tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91085201337956287542024-02-08T21:13:36.091-05:00Battlin' BucsMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.comBlogger758125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-25080217355333391672021-06-06T22:52:00.002-04:002021-06-06T22:52:55.322-04:00I've Been Keeping Busy<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXpjck6IQ0pttRpReGy9vLAIBVSmDMT0ymCqKy2UJ6Jte901CCsmJSlRLCxL1chQBHFQ6uQ49O8N19rQxE1T95Vllib9QRBL9oa9O3SaIfxN4y0lssWpHc-oPbK7PaCU0DGlUQ5mYiOlA/s522/jagr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXpjck6IQ0pttRpReGy9vLAIBVSmDMT0ymCqKy2UJ6Jte901CCsmJSlRLCxL1chQBHFQ6uQ49O8N19rQxE1T95Vllib9QRBL9oa9O3SaIfxN4y0lssWpHc-oPbK7PaCU0DGlUQ5mYiOlA/s320/jagr2.jpg" width="320" /></a>I think it's pretty safe to say that any full-time return to blogging is off the table at this point. But hey, let's get on the board for 2021 if any of my old blogging pals are still out there. Or if blogs are even still a thing?<br /><br />It's been a pretty eventful few months since my last post. I've been collecting pretty aggressively, or at least as aggressively as one can in today's card market. And I feel like my blogging absence has been at least semi-justified. Not too long after my last blog post of 2020, I found out that I was going to be involved in some pretty ambitious expansion projects at work that has basically had me doing 3 jobs and managing a territory that stretches from Central PA deep into Ohio. It's been a lot of fun (and stress, but mostly fun), but in typical non-profit fashion...that has quite literally meant me trying to do three jobs in addition to my existing, slightly exhausting, job. During a global pandemic. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrEZBA7zHQrHOPHyzluV0D-bEEnj7Ey0-VZeGiu7X6oCkph5_ZIYSyHBRu4KGbQKYfJrH9LfTrfN27uqPwJfOqyxxl-RRrgCZ6bDps_MAqZueJT5WENJzATeW4rvthCG7EeGI6Z_hUrfi/s522/kendall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="373" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgrEZBA7zHQrHOPHyzluV0D-bEEnj7Ey0-VZeGiu7X6oCkph5_ZIYSyHBRu4KGbQKYfJrH9LfTrfN27uqPwJfOqyxxl-RRrgCZ6bDps_MAqZueJT5WENJzATeW4rvthCG7EeGI6Z_hUrfi/s320/kendall.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVobh8vP5RomVHIGSer30ANvgZGrJELpWxCu6gj7UaA5m6a-54ngrcrxb61MOYHW_nCWZHUJWRi3gz4wbJgodkwoJVN0oj_uQ_a6XObn7NRTsA6ToOCd0bHsvl9pjRbyB9Qow-pFDchBr/s522/troy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVobh8vP5RomVHIGSer30ANvgZGrJELpWxCu6gj7UaA5m6a-54ngrcrxb61MOYHW_nCWZHUJWRi3gz4wbJgodkwoJVN0oj_uQ_a6XObn7NRTsA6ToOCd0bHsvl9pjRbyB9Qow-pFDchBr/s320/troy.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But hey, some extra staffing is finally here and my sanity is...debatable. But luckily collecting has been a great avenue to blow off some steam. Revisiting TCDB in late 2020 has been a real game-changer for me. As my Pirates collection grew and grew, tracking new additions on my good ole spreadsheet was becoming a daunting task. Equally daunting were the growing boxes of doubles that I would receive or mistakenly buy at shows thinking they were new to me.<br /><br />I spent a few months getting my Pirates collection completely loaded into TCDB - the ability to just click a new addition or not have to look up the proper name of a silver wave spiral doodad refractor holo prizm magigger has been a real lifesaver.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyETgDyVZWpvOj_4FNYIFZ_YHs2BNBVxGzUoBgfq6BXL-u-whlyTiHAbCB_F7VDHuK-dKYq25ZMM2ZXbBWBGNmoNo32m5gBJri6Sd8raGy8nzTJv-mnl-QK7OYFxAJSdX4zK3JDx2aHtG/s517/kendall5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyETgDyVZWpvOj_4FNYIFZ_YHs2BNBVxGzUoBgfq6BXL-u-whlyTiHAbCB_F7VDHuK-dKYq25ZMM2ZXbBWBGNmoNo32m5gBJri6Sd8raGy8nzTJv-mnl-QK7OYFxAJSdX4zK3JDx2aHtG/s320/kendall5.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LOTHKgA3qBdUQwn7yM4h4AdOAc6NMdmUxGiobzJowHGB8EAiMKfkVlpGaWk_bciZKtzZ-ra0ASEI1UElYICn2nw8t975XDz5ubA99BIC_xiB5_7Obwm9GVRbSzUvzTv5PzTzIiaXWtlm/s522/jagr1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="364" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LOTHKgA3qBdUQwn7yM4h4AdOAc6NMdmUxGiobzJowHGB8EAiMKfkVlpGaWk_bciZKtzZ-ra0ASEI1UElYICn2nw8t975XDz5ubA99BIC_xiB5_7Obwm9GVRbSzUvzTv5PzTzIiaXWtlm/s320/jagr1.jpg" /></a></div>And from there? Ah, the trades! As my doubles slowly took up more and more space over the years, I tried to find another Pirates collector who might be able to give them a good home. At this point my doubles collection alone is, in and of itself, a massive Pirates collection. Easily 10,000 cards, including hundreds of parallels, vintage, autos - everything under the sun. <br /><br />But finding Pirates collectors isn't exactly an easy thing. Two decades of losing will do that, and not everyone these days has a fine appreciation for a 1998 Jermaine Allensworth card. I slowly dipped a toe into the trade waters, adding my want list to the site and starting to enter some of the doubles that I thought might be more desirable to other collectors.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEpo01Q4JwQLHT6EfdH8Gu7K2akLjOJxX-JnVKlllV0bS-7l1PtJK0YcEhHf-xP83pOVM7i5E-nLnt35Zb1KfFtD_5eeheqsEgEs4UUefbgpEhshOyg-D9s6d9fr4cqpqSYIUtxEOi631/s520/bradshaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEpo01Q4JwQLHT6EfdH8Gu7K2akLjOJxX-JnVKlllV0bS-7l1PtJK0YcEhHf-xP83pOVM7i5E-nLnt35Zb1KfFtD_5eeheqsEgEs4UUefbgpEhshOyg-D9s6d9fr4cqpqSYIUtxEOi631/s320/bradshaw.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NCf30zweUebcABD7QjAb91JRKifdAMYHnTj5qJoKogJkYedw5pH5iwrvBXnQQfIBP6cVts8IKjlvrYkyemat3BwggLu4eU9cpgi_nHV1GyJqJvxRGzzh9VcgFXj4bq-Gw2rIg7Bx20U7/s524/beamon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="368" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NCf30zweUebcABD7QjAb91JRKifdAMYHnTj5qJoKogJkYedw5pH5iwrvBXnQQfIBP6cVts8IKjlvrYkyemat3BwggLu4eU9cpgi_nHV1GyJqJvxRGzzh9VcgFXj4bq-Gw2rIg7Bx20U7/s320/beamon.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">It's been a real shot in the arm for my collection. I love adding new Pirate cards, no matter how seemingly inconsequential. And if I can move some of those duplicates on to a good home, I feel like the cardboard gods will look favorably upon me. I've even started trading for Steelers and Penguins cards and growing those collections when there are no Pirates to be had.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSTa7DsVTNpKkY-iootCqYtPulEZ6O7uW7ga0-CodhE-4Sxe7JCpM_s0Ggb5AIyNmml3Dbnz6yGzSOD2TF-JHGMlqCRklIpXeGeEotNRpWfrfCizPbldxhhPy3Sf0edpKLi2ekpDCWqG4/s520/kendall4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="361" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSTa7DsVTNpKkY-iootCqYtPulEZ6O7uW7ga0-CodhE-4Sxe7JCpM_s0Ggb5AIyNmml3Dbnz6yGzSOD2TF-JHGMlqCRklIpXeGeEotNRpWfrfCizPbldxhhPy3Sf0edpKLi2ekpDCWqG4/s320/kendall4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And that's sort of a funny thing to say these days. But whatever voodoo that is going on in the card market, which I don't fully understand, shows no signs of slowing down. I still struggle to find cards I want on ebay, and then find them at what I consider a reasonable price? Good luck.<br /><br />I have gotten lucky and added some gems in recent months, including a few new Jack Wilsons. But overall? I lose a lot more than I win, and the days of adding new cards for $.99+shipping seem long gone.<br /><br />Adapt and adjust, right? I've started buying up some minor league team sets. And my trade reservoirs have kept a decent stream of new Buccos headed into the mailbox.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIqZ2gUOxPRdF_R5lTiUY0qmPjJZuho21nS97JNxZWv1-XPfuglvULe4sLiftDjA3IP3WZEcNi-TKuViilUv8mKAEFdrncGhy1rxEC6RTgJqVT1xevpX5o9ulToE4nBDGXSWMO398S2Rz/s517/Jack+Bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIqZ2gUOxPRdF_R5lTiUY0qmPjJZuho21nS97JNxZWv1-XPfuglvULe4sLiftDjA3IP3WZEcNi-TKuViilUv8mKAEFdrncGhy1rxEC6RTgJqVT1xevpX5o9ulToE4nBDGXSWMO398S2Rz/s320/Jack+Bay.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of which, that's the whole reason I'm here. Or at least a big part of it. As life slows down again a little bit, I had some time to reflect back on where things on this blog started. I was reading through some old posts from my first year of blogging, 2013. I closed out the year writing that I had 11,592 Pirates cards. <br /><br />At the time, it was a pretty crazy sum. And probably about double where I was just a few years earlier. <br /><br />Well, here I am again. And apparently I've somehow doubled THAT. According to TCDB, I'm sitting at 21,634 unique Pirates cards. I'm not exactly sure what to do with that information, aside from hide it from my wife.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlvSLhfIv-AY7tfeIq3cBGzdF__ytM-6EI6IOvRcTLprpM-eeP_5tCeDmIUm4L9Qe2uEfCGDWHz6Qam8LsK5rGJ-FcVPrhwCs67fHaw51dnBPGTWUBI-nYZcwie-Yk4szDjA3ntDhNe5z/s517/baygold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivlvSLhfIv-AY7tfeIq3cBGzdF__ytM-6EI6IOvRcTLprpM-eeP_5tCeDmIUm4L9Qe2uEfCGDWHz6Qam8LsK5rGJ-FcVPrhwCs67fHaw51dnBPGTWUBI-nYZcwie-Yk4szDjA3ntDhNe5z/s320/baygold.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are a lot of reason why I sometimes feel like I'm in hobby no-man's-land. Maybe I'll get into them in a later post, but I've also probably written myself in circles over them in the past few years. Too many parallels. Adulthood, and not having the time to follow baseball or baseball cards like I could in my teens and 20's. And a Pirates franchise that broke my heart in ways that don't seem like they're healing any time soon. <br /><br />But forget that - I look at those 10,000 new cards and think of all the amazing things that have happened since December 2013. Group breaks with friends. Trade partners new and old. Digging through boxes at shows, the National, and wonderful flea market memories. I still haven't made heads or tails of where the hobby is heading or how my collecting habits fit into it. But I know this much - I'm looking forward to the next 10,000.</div><br /><p></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-61438817935513334682020-10-11T12:37:00.000-04:002020-10-11T12:37:02.617-04:00Dealing in Pairs<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-jnL2_bSmFZ-H8sACCiytOOUQbL1YyFFyaBgdmbTFUxaCXSAW4rWQQnCqPYVnno84Z0Z0E25YEbUhUXHZFpN2-WZdnP4GND2ztmVq_jStsxZRPqM01c3lcGxt1Rr82L8dDljdqkQ1QAO/s2048/palmeiro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-jnL2_bSmFZ-H8sACCiytOOUQbL1YyFFyaBgdmbTFUxaCXSAW4rWQQnCqPYVnno84Z0Z0E25YEbUhUXHZFpN2-WZdnP4GND2ztmVq_jStsxZRPqM01c3lcGxt1Rr82L8dDljdqkQ1QAO/s320/palmeiro.jpg" /></a></div>I've been keeping the mailman busy over the last few weeks. There has been a pretty steady stream of mail heading into my house. It definitely seems like a less than ideal time to jump into buying. Prices seem to be surging, or at least sellers are pricing cards like they *wish* they were surging. <div><br /><br /></div><div>Shipping prices have jumped through the roof. Anybody else remember when $2 shipping would get you a card in a bubble mailer? It seems like $3-5 shipping is the norm these days. Sometimes it gets you a well packed card in a bubble mailer, but I've also found that $3 shipping may mean I'm getting a toploader in a PWE these days. </div><div><br /></div><div>And with whatever mess de jour is going on over at COMC and who knows the next time I'll actually see the inside of a card show, options are limited right now. But it's made for a fun game of cat and mouse to find cards that I actually want at a price I'll pay.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNl8oKdjO_b9LvBWeIoLQYDNTxMrITNAO7jX9IjKUTx8J8eXMEyRxonSdtnXXsczBoWnL4h9Rwu7ErQj_5MCrwGXdqnwmxc5GfG0Pm4JvK18PmeW8AlkB2z35yxgGL0Y8qiZaVUVBMlam5/s2048/rodriguez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1447" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNl8oKdjO_b9LvBWeIoLQYDNTxMrITNAO7jX9IjKUTx8J8eXMEyRxonSdtnXXsczBoWnL4h9Rwu7ErQj_5MCrwGXdqnwmxc5GfG0Pm4JvK18PmeW8AlkB2z35yxgGL0Y8qiZaVUVBMlam5/s320/rodriguez.jpg" /></a><br />My Pirates collection will always be the bulk of my collecting focus. Though there were some points where my more frequent readers definitely would have noticed that this blog would have been more aptly titled "A Bunch of Shiny Cards from the 90's." But there have been a few projects that have been on my collecting back burner for years that I'm finally starting to put some hobby dollars behind. And it's been really rewarding to see a range of sets and cards trickling in, rather than just feeling like I'm compulsively buying Pirates.<br /><br />And it just so happens that I seem to buying in pairs. None of these cards came from the same seller, making it that much more unusual. But sometimes life just works out that way.<br /><br />I've been slowly plugging away at the 1998 Donruss Signature autograph set for years now. Due to some low print run cards of some of the stars, I'll never officially complete the base version, let alone any of the parallel sets. But boy is it a nice set.<br /><br /></div><div>I added the Palmeiro for a measly $4-something shipped. The man has 3,020 hits, and 569 home runs. I don't care how you cut it, or whether you're for against him making his way to Cooperstown. That's an absolutely absurd price to pay for his autograph.</div><div><br /></div><div>And speaking of 90's stars...</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjW4zNcOQ1Q3jed4gb-EbCPjiL6y8kBRCZBaSpxKdUqpc3CDLS5ETHFOCcguB5duyGrxMQfJNW5RAeu77Skg4T7AwpWvWqg93mmJ6lToS5AmlHjHXe1WEMkpNlESkt53GGXE_NR-AkDZu/s2048/vizquel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1475" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjW4zNcOQ1Q3jed4gb-EbCPjiL6y8kBRCZBaSpxKdUqpc3CDLS5ETHFOCcguB5duyGrxMQfJNW5RAeu77Skg4T7AwpWvWqg93mmJ6lToS5AmlHjHXe1WEMkpNlESkt53GGXE_NR-AkDZu/s320/vizquel.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-YZiWXH3llcMyCl1wIYaOdQ62DeW6ee44IAbYpWTJzFMy1g1MjPV6CkWjSyUdh2b-DPT8K7FLUrQ_5kpIhPVYctRJHw0xEX7KU5FqkZ3JVKcUlSRpGs39RwQ9XI02IElYn2-zQm8J8sO/s2048/smoltz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-YZiWXH3llcMyCl1wIYaOdQ62DeW6ee44IAbYpWTJzFMy1g1MjPV6CkWjSyUdh2b-DPT8K7FLUrQ_5kpIhPVYctRJHw0xEX7KU5FqkZ3JVKcUlSRpGs39RwQ9XI02IElYn2-zQm8J8sO/s320/smoltz.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 2001 Donruss master set is another set that I've been picking up cards here and there over the years. I'll never finish any of it - base, parallels, or any inset sets due to the star power and some of the low print runs. But the Stat Line parallels are among my favorite parts of the set, and I couldn't complain about adding two decent names from the set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUz4ILJq6yUbxedtYC-4WY9LjSoevIXx-AEW79UulSK7qyLdzjLJ4XYWRC-EgqHRdtWks2YMZsLQdzOkc5vzp30-w2PEt28_o-1O0shwj0RYT3ovV-1lXvbzQqKdFdwJMQI_jA2i09kR9S/s2048/jbay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1465" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUz4ILJq6yUbxedtYC-4WY9LjSoevIXx-AEW79UulSK7qyLdzjLJ4XYWRC-EgqHRdtWks2YMZsLQdzOkc5vzp30-w2PEt28_o-1O0shwj0RYT3ovV-1lXvbzQqKdFdwJMQI_jA2i09kR9S/s320/jbay.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But like I said, my Pirates will always be my primary focus. I've been on a bit of a Jason Bay buying streak recently. Now that his playing days are over, his prices have settled. For a while, his stints in Boston and New York had driven prices to the point that I stopped even searching for his cards.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1jzpGGOFupwlJ1223yZQk6ho7i9jsKivuKwvsn5GnKgAZ15b2JXhltySA-ALK0YiDGfNs0y_R85fye-3krn96i-gXhFNamGcBPixrEA-5xgCsqmOhZBNSEpD38ThkH9Oe8_teJQqHlhG/s2048/bay2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1jzpGGOFupwlJ1223yZQk6ho7i9jsKivuKwvsn5GnKgAZ15b2JXhltySA-ALK0YiDGfNs0y_R85fye-3krn96i-gXhFNamGcBPixrEA-5xgCsqmOhZBNSEpD38ThkH9Oe8_teJQqHlhG/s320/bay2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But those days are over, and now he's just pretty good player who had a couple of really good years. Those are some of my favorite guys to buy - the Jason Bays and Brian Giles of the world who had a couple of magic years, but can be had for a song after they retire. Sometimes I hate the "latest and greatest" attitude of this hobby. From what I hear there is some big hoopla over the current crop of rookies, and prices are insane. I honestly can't tell you how many baseball games I have watched over the last few years, so I'm willfully ignorant. And I'm a-okay with that. And when it comes to buying? I'm perfectly fine waiting to pick up cards once the hype has come and gone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Both these Bay autos are /25, and the X-Fractor in particular looks amazing in person. Part of me wonders how many how many times a card traded hands, and what prices people paid before it makes a home in my collection. <br /><br />Mail keeps trickling in, and I have a few other pairs on the way. So who knows, this may become an unintentional ongoing theme.