Another TTM Success From Mark Lowe

Oops.  I didn't realize that I had gotten Mark Lowe TTM a couple years ago.  I actually got another 2010 Upper Deck done, but this one has a better signature.

I didn't have these two Topps cards, though.  I got a 2012 Topps Update and a 2016 Topps signed this time. Both of these turned out great.

I mailed to Lowe on May 2 and got the cards back on September 19, for a 140-day TAT.

TTM Success - Augie Ojeda

This 2010 Upper Deck that I got back signed TTM from Augie Ojeda turned out really well.  This was the first set that Upper Deck produced that was without team logos, but wasn't all that bad.  I remember busting packs of these and a good many of them were loaded with patches and autos, because Upper Deck had to offload a bunch of stuff since they were in a lot of trouble in the industry.  I have a bunch of base left of 2010 UD, so it is nice to get rid of some from time to time.

Ojeda (b. 1974) played in the majors from 2000 to 2004 and 2007 to 2010 for the Cubs, Twins and Diamondbacks.  He had 249 hits, 7 home runs and a .234 batting average.

I mailed to Ojeda on February 2 and got the card back on March 5, for a 31-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chris Pettit

Here are a few cards that I pulled from my boxes and sent out TTM a while back.  The above 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter of Chris Pettit turned out nicely, as most Ginters do.

I had also found Pettit's 2010 Upper Deck and 2010 Topps, which he signed.

Pettit (b. 1984) played in the majors in 2009 and 2011 for the Angels.  He had 2 hits, no home runs and a .286 batting average.

I mailed to Pettit on January 24 and got the cards back on February 9, for a 16-day TAT.

TTM Success - Mark Lowe

Here are a few nice cards that I got signed TTM from Mark Lowe.  I really liked tis 2013 Topps emerald parallel that he signed.  I always have liked these cards, and have a partial set that I have been working on (since 2013).  I plan to finish it some day.  In the meantime, I have added some of the extra cards to my autograph album.

I also added a 2010 Upper Deck and a 2013 Topps base card to the album via this TTM.

Lowe (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2006 to 2016 for the Mariners, Rangers, Angels, Indians, Blue Jays and Tigers.  He had a record of 10-27 with 352 strike outs and a 4.22 ERA.

I mailed to Lowe on March 9 and got the cards back on March 22, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jack Taschner

A few Upper Deck cards came out of my boxes for this TTM success from Jack Taschner.  I've got a box that is pretty much all Upper Deck products.  Although I prefer Topps, I do like some of the Upper Deck designs, and enjoy adding them to my autograph album.  I had found a few Jack Taschner cards, and was able to get them signed TTM.

Taschner (b. 1978) played in the majors from 2005 to 2010 for the Giants, Phillies and Dodgers.  He had a record of 10-5 with 160 strike outs and a 5.14 ERA.

I mailed to Taschner on September 23 and got the cards back on March 17, for a 175-day TAT.

TTM Success - Manny Acta

Here are a few nice cards that I was able to get signed by former manager Manny Acta.  I always enjoy getting cards with the 1962 design signed, so this 2011 Topps Heritage was a nice one to add to the album.

I was also able to get Acta to sign this 2007 Topps.  Again, like I said yesterday, I really like the 07 design, so I was glad to add another to the album.  I just noticed that this one didn't have the facsimile signature on it like most 07 Topps do.  I remember there being some that had been short printed in error or something (Paul LoDuca's card comes to mind).  After a quick search, it just looks like they didn't put one on Acta's card.

Finally, I used one of my 2010 Upper Deck stadium cards for the Acta TTM as well.  I have a stash of these, and like to send them out here and there to get some signed.

Acta (b. 1969) managed in the majors from 2007 to 2012 for the Nationals and Indians.  He had a record of 158-252 (.418 win %).

I mailed to Acta on December 18 and got the cards back on February 6, for a 50-day TAT.

TTM Success - Marc Rzepczynski

His nickname is "Scrabble" due to the excessive use of consonants in his last name.  I believe his score would be really darn high if someone were able to play it.  We always said you can's use proper names in the game, so tough luck.  Anyway, Marc Rzepczynski signed three cards for me TTM, beginning with the above 2009 Bowman.  He pretty much covered up the photo, but the card is signed.

