TTM Success - Bennie Daniels

Here is another player who I was able to get an autograph TTM because of cards I picked up at the Columbia Antique Shop.  The 1958 Bennie Daniels actually came from a stack of cards that I got from my good friend, Jet, in a deal from a few months ago.  I really like this card, especially with how yellow it is.  I'm all for cards with bold colors on them.  I think they really pop when they are scanned to my laptop.

Here is the card I got from the antique shop, another 1961 Topps.  A bunch of them came in all at once, pushing my total of signed 61s above some other years.  The card turned out really nice, as well.  I'm sure it is difficult for some players to sign the headshot cards.  I wouldn't want to write across my face, either.  Daniels did a really good job of squeezing his signature in the card, though.

Daniels (b. 1932) played in the majors from 1957 to 1965 for the Pirates and Senators.  He had a career record of 45-76 with an ERA of 4.44 with 471 strike outs.

I mailed to Daniels on January 17 and got the card back on February 4, for an 18-day TAT.

Vintage Instagram Deal With Jet

My buddy, Jet, was strapped for cash recently, so he made me a proposal for a deal involving some nice vintage cards and a sweet 8x10 signed photo.  One of the vintage cards was on my Top 10 Wishlist, so after hearing the price he was looking for, I jumped on the deal.

The above Orlando Cepeda RC is in decent shape, but by no means mint.  That's ok, though, because this card will be well taken care of, and Jet knew it was going to a good home.  This is the first item I have been able to knock off of my Top Ten Wishlist, so that was nice.

Jet also had this Bob Feller signed 8x10.  Although I tend to shy away from 8x10s, I love Feller, and figured at the price in which Jet was selling at, I went ahead and added it to the deal.  I wish this was a "high leg kick" auto, but this photo is still really nice.  I like the old Indians uniform, and also love the sepia photo.

Thanks so much for the deal, Jet!  I really appreciate it.

Catching Up On Mail - Recent Instagram Pickups

It's crunch time at my place, today as I prepare for my first card show in a couple years.  I have to continue sorting and pricing cards and avoid burning myself out on them.  Never is a good feeling being sick of looking at cards.

I also have been really behind on posting recent mail, even with posting a post a day.  So, I condensed a few trades and deals down to one post, with the hope of catching up a bit.  Even by doing this, I still have a ton in my "to be blogged pile".  Thank you all for bearing with me.  I'm sure some of you are tired of the "I got this today, or dealt for that" posts.  Trading has never been busier for me, so I suppose that's a good thing.

I got the above Zach Britton snow camo parallel in a trade with a kid from Instagram who uses the handle sports.cards.24.  I sent him a Derek Jeter coin from the Turn 2 Foundation, and got this Britton that is numbered 38/99.  It looks pretty cool, and will stay in my collection.

In exchange for a Bowman Chrome blue parallel of Dawel Lugo and a Jonathan Gray die cut, a kid named Barton (topshelf_graphs on Instagram) sent me this 2014 Topps Chrome Jose Fernandez black parallel numbered  21/100.  The card is really nice, and I think I can sell it at the show tomorrow.  If not, it'll be posted on my trade bait page.

Being in a hurry is never good, especially when you are scanning cards.  This Nick Kingham was obtained (along with an Orange Tim Cooney auto) in exchange for a AJ Cole Bowman Sterling auto.  I got the card from a guy named Christian (Primesportscards on Instagram).  I picked them up specifically for trades and the Cooney has already been claimed by Andrew.  I can probably get a little bit out of the Kingham as well.  We'll see.

I traded for this Justin Verlander a while ago, and when I traded for it, I had no idea it was a patch card (and numbered to 9).  It's about the saddest patch card that I have seen, with the bare minimum of the patch showing.  Yet, it is still a patch card, and two colors for that matter.  I have had a lot of folks ask about it.  I'm going to take it with me tomorrow, and set the price pretty high and see what I can do.  I'm not too worried about this one, though, because I know I have a market for it when I get back here.  I also might end up keeping it, though.  It is a pretty cool card.  I would like to get some more patches soon.

