TTM Success - Dylan Bundy

This return from a private signing with Dylan Bundy helped me get two cards that I tried getting signed in Durham finally added to the autograph album.  Last season, I walked around with this 2012 Bowman Sterling for two days trying to get Bundy to sign, but got ignored both days.  The card looks great.  

This 2013 Topps short print was another one that i had hoped to get signed. I had a couple copies of this one, so it was nice to get one of them signed.  It would have been better had he stopped for us in Durham, but it's all good.  I had gotten Bundy in person myself several times.  

Bundy (b. 1992) played in the majors in 2012 and from 2016 to 2022 for the Orioles, Angels and Twins.  He had a record of 54-65 with 852 strike outs and a 4.74 ERA.  He finished 9th in the 2020 AL Cy Young Award voting.

I mailed to the signing on January 31 and got the cards back on May 1, for a 91-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $15/card.

Huge Care Package From Max

I haven't had a chance to talk to my good friend, Max, recently since he has been really busy with school and sports and I have just been busy.  I got a nice package in from him a couple weeks ago that was full of awesome stuff.  I needed this Adam Jones relic from 2014 Panini Classic.  It has a nice orange piece of jersey and is numbered 12/99.

I had send Max some cards for him to get signed at a game, and he surprised me with two of them.  These are 2015 Bowman and Bowman Chrome cards signed IP by Trace Loehr and Skye Bolt.  Bolt was a former UNC standout, so getting his auto is really nice.

This card might be one of the highlights, though.  It is a striking 2012 Bowman Sterling Dylan Bundy refractor numbered 103/199.  I don't recall ever seeing any of these, so this is a really cool addition to the collection.

Max also hooked me up with this emerald parallel of Brooks Robinson from 2013 Museum Collection.  I don't believe I had one of these.  This one is numbered 123/250.

Here is a Topps Finest refractor of Nolan Reimold numbered 175/199.  This is my second Reimold Finest refractor from that year.

Finally, among a ton of other cards, most of which will be used for TTM requests were a few playing cards like this Dave Parker.  Parker is an underrated player that I like a lot, so I was happy to add this to the collection.

Thanks so much for the care package, Max!  I really appreciate it, and am looking forward to being able to talk a lot more this summer!

Making Things Right

I have been really lucky in my time trading baseball cards online.  I'd say that 99.999% of all of the deals I have made since I really started trading online (in 2008) have been successful.  Very rarely have I lost or been scammed out of anything.  Right when I joined the Instagram trading community, a 12-year old kid scammed me out of a Manny Machado signed baseball, only for me to get it back after contacting his dad.

A year later, I got a surprise message in my inbox on Instagram from that very same kid.  His opening sentence of the message said "Hey, I'm the guy who scammed you out of the Manny Machado baseball..."  It turns out that after I had messaged the kid's dad (and the dad telling me that he had in fact shipped my item and that his son would have never scammed anyone), the kid came clean to his dad and told him that he did, indeed, defraud me out of the ball.  He went on to tell me that his dad had "severely" punished him, and he had learned from his error.  He also said that he had acted immaturely, and hoped that one day, I would be able to forgive him.  In the meantime, he wanted to make things right by sending me a care package, if that was ok with me.

Well, it didn't take me long to let him know that I was glad he felt the need to reach out and ask for forgiveness.  He could have avoided me on Instagram and I would have never known the difference (he has a different screen name now), yet he let me know up front who he was.  I appreciated the gesture.  I told him that no care package would be necessary, but he insisted.

He really came through.  Above is a nice Cal Ripken relic that I didn't have in my collection.  The card is a 2001 Upper Deck Pros & Prospects relic card.

What I initially thought was just a throw in mini of Oriole Dylan Bundy really caught me by surprise. This is a 2015 Gypsy Queen black parallel numbered 3/5!  Wow.