He also signed a 2010 Upper Deck, 2009 Topps Update and a 2010 Topps.

Rzepczynski (b. 1985) played in the majors from 2009 to 2018 for the Blue Jays, Cardinals, Indians, Padres, A's, Nationals and Mariners.  He had a career record of 14-27 with 409 strike outs and a 3.89 ERA.  He won the World Series in 2011 with the Cardinals.

I mailed to Rzepczynski on December 17 and got the cards back on January 14, for a 28-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ryan Spilborghs

I had this 2006 Topps Turkey Red Gold on my COMC account for a while, but it never sold.  When I found out that Ryan Spilborghs signed TTM, I pulled it off of there and sent it off.  The card came back, and looks great.

I also had this 2010 Upper Deck, and it turned out ok.  The marker kind of faded, but otherwise, it looks nice.

Spilborghs (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2005 to 2011 for the Rockies.  He had 424 hits, 42 home runs and a .272 batting average.

I mailed to Spilborghs on June 29 and got the cards back on November 24, for a 148-day TAT.

TTM Success - Omar Quintanilla

I added some cards from the 2000s to my autograph album with this TTM success from former shortstop, Omar Quintanilla.

I had gotten the 2004 Topps out of a partial set from my LCS that the guy was just going to toss in recycling.  I gave him 5 bucks for the box, and I have pulled a bunch of cards out already that I have sent or will send TTM.

I was also glad to get this 2010 Upper Deck out of my card box and into my album.  The marker he used is on its last legs, but I'm still glad I have his autograph, nonetheless.

Quintanilla (b. 1981) played in the majors from 2005 to 2009 and 2011 to 2014 for the Rockies, Rangers, Mets and Orioles.  He had 228 hits, 8 home runs and a .220 batting average.

I mailed to Quintanilla on January 31 and got the cards back on February 22, for a 22-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nick Green

This TTM success was really nice due to the more recent cards that is entailed, and that two of them were horizontal cards that turned out really well.  The above 2005 Topps Update was a nice card to get back from Nick Green, but I would have much rather it have been a base Topps instead of an Update.  I don't consider Update cards when I count cards toward my Topps Autograph Project.  Still. it is a nice card, and looks even better now that it is signed.

Here are the two horizontal cards that I got signed.  The 2009 Heritage High Number card turned out great.  I love the 1960 design, and this one really looks good.  I never had a problem with Upper Deck's last issue of cards, 2010, and Green's card looks great when signed.  You don't even notice that you can't see logos.

Green (b. 1978) played in the majors from 2004 to 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.  He had 254 hits, 17 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Green on February 27 and got the cards back on May 8, for a 70-day TAT.

A Care Package From Bobby

I got a message out of the blue on Instagram last week from a kid named Bobby who has followed my account since i started it back in November 2013.  We had discussed trades before in the past, but never really matched up.  Nonetheless, he has "liked" a lot of my posts and commented on a bunch of them as well.

I guess he had a few things he wanted to part with, so he sent out a care package.  A lot of it was cards from UD Biography.  Since Bobby is a huge vintage fan, I was really surprised to find the above 1954 Topps Bobby Young card in the package, in a special top loader that was marked "enjoy this."

I have been hoarding 1954s recently, preparing myself to pull the trigger on starting the set sometime in the future.  That being said, I really did enjoy that he included the card.

Finally, among the late 2000s Upper Deck cards that Bobby sent, was this Adam Jones that I didn't have in my collection.

This is a really nice card, from early in Jones's tenure in Baltimore.  He has grown into the face of this Orioles team, and I am really happy that he is on our side.  He seems to be maturing as a hitter.  I would really love to see him finish his career in Baltimore and become part of a new generation of Orioles who have their numbers retired and new sculptures erected outside the outfield wall at Camden Yards.

I am really thankful that Bobby sent this package along to me.  I believe he is one of the youngest people trading actively on Instagram.  If I remember correctly, he is either 10 or 11.  A real nice kid, I am happy that I received these cards.  Now, I need to work to pay it forward to him and hook him up with some nice vintage.

