2017 National Card Show - Vintage Pickups

I picked up some nice vintage cards while I was at the National Card Show in Chicago.  I wanted to pick up some 1955 Bowman Hall of Famers.  The above Mickey Mantle was the prize of what I found at the show, and I got it for a great price.  With that pickup, I decided to try to find a couple other stars, and I feel like I did pretty well.

I liked this Hank Aaron, and picked it up on the final day of the show.  I picked up another Hank Aaron card, but I will have to show that another time.

Finally, I got a nice deal on this Willie Mays.  It is in really good shape.  I liked the price on it.  I went to get another 55 Bowman, but realized that I had blown my budjet, so I stopped with this card.

TTM Success - David Mantle

I actually had a few people look at me like I was crazy when I said that I had sent a couple Mickey Mantle cards off to his son to see if I could get them signed.  A while back, I had sent to, and received success from the widow of Jackie Robinson, Rachel Robinson.  I figured that it would be cool to take a few of the extra Mantle cards that I had and have his son David sign them.  I also have sent out an attempt to Julia Ruth Stevens for one of her signatures.  I think it is pretty cool to reach out to a relative of a deceased player, as long as the request is tasteful.  It is all in how folks view it, I guess.

I did get a Topps year taken care of with this 2010 Topps.  It still counts, in my mind.  I like the "Son of the Mick" inscription.

He also signed these two Upper Deck inserts that came out of my 1994 box that I busted with Chris.  They turned out really nice, even though they didn't scan as well.

I mailed to Mantle on March 20, and got the cards back on April 22, for a 33-day TAT.

Using My Time Wisely

Lately, I haven't had much to write about, so I have been working toward straightening up and getting ready for the National.  One of the things I wanted to do was list out all of my needs for the 1967 Topps set.  Not because I am officially doing the set at the moment, but it gives me a finite list, just in case I see some deals.

I realized that I need a lot more cards from the 1967 set than I initially realized.  I also realized, however, that I had a lot more big names than I realized as well.  I already have Mantle, Banks, Stargell and Rose, to name a few.  Not bad.

One of my main goals is to complete the 1959 set while I am there, and maybe another would be to make a dent in the 1969 set.  1967 will definitely be on the backburner, but I am happy that I took the time to list what I needed.  It will help me to go in there with lists of what I need, instead of going in blindly and being overwhelmed by everything.  We shall see if it helps.

Have I Ever Told You How Awesome My Mom Is?

While my family was visiting my brother in Columbia, SC this weekend, my mom had mentioned how she had wanted to visit the antique shop while we were down there.  I had gone by there right when they opened at 10:00 AM because I had emailed the shop owner to tell him what I needed and I wanted to make sure that I got by there.  I always hated pulling out a bunch of cards for someone, only to have them not show up, and with us not really being sure as to what our plans were for after the Crawfish Festival, I didn't want to take the chance that he would be closed after we finished the Festval.

So, I went by there first thing Saturday, while everyone else was getting ready for the Festival.  I sorted through his '59s, discussed the DiMaggio ball, and searched for a few cards for a friend's birthday.  I had wanted to meet up with everyone so we could all get to the Crawfish Festival at 11:00, but I took 15 minutes too long.  No problem, though, because I was able to run by the grocery store and pick up a few things on my way, which ended up working out.

Anyway, I had texted Mom to tell her that I was about to finish up at the shop, and got a response from her that said "You were supposed to wait for me!  I wanted to go!"  So, I asked the shop owner and he confirmed that he closed at 5:30, so I told Mom that we could always go back, I just wouldn't be able to buy anything else.

That ended up working out, because we were done at the Crawfish Festival by 3:00 and a few of my brothers wanted to go back to Adam's place and either take naps or play Madden on XBox.  That made it so that my wife, my mom and my sister, Christy, could all check out the antique shop.

It was nice going there and not feeling like I HAD to search the cards, since I had already done so earlier in the day.  I walked around a bit and checked out the other antiques that he had for sale as Mom and my wife looked around.  Mom started noticing things that some of my brothers would like, such as an old 1950s Street & Smith magazine with a Miami Hurricanes player on the cover for one of my brothers and an antique tobacco pipe with a case for another brother.