This was really unexpected.  I wish Bundy was healthy, but apparently, he has a growth (which amounts to what seems to be a new bone forming in one of his shoulder muscles) in his shoulder that had sidelined him for much of this season.  He will be out of options next year, so he must make the O's squad, or be placed on waivers.  I figure that the Orioles can make do with him, since they have been so adept lately at stashing Rule V picks on the roster.  We shall see, though.

Anyway, I was really glad that the kid reached out to me to make things right.  It was his sincerity that won me over and I am glad that I don't have anyone to think ill of in the community.  I'm hoping he can take this as a learning experience and grow from it.  It seems like he has, and I always hope for the best.

Instagram Trade With Ben - 2014 Topps Tribute Dylan Bundy Auto

I apologize for not writing over the last few days.  I was out of town again for work, and this time didn't take my laptop with me.  While, it was a tough few days, it was kind of nice to get into the hotel and not feel obligated to crank out a blog post while my mind was elsewhere.

Also, the way the Orioles have played recently has really made me want to step away for a bit and regroup, somewhat.  Man, have they been mediocre.

Anyway, I did get a little bit of mail in over the last few days, and one of them was a mailer from my good friend, Ben.  I saw that he had gotten this Dylan Bundy in, specifically to trade to me, so I did my best to work up something nice for him.  I actually overspent quite a bit, but I wanted to do something really nice for Ben, since he is a really good guy.  So, I got him a nice Felix Hernandez auto for his new PC, which he was really happy to receive.

This Bundy is a really nice card, as you can't do too wrong with Topps Tribute (aside from the 2015 version, apparently).  Bundy's signature looks good on this card, and is an on-card signature, not a sticker auto.

I'm very happy that Ben and I made this deal, if only because of his response when he saw the Felix.  I'm glad I could hook a friend up.  Thanks for the trade, Ben!

Topps Redemption Replacement - Dylan Bundy Autograph

Last year, Andrew and I went in on a Matt Holliday redemption card from the 2013 Postseason.  He sent me some money, and I picked up the redemption card, since I had an account on Topps.com.  I redeemed the code and waited patiently for the card to come.

Meanwhile, this year, I redeemed one of the "Call Your Shot" promotion cards and won a relic/auto card.

This would set up a bunch of redemption confusion.

Andrew grew tired of waiting over a year for the Holliday card to come in, so I called Topps to inquire about the card.  They said that Holliday was under contract to sign, so it would come... eventually.

Andrew and I waited a little while longer, until he finally asked me to call Topps and have them replace the card.  So, I called and they asked what team(s) I would be interested in as a replacement.  I told them that he would want Cardinals, but Orioles would be ok too.

So, about a week later, I receive a package in the mail from Topps.  A Giancarlo Stanton relic/auto from 2013 Topps Triple Threads.  Wow, Andrew really lucked out on that one.  I called Andrew up and told him that Topps replaced the Holliday with the Stanton.  Andrew was elated, and I put the card in the mail the next day.

That day, I get another package from Topps.  Inside this package is the above Dylan Bundy auto, and a note from Topps apologizing for the delay on the redemption and here is my replacement.  I think to myself, well, where did the Stanton come fro.... wait a second!  I forgot all about the relic/auto from the Call your Shot promotion.  Oops.

I sent Andrew the wrong card.  He got the Stanton, and I got this Dylan Bundy.  It worked out, somewhat.  I mean, Bundy in no way compares to Stanton.  We had looked up what the Stanton was selling for on Ebay, and it was around $40-$50, and $40 was what he had paid for the Holliday.  So, I told him that I was cool with him just keeping the Stanton, since it kind of helped him recoup his money.  I got lucky on the Call Your Shot card, so landing the Bundy was fine with me.

This is one of the main reasons that I hate redemptions, though.  It took over a year to get something for the Holliday.  I actually have a card pending from Panini that is almost a year old as well.  Guys need to get on the ball, so to speak.

A Care Package From Frankie

It was about this time, 6 years ago, that I met a young kid who had a great blog and huge enthusiasm for cards.  That kid was 12 years old and now he is in college.  I took Drew under my wing and we forged an amazing friendship.  When I heard that Drew took a liking to a young kid with a new blog and had dispensed a great deal of advice, it was like a torch had been passed.

