Another TTM Success From Tommy Medica

This 2014 Topps Chrome refractor of Tommy Medica was sitting around in one of my boxes for quite a while. I had gotten him TTM back in 2020, and must have missed this card.  I decided 5 years was long enough.  I sent the card out and it came back signed nicely in black Sharpie. I think I am now out of Medica cards, which is good.  Of course, if I were to find another, I'd probably give it to Jesse for him to send out, once he gets some stamps.

I mailed to Medica on March 26 and got the card back on November 1, for a 220-day TAT.

TTM Success - Will Middlebrooks

My friend, Michael, approached me about a private signing with Will Middlebrooks, so I signed up. I had wanted this 2014 Topps Chrome orange refractor signed for a while, so once I was able to find the card, I sent it off.

I also sent a couple Topps cards (a 2015 and a 2017); both turned out well. 

Middlebrooks (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2012 to 2017 for the Red Sox, Padres, Brewers and Rangers. He had 262 hits, 43 home runs and a .228 batting average. He won the World Series in 2013 with the Red Sox.

I mailed to the signing on April 15 and got the cards back on June 18, for a 64-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jose Ramirez

Another private signing took care of another card I had put aside to get signed.  This 2014 Topps Chrome orange parallel of Jose Ramirez has been in my TTM box for a long time, waiting for the moment I could send it to a signing or if he started doing TTM.  Finally, a signing came up and I was able to get my card signed.

Ramirez (b. 1992) has played in the majors since 2013 for the Indians.  He has 987 hits, 163 home runs and a .278 batting average.  He is a 3-time All Star (2017, 2018 and 2021) and won the Silver Slugger Award in each of those three seasons.  He has finished in the top 3 of the AL MVP voting three times (2017, 2018 and 2020), with his best finish being second (2020).

I mailed to the signing on June 8 and got the card back on August 17, for a 70-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $40.00.

TTM Success - Kolten Wong

I've really enjoyed getting current players via TTM lately.  A lot of them were signing during the baseball shutdown, and I was able to capitalize somewhat.  Kolten Wong is one of the players that I was able to get.  He signed some nice cards, like the above 2014 mini Future is Now card.

Wong also signed a 2014 Topps Chrome and a 2020 Topps Heritage.

Wong (b. 1990) has played in the majors since 2013 for the Cardinals.  He has 696 hits, 53 home runs and a .260 batting average.  He finished third in the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year voting, and 20th in the 2019 NL MVP voting.  He was also a Gold Glove Award winner last season.

I mailed to Wong on April 29 and got the cards back on July 3, for a 65-day TAT.

Christmas GIft From James

My buddy, James, from Instagram sent me a nice little package for Christmas recently.  In it was an assortment of Orioles cards, highlighted by the above 2013 Topps blue Nolan Reimold.

James had run out of Orioles hits, so he included some nice rookies and pre-rookie relics/autos like the above Randal Grichuk from Team USA and the below 2014 Topps Chrome Zach Walters auto.

Thank you for the Christmas gift, James!  It is always a pleasure dealing with you, and I know we will do more in the future.

Card Show Gifts From Ryu

I got a couple cards from my buddy, Ryu at the last two card shows that I have gone to.  The above 2014 Topps Chrome sepia parallel Adam Jones was from the January show.  I didn't get to talk to Ryu as much at that show as I would have liked, but he was very busy, and seemed to be pressed for time.

I like the sepia parallels.  I think, if they are in this year's chrome, they will look really nice with the borderless design.

At the February show, I got to see Ryu for a big longer and he had this 2014 Heritage chrome of Nelson Cruz for me.  He also had a few cards for my son, Chris, which was really nice.

This Cruz is numbered 774/999.

I was really happy to see Ryu, like always, at each show.  He is a really good kid, and always fun to talk to.  I wish we had more time to chat, but I understand.  At the last show, I was able to sell him a nice Ichiro pin card from 2016 Topps.  I hope it has a nice spot in his collection, because that card looked pretty cool.

Thank you for the cards, Ryu!  See you at the Easter show!

More Pickups From the Card Show

I got a bunch of deals while at the show this past weekend, and added a few nice cards to my collection.

I got the above 1975 Topps Mini Brooks Robinson for my PC.  Thing is, I thought I had this already, but I can't seem to find it.  So, for $5, I grabbed this one while walking around Sunday at the show.

Right after I picked up the Brooks, I kept walking and checked out another table nearby.  I saw that he had this Chance Sisco gold mini shimmer from 2015 Bowman.  This one is numbered 20/50 and looks really cool.  The vendor really needed to put his glasses on, though, because he kept telling me it was Christian Walker on the card.  I didn't want to be rude, but I did correct him, because I felt like he was about to charge extra because it was Walker.  I ended up getting this for $5, though.

The vendor next to me had a nice box of recent stuff and parallels that I went through a little later when I was bored.  I found a few cards for friends of mine, and this Adam Jones for myself.  I had been tipped off by my friend, Tim.  This Adam Jones black refractor from 2014 chrome is numbered 80/100.

