Ebay at the time, so I guess I did ok.

Anything I overspent on the Phillies checklist, I made up for here.  I got this Nolan Reimold Futures Game relic for $1.15 off of COMC.  That's right, $1.15.  What a shame that he can't stay healthy because Nolan is great when he is on the field.  I'm glad I was able to get this card so cheap, but I'm hoping he comes back, hits a ton and his stuff goes back up in value.

Finally, I added another 1948 Bowman to my set with this Billy Johnson for $7.75.  The card has the major crease in the bottom right corner, but it fits right into my set and I'm glad to have it.  Now, my store credit is low again, so I need to sell some more stuff!

Instagram Pickup - 1933 Goudey Jimmie Foxx RC

This card wasn't even on my Top 10 wishlist.  It wasn't on there because I thought it was so far out of reach at the moment, I would concentrate on more realistic goals.  Well, sometimes things just fall into your lap.

I was tagged on a photo on Instagram recently when someone asked what everyone thought the value of this card would be.  Someone commented that I might have an idea.  I gave the guy an honest answer, that it was probably worth around $100 in this condition based on recent Ebay sales. The guy had said he had it listed on Ebay for $40 and thought he had overpriced it.  I commented right away that if he wanted to sell it for $40, then I would be all over it.  Long story short, the card is now in my hands and I can thank Joe D. from Instagram for hooking me up with an amazing card for my Foxx PC.

I've never been a fan of graded cards at all, but this card, you'd have to buy it graded to be sure that it was legit.  I don't even care that the card is graded at a 1.  I'm just happy to own a Jimmie Foxx RC. A 1933 Goudey RC.  It's so awesome, I can't take it!

Cards From Carson

As I spend this evening embroiled in a trade negotiation with a kid who loves to waste my time, I thought I would post tonight about one of the kids on Instagram who happens to be one of the youngest, albeit one of the best traders on that venue.  Carson.  I have traded with him a bunch of times and he is on my short lst of people on there that I send to regardless of whether or not I have something coming from him in return.

I forget what I sent Carson this time around, but he hooked me up with some nice Orioles relics like the above A&G Murray and the below Tier One Adam Jones.

I have really enjoyed my time on Instagram, even though I can complain about it a lot.  I love helping kids build their collections, but sometimes you end up with some kids whose parents haven't really taught them how to interact with people.  Then, you meet someone like Carson (and his dad, Tim) who makes everything worthwhile.

Thanks for the trade, again, Carson!

Awesome Package From Wes

 

I got an email recently from a guy named Wes who reads my blog.  The email was quick and to the point, asking me for my address because he had some Orioles cards for my collection.  As you can see from the photo above, what he sent me was far more than I could have imagined.  It got better, too, when I flipped through the cards and saw a ton of Orioles that I needed and came upon some awesome relics and autographs.  I was amazed at the things I found in the pile.  Here are some of the highlights:

This Brian Matusz Razor Lettermen auto was so cool.  I had another of his, a Z, I believe, but this one was a different color and looks really awesome!

I don't believe former Oriole reliever Rocky Cherry has made it onto the blog before, but this Upper Deck Exquisite auto looks so cool.  It is also numbered 1/10.  Cherry didn't last long for the O's but this card is still really cool and I'm glad Wes included it.

Finally, I was really happy to get this Mike Wright Bowman Platinum auto, red parallel, which is numbered to 25.  I already had the base and now I have the red.  I like Wright because he went to nearby ECU and was really cool when Chris and I met him a few years ago.  I hope he makes it to the bigs and pitches as well as he is capable.

It is going to take me some time to go through all of these cards that Wes hooked me up with.  If you're reading this, Wes, thanks so much!  I really appreciate the package!

What I Got With My Abreu Money

I'm sure you all know by now what I sold my Jose Abreu autograph for a whopping $165.00.  I was able to basically take a card that is hot right now and likely to cool off for a few Hall of Famers I needed for my sets.  Some of the cards haven't arrived yet, but the bulk of them came in today.

