Birthday Gift and a Trade From Jake

I don't like ranking people that I know, but if I were to make a top 5 of people I've met while trading on Instagram, my buddy, Jake Ignaszewski, would be at or near the top.  He surprised me with a birthday package on Saturday that he really didn't have to send me.  In the package was a nice note from him thanking me for being a good friend to him and helping him with his collection.  Also in the package was every Orioles card that he had.  I had to chuckle a bit when I went through the cards because Jake sent me 11 copies of the above 1989 Mickey Tettleton.  In the past, one would say I had been Bipped.  I'm so glad that phase of the trading world has passed.  I know Jake included them all because he is a nice guy.

Also in the package were several different Orioles stickers from various sets over the years.  I didn't have this Fleer sticker, so I'll be putting this into my Orioles binder that I started putting together in 2005 and completely forgot about until now.

Jake and I also had completed a trade recently where I sent him back the Derek Jeter minor league card, since I had discovered that I already had one and he was having seller's remorse for letting his go.  He swapped it back for this Manny Machado RC, which I already had, but that's ok, because I don't mind hoarding Manny RCs.

I really appreciate Jake leaning on me for help with his collecting goals.  I'm hoping that I will continue to have the opportunity to help him out when I am able.  Thanks so much for the stuff, Jake, and thanks again for the trade!

Ebay Pickup - 2014 Allen and Ginter Chris Davis Box Topper

I saw this Chris Davis 2014 Allen and Ginter box topper on a kid's Instagram account recently and had to get my hands on one.  A potential deal with the kid fell through, unfortunately, so I searched Ebay and found this one for $4.29 with free shipping.

The card measures 4.5" x 6.5", so eventually I'm going to have to find myself a 5 x 7 frame so I can put this on the wall.  It looks awesome.

I kind of wish they would issue an A&G set with this design.  I would go after that set in a heartbeat!

Awesome Trade With Max S.

I completed a huge deal a few weeks ago with my friend, Max S., when I sent him a couple Michael Choice autographs and some other Cubs cards.  In return, Max sent me two packages of vintage stuff. There was so much in the packages, I was overwhelmed while looking through it all.  You can see how much he sent below.  There were 9 pages of 1975 Topps, a snap case with more 1975s and a few other 70s cards.  There was another snap case of advertising cards (mostly 1976 Hostess), three mini albums filled with 70s cards and some other miscellaneous stuff.  The card I liked the most was the above 1965 Topps Deckle Edge Willie Mays.  It was on the last page of the last mini album that i looked through and I was so excited to see it.  There were several other Deckle Edge cards, one of which was a sweet Carl Yastrzemski.

There were quite a few cards in the package(s) that looked like someone had went to town on with a pair of scissors.  Most likely, it was a kid who was trying to get their cards to fit into an album page.

This 1958 Topps All Star card of Stan Musial was the biggest example of the trimming.  There was also a 1956 Topps base card that had also been trimmed significantly.  While it would have been cool to get this Musial in untrimmed condition, it is still a nice card and carries a good story.  I'm not concerned with the value.

There were a whole bunch of these 1976 Hostess cards, not quite the complete set, but probably pretty close.  Most of them were cut like the above Cuellar, but this card will still look cool in my Cuellar PC.  The other ones will be put up for now.  I may consider going for the set later on.  They would look cool in an album, I think.

There were quite a few 1975 SSPC cards in the deal as well.  There weren't any stars, but the cards are still really cool.  This might be the first time Jorge Orta has made an appearance on my blog.

Max S. had to send this deal in two packages because the album pages of 1975 Topps didn't fit into his original package.  I ended up with a bunch of 1975s.  I already have completed this set, so I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with these.  I might trade or sell some of them, or I might hold onto them for a bit until Chris gets into set building.  If that happens, he will already have a nice starter set.

There were a bunch of 1976 Kelloggs cards, the highlight of which was this Pete Rose that was in really awesome condition.  Most of the Kelloggs cards that came in the deal were in great shape and didn't have all of the surface cracking that I have seen on these in the past.

There were also some 1970 Kelloggs cards in the package.  The nicest of which was this Rod Carew.  I know some people in the past have built these Kelloggs sets.  I don't know if I will, but at this point, I will definitely consider it.  Worst case, I will hold onto the Hall of Famers and flip the others, who knows.