Finally, I got this card from Tim, himself.  He had gone through a dime box and rescued this purple JJ Hardy for me.  It is numbered 55/250.

I feel like I did really well at this past show.  I sold a decent amount of stuff, and have enough to carry over to the one day Easter show, if I'm able to attend that one.  I also bought some nice stuff, but didn't break the bank.  I wish I could say that for every show that I go to, though.

Amazing Box From Max

I haven't posted in the last few days because I went to a race that my dad sponsored, and was competing in, along with my brother.  So, after spending a few days back home with my parents and immediate family, I am back in Winterville and able to scan cards.

Before I left, I received a box from my awesome friend, Max, that I wanted to wait to open when we could Skype together.  We were able to Skype today, so I opened the box, which was packed with over a pound of cards.

One of the many highlights was a stack of IP and TTM autos that he sent as a "just because."  The best of the bunch had to be the above Pedro Strop golden parallel from 2012 Topps.  You have to see the card in person to truly appreciate how cool those golden cards look when signed.  He also included a signed Jason Hammel and a couple Koji Ueharas.  I'm really grateful that Max included these, when he could have easily traded or sold them for a lot more.

One of the coolest cards in the bunch was this red parallel from 2014 Topps Chrome.  It is numbered 24/25 and looks so cool.  I really love the color parallels, and I do believe that the red ones look the best.  Well, maybe Orange, but I do have an affinity for that color.

Finally, Max sent me a sleeve with several Sonny Gray cards for the PC.  Gray is a really good pitcher and the A's are floundering.  It is only a matter of time before they declare that they can't afford him, and he is sent to another team.  Maybe the Orioles will be on that list.  While, I doubt it, I can hope!

Thank you so much for the package, Max!  I am so glad we have become such good friends, and I can't wait to meet up at the National!  It is only two months away and I am starting to get super excited!

Set Complete - 2014 Topps Chrome

I got an awesome care package in the mail from a guy named David who emailed me out of the blue saying he could finish my 2014 Topps Chrome set.  He sent a ton of other stuff that will be blogged at another time, but the fact that my 2014 Topps Chrome set is complete is something I wanted to blog right away.

Thanks so much for the cards, David.  I really appreciate it!

Instagram Pickup - 2014 Topps Chrome Andrew Lambo Gold Refractor Auto

I got a steal recently on Instagram when I picked up this Andrew Lambo gold chrome auto along with a Jonathan Schoop auto for about $6.  This Lambo is numbered 9/50.  Getting this card made it so I could trade my Lambo base auto for some other stuff.

I like Lambo, since we got to see him hit a homer for AA Chattanooga when he was a Dodgers prospect.  I went to that game with a former friend of mine and got the home run ball.  Sadly, I handed it off to the friend, and now it is gone.  Oh well.

Anyway, I really like this card, and I'm glad I have the gold version.  Much better than the base, for sure.  The gold really matches the Pirates colors, so that works out for me.

Care Package From Sean

I was really surprised recently when I got a Kik message from my friend near Chicago, Sean.  He had vacated Instagram several months ago and stopped chatting, so I assumed that he found better things to do with his time.  More surprising than his return was the fact that not too long after, I got a surprise care package in the mail from him.

In the package was a good bit of Orioles stuff and according to Sean, some of the cards came from him and a few others came from his best friend, Alex, whom I also had chatted with and who had also disappeared.

The above Bowman Ripken was a card that I needed in my PC< so that was nice.

I also needed this purple Machado from 2014 Chrome.  The purple cards look nice, I think.

I hate that Sean felt the need to take off and not let me know what was going on, but I guess you can't expect folks you trade with on occasion to let you know their every move.  Good thing is, he is back chatting and trading, so that's nice.

I really appreciated the though with the care package.  I don't get nearly as many of them as what I send out, so it's nice to get surprises in the mail.

Instagram Trade With Ethan and His Dad

I completed a trade on Instagram recently with a kid named Ethan and then in the same day, I completed a trade with his dad.  His dad sent me the above Willie Stargell manufactured patch in exchange for a Didi Gregorious auto from Bowman Inception.

I sent Ethan some recent rookies, like George Springer and Jonathan Singleton and in return he sent me two 2014 Chrome cards for my set, including this Masahiro Tanaka RC.  Ethan had just busted a box of Chrome for Christmas and was able to help me out.

I was glad to help Ethan out with his collection, and it was also nice including his dad in the trade.  I hope we can match up again on a deal in the future.  Thanks guys!

COMC Pickup - 2014 Topps Chrome Chris Davis Atomic Refractor

I got this awesome numbered 8/10 atomic refractor of Chris Davis with some money from a sold card on COMC.  I had been watching it all Black Friday weekend, and picked it up when the price dropped from $17 to $12.  The card scanned awesome!

Davis made a little bit of news today when it was revealed that he has received the therapeutic use exemption for Adderall for the 2015 season.  This should help Davis in the upcoming season and should also remind folks that he does, in fact, have a medical condition and wasn't necessarily trying to cheat last year.  Yeah, he made a dumb mistake, but we are all human, so I give him a pass.

