Some Autographs From AJ

My buddy AJ recently sent me a few autographs because he felt that they'd be in a better place in my autograph album as opposed to his closet.  I was amazed when I opened the package and saw the cards inside.  He told me ahead of time that he would be sending me a few IP autos that he had gotten but didn't tell me who had signed the cards.  When I saw this 1990 Topps Roger Clemens, I was very surprised. 

AJ also sent me a 2006 Fleer Jeff Francis, 2019 Bowman Draft Christian Cairo and 2019 Bowman Draft Brett Baty.  I hadn't gotten these three guys before, so that was cool.

Finally, here is a 2019 Topps Stadium Club Adam Jones.  This is a really nice card.  Im disappointed that I didnt get a return from Jones during Spring Training. 

I feel really bad because I opened the package from AJ when it came in, was super excited to get the cards, then I put them aside to scan for a later post.  In that time, I completely forgot that it was AJ who sent them to me.  He reminded me when I posted on Instagram that he had sent them.  AJ, again, I'm sorry that I forgot.  Thank you so much for the cards.

Birthday Gift From Cal

My buddy, Cal, sent me a really nice birthday package a couple months ago. In it were some Orioles cards and this really cool Topps Tier One Adam Jones.  The card is really sharp, and will go into the Jones PC.  That PC will be suspended and put with Roberts and Markakis, now that Jones is gone from the Orioles.

Thank you so much for the birthday gift, Cal, it was definitely appreciated.

Orioles Fan Fest 2018 - Autographed Cards

Another Orioles Fan Fest is complete, and this year, I went all out with getting baseball cards signed.  I had all five time slots covered this time around, and was able to get multiple cards signed at almost all of them.  I also had some help with my son, Chris, my friend, Ryan and also my friend, Michael.  Michael really hit a home run for me by getting this Brady Anderson signed.  I know I owe him big for this, as he really loved the card and wanted to keep it.  This is a 1998 Pacific Revolution.  It looks so awesome in person.

This 2000 Finest Larry Bigbie orange refractor drew a response from Bigbie, himself.  He remarked "Wow, that is an old card!"  He's right, but it sure is a nice one.  I am really happy with it, and only paid a few bucks for it on Ebay.

This Nestor Cortes is another pickup.  It is a die ccut card numbered 05/99.  I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get it signed, but right when Chris got to the front of the kids line, Cortes came and sat down.  It turned out really nice, even though I wuickly had run an eraser over it right before he signed.  Thankfully, my mom had given me a pack of the giant pink erasers a couple weeks ago.  I put them to good use this weekend.

Darren O'Day was the first person we got, and the above 2015 Topps black parallel was one I was really excited to get signed.  I had bought it for a few bucks from my friend, Anthony, and really wanted to get it done.  I had sent O'Day a gold parallel of that card to Spring Training last season, but never got it back.

I had Chris get me the 2017 Topps, mainly because I wanted to puff up some of my Topps set numbers.  I wanted to get parallels and refractors done mostly, but I was able to add a few Topps base here and there.

I bought this Anthony Santander orange shimmer from 2014 Bowman Chrome last week, once I knew who's vouchers I had.  I saw it on Ebay for something like $6.00, but was able to get it cheaper from sportlots, instead.

This 2011 Topps Chrome orange parallel of Adam Jones was featured on this blog a long time ago, in a care package from my friend, Pete.  I had narrowed all of my Jones cards down to four, with Chris taking two, and I taking two through the line.  The handler denied Chris's second card, so I quickly put my second away and went with this one.  I had a recurring theme the whole time with orange parallels, and I'm not complaining at all.  It sure turned out nice.

Tim Beckham denied me a second card, but he signed two for Chris.  They all turned out really well.  I especially like that Chris, himself, requested that Beckham sign the Heritage Minors in blue.  It really looks good.

Here is another orange parallel, this time from Kevin Gausman.  This one turned out so well.  I'm glad I raided my PC boxes for some nice parallels.

I got four cards signed by Trey Mancini.  The Panini National Exclusive was given to me by a little guy named Reid at this past year's National.  I've been trying to message him, but haven't gotten a response since then.  He was ahead of me in the line to get in that last day of the National, and ended up walking around with me for a while.  The middle Topps Gallery was a gift from my buddy, Cal, and I am really happy that I brought it along to get signed.  It is hard to tell, but that is an Artists Proof card.  Finally, I really wanted an Oriole on a 1987 Topps Chrome from this past year, just to keep up with my 1987 Topps theme in my albums.

I also got four cards signed by Hunter Harvey.  The 2014 Bowman Chrome gold parallel on the right is numbered out of 50, and turned out really nice.  I have a bunch of other Harvey cards.  If he goes to Frederick to start the season, I may be able to get him when they come through Kinston.