Mom asked me to show her where all of the baseball cards were, since she is also a fan of them, so I took her to his section where he had a bunch of vintage stars in some display cases.  She, being a former Yankee fan, quickly noticed a few of the Mickey Mantle cards that were on display.  There was a 1958 Topps Mantle All Star for a good price, and also a 1958 Mantle for around $500.00.  She asked me why they were so high, and I explained that Mantle was always a good find, whether you were a Yankee fan or not.  She then asked me how many I had, and I told her that I had a couple.  Then she asked, "...well, do you have any of these?  Would you want one of them?"  My response was in the affirmative, of course, so she said "I can get you one, if you want one, it can be an early birthday present or something."  My eyes lit up, as she pretty much gave me a budget on what she would do, so I looked at a few of the cards that he had.

One of the Mantles we looked at had a pretty significant tear on it, so I didn't really want to spend that price on it, but I did see the 1960 Topps Mantle sitting in a corner of the case, at a good price, just above the budget that Mom had set.  I had the shop owner (Conrad) take the card out so I could look it over.  I also was able to talk him down on the price, since I had spent so much earlier, and since he had a sale in the bag with the other items that Mom was getting.

One catch was, however, the nice Jackie Robinson 1954 Topps card that was sitting front and center in the case...

I didn't own any Jackie Robinson cards, other than the 1955 Topps card that is in my set.  I have a good friend who has one, and I always thought it was a beautiful card.  Its price was also just above Mom's budget, so I had Conrad take it out so I could compare it with the Mantle.  Mom looked over bother cards as well.  While I stood there contemplating which card to get, and enduring several eye-rolls from my 15-year old sister, Mom asked me which card I was going to choose.  I told her that it was a really tough decision, but since she was the one buying the "birthday present", she could decide for me and I would be happy either way.

So, she PUSHES me out of the way and says "Let me talk it over with the shop owner, and it will be a surprise of which card you will get."  So, we are shooed away from them while they conducted business; I walked around the shop and looked at some tobacco cards that he had in a separate case, then chatted with my wife for a bit.  Mom made a purchase, and we left the shop.

In the car, she opens her bag and pulls out BOTH cards.  She wasn't able to choose between the two of them, either.  So, according to Mom, my birthday (in September) and Christmas are already spoken for, this year!  That is fine by me!

She went through the receipt and showed me that Conrad had given her awesome deals on each of the items that she had bought.  I really think he enjoyed that we came back to the shop and he also enjoyed chatting with my mom as she bought from him.

I am now the proud owner of both, a 1960 Topps Mickey Mantle and a 1954 Topps Jackie Robinson.  The Mantle can go alongside the 1959 (in my set), 1962, 1964, 1967 and 1969 (in my set) that I have.  I'm surprised that I have that many Mantles, really.  Especially since I'm not a Yankee fan at all.  I think any baseball card fan and look at any Mantle and realize how iconic he is on a card.

The Jackie is equally as amazing.  That 1954 set is an awesome set, and I actually have quite a few of them.  I might be poised to begin the set sometime soon, and the Jackie pushes it forward quite a bit.  Add in the fact that a purchase I made earlier in the day even furthers the set, if I choose to build it soon, but you'll have to wait til my next post to see what I'm talking about there.

So, thank you so much, Mom, for really hooking me up with these awesome cards.  Browsing through the antique shop with you really reminded me of our times going into the old shop when I was a kid and looking at all of the cards.  I felt like a little kid, again!  Except that Conrad doesn't look like Rafael Palmeiro.

Thanks, Mom!  I love you!

How Mike Trout Became My New Best Friend

I busted my requisite three jumbo boxes of 2015 Topps Series 1 when they came out.  I had planned on doing a breakdown of what I pulled, but chaos ensued after I revealed my hits on Instagram.  My biggest hit was the above Mike Trout auto.  While I have been an outspoken critic of Trout (not because I don't believe he is a GOOD player, I believe he hasn't shown anything about walking on water just yet), I was really glad to pull the card.  I recognize the fact that Trout is a good player, who has the potential to be a great player, but come on, a .288 batting average isn't exactly setting the world on fire.  Anyway, I had planned to keep it, until my friend, Blaine commented after I posted that he would make me a good offer on the card.  He didn't disappoint.

