Christmas Gift From Adam G.

I received a surprise Christmas gift from a kid on Instagram that I have followed for quite a while. His name is Adam, and he is a huge Orioles fan from Florida.  I believe he "graphs" the Orioles at Spring Training, but I'm not 100% sure.  Anyway, he sent me this nice DJ Stewart IP auto on a 2015 Bowman.  This will look nice in my auto album, I think.  Stewart is a former First Round pick of the Orioles, but has struggled since he was drafted.  I'm hoping he can turn it around and not become another Billy Rowell.

Thank you so much for the card, Adam!  I really appreciate it!

Christmas Gift From Andrew - Unique Brooks Robinson Signed Ball

I got my Christmas gift yesterday from my good friend, Andrew.  He and I have been the best of friends for about 5 years now (wow, that's crazy).  When we went to the National together last summer, Andrew was struggling to find something to get signed by Brooks Robinson.  I had just seen an auction where someone had gotten a "5" billiard ball signed by him.  I thought that was pretty genius.  I mean, come on, the ball is orange and black (Orioles colors) and his number 5 is retired by the club.  Pretty awesome, right?

So, Andrew got his dad to let him sacrifice one of the family's pool balls, and Andrew got it signed by Brooks.  Even Brooks thought it was a cool idea.

I had no idea what to expect from Andrew for Christmas.  I knew money was tight for him, but he always sends awesome stuff, and includes really heartfelt notes.  When I opened this package, I had some tears come to my eyes, not only because the letter he wrote was really awesome, but also because I wasn't expecting him to give up this ball.

Andrew is a really good friend.  He is a great kid, who comes from an amazing family.  I have had the pleasure of spending time with all of them the last two summers, and it is now something I look forward to each year.  I have helped Andrew with his collection, sure, but I have also helped him with school and with life.  I feel like he looks up to me, and my hope is that I act civil enough and hold my crazy inside long enough to be a positive role model for him.  I have a lot of love for the guy.

So, thank you so very much for the great Christmas gift, my friend.  The letter you wrote was amazing, and your friendship is priceless.  Thanks, Andrew!

Amazing Ebay Pickup - 2013 Topps Triple Threads Chris Davis Wood 1/1

I don't have very many true 1/1s.  I have a platinum parallel of Chris Davis in my PC, and I have a 1/1 Virgil Trucks auto.  I have some printing plates, but they really are out of, what, 4 or 5?  You know, when you factor in that there are the different ones for each color used when printing a card.  Well, I had something pop up on my Ebay feed last week that got my attention.

This 2013 Topps Triple Threads Chris Davis wood 1/1 showed up and I was determined to not let it out of my sight.  This was one of those cards that I knew if I let it pass, I would never see it again.  So, I prepared myself to do whatever it took to be able to add it to the Davis collection.  Luckily, I got it for much less than I originally anticipated, which was nice.

I have always wanted one of the wood parallels that Topps has been putting in Allen & Ginter.  They aren't too crazy expensive, depending on the player, either.  I just haven't been able to get a Davis.  Funny thing is, I had just seen the wood 1/1 of Adam Jones on Instagram, and the guy who had it offered it to me, but I passed on it.  I am really lucky that this Davis showed up just a couple days afterward!

This is just an awesome card.  Not only is it a true 1/1, but it is autographed and it has a really nice O's patch on it as well.  I think my Chris Davis collection is pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.  It has taken a lot of work, but I am really happy with it.  Thankfully, he re-signed with the Orioles, and I can watch him bash homers for them for a good while.

Instagram Trade With Spencer

I completed a trade on Instagram last week with a guy named Spencer that landed me this awesome 2011 Leaf Draft Sonny Gray auto.  I haven't added much to the Sonny Gray PC in a while, so when I saw that he had this card available, I did what I could to get it.

Spencer got a Gregory Polanco Bowman Sterling auto and a Jordan Zimmermann gold chrome parallel, and I got the Gray, a Chris Davis Bowman Chrome parallel and a card that will be a Christmas present for a friend of mine.

Spencer was really nice and easy to deal with.  If you are on Instagram, he has some nice stuff available.  Check out his page at SMCards9.

Card Shop Pickup - 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker Refractor Auto

Jacob at the card shop had a card for me when I went to the card shop this past weekend.  I was happy to see that it was this 2015 Topps Chrome Christian Walker refractor auto.  The refractors from Topps Chrome look really cool.  This one is numbered 100/499.  I think I am going to try to get more of these color parallels from 2015 Topps Chrome.  They just look cool.  I wish more Orioles were in the set (cough cough Chris Davis cough cough).

