Vintage Instagram Deal With Jet

My buddy, Jet, was strapped for cash recently, so he made me a proposal for a deal involving some nice vintage cards and a sweet 8x10 signed photo.  One of the vintage cards was on my Top 10 Wishlist, so after hearing the price he was looking for, I jumped on the deal.

The above Orlando Cepeda RC is in decent shape, but by no means mint.  That's ok, though, because this card will be well taken care of, and Jet knew it was going to a good home.  This is the first item I have been able to knock off of my Top Ten Wishlist, so that was nice.

Jet also had this Bob Feller signed 8x10.  Although I tend to shy away from 8x10s, I love Feller, and figured at the price in which Jet was selling at, I went ahead and added it to the deal.  I wish this was a "high leg kick" auto, but this photo is still really nice.  I like the old Indians uniform, and also love the sepia photo.

Thanks so much for the deal, Jet!  I really appreciate it.

2016 Topps Stadium Club Card Shop Pickups

I was able to pick up a few singles of 2016 Stadium Club while I was at the Matthews card shop on Friday.  I got a few for some other people, but had to add to my PCs as well.  I like the shot of Chris Davis above.  Stadium Club has quickly become one of my favorite offerings.  The photos are great!  My LCS has already sold out of Stadium Club, so I will probably be picking up a box at the National.  I may also work on the set, like last year.

Here is Adam Jones's card.  He is about to pie face someone.  This is a great shot of Jonesey, as it fits his personality perfectly.

Here is a new Cal to add to my PC.  As always, any time I can add a new Cal, that's a good day.

Finally, I picked up this Bob Feller for the Feller PC.  It is tough getting new Feller cards, so adding this was nice.  This is a shot of a younger Feller, earlier in his career, it seems.

I hope Topps keeps up with Stadium Club.  It really looks great this year!

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.

Raleigh Card Show - Day 3 Recap

I have to say, I had one of my most successful card shows to date.  Not only with selling, but with the overall atmosphere of the show.  It was by no means busy, which would have been even better, but sales each day were pretty good for me.  I was able to meet up with several people throughout the show, and also got a couple new blog readers out of it.  That was really cool.  I hope it sticks.

I met up with a fellow blogger, Tim from I Love The Smell of Cardboard In The Morning.  He came by my tables at the end of the show and introduced himself.  We chatted for quite a while, and he was nice enough to hand deliver a care package.  I'll post that tomorrow.

Also, my buddy Tyler was able to have his own table today and did pretty decently selling.  Better yet, my son Chris got HIS own table, and actually sold a few cards himself so he would have a little spending money for the National.  In all, it was a really fun and successful day.

I did break my rule again (rules are made to be broken, right?  Or is it supposed to be records?  I forget) and buy a few "well loved" vintage cards from fellow dealer, Kurt.  I bought from him at the last show, and figured I would see what he was offering today.

The above Mike Cuellar rookie is a card that I already had in my collection, but I also needed one for my '59 set.  This one is in really good shape, and will fit nicely into the set.

I do quite enjoy the 1949 Bowman set, so when I saw this Dom DiMaggio for a couple bucks, I figured I would pick it up.  It is pretty rough, but still looks so cool.

The last of the vintage cards was this 1956 Topps Bob Feller for the Feller PC.  I will probably upgrade it at some point, but for now, this one will do just fine.

Something really cool that happened at this show started on Friday and continued into today.  I met a guy named Kevin on Friday evening.  He saw that I had a lot of Orioles stuff for sale, so he mentioned that his son would like what I had and would be back on Saturday.  They did, in fact, come back and his son, Brian, bought a couple cards from me.  They were really looking for some Chris Davis rookies, but I didn't bring any of the extras that I had with me.  So, I promised Kevin that I would send them a few in the mail since he didn't think that they would be back today.

Well, Kevin made a point to come back today, and was kind enough to give me a gift after he had checked out my blog.  He gave me the above 1983 Orioles World Series Champions Coke Bottle, which I really appreciated.

The bottle is something that Kevin has hung onto since it was produced, and now I have it.  That was really cool of him to hook me up.  In return, I will be hooking Brian up as well.  Pay it forward, as they say.

So, I would like to thank everyone who came by my tables this weekend, and I hope you know that the time I spent talking cards was something I truly enjoyed.