Blaine offered me, not one, but two Mickey Mantles in exchange for the Trout auto.  Two Mantles.  I didn't even let him get out the "T" in flight (Jay Mohr joke) before I said DEAL!  I wasn't going to pass up a deal for two Mantles, and I really was glad that one of them was the 1964. I haven't even begun to start the 1964 set, but this will be a nice start to the set, once I do get moving on it.

Why, hello there, old friend!  Blaine is the guy I traded my 1962 Mantle to, in exchange for some cash, a 1960 Koufax and some other stuff.  I didn't want to give it up at the time, but Blaine doesn't mess around when it comes to deals, so I accepted.  Anyway, I was happy that Blaine included it in the deal, as well.  I didn't want to give the card up, and now, it's back home where it belongs!  I do believe that this is the very first time in all of my years of collecting that I have traded away and then traded for the same card.  This time, the card is on lockdown!

So, I am really glad I pulled the Trout auto.  My thinking is, Trout is a good player, but he could get hurt tomorrow.  Mantle will always be Mantle, so doing this deal, for me, was a no brainer.  I also appreciate Blaine in that he is an amazing person to work with, and he doesn't fool around with deals.  He makes a great offer right off the bat, and we were able to come to terms really fast.  I really think the Trout was up for less than 5 minutes before the deal was agreed upon.  That's pretty awesome!

So, What is a High Number?

I have been asked numerous times  about what it means when someone refers to a "high number" when building vintage sets.

High numbers refer to those cards from vintage sets that were issued by Topps prior to 1974 that are toward the end of the set.  When Topps used to issue card sets, they would issue them in several different series throughout the season.  By the time the later series would come out, they would be issued toward the end of the year when other teams had been eliminated and only a select few were still in contention.  This would cause kids' interest in collecting the cards to wane and not as many packs of cards would be sold.  Not wanting to be stuck with all of the unsold inventory, Topps would gather up the unsold boxes and packs of cards and they would destroy them.

Many folks are familiar with the fact that Topps dumped a bunch of 1952 Topps cards in the Hudson River.  This is one of the many reasons why the 1952 Mantle is so expensive.  It can be chalked up to simple supply and demand.  The card is really sought after and due to the limited supply, the value of the card has gone through the roof.

This high number issue affects all set builders who enjoy vintage sets.  The problem stops following the 1973 Topps set because, in 1974, Topps only issued the cards in two series, and some times, one series (like 1988 or 1989 Topps).

Hopefully, this helps explain, somewhat, about the high numbers.  You can tell which cards are the high numbers in a set by checking a beckett checklist, or checking online on cardboardconnection.com.

****By the way, today marks the 6th anniversary of my blog. if you want a fun read, travel back in time by clicking this link and read my first entry.

Ebay Pickup - 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle All Star

I knocked a huge need off of my 1959 set  when I bought this Mickey Mantle All Star card off of Ebay the other day.  The card came in the mail today and looks awesome.  Other than being off center, it is in awesome shape.

I have seen this card go for around $100 - $125, but I had been watching a couple that were in worse shape than this one that were Buy it Now for $55 and $57.  I saw this one, which was listed as an auction, and caught it with about an hour to go.  I bid my maximum bid at the $55 that I had almost been willing to spend on the BIN one and rode out the auction to win it at $42.00 shipped.  AWESOME!

So, this was the biggest remaining piece that I needed for the set.  I still have a good many All Star/High Numbers to get, but none are as prestigious as this card.  Mantle cards always seem to carry a premium.  Even though I am in no way a Yankee fan, I still can appreciate the gravity of adding a new Mantle to my collection.

This leaves me needing 98 cards to complete the set.

Instagram Trade With Tim

My wife keeps telling me that I need to find some trade partners who are closer to my age.  She may be right.  I think the average age of the folks I trade with is something like 14, but recently, I met a guy on Instagram named Tim who had something I really wanted (see above).  Does it matter that I met Tim through his son, Carson, who is 11?  Nah, I don't think so.

Anyway, Tim's son Carson is a huge Roberto Clemente fan and he was in love with a card I had posted as not for sale or trade on Instagram a few months ago.  Well, everything has its price and the price for that Clemente (and a few other cards) was this 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle for my set.  As you can see, the Mantle is almost flawless.  It is slightly offcenter, but I'm ok with it.

This is Mantle's last regular issue Topps card and it is a High Number (I think, since it is card #500).  I am happy to add it to my collection.

