Christmas Gift From Noah

It took him a while, but I got a really great package in the mail from my good friend, Noah.  I've known him for a long time, and always enjoy when we are able to get up with each other and chat.  Noah has been preoccupied for some time now with a very awful personal tragedy that happened, and it isn't my place to discuss it here.

So, when I got the package and the letter from him, it really touched me.  This Cedric Mullins patch auto was amazing.  I like these patch cards, and Noah really hit a home run.

He sent me an addition to my post card album (yes, I have an album for signed post cards, in addition to my albums for baseball cards).

Finally, he sent this great Brooks Robinson auto.

Thank you so much, Noah!  I really appreciate it, and I am always thinking about you.

TTM Success - Wilin Rosario

I saw that Wilin Rosario was signing TTM while he was with the Rochester Red Wings, so I found a few cards and sent them out.  A short time later, they all came back signed.  Normally, I would have had a lot of cards to choose from, but I typically give all of my Rosario stuff to my friend, Noah, so I was lucky to find these three cards.  The 2012 Bowman Platinum turned out really well.

I also had a 2012 Topps and 2015 Topps.  Rosario probably could use a new Sharpie, soon.  However, I am happy with what I was able to get.

Rosario (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2011 to 2015 for the Rockies.  He had 413 hits, 71 home runs and a .273 batting average.  I was surprised to see that he hasn't been in the majors since 2015.  I think injuries have really limited him. 

A look at his stats show that he didn't play at all between 2016 and 2018.  He played 105 games this year at AAA Rochester in the Twins system.  He had 124 hits, 24 home runs and a .300 average.  Maybe this is an indication that he is now healthy, and a team will give him a Spring Training invitation next season.

I mailed to Rosario on July 23 and got the cards back on September 10, for a 49-day TAT.

National Gift From Noah

I'm just about done with all of my pickups from the National.  Of the things I have left to show, one is this awesome Bowman auto of Chance Sisco that my friend Noah gave me when we met up.

The card looks amazing anf is numbered 74/99.

Sisco hasn't had the best of years, so here's hoping he can bounce back and do better next season.  I think he was a bit rushed.

Thanks so much for the card, Noah!  I love it!

A Bunch of SIgned 1987 Topps For The Set

I have begun buying cards I need for my 1987 set.  Along with the paid private signings, I have come to a point with the set where a lot of what I want in it won't be free.  There are a good number of tough to get players, and also deceased ones who I know I will have to either trade for or pay some money.

I got the above Don Baylor off of Ebay fairly cheaply, and compared it to other Baylors.  It looks legit, and makes up for my failure to send to him before he passed.

I'm waiting on a TTM request to come back from Hal Lanier, but I went ahead and traded with someone on Instagram for this one.  If the TTM comes back, I'll have some trade bait.

My friend, Noah, went to a signing in Detriot a few weeks ago and picked these two up for me.  Berenguer signs for a fee TTM, and that fee was the same as this signing, I think, so I went ahead and let Noah get this for me.  I saw that Evans signed some, so I do have a TTM out there somewhere, and if that one comes back, it, too will be trade bait.

I cashed in my Speedy Rewards points for a $25 Ebay gift card and used most of it on the above Sparky Anderson.  It was JSA certified, as well as the above Dick Williams.  I used the remainder of the Ebay card, and my Ebay bucks, as coupons on the Williams.

While I was looking at the Williams and Anderson, I saw this lot of deceased former managers for $25.  I had several collectors check out the signatures and they all said they were legit.  When I posted it on my Instagram, even more people told me that they were authentic.  I got the lot for what one of them would have cost me as a single card.

Finally, I was having a conversation with my old friend, Max in California, and he was telling me that Kirk Gibson was in pretty bad shape from his battle with Parkinson's.  So, I decided to try to go ahead and pick this up for the set.  Gibson is a player who I would enjoy meeting, and/or getting something TTM, but with the battle he has ahead of him, I definitely don't want to bother him at all.