Drew met up with Frankie, of the blog: My Life in The Sports Card Hobby, at a card show in New York and told me about it the next day.  It was really cool to see Drew kind of mentoring a young person in the hobby, much like I had done with him over the years.  After Drew told me about his blog, I went and read a bunch of Frankie's posts.  He has an amazing collection, even though he is a Yankee fan.  So, to introduce myself to him, I sent Frankie a care package consisting of one item that I thought he might need for his Yankee autograph collection.  I was right, he hadn't acquired the auto I had sent, so I did a good job of finding something that helped him out.

While I didn't want anything in return, Frankie insisted that he send me back a care package, and I got it a few weeks later after a little big of a blogosphere mix-up.  You see, the package Frankie meant to send to me, actually went to Drew, and I received a package intended for Drew.  We laughed it off, and fixed the issue and now I have a few amazing cards that Frankie had sent my way (via Drew).

The above 2012 Bowman All Star Futures Game relic of Dylan Bundy is a really great card.  The card is numbered 176/199 and looks really awesome in person.

Another of the cards that Frankie sent was this 2014 Panini National Treasures Adam Jones jumbo patch card numbered 11/99.  I have gotten so many amazing patch and relic cards lately, I'm going to go broke buying magnetic cases to fit them all.  I also need to get a new storage box for all of my amazing relic cards.

Thank you so much for the package, Frankie.  I really hope that you have enjoyed your time in the card community so far.  You have gravitated toward a great mentor in this hobby (Drew) and I hope you can grow your collection into something far more amazing than it already is!

Instagram Trade With Calicardz - 2013 Topps Chrome Orange Dylan Bundy

I completed a trade on Instagram recently when I sent a 2013 Topps Chrome Alfredo Marte auto to a kid named Ben.  Ben, who goes by the name of Calicards sent me this orange refractor of Dylan Bundy.  Also, its a RC!

I was a little worried during the trade when Ben closed his Instagram account, but the card came on time. I don't even know if I had the card already, but I loved the orange parallel and was glad to get it.  I had the Marte auto since I busted boxes back when 2013 Chrome came out, but had a hard time trading or selling it.  I hope Ben liked it, because I liked my end of the deal!

Care Package From Alex R.

I got a care package in the mail a few days ago from my friend, Alex, from the Chicago area.  I believe this is my third package from him and he seems to have some good luck in pulling O's cards. The above 1989 design Chris Davis is a really awesome looking card.  The first batch of cards I ever got was from the 1989 set, so it will always have special significance for me.  The set itself may not be worth much at all, but it will always be a favorite of mine and I know there are others out there who share the same feelings.

I do like some colored parallels as well, however, I still believe that Topps could have picked any other shade of green and these cards would look a lot better.  I'm no design major, but doo doo green is just not aesthetically pleasing to me.

Ah, that's more like it.  I like the blue parallels.  This is a great shot of young Gausman, who now sports glasses. Like me.  Woo hoo.  Anyway, Topps is cranking out various colored parallels and rainbows of cards are ever challenging, but when I get some for free from my friends, I am definitely appreciative.

Finally, here is an intriguing card that Alex sent along.  This 1996 Leaf autograph (on card) of Jimmy Myers appears to have been issued following 1996 Spring Training as the card states that Myers was a surprise in ST.  He was a non-rosted invitee who made the trip north for Opening Day that season.  A look at Myers's baseball-reference page shows that his miracle ST didn't last long as he appeared in 11 games for the 1996 O's.  He had a 7.07 ERA with a 0-0 won/loss record.  This would be the only taste of the majors he would receive and those Orioles would go on to lost in the ALCS to some team whose name escapes me at the moment.......... bad memories.

Anyway, thanks so much for the care package, Alex.  I really appreciate it!  I'll be sending some Hanley Ramirez cards your way soon.