Tim also added some oddball Orioles cards to the trade package that grew out of the Mantle and took on a life of its own.  I was able to snag all of this stuff by meeting a lot of Tim and his kid's needs with several autographs and relics from recent Topps offerings (and one Donruss auto as well). This above Kellogg's Jim Palmer is especially nice, since most of them curl and crack over time.

Tim helped me knock off a 1959 set need with this Orioles team card.  Not too bad condition, either.

Another big piece in the trade was this Cal Ripken Award Winners manufactured relic.  I had been looking at these for a while but I hadn't been able to jump on any.  So, now I don't have to.

Here's another oddball Oriole, this Jiffy Pop Eddie Murray from 1986.  This is a really cool card.

So, thanks for the epic trade, Tim, I really appreciate it.  I know we will do some more trading soon.

Hall of Fame Baseball #100 - Mickey Mantle

The quest began in January of 2010 when I posted here that I wanted to branch out into memorabilia.  It was a discussion with my good friend, P. A. at the card shop on a Saturday that getting some signed baseballs by Hall of Famers wouldn't be too difficult a task.  I began with three baseballs, the Cal Ripken that my mom gave me in 1992; a Jim Palmer given to me for my 19th birthday in 1999 by my old boss, Todd and a Brooks Robinson given to me by Mom a few years later at Christmas.  The first baseball in my quest (4th overall) arrived on January 14, 2010 (A ball signed by Stan Musial, which you can see here).  Four years and 96 baseballs later, we now have number 100, Mickey Mantle.

This has been an exhaustive quest.  I have obtained several baseballs through the mail, at card shows, over Ebay, through auction houses, antique shops, two trades, birthday and Christmas presents from my mom and great friend, Drew and a couple in person autographs.  I haven't spent near what one might think on these 100 baseballs. I've watched sales and auctions like a hawk.  I've learned a thing or two about autograph authentication along the way, of course.

The Mantle ball came about, like I said last night, through my friend Conrad from the antique shop (Chic Antiques) in Columbia, SC.  He did shows with a good friend of mine in the 1980s and early 1990s where they would meet Hall of Famers in person, one of which was Mantle, himself.  Conrad wanted to help me with my quest, so he gave me a deal I couldn't refuse on both the Koufax ball and this Mantle.

As you can see, the signature is amazing.  Words can't describe, so I'll just let you take a look at the picture and see for yourself.

Now what do I do?  I've reached a plateau, 100 signed baseballs and I've nearly run out of room in my China cabinet.  This ball and several others won't even be able to be displayed since they are in a safe location, not in my house.  Do I keep moving forward and knock more players off the list (and go for Jimmie Foxx, ultimately)?  Do I rest on my laurels and admire the fact that I reached #100?  I don't really know at this moment.  I'm inclined to continue on, maybe try to reach 150 or more.  If I do, I need to devise an alternate means of display.  Also,I know I have to replace at least one ball (Niekro) because of fading.  I also need to re-assess my choice of pens/balls for TTM and IP autographing as well to eliminate the fading issue (which I think I have solved).

So, we'll see what the future holds.  If I were to guess today, at this moment, I'd be willing to say Hell Yeah, keep em coming, but I do have some things to think about.

Mickey Mantle (b. 1931 - d. 1995) played in the Majors from 1951 to 1968, all for the Yankees.  He had 2,415 hits, 536 home runs and a batting average of .298.  Mantle was a 16-time All Star, 3-time AL MVP (1956, 1957 and 1962) and the 1956 AL Batting Champion (.353 average).  He won the World Series with the Yankees 7 times (1951, 52, 53, 56, 58, 61 and 62) and made 12 trips to the World Series all together.

He was a 4-time AL Home Run champion (1955, 1956, 1958 and 1960) and hit 50 or more home runs twice (1956 and 1961). He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1974 (his first ballot) when he was named to 88.2% of the ballot.

So, there you have it.  I am celebrating a huge milestone in my collection.  I wanted #100 to be special and I couldn't honestly think of getting anyone other than Mantle at #100 (unless a Jimmie Foxx fell into my lap).  I'd like to thank everyone who helped me get to this point, namely Mom, my wife, P. A., Drew and Conrad.

