Some Markakis Pickups From the National

I STILL have a ton of stuff from the National that I haven't yet shown off, so I figured, why not keep showing it.  So, I got a lot of Orioles cards because the show was in Baltimore and they are playing well this year.  I probably paid a bit of a premium on them, but that's ok.

I got this Markakis 2003 Upper Deck rookie card out of a dollar box (I think).  I was surprised that I didn't yet own this card, so I was glad to add it to my collection cheaply

Tis 2007 Turkey Red black chrome refractor was really nice.  The vendor was the same one who wanted a bit too much for his cards, and I think he quoted $15 on this.  Yeesh.  I really don't think it is worth that much, but like I said a couple posts ago, the stack of cards I got was worth $40.

I got this 2011 Topps Chrome Sepia parallel from Ryan the night before we left for the show.  I didn't know they existed, so I was glad to add it.  He hooked me up with it in exchange for a bunch of A&G's that he needed for his sets.

I hope to get around to showing off the Cal Ripken cards that I picked up next.  We'll see.  I hope you guys are enjoying my posts.  I have noticed a declining trend as far as page views go.  I think it might be because school is back in session.  I might have to buy some more stuff to show off to get my views back up.  If there is anything you guys want me to discuss specifically, let me know; or if there are some old blog features you'd like for me to bring back, I'm listening.

Rookie Cards From the National

I got a ton of single cards from the National and I really don't think I will be able to scan them all to show them off, but there are several that I would like to show, so I decided to start with a few of the rookie cards I was able to pick up.

First up is a 1978 Topps Jack Morris RC that I got out of a 4/$1.00 box at the show.  I already had the card in my 1978 set, but for a quarter, I figured it would be a good addition to my RC collection.  Morris was a great pitcher who probably won't get into the Hall of Fame.  We'll have to see over the next few years if he gets in.

I really liked this 2001 SPX Brian Roberts RC, but the guy selling it was a dealer from Baltimore who had a pretty big upcharge on his cards.  Initially, he wanted $25 for this card, and as much as I like Roberts, that was really ridonkulous.  His excuse was "Well, it's serial numbered."  Uhh, this isn't 2003, you know.  Serial numbering, in my opinion, isn't as hot a commodity as it once was.  Anyway, I bought the card without a lot of arguing because I added a ton of Orioles inserts and RCs (Including some Matt Wieters and Dylan Bundy MiLB cards( and got the whole deal for $40.  Probably a little too much, but oh well.  Where else would I be able to find all those Oriole cards in one place?

I got this Adam Jones RC from the same dealer, and I'm not sure what he was asking for it, since I just added it to my pile.  The guy didn't have prices on 95% of the cards; I imagine he was just pricing in his head as he went.  Oh well, I guess I'm a sucker.  Anyway, this 2006 Bowman Heritage is a really cool card, patterned after the 1949 Bowman, down to the blurry photo.  Still a cool card for an Oriole who is having a pretty good year.

Finally, I found this 2012 Allen & Ginter Wei Yin Chen RC.  Chen is doing really well in his rookie season with a 12-7 record so far.  He was the lesser touted of the two Japanese signings for the O's this offseason (the other being Tsuyoshi Wada) and has done a tremendous job.  Hailing from Taiwan, Chen has emerged as the ace of the Orioles' pitching staff since Jason Hammel went on the DL, Jake Arrieta forgot how to pitch and Brian Matusz from 2010 has disappeared.  I like what Chen has done so far and I hope he can keep it up as the season winds down.

National Card Show Pickup - Brian Roberts Error Bobblehead

Do I really need to point out the error associated with this bobblehead?  Chris (my son) figured it out pretty quickly.  I got this bobblehead on Sunday at the National Card Show from the same dealer that I bought the Nolan Reimold from the day before.  I bundled this bobblehead with the Mike Cuellar signed baseball that he had priced at $35.

For the ball and the bobblehead, I only had to give him $40.  Not a bad deal, got this bobblehead for $5!  Winning!  I supposed I should pick up the Melvin Mora that goes with this bobblehead so I can complete the pair.  If anyone has one they want to unload cheaply, let me know!

