Mail Day!!

So I worked out a trade with Jamie, who just got back into collecting recently.  He also proved that yes, people other than the people who have blogs read this thing.  He helped me take out a big chunk of my '08 Heritage set, especially the Black Backs.  So I have adjusted the Needs List accordingly.  Here's what I got:

3 Base

17 Black Backs

2 News Flashbacks

1 Baseball Flashback

3 New Age Performers

1 Then and Now

2 Minis

1 Clint Sammons 2008 Topps Triple Threads #/50

I had no idea about the last card.  He said he was sending me something for a Braves fan, but I never thought it'd be that good.  Thanks Jamie and I'll get your cards out to you ASAP.

Mail Day!!

I haven't bought any cards in awhile and with some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket, I surfed over to Dave and Adam's Card World. I purchased one of their combos which was a box of 2007 SP Authentic, a box of 2007 SP Rookie Edition and a tin of 2007 Sweet Spot Classic. I also bought a box of 2008 Heritage High Numbers in order to start that set as I'm trying to do the whole 2008 Heritage set and am well on my way. I also got 2 packs of 2007 UD Elements as a free gift from D&A. Elements might be the most useless product I have ever opened a pack of. And that includes Topps Lazer. We'll start off with the 2007 SP Rookie Edition. There's good "rookies" in this set with Josh Hamilton, Tim Lincecum, Dice K and a few others. The rookie cards are done in various designs of Upper Deck SP of the past, much like Timeline, which I enjoy them using old designs. The box also had 2 rookie signatures per box. This is what I pulled:Kory Casto? Hmm...ok. Last year in 2008, Kory played in 66 games for the Nationals hitting .215 with 2 home runs and 16 RBI. He's not exactly lighting up the place. He's listed as OF on the card, yet the MLB site lists him as a 3B. So this means he's a pinch hitting utility player. Ok, so not a great card, but at least he's someone who's in MLB still. Next we have....Joe Smith, a pitcher from the Mets. Joe is now with the Cleveland Indians, but played last year with the Mets. He appeared in 82 games last year with a 6-3 records, 3.55 ERA and a .220 BAA. Joe appears to be a very good relief pitcher and should have a good career ahead of him. The only problem with this card is the ding at the top middle of it. It's hard to see on the scan, but it's there and it's really noticeable in person. Oh well. Let's move on to 2007 SP Authentic. The big thing with Authentic was the 2 By The Letter autographed patches that came in the box. Some people like them and some people hate them and I have never seen one really up close, so I thought this would be a good chance to get a few. Colation in this box is great as I'm only missing 4 cards out of the base set of 100 and I'll put these up on my need list ASAP. Now on to my hits

A rookie signature of Brad Salmon 20/75. Brad, a pitcher, for some reason is holding a bat on the card. Salmon now plays for the White Sox and didn't play in MLB in 2008. In 2007, he played in 26 games for the Reds with an 0-1 record and a 4.13 ERA. I got one more of these and it's much better than this one.Alex Gordon 23/25. Alex had a decent year last year with KC hitting .260 in 493 ABs with 16 HRs and 59 RBIs. Alex turns 25 next month so this should be the year that he starts his upswing of talent as he's been a highly regarded prospect for a long time. Now having some of these By The Letter cards, I really like them. I think they are well done. The Alex Gordon with the gold signature looks very classy and I like the shadow work on the "O" in Salmon's card. I know there are a few who are not fond of these, but I have no problem whatsoever with them. Now the manufactured letters with stickers on them or no auto, I'm not a fan of those, but these are just fine.