Picking Up Some Set Needs

I'm still playing catch up between the card show I went to in December, a couple COMC purchases and on top of that, I made a couple Ebay purchases.  The above 1959 Topps Orioles team checklist came out of a bargain box at the December card show.  The back is un-marked, so even though it has a crease down the middle, it is still acceptable for my set.

I got this Mickey Mantle un-marked checklist off of Ebay last week.  I know it isn't the actual Mantle, but it is a Mantle nonetheless.  It looks really good, even tough it isn't very well centered.  The '69 checklists are very colorful.  I guess anything to take away from the fact that it is, you know, a checklist.

Ebay Pickup - 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle

One of the huge cards from the 1959 Topps set that I have been slowly collating has been removed from my wishlist.  I got this 1959 Topps Mickey Mantle off of Ebay last week for $50 and it arrived while I was out of town this weekend.  I have to say, in person, the card (even with all of its faults) is absolutely beautiful.  I have always been a fan of the bold red cards coming from the '50s (1954, 1958 and 1959).  Being able to get this Mantle so cheap has definitely made me happy.

There are a bunch of huge names in the 1959 set and Mantle, by far, is the most marquee.  There is one absolutely hust RC in the set, too, so I have my hands full in knocking stuff off of the list, but I definitely have a leg up now!

Operation Bullpen and Autograph Forgeries

Being an avid autograph collector, I am always looking for deals on signed baseballs in hopes that I can knock off a few hard to find Hall of Famers.  I'm always looking at auction sites to see if I can find anything that many folks who only use mainstream auctions like Ebay may miss.  Today, I was looking at an auction of a Roger Maris signed baseball and saw that it had a COA from "Forensic Document Services."  After my purchase of a fake Hank Aaron baseball a few years ago, I am much more stringent in making sure I have a reputable COA on my baseballs.

So, I googled Forensic Document Services and found some very interesting information that I thought I should share, especially with some of the younger folks around here who may not have heard of the FBIs sting operation titled "Operation Bullpen."

Some of you may know that the market for baseball memorabilia didn't really become 'mainstream' (much like baseball cards) until around the mid 1980s.  Most autographed memorabilia was passed around by dealers at shows, through shops and through mail order catalogs.  Remember, this is before the internet made it easy to find anything you want just by doing a Google search.

A few dealers began to forge their autographs, realizing that there was a ton of money to be made.  According to the FBIs website, Operation Bullpen began in the 1990s when the FBI identified a problem growing in the celebrity and sports memorabilia market.  Their sting operation culminated in 1999 when several prominent California memorabilia and autograph dealers were arrested.  The FBI seized tens of thousands of pieces of 'signed' memorabilia.

Some of the prominent subjects of their forgery were:

Mickey Mantle
Joe Dimaggio
Ty Cobb
Babe Ruth
Wilt Chamberlain
Michael Jordan
Roberto Clemente

Going back to my Google search for Forensic Document Services, a link popped up about Ebay's autograph policy.  They have a list of authenticators that they do not recognize as reputable, therefore, if you have an item with a COA from said company, your item is likely to be forged.

According to Ebay.com, here is a list of the authenticators that they do not allow:

• Autographed items with COAs and LOAs, or references to COAs and LOAs from the following people or organizations:

  • ACE Authentic
  • Coach's Corner Sports Auctions LLC
  • Christopher L. Morales
  • CSC Collectibles
  • Donald Frangipani
  • Forensic Document Services
  • Hollywood Dreams
  • J. DiMaggio Co. / J. DiMaggio Company
  • Legends Sports Memorabilia
  • Nathan's Autographs / N.E. Autographs
  • Nicholas Burczyk
  • Pro Sports / Pro Sports Memorabilia
  • Rare and Signed.com
  • Robert Prouty
  • R.R.'s Sports Cards & Collectibles
  • SCAA / Front Page Art / Angelo Marino
  • Slamdunk Sportscards & Memorabilia
  • Sports Alley Memorabilia
  • Sports Management Group
  • Stan's Sports / Stans Sports Memorabilia
  • TTA Authentic (formerly STAT Authentic)
  • Universal Memorabilia
  • XMI Authentications
  • USA Authentics
• Blank COAs and LOAs
• COAs and LOAs as stand-alone items
• COAs and LOAs from anyone listed on the FBI's Operation Bullpen website
  
  

  Some tips when buying autographs:

  
  

  1. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  My Hank Aaron fake ball cost $50.  I should have known then that it was a fake, but I was still getting started.
  2. Verify the auto you are looking at with others that HAVE been verified by reputable companies.  I have identified several fake baseballs by doing this.
  3. Always check into the COA that you are getting.  Don't accept copies of COAs.  Make sure it is a company you have heard of.  If not, do as much research as you can before spending any money.
  Something that always bothers me is when people complain about a former player or personality charging for autographs.  One reason they charge is because of everything I said above.  Another is that older players, for example, weren't making the tens of millions of dollars that some of today's players make, so they don't have the financial security that others may have and are supplementing their retirement with auto fees here and there.
  
