Rookie Cards From the National

I got a ton of single cards from the National and I really don't think I will be able to scan them all to show them off, but there are several that I would like to show, so I decided to start with a few of the rookie cards I was able to pick up.

First up is a 1978 Topps Jack Morris RC that I got out of a 4/$1.00 box at the show.  I already had the card in my 1978 set, but for a quarter, I figured it would be a good addition to my RC collection.  Morris was a great pitcher who probably won't get into the Hall of Fame.  We'll have to see over the next few years if he gets in.

I really liked this 2001 SPX Brian Roberts RC, but the guy selling it was a dealer from Baltimore who had a pretty big upcharge on his cards.  Initially, he wanted $25 for this card, and as much as I like Roberts, that was really ridonkulous.  His excuse was "Well, it's serial numbered."  Uhh, this isn't 2003, you know.  Serial numbering, in my opinion, isn't as hot a commodity as it once was.  Anyway, I bought the card without a lot of arguing because I added a ton of Orioles inserts and RCs (Including some Matt Wieters and Dylan Bundy MiLB cards( and got the whole deal for $40.  Probably a little too much, but oh well.  Where else would I be able to find all those Oriole cards in one place?

I got this Adam Jones RC from the same dealer, and I'm not sure what he was asking for it, since I just added it to my pile.  The guy didn't have prices on 95% of the cards; I imagine he was just pricing in his head as he went.  Oh well, I guess I'm a sucker.  Anyway, this 2006 Bowman Heritage is a really cool card, patterned after the 1949 Bowman, down to the blurry photo.  Still a cool card for an Oriole who is having a pretty good year.

Finally, I found this 2012 Allen & Ginter Wei Yin Chen RC.  Chen is doing really well in his rookie season with a 12-7 record so far.  He was the lesser touted of the two Japanese signings for the O's this offseason (the other being Tsuyoshi Wada) and has done a tremendous job.  Hailing from Taiwan, Chen has emerged as the ace of the Orioles' pitching staff since Jason Hammel went on the DL, Jake Arrieta forgot how to pitch and Brian Matusz from 2010 has disappeared.  I like what Chen has done so far and I hope he can keep it up as the season winds down.

Thoughts on 2012 Topps Allen & Ginter

Things have slowed down to a crawl over here.  No new cards or trades have come in.  No TTMs have gone out or come in lately.  I'm still a bit under the weather.  Chris is out of town visiting grandparents, so I am enjoying some quality time with the wife.  She and I rode to the LCS today so I could pick up a few packs of 2012 A&G to see what the fuss is about.

I picked up 4 packs at $4.50 a piece and my second pack yielded a Cal Ripken for my collection.  Very nice.  I used to be hot for A&G.  I remember when it debuted in 2006 and was the product of the year.  I had put together the set each year up until 2010.

I began to sour on A&G in 2009 when the infamous printing issues cropped up.  Remember the lines on the cards?  Those really got on my nerves.  I didn't buy but maybe 4 packs of 2011 A&G last year.  I'm pretty much over the set, now.

That being said, I do like the design of this year's set.  They look nice, much like an A&G card should.  I might purchase a box at some point; but as of right now, I'm in full save mode.  I paid myself back pretty quickly for the money I spent on 2012 Topps Series 2 and have now rolled that on to autograph tickets for the 2012 National Card show.  I have almost paid myself back for that stuff as well, meaning, if I can build a nice surplus to take with em to the show, I might be able to find a lot of blog worthy cards and such while I am there.

So, I have to sacrifice.  No boxes to bust, no HOF baseballs to buy, no Ebay purchases up until the end of the month, then I can splurge at the National.  Plus, that is my vacation time as well, so I need to save for that, too.

Once all of this is said and done, I should be back into blogging full time by the end of the month.  We'll see.  Might need you guys to hook me up with some trades to keep me writing.