So, here they are.  I knocked off several cards for the set, and they are all in my album.

Christmas Gift From Noah - Chris Davis Patch

One of the first Christmas gifts that came in this year was from my friend, Noah.  This 2017 Topps Museum Collection patch is numbered 8/10 and looks really cool.  I love Museum Collection, and adding a new Davis to the PC is always a plus.  Noah really knows what I like.  I actually got him a sweet Victor Martinez from the same series.  I hope he liked his as well.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Noah!

Christmas Gift From Noah

One of the first Christmas gifts that came in this year was a package from my friend, Noah.  We have been good friends because of Instagram for about 2 years now.  He's a great guy, and one of the easiest people to make deals with.  He helped my Sonny Gray side PC with this nice 2012 Bowman Auto that I didn't have.

Noah also hooked me up with this nice Chris Davis 2015 Allen & Ginter relic.  I had one already, but am more than happy adding another.  I always enjoy adding to the Davis PC.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gifts, Noah!  I really love them!

One other thing that I have noticed:  I no longer receive email notifications for comments appearing on my blog.  I don't have a clue as to when that started, but I didn't want anyone to think I was ignoring them.  I can't figure out how to turn those notifications back on, though.

Christmas in July From Noah

I received a package yesterday from my good friend, Noah, that had the Christmas gifts that he meant to send me back at, well, Christmas.  Noah has been really busy lately, so it was understandable that the package came a bit... late.

No worries, though, as it got here, and there was a lot of good stuff inside.  The above 2012 Triple Threads Eddie Murray is a nice addition to the collection.  The card is numbered 25/36.

Here is a Tim Berry auto from last year's Bowman Chrome.  Berry was a decent minor leaguer for the O's and developed into a pretty good story, after being drafted in the 30th round.  He got called up by the Orioles, but didn't make it into a game.  He is now out of the organization.

This 2013 Bowman Chrome black wave refractor auto of Josh Hart is numbered 2/50.  I love the different Bowman Chrome variations.  It is too bad that Topps stopped the wave refractors.

Thank you for the package, Noah!

Trade With Noah - Orioles Autographs

I completed a trade recently with my good friend, Noah.  He landed a ton of Tigers cards and I got some cash, and a couple Orioles autos.  One of the autos is the above Josh Hart and the other is not pictured, but was my third 2011 Bowman Sterling Mychal Givens auto.

Hart and Givens have both done well for the Orioles this year, especially Givens.  A former shortstop, Givens was converted to a reliever.  With his unorthodox sidearm delivery, he has been tough to his this year.  He even got a tast of the majors this month.

Hart is currently batting .290 for low A Delmarva and should see some time at high A Frederick this season.  He was a first round pick by the Orioles in the 2013 draft (#37), their second pick of that round behind Hunter Harvey.

Orioles Care Package From Noah

My buddy, Noah, sent me a really nice care package recently.  In it were a ton of Orioles cards.  The above Cal Ripken from 2014 Topps Allen and Ginter might be the nicest one of them.  While I feel like A&G has run its course, the cards still look great.

I remember when A&G first came out back in 2006, it was a unique set that I felt was amazingly done.  It has worn out its welcome, especially with the non-baseball subjects.  You end up with cards that you seriously can't do anything with.  However, when you end up with some PC stuff, it comes out pretty nice.

Thanks so much for the care package, Noah!  I appreciate it greatly.

Surprise Gift From Noah - Sonny Gray Auto

I got an awesome gift recently from my great friend, Noah.  He sent me this 2014 Topps Stadium Club Sonny Gray auto as a gift, and it is appreciated.  Noah is a great guy, and I was so happy that he sent this.

My Gray PC is pretty nice, already.  I have quite a few of his autos, and this one looks so cool with the A's colors.  I'm glad it is a yellow and green jersey instead of white and green.  It really pops.