Mail From Jacob - Bob Feller Autographed Post Card

I got a nice surprise in the mail today.  A guy I know from Instagram, Jacob, sent me this Bob Feller signed post card as an apology for something he did a few days ago.  I won't get into what happened, but the fact that he apologized was enough for me.  I definitely didn't expect anything in the mail, and I was very surprised when he told me that it would be a Bob Feller autograph that he would be sending.

I have PCed Feller since 2010, now, and have quite a few autographs and cards.  Feller was an amazing pitcher in his day, and was also a great American.  I really appreciate Jacob sending this autograph, even though it wasn't necessary.  I accepted the apology well before the gift was sent.  That being said, though, I'm keeping this!!

Thanks Jacob.

June 2015 Raleigh Card Show - Day 1 Recap

I am wore out from a long day of selling stuff at the card show.  For a two-day show, I have already broken even, and still have tomorrow to go.  I was able to add to my inventory tonight when I busted my three jumbo boxes of Series 2 Topps, but those hits will come at a later time (the ones that don't sell, at least).

I was really happy with the turnout today, and I hope I can sell a few more things tomorrow.  I didn't take much money with me to spend, but I was still able to get a few deals.  The theme of today's show seemed to be "well loved vintage."

I didn't have a whole lot of time to browse, but I did stop by the Huggins Auction booth where he had some vintage cards for 50% off of his sticker price.  He had a bunch of Hall of Famers, so I figured I would take the opportunity to add to my collection, a few cards that I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise.

The above '52 Bowman Yogi Berra has a really nice front.  Pretty worn, and all, but it looks really nice.

The back, on the other hand, is rough.  The card would probably grade at less than a 1, but it is still a cool card.  I guess you could say that I have a soft spot for the "well loved" cards, and this one fits right in there. I paid $14 for the card, so I think I still did really well.

The next card I grabbed is actually a PC need.  This is a 1953 Bowman Color Bob Feller.  The front is kind of rough, as you can see many creases.

The back is blown all to crap, though.  It looks like the card was taped into an album.  I bet it was a kid from back in the 50's who was really proud showing off his collection.  I can use this card to fill a spot in my PC until I can find an upgrade.  I gor this one for $12.00.

The best of the three Hall of Famers, I got this Arky Vaughan for $24.00.  It is a 1933 Goudey, and the front is in really good shape.

The back has a little paper loss on the bottom right corner, as you can see.  It is still my first card of Vaughan, and I am glad I picked it up.

This 1976 All Star ballot was a really cool find.  That's exactly what it was, too, a find.  As my wife and I were walking out of the show for the evening, I saw this lying on the ground.  No one was around, and there was no way to tell whose it was, so it went home with me.  Check out all of the Hall of Famers on the ballot (you can click on it to enlarge, Mom).

Finally, I was able to pick up 5 high number cards for my 1959 Topps set for $3/each.  The above Stengel is probably the highlight of the bunch.

Anyway, I am really tired, so I am going to close this entry.  I would like it if any NC/SC/VA collectors were able to come by the show and say hello.  That would be really cool.  I will have some new 2015 Topps hits and inserts available in the morning.

Instagram Trade WIth Tud - TCMA Hall of Famers

I completed a trade with a guy on Instagram named Tud (yep, that's his name.  As far as I know it's not short for anything) who uses the Instagram handle muffin_sports_cards.  He is a Texan, and one of the nicest people I've met on there.  Just a genuinely nice guy.  It was really easy to trade with him.  I sent him a few vintage cards, and in return, I got a stack of 18 TCMA Hall of Famers ranging from 1977 to 1980.

Quite a few of them will go into my PCs, like the Bob Feller you saw above, or this Jimmie Foxx.  I grabbed a few more of them to send as freebies in some care packages to a couple friends as well.

This set is pretty nice, as it is an opportunity to own a card of a Hall of Famer who might not have too many regular issue cards, like Joe Sewell.  I have his 1922 American Caramel, but there isn't a whole lot else out there of him.  I was glad I was able to complete this deal with Tud and by talking to him, I know we will do a bunch of deals in the future.  He's a real good guy.

Mail From Nick

I got a nice surprise package in the mail recently from my good friend, Nick, over at Dime Boxes.  Nick is, by far, the best blogger around.  His mini collections and just all around joy for just about any kind of cardboard is a real sight to see.  He finds so many things to like about cards that I (and others) may miss.