I'm not going to post anything about the Hertiage High Series as I got that just for the base cards. My hit of the box was an Aramis Ramirez plain grey game-worn jersey swatch. Nothing to get excited over. I didn't get a buy back and my refractors and chrome arn't anything to write home about. However, I'm saving the best for last. This tin of Sweet Spot is the first one pack product that I've bought. The tin was a Babe Ruth tin, so I was hoping for something big. I got 2 base cards #/575 of Jose Canseco and Judy Johnson. My hits were as follows.
An unnumbered swatch of Donnie Baseball. For some reason, I find Mattingly as one Yankee that I don't hate. I don't know why. Next:
A Sweet Spot Classic Sig of Dave Winfield 43/75. Hey a Hall of Famer! I could have done a lot worse. I also would have liked to have a sig that wasn't faded all to hell. I knew when I saw Mario's post that these things do fade, but man, seeing it in person is a different thing. It's really worse that the scan shows. I think it was a black ink sig and there's all kids of bleeding of the pen. And I know exactly why. The "balls" that the players are signing are basically plastic. This is the first time I've been able to feel one of the cheaper materials and the only cow this ball came from is one that's made by Mattel. UD needs to use better quality materials in order to make these sigs last. This is just ridiculous. I bet you're all wondering why I showed the Sweet Spot before the other swatch card. This is why:
Harold Baines patch 24/55. It's a really great 2 color patch. If I was Captain Ebay, it'd be a 3 color patch because there's literally 2 threads of white in the bottom left corner, but it's a 2 color. I really like this patch. Great stiching and great Sox colors. Overall, I think I did pretty well with these boxes and I really had fun busting them. If I knew that all the Sweet Spots I got wouldn't be faded, I might buy some more Sweet Spot Classic, but the fading might keep me away. But all in all, money well spent.

Tuff Stuff's Excellent Adventure Pt. 2

Here I have an ad. A quite notorious ad. This is for Stan's Sports Memorabilia which is more than likely known to most people as one of the people/businesses who was caught up in the autograph forging business and part of a huge ring that was stopped by the FBI in Operation Bullpen. And if you haven't read the book about Operation Bullpen, you need to track down a copy an read it for yourself. It's quite astounding what these guys did. So take a look at this two page ad and click on the pictures to make them bigger and look at some of the prices. It's astounding what your money could have got you back in 1997, even if it was fake.

Da na da na da na da na na...BATMAN!!!!!

There are 3 autographed bats in my collection.  I've already shown you one of them in this post and now I'm going to show you the other 2.  

This is an interesting bat as it's signed by Mark Lemke.  The Lemmer wasn't known for his hitting prowess as much as he was known for his defense so it would make more sense to have an autographed glove from him, but I'm not going to complain about having this bat.  Next up:

Here's a bat signed by Mr. Halle Berry, David Justice.  Unlike Lemke, Justice was known for his hitting, having a .500 career slugging percentage,  especially his home run in 1995 to give the Braves the World Series title.  Justice waned in his abilities after he left the Braves, but he would win the World Series again with the Yankees in 2000.  Fun Fact: He collected 23 of 24 1st place votes to win the 1990 NL Rookie of the Year.  The other 1st place vote went to Delino DeShields.

More Stuff (All Braves Edition)

Continuing on with the stuff that I have around my Parent's house, we'll do an All Braves Edition. There'll be a lot more Braves stuff as that's what I have the most of.  First up, we have a ball signed by koo-koo head himself Mark Wohlers.

This might have been another Christmas present, but I can't remember.  This is on a 1995 World Series ball as he recorded the last out to give the Braves their WS Title.  Next we have his battery partner, also on a 1995 World Series ball, Javy Lopez.

Here, you can actually see the World Series logo that's on the ball.  This is the only World Series ball I have that's not signed on the sweet spot.  I believe that I got this at K-Mart in one of those Mystery Ball packs and came out quite well.  Next are a couple of limited edition signed rookie cards that I have.  First up...

Here's a signed 1988 Donruss of Tom Glavine limited to 1988 copies.  I don't remember where I got it all I know is that I have it.  And to end this post, as all good posts should end...With Chipper Jones of course.  A 1991 Topps signed card.  This one is limited to 1991 copies.   You can never have enough Chipper.

Some presents of Christmas past.

I'm at my parent's house, far away from my scanner, so I'm taking this time to show a few things that I couldn't show you by scanning. All of these I've had for years and years.