Jacob gave me a pretty good price on the card; it was a bit of an over pay, but it was more of helping a guy out than anything else, which I am fine with.

A Birthday Present From Max - My 2,000th Post

Before I started this blog in November 2008, I had very few people I could trade cards with.  I had Pete and P. A. at the card shop, and my older brother John on occasion.  Other than that, it was really difficult for me to offload any cards or trade for ones I wanted to add.  I was limited to Ebay and Sportlots, as far as buying is concerned, and also the shop, of course.  Then, at P. A.'s and Pete's urging, the blog was started.  Now, almost 7 years later, I have reached a milestone, my 2,000th post.  I knew it was coming for some time now, and I wrestled with what I wanted the subject to cover.  Did I want to do a contest?  Did I want to do a retrospective?  Did I want to change things up and do something completely different?  It didn't take me long to decide that I wanted the theme of my 2,000th post to be what my blog usually covers: me talking about cards, preferably Orioles, and hopefully ones I obtained from a friend that I made while using the blog as a trading tool.  I have made countless friends over the years on this blog, some have come and gone, others have been here since the beginning.  I believe I have more "online" friends now, than I do physical ones, but I think that is just the state of how the world is today.  I can say, though, that some of the closest friends I have were ones I made through this blog.  Not to name them all, but ones who come to mind immediately are people like Drew, Andrew, Michael and of course, Max.  Each of those four are guys I have had the privilege of meeting in person, and actually trading with in person as well. There are others, and of course ones that I feel like I have a close kinship with as well, but I can't take the time to name everyone, I would be here all day.  Hopefully no one is offended that they were not mentioned.

Anyway, Max and I are such good friends now, we can get on Skype and sort boxes of "junk wax" and not say a whole lot, but know that each of us is just happy to be around the other.  He has hooked me up with some amazing stuff in the short time that we have known each other.  He also was an amazing host this summer when we were at The National.  That being said, when his birthday package arrived yesterday, I was floored with how awesome the main card (and note) were.

The main portion of the gift was the above 2014 Leaf Q Pure autograph of Brooks Robinson.  The card is amazing.  I had seen them on Ebay, but didn't pull the trigger on getting one.  I'm really glad Max picked this up, because it really will stand out in my Brooks PC.  The scan doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

Not to take anything away from the rest of the package, which consisted of a bunch of Orioles and also Hall of Famers, but the Brooks card is just awesome.  Max did add something else that has become a recurring theme of the packages that he has sent.  He sent me an IP auto that he was able to pick up this season in the above 2012 Topps Finest Tsuyoshi Wada.  Wada is a former Oriole who went on to play for the Cubs, and be pretty successful.  He never actually threw a pitch for the O's, but he was someone I watched with great interest, hoping he would be healthy and make it.  Instead, another international signing that the O's got at the same time, with less fanfare, did far better - Wei-Yin Chen.  Chen is now set to become a free agent and leave the O's.  Maybe one day, Wada can come back, but it is doubtful.  He (and Chen also) does represent a change in the Orioles' philosophy in signing international talent, which has changed for the better.

So, thank you so much, Max, for this amazing birthday package.  I appreciate your friendship, and know that we will keep this going for a long time.  Additionally, I want to thank each and every person who has read this blog, anyone who has traded with me on here, Instagram, Facebook, Kik, Snapchat, etc etc etc.  It really means a lot to me to be able to have a platform where I can share my thoughts and feelings on the O's and also on this hobby that I love.  Thank you for 2,000 reasons to post, and here's to at least 2,000 more.

Gift From Brian - 2015 Gypsy Queen Kevin Gausman Auto

A good thing that happened at this past weekend's card show was that I got to talk to my friend, Brian and his dad again.  I had met them at the previous show in July, and chatted with them for quite a while.  Brian and his dad are huge Orioles fans, and I made sure that I thought of them when I was at the National.

Brian surprised me at this show with the above Kevin Gausman auto from 2015 Gypsy Queen.  The card looks really nice, and Gausman's auto is on card.

Thanks so much for the awesome card, Brian!  I really appreciate it and I am glad you and your dad came by my tables again.

Card Shop Pickup - 2015 Topps Archives Brady Anderson Auto

Jacob, the "new" guy at the card shop, surprised me last week when I visited when he told me that he had a card I might be interested in.  He had just pulled this 2015 Topps Archives Brady Anderson auto out of a pack of cards.  He was right, I was interested in it.

I don't recall that I have seen any other cards signed by Brady.  Of course, I haven't looked any up, but still, one would think I would see some regardless.  Brady was one of my favorite Orioles as I was growing up, and I'm very happy that he is still a member of the organization.  He currently serves as the strength and conditioning coordinator for the organization, and a special assistant to the GM.