Finally, there was a really nice 1971 Topps Catfish Hunter card in the package that will get put into my Hall of Fame box (probably where a lot of this stuff will go).  I have picked up a few early career Hunter cards and each of them looks so cool with his uniform.  Hunter is also a sort of local legend around this area, as I live about 2 hours from Hertford, NC, where he called home.

While I was waiting to get this huge deal posted, Max S. and I worked out another deal where I sent him some more Cubs cards.  In return, Max sent me some nice Orioles and this really cool Topps Archives chrome Hank Aaron.  The card looks really great and I was glad Max sent it.

Please note, I will be referring to Max S. as Max from now on.  Those who have been reading this blog since its inception will remember that I used to know someone else named Max who had been featured quite a bit on here.  Since we no longer associate with one another, I will not be referring to him at all and I didn't want anyone confusing the two.  So, from now on, Max S. is who I will be talking about; a really good guy from Chicago.  I hope that clears up any confusion.

September 2014 Card Show Haul

Chris and I went the the Inside Pitch Toy and Hobby show in Raleigh, NC today and I sure came home with a haul.  I was able to grab a bunch of cards for a few various sets, a few rookie cards and I even was able to grab a bit of trade bait for a few friends.  I was bargain hunting and found some nice Hall of Famers, albeit rough ones, but I'm still happy with them.

The above 1956 Topps Yogi Berra was something I saw early at the show and I waited to jump on it until later.  It is in really rough shape, but I think it looks cool.  It had a price tag of $10.00 on it, but I got it for $7.00 which I think was a deal, regardless of the condition.

For $15, I got this really nice Ernie Banks 1961 Topps.  I looked at a couple of these over the course of the show and figured that since I had seen so many, maybe it was a sign that I should pick one up.

I made the mistake of giving a Billy Williams RC away to a Cubs fan that I used to know, so when I saw this one for $10.00, I jumped on it.  It has a crease that runs across the card, near his elbow, but it still is a sweet RC and I'm glad I have it.

I liked how this 1973 Pro Super Stars Willie Stargell looked, so I grabbed it.  I had never seen any of these before, so I made sure to pick it up.  I got this card from a vendor who was really nice to Chris.  The guy sold Chris a 1962 Topps Hank Aaron All Star card for $10.  Chris brought his own money and came away with a few cards as well.  Maybe he will get around to posting them sometime soon.

Another vendor had a great deal on vintage Bowman at $3.00 a piece, and when I saw this and another 1950 Bowman Virgil Trucks, I went ahead and grabbed them.  I already had one, but it's ok.  It's Mr. Trucks, so you know I can't have too many of his cards.  I'm not sure what I'll do with these, but I was happy to pick them up.

Getting into my set needs, I picked up 23 1959 Topps for my set.  Along with the above Sparky Anderson RC, I got Hall of Famers Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning and Orlando Cepeda.

I looked at a few of these Baseball Thrills cards and picked up one of them, this Stan Musial.  I still need a couple of them, but didn't want to pay the premium that a lot of the sellers had going on these.

I was glad I waited to get this Cepeda.  One guy had this at $20, and another had it at $15.  I got this one for $5 from a guy who didn't necessarily deal with a lot of vintage.  Overall, I was fine with the pricing on the 1959s that I saw, with the exception of the high numbered All Star cards.  I saw a few of them that I wanted to grab, but they were all $15 - $25 or so.  I saw a Mays for $90, and I know I can do better than that.  I didn't see a single Mantle, but I was ok with that.  I know had it been there, someone would have been asking $200 or more for it.

My mail goal for this card show was to pick up cards for my 1959 set, but I did add two cards to my 1969 set.  For some reason, I thought I already had this Ted Williams, but I guess I didn't, since it was still listed in my notebook.  This is a great card of the Splendid Splinter and it also is a high number.  I got it for $9.00.

I saw this Johnny Bench at one table for $50, and passed on it.  Good thing I did, because I found this one in a bin for $15.  I definitely was happy that I used patience in walking around this show.  I did what I always do, I did one walk around the whole venue, picking up only a couple relics and autos out of $3.00 bins and recent cards out of 4/$1/00 boxes.  After I looked around and got a feel for what all was available, I made the rounds again with my notebook in hand, knocking off cards while remaining budget conscious.  I actually came home with money in my pocket, which was a bonus, since I usually leave once my wallet is empty.