  
  For more information on "Operation Bullpen" you can check out the FBIs website here. You can also read Ebay's autograph policy here.  I hope this information has been helpful.
  
  
  Oh, and one more thing...  I did not bid on that Maris ball.

2012 Topps Home Run Heroes Mickey Mantle

No mail again today.  Sad face.  So, here is my Prime 9 Home Run Heroes Mickey Mantle that I picked up last week.

I like the idea of going to the LCS and picking up the cards as every time I have gone, I have picked up some extra packs anr/or loose cards to go with it.  I picked up the previous week's Prime 9 card, but for the life of me, I couldn't tell you where I sat it.  That's pretty sad.  It might help to tell you that I currently am organizing my show boxes for the April 7 show.  I feel like I am just about set.  All I have to do is price some stuff.

As far as the Mantle card, I actually have two of them, so I plan on slapping a price on one and putting it in my showcase for the show ans see if I can sell it.  Here's to hoping.

I really like the cards.  They are much better than the Topps Golden Giveaway codes, which are pretty much useless to me.  At least with these, I know I'll be getting a card.  I can't wait to see who else I end up with as the new weeks come.  I have 3 more to redeem.

Mickey Mantle's Obituary

I woke up early this morning and decided to do a little bit of cleaning in the Man Cave.  In one of the closets, I have my old foot locker that my grandfather gave me for Christmas back when I was 8 or 9 or so.  It is actually one of the Christmas presents from my childhood that I distinctly remember and probably have gotten the most use of.  I use my foot locker (which, after 20+ years, is a bit of disrepair) to store old magazines, newspapers, comic books, starting lineup figures, a Cal Ripken Wheaties box, etc.  You get the idea.

Well, while going through the foot locker this morning, I found a Mickey Mantle Legends magazine.  When flipping through the magazine, a folded-up newspaper article fell out.  I unfolded the article to find the obituary for Mantle that was printed in the Winston-Salem Journal upon his death in August 1995.

I know it is kind of morbid, but it is baseball history and I wanted to share with you something I put away in 1995 and stored for all these years.

Also, I apologize for the scans, as newspaper articles are kind of hard to fit onto my scanner and are even harder to read, once they've been scanned.  I hope you are able to read the whole article.  You should be able to click on the pictures to read them better, I think.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Baseball Cards in the Hall of Fame

One of the coolest moments I had when visiting the Hall of Fame was when I got to the exhibit that showed the two below baseball cards...

The first being the T-206 'Gretzky' Honus Wagner. WOW. I hit my knees when I saw this card. My heart literally skipped a beat. Normally, I could imagine someone laughing at me when seeing how I reacted to a simple piece of cardboard. Yet, this is certainly not just a piece of cardboard. This card is the reason people collect cards in the first place. The Holy Grail, if you will. $2.9 million at its last auction. Unbelievable. I was ON MY KNEES! It was so amazing to be able to see this card in person. To be mere feet from it. This was such a great feeling.

Another card that I was breath taken by was this beauty. A Gem Mint 10 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. Holy WOW. Gem Mint 10. Is that even possible? This card is the reason why Topps is around. My dad distinctly remembers putting this card in his bicycle spokes as a kid. Countless grandmothers have thrown them away. Topps, themselves, dumped a load of them in the Hudson River. Let's dump it in the river!!! Wise idea, guys. Of course, had they not done that, the card would be everywhere.

This was an amazing part of the Hall of Fame. There was so much more, too, but these cards were so amazing! I hope you all enjoy looking at them, too.

Another Pickup in Cooperstown

A final piece I was able to get in Cooperstown is the above official MLB 2130-2131 logo baseball. I got this ball from the same shop that I got the previously mentioned Ferrell and Herman baseballs. I have recently decided that I would like to get some older (maybe antique) baseballs and display them in my man cave. I asked the guy in the shop if he had any old baseballs, he laughed and said "I have boxes of them..."

