Biggest Card Regret?

I'm sure all of us have one or two cards that we have traded or sold that we wish we had held onto.  I have been selling cards on Ebay since 2006 or so and have been selling at shows for the past year.  There is one card that sticks out in my mind as one that I really wish I had not parted with.  Of course, I got a good bit of money for it (it sold for around $100 on Ebay), but that's not the point.

I pulled this awesome Buck O'Neil sweet spot auto from 2007 Sweet Spot Classic while I was still working at the card shop.  Of all the cards I have sold on ebay (I keep the scans on my computer), this one is the one I regret selling the most.  I'm not sure what Upper Deck was doing when the auto was mounted on the card, but it has a definite character of its own. 

I hope to add Buck O'Neil's auto to my collection again (on a baseball).  I would prefer to add him to my HOF collection, that is, if the Hall ever puts him in.  O'Neil's omission from the Hall is definitely the subject of much debate.

Do any of you have that one card that you wish you had not traded or sold, and what would it be??

My Reward For Passing The Exam - Ted Williams Signed Baseball

As you all hopefully know, I passed the second half of the ASBOG exam, thereby making me a licensed geologist.  The ASBOG exam is akin to the Bar exam, but for geology.  I can now become licensed in most states as long as I meet their criteria.  At this point, I am pursuing licenses in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.  My fees for NC have been paid and I should get my stamp in a couple weeks.

What this means is that I can now stamp and seal reports, giving my own professional opinion, when in the past, I was only doing the technical writing and project management.  This is a professional certification that makes my resume so much better.

So, seeing as how important it was to me that I pass the exam, I told my supervisor last year when I passed the first half of the exam that if I passed the whole thing, I would reward myself with a Ted Williams signed baseball.  If you recall, I rewarded myself pretty well when I passed the first half.  I got myself a signed Brooks Robinson bat, a Pete Rose ball and a Phil Rizzuto ball.

I have been wanting a Ted Williams ball for a long time now.  Since I am knocking off as many Hal of Famers as I can, he is definitely one of the big names I needed and is my biggest name that I have so far.

One of the greatest hitters of all time, Williams (b.1918 - d.2002) played for the Red Sox from 1939-1942, 1946-1960.  He was a 2-time MVP.  He was the last hitter to bat over .400, when he hit .406 in 1941.  He won the batting title six times and the home run crown 4 times.  He had 2,654 career hits, 521 home runs, 1,839 RBIs and a career average of .344.

Williams was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966 (his first year on the ballot) when he was named on 93.4% of the ballot.

Williams is my 52nd Hall of Famer.

NOLAN REIMOLD IS AWESOME!!!

Do you all remember the Nolan Reimold bobblehead that I posted in this entry?  Or what about when I met Nolan, which I posted here.  Well, apparently when a google search is done for "Nolan Reimold bobblehead" on Google, my blog comes up.  I discovered this over the Thanksgiving holiday when I got an email message from Nolan's wife, Jenny.

The bobblehead, which was given out at Bowie during the 2010 season, has become pretty hard to come by.  From what I heard from a friend of mine who went to the actual game, a lot of them were broken when they were received.  I scored mine off of ebay right after the game and kept it on the file cabinet in my office.

When Mrs. Reimold emailed me, asking me if I would be willing to send her the bobblehead so she could surprise Nolan for Christmas, I didn't hesitate at all to send it to her.  In exchange for the bobblehead, Mrs. Reimold sent me some really cool stuff.

First, I got this signed 2010 Upper Deck.  I loved the design of the 2010 set, so this one is especially awesome with Nolan's auto on it.

But wait, there's more...  They also included these two signed, game used, batting gloves.  These are the first batting gloves of any kind that have been added to my collection.  I can't stress enough how amazing it was to get these in the mail!  They look so cool.  I need to figure out exactly how I want to display them.

Finally, in a complete surprise, I got this picture, which Mrs. Reimold got from my Facebook page (I think) and enlarged so that Nolan could sign it.  This is going to be taken tomorrow so that I can have it framed.  I'm pretty sure that I'm going to hang it on the wall in the 'man cave' so that everyone who comes over will see it upon entry.

I want to thank Nolan and his wife Jenny for being so completely awesome to me, all because I was fortunate enough to get one of his bobbleheads.  I have often wondered about whether or not actual players and/or their families see this blog.  I now know that at least one does, which is such a bonus for me.  I do this blog purely out of my love for the game and the joy of collecting.  I don't make any money from it (my career is in the geology/environmental consulting field).  I hope Nolan and Jenny check out the blog often, because in my opinion and the opinion of a lot of Orioles fans I know - NOLAN DOESN'T SUCK!!!

**UPDATE:  If you check out the comments below, the Reimolds read this post and informed me that those batting gloves are, in fact, the gloves that he wore on the final day of the 2011 season.  That was the game that the Orioles won to take the Red Sox out of contention for the playoffs.  Nolan went 1-3 that game and hit the game tying double in the 9th inning.  Wow, so amazing!

Last Post From The Card Shop Trip - Bowman Platinum

In my final bit from my trip to the card shop last week, Babe and I picked up some Bowman Platinum.  She pulled this really nice Billy Hamilton Superfractor (?).  I think the card looks really cool and it scanned pretty nice as well.

Also, in some personal news, I passed the second half of the ASBOG Exam (Geology licensing exam).  This means that I am now a licensed geologist.  This is a big deal, it is like the Bar exam, but for geologists.  I have been studying to pass this thing since I took my job in 2007.  I took the first half three times (passing it on the third try in May 2010) and took the second half three times.  Third time seems to be a charm.

Thoughts on 2011 Bowman Chrome

 During my trip to the card shop that I have posted my past few entries about, I picked up some 2011 Bowman Chrome Orioles from the shop owner's personal pulls.

The highlights, as always, are when I am able to add a new Nick Markakis or Brian Roberts to my collection.  I was afraid that Roberts would be removed from some sets due to his lack of playing time this past season.  I really hope his concussion symptoms are gone and he can have a full season at 2nd base in 2012.

I always enjoy Bowman Chrome when it comes out each year.  It is always a sharp looking product and this year's version is no exception.  Too bad they don't scan all that well, because they look really nice in person.  I picked up several other Orioles including Brian Matusz, Brandon Snyder and a Mark Reynolds refractor.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  I thank you all for reading this year.  For all the friends I've made through this blog.  All of the opportunities it has afforded me.  The food coma that I am about to slip into.  I am thankful for it all.  Here's to another year.  I started this blog around Thanksgiving 2008 and it still seems going strong.  Thanks again guys!

Trip to the Card Shop - 2011 Topps Lineage

When Babe and I went to the card shop this weekend, I picked up two packs of 2011 Topps Lineage.  I have already posted lineage before, but I really like the product so I thought I'd show what I got out of the two packs.

I pulled a Brooks!  I like his old jersey.  I think, based on the hat that Brooks is wearing, that this photo is from 1956-1962.  The hat is really old school, too.

I love the old All Star Rookie logo.  Much better than the pewter cup they have now.

I pulled a mini Mike Schmidt.  I have always liked the freakiness of the 1975 set (one of my favorite sets that I built).

Finally, I pulled a Tim Lincecum for my son.  I'll probably end up with it in my collection, but he did like the card.    I can't wait until he is older and knows how to take care of his cards.  That will definitely be the start of some good times, for sure.