</div><br /></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-66088305867043181752020-10-08T16:24:00.002-04:002020-10-08T16:24:48.567-04:00The One(s) That Got Away<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMiWUmTNObxF91_cKN4EwJFz_ms8aXiN0Qo6K26zeGN3Sl1DmKBH0TkNQHWwzLUDZw0KAD3GljGANAZREbeD9eQaYjuVzBDVZOjexmUSZrClnzOXD-WUMRxxwc0NMrt7HQ_MtweYfWUL2/s2048/enos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMiWUmTNObxF91_cKN4EwJFz_ms8aXiN0Qo6K26zeGN3Sl1DmKBH0TkNQHWwzLUDZw0KAD3GljGANAZREbeD9eQaYjuVzBDVZOjexmUSZrClnzOXD-WUMRxxwc0NMrt7HQ_MtweYfWUL2/s320/enos.jpg" /></a> Call it a second wind, but being back in the routine of collecting has been a lot of fun. I'm sitting around waiting for my mailman to arrive each day in a way that's starting to feel borderline canine. <br /><br />There are a lot of different irons in the fire right now. I'm headed into the home stretch of getting my Pirate collection logged on TCDB, and have even struck up my first trades on the site. I started browsing around the artist formerly known as Just Commons, which apparently has a new name and slightly better search interface. And I've been taking a deep dive back into my own collection, and enjoying the thousands of cards I already have.</p><p>But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the highlight is the mail. <br /><br />As I mentioned in my last post, if I was going to collect, it needed to be <b>fun</b>. I missed that rush of each new pickup being its own event to be excited about. And truth be told, one of the big things that burnt me out on collecting was the way the hobby has evolved. Collecting started to feel harder than studying for a 10th grade chemistry test. Just keeping straight which card I owned was a complex exercise in mental gymnastics.<br /><br />Was it the blue shimmer sparkle wave refractor that I had, or the baby blue shimmer dot refractor? <br /><br />Logging the card into my collection became a scavenger hunt that ended up with 3 tabs open, 5 reference photos, and Scotland Yard on the phone. </p><p>Ain't nobody got time for that. So let's stick with the classics.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRv-u0A-n3WkL06yYEootqnsKm_kR0FeP0Bs06DWckRwYdXflBN3lNrqmSvbwm3unTIijx1dNm6Wcm-9FpGDknkFuBfQiP4zM6o6Vf9StmrbP4TT6bZslojSq9H4pH3-LaktR8b_pRsHN/s2048/dawson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRv-u0A-n3WkL06yYEootqnsKm_kR0FeP0Bs06DWckRwYdXflBN3lNrqmSvbwm3unTIijx1dNm6Wcm-9FpGDknkFuBfQiP4zM6o6Vf9StmrbP4TT6bZslojSq9H4pH3-LaktR8b_pRsHN/s320/dawson.jpg" /></a></div>The 2000 Fleer Greats of the Game set has always had special memories for me. 2000 was the year I really started feeling like a "collector." My mom would take me to the LCS to buy a few packs every week or two, and another shop opened in the local mall.<div><br /></div><div>I mostly stuck to the low end products. Fleer Impact. Topps. Maybe we'd get real wild and go for a pack of Upper Deck MVP. </div><div><br /></div><div>But one afternoon we were in the mall, and while I was browsing the dime boxes (I was a young convert), the owner was telling my mom about the new product - Greats of the Game - with an unheard of 4 autographs in each box. At this point I don't think I had ever so much as held and auto or game used card. They were just eye candy in my monthly Beckett.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMINO-mUIaYGJs22As_mIRNJHnnPot6PsA-57tANp_RpuEAnKk6MGmtzMu19nC_QpvdXmWFo_AWkQj3Hf0_Q9KscknTxYL5KNEiAitt5680pQ50WMKibYK9sxfJ73KSL7s0GFzm20htlAb/s2048/Cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMINO-mUIaYGJs22As_mIRNJHnnPot6PsA-57tANp_RpuEAnKk6MGmtzMu19nC_QpvdXmWFo_AWkQj3Hf0_Q9KscknTxYL5KNEiAitt5680pQ50WMKibYK9sxfJ73KSL7s0GFzm20htlAb/s320/Cooper.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>My mom has always been budget conscious. I got it from her, she got it from my grandfather. My wife says I'm cheap. But I prefer frugal.</div><div><br /></div><div>But my mom must have been feeling a wild streak that night. She decided to try a pack from the half empty box. I asked her if she was sure. The packs were marked at $5 or 6 a piece. For that price I could have a small mountain of Topps packs.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first pack was a dud. So was the next one. And the next one. We swung and missed.</div><div><br /></div><div>But it's always been a set that's been in my mind. Maybe it's the one that got away. Who knows what else might have been in those packs?</div><div><br /></div><div>It felt like the right place to start as I restarted collecting. Even though prices are probably a bit elevated, most of the non-stars in the set can be hard for under $10. The common HoF'ers under $20. And damn the cards are *beautiful,* with a simple yet stately design. The gold borders just frame the cards perfectly, the slight offwhite background and distortion on the player photos framing the autograph perfectly.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiZzQCj0zIA2b5hUJKVDt_Nh5RxxvEM0HgiArFkNhvsKVAUlpB0QJbwiHcs0SdujzBVQ1usnqy59Bah_10xxLN4XjyZn1C4qbu77tpdzulWFB2FMK8KDwYr5Jj_3HVtGEaab9C7vsZqaw/s2048/bert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigiZzQCj0zIA2b5hUJKVDt_Nh5RxxvEM0HgiArFkNhvsKVAUlpB0QJbwiHcs0SdujzBVQ1usnqy59Bah_10xxLN4XjyZn1C4qbu77tpdzulWFB2FMK8KDwYr5Jj_3HVtGEaab9C7vsZqaw/s320/bert.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'll never complete the set. Some of the bigger names were SP's, and go for big money. But I'm ok with that. I'll chip away here and there, recapturing the cards I never pulled in the mall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Heck, I have a box-worth of autos right here. And even if you don't factor in inflation, they cost me a heck of a lot less than what a box ran in 2000.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I can't help but wonder what might have happened if we had opened just oneeeee more pack.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone else have a "one that got away" set?</div><div><br /></div>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-4149402250571945702020-09-30T12:41:00.004-04:002020-09-30T12:41:41.143-04:00Finding Some Direction<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnL2vSnpfZMoDDgimJLsaGkJQmNWVpIb8GzDkUS0EAfMfDviSpYJqlp2vffnBAV5shjn3G7E9xrt4eTl7jnVVjawg5zBzPUF5vkXxS6tF7B9t4Q2xYcKCMWsfo3sfvqnzdxZyRCW86rah/s1000/parker2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnL2vSnpfZMoDDgimJLsaGkJQmNWVpIb8GzDkUS0EAfMfDviSpYJqlp2vffnBAV5shjn3G7E9xrt4eTl7jnVVjawg5zBzPUF5vkXxS6tF7B9t4Q2xYcKCMWsfo3sfvqnzdxZyRCW86rah/s320/parker2.jpg" width="320" /></a>While in many ways it feels like I never left collecting, a lot can change in two years. I was read to be back on the wagon and post two days in a row until my scanner had different plans. I had been using the same all-in-one printer/scanner since before my blogging days, but we bought a new printer in late 2018. I've scanned some things for work, but never had to give much thought to resolution, quality, etc.<br /><br />So after an hour and a half of fighting with the scanner, trying out different settings, and getting my image game back on point, here we are. A day late, but at least the cards won't look like they're in a grainy ad for STAR baseball cards from 1992.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4AiqwD2AqWielt0x0bh3XaXLjnU8PtoNd5YOYVeQPSz1uduXND9eno7Nw8CDcljtXTLi9PMCPRQOujAH8awHwTg6cy35wEwoL8YOzE4B9iEOH-N6ynIrUZWuq-emWi9K2LkzzUx4hljW/s1000/maz2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4AiqwD2AqWielt0x0bh3XaXLjnU8PtoNd5YOYVeQPSz1uduXND9eno7Nw8CDcljtXTLi9PMCPRQOujAH8awHwTg6cy35wEwoL8YOzE4B9iEOH-N6ynIrUZWuq-emWi9K2LkzzUx4hljW/s320/maz2.jpg" width="320" /></a>My biggest priority in coming back to collecting is making sure I'm having *fun* again. By the time I stepped away from collecting, I was burnt out and dealing with new cards coming in felt more like a chore than a hobby. <br /><br />My collecting evolved over the years. In my teens, my collection was subsidized by my mom slipping me a $20 before I drove to the local mall show, or maybe a few boxes of cards for Christmas. My focus was pretty narrow, because so was my budget. It was semi-easy to be a player collector on a terrible, small market team. Jack Wilson was my favorite Pirate, but he wasn't somebody who was going to attract a lot of hobby dollars. Even Jason Bay was out of my price range back then.<br /><br />In college, I started branching out to trying to get an autograph of every Pirate who had a certified auto. A pretty easy task at the time, relatively speaking. The only guys you were going to pay above $10 for was Willie Stargell, Kiner, or Maz. And even then, it wasn't by much except for Stargell.<br /><br />The dime box diving started in college and continued through grad school, and I started building my collection from COMC and ebay. I call those the "eat tacos for 5 straight meals" years. I was living on my own, making what at the time felt like a decent wage from my grad school stipend (it wasn't), and cost of living was absurdly low for a guy living on his own. Spoiler: tacos are cheap and let you buy more baseball cards.<br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi-hVY9kg2lMqR-G185i_j5opH0aTQvH7J2QKUcfj6fD98ErsFeAatySAhvbTAhbmzCy2wDt_rnpJS_IrQWPhVDnFAcudgwlsjeJJvJZGehwrQLZQi2GJblNHzOjdtMa_MjsoO8FmyVC8/s1000/law.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxi-hVY9kg2lMqR-G185i_j5opH0aTQvH7J2QKUcfj6fD98ErsFeAatySAhvbTAhbmzCy2wDt_rnpJS_IrQWPhVDnFAcudgwlsjeJJvJZGehwrQLZQi2GJblNHzOjdtMa_MjsoO8FmyVC8/s320/law.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I started this blog shortly after finishing grad school. And my collection grew by leaps and bounds.<br /><br />But at some point it just got to be too much to manage. Cards were coming in faster than I could enjoy and appreciate them. I'm still finishing up migrating my Pirate collection over to TCDB to get a final count. But I have over 19,000 different Pirate cards. I think the final tally should be around 20,000. That doesn't count doubles, triples, and "half a row of 1994 Fleer Jeff Kings."<p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5MvQNYACtwqPK7LydUnXHkyuECFDkvhyphenhyphenwCUtbXUvkQUIbAO7f14INkBj0tCGD1HRsC5YgTl4wLcp3RWAqpUcnUYMcgKFkReRtG2FloMk5WwWCIv_n0NzqMZ175nWBeSxQUNe4EbYnOuk/s1421/Parker+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1421" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5MvQNYACtwqPK7LydUnXHkyuECFDkvhyphenhyphenwCUtbXUvkQUIbAO7f14INkBj0tCGD1HRsC5YgTl4wLcp3RWAqpUcnUYMcgKFkReRtG2FloMk5WwWCIv_n0NzqMZ175nWBeSxQUNe4EbYnOuk/s320/Parker+2.jpg" /></a>The feeling of realizing you were burnt out on a hobby that you had loved since you were a little kid absolutely sucked. But the time away has been wonderful in many ways. As I started to dip my toes back into the collecting waters these last few weeks, I really wanted to take a hard look at *how* I was collecting.<br /><br />I was buying quantity over quality. Sure, I was still buying some higher end cards here and there. But when push came to shove, I was far more likely to come away with 50 dime cards than I was to drop $5 on a nicer single.<br /><br />When it was a mailer here and a card show there, it was manageable. But at some point the quantity coming in was just too much to keep up with or appreciate.<br /><br />My plan is to focus more on quality over quantity. I'll always be a team collector, and I'm sure I'll continue adding plenty of lower end cards. But I wanted to add some cards that felt like they were missing from my collection. And where better to start than some of the all time greats.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_JZORcbQiDBCyFNDkhZaqMUVz5Y3RrXjphp6t5M5H_BiIdIg9Br-fUfV1BvUEeBHnRdLmnzMnDc2UhMWJzI84xZtA87lv3odjBLblaX6V0e075aT1ToD3mpqBtMChvV9JfiZovM7zcIN/s1000/maz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3_JZORcbQiDBCyFNDkhZaqMUVz5Y3RrXjphp6t5M5H_BiIdIg9Br-fUfV1BvUEeBHnRdLmnzMnDc2UhMWJzI84xZtA87lv3odjBLblaX6V0e075aT1ToD3mpqBtMChvV9JfiZovM7zcIN/s320/maz.jpg" width="320" /></a>I grabbed all of these cards from the same ebay seller. I may have overpaid a little bit - maybe 10% or so - but it's worth it after being away for so long. The Parker SI auto is his first certified auto. How can you go wrong with an on card auto and the classic bumblebee uniform? </p><p>I only had one certified Maz auto in my collection - 01 Fleer GotG. I have a handful of in person and TTM autos from Maz over the years. But these two beauties are welcomed additions. I was like a kid on Christmas opening up the bubble mailer. And all for less than the going rate of a box these days.<br /><br />I'm still feeling out exactly where my collection is going to go from here. But these new pickups were a nice reminder of just how much fun you can have when you have the time to take in each and every card.</p><p><br /><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-27251308906105687762020-09-27T22:48:00.009-04:002020-09-27T22:48:51.621-04:00Cardboard Therapy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><br /></div></div><p>I'm not really sure where to start this one. Hell, I'm not really sure IF to start this one.</p><p>It's been two years since I've blogged, and pretty much two years since I collected cards. I'm not really sure what to call it. I wouldn't say that I quit collecting. To me that implies there would be some kind of active decision. It's more just that I sort of...forgot to collect.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybV_MNOf1IiOvaoNgLP3Hk4bmj7EJtiLBhEUx9_LDTJKDqkuMSZigfmytgvEbma8bPx8wMFXX2RGu1SzWSkekQ9eRgnA5Oz6CvRUtIrD4Qb0ISJSXjvmv40OJpMtCt7co6E0w-hSdkmTz/s708/977866+169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="708" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybV_MNOf1IiOvaoNgLP3Hk4bmj7EJtiLBhEUx9_LDTJKDqkuMSZigfmytgvEbma8bPx8wMFXX2RGu1SzWSkekQ9eRgnA5Oz6CvRUtIrD4Qb0ISJSXjvmv40OJpMtCt7co6E0w-hSdkmTz/s320/977866+169.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>For the guy who had been collecting uninterrupted since he was old enough to read the box scores in the newspaper, it's a strange feeling only in retrospect. I had seen people quit collecting cold turkey, sell off their collections, and move on beyond baseball cards. And my reaction was always, "I could never do that." And well, I was half right. For all intents and purposes I did quit collecting. I didn't sell my cards. Or look at my cards. Or even think about my cards, even though they occupy a pretty decent chunk of my basement.</p><p>In fact, the pile of cards that I showed off in my last blog post some two years ago from the 2018 National stayed piled up, totally untouched, unsorted, un-anythinged for about a year and a half until I finally rounded up all the stray stacks of cards into a monster box.<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmlySkSizdOrN3N82Ungcjc4VyTW5sLPASa9F6h1wmggBoZYPl-_Cvr9ZjLbHswLs2XEqs6k5HCOc33HOMSXFtx-0YFX-o551qtDzOTYjd2hlXuSVgnV7d3PAl8gWi5rHnx-nHPBRXKf-/s702/Willie+Stargell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmlySkSizdOrN3N82Ungcjc4VyTW5sLPASa9F6h1wmggBoZYPl-_Cvr9ZjLbHswLs2XEqs6k5HCOc33HOMSXFtx-0YFX-o551qtDzOTYjd2hlXuSVgnV7d3PAl8gWi5rHnx-nHPBRXKf-/s320/Willie+Stargell.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>The why is complicated. More complicated than it's worth getting into in a blog post on a long-dead blog. But the long and short of it that I was burnt out on collecting, and on my 20's. I was sick of the cookie cutter products that card companies were releasing, had fallen out of love with my hometown baseball team, and dealing with all the real-life shit that hits you like a ton of bricks when you move into your 30's.