Another TTM Success From Jim Palmer

These Jim Palmer cards were left over from my trip to Baltimore. I talked to him but he wouldn't sign, so I sent them off TTM to go ahead and get them signed.  The above 2013 Panini Cooperstown card is a really nice parallel that I've had for a long time. 

I also got this 2010 Topps Tribute signed that turned out great.

I mailed to Palmer on October 3 and got the cards back on October 14, for an 11-day TAT.   I paid his fee of $10/card.

Christmas Presents From Drew

Many of you who read this blog know that over the past three or so years, Drew over at Drewscards and I have become pretty close friends.  He is a really great kid whose passion for baseball and the hobby isn't matched by anyone else that I know.  He is also a very reliable friend when a lot of friends can let you down.

Drew surprised me the other day with a nice package that he sent as a Christmas present.  I knew about one of the cards because he got it at a recent card show, but went ahead and included it with his gift.  He also put some cards in to help with my needs list, which I have neglected over the past year as I have been pursuing more and more Hall of Fame autographs...

 Drew got this Jim Palmer 2008 Upper Deck Premier Manufactured Patch/Auto of Jim Palmer as the main part of the Christmas present.  This card looks so awesome.  Upper Deck did a good job designing the patch, and the auto fits nicely onto the card and doesn't take away from the design at all.

 Drew got this 2010 Topps Tribute Eddie Murray relic card from a recent card show.  He had told me about it because I had picked him up something cool from one of my shows (I wish I could remember what it was).  I like this card a lot as well.  I think Topps does a good job on Tribute, I just wish it wasn't so darn expensive.

 Drew also attacked my 1971 Topps want list.  Some of the cards are a bit rough, but are going to be used as set fillers until they can be upgraded.  There were several that will stay in my set, though.  The above Joe Torre and the below Hoyt Wilhelm highlight the cards that will stay in the set for sure.

This time of year, and especially this year since we had a death in the family, I try to make sure I let the ones I care about know that I am thinking of them.  It is always nice when you, also, find out that someone is thinking of you.  For Drew to think of me when he is browsing at a card show, or sorting his collection, means the world to me.

If you haven't yet visited his blog, I encourage you to do so.  he is definitely a great guy and an even better friend.

Thank you, Drew.

Merry Christmas!

In the Mail - 2010 Tribute Nick Markakis

I got a pleasant surprise yesterday when I checked my mail. I finally got my 2010 Topps Tribute Nick Markakis Relic/Auto that I redeemed way back in September. It was a birthday gift from the former owner of the card shop. I guess this isn't a bad birthday present/severance package for 4 and 1/2 years of keeping the shop running.

Got My Topps Tribute Redemption Back

I got my Topps Tribute Auto/Dual Relic Matt Kemp back the other day, which is really cool because it usually takes something like a decade to get a redemption back from Topps.
Pop Quiz: I got a sweet Dodger card. Do I still own it?

Answer: Hahahaha. Nope. Max has it already.

It was a pretty sweet card when I had it, but I know it is in a good place with someone who will definitely enjoy it much more than I will.

2010 Topps Tribute Thoughts

My younger brother Andy is not a baseball card collector. I've been trying to work on him for the past five years, trying to get him interested in them in hope that I would have someone else to talk about cards with. He has been coming to the card shop with me (pretty much weekly) over the past five years. I had complained that there wasn't much to open at the shop this week except for 2010 Tribute, which I surely couldn't afford. He chimed in that he could afford it because he had been earning money by cleaning out horse stables for my parents. I went online and showed him some of the things he could get from 2010 Tribute (Strasburg auto being the huge hit), but made sure not to put any kind of pressure on him (He's my brother, I'm not going to make him buy anything at the shop unless he wants to). He decided that he would go for it.

(I also decided to pick up a pack) I pulled this Thurman Munson triple relic. Andy picked this pack for me, he is always good at picking packs. Pretty sweet card.

One of the highlights of his box was pulling this Bobby Cox Auto/Relic. I had never seen any Cox autos, so this one was pretty cool. I know a bunch of Braves fans who definitely would sweat over this card. Andy was a bit underwhelmed, but I assured him that he got a good pull with this one.

I went ahead and gave Andy a dollar for this one, since it was a Murray. I had hoped that he would have pulled a Brooks, but Murray was the only Oriole that Andy pulled.

He pulled this sweet Phil Rizzuto bat. Once again he was a bit underwhelmed, and I, again, assured him that pulling a Rizzuto bat was a good hit. The box was very Yankee heavy, and I think he understood that he could maybe ebay most of the Yankee stuff and recoup some of the money he spent. He was starting to feel some buyer's remorse, for sure. I felt bad, but we kept on opening the packs, hoping for that blue Strasburg redemption card.

Redemption card? Strasburg? Nahhh. Just a Matt Kemp Auto Dual Relic. He was once again let down, but even he knew that this one would definitely be claimed, and quickly. His period of letdown on this card didn't last long once he realized how quickly he could sell this to get some money back. Of course, I'm going to help him out by listing some of the hits on Ebay, making trades, etc.

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I kind of feel a little bad, since he is 14 and dropped so much on the box, but he's a smart kid and definitely has busted enough boxes with me to know that when you set your heart on getting one card, you most likely will be let down. Shooting for the Strasburg was pretty bold, but in the end, I'm glad he had the balls to at least give it a shot. He also got some really good pulls (the Cox and Kemp for sure) and we had a good time opening the box.