I saw only two 1948 Bowman cards at this show, and of the two, I needed one of them for my set. This is card number 48, Dave Koslo.  It is in really good shape, but cost me a premium, at $30.00.

Vintage wasn't the only thing on my mind.  When I walked by a table that had this Christian Walker relic from this year's Pro Debut Heritage, I had to get it.  I was even more willing to pick the card up when the vendor told me he would take only $5.00 for it.  Awesome!

Finally, I noticed that one seller had busted two boxes of Bowman Chrome and left his commons out for sale at 4/$1.00.  I was able to pick up a few bucks worth of cards, a few for some friends, and a few Orioles for me.  I got Adam Jones, Chris Davis and this really cool Sebastian Vader.  I don't have to tell you all how excited I will be when Vader makes the majors and his jerseys become available for sale.  I'm a nerd.

Anyway, that is my look at my haul from the card show.  Not shown is the cheap stack of 13 cards from 1954 Topps for my buddy Jet's set.  I also picked up a good many Cubs cards for my buddy, Max S.

This will probably be my last major buying venture until after Christmas.  I need to save some money just in case the Orioles decide to start playing better once the playoffs start and they advance to the World Series.  I also need to start working on a couple birthdays that are coming up, as well as Christmas.

A Couple Recent COMC Pickups

Again trying to catch up on some posts, I wanted to lump together the last two cards I had from my most recent COMC purchase, two really cool Panini Prizm cards.  The top card is a rare Matt Wieters card.  Rare in a couple ways, really.  One, Wieters STILL doesn't have a Topps regular issue card, which really sucks, and two, this card is a National Card Show Cracked Ice VIP exclusive, numbered 1/5.  Not bad at all. Best part is, I got it for only $6.40.

This card is also a 2012 National Convention exclusive card, a Pulsar Prizms Brooks Robinson that I got for $4.25.

I had built up a good bit of store credit when a couple of those stupid sparkle SP cards from a couple years ago sold out of my account.  The sparkle card is such a dumb concept, but I'm not complaining, because I was able to flip the two I pulled for quite a few PC and set needs.  These two Panini Prizm cards alone make up for the loss of those goofy sparkle cards, in my opinion.

A Look At Some Recent Ebay Purchases

Usually, when I pick up single cards off of Ebay or COMC, they usually warrant single blog posts, but in an effort to catch up on my backlog of cards on my desk, I have lumped some recent Ebay purchases into one post.

A couple weeks ago, I filled up my little Ebay cart with a few cards that I knew I needed.  I saw a couple vintage cards for good prices, and also tried to knock out a few pieces to my Chris Davis 2014 Topps Chrome rainbow.

I got the above Ernie Banks from 1967 Topps at a really good price, $16.99.  Not bad, the card is in great shape.  I figured that I shouldn't let the card pass me by, especially since I knew that I needed it.

I picked up one other 1967, this Willie Stargell for $5.10.  Again, not a bad price at all.  You may be able to tell that the bottom right corner is dinged up, but I don't feel that it takes anything away from the card.

I added a few other cards to my cart that would fall into my Chris Davis PC, like the above 2014 Topps Turkey Red card.  I have yet to open a box of the online exclusive Turkey Red cards, but the two that I have (this and a Kevin Gausman auto) both look nice.

The original reason I was on EBay to begin with was because I wanted to grab a few 2014 Chrome cards of Davis.  This Topps Shelf insert is a really sharp card.  I like the colors on it.

Finally, I grabbed a few parallels of Davis, like the orange, blue and x-fractor.  The blue is the only numbered one out of this group, numbered 2/199.  I had also bought the purple and die cut in this lot, but my buddy Anders sent me those as well, so I have extras now.

Instagram Trade With Lonestargraphs

I completed a trade on Instagram a couple weeks ago with a kid who's screen name is Lonestargraphs when I sent him two 2014 Topps Chrome Autos in exchange for two Zach Britton cards.  In the trade, I sent away a blue parallel Michael Choice auto (sorry, Max) and a Nick Martinez auto.