I really appreciated Jacob holding onto this card for me, and I was very happy to add it to my collection.

An Amazing Pull From 2015 Topps Chrome

I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled series of posts about what I got at the National to show what I pulled yesterday out of 2015 Topps Chrome.  I got a jumbo box in the mail from my supplier and busted it right before dinner last night.

I was very excited to pull this purple refractor of Kris Bryant that is numbered 211/250.  The card is amazing, no way around it.  I would normally keep something like this, but I already have a buyer lined up, and I doubt I would let it go to anyone else.

Still, though, this was a really awesome pull, and the box I bought it paid off and then some by just one card.  I wish I could be this lucky all the time.

Bob Feller Pickups From The National

I'm always on the lookout for new Bob Feller stuff when I go to card shows.  The National was no different.  I was able to pick up two new Feller autos for my PC.

The above Feller auto from 2001 Topps Archives Reserves is a nice one that I hadn't seen before.  The card is really sharp, and was one of the last purchases I made at the show.  I bundled it with a higher end card that I still need to show (I referenced it when I was discussing Topps Sterling a few days ago).

This Feller was also picked up on the last day of the show.  The night before, we all congregated at Max's house for a cookout and played pack wars.  I won the bulk of the cards, including a 2012 Topps David Ortiz printing plate.  Normally, I would have contacted my friends Joey, or Scott, who collect the Red Sox and would have offered it to them.  Instead, I decided to take it to the show on the last day and see what I could flip it for.

It took me two tables/vendors to find a match, and when I offered the plate for this Feller, the vendor said "Sure, I'll do that trade."  So, I was able to take a card I won in pack wars and flip it for a nice PC pickup.  An autograph (on card) of one of the greatest pitchers ever.  I was happy with that deal.

The card is a 2001 Fleer Greats of the Game and, again, the auto is on card.  It looks really sharp scanned.

Top 10 Wishlist Pickup - 1992 Donruss Elite Cal Ripken Auto

I'm going to do a day-by-day recap of the National Card Show when I get back home, but I will be posting bits and pieces while I am here.  Today marked a big day for me in my collection.  I have been collecting Cal Ripken since 1990 and today marks my most anticipated addition to that PC.

Since it was issued in 1992, I have always wanted the 1992 Donruss Elite Cal Ripken autograph.  One of the first autos issued in packs (I think UD did Reggie Jackson a few years prior), this was a sought after card back during the Junk Wax era.  I opened a ton of 1992 Donruss, just to find that I didn't have a magic touch that would yield this card.

Fast forward 23 years and I was finally able to track down a nice version of this card at the 2015 National Sports Collector's Convention in Chicago.  Max, Andrew and I walked around the show all day today asking vendors if they had this card.  Each search turned up empty, and most requests caused vendors to look at me like I was crazy.

Finally, around 3:45 PM, Max had to leave, but Andrew and I hooked up with my good buddy, Frankie (from the blog - My Life in the Sports Card Hobby), and after about 5 minutes into resuming our search, we found the card.

Let's just say that the vendor told us later that my reaction to when he said he had the card made the show for him.  I was so very happy that I got the card.  I paid the sticker price for the card, as the vendor didn't budge, but it really was a fair deal (he did throw in a Brooks Robinson auto).  My budget for the National is already busted, but I met all of my goals.  By the way, this card is numbered 3,202/5,000.  Frankie was kind enough to give me a magnetic case and a team bag to slab it in.

I'm so happy that I found this card, and I'm even more happy that I was able to experience the thrill of the hunt for it with several of my close friend.  This sure beat landing the card on Ebay and it coming in the mail.  I enjoyed the quest with Max, Frankie and Andrew, and to me, that made getting it even more special.

Please continue to check back to see our progress from The National.  We are only one full day into it with three to go.  The next few days surely won't have as much cash change hands, but I do intend on continuing to pick up several items for myself and some friends.

Ebay Pickup - 2014 Leaf Trinity Pure Ryan Mountcastle Auto

My first pickup from the Orioles 2015 draft class was this 2014 Leaf Trinity Pure Ryan Mountcastle auto numbered 22/40.  The card is awesome and marks my second Pure auto, the first being my Hunter Harvey.

These are really amazing cards.  They're clear acetate cards, which I really enjoy.  I remember when Marvel put out acetate cards in one of their sets back in the 1990s, and I had a great time building that set.

I saw that there is a Brooks Robinson like this one, so you know I will be going for that pretty soon.

Mountcastle was the Orioles second pick in the 1st round of this year's draft.  He looks to be a pretty good hitter, even thought many of the "experts" felt like the O's drafted him way too high.  I'll let his performance tell me how he turns out.

