Another TTM Success From Mookie Wilson

Another private signing came along where I had a card that I thought would really look great when signed.  I had seen this 2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Walk-Off Winners card in one of my boxes, and was smart enough to pull it and put it aside, in case a signing came along.  One did, and I was able to find the card right away and send it off.  That can't be said a lot of times when signings come up.

I mailed to the private signing on June 4 and got the card back on July 30, for a 56-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $12.00.

Chris Davis Mail From Judson

I got a surprise care package from my friend and fellow blogger, Judson.  Judson writes the blog "My Cardboard Habit" and has been a good friend for several years, now.  He surprised me with two really nice Chris Davis cards.

Judson sent along the Davis commemorative coin card and this 2015 Gypsy Queen mini framed relic.  I really like the cards, and I appreciate the thought, Judson!

Thank you so much for the surprise care package.

Gift From Brian - 2015 Gypsy Queen Kevin Gausman Auto

A good thing that happened at this past weekend's card show was that I got to talk to my friend, Brian and his dad again.  I had met them at the previous show in July, and chatted with them for quite a while.  Brian and his dad are huge Orioles fans, and I made sure that I thought of them when I was at the National.

Brian surprised me at this show with the above Kevin Gausman auto from 2015 Gypsy Queen.  The card looks really nice, and Gausman's auto is on card.

Thanks so much for the awesome card, Brian!  I really appreciate it and I am glad you and your dad came by my tables again.

Birthday Gifts From Drew - Adam Jones Hits

I got an amazing birthday package in the mail the other day from my good friend, Drew.  He has been one of the people that I have traded with the longest since I started this blog in November 2008.  I believe he and I met in February of 2009 and traded soon after.  That is a long time, if you think about it.

Drew always sends great stuff my way, and this time was no different.  Having recently returned from the "East Coast National", Drew found some really nice stuff.

The above card is a 2012 Panini Prime Cuts Adam Jones patch numbered 19/25.  I don't have a lot of Jones patches, so it was nice to add this one to my collection.

Drew also included this 2015 Gypsy Queen silver Jones auto.  This card is numbered 39/50 and the auto is on card.  Jones has a nice signature, and it really pops on this card.

Thanks so much for the gifts, Drew!

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.

Thoughts on 2015 Topps Gypsy Queen

It has been a struggle lately to find stuff to write about.  I have been trying my best to save money for The National, which is in less than two weeks.  So, I haven't been buying much, and with the Raleigh card show coming next weekend, I haven't made very many trades.  I have been hoarding my trade bait so that I have some stuff to sell at the show.  Hopefully, I can raise some additional funds for my National trip.

I have, however, bought a few packs of cards here and there, some of which have been 2015 Topps Gypsy Queen.  I guess you could say that I have bought the packs in hopes of pulling another 1/1, like the graphite parallel of Dee Gordon that I pulled recently.

I always enjoy Gypsy Queen when it comes out, mainly since it is flush with Hall of Famers.  I was very pleased to pull the above Brooks Robinson.  The card was a nice addition to my Brooks PC.  The set, as a whole, is nice.  I do believe that Gypsy Queen, much like Allen and Ginter, may be losing its luster.  I think Topps should maybe feature some other vintage designs, like American Caramel, Old Judge, or something like those.

What do you guys think?  Which past brand/design should Topps revive next?

Surprise Care Package From Judson

I got a surprise care package in the mail the other day from my friend, Judson.  In the package was a lot of awesome Orioles cards that I needed including the above 2015 Gypsy Queen Chris Davis relic.  I needed the Davis for my PC and was perilously close to buying one but passed in order to get some parallels from Bowman instead.  I'm glad I held off, because Judson hooked me up.  The card looks great.  I am a fan of this year's GQ; I wish I had the funds to get a box, but I need to save for the National.

Judson also sent along this 2014 Bowman Chrome Brian Gonzalez auto.  Gonzalez was the Orioles' first pick in the 2014 draft (round 3) and has been ok so far in the minors.  He was picked out of high school and is currently pitching at Low A Delmarva.  He is 3-4 with a 5.20 ERA so far this season.

Thanks for the care package, Judson!  It was greatly appreciated!