Thanks so much, Noah, it was really nice of you to hook me up like this.

Trade With Noah - 2014 Topps Hi Tek Sonny Gray Auto

I completed a trade with my friend, Noah, a while back when I sent him a bunch of Tigers stuff in exchange for this Sonny Gray auto from 2014 Topps Hi Tek.  This is the third auto that I have gotten from that set, along with my Cespedes and Taveras.

The autographs on these acetate cards really look awesome.  They leek even better when slabbed in a magnetic case.  The green and yellow of Gray's jersey really stand out as well!  I just love these cards.

Thanks for the deal, Noah, I'm glad we were able to hammer it out!

Christmas Gifts From Noah

I got a sweet Christmas package from my friend, Noah.  He really hooked me up in the package, and I wanted to show some of it here.

Noah gave me the above Hunter Harvey auto from Bowman Sterling as part of a deal, and included it with the Christmas package.  The Christmas stuff was mostly Orioles for my PC, many of them being Cal Ripken cards.  Noah is a really awesome guy, and really came through.

I sent him a really nice 2014 Museum Collection triple relic auto of Wilin Rosario for his PC.  Is it just me or was Museum Collection one of the best products of 2014?  Either that or Bowman Chrome.

Noah had busted a box of 1991 Score and ended up with quite a few Cals from there and I was the lucky recipient of them.  Thanks so much for the 1991 Score Cal Ripkens, Noah.  I mean, I already had like 20 of them, but 5 more couldn't hurt, right?  Haha.

Really, though, thanks for the Christmas package, Noah!  I really appreciate it!

Chris Davis PC Pickups

I picked up a few Chris Davis parallels recently when I got some money from my friend, Joey and some COMC sales from my friend, Noah.  I searched for the right cards for a while, and was very happy with the ones I got.  The above 2014 Bowman Chrome bubble parallel is probably one of my favorite color parallels that I have seen.  The scan looks awesome, but it doesn't come close to doing the card justice.

This card is numbered 99/99, so I ended up with an Ebay 1/1.  OMG!

I picked this blue refractor off of COMC.  It is numbered 78/250 and looks awesome as well.  It just doesn't compare to the bubble refractor, though.

Back to my return from the money gotten from Joey, I got this silver paper parallel from 2014 Bowman that is numbered 58/75.  This looks ok and all, but again, doesn't compare to that bubble refractor.  I do like this one, and I want to grab a few more of the parallels for the Bowman paper.  As always, I'll "pursue" the rainbow, but I know getting the 1/1s will be hard.

Finally, this 2013 Bowman Chrome purple refractor was a COMC pickup along with the blue.  This was a product of me jumping on a card at a good price, then realizing "oops, it's a 2013, not a 2014..."  Oh well. I still needed it, but I did think it was a 2014 until I got it in my possession.

So, there you have it, I knocked off a bunch of Davis PC needs, and didn't spend any of my own money.  Thanks for the purchases, Joey and Noah!

Instagram Trade With Noah - 1959 Topps Warren Spahn

I completed a trade recently on Instagram and Skype with a guy from Michigan named Noah.  I sent him a few Tigers relics (of note, one was a Torii Hunter Golden Moments relic numbered 1/99) and a Nick Castellanos Finest auto.  In return, Noah knocked this Warren Spahn off of my 1959 Topps set.

This is the "1921" version of the card.  There is an error version that has Spahn's birth year as 1931.  Another version has 1931, but the 3 is obscured (thanks Rob).  This version of the card is in pretty good shape, with a little bit of damage on the right site.  Not quite a crease, more of an indentation. It fits right into my set, though.

Noah also hooked me up with the Orioles Wild Card win card from 2013 Topps; an emerald parallel version for my set.  I can't believe I didn't have that one yet!

Thanks for the trade, Noah!  I'm glad we have this one complete, now we can work on more deals!  Check out Noah's blog here and also his YouTube  +NoahJohns _INC.