</p><p>I honestly would have been perfectly content to leave it all in the rear view mirror quite a while longer. After all, it's not like there has been any shortage of time to think about busting out the old collection over the past few months. But life sometimes has its own ideas.<br /><br />I was scrolling through Facebook (something I try to avoid these days) a couple of weeks ago, when I saw a post to the Team Collector's group I've been in for almost a decade asking if the Pirates collector was still active. That's me. I've been scarce from a group I considered friends. People who I've traveled far and wide to get together with, share meals, catch a ball game, all from a shared love of cards. And I pretty much dropped off the face of the planet, save for the occasional cards I'd send out or a quick hello. But the gang was nice enough to keep my spot. Or maybe it's just even harder than ever to find a Pirates collector these days...<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgGqLJP1b5T5EXgGHGTZzn81Xqg1w_X1qEu_zuyFx_zM8z4G0Bc6YqWAA8u_JvyXjSGtgbB8J0MqIRB-2O8dKfZM6TV7vQ15mXAFQ3s-FQpkorK8R0D2Cb18JdXCQde-znjznDXxFnQX5/s320/Scan+2018-1-19+0012.jpg" style="text-align: left;" width="320" /></div><p></p><p>Either way, I started thinking about collecting. Not just the cards, but all the other stuff that comes with it. The friendships, the interactions. The best part of this blog was never about showing off my cards, but finding content that I knew my regular commenters would enjoy. Reading posts on other blogs, and commenting back and forth. And even the occasional unexpected package from a reader.</p><p>I burnt myself out on collecting. I was obsessively trying to add more and more Pirate cards, and went down a rabbit hole with custom cards that was an arts and crafts project on steroids. And with cards pouring in, cataloging and organizing my collection became its own anxiety inducing task. Hence those NSCC cards that sat for 18 months. </p><p>I realized I missed collecting, and I missed the community that comes with it. My patience was tested early. I came across a Jack Wilson card I didn't have, put in what I thought was an "win at all costs bid." About double what the card would have sold for 2 years ago. I was the third highest bidder. That was almost enough to have me throw in the towel and leave my binders be. <br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1978" data-original-width="1580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPDU6_MPuTUEkQm12jD0E4iPWJNB-kHv4jTfiZqZYuCHtjmITJ58AzLboo34I6bb9Gsvix5hYh5QmVD1M3fiJbOyItONiZQeD-w76qKAUB2KFT79Q5P2CEhcHqEjcCzxuczMJ7qFYmB6zn/s320/scan0024.jpg" /></div><p></p><p>But I think I can truthfully say that I'm back collecting, and having fun doing it again. I'm working on getting my collection logged on TCDB (username battlinbucs, if you want to be pals). I'm finding it to be a much better site than it was 2 years ago. I've been working on building out my Pirate haves/wants, and logging some of my oddball side collections as well. I'm finding it so much faster and less stressful than my old system of multiple spreadsheets. <br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGe5fmYMH7O1fvwzEuveRoq5HpPfq0cW8wUUShpnv65NDLGlE627tIqwdefunhLH4g2f2S0jImjBop6ghcSHEqEJWCfV_V5dj7XhIONMD757nmiDIKGtgvlEUcwu4qefTMS1gxOZ5o0mX/s703/SPx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="703" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGe5fmYMH7O1fvwzEuveRoq5HpPfq0cW8wUUShpnv65NDLGlE627tIqwdefunhLH4g2f2S0jImjBop6ghcSHEqEJWCfV_V5dj7XhIONMD757nmiDIKGtgvlEUcwu4qefTMS1gxOZ5o0mX/s320/SPx.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>So I guess this is Phase II of dipping my toes back into the cardboard waters. I've missed writing. When I started this blog, it's what I thought I'd be doing as a career (not penning the Great American Novel or anything). I've carved out a career that I'm very happy with and proud of, but some weeks the most writing I do is the odd email. </p><p>Who knows if anyone will read this. I think blogs were passe when I started in 2013. But it's a form that works for me. I tried Twitter a few years ago, but I think my attention span is too long and my appetite for drama too short to be able to handle that community. So in the mean time, who wants to get me caught up on the last two years worth of cardboard? So far I've figured out that a) there is zero product in stores b) prices online are laughably high and c) I will do whatever it takes to own every Lloyd McClendon card from 2020 Archives I possibly can.</p>Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-18750664399924386082018-08-08T10:40:00.005-04:002018-08-08T10:40:42.247-04:00The National, Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGqBAG3-iT_-BTXgsqQ3vZ2zGldJIh_sHCZ5xowh8gU9yzUxVfKFq5hwhRny2VWwRxbSahGUnhQaghrZTEJWyRf8iTMgSTEy4mwKJ9s5aH2xvMed3O8yGbm1FVXB8n9RaxoDCULNO_d6P/s1600/IMG_20180806_115255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGqBAG3-iT_-BTXgsqQ3vZ2zGldJIh_sHCZ5xowh8gU9yzUxVfKFq5hwhRny2VWwRxbSahGUnhQaghrZTEJWyRf8iTMgSTEy4mwKJ9s5aH2xvMed3O8yGbm1FVXB8n9RaxoDCULNO_d6P/s400/IMG_20180806_115255.jpg" width="400" /></a>So things have been a little quiet on the blog. It's been a busy summer and my stacks of cards from the big Pittsburgh show in May are still waiting to be dealt with. But with the National only a little more than a 2 hour drive away in Cleveland, there was no way I was going to miss it.<br /><br />This was my second National experience, the first coming in 2014 the last time it was in Cleveland. It was an amazing experience, and I came away with an absolutely loaded haul. I went in with high expectations. And honestly, this show fell a little short. Overall it was a great experience, and I came away with plenty of new cards. But on the whole the show fell a little flat for me.<br />
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For those who have never been, imagine the biggest card show you've seen and multiply by three. Cleveland's I-X Center is a huge venue, which from what I heard allowed for more space in the isles and between booths than in Chicago or Atlantic City. It's a massive space, and navigating is an adventure at best.<br />
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My show plans ended up being pretty fluid. Originally Kate and I had planned to go out together Saturday and Sunday, her exploring Cleveland while I hit the show. But she recently took a (great) new job working the national news desk for Hearst Media (and getting out of newspapers, yaaaay!) that has a Tuesday-Saturday schedule. So there went that. Ultimately I decided to drive out Thursday and again on Saturday. Yeah, it was extra driving and gas, but I wanted to get a jump on Pirate cards before they were all picked over and had plans to meet up with a bunch of my Team Collector pals on Saturday.<br /><br />There are a lot of positives. The show is literally a pop up museum inside a card show. There were numerous dealers with lit standing glass cases just like you'd see at a museum filled with jerseys of Hall of Famers and other high end memorabilia that probably sell for as much as my house. <br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0jTogW4Erbdx0rtm1zSiil9dn0u5-n306CYBZfRgDog9eI0UECrExJhuGd6NIO1H6H9KAYydG3FxGt11SDaDzQ4lHcb5EwMcQYArUabIAaQRaIVIK27uCBPnJePPPBqPRH6joCcSfYhI/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0jTogW4Erbdx0rtm1zSiil9dn0u5-n306CYBZfRgDog9eI0UECrExJhuGd6NIO1H6H9KAYydG3FxGt11SDaDzQ4lHcb5EwMcQYArUabIAaQRaIVIK27uCBPnJePPPBqPRH6joCcSfYhI/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-3.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
The photo at the top of this post is my two day haul. Overall, I definitely found plenty of new cards for my collections. And in terms of overall scope, I was able to find something for all of my team and set collections, something I haven't been able to say about any prior show, even the 2014 National.<br /><br />The boxes in the back are all from my Team Collector buddies. As I've mentioned before, I'm part of a group of team collectors that has been together for over a decade now. The concept is pretty straightforward: I send cards of the respective teams out to those collectors, and they ship Pirates to me. We also do group breaks every couple months at cost.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLYL9zVLwfpFsoXFshkXR-K1kt4oaS7PxH9DLkGgvMq350RoRedN1OPyYSSlUA0J6Drq3gH87Y2Z2Bbb-67ra9zsqQo7t_hMdDyXWJy2MnzEE-e-cqwSN7_AVAN9J_TkptFh-F8hjahmZ/s1600/IMG_20180804_142730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLYL9zVLwfpFsoXFshkXR-K1kt4oaS7PxH9DLkGgvMq350RoRedN1OPyYSSlUA0J6Drq3gH87Y2Z2Bbb-67ra9zsqQo7t_hMdDyXWJy2MnzEE-e-cqwSN7_AVAN9J_TkptFh-F8hjahmZ/s320/IMG_20180804_142730.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
After so many years we're friends first and card collectors second. We typically have an annual in person meetup, since we're scattered across the country where we get together, hang out, and have a big box break. This year we decided to get together in Cleveland for the National. <br /><br />We met up at the National Saturday afternoon for our break. I lost track of how many boxes we had, but it was easily over 20. It was great getting to spend some in person time with folks you usually only talk to online or via Google Hangouts. And even though the Bucs didn't do great in the break, we pulled some real beauties.<br />
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Getting to spend some time at the show with some friends, some of whom I've met in person numerous times and others who were newer to the group and meeting for the first time, was by far the highlight of the week for me. Plus I was about to clear out a couple thousand cards, bringing boxes for all eight of our group that was in attendance. I came home with fewer cards than I left the house with, so that along was a huge win. And cheap plug: if anyone is interested we currently have openings for the Braves, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Marlins, O's, Phillies, and Rays. If you're interested, drop me a line or you can reach us on twitter @team_collectors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzgAL5WEF6DD45w7mGNpyHgQgelniquKVlPFbHpLReWdAT-mT3hZcp2vHjR3Z2Y1NQNYynabZrDPDKcyzfTzifW_5qrvptHvZVYcVvWaYseD9KhIeiT_YUUnojMwEc9pNVux0mr53O2P2/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzgAL5WEF6DD45w7mGNpyHgQgelniquKVlPFbHpLReWdAT-mT3hZcp2vHjR3Z2Y1NQNYynabZrDPDKcyzfTzifW_5qrvptHvZVYcVvWaYseD9KhIeiT_YUUnojMwEc9pNVux0mr53O2P2/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-5.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
As for the show itself? I found myself a little disappointed. When I've hit major shows in the past, there have almost always been a couple dealers who had boxes upon boxes of low end auto/gu blowout boxes in the $1-2 range. The selection was always great, and I would find myself adding new Pirates and some other autos to my collection. This time? Maybe a stray box here or there. But most of the "junk" autos were priced in the $3-5 range. <br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RD9WGjFoDokqxdx2KMww78xErxmiAbnoBiQnqx9oMtChdpu04YLl8Qt-noqgLUGZdP9hFW_EBzAp4S-K96lDPu3eBE7tRNQa3bivYu5XoF4FDGsQzZv9-U13GEsp1igNqx1W4588mKoQ/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RD9WGjFoDokqxdx2KMww78xErxmiAbnoBiQnqx9oMtChdpu04YLl8Qt-noqgLUGZdP9hFW_EBzAp4S-K96lDPu3eBE7tRNQa3bivYu5XoF4FDGsQzZv9-U13GEsp1igNqx1W4588mKoQ/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-8.jpg" width="229" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJ_dn1fVSdOl0e_bxg1-hq_XrFtuuiwDHNVBf8oTS_CyxLkafTK7PVjMlU45EALXSUZc56IVdSWEV_ANzJyezuikCLP1ha7NSeKEHBc6EdxW6ny3cx2iPavO0Eiq3dgWhavjttZIu-6_L/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJ_dn1fVSdOl0e_bxg1-hq_XrFtuuiwDHNVBf8oTS_CyxLkafTK7PVjMlU45EALXSUZc56IVdSWEV_ANzJyezuikCLP1ha7NSeKEHBc6EdxW6ny3cx2iPavO0Eiq3dgWhavjttZIu-6_L/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-4.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
I realize they're on the low, low end of the spectrum. But you'd figure there are plenty of case breakers and resellers who are overrunning with less desired gu/autos from the last two decades. I did find a few gems. The Felipe Rivero/Vasquez auto was a steal at $1, and Glasnow was $2.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgfRoXoo4AWzXmXrrs25urVtBfa9SFVwdi1MktXHGFWqYo4AQxQTO2LM_odj_ZYT-gDL9V5ZpV_Oms2DWM-FsTfYf2DSLtcDuEWMCJd9AsDXLs3l6cggjlTyPv1B-0K7YMsNjVgm7l4Ki/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="708" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgfRoXoo4AWzXmXrrs25urVtBfa9SFVwdi1MktXHGFWqYo4AQxQTO2LM_odj_ZYT-gDL9V5ZpV_Oms2DWM-FsTfYf2DSLtcDuEWMCJd9AsDXLs3l6cggjlTyPv1B-0K7YMsNjVgm7l4Ki/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And my favorite pickup of the show was this Rice/Parker dual. I love the 2005 Ultimate Collection autos, and this card has long been among my most wanted. It was $3, presumably due to a crease in the card right near the "e" in Dave. But it's barely noticeable, and I was more than happy to add this for that price.<br /><br />The low end product on the whole was lacking. Last time I hit the NSCC, I came across absolutely loaded quarter and fifty cent boxes. There were dealers with tables of nothing but blowout low end product, and the boxes were loaded with serial numbered cards from the last 15 years or so.<br /><br />This year basically every $.25 box I came across had nearly identical inventory of unnumbered Bowman/Bowman Chrome inserts from the past 2-3 years. I needed basically any Pirates from those sets, since I rarely seek out Bowman cards. But after one table, I was set. <br /><br />Finding cards that weren't vintage or older than 2015 or so was a legitimate struggle.</div>
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I was able to find a nice run of recent unnumbered refractors and some of those pesky Topps foil parallels from recent years. But on the whole I wasn't able to find nearly as much as I had hoped. Though I was able to find a dealer with a stack of 2000 Chrome Refractors for my set at dirt cheap prices, so that was fantastic. I can't recall ever finding a card from my set at a show until the National.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoLwvj1iDxUxdaDxkeIMEooZwhKafCq4BtKxm8LOyHONI_oj2k-RQsoegUlez4iBT4to3fNUMyTU8HEIkz7eK_oexmqfDxH4fYQdCOzmjn6kRGQs-oOtWWCoiGav_Ed4-Mg3mRAZ0mmOj/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoLwvj1iDxUxdaDxkeIMEooZwhKafCq4BtKxm8LOyHONI_oj2k-RQsoegUlez4iBT4to3fNUMyTU8HEIkz7eK_oexmqfDxH4fYQdCOzmjn6kRGQs-oOtWWCoiGav_Ed4-Mg3mRAZ0mmOj/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-9.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCqnDjCPX59kmuzg9t6D9ciWDe6_466MoZ2G50Hs-kWppJ635VakWkOq6MDrUSt9OFLiEGlf9vb93ZbQI5HBy3m1i9ZYH0gJkumw9nZlNML82FhvXr-vA7spbdvJxfq7ta06di4SKSNl-/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0013-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="718" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCqnDjCPX59kmuzg9t6D9ciWDe6_466MoZ2G50Hs-kWppJ635VakWkOq6MDrUSt9OFLiEGlf9vb93ZbQI5HBy3m1i9ZYH0gJkumw9nZlNML82FhvXr-vA7spbdvJxfq7ta06di4SKSNl-/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0013-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The other thing that jumped out at me was just how disinterested the dealers seemed. Even four years ago, I had some nice conversations with dealers during the show. I usually wear a rotating cast of jerseys, including Mariners, Marlins, a 1999 All-Star game jersey, and of course Pirates jerseys. So even a "are you looking for Mariners cards" comment can easily lead to conversation about how, no, I just have way too many jerseys. I mentioned in my Robert Morris recap how chatting with dealers led to some of my best finds at that show when they pulled out cards not on display.<br /><br />But the National? I had to repeated scream "excuse me" to get dealers to look up from their phones so I could pay for my cards. Maybe one or two dealers engaged me in conversation, and of the few I tried to engage most made it pretty clear they weren't the talkative types.