The above 2011 Topps Finest Dual Relic/Auto of Britton is especially awesome and is numbered 57/69.  Britton has really come into his own this year as the Orioles' closer and I am glad I was able to get this before values start to jump up the more he is exposed during the O's run.

Not to sell this 2011 Bowman Sterling relic card short, by any means, when I gush over the Finest card.  This one is really nice in it's own right.  I forget how awesome past offerings of Topps Finest and Bowman Sterling have been and I definitely forget about them when I do my usual Ebay searches.  I need to try to find some more of these, for sure.

Thanks for the great deal, Lonestargraphs.  It would be better if I knew your name, but oh well.  Sometimes a degree of anonymity is a good thing.  I know we will trade again, though.

Instagram Trade With Anders - 2014 Topps Chrome Chris Davis

I met a baseball card collector by the name of Anders who is from Minnesota using my Instagram account.  Anders is a huge Mike Trout fan and we quickly facilitated a trade for a few Trout inserts in exchange for a couple Chrome Chris Davis cards.

Anders hooked me up with this awesome purple refractor of Davis, which I received right after his suspension for Adderall use.  Ugh.  Not Anders's fault, for sure.  I still love Davis and I still love the card.

Also, I really really like this year's version of Chrome.  From what next year's base Topps design is looking like, I think next year's Chrome is going to be amazing.

Anders also hooked me up with this awesome die cut insert of Davis, which I needed.  The inserts and parallels in this year's Chrome were really cool.  I hope Topps keeps those up.

Anders is a really good guy and I'm glad I was able to make a trade with him.  Furthermore, while this post was waiting to be written, Anders and I made another deal.  That one will be posted sometime soon, if I can get caught up, that is.  Thanks for the deal, Anders!

Instagram Pickup From Rob - 1962 Topps Sandy Koufax

Ever since I picked up my partial 1967 Topps set from Rob, he and I have kept an open dialogue on potential deals.  He has given me first refusal on a few things that have popped up.  When he messaged me about the possibility of me landing a 1962 Topps Sandy Koufax from him for a mere $35, I had to jump at the deal.

I keep getting nice Hall of Famers from 1962 and when I do get around to working on this set, I will have a great head start.  Koufax stuff always carries a premium, so getting this one at the price I paid was an awesome deal.

Thanks for the deal, Rob!  I am excited to see what cards pop up next.

Instagram Trade With Blaine

I just recently met a guy on Instagram who, like me, is a huge Orioles fan.  We worked out a deal where I purchased the above 2013 Topps Five Star Manny Machado auto for $35.  A great deal, I think.  We kept on talking and in exchange for some vintage Orioles and some extra Cals, I got a ton of 1969 Topps cards for my set.

I had to scrap a few of the 69s that Blaine sent, since they were in really rough shape, but I was still able to use 29 of the cards he sent, many of them were mid to high numbers.  The Tony Cloninger is really cool, especially since he shopped at the grocery store I used to work at in Denver, NC.  One of the guys I worked with carried his groceries out for him.  When they got to his car, Cloninger reportedly told him "Do you know who I am?  I used to play major league baseball."  The guy wasn't a baseball fan, but he knew I was, so he got his (Cloninger's) autograph for me, which I still have today!

Thanks for the deal, Blaine, I really appreciate it.  This stack of cards will put a major dent in my 1969 set.

Birthday Gifts From Carson

Wrapping up the birthday gifts that I got (see what I did there?), here is a look at what I got from my buddy Carson.  He, his brother and his dad are all great traders on Instagram.  I've made deals with each of them, but Carson is the one I talk to the most.  He is a Pirates fan and when I am able (since I have another friend who likes the Pirates), I try to send him cards.

He hooked me up for my birthday.  I got the above 1962 Topps Orlando Cepeda, which is a great card.  I've picked up a few cards from this set here and there.  I already have Mays and Mantle, so I could take a look at building this one at some point in the future.  Not right now, though, since I already have 1959 and 1969 on my plate and 1967 looming over the horizon.

Speaking of 1969. Carson hooked me up with a card I needed for my set, this Luis Tiant.  I have done a good job on this set so far and plan on really kicking it into gear when 1959 is completed.  After those two are done, 1967 will take the forefront, along with a set like 1972 or something like that.