In my opinion, one of the best was the above Willie Mays catch card.  I had been looking at it for some time now, and finally jumped on it when the Abreu money hit my PayPal.  The card is just awesome and it is so cool that it depicts one of the most iconic moments in baseball history.

I knocked off a high number All Star card in this Warren Spahn.  These cards are the ones that are really going to hurt me when I start really picking them off.  This one was just over $10, but I know if I buy a bunch in bulk at a shop or card show, it's going to be painful.

Since I already have the Bob Gibson RC, the Mantle and the Hank Aaron cards from this set, the next biggest cards were of Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays.  I knocked both of those out courtesy of the Abreu.  The Koufax is a bit off center and the Mays is a little rougher, but I now have both cards in my set and am very happy about it!

Taking these off the list was very satisfying.  I think the biggest names I need now are Don Drysdale, Warren Spahn, and of course the All Star cards. That All Star Mantle is going to set me back about $100 or so, so I need to pick that one up when bonus time comes, or Birthday time.

Finally, of the cards that came in, I was able to take one off of my 1948 Bowman set.  This Johnny Mize "RC" was only $12.  As you can see, it is a bit rough, but not too bad.  I am still working hard on this 1948 set and am making pretty good progress.  The biggest card left is the Rizzuto, but those are going for around $100, so I didn't want to spend most of my money on one card.  I wanted to spread it out and I think I did much better that way.

Trade With Alex

I got some really good Orioles cards in the mail recently from Alex, the man at the helm of the blog "Chavez Ravining."  Alex has really burst onto the blogging scene as of late with Dodger pickups and news.  If you haven't checked out his blog, it's a must.  He was nice enough to feature me in a post discussing "under-appreciated blogs" which I was very grateful for.

In the stack of Orioles stuff he sent me, was this really nice Chris Davis red mini from 2014 Gypsy Queen.  The card is numbered 32/99 and looks really cool.

These white bordered Gypsy Queens are also really nice, as can be seen in this Eddie Murray card.  I love the orange old school Orioles jersey that he is rocking.  Murray is definitely an underrated Hall of Famer.  I heard one so-called baseball commentator on XM remark recently that Murray isn't a Hall of Famer in his mind.  One of only four players in history to have 3,000 hits and 500 homers.  Not a Hall of Famer?  Sir, I sure hope you don't have a Hall of Fame vote...

Finally, here is a 2014 Topps Opening Day blue parallel of Adam Jones.  These blues are really nice.

I really appreciate the cards, Alex!  I know we will be doing more trades in the future.  I'm certain of it because I am looking at the stack of cards I have for you right now!

Trade With Roger of Sports Card Mask-A-Rade

I completed a trade with Roger of the blog Sports Card Mask-A-Rade when I sent him my Mike Olt Museum Collection auto and some Museum Collection base cards for two 1969 Topps cards I needed for my set, which included the above Tony Oliva All Star.

I got 19 emerald parallels that I needed for that set.  I'm really glad to get these because this set has really slowed down.  I want to move it along before we get too far removed from the 2013 set.  I really don't want it lasting as long as my 2009 Brooks Robinson pursuit has gone.

Roger also included 3 2013 Topps Chrome cards for that set as well, so that one is winding down and should be completed very soon.

Thanks for the trade, Roger.  I hope you all will check out his blog and hit him up for some trade action!

Awesome Trade With James

I completed a trade with my friend, James, whom I met on Instagram recently when I picked up some Mark Trumbo and Wade Miley needs that he had in exchange for the above Cal Ripken manufactured relic and some vintage cards.

The Ripken card is pretty awesome and is heavy as crap!  I was surprised when I got it, how heavy it was. It was also nice that James had a Ripken card that I needed for my collection.

James also included some vintage cards that I needed for my sets, which included this 1959 Mike Baxes and the below Sandy Alomar.