Finally, I got some set needs from my good friend, Jet, recently when he was trying to raise some money for a trip that he wants to take later this summer.  He sent 7 1959 Topps cards that I needed for my set.  Some of them will fit in nicely, and a couple of the others will be placeholders until I can upgrade them.

So, thanks for all of the deals, guys.  I really appreciate them, even if I wasn't able to dedicate standalone posts for them.  Hopefully you all understand.  It'll be nice to get caught up, but I don't know if I can.  I'm just hoping I can get some stuff cleared out tomorrow and maybe make a little money in the process.

Christmas Gift From Jet - 2006 Flair Showcase Brian Roberts Auto

I got this Brian Roberts autographed card from 2006 Flair Showcase as a Christmas gift from my good buddy, Jet.  I've been helping him this past year with advice, trades, set building, you name it.  Jet is a really cool guy, and already has an amazing collection at such a young age.  I guess it's safe to say, I'm a bit envious of the guy.  I mean come on, he has a Hank Aaron rookie (part of his complete set of 1954 Topps).

Jet always seeks me out for help, and has tole me before that he looks up to me.  He just recently started collecting signed baseballs by Hall of Famers because I inspired him to do so.  I don't really set out to inspire anyone.  I just enjoy what I enjoy, and like to share it with you all.  The fact that this kid from Oklahoma is inspired by anything I do it amazing to me.  I'm happy to know that young folks out there want to enjoy this same hobby that I enjoy.

So, thanks for this awesome Christmas present, my friend.  I hope you, your mom, and the rest of your family had a great Christmas.  You're a great guy, and definitely deserve it.  Thanks, Jet!

Instagram Trade With Jet - 1954 Topps Extras

I completed a trade on Instagram with my good friend, Jet, for some extra 1954 Topps cards that he had left over from when he put his set together.  I can't remember what I sent him, but in return he sent me 6 1954 Topps cards, and a few other things.  I plan on hoarding these 1954s until I can begin the set sometime in the future.  I don't know when that will be, but hopefully it will be soon.

One of the extras Jet sent was this 1973 Topps Hank Aaron.  It is a bit lower grade, but still a nice card.

Jet also included this beat up Barry Bonds rookie card.  It has some creases, but is still a cool card.  Funny how small Bonds's head was back then.

Thanks for the deal, Jet, I really appreciate it!

I'm Impressed - My Friend Completed the 1954 Topps Set

Rarely do I use my blog to tout the collections of others, but today is an exception.  My buddy, Jet, has completed the 1954 Topps set.  The last card he needed was Johnny Sain and he just recently purchased it from Ebay, meaning that he now has in his posession, all 250 cards.

This set is a dream set of mine.  I love the design and the fact that there are legendary cards in the set.  I took it upon myself this summer to help Jet realize his dream when I picked up something like 50-60 cards that he needed from a card shop in Detroit.  For his birthday, I helped his mom pick out some key cards that he needed, namely the Jackie Robinson.

This set consists of rookies of Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Al Kaline.  The Jackie Robinson is a "tough get."  The fact that there are TWO Ted Williams cards that bookend the set also makes it a tough one.

Jet has given me credit for helping him reach his goal, but in reality, I don't want any credit at all.  The cards I sent were all part of a trade, I just helped facilitate getting him closer to his goal.  I also mentored him through the process, and made a really good friend.

I'm just really proud to see a young person, such as Jet, pick a difficult set to collate and stick with it.  Jet is 14 and most kids his age believe that baseball doesn't exist outside of Mike Trout, Bryce Harper or Manny Machado.  For someone like him to have a passion for set building and vintage cards really makes me feel good about the state of the hobby.  I just wish more folks Jet's age felt the same.

Congratulations on the accomplishment, buddy, you earned it.

If you want to follow Jet on Instagram, his screen name (shown on the screenshot above) is @base2theballz

Birthday Gifts From Jet

I apologize for unintentionally taking a week off from the blog this past week.  Long story short, I was called out to do a major project for work and I was unable to get to scanning and blogging cards.  Add in that I was not in the mood to blog about recent Chris Davis acquisitions on Friday and then being out of town for the Carolina Panther game this weekend, I got a much deserved break.

