Card Show Gifts From Ryu

I got a couple cards from my buddy, Ryu at the last two card shows that I have gone to.  The above 2014 Topps Chrome sepia parallel Adam Jones was from the January show.  I didn't get to talk to Ryu as much at that show as I would have liked, but he was very busy, and seemed to be pressed for time.

I like the sepia parallels.  I think, if they are in this year's chrome, they will look really nice with the borderless design.

At the February show, I got to see Ryu for a big longer and he had this 2014 Heritage chrome of Nelson Cruz for me.  He also had a few cards for my son, Chris, which was really nice.

This Cruz is numbered 774/999.

I was really happy to see Ryu, like always, at each show.  He is a really good kid, and always fun to talk to.  I wish we had more time to chat, but I understand.  At the last show, I was able to sell him a nice Ichiro pin card from 2016 Topps.  I hope it has a nice spot in his collection, because that card looked pretty cool.

Thank you for the cards, Ryu!  See you at the Easter show!

Christmas Gift From Ryu

I got a package in the mail that was waiting for me to open the day after Christmas.  It was among 3 packages that were there, this one being from my good friend, Ryu.  Inside the package was a nice note from him, and this 2007 UD Spectrum Miguel Tejada patch card.  The card is numbered 47/50.

I was a fan of Tejada when he was first signed as an Oriole; and he had several good seasons for them, but then I kind of soured on him toward the end of his deal.  He seemed really pouty at times, and was pretty much the star on some terrible Orioles teams.  Add into it that he was named in the Mitchell report a day after he was traded away to the Astros, and also the ESPN interview where they surprised him with his real birth certificate (making him 2 years older than he was listed).  I actually felt really bad for Tejada at that moment.  I forgave him for a lot of things during that interview, and really began to sour on ESPN themselves.  Just my opinion, though.

All of that being said, I have two Tejada cards that I cherish.  One was given to me by an old friend, and this one given to me by my buddy, Ryu.  It is a beautiful card with a really nice patch.  We all know how I love patches.

Thank you so much, Ryu!

Birthday Gift From Ryu - 2015 Panini Diamond Kings Chris Davis Dual Relic

I got a nice surprise package in the mail yesterday.  It turned out, it was a birthday gift from my good friend, Ryu.  I wasn't expecting it at all, but that's how he operates.  He has dropped some really nice care packages on me, and I appreciate every one of them.

This time around, Ryu hooked me up with a stack of recent Orioles cards and this beauty.  This is a 2015 Panini Diamond Kings Chris Davis dual relic.  The card is numbered 16/25.  I had seen a few of these on Ebay and Instagram, but never pulled the trigger on getting one of them.

Ryu also included a nice letter in the package, which is something I always look forward to.  We all know that the letters are usually my favorite part of a care package.

Thanks so much for thinking of me, Ryu!  I love the package!

Card Show Recap From Days One and Two

I've been set up at the three-day card show in Raleigh this weekend, and so far, the first two days have gone pretty well.  I have already broken even with another day to go.  That is always good, so anything else I sell is bonus.  I met a lot of cool folks today, and even seemed to brighten a few kids' days.

There was a father and two sons who came by my tables today, and we talked at length on two separate occasions.  The boys actually spent quite a bit of money, which I was very appreciative.  I ended up cutting them some great deals on some autographed cards, and even gave them a few Orioles rally towels to try to help out the O's mojo and bring them back into the win column.  I think it worked, since the O's beat the Rays today.  I hope it holds up.  That family was really nice, and I was happy to chat baseball with them.  I hope they come back, and I also hope they read my blog.  You know, since I plugged it all day, to anyone who would listen.  Shameless plugs and all.

They weren't the only group that I had lengthy conversations with; There were other Oriole fans who came by and chatted with me.

My favorite part of doing these shows is the ability to sit and talk cards and baseball with people.  I sincerely enjoy it, and I hope it shows when folks come by.  I told a guy I met at the last show, who I now consider a friend (his name is Dilan), that I have gone to shows for a long time, and I have met several dealers who seem as if you are getting in their way when you want to look at a card.  I do my best to not be like that.

Speaking of Dilan, he came back and chatted with me for a bit.  He came to the last show I did in June, and actually followed up with me afterward, when I gave him one of my business cards.  They paid off.  It was really cool seeing Dilan again, and being able to chat with him for a while.

Also, a true highlight of the day, was being able to finally meet my friend, Ryu, in person.  Ryu, whom I met on Instagram, lives near Raleigh, but has always been busy with baseball when I would come up for shows.  He was finally free on a weekend, and was able to come to the show.  I was really happy to meet him and say hello.  That really made my day.  He's an awesome guy.

I have also had the pleasure of helping a good friend of mine break into selling at this show.  My buddy, Tyler, has been wanting to try to raise some funds to help with tuition, so he thought he could come to the show to sell some cards.  I lent him some space on my table and helped him price cards.  So far, he has sold a little bit, but still has tomorrow to help sell some more.

I had a rule for this weekend's show - Don't buy anything.  Yeah, that lasted a while.  I bought the above Chris Davis 2014 Panini National Treasures patch card for $7 from the dealer next to me.  I saw it yesterday, and he didn't want much for it, so I figured, "Why not?".  The card is numbered 24/25 and looks really cool.

Finally, after a little over a month, my son, Chris, came home from the Grandparents Tour 2015.  He has grown some since he left, and I sure missed him.

I had a really great show so far, and there is still tomorrow to go.  I hope it goes well!

Awesome Surprise Mail From Ryu - Sonny Gray Relic Auto

I have been talking to a young man from Instagram over the last few months named Ryu.  He lives nearby, just outside of Raleigh, NC and we have struck up a friendship by discussing cards, trades and card shows.  Ryu is a huge fan of Japanese baseball players, especially Nori Aoki and Ichiro.  I had an Aoki golden parallel RC from 2012 Topps that I dropped in the mail for him, since I had seen it in a pile the night before we met.  I figured, since I knew exactly where I had laid that card, then meeting Ryu, who was a huge fan, he was meant to have that card.  A lot more talks ensued, and I felt that Ryu was a really good kid, and I wanted to do something nice for him.  So, I bought him an Ichiro RC from 2001 Topps, thinking that he should at least have his guy's RC in his collection.  I figured that it was a nice gesture and all, but it was just a baseball card.  I didn't realize just how much a simple gesture would mean to a kid, when I got a package in the mail from Ryu this afternoon.

Inside the package was this amazing 2010 Bowman Platinum relic/auto of my new PC, Sonny Gray.  Equally as amazing was the almost 3/4 page letter from Ryu, complete with a header that he wrote at the top with one simple word: Surprise!

I'm not going to repeat much of what was in the letter, except one line: "I love each and every card you have sent me..."

I have been a part of the card community since I started this blog in November 2008; well, even before that, really, when I was helping at the card shop and people like Babe, P. A. and Pete with their generosity teaching me that it isn't about how much money you can make off of the cards.  It is about enjoying the collection that you have, and being able to take some of the things that you might not need and giving them to someone who will love them.  Seeing how happy I made a young person when he received a golden parallel of his favorite player, or a rookie card of a future Hall of Famer, and also knowing that the person looks up to you and the example you set, well, that is what this community is about.

Ryu is a really awesome kid.  I knew that before he sent me this awesome card.  I've made sure to tell him as well.  I wish and hope that more young people were like him and would work to make this community even better than it already is.

Thank you so much, Ryu.  I am blown away by this card, and the gesture.  I will never forget it!