I just hope he doesn't turn out like Billy Rowell.

A Surprise Care Package From Jake P.

I got a care package in the mail today from my friend, Jake P.  The package was very unexpected, and the heartfelt letter he wrote was even more of a surprise.  Jake sent me a Sonny Gray relic that was damaged badly, and I was pretty upset over it.  I wasn't mean to Jake at all, I just told him I was disappointed that the card was damaged.  He apologized profusely, and vowed to make it up to me, to which I had responded "Don't worry about it."  Well, Jake was true to his word and sent me two nice PC cards.  I really didn't want him to worry about it, and my opinion of him didn't change as a result, but this was such an amazing gesture, it won't be forgotten.

Jake hooked me up with this 2006 Bowman Futures Game relic of Nolan Reimold.  I had one already, but I am really glad to have another in my collection.

Jake also sent this 2012 Upper Deck SP dual auto of Brian Matusz and Matt Wieters that I had never seen before.  Even without pictures of the players, and no team info at all, the card still looks really cool.  I love the colors they chose for the card, and the autographs match well with that scheme.  It is a really sharp card.

So, thanks a bunch for this awesome care package, Jake, and more so, thanks for the amazing letter.  Those are really my favorite parts of any package.

Pickup From The Dimwit - 2014 Triple Threads Kevin Gausman Relic-Auto

I completed a trade recently with Sam, the author of the blog, The Daily Dimwit.  I sent him a Colin Moran auto from 2014 Bowman Sterling and in return, he gave me this awesome 2014 Topps Triple Threads Kevin Gausman quadruple relic/auto.  The card is numbered 15/75 and looks amazing.

I sent Sam some additional cards, but I doubt that they measure up in comparison to this card.  I need to pick Sam up some more stuff to send his way.  Speaking of, I have a few other fellow bloggers that I need to hook up, since they have sent me care packages.  I'm getting to them and I appreciate everyone's patience.

Thanks for the trade, Sam!

Surprise Gift From Noah - Sonny Gray Auto

I got an awesome gift recently from my great friend, Noah.  He sent me this 2014 Topps Stadium Club Sonny Gray auto as a gift, and it is appreciated.  Noah is a great guy, and I was so happy that he sent this.

My Gray PC is pretty nice, already.  I have quite a few of his autos, and this one looks so cool with the A's colors.  I'm glad it is a yellow and green jersey instead of white and green.  It really pops.

Thanks so much, Noah, it was really nice of you to hook me up like this.

Catching Up On Mail - Recent Instagram Pickups

It's crunch time at my place, today as I prepare for my first card show in a couple years.  I have to continue sorting and pricing cards and avoid burning myself out on them.  Never is a good feeling being sick of looking at cards.

I also have been really behind on posting recent mail, even with posting a post a day.  So, I condensed a few trades and deals down to one post, with the hope of catching up a bit.  Even by doing this, I still have a ton in my "to be blogged pile".  Thank you all for bearing with me.  I'm sure some of you are tired of the "I got this today, or dealt for that" posts.  Trading has never been busier for me, so I suppose that's a good thing.

I got the above Zach Britton snow camo parallel in a trade with a kid from Instagram who uses the handle sports.cards.24.  I sent him a Derek Jeter coin from the Turn 2 Foundation, and got this Britton that is numbered 38/99.  It looks pretty cool, and will stay in my collection.

In exchange for a Bowman Chrome blue parallel of Dawel Lugo and a Jonathan Gray die cut, a kid named Barton (topshelf_graphs on Instagram) sent me this 2014 Topps Chrome Jose Fernandez black parallel numbered  21/100.  The card is really nice, and I think I can sell it at the show tomorrow.  If not, it'll be posted on my trade bait page.

Being in a hurry is never good, especially when you are scanning cards.  This Nick Kingham was obtained (along with an Orange Tim Cooney auto) in exchange for a AJ Cole Bowman Sterling auto.  I got the card from a guy named Christian (Primesportscards on Instagram).  I picked them up specifically for trades and the Cooney has already been claimed by Andrew.  I can probably get a little bit out of the Kingham as well.  We'll see.

I traded for this Justin Verlander a while ago, and when I traded for it, I had no idea it was a patch card (and numbered to 9).  It's about the saddest patch card that I have seen, with the bare minimum of the patch showing.  Yet, it is still a patch card, and two colors for that matter.  I have had a lot of folks ask about it.  I'm going to take it with me tomorrow, and set the price pretty high and see what I can do.  I'm not too worried about this one, though, because I know I have a market for it when I get back here.  I also might end up keeping it, though.  It is a pretty cool card.  I would like to get some more patches soon.