National Card Show Pickup - Nolan Reimold Bobblehead

I was happily surprised when I found another Nolan Reimole Bowie Baysox bobblehead at the National Card Show.

If you remember, I had one that I picked up from Ebay, but traded to, well, Nolan Reimold's wife.  She rewarded me with some amazing signed gloves and a signed photo of Nolan and myself outside of the Norfolk clubhouse.

Nolan is one of my favorite Orioles.  He started this season on fire, but suffered a herniated disc in his neck and has been out for the bulk of the season.  If he could stay healthy, he would be an All Star, I'm certain of it.

I am really glad I was able to find another bobblehead and have added it to the man cave.  The best part is - I got it for the same price I paid for the original.

AAGPBL Signed Baseball - Dolly Niemiec Konwinski

One of the unexpected highlights of the National Card Show was meeting former AAGPBL (All American Girls Professional Baseball League for those of you who HAVEN'T Seen A League of Their Own) player Dolly Niemiec Konwinski.  She was in the AAGPBL booth with two other ladies who had played in their minor leagues.  I stood at their booth and listened as she greeted fans and signed autographs.  Finally, I asked her what she charged for a signed ball and she said 5 bucks.  I had to do it, so I got one of the balls I had in my backpack that was leftover from the Montgomery Biscuits game and had her sign it.

She also offered to pose for a picture, which I happily accepted.  She was just a gem of a lady, very sweet and friendly.  My wife went to their booth later and paid for a signed photo of Mrs. Konwinski.  We both left that booth really happy that we were able to meet and speak to someone who contributed to the history of the game.

Mrs. Konwinski (b. 1931) played in the AAGPBL (minor and major leagues) from 1948 to 1952 before her career was cut short due to an auto accident.  After her career ended, she went on to become a professional bowler and also coached her sons' little league teams.

Mike Cuellar Autographed Baseball

Now that I have sown all of the Hall of Fame signed baseballs I picked up at the National Card Show (4 of them), now I can show off the non-Hall of Famers I got.  First up is this steal I got on Sunday from a vendor who I had bought a bobblehead from the day before.  He had another bobblehead I was eyeing, so I bundled it with the ball and got both for $40.

Mike Cuellar (b. 1937 - d. 2010) played in the majors from 1959, 1964-1977 for the Reds, Cardinals, Astros, Orioles and Angels.  He was best known as an Oriole.  He was co-winner of the AL Cy Young Award with Denny McLain in 1969.  He had a career record of 185-130, 1,632 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.14.  He won 20 or more games four times over 15 seasons.  He is probably the second greatest pitcher to have played for the Orioles behind Jim Palmer.  I would put Mike Mussina at third only because he never took home a Cy Young Award or won the World Series with the O's (Cuellar won in 1970).  I think Cuellar deserved more of a look for the Hall of Fame, but I suppose his numbers just don't stack up.  He didn't get a single vote in his first year of eligibility (1983) and was removed from the ballot after that.  I think, historically speaking, he is definitely underrated.  I'm glad I was able to add his autograph to my collection and I'm amazed at how cheap it ended up being.  The next historic Oriole I want to add is Mike Flanagan, so I will be on the lookout for his auto very soon.

Day 2 of the National

Well, the National is over and I left with $30 left out of my budget.  I got a ton of stuff and saw a lot of things.  I only knocked off two cards from my want list, but found so many other things I had thought about for a while.  First, we met Joe Morgan this morning.  He was really nice and when I went to take Chris' picture, he motioned for him to come to his side of the table for the photo.

Chris and I got baseballs sighed by Mr. Morgan, which I will show in another post.  He was stationed between Mike Tyson and Fergie Jenkins.

Jenkins' line went really quick.  He looked pretty bored while we were waiting on the Tristar guys to call our number for Morgan.

We were able to get close to Pete Rose and Mike Tyson.  It was pretty cool to be able to be so close to living legends.

After the signing I got my ball authenticated by Tristar (thanks to Julie)/.  Then, I walked around and picked up some odds and ends.  I also took a look at a ton of cool stuff like the below jerseys.