I put some dime box pickups from this past year's National to good use at Fan Fest.  All of these Mike Wright and Chris Lee cards were dime box finds that I held onto.  The Wright cards are misprints, of course, as he never was a National.

I added three cards to the 1987 set while I was at Fan Fest.  Michael got Larry Sheets for me, and Ryan hooked me up with John Russell.

Here are some horizontal cards that I was able to get done.  The 2010 Upper Deck was from Ryan, and had Jaycob Brugman's signature on it.  The 1994 Score is Wane Kirby.  I had to bring the generic Orioles cards, in case I saw someone I didn't have cards of.  I was glad to use my 1994 Score.  The Upper Deck was one Ryan brought.  I kind of wish I had gotten a voucher of Chance Sisco, since I found my Bowman Pipeline card that I had Cody Sedlock sign this summer.  Chris got it signed by Chris Lee in the kid's line.  Lee said Sisco was on his way, but we were late for our 2:00 signing, anyway.  Maybe next year.

Here is a batch of other cards I was able to get done.  We had a session with Joe Orsulak, and he also was in the kid's line.  The Orsulak in the middle is a Bowman Tiffany, which turned out really nice.

Chris laid down three Alan Mills cards in the kid's line, and Mills signed them all.  I was glad for that, as I couldn't decide if I liked the 1995 Fleer over the 1993 Topps.  Ryan contributed the 1993 Ultra, and let Chris keep it.

Finally, Austin Hays signed two cards for me in the first session we were in.  Chris got an 8x10 signed.  I had my autograph book with me for that session, and Hays said he would do two of the four I had on my page.  I was fine with that, as it meant I could get one of the Carolina League Prospect cards signed and his Aberdeen team set card done.  I abandoned the book after that session and just tried two-per for each station, and it worked pretty well.

Ryan got the David Hess signed for me while I was in line for the last session.  He had my card box with him while I was in line and remembered that my box was alphabetized (and he remembered me saying I had one Hess card in there).  Michael got me the Miguel Castro.

In all, I left Fan Fest with 56 autographs on baseball cards.  Not a bad way to start the year.

I have a few other things from Fan Fest that I will show later on between TTM successes and a couple more Christmas gifts that came in, so stay tuned!

Birthday Gift and Some Autos From Nick H.

My buddy, Nick H. has been doing some 50/50s for me this season, and has been talking with me for a couple years now.  He's a really great guy, who graphs the Columbus Clippers.  He surprised me with a nice little package for my birthday, which had a nice assortment of Orioles.

I didn't have this 1962 Topps Brooks Robinson All Star card, to my recollection.  It has seen a lot of love over the years, but will now be retired to a top loader and a home in my Brooks box.

I did have the above 1967 Topps Orioles champions card, but I took it and added it to my 1967 set.  I'm pretty sure I didn't have the 1968 Topps Frank Robinson All Star card.

These two Orioles relics were really nice.  I believe Nick had just recently went to a card show, which means that he was thinking of me while he was there, which is always a nice feeling.

I liked these Donruss Orioles as well.  Kind of odd seeing the last two posts showing the last two Orioles to wear #10.  Interesting, I suppose.

Nick has been getting me autos all season of Columbus players, as well as other guys who have come by.  These were the last of the cards that he was due to send me.  Jerry Owens is a coach for Columbus, and Nick has gotten his auto for me on some nice cards.

Finally, here is a Richie Shaffer that I had sent Nick a while back.  He was finally able to get it signed before the season ended.

Thank you so much for the birthday package, Nick.  I feel bad that it took me this long to get it posted, but I am slowly catching up on my stacks.

Orioles Relics and Autos From The National

There are, by far, not all of the relic and auto cards I picked up at the National.  I hit some of the bargain bins pretty hard the whole time I was there and ended up with some really nice cards.  This 2017 Tribute Adam Jones patch was probably the best of the bargain bin finds.  Numbere 9/25, it has a 3-color patch that looks pretty great.

This Adam Jones relic was also pretty cool.  I was glad to find some of his stuff for cheap at the show, since I haven't added a lot to the Jones PC in a long time.  Jones has been with the club since 2008, and has begun to pass some Oriole legends in some of the all-time stat rankings.  I hope he can finish his career as an Oriole, but that remains to be seen.

I thought it was pretty odd to find a Manny Machado patch in a bargain box, but this one was in there.  Since I love Museum so much, I picked it up.  I don't remember what I spent, but it wasn't much at all, and I am pretty sure I got it in a bulk deal with some other stuff anyway.

Finally, I added this Bill Ripken certified auto from 2005 Leaf Century Collection.  The card is numbered 63/250.  I believe this is only the second Bill certified auto that I have been able to find.  The other being the Cal/Bill dual auto that Drew got for me a while back.