<br /><br />Personally I can't imagine standing around at a show in near silence for the better part of a week. But at the very least, general sales techniques say to engage your customer. A simple "hi" or "anything specific you're looking for?" goes a long way with me. There was a general attitude of "just find what you want and give me money" that I found very off-putting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwA0LApA1u8hPz0enjp2ah5xsPEb7gK0u9QY7nxdi6oremF74-FgldV29m7hr6DRetVp2W937j6183ywvISg3oXLjTwoa8ZbcbHmg7zhR0ZfpFWTFHL2JLlpaQuYFolioJTV064Z32X0fI/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0013-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwA0LApA1u8hPz0enjp2ah5xsPEb7gK0u9QY7nxdi6oremF74-FgldV29m7hr6DRetVp2W937j6183ywvISg3oXLjTwoa8ZbcbHmg7zhR0ZfpFWTFHL2JLlpaQuYFolioJTV064Z32X0fI/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0013-3.jpg" width="229" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilriUwOKu4Vt1llYAPT4EKh5NfWSLWGwgvbEepnKGk74PySNtdBMmilthcATmEjpem4NV040R0VtT5gC0cDYASXWEmpcLrQouSzkFsaqqvX-NErhHXo2Syy3loduM7HJWYqrJiSBkkQSuM/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0013-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilriUwOKu4Vt1llYAPT4EKh5NfWSLWGwgvbEepnKGk74PySNtdBMmilthcATmEjpem4NV040R0VtT5gC0cDYASXWEmpcLrQouSzkFsaqqvX-NErhHXo2Syy3loduM7HJWYqrJiSBkkQSuM/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0013-4.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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I've mentioned it before, but there's just this sort of growing feeling that what the hobby is currently is no longer in line with who I am as a collector. I get it. Chrome is King. Dealers are far more interested in someone who is looking to drop $800 on their graded rookie auto than the guy digging $20 in cards out of their quarter box. <br /><br />Everywhere I looked, tables were overflowing with Bowman. A product I have zero interest in. Nowhere did I see a Starling Marte or Jamison Taillon auto, even an overpriced one. At one table, I was buying $2 in quarter cards while a kid who couldn't have been more than 11 or 12 was trying to haggle with the dealer to sell some cards. He had a small box, quoting off chapter and verse the ebay prices on cards, all of which were $100, $200, or more. When I was 11 I was happy to hit a Cliff Floyd jersey card out of a box.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsJQM4TdR5YKvxfJ7neRvidsP7TlHPMG-CsyJ6jFRWECtdn1RmzUuUXMLEPb2T7Doj5o7GYeeMpRksMF07vBsIsAUnWzhEM5tpFIDcqXgLLbGTjbYBlo2wFjV5BblfLks-0r7EBbPRL1y/s1600/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsJQM4TdR5YKvxfJ7neRvidsP7TlHPMG-CsyJ6jFRWECtdn1RmzUuUXMLEPb2T7Doj5o7GYeeMpRksMF07vBsIsAUnWzhEM5tpFIDcqXgLLbGTjbYBlo2wFjV5BblfLks-0r7EBbPRL1y/s320/Scan+2018-8-8+0002-2.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
Speculation has always been a part of collecting. But it seems like that's the primary focus of the hobby now. Or at least the one that draws the show crowds. And that was sort of the lingering emotion of the weekend as I made the drive home on Saturday. While there are still products like Big League or Stadium Club that get me excited, I feel like an old highway after the national interstate system was built. Sure, cars still drive on the road. But all the traffic is going a different direction now.</div>
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<br />But there was a silver lining: I came home well under my budget for the show. I don't know if that has ever happened at any show, ever. COMC was running some sales to coincide with the National, and I spent some time Sunday morning doing some COMC shopping. I hate to say it, but COMC had the cards and prices that I expected to find at the National. Cool autos of uncool players for under $2, some gorgeous gold refractors for $2 or so, and filling in some parallels from the 2001 Donruss and 2000 Ultimate Victory sets I'm working on.<br /><br />And that's the thing that keeps me collecting. Even if I'm losing interest in the current product, there are still literally tens of thousands of cards for me to keep chasing out there.<br /><br />Did anyone else make it out to the National? How was your experience?<br /><br /></div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-88637891582037843872018-05-24T11:03:00.003-04:002018-05-24T11:03:39.011-04:00Regional Flavor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJh3pO4iUNgwHa0J7OjQNt6MMKADXuCGI85xvXJlCQEVIqwc-hO0kI_EkTpmYFyPfOBsKFfu9zn2rwoe513kqXf7nd_y9OuLa4vd8v_MtJjQg4kuTOPPjwgiwvVLF6Wp26wjHeNfpimdp/s1600/523-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJh3pO4iUNgwHa0J7OjQNt6MMKADXuCGI85xvXJlCQEVIqwc-hO0kI_EkTpmYFyPfOBsKFfu9zn2rwoe513kqXf7nd_y9OuLa4vd8v_MtJjQg4kuTOPPjwgiwvVLF6Wp26wjHeNfpimdp/s320/523-7.jpg" width="228" /></a>One of my side hobbies over the last few months has been working on improving my talents in the kitchen. I've always enjoyed cooking, and have always been able to put together a pretty decent meal. But recently I've been trying to reconnect with my Italian roots a little better through my stomach.<br />
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Both my dad's parents were Italian immigrants, but growing up in my house my mom's cooking was more likely to be burgers, meat loaf, or tuna noodle casserole than hand rolled pastas. For me cooking has been a way to reconnect with grandparents who died when I was young, and a cultural history that got quickly forgotten in the push to "Americanize." But the thing I really love about Italian food? How different each region's cuisine is, and how the foods they cook tell the story of the people, resources, and location.<br />
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And in some weird ways, I see card collecting to be very similar. If you've been fortunate enough to attend card shows in different parts of the county, you quickly realized that collectors in different areas collect very differently.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWcUOF2r3IuK1shA9zsPOwQHXT_yr-ykBvd0SKVeYKefehhIrAWX3xBqY1COqhGYcFgnZlP-GxDf4zAj2bzCwY1c52pSLB80nOIcGqHcnDWtvHG0rzfyddLwnFnkD1fxA_8INYLJ_78h2/s1600/523-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWcUOF2r3IuK1shA9zsPOwQHXT_yr-ykBvd0SKVeYKefehhIrAWX3xBqY1COqhGYcFgnZlP-GxDf4zAj2bzCwY1c52pSLB80nOIcGqHcnDWtvHG0rzfyddLwnFnkD1fxA_8INYLJ_78h2/s320/523-9.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
Growing up in the Pittsburgh area, shows were always a fairly consistent recipe. Some dime boxes, where it always felt like I was the only buyer, dollar boxes of toploadered star cards, a showcase of higher end stuff - usually Pittsburgh autographs with the occasional national star, and memorabilia. Autographed helmets, programs, photos, bobbleheads, VHS tapes, McFarlane figures. You name it, and it would probably pop up at a show in the area.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZYljxx-6ZUK3scv1LBtWaA7qWa4DjrCF1MCTEpBb8vbI6H4WA-t7pA0Chg45-Iny8VtkOYwAj6Hn2tZ0-Q2yeOsiVcWolbbW6TFMY7LRJzkfTJHHcCLRjmwLQQvOnks-vulss8Po4PIA/s1600/523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZYljxx-6ZUK3scv1LBtWaA7qWa4DjrCF1MCTEpBb8vbI6H4WA-t7pA0Chg45-Iny8VtkOYwAj6Hn2tZ0-Q2yeOsiVcWolbbW6TFMY7LRJzkfTJHHcCLRjmwLQQvOnks-vulss8Po4PIA/s320/523.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
It's the old nature/nurture debate. I have to think that my collecting interests are a product of my environment. See, as a teen when I started going to shows, jumping into the otherwise unoccupied dime boxes was the easiest entry point. I didn't have to jockey for position with grown men like I would have needed to in the higher end boxes, and at that age it fit my budget perfectly. And while much of the memorabilia was out of my price range, McFarlane figures were the natural evolution to the SLU figures I loved as a kid. And from 2003-2006 I built up a sizable collection that covered the shelves in my bedroom. Vintage was almost never seen, and never at prices below near full book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsXf9Z6aLcEnO0qUFXnQgt-O5ailmNs22xawjEu5yhNttcVaJGRjXFokpStyEaIoR7P4yvfSUSzLFquL9_lfoXbu2ztX3A_FQBppFiY2adS-1qdPqEDj_AqLDMKLLhD73Q5UOBY_63-MO/s1600/523-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsXf9Z6aLcEnO0qUFXnQgt-O5ailmNs22xawjEu5yhNttcVaJGRjXFokpStyEaIoR7P4yvfSUSzLFquL9_lfoXbu2ztX3A_FQBppFiY2adS-1qdPqEDj_AqLDMKLLhD73Q5UOBY_63-MO/s320/523-6.jpg" width="229" /></a><br /></div>
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But I was the exception, not the rule. Memorabilia is huge in this area. At the Pittsburgh show, there were lots of people who only came for the autograph guests, never even bothering to leave the autograph room to look at the hundreds of dealer tables. They would just sit on the floor (often right in the middle of the floor...) waiting for the next autograph line they needed. And showcase cards seem to sell well, as long as it's a Steeler, Penguin, or well...that's about it now. For a while McCutchen was in that category as well. The big show seems to bring out the vintage set guys, but they're rarely seen at any other shows throughout the year. There's a decided flavor to collectors here, but I always just figured it wasn't all that different from the rest of the collecting communities across the country.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpef5MV-JE0vKukiIMG6NlF4yKvNDnQ1kXQk-IBMC3LckJyLkqTCoqGoXJpNKoUGYi7iFxbb6Qf5JJJcuoPxdKQrAd9weuNrm4pRh8NuRckla1sw0q0Z7jGpsYrwMlfYViG1LjjNx6Qlg/s1600/523-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpef5MV-JE0vKukiIMG6NlF4yKvNDnQ1kXQk-IBMC3LckJyLkqTCoqGoXJpNKoUGYi7iFxbb6Qf5JJJcuoPxdKQrAd9weuNrm4pRh8NuRckla1sw0q0Z7jGpsYrwMlfYViG1LjjNx6Qlg/s320/523-10.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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I grew up in the area, moved to the city for college, and down to West Virginia for grad school. So my collecting world never really went beyond the Pittsburgh metro area. Sure, ebay and COMC came into my life. As I aged I had more money in my pockets.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jxBiVQjEAtlz7QjbKHtsTGdgR9AGzOVJYL064N844imvBqCp-QHnCjV2d0Dmn6CEwoGlGxrAJ1jVRU5-p-z8TgJ9lrMgSecOaRC-kQrFruaWciRwcTeNu3GEL-bw7_ifJ1HdPQla7Lr0/s1600/523-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jxBiVQjEAtlz7QjbKHtsTGdgR9AGzOVJYL064N844imvBqCp-QHnCjV2d0Dmn6CEwoGlGxrAJ1jVRU5-p-z8TgJ9lrMgSecOaRC-kQrFruaWciRwcTeNu3GEL-bw7_ifJ1HdPQla7Lr0/s320/523-8.jpg" width="233" /></a></div>
But it wasn't until we moved to western Ohio, a few months before I started this blog, that I found that the collecting wasn't nearly as homogenous as I thought. The Ohio card scene was completely different than my experiences in Pittsburgh. Dime and nickel (!) boxes were packed with collectors, to the point it was tough to even get a spot. Where I think I was literally the only Pirates collector going to shows in Pittsburgh, there were suddenly team collectors for Reds, Indians, and Tigers digging through boxes alongside me. Often we'd agree to pull all the cards of the other team we found in boxes for each other to save time. And vintage! Oh the vintage!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKV0v1PrQZBQCb7tyO4XI0OkE_WCBh8encYc8JyHhcXcvLrBuTXuPtN2mPyKL10fePhA5IO6Fq2vn1QEP8d1pkEOjh8_sJXhf_ian02QVUQ4Du8uZTdj8w-JeBRGR97mpn82dgozSN6Dm/s1600/523-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKV0v1PrQZBQCb7tyO4XI0OkE_WCBh8encYc8JyHhcXcvLrBuTXuPtN2mPyKL10fePhA5IO6Fq2vn1QEP8d1pkEOjh8_sJXhf_ian02QVUQ4Du8uZTdj8w-JeBRGR97mpn82dgozSN6Dm/s320/523-11.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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Ohio was my first introduction to the glory of discount vintage bins. You mean...I can add 1954 Topps cards for $1? Fifty cents for '75 Mini's? <br /><br />I never quite put my finger on why, but the collecting communities in these areas, only a few hours apart, had developed quite differently. And as I started blogging and seeing the hauls other bloggers would bring back from their shows, I started to get a sense of their collecting worlds as well.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfQRcTB8DRmnAtybmmg0i9jp4O5aYam7hG9DUGb7QljOem1gVClOEbifkMBwj_QkdvoXY8TVKpUbJSXNpe2P25xDSe7G6upJx5Ecr53ZkPZ5gVf1vtee1nH_iCNtNHQWRL7ZlVnI962Uq/s1600/523-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfQRcTB8DRmnAtybmmg0i9jp4O5aYam7hG9DUGb7QljOem1gVClOEbifkMBwj_QkdvoXY8TVKpUbJSXNpe2P25xDSe7G6upJx5Ecr53ZkPZ5gVf1vtee1nH_iCNtNHQWRL7ZlVnI962Uq/s320/523-4.jpg" width="229" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
After the show, I had some nice exchanges on twitter with other collectors about how different regions collect. And it really isn't something you'd ever notice unless you are a dealer or have lived in different areas. Some are hit-centric, and dime boxes would sit untouched for a full weekend. Other areas go wild for the low end stuff but showcase cards rarely get an eyeball on them. I'm sure local teams, the economy, and any other number of factors influence how collectors collect.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRMxl3CjbRaZR6-bMdsVvI-zDxq0uuwEsdeQetzWWs0D-zze2q0-uLz5BmeMf3t7bFTpKmwvP7AXwoeYIr3W2fumldDIP3yjwFHgXq4IowmJeUxt0og-x84Aa2XUspjw0Ak7JukyhHHSF/s1600/523-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRMxl3CjbRaZR6-bMdsVvI-zDxq0uuwEsdeQetzWWs0D-zze2q0-uLz5BmeMf3t7bFTpKmwvP7AXwoeYIr3W2fumldDIP3yjwFHgXq4IowmJeUxt0og-x84Aa2XUspjw0Ak7JukyhHHSF/s320/523-3.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFViQxigaoRiFQ8rnDwL5k3bavBPJrVOatgtGoMRja5chFg92SRsDjpBx8fOTZ2e7_tLidyYpPfNuY4Ulpg9Q95w6tuwaUi7fT4-KhjMrQaqe7xva8oO4fUNBHvuxNBdGqWAjSJXBxdXU0/s1600/523-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFViQxigaoRiFQ8rnDwL5k3bavBPJrVOatgtGoMRja5chFg92SRsDjpBx8fOTZ2e7_tLidyYpPfNuY4Ulpg9Q95w6tuwaUi7fT4-KhjMrQaqe7xva8oO4fUNBHvuxNBdGqWAjSJXBxdXU0/s320/523-5.jpg" width="227" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
But it's just one more thing that makes the hobby that much more interesting. For me? I'm happy where I'm at and how I collect. Everything in this post except the Clemente (which only ran me $3) came from dime boxes. Most of them were found on the second day of the show. In other markets, those cards would have been long gone. And in some markets they would have been in those boxes the whole weekend, unsold. Luckily for me they were there for me to add to my pile, part of a great weekend of finds for my collection.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind42eCzrjzaLdMvZ34yNwaeVoWxGm3Kk4RUOSKvdgw8rnRoU-QKNYDnHWFBCnoeHhoIPy2oR3Y0GhyZptBfmrHjp9O2wt47GyLgrAmtfCvp1DCUT1xMYuDtye3UhsSgAx8AaDWJWUyTI2/s1600/523-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEind42eCzrjzaLdMvZ34yNwaeVoWxGm3Kk4RUOSKvdgw8rnRoU-QKNYDnHWFBCnoeHhoIPy2oR3Y0GhyZptBfmrHjp9O2wt47GyLgrAmtfCvp1DCUT1xMYuDtye3UhsSgAx8AaDWJWUyTI2/s320/523-1.jpg" width="229" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHAcvXKDw9dwhIB9jf29igGQ5JiP42cCQdR8ntZ5qtcyOTbzRjTZV1_PjujhQAB1R9HHlHwqoADH1y7hSIhl5loZiJsdfLOeNO-LDJXKxj9yJxdRpAiZRV6gWcgaeLU88ksfAzdXQY8ty/s1600/523-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHAcvXKDw9dwhIB9jf29igGQ5JiP42cCQdR8ntZ5qtcyOTbzRjTZV1_PjujhQAB1R9HHlHwqoADH1y7hSIhl5loZiJsdfLOeNO-LDJXKxj9yJxdRpAiZRV6gWcgaeLU88ksfAzdXQY8ty/s320/523-2.jpg" width="230" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
