2024 National Pickup - Derek Jeter Signed Baseball

While it has taken me some time to finally clean out my stuff from the 2024 National, I am ashamed to say that I completely forgot to post this signed baseball that I picked up at the show.  I got this ball on the last day of the show, and probably overpaid a bit.  Still, I am glad to cross Derek Jeter off of my list.  I'm not a fan of how high his prices are; I've always contended that had Jeter played for someone like, say, the Royals, he would be held in the same regard as Paul Molitor.  A great player, a Hall of Famer, sure, but not the legend that folks make Jeter out to be.  That may be a little bit of my dislike for the Yankees shining through, but I feel like I am not alone in this sentiment.

Anyway, Jeter (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1995 to 2014 for the Yankees.  He was a part of the late 90s Yankee dynasty that won the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 World Series.  He also won the World Series in 2009.  He had 3,465 hits (leading the league twice), 260 home runs and a .310 career batting average (with 12 seasons of batting .300 or better; ok that's actually pretty dang good).  He never won an MVP award (the horror!), finishing second in 2006 and third in 1998 and 2009.  For those that care, he had a career 71.3 WAR, according to baseball-reference's metrics.

Jeter was a 14-time All Star (1998 to 2002, 2004, 2006 to 2012 and 2014) and five-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2006 to 2009 and 2012).  He was the 1996 AL Rookie of the Year and 2000 World Series MVP.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2020, his first ballot, with 99.7% of the vote.  No, I don't have a vote, but even I, with my disdain for Jeter, am not dumb enough to say he didn't deserve to get in.  The argument against not voting for someone it a different discussion for a different day, but even I know he is definitely a Hall of Famer.  Duh.

Somewhere along the line, I messed up my HOF count, so in my estimation, Jeter is my 173rd Hall of Famer on a baseball.  That would also make it necessary to say that Dave Parker getting in last month puts him (Parker) as #174.  Hopefully I remember that, and can audit my numbers accordingly.

Instagram Trade With Jake

I completed a quick and easy trade on Instagram recently when I answered a question for one of the young traders on there who was looking for Bryce Harper and Mike Trout rookie cards.  Jake has posed the question, but got no answers from anyone, so I thought I would try to see if I could help him out.

Luckily, I had an extra 2012 Topps Harper rookie and sent it on to Jake.  In return, Jake sent me this Derek Jeter card from the Ted Williams collection.  Not a bad card at all, I have to say, even though I'm not a Jeter fan.  I sent Jake the card because I wanted to help him out, and he, in turn rewarded me with a decent card.  Not a bad trade, to say the least.

Thanks for the trade, Jake!

Set Complete - 1996 Topps

Well, I was able to complete another mid-90s set today when a package from Sportlots came in with the above 1996 Topps Derek Jeter card.

I had gotten the Giambi card that I needed on Sunday when I got home from camping.

Kind of fitting that the last card I get for the set is the Jeter and he is retiring this year.  I'm sure Drew has a special place for this one.

So, now, I need to finish 1994 and 1997 that I have started and I need to really hit 1995 hard so I can get caught up on the 1990s sets.  These didn't take long, at all, so I know 1994, 1995 and 1997 can be had pretty soon.

2013 Topps Series 2 - Inserts and Hits

After sorting through all of my 2013 Topps Series 2 cards, I wanted to show a few of the inserts I picked up.  I busted 3 jumbo boxes of Series 2 and ended up with 30 1972 Minis.  You can see I got the above Brooks Robinson for my PC.  I also got Bundy, Machado and Lincecum that I will be holding onto.  For trade I have: 51, 53, 54, 55, 62 (x2), 66, 69 (x2), 70, 72, 74, 76 (x2), 80, 81, 83, 87, 88, 89 (x2), 92, 93, 94 (x2) and 99.

Here is the one Camo card I picked up.  I didn't pull any pink parallels.  I have already had someone ask for any Camos that I pull, so this one is likely not for trade.

I got a Cal Ripken Cut to The Chase as well as a Manny Machado.  Other guys I got, who are for trade are as follows: Killebrew, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Belle, Banks, Jered Weaver, Posey and Koufax.

I ended up with two case hits in my boxes, which was really cool.  This Jorge De La Rosa may be for trade if someone has something comparable to it.