I looked at my stack of National finds today and realized that I am just about done posting about the show.  I'm not as far behind as I thought I was.  Maybe I can get the rest posted soon and move on to other things.

Card Show Pickup - Another Orioles Quad

I didn't really make many purchases for the PC at the most recent card show I attended.  The show was on February 11 and I went mostly to pick up some bulk Topps cards for more TTMs, but I did find this quad relic Orioles card that I thought would go nicely in my Davis PC.  The seller wanted WAY too much for the card, but as I was about to leave at closing time, I made him a reasonable offer, and he accepted.  Yeah, the patches are great, but there's no way I would pay the sticker price he had on the card ($100).  No way at all.

Luckily, I got it for a LOT less than that.  I also got it for exactly what I had left in my wallet, which worked out nicely.  I had a great time at the show, Chris came with me and actually helped me this time.  He didn't get too bored, and actually picked up a few things for himself.  One of which was a really sweet Matt Cain patch card for an absolute steal.  He may have done better than I did!

Cristmas Gift From Gerard

Even though he is a huge Red Sox fan, I get along with my friend, Gerard, really well.  He's a great guy who I have talked to quite a bit.  He has won one of my Instagram contests and I have also sent him a TTM starter pack.  We got to talking after the TTM starter pack was sent, and I have helped him get started with that part of his collection.

He messaged me earlier this month saying that he was really excited about the Christmas package he was putting together for me, and he hoped I would like it.  Well, he nailed it.  I was really surprised that I didn't have the above Tristar Projections Chris Davis in my PC.  I mean, I was REALLY surprised.  So much so, I double and triple checked my Davis spreadsheet, and nope, it wasn't listed yet.  Wow.  Someone found something I didn't have yet!

I also didn't have this 2016 Heritage Manny Machado relic.  Gerard really did well with this package.  I can't say that enough.

Maybe it's just me, but this one is kind of an oddball.  Maybe I missed it, but I thought the mini relics in Allen & Ginter were all framed.  I'll have to ask Gerard about this one again.  It is really cool, regardless, and I know I didn't already have it.  I just thought they were all either framed, or regular sized cards.  I haven't busted much Ginter lately, so I probably just missed that they were doing unframed mini relics.  It helped me know that I didn't have the card already.

Finally, Gerard nailed it again with a Cal that I didn't have in my collection yet.  I've said it many times that it is really tough for me to pick up Cal stuff because I have no idea what I even have any more.  So, this red framed 2016 Panini Diamond Kings is definitely an awesome card.  It is numbered 78/99 as well.

All of the cards that Gerard sent (he send a stack of Orioles as well) were great and all, but the best part of the Christmas gift was the full page letter that he included in the package.  I really appreciated his kind words in the letter and can't thank him enough for his friendship over these last several months.  Gerard is a great guy, and I hope I can do many more trades with him.

Thank you so much for the package, buddy!  I love it!

Christmas Gift From AJ

I got a really nice Christmas gift in the mail from my little buddy, AJ, that had a ton of Orioles and a few other relics and autos included.  AJ is a huge Reds fan that I try to help out when I can.  He has had a couple older "graphers" give him a hard time at games, so I try my best to send him some stuff to help his collection since the older kids seem to think making fun of someone's collection is something to do.

AJ sent me this awesome Manny Machado blue parallel from 2012 Bowman Platinum.  I need to pick up a magnetic case for this.  The card looks great, and I really appreciate AJ sending it along.

AJ sent me a handful of these Orioles holiday parallels from Topps Retail.  I really liked this Wieters, especially since he probably won't be an Oriole in 2017 Topps.

Among the relic cards that AJ sent, he included this Adam Jones relic from 2015 Topps.  AJ also sent one of his own cards, signed, from his past baseball season.  I thought that was a really cool gesture, which I definitely appreciated.

Thank you so much for the Christmas package, AJ!  I appreciate it!

Birthday Package From Drew - Something off of the Top Ten Wishlist

I got a couple birthday packages in the mail today, which helps extend my birthday for a few more days (not complaining about that!).  One of the packages was from my good friend, Drew.  Drew has been easing himself back into the blog world since he returned from an awesome study abroad program earlier this year.  Unfortunately, the trip exhausted Drew and his funds, so he wasn't able to attend this year's National.  Drew was sorely missed, especially since the National was relatively in his back yard.

Drew surprised me by crossing a card off of my Top Ten Wishlist.  This 1948-49 Leaf "John" Wagner is a card that I have kept an eye on for a while.  I almost picked one up at the National, but the guy wanted way too much for it.  This one has awesome edges and corners, but some paper loss on the corners; likely due to someone having it taped into an album.