Anyway, I'm tired of the offseason already, I want some baseball to start.  Not too long, though, til Spring Training.  In between Spring Training and now will be Christmax and the Hall of Fame vote.  So, I do have some things to look forward to.

More Orioles Cards From Ultimatecards_

I got a package of Orioles cards last week from my buddy Drew who operates under the name of @ultimatecards_ on Instagram.  He, like my other friend, Drew, is a huge Yankee fan.  It is only a matter of time before I get the two Drews mixed up.  Anyway, Drew gave me a bunch of Orioles.  One of which is the above Nelson Cruz from 2014 Chrome, and I actually needed it for my set!  That reminds me, I need to post my needs list for 2014 Chrome and 2014 Update on my wishlist page.  Hold your breath!

Another cool card in the stack was this Chris Davis from Allen & Ginter.  I don't believe I had this yet, but I need to double check.  I'm pretty sure I hadn't picked it up, since I didn't get a whole lot of Ginter this year.

Thanks so much for the cards, Drew!  This officially catches me up on all of my recent trades and purchases.  Unless something comes in the mail tomorrow, I will be scrambling for something to write about.  I doubt I will have too many problems, though, I can always think of something to write about.

Instagram Pickup - 2014 Topps Nelson Cruz Orange Parallel

I completed a trade with a kid named Emperor (I'm not kidding) on Instagram last week when I sent him a Troy Tulowitzki 1989 design refractor from 2014 Topps Chrome.  In return, he sent me this orange refractor of Nelson Cruz.  Not a bad deal.  I enjoy the orange parallels of Orioles because it fits so well.

I haven't really been pursuing Cruz cards much because I fear that he is going to be a one and done signing for the O's.  He really has helped the team this year, and I hope his bat remains hot as the O's march toward the World Series.

Thanks for the trade, Emperor.  I really appreciate it, and I hope I can send more Tulos your way soon.

Instagram Pickup - 2014 Topps Chrome Chris Davis Red Parallel

I was tagged in a post on Instagram recently where a kid named Aiden was selling this 2014 Topps Chrome Chris Davis red parallel.  I quickly made him an offer of $10.00 and he accepted.  I felt like the red parallels were selling for a bit of a premium (since I hadn't seen many of them at all), so I wanted to make a competitive offer and not miss the card.  He sent it quickly after I paid him via PayPal.

The card is numbered 4/25 and just looks awesome.  I'm glad I was able to pick it up and add it to my Davis 2014 rainbow.  I still need a few of his chromes, especially the black parallel, but I've been a bit preoccupied recently and haven't been able to search Ebay.  I should be able to settle back in within a few weeks.

A Look At Some Recent Ebay Purchases

Usually, when I pick up single cards off of Ebay or COMC, they usually warrant single blog posts, but in an effort to catch up on my backlog of cards on my desk, I have lumped some recent Ebay purchases into one post.

A couple weeks ago, I filled up my little Ebay cart with a few cards that I knew I needed.  I saw a couple vintage cards for good prices, and also tried to knock out a few pieces to my Chris Davis 2014 Topps Chrome rainbow.

I got the above Ernie Banks from 1967 Topps at a really good price, $16.99.  Not bad, the card is in great shape.  I figured that I shouldn't let the card pass me by, especially since I knew that I needed it.

I picked up one other 1967, this Willie Stargell for $5.10.  Again, not a bad price at all.  You may be able to tell that the bottom right corner is dinged up, but I don't feel that it takes anything away from the card.

I added a few other cards to my cart that would fall into my Chris Davis PC, like the above 2014 Topps Turkey Red card.  I have yet to open a box of the online exclusive Turkey Red cards, but the two that I have (this and a Kevin Gausman auto) both look nice.

The original reason I was on EBay to begin with was because I wanted to grab a few 2014 Chrome cards of Davis.  This Topps Shelf insert is a really sharp card.  I like the colors on it.

Finally, I grabbed a few parallels of Davis, like the orange, blue and x-fractor.  The blue is the only numbered one out of this group, numbered 2/199.  I had also bought the purple and die cut in this lot, but my buddy Anders sent me those as well, so I have extras now.

Instagram Trade With Anders - 2014 Topps Chrome Chris Davis

I met a baseball card collector by the name of Anders who is from Minnesota using my Instagram account.  Anders is a huge Mike Trout fan and we quickly facilitated a trade for a few Trout inserts in exchange for a couple Chrome Chris Davis cards.

Anders hooked me up with this awesome purple refractor of Davis, which I received right after his suspension for Adderall use.  Ugh.  Not Anders's fault, for sure.  I still love Davis and I still love the card.

Also, I really really like this year's version of Chrome.  From what next year's base Topps design is looking like, I think next year's Chrome is going to be amazing.

Anders also hooked me up with this awesome die cut insert of Davis, which I needed.  The inserts and parallels in this year's Chrome were really cool.  I hope Topps keeps those up.

Anders is a really good guy and I'm glad I was able to make a trade with him.  Furthermore, while this post was waiting to be written, Anders and I made another deal.  That one will be posted sometime soon, if I can get caught up, that is.  Thanks for the deal, Anders!