Finally, I got some set needs from my good friend, Jet, recently when he was trying to raise some money for a trip that he wants to take later this summer.  He sent 7 1959 Topps cards that I needed for my set.  Some of them will fit in nicely, and a couple of the others will be placeholders until I can upgrade them.

So, thanks for all of the deals, guys.  I really appreciate them, even if I wasn't able to dedicate standalone posts for them.  Hopefully you all understand.  It'll be nice to get caught up, but I don't know if I can.  I'm just hoping I can get some stuff cleared out tomorrow and maybe make a little money in the process.

Awesome Care Package From Andrew

I got a package in the mail the other day from my good friend, Andrew, that had a few cards that he and I dealt for, and also some unique items.  Andrew, unbeknownst to me for a long time, is quite the artist.  He recently began doing some pencil sketches of baseball players and showed them to me over Skype.  I was amazed by how talented he was and requested that he draw me something.  Funny thing is, he had already drawn some for me.  This Nolan Reimold sketch is really amazing.  So much so, I took a quick picture of it and sent the picture to Nolan's wife, Jenny.  She, too, thought it was awesome and said that she would show Nolan.  I know that this was a pretty cool moment for Andrew.

This is actually the second sketch that he drew for me of Chris Davis.  Apparently, he had one completed after several hours of painstaking work, only to spill a drink on it.  Ouch.  Thankfully, Andrew re-drew it and here it is.  This one is awesome, as well.  He really is talented.  I hope some folks go on his blog and request some sketches from him.  He really needs to utilize this talent.

Andrew and I HAD been working on a trade for some trade bait on both sides, so I sent him something he could flip elsewhere and I took this 2014 Topps Supreme Chase Whitley that I could take with me to this weekend's show.  I think I can sell it for a decent price, especially since there are a ton of Yankees fans in Raleigh, for some reason.

Finally, Andrew found me another Nolan card that I needed in my collection, this 2006 Just Minors auto.  The card is numbered 12/50 and looks really cool.  I had no idea that Andrew picked this up for me, and I was really happy to receive it.

Thanks so much for the great package, Andrew.  I hope some folks commission you to do some sketches.  I think you can make a little money off of them, if you so choose.  You sure have a talent!

Everyone, go check out Andrew's blog, and put him to work!  You can access his blog HERE.

Autograph Care Package From Michael

My buddy, Michael, hooked me up the other day with a nice care package that had a few autographs that he thought I would like.  I really needed this 2015 Topps Career High Adam Jones auto in my Jones PC.  The auto is nice and crisp, and looks awesome.

This 2013 Topps Archives Charlie Hough auto is really nice.  On-card autos are great, and the 1987 design just makes it look really sharp.  This was a cool card to get from Michael, for sure.

Surprisingly, when I posted on Instagram that I got this package, this Jason Motte auto was the most commented card in the group.  I guess I know a bunch of Cardinals fans.

Finally, Michael sent me ANOTHER 2011 Bowman Sterling auto of Mychal Givens.  Givens is still a part of the Orioles farm system, having converted from an infielder to a pitcher.  He has a shot to be called up from AA Bowie and work out of the bullpen.  I'd like to see him make it.

Thanks again for the care package, Michael.  I always appreciate all that you do, far beyond the free stuff you give folks, but also the friendship you provide that is worth much more than baseball cards.

Awesome "Pulls" From Jack

My buddy Jack did some "pulls" a couple weeks ago for $5.00.  What a "pull" is, is when someone dumps a bunch of cards into a box and for a price, they randomly pull out cards.  I think I got 3 pulls with my $5, or something like that.  I lost track once Jack pulled this Pete Rose auto for me.  I mean, this awesome auto for $5?  STEAL!

The "pulls" concept is a pretty good one, I think.  I've never done it, but if there are good chasers, then it would almost be attune to buying a pack of cards.  I had no idea what was available, I just sent the money to help out a friend.  Jack is a good kid, whom I have helped along with his collection.

Thanks for the pulls, Jack, especially since I did so well!

Instagram Trade With Samthecardcollector - Zach Britton Patch

I gathered together some Reds hits and other cards for my friend, Sam L. who runs the YouTube channel: Samthecardcollector (that's his Instagram handle as well).  He's a really nice guy, and we have already completed a couple trades.

Sam hooked me up with this awesome Zach Britton relic/patch/auto from 2011 Topps Marquee.  I was amazed that Sam was ok with letting this card go.  I really appreciated his generosity.

Please, everyone, check out Sam's YouTube page, he needs more followers and is a great guy. Thanks again, Sam!