So what's the collecting community like in your area? Has anyone found completely different collecting habits in the places they've lived?</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-44166934867135386972018-05-22T10:32:00.002-04:002018-05-22T10:32:35.762-04:00Card Show Recap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-G5OL7xE08jsUDpb6f3rxUnRT3yBB6xRh0NuA9zwGKEolc_HC8UNz-ojXaSBmh8VVGoLR6Ei0CHLWsXss06TWeOHdYWOQwzo3EDir1g8kie4sgDzbzA2d_jJRI3dyl34jTbVCaVoYA-0/s1600/1962+Post+Vern+Law.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="712" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-G5OL7xE08jsUDpb6f3rxUnRT3yBB6xRh0NuA9zwGKEolc_HC8UNz-ojXaSBmh8VVGoLR6Ei0CHLWsXss06TWeOHdYWOQwzo3EDir1g8kie4sgDzbzA2d_jJRI3dyl34jTbVCaVoYA-0/s320/1962+Post+Vern+Law.jpg" width="320" /></a>You never know exactly what you're going to find when you walk into a card show. Sure, if it's a show that happens pretty regularly you can probably expect to see the same dealers. But over the years I've found many of my best show purchases have come from the stranger who pops up once and is never seen again. Maybe it's a collector selling off a chunk of their collection or a dealer who wants to give a new show a try. But at least around here the same old dealers usually mean the same old inventory. So fresh faces are always welcome.<br /><br />Our big annual show has become increasingly vintage heavy, as I wrote in my show preview. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The show draws dealers from across the country, and brining in some of the bigger inventory sellers who do the National and other major shows usually means better selection and lower prices. Vintage commons that I routinely see at $2-3 at local show are suddenly in $.50 or 3/$1 piles. Where even low grade Stargell and Clementes would be listed at close to full book, suddenly there are well loved copies available for less than a cup of coffee.<br /><br />My problem is that once I have a card, I have it. Mission accomplished and on to the next one. And as the vintage tables grew and grew, my needs shrunk and shrunk. Last year there was only one dealer who had any 2018 cards, and those were just some Topps and Bowman commons.<br /><br />This year was much, much better. The balance was restored to the force, and I'd say it was close to a 50/50 split. <br /><br />My vintage buying scaled back a lot this year, partially out of time and spending constraints. With multiple dealers with tables full of dime and quarter boxes, I didn't have the time to spend digging through vintage dealers. And at the same time, it was becoming a losing proposition. When my needs are down to a couple key cards - Clemente, Stargell, Maz, or high numbers - for most sets, it wasn't worth spending 20 or 30 minutes rummaging through discount bins with the hopes of maybe finding one card I needed. At the same time, I'm still not ready to bite the bullet and pay for convenience. There are vintage dealers who have cards in numeric order, or have crisp copies neatly in binders. But the prices there match the card quality. Which is to say way more than I want to spend.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5umignDM-AuW3tP-UmR1epBNUCaVQlkDAmgs44_FZFh3FAvFv7DgIPEflqykWRHIAfoObuDkwBPHEFvgEgTjAdtpuIh9xYmmS9G2A18AUFrWJtEXKwL_v5nt4ehPeXWK6QTeWcma4mgu/s1600/1965+Topps+Willie+Stargell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5umignDM-AuW3tP-UmR1epBNUCaVQlkDAmgs44_FZFh3FAvFv7DgIPEflqykWRHIAfoObuDkwBPHEFvgEgTjAdtpuIh9xYmmS9G2A18AUFrWJtEXKwL_v5nt4ehPeXWK6QTeWcma4mgu/s320/1965+Topps+Willie+Stargell.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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Still, I was able to add a handful of vintage to the collection, including a small stack of Post cards for fifty cents to a dollar each. My big pickup was this 1965 Stargell for $2. It's seen better days, but give me a nice placeholder if/when I should ever want to upgrade.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg589DSb-AJwYrs1ZuBfrMvDb1R2bO0TITE1D0OjPWk9VzQSSandxWqtNKs4Rv7dqYMYn9jx5FImEq-cS8THwBwNpPDZeQ0aYIz45TT7PEw6QMza1NMkJyt8xBvPQpnTvod-j60lJSXf9/s1600/1954+Cal+Abrams+autograph+Bowman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvg589DSb-AJwYrs1ZuBfrMvDb1R2bO0TITE1D0OjPWk9VzQSSandxWqtNKs4Rv7dqYMYn9jx5FImEq-cS8THwBwNpPDZeQ0aYIz45TT7PEw6QMza1NMkJyt8xBvPQpnTvod-j60lJSXf9/s320/1954+Cal+Abrams+autograph+Bowman.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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My autograph luck also continued. I saw a dealer with a lot of autographs, including a two row box full of Pittsburgh stuff. But every time I walked by the table, someone was in the box. At one point I camped out looking through their other boxes, waiting for a guy to finish looking through. It was a two row with all the cards in toploaders - not something that should take all that long to go through. I looked through the other 8-10 boxes the dealer had out, and this guy - maybe in his late 50's and didn't look all that familiar with cards - was still slowly thumbing through the pile, stopping for 5-10 seconds to stare at each card. He was still in the first row. I probably spent half an hour at the table, patiently waiting. The guy finished the box and had a small stack of 5 or so cards pulled out. ...and then he went back and started going through the box all over again.<br /><br />Exasperated, I walked away to find another table to go through. Whatever treasure that box held wasn't worth losing any more valuable time at the show. A little later I saw the box open and swooped in. I mentioned to the dealer that I had been waiting for a couple hours to look through the box, but a guy had been going through the cards at glacial speed. The dealer said yeah, the guy put most of what he pulled back and bought one card for a couple bucks. He was looking in the box nearly an hour. Yikes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-scfCZj7-jkcI1vgI5zkwZmPo_Y8BRyjXxpwRAvHyuj5UhgI12zbObzaBQY35ZT1YTqvYCanT94I_D4p6yNTmujrYmPpvVxBLNYQWTlJ6a-16Qc29zxDmNK-Zf6lpqOhneJpS7gKoiNN/s1600/1973+Bob+Miller+Autograph+Topps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-scfCZj7-jkcI1vgI5zkwZmPo_Y8BRyjXxpwRAvHyuj5UhgI12zbObzaBQY35ZT1YTqvYCanT94I_D4p6yNTmujrYmPpvVxBLNYQWTlJ6a-16Qc29zxDmNK-Zf6lpqOhneJpS7gKoiNN/s320/1973+Bob+Miller+Autograph+Topps.jpg" width="227" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
But it was indeed worth the wait. The dealer was a fellow TTM collectors from Cleveland, and it was nice chatting about autographs. I ultimately was able to snag two signatures I needed at a great price. Cal Abrams died in 1997 and Bob Miller was a member of the '71 Pirates and died in a car crash in 1993. I paid $13 for the pair. The weekend additions puts me over 60% completion on autographs of Pirates who played from 1950-the present. Of course that includes most of the easy TTM signers and guys with certified autos, so it only gets tougher from here. Still, I was somewhat surprised to find I've made that much progress on the 1,000+ guys who have suited up for the team over that time.</div>
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But after a couple years of nearly being shut out on modern cards, the newer stuff was where most of my money went. And I was lucky to find deals a-plenty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhFBEimevL5_X16jsAyIFQ71gwMJ9RYDtoXunVR7bqII73va3w2ek6w1U6U1xDVfP9BFWa5yXsEkHExG9GmgO9gu_jHJfJLY3yitX-HI9tP5RYHWmWeCrlNXN7O9kSd7XtetPOJvSKWid/s1600/2009+Heritage+Andrew+McCutchen+RC+Rookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="700" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhFBEimevL5_X16jsAyIFQ71gwMJ9RYDtoXunVR7bqII73va3w2ek6w1U6U1xDVfP9BFWa5yXsEkHExG9GmgO9gu_jHJfJLY3yitX-HI9tP5RYHWmWeCrlNXN7O9kSd7XtetPOJvSKWid/s320/2009+Heritage+Andrew+McCutchen+RC+Rookie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This Andrew McCutchen Heritage rookie is the only card missing from my team set, and was an absolute steal at $1.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4F3686AxXynpHeCAR3abKOxM8Q3iFkZrYqlsnr40a8TYrRv7AQdmg01wfNoBgE6YEALrCa-SABc7PNugYq1SwKXLLP6b5PIroec48ocy4GgZ-MB9iG_BFyYKCEMkmZUWsbj-z7lHyc_J/s1600/Andrew+McCutchen+Optic+Pink+Donruss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4F3686AxXynpHeCAR3abKOxM8Q3iFkZrYqlsnr40a8TYrRv7AQdmg01wfNoBgE6YEALrCa-SABc7PNugYq1SwKXLLP6b5PIroec48ocy4GgZ-MB9iG_BFyYKCEMkmZUWsbj-z7lHyc_J/s320/Andrew+McCutchen+Optic+Pink+Donruss.jpg" width="229" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTvpHS6mBJn3YLqOKz_zclodcbHR5g3_7CqG4Bsra19-x5KySMcGRPlZgsHpN1TyZLnMwT-tAgXtvY_7aV8LkfRTn2bljBFdtNb11G9i_qeMK7PiF9c8pIaK-Lp2GD92QWNK2y0Q72-YF/s1600/Andrew+McCutchen+All+Star+Game+Minnesota+Topps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOTvpHS6mBJn3YLqOKz_zclodcbHR5g3_7CqG4Bsra19-x5KySMcGRPlZgsHpN1TyZLnMwT-tAgXtvY_7aV8LkfRTn2bljBFdtNb11G9i_qeMK7PiF9c8pIaK-Lp2GD92QWNK2y0Q72-YF/s320/Andrew+McCutchen+All+Star+Game+Minnesota+Topps.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
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A couple less stellar seasons may not have been great for Cutch, but it's been a boost to my collection. Even commons had been hard to come across the last few years. But this year, Cutch was out in full force. I was able to snag a nice stack of Donruss Optic refractors of various colors from one dealer all for $.25-.50. And I've always had a sweet spot for All-Star game giveaway cards. For $1 I was thrilled to knock one off my want list that I had been after for some time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kGi1EOE29P_t0-cJUvEaHmTMfkYLk5-ZPB7oxfphgx-ZCnegSIAjScbDLWEGSfe1HLRH7fx7ICXYfg6VSeFVpPEn6-d2-LUOwAuE8SnBMhgoomOjYQeTShTcmHYYQ4ktCUdGbhjwhlFO/s1600/Frank+Thomas+1998+Upper+Deck+autograph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kGi1EOE29P_t0-cJUvEaHmTMfkYLk5-ZPB7oxfphgx-ZCnegSIAjScbDLWEGSfe1HLRH7fx7ICXYfg6VSeFVpPEn6-d2-LUOwAuE8SnBMhgoomOjYQeTShTcmHYYQ4ktCUdGbhjwhlFO/s320/Frank+Thomas+1998+Upper+Deck+autograph.jpg" width="223" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSDJySVkFdpZKg6LkR4QJq63_NkZPmHhCy7Q4J7oWZIqMecpKSGQCVqxVqPnYOgKXh1ZS7AV34OeKZrU_TwYMH9kR4vqQiQGSMabhKPNYxNq-XD8DbxUIck1CeyirYKwWHdJunZPdkXEH/s1600/Kevin+Newman+autograph+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="518" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSDJySVkFdpZKg6LkR4QJq63_NkZPmHhCy7Q4J7oWZIqMecpKSGQCVqxVqPnYOgKXh1ZS7AV34OeKZrU_TwYMH9kR4vqQiQGSMabhKPNYxNq-XD8DbxUIck1CeyirYKwWHdJunZPdkXEH/s320/Kevin+Newman+autograph+red.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
I usually stick to non-hits at shows. Unless it's a $1 or $2 box, buying autos and game used cards at shows is usually a losing proposition in this area. You're usually paying a local markup that is at least 25% above ebay. But with some non-local dealers in town it opened up some opportunities. While I already have a couple Frank Thomas autographs in my collection, I loved Upper Deck's late 90's autograph sets. And Kevin Newman is likely going to be the Pirates starting SS sometime between now and next season, so for $3 a rookie auto /25 seemed like a worthwhile pickup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEMaoPVyUGkHpJEWz1HUiUHz75FaDX-zYoQUr40NCqseYLOQi8-MoSc634m60jPEAs5LGzcLNnT8tD9v7y9-O8Vr9CWryp2PA8TU9dYRD2AFBob9orNc1pjnIAxfV3TTmoBySeAPRCuVv/s1600/Pirates+Topps+jersey+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="748" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEMaoPVyUGkHpJEWz1HUiUHz75FaDX-zYoQUr40NCqseYLOQi8-MoSc634m60jPEAs5LGzcLNnT8tD9v7y9-O8Vr9CWryp2PA8TU9dYRD2AFBob9orNc1pjnIAxfV3TTmoBySeAPRCuVv/s320/Pirates+Topps+jersey+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And one of my favorite pickups of the weekend was this triple jersey card. I know jersey cards are far out of favor these days, but I guess there's a little bit of making up for lost time here. When jersey cards were at their peak in the early 00's, the Pirates were nowhere to be found. So many beautiful multi-players cards were released, and every time I would check the checklist hoping for a Pirate card. And they almost never existed. So for $3, this was a nice trip back to my mid 2000's collecting heyday. <br /><br />It was a great two days for me and my collection. I added a lot of new cards, but also had the most fun at a show that I've had in a long time. I'll probably be laying pretty low when it comes to card buying until the National this summer. But the sorting and organizing on all the cards I picked up over the last few days should keep me occupied until then anyway.</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-79382585333926900902018-05-21T10:14:00.000-04:002018-05-21T10:14:18.206-04:00A Weekend at the Card Show: It's All About Relationships<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCISijygSzn3Z88-N5UxqhiBKGvJZkmfZqNR8khid8m-DH79byrmFjM7ujrzfz5zj0CQUb2oFbRckIxTK27CKSE-d8mOhyO7Z4bNUq2EneYX6P3g260ovET70Q_vE3cq7vZxusxh8-k4cH/s1600/Scan+2018-5-21+0002-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCISijygSzn3Z88-N5UxqhiBKGvJZkmfZqNR8khid8m-DH79byrmFjM7ujrzfz5zj0CQUb2oFbRckIxTK27CKSE-d8mOhyO7Z4bNUq2EneYX6P3g260ovET70Q_vE3cq7vZxusxh8-k4cH/s320/Scan+2018-5-21+0002-6.jpg" width="227" /></a>I just had the best two days of card show buying that I've had in a long, long time. As I mentioned in my last post, the annual big Pittsburgh show had become increasingly vintage heavy over the last couple years. Well, fortunately that trend headed in the other direction this year. <br /><br />While it was still lacking in some areas when it came to hot recent releases like Bowman, there was a wide selection of dime boxes and mid-end cards that were right up my alley. I'll have a couple more broad recap posts coming up over the next few days.<br />
<br />But today I wanted to drill down a little further on why I love going to card shows to much: the people.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I'm well aware this hobby has more than its fair share of scammers, obnoxious 12 year olds bragging about how much their collection is "worth," used car salesmen, and grumpy old men insistent that a card is worth its sale price circa 1992. But there are also a lot of friendly, genuine people who share common interests in sports, cards, and who knows what else.<br /><br />My favorite purchases of the weekend came directly from striking up conversations with dealers. <br /><br />I'm a naturally chatty person. If I'm going to spend 30 minutes to an hour standing at a table, neck hunched down killing my neck and back while going through box after box of dime cards, you can sure as hell bet I'm not doing it in silence.<br /><br />I know many collectors have the approach that dealers are just there to total you up and take your cash at the end of the transaction. But I like to strike up a conversation, and most dealers seem to be the same way. After all, if you're spending the weekend standing around the same table all weekend, leaving only to occasionally run to the bathroom, a little friendly conversation is probably welcomed.<br /><br />With the venue change from a university out by the airport to a convention center on the complete other end of town, I was genuinely interested in how traffic was for the dealers compared to years past.<br /><br />I stopped by the table of one dealers who I have known from shows going back over a decade. In the mid 2000's he always the best selection of Pirates inserts and autos, and would always have some Jack Wilson cards I needed. He opened a shop a few years back, the local shows fell apart, and I haven't bought from him much since just out of circumstance rather than anything intentional. He had some stuff out of current Pirates, but nothing that caught my eye. I asked if he had anything else with him that wasn't out.<br /><br />After rifling around in some boxes, he pulled out a couple small stacks and some random binder pages, saying there probably wasn't anything great there but I was welcome to take a look.<br />