First up:

Tony Gwynn autographed ball with a .394/94 inscription. This wasn't a Christmas present, but I actually got this ball at K-Mart. Yes K-Mart sold autographed baseballs at one point. It was in a pack of 3 or 4 auto balls. I got the Gwynn, Javy Lopez, Jose Oliva (RIP) and I want to say one more. Or maybe not. Anyway, I love the ball because it's a classy classy auto and a great inscription. Next we have

The freshly retired Greg Maddux. I got the card through the mail I want to say in 1997 or somewhere around in there. The ball is a 1995 World Series ball that I got for Christmas in either 1995 or 1996. This is one of my favorite pieces I own. Let's keep on keepin' on.
This is a Griffey Junior ball from around '92 - '94. I love Junior's looping signature. This was another Christmas present.
I think I got this Nolan Ryan ball the same Christmas that I got the Junior ball. Another great readable signature of one of the game's greats. And now, for one of my favorite things I own:

Oh Hammerin' Hank. I love this ball. It's a William White NL ball with a great sig from Hank. It looks like he had to go back over the "o" in Aaron, but still, one of the greatest pieces from one of the greatest of all time. I'll be posting some more as the week goes on.

Just like Ah-nold I'm BACK!

Exams are over, I worked out my scanner issues, everything is great.  So here's something I've been wanting to share for awhile.  I go to my parent's house for Thanksgiving and I occasionally get pieces of mail there still so it's not unusual to have some long lost TTM auto come back and surprise me when I go back.  This time I got a big surprise.  There was my SASE, but the postmark was from 2007 and somewhere in Florida, I don't exactly remember where.  I guessed that this just got lost in my Dad's closet and he found it cleaning.  I figured that it was probably some Devil Ray or Marlin that I sent to, but then got to thinking, I wasn't using my parent's address in 2007 so it had to be from 2005.  I knew at that point that it had to be something exciting for it to take a year and a half to two years to get to me.  So I open it up and see a form letter and this:

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?????????

CHIPPPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Needless to say I was quite excited.  From the form letter, it seems that Chipper takes all the mail he gets and sends any items back, which he did with me, along with a signed 5X7 photo that he signs while he's on the road.  In the gloom and doom of this Braves off season, just remember, we still have Chipper and he's a good guy.  And I think that counts for something.

2008 Tampa Bay Rays = 1991 Atlanta Braves

Congrats guys.  Let's see if you can win the World Series, unlike the 1991 Braves.  I'd also like to see a nice string of championships come your way.

My First Card From an Overpriced High-End Product

I got this from one of the group breaks over at Sports Cards Uncensored.  My first impression is that the card is really thick, but isn't as heavy as I thought it would be.  The design is very bland.  I wouldn't buy a whole box of the product unless I was guaranteed a good hit in every box.   So I'm glad to have the card, but I don't think I'll be buying a box of this anytime in the near future.

2008 Allen and Ginter Dual Box Break

What you're going to get from this break of boxes is stats, pictures and a bit of commentary:

Box 1:
1 Cabinet Card (Battle of the Alamo)
Base: 143/350 (40.85% complete)
Doubles: 0
Short Prints: 12/50
State Flags: 22/50
Autos/Relics: 2 relics (R. Furcal Bat, B. Crosby Jersey)
World's Greatest Victories: 1/20 (Man Walks on the Moon)
Pioneers of Aviation: 1 (Piloted Glider)
World Leaders: 2 (Norway, Mongolia)
Allen and Ginter Minis: 13
Allen and Ginter Backed Minis: 6 (B. Butler, J. Papelbon, A. Pujols, G. Atkins, A. Huff, F. Hernandez)
Black Bordered Minis: 2 (A-Rod, J. Votto)


Box 2:
1 Cabinet Card (Three No-Nos)
Base: 144/350 (41.14% Complete)
Doubles: 0
Short Prints: 12/50
State Flags: 20/50
Autos/Relics: 3 Relics (A. Dunn Jersey, T. Helton Jersey, A. Kearns Bat) 1 Auto (O. Hudson)
World's Greatest Victories: 1/20 (Bill Mazeroski)
Pioneers of Aviation: 1 (Ornithopter)
World Leaders: 2 (Brazil, South Korea)
Baseball Legends: 1 (Pee Wee Reese)
Allen and Ginter Minis: 12
Allen and Ginter Backed Minis: 6 (Wild Bill Hickok, J. Smoltz, A. Romero, J. Chestnut, L. Hochever, R. Ohlendorf)
Black Bordered Minis: 2 (A-Rod, J. Votto)