So, my haul was significant.  I ended up with 4 Hall of Fame baseballs, one ball signed by an Oriole legend, one signed by a former member of the AAGPBL.  I got a complete set of 1992 Conlon Collection, a ton of Orioles cards/inserts and two bobbleheads.  I now have plenty of things to blog about for a long time.

In the end, I had an awesome time at my first National.  I would love to be able to go again.  Next year's show is in Chicago.  My wife wants to go, so we might head that way next year.    Stay tuned for a deeper look into the stuff I was ale to pick up.

The View From the National

Greetings from a hotel room in Baltimore, Maryland as I rest my feet from standing all day looking through cards at the National Card show.  This is my first National and I have to tell you that it is amazing.  I was overwhelmed with all of the stuff to look at, all of the card tables, all of the memorabilia.  There is a lot of sick memorabilia.  By sick I mean, it makes me sick to think that someone is lucky enough to own some of the treasures that I have seen today.  See the above Thurman Munson.

Take a look at the stuff we saw right when we walked in this morning.  There is no good way to tackle the amount of tables and boxes of cards.  You just kind of have to walk around and pray that you find what you're looking for.

Take a look below at some of the amazing autos I saw, like the finest known Jimmie Foxx autograph.  Jeez that thing is amazing, isn't it?

Or how about this Babe Ruth?  From his last public signing.  Crazy!

All of the corporate brands are there.  Topps, Panini, Ebay, COMC, Blowout Cards, PSA, JSA, etc etc.  Something I found funny was that the Topps booth was packed but Upper Deck only had a couple people milling about.  Looks like they are just about done.

You have to keep your eyes open at the National.  I was chatting with my wife (who came willingly, mind you) and an old man walked by and patted Christopher on the head.  I turned and looked and it was only Tommy Lasorda.  No big deal.......  HOLY CRAP!

So, Chris took my wife's autograph pad and got it signed be Mr. Lasorda.  He was actually really nice.  I have heard so many horror stories about him at signings, so we were really pleased that he signed for Chris.

Since the show is in Baltimore, they had some memorabilia concerning the ball clubs founded there.  I like seeing all of that old stuff.

Got several thousand bucks burning a hole in your pocket?  Well, you can take care of that by buying one of these Mickey Mantles.  Mmm, 1952 Topps Mantle.  Very awesome.

While I was chatting with one of the ladies from the AAGPBL, Joe Christopher, formerly of the Pirates, signed autos for some folks who bought a good amount of stuff from their booth.

While I was waiting my whole 2 minutes in line for Jim Rice (more on that later), I caught a glimpse of Hall of Famer and Oriole great Eddie Murray.

Chris and I met and got autos from Hall of Famer Jim Rice.  I'd like to say that he was nice (I mean he was) but we really didn't interact much.  At least he smiled in the picture.  We moved through the line so quick, there really wasn't much time for anything more than "Thanks Mr. Rice."  He thanked us as well and we were on our way.

I'm completely enjoying myself, but I do have a couple issues.  We bought autograph tickets for Frank Robinson and Ralph Kiner and both of them canceled!  Both are having health problems, which is a shame, but Ryan and I checked the Tristar website last night and didn't see info on their cancellations.  Oh well, the folks at Tristar were really accommodating and allowed us to exchange for equal value tickets so we swapped for Jim Rice and Joe Morgan.

The other thing is that it is so hard to find what you are looking for.  There is just so much stuff to look at and take in, you really can't do it in one day.  I'm glad I gave myself two days.  I have had no luck finding my 2009 Topps Brooks Robinson letter patches.  I did, however, find some cards for several other bloggers. 

I went to the show with Ryan from O No Another Orioles blog and met Julie from Things are Funner Here.  Always nice to meet some fellow bloggers in person.  I've known Ryan for quite a while now and stayed at his place last night.  He and I stayed up til 12AM looking at O's cards.

Tomorrow, I plan on getting my Joe Morgan auto and maybe pick up one or two more HOF autos that I have seen around.  I also want to see if I can find some Nolan Reimold inserts so I can try to complete some more Reimold rainbows.  Maybe I'll find some cool stuff among the boxes and tables.  You never know.