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He was wrong. I asked for a price on this Giles auto. He said $3. Even with the lazy initials autograph (remember when Donruss would have the players write nicknames or random stuff on stickers and then use those for the low numbered cards? Yeah, this is what you get. BG. Very creative, Brian.) The Bay black frame at the top of the post /25? $1.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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I also did find one card from his boxes that were out. Everything was half book, so a little on the high side. This Andy LaRoche auto is one I haven't seen before, so at $4 it was the same price as two much better cards of much better players. But late 00's Upper Deck had some wonky print runs that were rarely announced. And if I haven't seen the card before, odds are it's pretty uncommon. <br /><br />I was thrilled with the prices, and very happy to add the cards to my collection. But having dealers who know you, remember what you collect, and will give you a good price to move things they know you want, but you also may be the only buyer for? You can't get that on ebay or COMC. It was nice to chat about the local card scene, the lack of shows, and pick up three cards that may have been my favorite pickups of the show.<br /><br />May have been.<br /><br />Because I also bought these.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5QZxfThtGfO48iWzHfUufZ-pBhUmWDp1ISyX4RiGu6kb0uSxLRxCgEiwFmtZwt3OkS5AmkI8HaGWNdbfJmH6Ryys6_IXyVYKQaXfNvRjHA_GMI7eQ2MVeiWIAXUTNzhI9n3m8vktgG7q/s1600/Scan+2018-5-21+0002-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="466" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5QZxfThtGfO48iWzHfUufZ-pBhUmWDp1ISyX4RiGu6kb0uSxLRxCgEiwFmtZwt3OkS5AmkI8HaGWNdbfJmH6Ryys6_IXyVYKQaXfNvRjHA_GMI7eQ2MVeiWIAXUTNzhI9n3m8vktgG7q/s320/Scan+2018-5-21+0002-1.jpg" width="226" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9eAv92Aa6HUlyQDfmVmzcRVzdal2YEKeI4LnZCrNYo5RBZgxYG2lI_Wi7qAUKUAgOqUB8Z7ZZ0Rd49DdWnYLPkqdKNP2-b_Tzku64XHfTSUZ9OwEVL-h2fGQ-3prUr3YzARTsDDfNZCq/s1600/Scan+2018-5-21+0002-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9eAv92Aa6HUlyQDfmVmzcRVzdal2YEKeI4LnZCrNYo5RBZgxYG2lI_Wi7qAUKUAgOqUB8Z7ZZ0Rd49DdWnYLPkqdKNP2-b_Tzku64XHfTSUZ9OwEVL-h2fGQ-3prUr3YzARTsDDfNZCq/s320/Scan+2018-5-21+0002-3.jpg" width="228" /></a><br />I was looking over a dealer's table. He had some nice vintage out of my price range, and a small binder of 70's and 80's autographs for $1-2. As I flipped through, he asked if I was looking for anything particular. I said I was looking for Pirates, but it looked like most of what he had had already been sold. I had picked out a Glenn Wilson auto for $1, and explained to him that I'm working on getting autographs of every Pirate who played for the Bucs from the end of WWII to the present.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wilson has a few Pirate cards, but they seem to be tough to find signed. We chatted for a few minutes about autographs. He's from Toledo, about an hour north of where I had lived in Lima. Apparently years before we moved out there he did shows in Lima that were among the best in the area, but the card scene was dead when I lived there.<br /><br />In the middle of our conversation, he said "Hold on." and turned around to grab a box. It was a 800 count box of autographs. He said he hadn't priced them out yet, but I seemed like an actual collector so pull out anything I needed and he'd give me a good price.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JFiHRmfeCxI5ZySpmJ0kqHfW6Vg0mRqzyulAy0fdx0LDPfXsKeqT4vSAZTdYRBVHtXqj9qAZfRAfgKl5uuTl1baZwZBTtXC4Aqe41pvQZRFW7mVK-cO9pKf9VIUq4rVaSYj1lLOKtYeZ/s1600/Scan+2018-5-21+0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5JFiHRmfeCxI5ZySpmJ0kqHfW6Vg0mRqzyulAy0fdx0LDPfXsKeqT4vSAZTdYRBVHtXqj9qAZfRAfgKl5uuTl1baZwZBTtXC4Aqe41pvQZRFW7mVK-cO9pKf9VIUq4rVaSYj1lLOKtYeZ/s320/Scan+2018-5-21+0002.jpg" width="231" /></a><br /><br />I found four autographs I needed. All of these guys are Latin American players who are very tough signatures to get. One of the big draws of the show for me had been that Mario Mendoza was signing. He's been an autograph I have wanted to add for quite a while, but his signing prices are a little higher than I wanted to pay for mail-in signings. But since he was at the show I was going to bite the bullet and pay $15 for an auto. <br /><br />I asked what the prices were for the 4 cards. He said $15. The dealer knew what he had, knew Mendoza was signing at the show for $15 for one signature. But instead I was able to add 4 tough autos, including Mendoza, for that price. And I don't think any of that could or would have happened if I had just stood there silently looking through cards, handed the guy a dollar for the Wilson, and walked off.<br /><br />It was a great show, and I added a couple hundred new Pirate cards. But I had so many great conversations with dealers. I talked with two guys from Delaware and Philly about shows out there and the crazy prices for Eagles players autos post-Super Bowl. I talked with a lady who grew up right down the road from my house, and who apparently used to cut out of school to smoke not far from my back yard. For all the frustrations in this hobby, for the greed and the dollar-chasing, there are some really interesting people. It was fun spending two days going through boxes and adding some wonderful cards to my collection. But I really loved discussing collecting with others who have the same interests. Next time you're at a show or flea market, chat up the dealer. You never know what gems they might have sitting behind the table.<br />
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-44430184244901942072018-05-17T20:10:00.003-04:002018-05-17T20:10:33.912-04:00The Calm Before the Show<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This weekend is the big annual Pittsburgh card show. The hobby pulse has been stagnating in this area for quite some time, so having one good sized show a year is about all we have going. But this year the show is moving from its usual location at one of the local universities to a mid-sized convention center on the other side of Pittsburgh. Some of the hub-bub I've heard from dealers is they aren't sure if there will be as many dealers this year, or how the turnout will be.<br /><br />I guess time will tell. I spent some time this week running through my vintage needs. One of the great things about my recent conversion to Trading Card Database is that I'll be able to easily and conveniently snag my needs lists on my phone. In past years I have tried using my Excel list in Google Sheets or pulling up my collection website to check needs, but TCDB should be significantly easier to navigate and read through to spot what cards I'm missing.<br /><br />But there is one little problem. Over the last few years the show has become increasingly vintage heavy. Like to the point that only a handful of dealers have any modern at all. We're talking about a show that has a couple hundred tables, not your local mall show with 30 tables. And of that handful, about half are guys with high end stuff. Graded cards, Steeler autos, etc. Nice cards. Not my speed.<br /><br />It's still a good show, and I've found some great additions to my collection. But my haul gets smaller and smaller every year. <br /><br />I really enjoy vintage cards. But my issue is that I just need one. One copy. I don't really care about condition, or centering. I just want a copy that will fill the page in my binder. If I can find an upgrade down the road, great. But I'm not someone that will spend hours scouring 6 different dealers looking for a PSA 6 copy of some 1964 common. I'll grab my copy for $.50 with slightly soft corners or a little paper loss on the back and call it mission complete.<br /><br />The show has been great for building my vintage team sets. I remember a time when my Pirates vintage collection consisted of 5 or 6 cards. I'm now close to complete team sets from 1953 on up, only missing some high dollar Clemente and Stargells and some of the dreaded high numbers.<br /><br />My formula is pretty simple. My first priority is nice, strong colors. If a card has good color and no issues with the print job, that trumps any other glaring issues. I also try to avoid noticeable creases. Soft corners really don't bother me. The sharper the better, obviously. But if a card has great colors and rough corners, it's still a winner in my book. It's not foolproof, but I've been able to build pretty nice looking vintage team sets without paying more than $3/card for anyone but Clemente. Most of the 60's commons have been bought for $.50 or lower, and around $1/card for the 50's cards.<br /><br />I love collecting on a budget, and seeing what the nicest copy I can get for my money will be. But after years of chasing my team sets, it's losing its appeal. After all, my team sets are nearly complete. Years past, I could spend half an hour digging through a dealer's discount vintage box and find some real gems for my collection. But now there may only be one or two cards I need in that box. Is it still worth the half hour? I'm sure there are collectors who come back year after year to the same vintage dealers, upgrading this card or that or starting a new set. But for me? My vintage race is just about run. So let's hope the rest of the show carries its weight.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to seeing what I can come up with for myself and hopefully grab some goodies for my trading pals. After all, the show only comes once a year.</div>
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-72208581057135891792018-05-10T10:37:00.003-04:002018-05-10T10:37:35.325-04:00Catching Up On Mail: An Unexpected Prize from the Astrodome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS65sA5O_TI2pf4_pTa9g8rEeG06qTlUuwY4_BuifPt4fT7hcrjIDgizcDXLV6rjvKVwMcP6eI7TvH2r6BXW-nJf73AykIsf8oDWefKA7PhlLzCjN3QFtBhZdUxpRStw6WERlfZdfgRJr/s1600/Hostess+Bill+Mazeroski.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="792" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS65sA5O_TI2pf4_pTa9g8rEeG06qTlUuwY4_BuifPt4fT7hcrjIDgizcDXLV6rjvKVwMcP6eI7TvH2r6BXW-nJf73AykIsf8oDWefKA7PhlLzCjN3QFtBhZdUxpRStw6WERlfZdfgRJr/s320/Hostess+Bill+Mazeroski.jpg" width="320" /></a>It's been a lot of fun being back to blogging, actively talking about collecting on <a href="https://twitter.com/battlinbucs">Twitter</a>, and exchanging packages with my Team Collector pals. But it also threw me back into the one part of collecting I had repressed: mail avalanches.<br /><br />There has been a steady stream of packages coming in. And I haven't had time to properly thank the senders, let alone get through the cataloging and sorting that needs to happen.<br /><br />And my process has become a little more complicated recently. Following some twitter exchanges, I followed some good collecting advice and checked out Trading Card Database. I remember taking a look at both TCDB and Zistle years ago, probably around 2013 when I first started blogging.<br /><br />The checklists were still very much a work in progress. But at the time I loved Zistle's clean layout, collector community, and ease of uploading cards to their database. I dabbled with it, adding a few thousand cards, but never jumping in the deep end.<br /><br />And I assume you know where things went from there. Beckett has ruined many a good thing in this hobby. But taking a second look at TCDB, I found the checklists were a lot more developed than my last visit. Duh, five years will do that. And the checkbox feature to add cards is incredibly easy. While it's not the prettiest site in the world, I've been adding cards. I'm around 8,000 of my 18,000 Pirates. And while I still have some reservations about the site - tracking cards I don't count like Hawaii Trade Show and Chicago Sun Times that were just re-stamped base cards, and the always looming threat of legal action -I love the idea of being to easily build and manage a needs list.<br />
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But I'm still maintaining my Excel database of my collection. I have a program that exports my Excel collection into webpages for my collection website. So it's almost unavoidable that I'll need to double enter new additions. Not a problem, unless the new additions back up as they have now.<br /><br />I got a surprise package from Bru from <a href="http://remembertheastrodome.blogspot.com/">Remember the Astrodome</a>. I had <a href="http://battlinbucs.blogspot.com/2018/03/a-supersized-mail-day.html">won a little contest</a> a couple months back, and was blown away when he sent some great oversized cards that were completely unknown to me. Well little did I know apparently that was just part 1. I got another, unexpected, package in the mail a couple weeks later filled with standard sized cards for part two of the prize. But the contents were far from standard.<br /><br />Bru sent a loaded package with some great cards. My favorites by far were the Mazeroski Post and Topps Embossed he sent. I'm a little jealous of other bloggers when I see their show or flea market hauls. They almost always seem to include vintage Topps oddball sets, Post cards, or Kellogg's 3D sets. I'm not sure if it had to do with regional distribution or just plain old bad luck, but those sets seem nearly impossible to come across in this area. <br />
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I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen Kellogg's cards at shows in this area over the past 15 years. When some of the bigger national vintage dealers roll through town I do occasionally come across Post cards. But they aren't that common around here, and seem to be a distant afterthought behind Topps cards for many collectors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf3VhkyLAWOPVY-HOEFWToRdq-FnzMpCre1m96SZ5YL5sHG2hUubdGCuY3CqeYSEo6OE836zT-CImexLG8mNpQRu6yJieafm05iLtC0_uB_LH8Wp3YH7FJL5jLFwwKhjmF6lNOZXtqj_Z/s1600/2014+Topps+Walmart+Blue+Border+Charlie+Morton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="522" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf3VhkyLAWOPVY-HOEFWToRdq-FnzMpCre1m96SZ5YL5sHG2hUubdGCuY3CqeYSEo6OE836zT-CImexLG8mNpQRu6yJieafm05iLtC0_uB_LH8Wp3YH7FJL5jLFwwKhjmF6lNOZXtqj_Z/s320/2014+Topps+Walmart+Blue+Border+Charlie+Morton.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
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More than anything, that circulation of cardboard is what I enjoy about being reconnected with my collecting network. There are so many great cards out there, but it's all about being in the right place at the right time. When I lived in Ohio there was a dealer who would regularly have entire boxes of Topps red and blue parallels. I had no trouble building my 2013 team set and grabbing lots of extras for other collectors. The guy had the damn things out for a dime a piece. How could I not?<br /><br />But since then? I never see them. Dealers don't bust large quantities of retail in this area, so this Charlie Morton may be my first from the 2014 set.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTEpfs99isbE2z4XHKYL4-UHrkv72pgNvSH5YzousEar3Y-WJqGzL7ttF9MlXPEwD62pXZpis6ZT5U28BV5CzD1PWFvABlL6uIaIjkTpsuX0A3UbmQswnCHiI5uJWFhL3ujuBSVKqxOElj/s1600/SPx+Steve+Pearce+Auto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="786" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTEpfs99isbE2z4XHKYL4-UHrkv72pgNvSH5YzousEar3Y-WJqGzL7ttF9MlXPEwD62pXZpis6ZT5U28BV5CzD1PWFvABlL6uIaIjkTpsuX0A3UbmQswnCHiI5uJWFhL3ujuBSVKqxOElj/s320/SPx+Steve+Pearce+Auto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Bru sent a great stack of game used and auto cards. I loved Upper Deck's sets circa 2006-2008. While it wasn't the most inspired work ever, they had huge auto checklists of basically every rookie imaginable. Sure, some of the autos were total duds. But it was nice to see every team have 3-5 players signing throughout the year. It's something that I've appreciated more with time as Topps continues to churn out the same limited auto subjects set after set. The Pirates are rarely even represented on auto checklists, and if they are it's the same handful of guys who have been popping up for the past 5 years.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m1cfEqBZUCBdrNf-ysVtc5-ck1_3PvJdc1q3L2zLhCFv7XP6NyDC_uBvJ7vCNzQPNvGtujqd3_46OUTApoDW81-QpO398f4tePr9dWtjjtFcFMWqdencoBmwLB483hqQH9DpNVmyT3VM/s1600/Swell+Smoky+Burgess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0m1cfEqBZUCBdrNf-ysVtc5-ck1_3PvJdc1q3L2zLhCFv7XP6NyDC_uBvJ7vCNzQPNvGtujqd3_46OUTApoDW81-QpO398f4tePr9dWtjjtFcFMWqdencoBmwLB483hqQH9DpNVmyT3VM/s320/Swell+Smoky+Burgess.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
So a big thanks to Bru for the great prize packages. If you'll excuse me I need to spend some time this evening digging out from cardboard mountain.<br />
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-31103407193922329422018-05-08T15:54:00.001-04:002018-05-08T15:54:47.272-04:00Kicking Off Flea Market Season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEnr9PfGQ0tCLBsrsO2KI5-Knvo7iVjz3KRSX4enqvwP8ybZ3rG3VOc8JKWy0cHL0hugrXXrEP43BL5hSWaRFNo_SMR61awshh5fcvyWkso66EMxcu_667klTpumdVZMHBVwxMo0Om3aL/s1600/496.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEnr9PfGQ0tCLBsrsO2KI5-Knvo7iVjz3KRSX4enqvwP8ybZ3rG3VOc8JKWy0cHL0hugrXXrEP43BL5hSWaRFNo_SMR61awshh5fcvyWkso66EMxcu_667klTpumdVZMHBVwxMo0Om3aL/s400/496.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="text-align: left;">Saturday turned into my lame adult version of a whirlwind adventure. I headed to bed pretty down Friday over a job offer that fell through due to some shady behind the scenes politics. Saturday was Free Comic Book Day, and for the past 6 years it's been an annual tradition that we would go to a store south of Pittsburgh and meet up with a couple of my good friends from my time in Morgantown.</span></div>