I also got a bunch of Oriole and PC needs from Carson in this package.  This Jimmie Foxx 2008 Topps Turkey Red is one that I needed for my Foxx PC.  A lot of the Orioles were base cards that I need to go through and sort, but they were all nice.

Finally, in what was a nice touch, Carson sent me this "cut auto" that he made for me.  Sometimes the hand made gifts are the best and I thought this one was really cool.

I appreciate the birthday gifts, Carson.  Thanks so much!

Birthday Package From Michael

I got a huge box from my friend, Michael last week for my birthday.  Inside the box was a ton of stuff that I really wasn't expecting.  He sent along another round of his own game used stuff from his recently completed baseball season.  I sure hope he makes the big time, or else, I will have a bunch of stuff I'll have to send back to him once he has kids.

Something really cool in the box was this game used baseball from the 2013 season.  April 24, 2013, to be exact.  It is a pitch from Brandon Morrow to Nolan Reimold which ended up as a foul back to the screen.  Nice!

I was really surprised to find these signed baseballs in the box.  Starting from the top left is Roy White, Tom Nieto; Bottom left: Marty Barrett and Jim Mudcat Grant.

I already had a Grant ball, a ball I got for free while in Cooperstown, but it was badly faded.  I can now upgrade it like I have been wanting to for a while.

Barrett played from 1982 to 1991 for the Red Sox and Padres.  He had a decent career, with 938 hits, 18 homers and a .278 batting average.  He was the 1986 ALCS MVP.

Nieto inscribed his ball with '87 WS Champs, which is pretty cool.  He played from 1984 to 1990 for the Cardinals, Expos, Twins and Phillies.  He won the World Series while with the Twins in 1987, of course.He didn't actually play in the World Series with the Twins, but he did play in the 1985 World Series while with the Cardinals.

White played his entire career with the Yankees from 1965 to 1979 and was a 2-time All Star.  He had 1,803 hits, 160 home runs and a lifetime average of .271.  He played in three World Series with the Yankees from 1976 to 1978, winning two (1977 and 1978).

Thanks so much for the birthday box, Michael, I really appreciate it!

Birthday Gift From Mom and a Trip Home

I went to my parents' house last weekend for my birthday and was surprised when my mom gave me a card as a present.  I had already thought that the tickets she got us for the Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions game was my birthday present, but Mom couldn't resist going to the local card shop in Clemmons, NC (Lucky Dog Collectibles) and picking up some cards.  She found the above 2010 Topps National Chicle Adam Jones artist's proof card and thought I would like it.  I do, and it is really cool that the card is signed by the artist who painted the portrait on the card, Jeff Zachowski.  The card is numbered 5/10 as well.  I always liked the National Chicle cards.  I'm sure Topps will bring them back sometime soon.  I also like that this was an Adam Jones card.  I realized the other day as he was doing the victory lap around Camden Yards that I don't have enough Adam Jones cards in my collection.  He is the leader on this team and I am happy that he has a long-term commitment to Baltimore.  Thanks for the card, Mom!

While I was in town, I wanted to get a few cards for myself, so I went to Lucky Dog on Saturday and checked out their vintage wares.  While I was there, I met up with old friend of the blog, the wonderful Babe-O-Licious (or Babe for short).  While we chatted it up with Babe for a while, Chris and I picked through the vintage boxes in the shop.  I got one 1959 Topps card for my set and 16 1969 Topps cards for that set.  I also picked up some cards I knew that I needed for my 1967 set, like the above Pete Rose.

The highlight of the 1969s that I got was another Pete Rose (it must have been Pete Rose Day in my brain).  Both of the Rose cards are in great shape, and the owner of the shop gave me a great deal on them.  I also picked up a sweet Ron Santo rookie card for a future trade with my buddy Max S., the Cubs fan.

I saw this 1972 Topps Traded Frank Robinson and had to pick it up.  I don't believe that I have seen a Frank as a Dodger card.  He definitely looks odd wearing the white and blue.  The card is beat up, but the owner only charged me a couple bucks for it.  I wasn't about to complain.

Finally, I picked up another 1967 Topps card, this one being Mike Cuellar, prior to his Orioles years.  Cuellar is such an underrated pitcher and it was a shame he lost his battle to cancer a few years ago,