Boxes Combined:
Base: 281/350 (80.29% Complete)
Doubles: 6
Triples: 0
Short Prints: 24/50

I've been waiting for this set ever since last year and I can say that Topps really didn't disappoint. The first box was scant, but the second box was packed. 4 autogamers as well as a pleathora of other inserts made me a happy camper. Having only 6 doubles between the boxes is incredible and a set collectors dream. The World Leaders insert is better than last year's Flags in my opinion and I love the Pioneers of Aviation. I was surprised to pull the same 2 black bordered cards from both boxes, however. I might try and collect all of the baseball legend minis. Trying to complete the whole mini set will be a pain this year due to so many mini inserts. Maybe retail will relieve this. I haven't decided if I'm going to buy another box or just go strictly retail and trading from here on out, but I think box prices will determine that. Overall, I think that this, once again, might be the best set of the year.

Going, going...gone.

I'm there's not going to be any posts for the next week or so probably.  Don't worry, I'm not pulling a Mario or a Ben Henry, but more of a Chris Harris.  There's a little get-together in Tennessee that I'm attending, so that's the main reason there won't be any posts.  However, since this is one of my favorite long weekends of the year, I'm going leave you for the next few days with a picture of probably my favorite item of memorabilia I own. 

Mr. Anderson......

I'm done with finals and can finally catch everyone up on what's been grabbing my attention in the card world lately. When I collect, my main focuses are Braves and Chipper Jones specifically. However, when you're trying to collect a player of Chipper's caliber, the price of cards can get really high really quick. So I decided to look for someone, a Braves player, that I can collect and get high end cards of and not break the bank. After doing some looking around, I settled on a guy that caught my attention when I went to spring training. So here, for the first time, is my collection of Josh Anderson
While I don't have that many right now, what I do have are good quality and upper end cards. I don't think I've payed more than $10 total including shipping for any of these, with most coming in the $1-$3 range. Josh might not be a star right away, but flashes of brilliance were seen last year with the Astros. He might be the answer to the outfield platoon in left that the Braves have had for so many years. Also, my one complaint is that I need more cards of Josh in a Braves uniform. Even on the Co-Signers card, he's airbrushed. Tisk tisk Topps. So this is a call: If you have any Josh Anderson cards for trade, let me know. I might take them off your hands.

The Future Is Now!

While trying to get caught up on my blog reading and everything else, (yes yes, apologies about the lack of posts. Hopefully once exams are over in mid-May, there will be more posting) I was reading that dayf had a prediction about the inclusion of celebrity autos becoming more commonplace in the hobby. Well low and behold 2008 Spectrum did just that, which dayf missed in the sell sheet, which is even more hilarious because he commented on the Winkler auto over at Wax Heaven (you know I'm just ribbing you dayf.) So after looking at some stuff and taking a gander on e-bay for what's available right now, here's my thoughts on the whole thing. I figured it might take a few years to get to the point where the "stars" that are signing the cards are at the level of the utility infielder/rookie autograph that is often the hit of a box. Nope, looks like they went for medicority right out of the gate with most of the autos (at least the ones that are on e-bay right now) being from 80's hair metal bands and not the people that you've usually heard of from said bands. Oh sure, there's Sebastian Bach and Dee Snider, but for every one of those, there's 5 Dan Dokkens or Mark Mendozas listed. The best ones I see listed are a few Tom Bosley, Larry Hagman,and Eric Roberts cards. There's one Henry Winkler and it's a die-cut SP. There is also one of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. I mean, couldn't you get all of the people that played bit parts on Seinfeld to sign cards? And I'm sure Michael Richards isn't doing a whole lot these days. At least most people would recognize them where as no one can tell the difference between the bassist from White Lion and the lead singer of Ratt. Get Jaleel White, Jodie Sweetin, Bob Saget, Craig T. Nelson, Dustin Diamond even someone like Jeff Probst who might just be a host, but I know who he is. I'd feel like I'm getting some value out of the cards at least then. Also, if you're a new collector, around the age of 13-15 and are being drawn in with the celeb autos as being one of the selling points, wouldn't it make sense to have autos of someone these kids would recognize? I'm not saying make every card someone from the Disney Channel, but maybe make some cards that are known by both the older and younger set like Hillary Duff or Shia Labouf. Now I understand that you can't make every autograph a big celebrity like Matt Damon or Bruce Springsteen, but there are recognizable faces that are more than willing to shame themselves on reality shows for weeks and weeks. I think they'd be open to doing one day of autographs and I know UD has the money. So basically what I'm saying is that if I want a box of overpriced crap celebrity autographs, I'll buy a box of Donruss Americana because at least most of those people I've heard of.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