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But Kate was in Chicago playing roller derby, and our West Virginia friends were in New York City for the weekend. I had made tentative plans earlier in the week with my old roommate from college to go to FCBD, but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to feel up to doing much of anything when I woke up on Saturday.</div>
<br />I woke up Saturday feeling about how I expected, but figured moping around the house alone all day wasn't going to do much good. So off to the comic store it was. I wouldn't exactly call myself a comic book person. I'm certainly not a collector, and just about the only single issues I own are the ones I've gotten on free comic book days. But I enjoy reading the collected editions. I enjoy some of the great sci-fi and horror comics out there, moreso than most of the superhero stuff. But as a proper English nerd, I love good storytelling. And comics open up some really interesting opportunities that just aren't there when you're working with just text. <br /><br />Plus I like supporting local businesses. So my friend met me at the house around 10 and we headed off to the comic store. As always it was a great time. From what I've read, many comic stores let visitors pick one, two, or three free books. The books are free to customers, but there's still cost involved for the stores. And I suppose they don't want to be spending money on the many kids and casual readers who come out of the woodwork on FCBD. But the store we always go to, Pittsburgh Comics, lets you take anything you'd like and puts out a lot of other promotional books in additional to the free comic day titles. It's been a great way for me to discoverother titles I'm interested in, and the extra effort the store puts into FCBD to go above and beyond makes me happy to shop there year throughout the year. In addition to the free books, I was able to get some great buy 2 get 1 free deals that made for an awesome day.<br /><br />So you're probably wondering where the flea market ties in here. We were headed back home after a great time at the comic store when I asked if my friend had ever been to the flea market that's a few exits away from the comic store. He hadn't. We were a good 20 minutes in the opposite direction, but what are two guys with nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon to do? We headed to the flea market.<br /><br />The weather was beautiful, but it was past noon by the time we pulled in. From the parking lot I could see vendors already packing up or already driving away. A rushed walk though didn't yield anything of interest for either of us. But there's also an indoor section of vendors. Many were already tarped over and closed up, but I spotted one card vendor. I headed over to a box while my friend keyed in on some boxes of records the guy had.<br /><br />My haul wasn't nearly as impressive as my takeaway from the comic store, but I was happy to add some new cardboard.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKS0tQW8douIOihcyYClDEJsVo3BGYBQ1cmZMwL2h2oL-dl2lPyKzvPe41G_Y93QWHr8HnJQeslhLgMHC101S2zDlnXwd41qizvMEKkhB6FQ7AIUxcdMcOoSnoepX7X6-lA6vjDuUfpAB3/s1600/5%253A8-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="482" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKS0tQW8douIOihcyYClDEJsVo3BGYBQ1cmZMwL2h2oL-dl2lPyKzvPe41G_Y93QWHr8HnJQeslhLgMHC101S2zDlnXwd41qizvMEKkhB6FQ7AIUxcdMcOoSnoepX7X6-lA6vjDuUfpAB3/s320/5%253A8-5.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
The gem was this Chris Duffy 2002 Traded black refractor. Pirate black and gold refractors always look great, and the 2002 design may be my favorite. The 2002 Pirates traded set was prospect heavy, and the Pirates had some surprisingly decent players in it. Chris Duffy is the last of the significant rookies I needed. I already have black refractors of Ryan Doumit and Jose Bautista (which I got long before he became a homer hitting machine), so it was nice to complete the trio.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDzfPmOiYGBH_hM-k_qer3R2Ft11tMd3juebOYkC2g9A00ENDmWrwJrjcC-7YlBl-1X_KEkK8Qz-DXiTJcR8Yoz90Jvui-T-mON4u3XhyphenhyphensUZ9Ug2wZlkTgnrv-NqVPsnqLeoY0FjSS8uV/s1600/5%253A8-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="704" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDzfPmOiYGBH_hM-k_qer3R2Ft11tMd3juebOYkC2g9A00ENDmWrwJrjcC-7YlBl-1X_KEkK8Qz-DXiTJcR8Yoz90Jvui-T-mON4u3XhyphenhyphensUZ9Ug2wZlkTgnrv-NqVPsnqLeoY0FjSS8uV/s320/5%253A8-4.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
What really drew me in was spotting cards I had never seen before. It always amazes me when I see a card I didn't know existed. I've been pretty involved in the hobby going back to the late 90's, and obsessively collecting Pirates since the early 2000's. So what I see a card for the first time, it's an interesting experience. <br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOwiOAV67wPaYAr8cOggi_E_-XzMIejj4knUQf8W-oz6VHVTsMRwMxR9LsWN6nc_K10Vr7Zckoe-vO3-R57rgYBy_kqafHRTLy7WL0sZB0JAp9brBOI-f2sFo60TtbXU0p07VgM3XS_NI/s1600/Stuart+Bread+Johnny+Ray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1083" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOwiOAV67wPaYAr8cOggi_E_-XzMIejj4knUQf8W-oz6VHVTsMRwMxR9LsWN6nc_K10Vr7Zckoe-vO3-R57rgYBy_kqafHRTLy7WL0sZB0JAp9brBOI-f2sFo60TtbXU0p07VgM3XS_NI/s320/Stuart+Bread+Johnny+Ray.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't mean have never seen a copy. I mean full on "huh, never knew that set existed" sort of way. The Classic Clippings die cut insert is really cool.<br /><br />And the other cards are apparently from a Stuart bread release that came as a tri-panel card. Jim Morrison is the third in the set, though he didn't make the scan. It's my first time coming across either set, so they're welcome additions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4706Cz0LMlKlVGWpJBHZKBfdurfWhCfWLBOvZjTcxoTA1Y6x-dFHwvUPe3qEmk4S5nAeFxZzXv5hXhfcp4t9q-YCn3-U6VL9n-1F-Zovhb7fwKE_vlQn977ufrjSNS8U0VkIEWkt2e8s/s1600/2001+Studio+Brian+Giles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4706Cz0LMlKlVGWpJBHZKBfdurfWhCfWLBOvZjTcxoTA1Y6x-dFHwvUPe3qEmk4S5nAeFxZzXv5hXhfcp4t9q-YCn3-U6VL9n-1F-Zovhb7fwKE_vlQn977ufrjSNS8U0VkIEWkt2e8s/s320/2001+Studio+Brian+Giles.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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2001 Studio is a set I opened a few packs of in various repacks back in the day. But I have one lone card from the set - the Jack Wilson rookie, which was nearly impossible to find. It's a great design, so it was nice to find a base card.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVgebCfDEGJVTQU3JSJus-oSqxQQ1_ISuew0F3_o-4Gebw9OtpAtGRyltaWAKjZ4XHa_fIceaTxS-XvrCX1eoLY2GbnnNiSCXN8tms46P05Xu8_k-1g9pE4FlMdGQcj2tuPRuYw2ALNkl/s1600/5%253A8-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVgebCfDEGJVTQU3JSJus-oSqxQQ1_ISuew0F3_o-4Gebw9OtpAtGRyltaWAKjZ4XHa_fIceaTxS-XvrCX1eoLY2GbnnNiSCXN8tms46P05Xu8_k-1g9pE4FlMdGQcj2tuPRuYw2ALNkl/s320/5%253A8-9.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB72EcVuO_mT3-oKKv0GLC2DwJSoGRhhEZfq7LtRAhOMrY8c9hLtEo0xzVD-Io_lngaS4SdkW0G2MnL_18m7CvpWfzmM2mY0IXs69YRVMWLT2AijLQKw-xzIIdaSk3TnkQQab5HHPDTtZG/s1600/5%253A8-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="452" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB72EcVuO_mT3-oKKv0GLC2DwJSoGRhhEZfq7LtRAhOMrY8c9hLtEo0xzVD-Io_lngaS4SdkW0G2MnL_18m7CvpWfzmM2mY0IXs69YRVMWLT2AijLQKw-xzIIdaSk3TnkQQab5HHPDTtZG/s320/5%253A8-3.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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For whatever reason, this particular flea market seems to be the go-to place for oddball cards. I've seen quite a few different cards there that either were completely unknown to me or are typically tough to find. The Giles card is apparently a Post Cereal insert from 2003 that I had never seen, and the Doumit is from a 2009 Topps Attax product I didn't know existed. It's always fun to expand my hobby knowledge.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37H4McajzKkQrCexRaLfwjMPNu-RnK19Ld_Gau1AZNiQKSNPiJtvvKk0fcWu8mmmddY-I2V2uIMsoV6xeBhYsBWKaK0Clr03RQa7dZyOwV9YKkz9EcFM9J2-wWIAe_G0LBueWagTvTwO8/s1600/2008+Topps+Chrome+Jason+Bay+XFractor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37H4McajzKkQrCexRaLfwjMPNu-RnK19Ld_Gau1AZNiQKSNPiJtvvKk0fcWu8mmmddY-I2V2uIMsoV6xeBhYsBWKaK0Clr03RQa7dZyOwV9YKkz9EcFM9J2-wWIAe_G0LBueWagTvTwO8/s320/2008+Topps+Chrome+Jason+Bay+XFractor.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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My haul was pretty modest. I spent $7 at the flea market, and came home to discover that of the 25 dime cards I snagged I already owned 13 of them. Oops. My friend did a lot better, grabbing a nice stack of vinyl and a couple of Moby cassette tapes. Apparently cassettes are an underappreciated format in his eyes. I'm not quite sold on that argument, but we were both happy campers.<br /><br />It was a slow start to flea market season, but for a day I hadn't actually planned on going to a flea market it was a great start. I'm looking forward to getting out there in the next couple weeks and being able to spend a little more time. But overall it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning and afternoon.</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-82278687475793906142018-05-07T13:12:00.002-04:002018-05-07T13:12:35.703-04:00The Evolution of COMC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In case you weren't aware, COMC is running their annual Spring Cleaning sale. And if you weren't aware, welcome to the club. I happened to come across information that the sale was taking place on pure happenstance. I've recently jumped on the Trading Card Database bandwagon to add my Pirates collection. There are some errors in the team tags, and in order to get editing ability I needed to make a forum post to prove I wasn't one of the feared internet robots. So I hopped over to their forum and noticed the most recent thread was "COMC Spring Cleaning Sale Next Week."<br /><br />I found it funny, because the day before I had checked COMC to see if they had announced anything. The Spring Cleaning sale has been a bit of a moving target. Usually it's in the Spring. One year I think they forgot about it and it ended up happening in mid-June. Had I not seen that thread on a forum that I will likely not visit again, I probably would have missed it completely. I don't frequent Blowout or FCB these days. I'm plenty active on twitter, but tweets can be easily missed. And COMC did send out an email, but I registered under an old email account I rarely check.<br /><br />But the bigger point - one of their two major annual promotions is taking place, and it seemed to get announced quietly with little advance warning. I've been buying on COMC since 2010, and it's still my primary go-to for online card buying.<br /><br />But the COMC I see today is a lot different than the site I first joined. Late last night I loaded $20 onto my account and primed for shopping. That's usually enough to get me started and grab the best bargains before flippers snap them up. Then I'll add more funds as needed throughout the sale. But that $20? It usually lasts me through 45 minutes of searching and buying. As I sit here typing at 1pm, 13 hours after the sale went live, I spent $12. And that's after searching for Pirates, Steelers, Pens, 2000 refractors, 2001 Donruss cards, 2000 Ultimate Victory, 2005 Zenith, and a whole host of player collections.<br /><br />All that. And a handful of purchases. And if you follow this blog, you know I'm not exactly a picky buyer.<br /><br />But I am a low end buyer. And when I first joined COMC, that was the place to be. I scooped up hundreds of low end autos, cheap serial numbered cards, and other treasured additions that much of the mainstream hobby probably considers "junk." And as a team collector and proud dime box digger, that's the heart and soul of my collection.<br /><br />At the time, COMC's fee structure encouraged people to send in large batches of cards that would be considered worthless. They ran submission specials frequently, would give people store credit on their first submission, and submission rates worked out to somewhere around $.10 per card if I'm remembering correctly. Not hard to turn a small profit with little work.<br /><br />Times change. Fees get raised. I get all that. But it also seems like the nature of what gets submitted has changed, particularly as COMC has worked in Amazon and Ebay integration. Where recently submitted cards used to be akin to what I'd find in a quarter or fifty cent box, as I scroll through COMC many of the cards are the higher end variety that used to be ebay-only. Now sellers can get their cards listed across platforms without doing much work. It makes sense, it does. Send your card off to COMC, they do the heavy lifting, and you can set your price as sky high as you want waiting for it to sell. But that's not my collection. Those cards don't interest me.<br /><br />It's just one more space I feel squeezed out of as a collector. Go to a show, at least in this area, and you're likely to see two types of cards - high end modern and vintage. Again, it makes sense. That's where the interest is, and that's where the money is. Ironically, that accounts for just a small percentage of cards that get produced. Seeing COMC following the same route is disappointing. <br /><br />The blame can't be heaped on COMC explicitly. After all, they're just the venue for sellers. If sellers would rather submit high end than low and mid end cards, it is what it is. But there are certainly ways to encourage wider submissions. And things like throwing up a major sale with little warning can definitely account for the small percentage of sellers participating in this year's Spring Cleaning.<br /><br />I'm having more fun collecting than I have in years. But it can be tough to feel like I'm not swimming upstream against the hobby current sometimes. Oh, and if you weren't aware, check out the COMC sales. Hopefully you have better luck than I did.</div>