Instagram Trade With Jackson

I completed a trade on Instagram, finally, with one of the people I have talked to the most from there, a guy named Jackson.  I traded with his brother, Carson, quite a few times, and even once with their dad, Tim.  Turns out, Carson is on the same baseball team as my friend Matthew's brother, Jason.  Small world.  Anyway, I had a bunch of trade bait listed on my instagram page, and Jackson had been asking to do a trade for a while, so we finally had a match when he offered me this awesome Dylan Bundy auto from 2013 Topps Finest.  This green parallel is numbered 74/125 and the auto is on card.  Really sharp card.

Not only did I land the Bundy, but Jackson also included this 2007 UD SPX Cal Ripken relic numbered 69/199.  I already had a couple of these SPX relic cards, even a 3-piece one, but I was glad he included this.

Finally, I got this 2008 SP Legendary Cuts Cal Ripken relic.  This was one of the rare Ripken cards that I didn't have in my collection.  This one is numbered 15/99, so the cards Jackson sent me were all low numbered and well worth the trade.  He won the deal, but it didn't matter to me.  I'm just glad he is happy with what he got.

Some of the kids on Instagram need to take lessons from Jackson and his brother, Carson. They are both awesome people and I am so happy to be trading with them.  Jackson sent my son, Chris, some really nice stuff, and that gesture isn't lost on me.  Thanks so much for the trade, Jackson!

Instagram Mail From Sean

I got some mail from my friend, Sean, today and paired with the envelope I got from him last week, I ended up with some sweet stuff from a guy that I have traded with a bunch, so far.  He is set to received a graded gem mint 10 minor league card of Craig Kimbrel and in return, Sean sent me this SP of Dylan Bundy from 2014 Topps.

I like these Future Stars SPs and I didn't yet have the Bundy, so it was a fair trade for me.

In his prior package, Sean included the above 2013 Topps Tier One (on card) auto of Bundy.  Oh man, this card looks awesome in person.  I didn't realize it was on card until I looked at it when I was scanning it.  It looks so nice.

Finally, I got this red parallel of Manny Machado from 2014 Bowman Platinum.  The Platinums never disappoint and this red parallel looks really awesome.

Thanks for the trade(s), Sean!  I really appreciate it.  Your Kimbrel will be mailed tomorrow!

Instagram Trade With Dodger Fan Steve

I was able to get an awesome return for my Julio Arias Bowman Sterling auto that I won in a Box Break over Instagram a few weeks ago.  Another "instagrammer" messaged me and asked if I would take the above Chris Davis 2013 Topps Five Star jumbo relic and the below Bowman Sterling Dylan Bundy auto for the Arias.  I couldn't resist that.

Steve, the guy I traded with, even sent first and requested that I hold off on the trade until I got my card in.  You couldn't ask for a better trade.  I wish they could all be this way.

Both cards are great, but the Davis was the gem of the deal, in my opinion.  I do have a fellow Orioles fan that I just met who is asking about the Bundy.  I normally wouldn't be inclined to trade it, but I definitely want to hear his offer.  It would be really cool to be able to take a couple bucks spent on a box break and turn it into quite a few PC needs.  We'll see, but so far, I have had a tremendous return.

A Trade With Roger Helps My Chrome Set

I got a random email from a fellow blogger a couple weeks ago.  The blogger was Roger from the blog "Sports Card Mask-A-Rade" and he had a bunch of 2013 Chrome to help me with my set.

In all, Roger sent me 25 cards to help with my set, leaving me with only 27 to go before the set is complete. Not too bad.  When I finish this one, it'll be the third Chrome set that I've completed, along with 2010 and 2012.  I have grown to love Chrome recently, especially the color refractor parallels.

I figure I'll be able to make a few trades and buy some needs off of Sportlots to get this set done and out of my notebook.  Then, maybe I can add a few other sets to work on.

Thanks for the cards, Roger.  I hope you like the package I sent you.