Two boxes of 2008 Heritage are better than one! Here's a double box break:

Box 1:

I opened up the box to find a 3 panel strip and a buy back. Here's my buy back:

Joe played in the Major Leagues for 13 seasons (1948-1962) with his best season being in 1951 when he had 304 at-bats, hit .260 with 8 home runs and 37 RBI. Not the best card, but I love having old cards, no matter how good the player. 

Now the 3 card strip:OH...MY...GOSH! I about crapped myself when I pulled this out. This is like the best box topper EVER. Tex, Smoltz, The Jones Boys....this has it all. Dayf, eat your heart out.

Now, the box stats:
Base Set: 154/500 (30.8%)
Doubles: 0
Black Backs: 24
Chrome Parallel: 3 (Matt Cain 1141/1959, Vernon Wells 1159/1959, Miguel Cabrera 1176/1959)
Refractor Parallel: 1 (Felix Hernandez 85/559)
News Flashbacks: 2 (Clutter Family, Fidel Castro)
Baseball Flashbacks: 1 (Orlando Cepeda)
Then and Now: 2 (Eddie Matthews and A-Rod, Johnny Podres and Eric Bedard)
Clubhouse Collection Relics: 2 (David Ortiz, Eric Chavez)
I really don't know if I could have asked more of this box. If they would have thrown me an auto and a relic instead of 2 relics, it might have made it better, but I'm not really sure. But this was a great box. OK on to Box 2

No buy back in this one, but here is my 3 card strip from the 2nd box:

Goodness, that's a strip of straight suck. And a Matt Capps pink card. Ugh. Ok, box stats:

Base Set: 157/500 (31.4%)
Black Backs: 24
Chrome Parallel: 3 (Ben Sheets 1150/1959, Jose Valverde 1160/1959, Francisco Rodriguez 1456/1959)
Refractor Parallel: 1 (James Shields 76/559)
News Flashbacks: 2 (Luna 2, Dalai Lama)
Baseball Flashbacks: 2 (Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks)
Then & Now: 1 (Orlando Cepeda and Magglio Ordonez)
New Age Performers: 1 (Brandon Webb)
Real One Autographs: 1 (Bob Blaylock)




















The second box was nowhere as good as the first, however I did get an autograph which is an on-card signature. Bob only appeared in 17 Major League games in his career with 3 of those coming in 1959. He pitched 9 innings, gave up 8 hits, struck out 3 and had an ERA of 4.00. Once again, not a great player, but I'm very glad to have his signature.

This set is going to be a complete beast to put together especially if you're trying to do the master set (which I am). It'll take a minimum of 4 boxes to get the complete set and with the short prints and all, it'll take more than 4. Since there isn't a clear short print checklist out yet and only postulations (actually, Beckett.com has a listing, but I'm too lazy to go through everything again), I held off on listing how many of those I got, but they're 1:3 packs so I should have gotten 8 or so in each box. I'm going to put all these cards in pages and I'll update everyone on what the combined total of the completed set is once I've finished.  And just so everyone knows, this is a really hot product right now.  My dealer told me that wholesale prices on boxes have gone up $17 since Wednesday.  Get 'em quick!