I send him stuff every now and then, and in return, I get mailers from him as well.  This time around, Nick hit me up with a bunch of Orioles parallels and oddball cards.  One of which, I didn't yet have in my PC was the above 1989 Kahn (KAHHHHNNNN!!!!!!) Hillshire Farm Brooks Robinson card.

I had never seen these before, and it also provided me the ability to drop a movie reference in my blog.  Woo Hoo.

These Opening Day blue parallels look so awesome in person.  I didn't have this Kevin Gausman parallel yet and Nick hooked me up!

Finally, here is a Chasing History Bob Feller.  I love that I PC Feller.  He was a great ball player, a great American and a great man.  He is still missed, and I take every opportunity to add cards of his to my collection.

Thanks so much for the cards, Nick!  I am slowly building a pile again for you, hopefully, it'll be ready to send sometime soon.  If you guys haven't checked out Nick's blog yet, you're missing out.  Please check it and give him a follow by clicking here.

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.

Awesome Vintage Pickups From The Columbia Antique Shop

I love traveling to Columbia, SC.  The reason I go is to see my younger brother, Adam, who has lived in Columbia for something close to 7 years now.  We alternate trips, so the next time we see each other will be when he makes his way to my house.  Adam is always in step with what is going on concerning the local scene, always knowing which are the best restaurants, pubs and shops to check out while we are in town. This always makes our trips adventurous and never dull.

This time down marked the second time we went to the Rosewood Crawfish Festival.  Last time we went was 2012, missing 2013 due to one of Chris's baseball games.  Before the festival, however, I took a few hours to check out my other favorite thing about Columbia, the Chic Antiques shop at the Columbia Antique mall.

Usually, when I head to the antique shop, I pick up a few vintage set needs and a baseball or two.  This time, Conrad, the shop proprietor, didn't have any that I needed readily available.  So, along with the 70 1959 Topps cards I got for my set, I also picked up some amazing vintage cards, starting with the above 1952 Topps Bob Feller.

I had this Feller on my Top 10 wishlist and figured it would be fairly easily attainable.  Supposed book value is around $250 and I was able to get this card for $75.  Not bad at all.  I figured that this card took the place of whatever signed ball I would have picked up.  I haven't been afforded the luxury of having access to too many 1952 Topps cards, but while looking at this card, and one you'll see below, I can see why there is such a draw to them.  They are very sharp cards and I really want to pick up a few more.

I have been wanting a 1953 Topps Roy Campanella for quite some time now.  This one has a bit of paper loss on the top and bottom, but the coloring and artwork look great.  For $40, I think I got a steal and am really happy with it.  I definitely want to pick up some more Campanella cards sometime in the future, and this one is a very good start for me.

One of the more underrated Hall of Fame pitchers of all-time is the man above, Phillies ace, Robin Roberts. I thought I was done when I decided to purchase the Bob Feller, but when Conrad told me I was getting a "friends and family" discount on the cards, I decided to add this one to my stack.  This card is also very sharp-looking.  The colors are bold and the portrait of Roberts looks great.  He and Feller, both, are players that I wish I could have met.

Finally, as a bit of a surprise to myself, I remembered to ask Conrad if he had any 1948 Bowman.  I keep forgetting that I am working on this set, mainly because the cards themselves are sort of "unremarkable."  I'm one who really enjoys the bold colors or a sleek design (I know, wave something shiny in front of me and I'm easily distracted).  However, this 1948 set has been a lot of fun to build over the years.  Before this weekend, I had 24 of the 48 cards in the set.  Mathematically, I had half of the set completed already, but having 5 of the 6 major cards (Musial, Feller, Kiner, Spahn and Berra rookies; missing Rizzuto) really puts me well over halfway toward my goal.

So, including the above Snuffy Stirnweiss, I picked up 5 cards I needed for my set.  That means I have 29 of the possible 48 cards, or 60% of the set.  I bet I will have this set wrapped up before too long.  I don't know if I will attempt another Bowman set at this moment, but you never know.  If I can knock out the '48 set, I know that will be a huge feather in my cap, though.

That being said, I really enjoyed my weekend with my brother.  Not only did I get to see him, I also got to hang out with my older brother, Philip, my younger brother, Andy, and Andy's lady-friend, Camryn.  We all had a great time eating crawfish and having a few beers.  I can't wait til the next time I can make the trip down to see Adam, probably sometime in July.