I got 30 Topps Gold parallels.  One of which is the above Brian Roberts for my PC.  I was really happy that Roberts, Markakis and Reimold are all in this series, so I have some parallels to chase down.  Other golds I got for trade are: 333, 370, 377, 389, 407, 429, 430, 459, 467, 471, 477, 482,504, 519, 530, 562, 576, 584, 593, 608, 619, 620, 622, 624, 626, 633, 655, 658 and 659.

My manu-relics consisted of Willie McCovey ROY, Ted Williams 1946 MVP and Luis Aparicio ROY.  My relics were the above Jeter (not for trade), Tim Lincecum (not for trade) and Carl Crawford.  The autos I received were Wilin Rosario, Collin Cowgill and Chris Archer.

The Making Their Mark cards look really sharp.  I got the above manny Machado for my PC, plus another that will likely go to Ryan.  I got 28 others and they are for trade as follows: 1, 2 (x3), 3, 5 (x2), 6 (x2), 8 (x2), 9, 10 (x2), 11 (x3), 13 (x2), 15 (x3), 16, 21, 22 (x2) and 25 (x2).

Another of the case hits was this #25 of 50 (OH DEAR LORD EBAY ONE OF ONE!!!!) silk parallel David Freese.  This one has been claimed and a trade is in the works.

I got 15 WBC cards, all for trade.  3, 4 (x2), 5 (x2), 6 (x2), 8, 10, 12, 13 (x2), 14 (x2) and 15 (x2).

I got 2 Topps Black parallels, Jon Lester #12 of 62 and Devin Mesoraco #35 of 62.

I got 7 'The Elite' cards.  They look really sharp, like Museum Collection or something and are pretty thick.  For trade are: Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Johnny Bench, Jackie Robinson and Ozzie Smith.

I got 15 'Chase it Down' inserts including Manny Machado (he is all over this set) and Adam Jones for my PCs.  Weston from Fantastic Catch is getting most of these with the exception of the Pablo Sandoval, which is going to my nephew, Jacob.  Remaining cards for trade are: Bryce Harper, Cameron Maybin, Mike Trout, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas.

Chasing History inserts included Manny Machado (again) and Dylan Bundy, so those are mine.  Cards up for trade are as follows: 51 (x2), 52 (x2), 54, 56, 59, 66 (x2), 69, 70, 72, 73, 74 (x2), 75, 76, 81, 82, 83, 88, 89, 92, 95 (x3), 98 and 99.

I hope everyone remembers that I am pursuing the Emerald parallel set.  I am about a third of the way done with Series One and now need a bunch for Series 2.  I got 30 parallels out of my boxes.  Here are the cards that I got, meaning, I don't need to trade for these: 336, 337, 338, 363, 373, 374, 382, 389, 393, 411, 418, 433, 439, 455, 458, 464, 469, 474, 480, 529, 537, 550, 553, 557, 564, 565, 589, 590, 625 and 661.

Last, but not least, I pulled an SP.  I got the Mike Trout signing autographs SP, which is a really cool card.  I have also seen the David Ortiz Boston Strong speech card, which is just amazing.  This Trout might be for trade, but it will take something really good to land it.  Do you have what it takes?

So, there you have it.  Several of the teams have been called for out of the inserts, so I will be going back through them either tonight or tomorrow.  Once I do so, I will transfer my 'haves' over to my trade page (which needs some life, for sure).  I also plan on going through my inserts from Series One and adding them to the trade page as well.  I'm either going to trade most of this stuff away, listing some on COMC or setting up a table at my local card show very soon.  These boxes were expensive and I plan on making back a little bit of what I spent and I think I can do so pretty well.

That being said, if there is anything any of you want, please don't hesitate to contact me, either by email or commenting on the blog.  I appreciate all of the folks who have already gotten with me and the others who plan to.

2011 Topps Teaser

The 2011 collecting season is now open. I went to Target tonight to get a couple things and decided to pick up 2 retail packs of 2011 Topps. I have 3 Jumbo boxes coming anytime this week, but I just couldn't help myself get a taste of what is to come for 2011.
Usually, when I complete a set, I post the final card I needed to fill it. I can't remember any single card that actually started a set... until now. The first card that greeted me when I opened my packs was Neftali Feliz. Not a bad way to lead off the year.

For all 4 of yo Yankee fans out there, here is the Derek Jeter I pulled. I have a knack of pulling Yankee cards and no Oriole cards. LAME. Anyway, when I complete the set, we will discuss trade options.

Since Pete was unable to pull a gold card, I figured that I should show the one I pulled. Ronny Cedeno. I definitely could have done better, but oh well. 3 jumbo boxes coming. Can't complain. Haha.