Fan Fest Autograph Station 1 - Lough/Webb/Bundy

Before I kick off my showcase of autographs, I do want to say that I got a dozen OMLB "Cal Ripken's Final Game" baseballs to take with me to Fan Fest to get signed.  The box of 12 was $50 cheaper than a normal box of OMLB baseballs.  You can see the logo on the above baseball signed by one of the newest Orioles, David Lough.  As far as I know, his last name is pronounced to rhyme with dough.  He seemed like a really nice guy.  My son, Chris, welcomed him to the team and told him the he would like him because he is taking over for Nate McLouth and McLouth was one of Chris's favorite players.  Lough smiled and signed Chris's baseball and was equally as nice to me when I told him "Welcome to Baltimore."

From everything I hear, Lough is going to be a solid addition to the team.  I really hope that's the case, because I really liked McLouth.  I believe that Lough is going to be a similar type player, except with him you add batting average and subtract stolen bases.  I'm ok with that.  The Os got Lough in a trade with the Royals for Danny Valencia.

The next baseball (above) is signed by another newcomer to Baltimore, Ryan Webb.  Webb came to the Orioles as a free agent (and he passed his physical, gasp!) from the Marlins.  He's a really effective ground ball pitcher who should fit into the bullpen nicely.  He didn't really replace Jim Johnson, but he has similar makeup and is several years younger (and much cheaper).

Webb was very outspoken on the Twitter by criticizing Alex Rodriguez when A-Roid announced he was suing the Player's Association.  When it was my turn to get an autograph from Webb, I asked him to please put one in A-Roids ribs when he comes back.  Webb just smiled and said "He isn't coming back."  Well put, sir.  I think I'm really going to like him in the late innings.

Finally, I got another signed (my third) baseball of Dylan Bundy.  Bundy is on the mend at the moment from obligatory Tommy John surgery.  He looks to come back after the All Star break, if not sooner.  I wouldn't rush him at all.  I'm really scared that he is going to end up like Mark Prior, but I hope he doesn't because it has been forever since the Orioles drafted and developed a solid MLB pitcher.  We'll see what the future holds.

The first autograph session was at 11:20AM and my next one wasn't until 4:40, so I had a ton of time to kill. Check back to see when Scott and I picked up in the memorabilia store while we waited.

Card Show Pickup - 2013 Topps Dylan Bundy SP

One of the last cards I got at the December card show was the above 2013 Topps Dylan Bundy SP.  I already have the Mike Trout SP (Someone asked to trade for it, but I forget who, so if someone offered me the Adam Jones SP for the Trout, please email me a reminder.  I'll do that deal.).

Bundy underwent the now obligatory Tommy John surgery last season and is on track to return to active competition toward the end of June.  I'm hoping that this is the last he sees of arm/elbow issues.  I want him to realize his huge potential and not flame out like Mark Prior did.  We'll see, though.  The Orioles can definitely use him in the rotation, especially if they choose to sit pat and not sign anyone else.

Mail From Judson - 2013 Topps Heritage '64 Mint Dylan Bundy

Sometimes folks email you with some really awesome trade proposals.  Judson, from the blog "My Cardboard Habit" messaged me recently saying  that a local card shop near him had a hand numbered Dylan Bundy card with a nickel in the card.  I told him I definitely would be interested and next thing I know, here's the card.  I had no idea that it was also graded (at a 9, by the way).

I've got some stuff in mind that will head towards Judson.  I'm still in awe over this card, it is pretty sweet.  Especially that it is hand numbered 1/15.  Not bad at all.

Thanks for the pending trade, Judson!  I really appreciate it!

Christmas Presents From Matthew

I have gotten a few Christmas presents in from some fellow bloggers recently and for those, I will be pausing my posts on my card show trip in order to show them off.  I'll also be taking tomorrow off from the blog, just so you all know.

So, here are a few of the cards I got in the mail from Matthew, over at Matthew's Baseball Cards, for Christmas.

I actually think I traded for the above Dylan Bundy, but I don't remember what I sent him.  I think it was an assortment of Chrome numbered parallels.  He also included the regular refractor Bundy in my Christmas package as well.