COMC Pickup - 2003 UD Sweet Spot Classic Bob Feller

One of the few things I miss since Upper Deck has left the baseball card market was their Sweet Spot Classic series.  Between that and Legendary Cuts, those were the best yearly offerings that UD had going, in my opinion.  I really like the photography used for the cards for each, and the hits (when not a redemption) were pretty great.

So, when I saw this 2003 UD Sweet Spot Classic Bob Feller that I needed for my collection on COMC, I snatched it up.  The coloring is great.  I don't know what it is about a sepia photo or card, but I really enjoy it.  Feller looks like he is ready to mow someone down with that 100+ mph fastball. I wish I could hop in the DeLorean and go back to his hey day and watch him throw.

That's the funny thing, if I had a time machine, I wouldn't be using it to better mankind, I would be in one of those old straw hats, sitting in old baseball stadiums, perfectly content.  If only that were possible...

Bob Feller COMC Pickups

I spent a little bit of store credit recently on COMC and was able to add a few cards to my Bob Feller PC.  I got the above 1980-83 Pacific Legends Feller for under a dollar.  I hadn't heard of these cards before I was showing a Stan Musial to my good friend, Andrew.  He ended up not buying the Musial, but I liked the cards enough that I bought one for him and I got a couple for myself.  They look really good, in my opinion, and at a cheap price for Hall of Famers.

I also picked up this 2013 Bowman Blue Rookie Card refractor of Feller.  I thought this was really cool, especially since I am working on the 1948 Bowman set.  Having the original card makes this even cooler.  I also picked up the Musial, since it was a '48 Bowman as well.

I'll probably show the Musials I got at a later time, or I'll let Andrew show them on his blog, since I got him the same ones.  I really like both cards, though.  Really cool designs and not a lot of cost.

Card Show Bob Feller Pickups

I had a couple issues scanning today, pretty much the same issues I always have when scanning - the scanner chops off edges of cards (above) and this time, it divided the below card into several files.  That's a new one for me.  I just have to get used to the scanner, that's all.

Anyway, I picked up two Bob Feller cards for my PC when I was at the December card show.  The above 2013 Triple Threads was $1.00.

This autographed mini photo was really cool.  I honestly thought it was an off-shade of yellow, until I took it out of it's very aged top loader.  I bought it off of an older fellow at the show who was selling his entire collection.  He couldn't recall how old the mini photo was or what it was even called.  It didn't matter to me, I bought it from him for $15.  I've seen plenty of Feller autos over the last few years to know its legit.

I would be interested in knowing about how old the photo was.  If I had to guess, I'd say it came from the early 50's or so.  Maybe an Indians promotional photo or something?  Who knows.

Christmas From Drew

My good friend, Drew, always sends great stuff for birthdays and Christmas.  This year was no exception.  He had already warned me that my Christmas package wasn't going to include a ball, but would still be pretty awesome.  I wasn't worried about the awesome part, because, really, it's the thought that counts.

That being said, when I opened my package, I was very happy with the cards that were inside.  Drew took the time to read my wishlist and knocked two Bob Feller cards off that I needed for my PC.

The top card is Feller's 1954 Bowman.  It's a really cool card, with a smiling Feller posing in the dugout.  A really good shot of him.  I like the old school uniform and patches on his sleeves.  the card is in great shape, too.  There are a couple of creases across the middle of the card, but you have to really look for them.  I like it, that's for sure.

The other card comes out of one of my favorite sets, 1955 Bowman.  This card is in really good shape.  Feller is shown here gripping the ball across the seams.

I really liked the cards that Drew sent.  It's a shame that he has been so busy lately preparing for college because regular posts on his blog have become a thing of the past.  Once a stalwart in the blogosphere, Drew has kind of taken a few steps back into the shadows.  I'm hoping when things calm down for him, he will find his blogging voice again and we will see more posts.

Ok, enough of my shameless plugging.  I spent yesterday's post talking about one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game and was able to follow it up today with who I have always believed was the greatest.  He is definitely my favorite pitcher of all-time (of which I have many).  One regret I do have, however, is that I was never able to meet Feller in person.  I do want to go to his museum in Iowa one day.  Maybe I'll be able to convince Drew to go on a road trip in the future.  Who knows.

So, thanks for the awesome Christmas present, Drew.  You've always been a class act and I am glad we have been able to collaborate on our blogs for the past 5 years together.  Thanks so much!