Thanks Bobby!!

Completing Another Trade With Kaleb

I completed another trade with Kaleb from Instagram recently when I picked up this 2010 Upper Deck Chris Davis in exchange for a few Reds cards.

I couldn't remember whether or not I had this Davis, but I went ahead and made the deal, since I had traded with Kaleb before and he was such a good guy.  He's the best friend of a new friend that I made, Josh, who I've talked to almost every day about baseball, collecting and stuff like that.  They, Josh and Kaleb, are great people and I'm glad I was able to make a few trades with each of them. I'm hoping Kaleb can find a few more Davis cards so we can keep this going, which I'm sure will happen.

Thanks for another successful trade, Kaleb, I really appreciate it.

More Mail From Andrew

I said in this post last week that I have found some new trade partners in Weston and Andrew.  They both are really good kids who are just getting into card collecting and blogging.  One of my missions with this blog has been to help educate people on card collecting and set building and I am always happy to help out with someone's set and PC needs.

I sent Andrew an assortment of Cardinals cards as well as a 2012 Topps Gold Rush Aroldis Chapman, since Chapman was his favorite player.  He totally surprised me when he emailed me and told me what he had sent my way:

He sent this 2011 Bowman Chrome Bryce Harper!  Very awesome of Andrew to send this to me.  Did I mention that he was a really nice kid?  He also included a card for Chris:

He also included a bunch of Orioles cards, including the below Matt Wieters 2010 Upper Deck RC.

Thanks so much Andrew.  I really hope you liked the stuff I sent.  I thought this was a great package from you.  If you all haven't gone to his blog, yet, please check it out and follow him:  ANDREW'S BASEBALL CARDS.

Trade With Weston From Fantastic Catch

One thing I love about blogging is that I have been afforded the opportunity of meeting and trading with people all over the country.  I received an email the other day from Weston who happened to discover my blog when he joined a site called 'Sportscard Radio.'  He expressed an interest in possibly hooking up for a trade of some Cardinals for some Orioles.  My Cardinals cards haven't really been spoken for by anyone, so I had a decent amount of stuff to offer to him.  As you can see, one of the major highlights of the trade was the above Eddie Murray 2011 Topps Cognac parallel.  I really love the diamond parallels, so this card was a necessary addition to my collection.  He also added some more cards to the pile:

Here is a Matt Wieters from 2010 Upper Deck.  It is really hard to get any Wieters cards, so whenever I can get my hands on one, I have to strike.  I really hate the player exclusive deals.  I hope his deal with Upper Deck is over soon so I can finally get him on some Topps products.

 Weston sent me this 2011 Topps reprint (original back) 1983 Cal Ripken.  Always a nice set, for some reason when I was building  the 1983 set, it was real hard finding commons.  I don't know why, but it doesn't matter now because I finished that set a long time ago.

Here is a nice Topps Attax Camden Yards card.  I have a few stadium cards for the O's in an album that I put together back in 2005, so I will add this one to that.

Weston added this 1988 Topps mini Cal Ripken to the trade because I was 'nice to him.'  Well, I try to be.  I really appreciated the card, though, and as far as I can tell, I don't think I had this one in the collection, so score one for Weston!!

I really appreciated the trade and it seems like trades are becoming the norm for me lately.  It is really refreshing to see young kids getting into cards and also getting into blogging.  That is definitely a good sign for the future of the hobby.

I encourage all of you to check out Weston's blog and continue to encourage him to keep up the good work.  His blog, Fantastic Catch, can be seen here:  http://fantasticcatch.blogspot.com/

Mmm Leftovers

Yeah, like I said yesterday, pickings are really slim right now for me, as far as cards go. I found this card I got while visiting my brother in Columbia, SC last month.
2010 Upper Deck Matt Wieters. I am and will always be a Topps fan, but, I'm not liking this exclusive deal. Much like the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW, competition is a good thing and it brings out the best in everyone.