James is a really cool guy and I was more than happy to help him with his collection.  In exchange for my helping him get those cards, he also sent me some extra vintage cards.

The extra vintage cards were these two, which were really nice.  I appreciated James understanding my love for vintage.

The best part of the package, though, was the awesome letter that James included.  I always try to write a note when I send in a trade package, and James feels the same way.  It doesn't take much time at all to thank someone for taking the time to search cards and find a match with you, so why not put a note in? Well, James's note was a full-page letter and it was something that I will appreciate forever.

Thanks for the trade, James.  I know we will be making a ton more in the future!

Cards From Mom

I visited my parents' house a couple weeks ago and when I got up that Saturday morning, my mom greeted me with a couple blasters of cards that she had picked up.  Mom has been asking me when I was going to post about the boxes on here, well, what better day than Mother's Day?

You see, my mom is the one who really got me into cards.  She would always take me to the card shop when I was younger and would spoil me with tons of cards.  I always enjoyed it, I mean who wouldn't?  The best part, though, was that Mom always bought some packs, too.  She had as big a collection as I did back then.  Too bad the both of us didn't know that those cards would be part of the era known as the "Overproduction Era."  Oh well, the memories of sitting in Mom's car, opening packs (which, is a habit that still carries over - whenever I buy packs, I always open them up in the car) and sneaking the cards into the house so Dad didn't find out is something I will always remember.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  I love you and thanks for getting me started (Mallory thanks you too!).

Another Surprise Package From Dana

I got another surprise package from Dana, recently (one of two, actually.  The other is in my queue to be blogged).  I liked this one so much, because it saved me from having to buy some cards I have been looking at, recently.  The above Museum Collection (I know Andrew can't get enough Museum Collection) Canvas Collection Brooks Robinson will look great in my Brooks PC.  I have been wanting one of these since they came out.

I had also been wanting the Museum Collection base card of Chris Davis for my PC as well.  Thankfully, Dana hooked me up with this as well.  I won't have to use any store credit on COMC to pick one up, now.  I can use that on other stuff, like set needs.

Finally, Dana hooked me up with a ton of Gypsy Queen.  Here is the mini Chris Davis that I got from her.  I think I got each Oriole that was featured in the set, so I probably won't need to buy too many more packs of these.

Thanks so much for the package, Dana!  I have your other one here on my desk.  I've been chipping away at the trade stack and hope to post the other stuff soon, but there are a few things slated ahead of it.

Ebay Pickup - 2014 Topps Museum Collection Chris Davis Bat

I got an absolute steal off of Ebay recently when I picked up this 2014 Topps Museum Collection Chris Davis jumbo bat relic card for $5.55 plus shipping.  I had seen a bunch of these as buy it now for $45.00 or more.  I bid on this one before I left for Columbia this past weekend and saw that I had won it when I rolled into my brother's place.

Davis should be coming off the DL right after he is eligible on May the 11th and I can't wait to get him back healthy.  His bat is sorely missed and I hope he can go off on a tear of home runs so folks can shut up about last year being a fluke.

Trade From The Quarry

I have been working out a trade with Johnny, who authors the blog, Cards From The Quarry.  He will be getting the Troy Tulowitzki auto/relic that I got out of my box of Museum Collection.  In exchange, he hooked me up with a bunch of set needs.  The highlights of which I have scanned to show here.

Above, I got the 1959 Topps highlights card discussing Al Kaline winning the batting title for 1958.  I like these highlights cards.  I've been looking at the Willie Mays catch card for some time now and will probably jump on it soon.

How I missed that this Ted Williams card was a part of the 1969 set is beyond me, but I'm glad Johnny added it to the trade.  I know my brother, John, would love to have it.

I like seeing the pic of Williams teaching a younger player the art of hitting.  Williams wasn't successful at all as a manager, but you just can't teach greatness.

Thanks for the trade, Johnny.  I really appreciate it and I hope you like the Tulo.

Make sure you check out Johnny's blog here.