Also, Sunday was my birthday.  I have received a few birthday packages from some friends and the first of which that I'll show is what I got from my buddy, Jet, from Instagram.

Jet hooked me up with a few cards that would help with my set needs, like the above 1959 Topps Steve Korcheck.

I helped Jet recently with upgrading the Rube Walker in his 1954 set and in return, he sent me the card that was being upgraded.  Pretty nice card that I'll likely hold onto until I try the 1954 set.

The big pieces from his birthday package were these two 1948 Bowman cards that I needed for my set.  The above card is #42 in the set, Ray Poat.  Poat (b. 1917 - d. 1990) played in the majors from 1942 to 1944 and 1947 to 1949 for the Indians, Giants and Pirates.  He was 22-30 over his career with a 4.55 ERA and 178 strikeouts.

The other '48 Bowman was card #13, Willard Marshall.  Marshall (b. 1921 - d. 2000), a Richmond native, played at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.  I thought that was a pretty cool tidbit of information there.  He played in the majors from 1942 and 1946 to 1955 for the Giants, Braves, Reds and White Sox.  He had 1,160 hits, 130 home runs and a lifetime average of .274.  He was a three-time All Star and finished as high as 16th in the NL MVP voting (1947).  Not a bad career at all!

Those two cards knock my 1948 needs down to 15 cards.  I have completed 69% of the set and already have most of the major rookie cards out of the way, except for the Rizzuto.  I'll have to start being diligent in looking for one of those.

Thanks so much for the gifts, Jet.  The best part of the package, of course, was the birthday card and notes that Jet included.  I always love getting notes and letters and what he wrote was really great.  I definitely appreciate having such a good friend.

Awesome Vintage Cards In An Instagram Trade With Jet

While I was on vacation and touring different card shops, I got a few messages from a kid in Oklahoma named Jet.  Aside from having one of the coolest names that I can remember, Jet also has quite the personality.  I have rarely met a teenager who is into vintage cards and it is even rarer to find one, especially his age, who is working on a seriously vintage set.

Jet is putting together the 1954 Topps set and already has a bunch of the cards.  He has one of the biggest cards in the set,the Hank Aaron RC, which, to me, is amazing.  Pretty awesome that this guy has already knocked out a sweet RC; a legendary one, at that!

So, I wanted to help him out and found several 1954s that he needed and worked up a deal with him.  Jet clearly won the trade, but that was my intention all along.  I wanted to give a little boost to a kid who was spending his allowance on something of substance, instead of wasting it on current fads, or even worse.

The key card I sent Jet was the 1954 Topps Whitey Ford, Jet's favorite player.  The other 54s I got him were very low grade, but he was perfectly content with them and accepted them with no problem.

Jet worked up a decent enough package so that I wouldn't feel like he wiped the floor with me in winning the trade and it included the above PSA graded 4 1969 Brooks Robinson.  I already have a graded 1967 Brooks, so this 1969 (with a very similar photo on the front of the card) will go right beside it.

The card of his that I wanted the most, though, was the duplicate he had of the 1954 Topps Yogi Berra.  This one is a little rougher than the one he kept for his set, but I love it.  I could have bought one off Ebay for about $40 or so, but I don't care.  The card is so cool and I'm happy to add it to my vintage Hall of Famer collection.

Jet also included some other nice vintage like this autographed 1965 Topps Embossed Frank Malzone.  Malzone (b. 1930) played in the majors from 1955 to 1966 for the Red Sox and Angels.  He had a really good, consistent career where he had 1,486 hits,133 home runs and a .274 batting average.  He finished second in the 1957 AL Rookie of the Year Award voting (to Tony Kubek) and 7th in the MVP voting that year (Mickey Mantle took home the trophy).  Malzone was a 6-time All Star as well.

Jet included a few 'commons' from some vintage sets as well, like the above 1968 Topps Ed Brinkman.  He also included a 1959 Don Newcombe and the below Pete Runnels, which I already had in my set, but I will check to see if they are upgrades at all.

I really enjoyed this trade with Jet because I was helping a young collector tackle the tough task of building a great vintage set.  I really hope I can help him out some more along the way and see him complete the thing sooner, rather than later.