I also do not like the fact that Wieters has an exclusive deal with UD, meaning, he doesn't have any Topps cards yet. I'm not sure when that deal ends, I'm sure someone can tell me.

Wieters sure hasn't had the best of years, but he has been hot lately. It looks like he will end the season with a .260 average. Not great, but getting there. I think he will come into his own next year and prove all the scouts and columnists right about his talent and future.

..and so it begins

I got a LOT of mail in the last two days. 2 autographed baseballs, an autographed bat and this redemption card.
I know Hanley has been in the news for his well publicized benching. I think it had to happen if he was 'dogging it' on the botched play. I wish the Orioles would send a message to some of the 'veteran' players for their play lately.

I got this card as a redemption out of a pack of 2010 Upper Deck. I doubt I'll keep it, as I know someone who is a BIG Hanley Ramirez fan. It looks good though.

Mail Day - Dream Warriors. Plus Thoughts on 2010 Topps Finest

So, I think I'm running out of awesomely bad sequel titles. I may need some help with those down the road, or abandon that idea all together...

Anyway, I put an order in over at Sportlots because I kept seeing that sad, lonely single card I needed to fill my 1998 Topps set. I don't like only buying $0.18 worth of cards on there, so I usually tack on a few things to get to a respectable amount of around $10 or so... I ended up getting a SWEET RC I have been wanting as well as a few 2009 Allen and Ginters to push that set closer to completion.

Ahhhh, the 2010 Upper Deck Brian Matusz RC. I know I have said this a billion times already, but seriously, look for Matusz to bust out this year and nab the AL Rookie of the Year award. No, really. He's damn good.

I also had company in town (Babe-O-Licious, my good friend who got me started working at the card shop way back in 2006) for my epic fail of a Wrestlemania party. We went to lunch yesterday and after lunch, I took her to the Greenville card shop. The shop owner there is really nice and he let me go through a box of 2010 Topps Finest. He let me pick out/buy the cards I wanted, so I grabbed a whole bunch of them.

This is a pretty sick Russell Martin. I love it. Too bad its not mine haha. I like the 2010 Finest design. One of these days, I'm going to buy a box of Finest and bust it.

Yeah, the cards were in order and the Roberts was near the bottom of the stack. I was sweating a little toward the end until I happened upon the Roberts. Just a good looking card. Thankfully Roberts' neck has healed and he is slated to be leading off on Opening Day. I'm looking for 50+ doubles again this year. That is definitely not too much to ask.

I love the black jersey on STICK. He has beefed up a little in the offseason and has been tearing the cover off of the ball so far in Spring Training. I look for STICK to hit 30+ homers this year and lead the O's in that category.

What do you all think? I think Finest is pretty sharp this year. Now I need to look for some of the refractor variations....

Picked up some 2010 Upper Deck

Since Upper Deck is quickly becoming the WCW of the card universe, I figured I see what the big fuss was about... Would their cards look good? What about logos? Do I care? Did I leave the oven on? What a good card to use to display the 2010 UD design. Ken Griffey, Jr. This is a very nice shot of Griffey possibly going yard. A closer look reveals that this was during an interleague game vs the Padres. I like little details like that.

Nice Joe Mauer card. Doesn't take anything away that you don't see a Twins logo anywhere... Don't worry, there were logos a-plenty... I neglected to scan any, though. Sorry. You'll be ok.

I'm really liking the ballpark cards. This is an amazing shot of Safeco Field. I love the sunset in the background. I can't wait to get my hands on the one for Camden Yards.

Here is an Upper Deck Portraits insert of Cole Hamels. Hmmm, is the A PHILLIES LOGO? Say it ain't so... I don't care, really. The card looks good though.

Now, this card looks good. The Pure Heat Tulowitzki. Very nice. Looks even better in person.

My opinion? I am and always will be a fan of Topps. However, I think competition is a good thing. I'm happy UD released a baseball set this year. I think the 'leaving logos on cards' is a ploy to generate publicity. No publicity is bad publicity. I haven't liked an Upper Deck design in years, maybe since 2002. I do feel like this year's offering is very nice. Good job UD. Now, quit effing up and get your house in order. I just want good cards, really.