He brought out a box that had a bunch of baseballs in it and let me take a look. I found the Ripken ball and took out an older looking one that had some faded signatures on it. I asked him if he'd be willing to sell one of the baseballs that had a bunch of signatures on it, and he said he might after taking a better look at them. He pulls out a magnifying glass and looks at one of the balls. "Oh, that says Ed Ford on it... well that's Whitey Ford. Oh wait, that is Mickey Mantle on the sweet spot! Its faded but you can see, its him..."

Yep, it was Mantle, alright. Dang, I wasn't going to be able to get that ball. I picked up one that looked older, it was definitely an Official League Spalding Ball that also had some faded signatures on it. He looks at it and points out: Bob Feller, Early Wynn and Buck Leonard among the signatures. The ball also had 1976 induction written on it. Jeez. I helped this guy find at least two baseballs that were worth LOTS of money. He did give me a nice deal on the Ferrell and Herman baseballs and also threw in a signed post card that I will discuss in my next post. I thought you guys would love to hear about my almost epic pickups though... Almost.

Hidden in my Collection - 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle

For all of the Yankee fans out there, here is a pretty cool card that I have in my collection, the 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle. This was the second Mantle that I added to my collection. I also have his 1962 Topps. I came about this card at the shop when someone brought their collection in. They weren't really sure of what they had, so I quickly glanced through the box and offered a price, which the seller gladly accepted, so I took some of my money and bought it off of him.

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Totally worth it. You kind of feel guilty when you buy a collection off of someone who doesn't know what they have, but they were more than happy getting a little bit of cash in exchange for some closet space. I looked through the box and was pleasently surprised by what was really in there. There was this card, plus a couple 1957 Topps cards that I will show off later, and also the 1956 Clemente and Koufax. Not a bad haul.

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I'm hoping that one day, someone will bring in an old shoebox and sell it to make room in the closet, and inside will be the 1952 Topps Mantle. Ohh, I wait for that day.

2009 Topps Series II 3 Jumbo Box break by the numbers:

Yesterday, Max (http://maxscards.blogspot.com/), Pete (http://dropped3rdstrike.blogspot.com/) and I busted a case of Series II Topps at the card shop. I opened 3 of the jumbo boxes, Pete got 2 and Max got one. I'm sure each of them will be blogging on their finds shortly, but as far as what I ended up with, here is a breakdown of what I WENT HOME with (I traded out/for a few things to Max and Pete, so they will probably talk about them on their blogs).

27: Turkey Red Inserts

3: Career Best Legends- Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson and Mel Ott

3: Red Hot Rookie Redemptions - 1, 2, 10

3: Topps Black - Howie Kendrick, Jonathan Papelbon and Carlos Quentin

29: Ring of Honor

13: WBC cards (I did pull a sweet Russell Martin GU jersey card in the first pack I busted, but it went to Max immediately)

5: Career Best autos/relics

30: Topps Gold

31: Legends of the Game (I picked up a sweet Brooks Robinson)

29: Topps Town

3: SP Variations (Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Carl Yazstrzemski)

3: Legends Commemorative Patches - George Sisler, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig

Once again, I had a blast opening these boxes with my friends. I think I can speak for everyone there and say that a good time was had by all. This set will definitely go down for me as one of the most enjoyable that I have put together, not only because of the quality of cards, but the quality of people that were involved in the process of me working out this deal. For me to be able to sit around and bust wax with people who I can truly call my friends, well, this was a gratifying experience. I want to thank Pete, P.A. and Max for taking or maintaining an interest in something that interests me. I hope you guys can all go on this ride with me again soon when Allen and Ginter comes out!

Best pull ever...

I had a kid come in the shop on Sat and ask me a good question... What IS the best card I have ever pulled? There are so many ways you can look at it (actual dollar value, sentimental value, etc...)

Is it the Gold Derek Jeter with Bush and Mantle that I was able to sell on Ebay for $265.00?

Is it the 1995 Leaf Statistical Standouts Cal Ripken, Jr. that my mom and I had busted packs for and I finally got it when she bought 2 packs and let me choose which I was going to open?