A Package From Nick

 Nick from the amazing blog "Baseball Dimebox" sent me a package that I got today.  There were a ton of Orioles in it, several of which I needed for various PCs.  The above Jim Palmer Boyhood Photos of the Stars card is especially nice (since I completely forgot it existed!).  the amazing thing about this card is the Palmer's hair hasn't changed after all these years!

Another card I really liked (I liked them all, but I can't scan them all) was this one that I had never seen before.  This is a Sunoco Dream Team card of Bob Feller and Lou Boudreau.  It is a surprise addition to my Feller PC.

Nick has a really good eye for the "Diamond In the Rough", if you will, which is one of the many great parts of his blog.  Nick's ability to find something cool about any card is something I really try to use in my card shopping adventures as well.

Thanks for the package, Nick!

Ebay Pickup - 1954 Topps Scoops Bob Feller

I finally was able to knock a card off of my wishlist that had been on there for quite some time when I found this 1954 Topps Scoops Bob Feller on Ebay for $12.27 + $2.00 shipping.  Usually, these cards go for around $30, so I did pretty well.

They've been hard to find, really.  I always thought this was a card from the 1954 set, but back when I first started a Feller PC several years ago, I was told that he didn't have a card in the 1954 set (that's a shame because that is a really beautiful set).

So, I am really happy to take this one off of my wishlist.  I really so need to add some more stuff to the list (especially since Christmas is coming up)!

Ebay Pickup - 1960 Nu Card Scoops Bob Feller

I picked up a few 1961 Nu Card Scoops cards last year from COMC (you can see the 1961 Feller I got here).  I knew there was a 1960 version as well, but hadn't been able to find too many of them online...  Until recently.  The above 1960 Nu Card Scoops Feller came in the mail yesterday after I picked it up off of Ebay for a few bucks.  This card, unlike the 1961 version, is an oversized card.

It has definite wear, as can be seen, but for a 50+ year old oversized card, I think it looks really cool.  I haven't added a whole lot to my Feller PC lately, so this was definitely a welcome addition.  I like how the last sentence in the text on the card states that Feller could be considered the greatest pitcher of all time.  53 years after this card was issued, that statement still can be considered accurate.

Random Card Show Pickups

I found a few more cards that I had yet to post.  I got these two cards from the Charlotte card show when I went a couple weeks ago.  I picked up the above 2012 Topps Tribute Bob Feller for around $1, along with the below 2013 Topps Museum Collection Brooks Robinson (also for around $1).

I doubt I will buy any packs of either product since their price point is well out of my range.  I'm perfectly content in picking up my PC needs as I see them.

I do have to say that Museum Collection is quite nice.  I definitely plan on getting some more Orioles from this set as time goes on.  The Tribute is nice as well, but that design hasn't really changed a whole lot over the years.  I kind of feel like, once you've seen one, you've seen them all.

Trip to the Card Shop - 2013 Panini Bob Feller Box Topper

I went to the local card shop last weekend and saw that they had gotten in the new 2013 Panini Golden Age.  I bought a few packs and didn't really get much of anything except for some horse racing cards.  Something I did see, though was that another patron of the shop had busted a box and had a Bob Feller box topper in his box of stuff.  I asked him if he was going to keep it or sell it and when he replied that he was going to sell it, well, I bought it, haha.

This is an enlarged card with the classic high-kick shot of Feller, which is such a great shot.  I can just imagine the force at which that baseball is about to leave his hand.  Yikes.

The card just looks great and I'm glad that the guy was willing to sell it to me for 5 bucks.  I wish Topps would do more box toppers.

Card Shop Pickup - 2003 Fleer Fall Classic Bob Feller

So, there hasn't really been a whole lot going on this past week as far as the blog goes.  I haven't gotten any mail at all, so finding stuff to post about has been a stretch.  So, to fight off some boredom, I went to the LCS today and got a few more packs as well as a few singles out of the bargain bin.  One of the cards that I found was this 2003 Fleer Fall Classic Bob Feller.  I think the card looks great.  I love the coloring of it, definitely a sharp card.

I really was glad to get this one for my Feller PC, which has slowed down as of late.  I need to get some more of his stuff to show off, but I have been concentrating on my HOF baseballs and my 1971 set.  I'm really trying to lock down the '71 set so I can start to fully concentrate on 1959 and 1969.

There are a few Fellers that I really have my eye on for my PC, so I am always keeping a lookout for bargains.  Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and stumble upon a few and break out of this slump.