I also got one of the Target exclusive Red Diamond cards. Ryan Braun is definitely a good pull. This will probably end up being sold at the next card show I go to.

Not a bad Walter Johnson. I'm not sure what there cards are called, but I like getting cards of Hall of Famers.

Yep. I pulled another Yankee. CC Sabathia. This will probably be for trade or sale sooner than later.

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I'm really excited to bust my jumbos soon. They shipped this evening, so I suspect that they will be here Thursday. Obviously, you all will know because there will be posts up on here soon after.

...I don't wanna come back down from this cloud...

There isn't a whole lot I can post now that will measure up to the awesomeness of my previous post. I still can't believe it, I actually did meet Brooks. WOW. Still hasn't hit me. Anyway, a nice productive week, in more ways than one. I met Brooks on Monday, got an offer on my house Wednesday night, negotioated and accepted the offer on Friday, had a Yu Gi Oh PreRelease at the shop on Saturday, met up and went to dinner with my best friend in the world today... very very productive week. Oh, I also opened a few packs and got a little mail... Here are the highlights... Effing wow to this one... 4 pc jersys, Ken Griffey Jr the 5th (inside joke there), some guy named Derek Jeter (never heard of him), Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols. Pretty dang good pull, if i do say so myself.

Next up is a little bit of mail from Sportlots. Yay to sportlots. I have a good bit of stuff coming from them over the next few days, so hopefully more blog updates to come...

F Yeah, a NICK THE STICK jersey. Always a good pull for me. Stick is awesome and will continue to be for the Orioles for a long time.

Thanks to Jim, one of my favorite people to watch a game with, I got a 1970 Topps Pagan to knock another high number off my set. Im slowly chipping away at this set, as well as my 55 set. Soon, though, they will be complete and I will move on to 1959!!! Yaaay.

Finally, pulled a by the letter Chris Volstad from 2009 SP Authentic. I like the teal from the Marlins and this card shows up so nice on the scan. What do you guys think?

Finally, in some personal news, we have signed the contract on selling the house, so soon, my finances will have recovered and we will be able to have some cards flowing through here!!! Im so excited! In celebration, I am going to make a purchase off ebay and will share with you all shortly... Thanks for reading, please comment me up. Also, if you haven't, please check my previous post about my trip of awesomeness to see Brooks Robinson!!!!!!!

Best pull ever...

I had a kid come in the shop on Sat and ask me a good question... What IS the best card I have ever pulled? There are so many ways you can look at it (actual dollar value, sentimental value, etc...)

Is it the Gold Derek Jeter with Bush and Mantle that I was able to sell on Ebay for $265.00?

Is it the 1995 Leaf Statistical Standouts Cal Ripken, Jr. that my mom and I had busted packs for and I finally got it when she bought 2 packs and let me choose which I was going to open?

Is it the 4 pc jersey Cal Ripken SPX #'ed 8/25?

Is it the 2007 Topps Update Joba Reverse Negative?

The answer I gave the kid was kind of a mixed answer, i cited the Gold Jeter and the 4 pc Cal card... The most shocking pull was definitely the Gold Jeter. I pulled it in front of Babe at a trade night at the shop, after telling her 'Watch, the gold Jeter is in this pack...' I called it.

The most gratifying was pulling the Statistical Standout Ripken so long ago, because when i pulled it, Mom and I were collecting together and we were both looking for that card. It was listed at book value at the time $175.00. It definitely isn't worth that much now.

If you take into account that the definition of 'best pull' could be from a pack or box, basically, if you buy an assortment of cards and don't have a clue what is included, then my final answer to 'What is my best pull ever?' would have to be this:

I bought a 'shoebox of old baseball cards' (actual ebay title, no picture) for $20.00. The item description stated that 'for bid is a shoebox of old baseball cards from 1959 to 1984.' There were actually cards from 1957 to 1984, and at the time I was working on the 1984 topps set. I was able to knock a few hundred cards off my list for that set. BUT the best part of that shoebox was that 3 cards into it, i found this awesome 1960 Topps Stan Musial. There is a bit of a water stain on the back, but if you know me well enough, i'm not too big a stickler for condition as long as the card pleases me. So, long story short, I wuld have to say: 1960 Topps Stan Musial, bv ~$100.00.

So guys, what is your 'best pull?' Keep in mind it has to have been received via an assortment of cards, from a pack or from a box. And why is this your best pull? Don't worry, i'll inquire about your 'favorite card' later on... send me some comments!!