Is it the 4 pc jersey Cal Ripken SPX #'ed 8/25?

Is it the 2007 Topps Update Joba Reverse Negative?

The answer I gave the kid was kind of a mixed answer, i cited the Gold Jeter and the 4 pc Cal card... The most shocking pull was definitely the Gold Jeter. I pulled it in front of Babe at a trade night at the shop, after telling her 'Watch, the gold Jeter is in this pack...' I called it.

The most gratifying was pulling the Statistical Standout Ripken so long ago, because when i pulled it, Mom and I were collecting together and we were both looking for that card. It was listed at book value at the time $175.00. It definitely isn't worth that much now.

If you take into account that the definition of 'best pull' could be from a pack or box, basically, if you buy an assortment of cards and don't have a clue what is included, then my final answer to 'What is my best pull ever?' would have to be this:

I bought a 'shoebox of old baseball cards' (actual ebay title, no picture) for $20.00. The item description stated that 'for bid is a shoebox of old baseball cards from 1959 to 1984.' There were actually cards from 1957 to 1984, and at the time I was working on the 1984 topps set. I was able to knock a few hundred cards off my list for that set. BUT the best part of that shoebox was that 3 cards into it, i found this awesome 1960 Topps Stan Musial. There is a bit of a water stain on the back, but if you know me well enough, i'm not too big a stickler for condition as long as the card pleases me. So, long story short, I wuld have to say: 1960 Topps Stan Musial, bv ~$100.00.

So guys, what is your 'best pull?' Keep in mind it has to have been received via an assortment of cards, from a pack or from a box. And why is this your best pull? Don't worry, i'll inquire about your 'favorite card' later on... send me some comments!!

Card Show

I went to the card show at Metrolina Expo today in Charlotte with my son Christopher and my brothers John (31) and Andy (13). I allowed myself a budget of $200.00 that I have saved up frown working weekends at the card shop. This did not include the cost of admission, etc which was only $5.00 for myself and John. Kids 15 and under got in free.

I went hoping I could find a good partial set, wax box or commons of some of the sets I am trying to build. I was able to find 30+ 1970 Topps cards for my set which has been ongoing. The highlight of this would probably be the Harmon Killebrew. I already had the Nolan Ryan and Hank Aaron to name a few.

I was able to find the 1960 Topps Brooks Robinson I have been trying to find for some time now. It isn't in the greatest of shape, but I got it for $15.00 and I am completely satisfied.

I found 5 1955 topps to add to that set which I am not really taking too seriously (I will probably never be able to afford the Koufax or Clemente RCs). I paid probably $20.00 total for the 6 cards.

I got 2 1952 Topps cards (I have never had any of these). BV for them was $40.00 and $60.00 respectively and they both are in pretty good shape.

I got both of these for $15.00 total from a guy I bought a big stack of 1970 Topps. Also, from him, i got the big prize of the show....



I got my first Mickey Mantle card. This bad boy books for $600.00 (obviously that is for NM condition). I added this to my pile of 1970's and the 2 1952's; The guy quoted me $80.00 for it, I couldn't pass it up.




Finally, I got some random cards as well, about 6 1983 Topps and a Bill Ripken 'Rick Face' from Lee, a customer who shops in the shop regularly and I got 2 David Price Tristar Prospects Plus cards and a 2007 Evan Longoria Bowman. These 3 were $2.00 a piece.

To keep Andy from complaining, I gave him $5.00 so he could add 2 cards to his 'Dirty Name Hall of Fame.' He got a 1957 Topps Dick Groat and a 2007 Topps Rookie 52 Tim Lincecum. He's 13 and has a warped sense of humor.

To keep Christopher happy, I bought him a Lightning McQueen car (for peeing in the big boy potty at the show) and an E.T. stuffed animal. $9.00 total.

John sold some of his football cards for $40.00 and bought a Manny Ramirex Gold RC and a Mike Piazza 1992 Bowman RC.


All total, I exceeded my budget by $20.00, but I was very satisfied and got some stuff jknocked out of my 1970 set (esp high numbers). On the way out, I ran into Pete and his girlfriend Kim (fellow bloggers WOO HOO).

I was a little disappointed that not a whole lot of people were there, but given these economic times, you can kinda see that coming. Hopefuly this won't discourage people from having shows as it was a really nice way for my brothers, son and I to spend some time together.