Matthew also included this 2013 Topps retail silk RC of Eddie Murray, showing a silk variation of his classic 1978 Topps RC.  I have always liked the '78 set and the Murray is a really nice card to have.  I only have the one RC in my set, so I would like to find another Murray RC for my Murray PC at some point.  Its not a pressing issue and I'm certain I can find one for a deal, so I'll be on the lookout for sure.

Anyway, the silk RCs were a pretty cool concept and I believe Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray were the only Orioles represented, but I could be wrong.  I do know that I haven't seen a Brooks one.  I really liked the cards, Matthew!

Merry Christmas, guys.  If you have to travel, please drive safe.  No texting and driving!

Scott's Visit - Trade TIme

After Scott and I finished out Gypsy Queen box break, he got some cards from his car that he had brought along with him.  Among them were these two Orioles, the above Bowman Chrome Legends in the Making Dylan Bundy and the below retail exclusive foil Chasing History Manny Machado.

I didn't have either card, so I was really happy to add them to their respective PCs.  He also brought along a stack of other Orioles that I needed as well.  I had already put a package of cards in the mail to Scott, so I didn't have any Red Sox cards to hand off to him, so I just had him go through a few of my card boxes and pull out whatever cards he wanted.  I think he really enjoyed looking through my collection.

When we were done with our trade, I brought out one of my PC boxes and let him and his dad look through some of my rookies and vintage.  I think they were both appreciative at being able to see that stuff while they were here.  I sure enjoyed being able to sit down and have some folks excited about looking through my cards.  That's a rare thing around here.

Some Mail From Andrew

I got a decent-sized package in the mail recently from my buddy, Andrew.  In the package was a ton of Orioles cards from recent releases such as 2013 Bowman, 2013 Topps, 2012 Topps, etc etc.  A lot of them I already had, but Andrew made sure to mention that I should give a few of them to my son, Chris, which I will.

There were a few cards in the package that I didn't yet have in my Orioles PCs, like the above Nicky Delmonico chrome mini or the below Dylan Bundy Bowman base card.  I have actually pulled only one Oriole out of the several packs of 2013 Bowman, a Jim Johnson base card.  I wonder why it is so tough to pull any Orioles out of there...  Geez.

Anyway, thanks so much for the cards, Andrew.  I'm sure I will be able to get you some Cardinals pretty soon.

Another Package From Judson

Judson from 'My Cardboard Habit' sent me another package that I got yesterday.  In the package was a bunch of Orioles cards that he thought I would like.  All of them were greatly appreciated.  I was definitely surprised when one of the cards was the above 1967 Topps Luis Aparicio.  The 1967 set isn't one of my favorites by any means, but it is still an iconic set and the more that I think about it, the more I realize that I already have a ton of good cards from the set.  I might consider putting it together in a few years, once 1959, 1969 and 1971 are finished...

I also really liked this 2012 Bowman Chrome Futures Game Dylan Bundy.  It really is too bad that Bundy is hurt right now.  Kind of par for the course for big time pitching prospects.  I'm hoping he heals up quickly and can get back on a mound sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the package, Judson!  I will have to get some more stuff together to send your way.

Results From Andrew's Box Break

I took part in Andrew's box break recently when he broke a box of 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen.  I bought 2 slots in the break for $12 each and picked the Orioles and Tigers.  I was awarded the Rockies and Marlins as my random teams.  I liked the stuff I got, even though I didn't get any hits.  The above Dealing Aces Dylan Bundy is a really cool card.

The minis didn't scan all that well, sliding a little crooked on my scanner.  I got this really cool Rick Ferrell with the St. Louis Browns.  Since the Browns became the Orioles, I was awarded this card.  Awesome!

Finally, I got this Ty Cobb that came in the 10-card mini box.  I'm going to keep some of the Tigers and all of the Orioles.  The Rockies and Marlins I got are definitely up for trade.  I really enjoyed the box break with Andrew, so I hope he did as well and has some more in the future.