The back of the card looks flawless, and is a nice read.  I especially like the ad for the All Star Baseball Gum Big Pictures "for hanging in your room or club".  How many kids these days build club houses?  This is an awesome card.

Drew also included this really cool Frank Robinson relic from 2005 Donruss Champions.  This was a nice set that came out back when I had just gotten back into the hobby.  I always liked these cards, but didn't pull any hits.  This Frank will look nice with my other Robinson cards (of which there are few, since Frank eludes me most of the time).

Finally, we have this Adam Jones framed relic from 2016 Ginter.  The framed relics seem to be tougher to find, since they now have the full card relics.  I made a trade with Drew to pick this one up.

Other than Mom or Andrew, Drew may be someone I have talked about the most on this blog.  He and I have been trading since he first broke into the hobby.  He was just about 12 at the time, I believe, and now he is almost done with college.  We have been close friends for well over 7 years now, and have even taken a trip to the Hall of Fame (Chris still says he didn't break your dad's car door).

Thank you so much for the awesome cards, and most of all, your friendship, Drew!  I greatly appreciate it, and can't wait to see you at next year's National!

COMC Pickup - 2003 UD Prospect Premiers Adam Jones RC

I recently sold some stuff on my COMC page and used the money to remove my Anthony Rendon Atomic Refractor so I could take it to the National for grading.  I didn't want to just get that card, so I looked for something affordable for my PCs.  I realized that I didn't add a lot of Adam Jones stuff lately, so I picked up his true RC.

Look at how young he is.  He is also listed as a Shortstop.  Not to mention, he is in his Mariners uniform. I got the card for $9.35.  I'm glad I got it.  I need to get the auto version at some point.  We busted a box of 2003 UD Prospect Premiers last year at the National for some cheap price.  I might look for another if it is reasonable.  Or just the single.  Who knows.

2016 Topps Stadium Club Card Shop Pickups

I was able to pick up a few singles of 2016 Stadium Club while I was at the Matthews card shop on Friday.  I got a few for some other people, but had to add to my PCs as well.  I like the shot of Chris Davis above.  Stadium Club has quickly become one of my favorite offerings.  The photos are great!  My LCS has already sold out of Stadium Club, so I will probably be picking up a box at the National.  I may also work on the set, like last year.

Here is Adam Jones's card.  He is about to pie face someone.  This is a great shot of Jonesey, as it fits his personality perfectly.

Here is a new Cal to add to my PC.  As always, any time I can add a new Cal, that's a good day.

Finally, I picked up this Bob Feller for the Feller PC.  It is tough getting new Feller cards, so adding this was nice.  This is a shot of a younger Feller, earlier in his career, it seems.

I hope Topps keeps up with Stadium Club.  It really looks great this year!

My First Topps Now Card - Orioles Record Breaker

Topps came out with a really cool idea this season by putting the previous day's highlights on a card.  The concept gets even better in that the cards are only available for order for 24 hours, then the print run stops.  Some cards have been run for 200+ copies; some for over 1,000.  There have been a couple Orioles ones issued this year, but I finally took the plunge on Topps Now when the Orioles tied the home run record for June.

I bought the card off of the Topps website for $9.99 and it ended with a print run of 526 copies made.

This card will be an entry in my Chris Davis PC, but when I was scanning the card for this blog post, I noticed something about the card that I didn't realize before.  Have you caught it yet?

That is Matt Wieters on a Topps card.  Why does that matter?  Well, since he signed with the Orioles, Wieters has not been featured on any Topps products, with the exception of Topps Bunt and E-Topps.  He has had no regular issue Topps cards.  He signed an exclusive deal with Razor back in 2008 that would have allowed him to appear on Topps or Upper Deck cards one year after his debut.  He has had no Topps cards at all, so either he or they have not budged.  So, this Topps Now card could be his first ever Topps card (really, who counts E-Topps or Topps Bunt?).  That makes this card that much cooler for me.

There are two other Chris Davis Topps Now cards that I have seen.  I plan on picking them up, but am holding out for the National.  My hope is that a vendor there will have them, and I can rack up.  I really like this concept and hope that Topps keeps it up.  I also hope some of my PC guys do some major things to end up on future offerings.

Care Package From Robert

I got a care package of a bunch of Orioles cards from my good friend, Robert, back on May 5th.  He had busted a box of Museum Collection and ended up with some O's and sent them along with some other random Orioles.

I didn't have this Chris Davis in my collection, yet, so it helps out my PC.

I also didn't have this Adam Jones.  I like Museum Collection.  It may very well be my favorite Topps offering, aside from Topps base.  I doubt I will pick up a box, but if I see any nice Orioles patches and relics, I will be sure to pick them up.

I appreciate the cards, Robert.  Thank you!