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-34905645724655334122018-05-04T10:00:00.000-04:002018-05-04T10:00:08.190-04:00Turning Ahead the Clock<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNw-H8xFPz3JvZCloamP9JalrC7dvHlcuUQoI_heGopKpZ9VembHmU_6NNGr1ziGSCpN2OeESSyDN5QNj1OQM3I5Txcnan3twtjtQXAW0PeE8HBaYl69qt7mLy5klLgQkl2xuh9Ox9sh3E/s1600/Griffey+BTTF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNw-H8xFPz3JvZCloamP9JalrC7dvHlcuUQoI_heGopKpZ9VembHmU_6NNGr1ziGSCpN2OeESSyDN5QNj1OQM3I5Txcnan3twtjtQXAW0PeE8HBaYl69qt7mLy5klLgQkl2xuh9Ox9sh3E/s320/Griffey+BTTF.jpg" width="228" /></a>I'll freely admit it. I love wild and colorful jerseys. The late 90's brought on some crazy times when it came to jerseys. Uncommon colors, wild fonts, logos that were straight out of Sunday morning cartoons. All that under the specter of the impending new millennium. Y2K aside, it was worth freaking out over. After all, we can probably safely say this was the first, and hell maybe only, millennium humanity has really been able to realize and go wild over.<br /><br />So it's no real shocker that I absolutely love the absurd Turn Ahead the Clock jerseys. You have to give the Mariners credit. Seattle is a pretty forward thinking place. But with turn back the clock jerseys becoming quite the rage in the early and mid 90's, it took some creativity to take the clock the other direction.<br /><br />The idea was to try to envision what baseball would look like in 2027. And the Kingdome already had the future space-agey vibe going. The original promo in 1998 between the Royals and Mariners some interesting leaps forward.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyovDHq2fy7aTTDCoDDZeX8vrtokZxrWz3cFbD3R7AkHS3UK5w0jTTFu8uieAolCwxIUcXuGOh6OBFGxnqOaFeGGlmIGHzQY2t6L9-nM4OEg2Wa-jWDHE7RBgAZYQjF5saeoBgBaZbJit/s1600/Jeff+King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDyovDHq2fy7aTTDCoDDZeX8vrtokZxrWz3cFbD3R7AkHS3UK5w0jTTFu8uieAolCwxIUcXuGOh6OBFGxnqOaFeGGlmIGHzQY2t6L9-nM4OEg2Wa-jWDHE7RBgAZYQjF5saeoBgBaZbJit/s320/Jeff+King.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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The Mariners color scheme would be altered, ditching emerald for a rust color. Maybe they were going for a post-industrial blade runner vibe. Maybe they were just ahead of the curve on ditching the teal before the newly minted Grizzlies and Diamondbacks could even ponder the concept.<br /><br />The Royals took a little more conservative (I'm using that term very, very loosely) approach, keeping yellow and blues, but ditching their normal shades for a more yellow and aqua scheme. The Mariners added silver batting helmets, while the Royals went with a very appropriate sparkly gold.<br /><br />It's worth mentioning nowhere in all these futuristic interpretations was anyone trying to add in a pitch clock, count mound visits, or stick a runner on second base in extra innings. See, back in the 90's people had the good sense to want to see a future filled with joy, reason, and baseball the way it was meant to be played. Anybody have a time machine to send Rob Manfred back there on a more permanent basis?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9BQ7Ft-lIry5ACw2qh071TISU3LJG8sAz0hB-n6necUwc1vPbaSLvXjVtAkjEcKY7aurIX-4b-1g2bKB45CfgJdxQkZ45Ad6tB3L7lgVOhyphenhyphen4ZTRA7xecgG07v2LXJbOoN9w9dQyEKHDv/s1600/David+Justice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9BQ7Ft-lIry5ACw2qh071TISU3LJG8sAz0hB-n6necUwc1vPbaSLvXjVtAkjEcKY7aurIX-4b-1g2bKB45CfgJdxQkZ45Ad6tB3L7lgVOhyphenhyphen4ZTRA7xecgG07v2LXJbOoN9w9dQyEKHDv/s320/David+Justice.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGIkBI57TYid_v-GNtMOLhaWiPFCXcB_c4kHE0G47KLZNRWwn-ylTeHlSQtg10Zu8H-JUTKInQnKg_X4H4Vj4xpQJwsNFuRLAZuxmw8_t_k14uIZwFGg7Y9Ws73IiZ9iNSg3z4NrQPkQv/s1600/Alex+Rodriguez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGIkBI57TYid_v-GNtMOLhaWiPFCXcB_c4kHE0G47KLZNRWwn-ylTeHlSQtg10Zu8H-JUTKInQnKg_X4H4Vj4xpQJwsNFuRLAZuxmw8_t_k14uIZwFGg7Y9Ws73IiZ9iNSg3z4NrQPkQv/s320/Alex+Rodriguez.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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In 1999 the promo went league wide as part of a promotion with 21st Century real estate. Ah, nascent corporate branding. We really were entering the 21st century.<br /><br />The promo was decidedly less inspired. The boring teams like the Yankees and Dodgers opted out. And many of the teams that opted in thought the 21st century meant just rotating your logo to the side a little and making it reeeeeally big.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DaIQQaehqrtYamRC3DuXJCekQIFIMsM-boYo_BpE5zEYb2ZoJmhA-ZysG3fSXxW-5vsmc3rXZMVrA0ObSohQ2VZgrTk45zezucfcCFhVG6pOcxVT6WDRutWkaPIZbPwEBK9wmRh4_WIx/s1600/Barry+Bonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DaIQQaehqrtYamRC3DuXJCekQIFIMsM-boYo_BpE5zEYb2ZoJmhA-ZysG3fSXxW-5vsmc3rXZMVrA0ObSohQ2VZgrTk45zezucfcCFhVG6pOcxVT6WDRutWkaPIZbPwEBK9wmRh4_WIx/s320/Barry+Bonds.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W6bYoja525iOJHiMkdtoKX-VKKbLnE-jWKnViJiYPkpUWR0pMFyUHdkXXZsyF69j6sm8WYclO8nTfmq76CN3u2MyMx6aXktgRUIQTQvZ-dZhcCJVMQVv5oxc4aIhQOOLFN4PsLKsG_vS/s1600/Randy+Velarde+BTTF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1W6bYoja525iOJHiMkdtoKX-VKKbLnE-jWKnViJiYPkpUWR0pMFyUHdkXXZsyF69j6sm8WYclO8nTfmq76CN3u2MyMx6aXktgRUIQTQvZ-dZhcCJVMQVv5oxc4aIhQOOLFN4PsLKsG_vS/s320/Randy+Velarde+BTTF.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Still, the somewhat forgotten uniqueness makes these some fun options. Some teams, like the Brewers, Twins, and Mets took the extra step of reimagining their logos and/or uniforms. But many teams just sort of phoned in the concept.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPX23EYWCyx2zBSdgEZAqNjtEy0ge7EzH3USUeGvu_2KSVGdE3Yn-Z-fUHcLNuXIGge-anxqpZDRFviFAE1urH-bzLht2hNkZRkvWwqXUbcdsN37VXk6-sifsTXLQoQyrdTjWW78Seksgr/s1600/Mark+McGwire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPX23EYWCyx2zBSdgEZAqNjtEy0ge7EzH3USUeGvu_2KSVGdE3Yn-Z-fUHcLNuXIGge-anxqpZDRFviFAE1urH-bzLht2hNkZRkvWwqXUbcdsN37VXk6-sifsTXLQoQyrdTjWW78Seksgr/s320/Mark+McGwire.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs13aNq_WTlruaqR_NbuPthoMmaRjoZ8rhI6JtUKkud5VwsoOvwONfCl2xjTeBk1uERdojRFcfpsjczZV1hsCRJNi1DuOfmYv2jj0iudVYA8NLEro0JVehqJjG4wezu6xs3GtmIgTTzaXj/s1600/Tony+LaRussa+BTTF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs13aNq_WTlruaqR_NbuPthoMmaRjoZ8rhI6JtUKkud5VwsoOvwONfCl2xjTeBk1uERdojRFcfpsjczZV1hsCRJNi1DuOfmYv2jj0iudVYA8NLEro0JVehqJjG4wezu6xs3GtmIgTTzaXj/s320/Tony+LaRussa+BTTF.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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High res photos from these games are frustratingly hard to come by. But as I've played around with customs, I've wanted to make a Turn Ahead the Clock set for quite a while. I usually don't use my own designs, since I love the nostalgic aspect of taking a classic design that I like and giving it a fresh take with new players or eras. But in this case I wanted something both futuristic and with enough space that I would be able to feature the Turn Ahead the Clock jerseys prominently. After all, they are the stars of the show.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Tq4Z34AyYYPYm2TOx26s-K7qto1cPOCovbfZuk6gPzsTwbCQovceG3f_f_M5RKyOik5L24pHKvUS4JVth3GJHzHpgjstxMbVOhQlA2xArHSCX-fhP3dtBZ6-j6JEqC8gATeZuzvLFgoC/s1600/Larry+Walker+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Tq4Z34AyYYPYm2TOx26s-K7qto1cPOCovbfZuk6gPzsTwbCQovceG3f_f_M5RKyOik5L24pHKvUS4JVth3GJHzHpgjstxMbVOhQlA2xArHSCX-fhP3dtBZ6-j6JEqC8gATeZuzvLFgoC/s320/Larry+Walker+2.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-s60IkiWAbL5Py9KgmWl4prBnzh4GDmhMiYdeHF12iyeu8t9OLxrqOkjTyKKwbYRxQQksED7a406yaAV_bUjjstSz4K3qhX-BICOrdjlYq52TRILspC-KDzb6zjfsRxdEmtoWbyAZajs/s1600/Jim+Leyland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-s60IkiWAbL5Py9KgmWl4prBnzh4GDmhMiYdeHF12iyeu8t9OLxrqOkjTyKKwbYRxQQksED7a406yaAV_bUjjstSz4K3qhX-BICOrdjlYq52TRILspC-KDzb6zjfsRxdEmtoWbyAZajs/s320/Jim+Leyland.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. Many of the teams featured silver prominently in their logos, so the colors get a little plain for my taste. But I can't really complain.<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUq6WmE72YVffVkBK6dUxBOn7faSelIoLok0ea6nYCuKvMXVJqTe-gKlc8W-rOgAUmCWf8XdFlo2n7Ac8SbqBGpz_A6fDDUqvNEQchNBLDQ18AqOcAUxkJcO8F1_nM5w2t-EFfOuFgSPOf/s1600/Al+Martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUq6WmE72YVffVkBK6dUxBOn7faSelIoLok0ea6nYCuKvMXVJqTe-gKlc8W-rOgAUmCWf8XdFlo2n7Ac8SbqBGpz_A6fDDUqvNEQchNBLDQ18AqOcAUxkJcO8F1_nM5w2t-EFfOuFgSPOf/s320/Al+Martin.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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There are still a few other photos that are high enough quality that I should be able to put together a 15-20 card insert set. More high res photos of the games have popped up in recent years, so I'm somewhat optimistic I'll be able to represent all the teams that participated. I'm looking forward to getting these cards printed out and into binder pages. While they were far from the most complex I've made, this set has some of my favorite customs in my collection.<br /><br />And in case you weren't aware, the Mariners are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the original TBTC night with a game on June 30 where they'll be dusting off the silver and rust. You can expect many, many customs to follow.</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-92060372799917398702018-05-01T15:13:00.000-04:002018-05-01T15:13:05.772-04:00What Could Have Been: 1974 Topps<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydVDH0ouNUtoRiDX4peZYElbcPJ6OD5CYu-I7AaMBoogNSdZSl3JynY-CgMiNQVQ-83Q0730m1F33r151ocXUfYfZ2CXBg_mX3AbleelAihggWdsfKA0ElqS_BH2_UEZZ1hmM3GmInPOq/s1600/Rusty+Staub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydVDH0ouNUtoRiDX4peZYElbcPJ6OD5CYu-I7AaMBoogNSdZSl3JynY-CgMiNQVQ-83Q0730m1F33r151ocXUfYfZ2CXBg_mX3AbleelAihggWdsfKA0ElqS_BH2_UEZZ1hmM3GmInPOq/s320/Rusty+Staub.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDD6H1zjCzYV6ZtkBC8HOiPqBiDfnYhcAXTFOZhXN0ALZU3J1Gw5cQynt-qSc7UFPxN4i30s3uSDL23GE9D4nXxTFHEQQdaqHMK92-uby73pZ5G5uO6yg6fKL6OroMGwLhvpXgWInvLep/s1600/Staub2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>I've always enjoyed playing the "what if?" game when it comes to sports. What if the Pirates hadn't selected Clemente in the Rule 5 draft? What if Ryan Leaf had been picked ahead of Petyon Manning. It's an endless rabbit hole to explore.<br />
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And the same applies to cardboard. What if Topps had made a 1997 Traded set. What would a Mark McGwire Cardinals card have looked like? What if they hadn't phased out manager cards through most of the 90's?<br /><br />So seeing mockups of designs that never made it out of the design room opens up a world of possibilities.<br /><br />In my first attempt, I brought to life what was likely a <a href="https://battlinbucs.blogspot.com/2018/03/what-could-have-been-1972-topps.html">1972 Topps mockup</a>. There were some interesting challenges. The reference photo was black and white, leaving a lot of room for guessing on the color scheme. And the photo was fairly small.<br /><br />This time, I decided to take a crack at what is likely a 1974 or 1975 Topps mockup. The Berra photo is similar from one in the 1973 World Series program. So there's a good chance the photo was available was they would have been preparing the 1974 set in mid '73.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgli94h1T7rDxq8ohbR-v0KQkIrKLbLku6XfabLNkJ3_Y4zi-EF5cjczgeOdJn1g3ldBqylg2zHNqtT5mGMxrJKVGdF_inDOzj-Kh2PcuozANTi3USGgcEGegp0TjhYIs1yguwzNaSCGtYw/s1600/topps+baseball+mockup+18+KO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="455" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgli94h1T7rDxq8ohbR-v0KQkIrKLbLku6XfabLNkJ3_Y4zi-EF5cjczgeOdJn1g3ldBqylg2zHNqtT5mGMxrJKVGdF_inDOzj-Kh2PcuozANTi3USGgcEGegp0TjhYIs1yguwzNaSCGtYw/s320/topps+baseball+mockup+18+KO.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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In my first try, I matches the neon colors used in the photo. It's definitely a design that catches your eye. But it's just a mockup. Maybe the artist didn't wasn't aiming for the bright neons, but just happened to have some markers in those colors handy. For comparison, I also tried out a version that used the colors from the team's color palette, which is at the top of the post. It's a little more reserved and works really well with the Mets colors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDD6H1zjCzYV6ZtkBC8HOiPqBiDfnYhcAXTFOZhXN0ALZU3J1Gw5cQynt-qSc7UFPxN4i30s3uSDL23GE9D4nXxTFHEQQdaqHMK92-uby73pZ5G5uO6yg6fKL6OroMGwLhvpXgWInvLep/s1600/Staub2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpDD6H1zjCzYV6ZtkBC8HOiPqBiDfnYhcAXTFOZhXN0ALZU3J1Gw5cQynt-qSc7UFPxN4i30s3uSDL23GE9D4nXxTFHEQQdaqHMK92-uby73pZ5G5uO6yg6fKL6OroMGwLhvpXgWInvLep/s320/Staub2.jpg" width="228" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
But the challenge with recreating these designs is imagining what the design would look like if spread across all the teams. There's definitely some guesswork involved.<br /><br />Going off of the team color style, I played around with a Lou Brock.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIuiCh2tXLh9A-LkUQDNjL6S4zYalh-9ILEYt_jmixuJxqR_9BWCZ4dkiUE-ynVhuC1KHgDUPz3TXvX3quYJrwOfUTosVX2-d62PLO4H-jXg4lWsqr-Qr8BdFT62BntgTRGzF_ccr36T5/s1600/Brock2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIuiCh2tXLh9A-LkUQDNjL6S4zYalh-9ILEYt_jmixuJxqR_9BWCZ4dkiUE-ynVhuC1KHgDUPz3TXvX3quYJrwOfUTosVX2-d62PLO4H-jXg4lWsqr-Qr8BdFT62BntgTRGzF_ccr36T5/s320/Brock2.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
Even though they had switched to power blue uniforms, the Cardinals logo still retained the signature red and dark blue. The color scheme didn't work nearly as well with the dark blue bleeding into the black background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_cx6q9jDaduGQ4xwK2PAxG_RiW2GhEsbbs97SWkEOFNMXwPAbG7e-NRuYFkxTTkpL2GSAUJ2dXbAjnptXJUFx0gd90Q6FSGe3U26BtFeh_9RyQVQKs_l6wxJymUbkwiLUArQIowQK0gF/s1600/lou+brock1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_cx6q9jDaduGQ4xwK2PAxG_RiW2GhEsbbs97SWkEOFNMXwPAbG7e-NRuYFkxTTkpL2GSAUJ2dXbAjnptXJUFx0gd90Q6FSGe3U26BtFeh_9RyQVQKs_l6wxJymUbkwiLUArQIowQK0gF/s320/lou+brock1.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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And inverted you get the same issues at the bottom of the card.</div>
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So what about pulling the colors directly from the 1974 Topps design, which fit the theme of muted neon colors that would be used for accents in '73 and '74 before getting the full border treatment in '75?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8F6sWS6Jf6DRTmbG3_Xij3ulniU-Tiz5Lg2lw7LClTFzwkTuY_tHlZhBdTZXfjIkJSmjmI2ftJnr_MFmV7W1UYaJ7q2UcYHlZ0doAOxsUVDe4Gd5XMRcc09Z20riF6MGq2H-kmR_IMqS/s1600/s-l640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="472" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8F6sWS6Jf6DRTmbG3_Xij3ulniU-Tiz5Lg2lw7LClTFzwkTuY_tHlZhBdTZXfjIkJSmjmI2ftJnr_MFmV7W1UYaJ7q2UcYHlZ0doAOxsUVDe4Gd5XMRcc09Z20riF6MGq2H-kmR_IMqS/s320/s-l640.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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The softer blue definitely works better</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXP6Kbri06w08eY-9nSnkH1QBNq3MVwIIaaEEHIt5MIkpAXC6nmrkVWsQwZ9oTc_SAzRwjOOrNsFVNZPULI9Kwr7AXfq7u0JcO5wZGvLdovhAt9T6BlNWOGC1suP2Fi15zfa6Fr1z5oMKb/s1600/brock4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXP6Kbri06w08eY-9nSnkH1QBNq3MVwIIaaEEHIt5MIkpAXC6nmrkVWsQwZ9oTc_SAzRwjOOrNsFVNZPULI9Kwr7AXfq7u0JcO5wZGvLdovhAt9T6BlNWOGC1suP2Fi15zfa6Fr1z5oMKb/s320/brock4.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkscF6Vo9NfRGDQ6RK2YlhwbSfN-JZfNlvw4_vzGIN7Yt5hoM8JIQvTPvZy35FU0SeiyqKzL_AedsV8hvV_mA7aYrH2gfl0xh166gQz1Bw4Wy7PxQ0REEW8NfvwYVeFNDZLoiLIwX0rll/s1600/brock3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkscF6Vo9NfRGDQ6RK2YlhwbSfN-JZfNlvw4_vzGIN7Yt5hoM8JIQvTPvZy35FU0SeiyqKzL_AedsV8hvV_mA7aYrH2gfl0xh166gQz1Bw4Wy7PxQ0REEW8NfvwYVeFNDZLoiLIwX0rll/s320/brock3.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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The cards never integrated powder blue into their color scheme, but it was definitely the most memorable look they wore from the mid 70's through the 80's. What if I work in some powder blue into the card design?<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Z7I4uw22Fc6czN2tZDQ0sBuyoC4GFVrF8b6HzjrZqD4f9gIHnj9gqmLtrF4bdXYWl_ZLqmoluyIPpMRs5wBtpyOhopb9dWi3ZtLS9gb3wsrhNoGXj8_ZZBoOJ8P5yO-2rIYF9H9-mnOm/s1600/Lou+Brock+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Z7I4uw22Fc6czN2tZDQ0sBuyoC4GFVrF8b6HzjrZqD4f9gIHnj9gqmLtrF4bdXYWl_ZLqmoluyIPpMRs5wBtpyOhopb9dWi3ZtLS9gb3wsrhNoGXj8_ZZBoOJ8P5yO-2rIYF9H9-mnOm/s320/Lou+Brock+6.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Alright, that's more like it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPuczw7aXZUXnC3hecVQIcL0XpXNvo6slPdKSrPHrpnxHqJbqu0vANx0XAfl2FTQSaKdQyogFjrzrxarSigizdF8uAX1KRErv08qZ50Xng27sfLS4tNrlJgqJf5-8JJQIoVFDC_KnNEyh/s1600/Dave+Parker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPuczw7aXZUXnC3hecVQIcL0XpXNvo6slPdKSrPHrpnxHqJbqu0vANx0XAfl2FTQSaKdQyogFjrzrxarSigizdF8uAX1KRErv08qZ50Xng27sfLS4tNrlJgqJf5-8JJQIoVFDC_KnNEyh/s320/Dave+Parker.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAZeykTmwnx9DMpggfAvrbvLsNidlH3CuWjQcvUJ4riDoA9HWfVaKL8qG_LJf6NLqWrOjlQwBrarx9oaHOCs2bPF8zfbKTnqdwVLf715_iiM2NPt_sY7zLJ2Kaw126x-vbmftBifhgmSX/s1600/Dave+Parkeer+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAZeykTmwnx9DMpggfAvrbvLsNidlH3CuWjQcvUJ4riDoA9HWfVaKL8qG_LJf6NLqWrOjlQwBrarx9oaHOCs2bPF8zfbKTnqdwVLf715_iiM2NPt_sY7zLJ2Kaw126x-vbmftBifhgmSX/s320/Dave+Parkeer+2.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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Just for good measure, let's take another look at a team in the same situation. The Pirates 1974 cards featured a fairly vibrant yellow, even though the team was wearing their famous mustard colored hat and jersey accents at the time. The bright yellow is too loud for my liking, while the mustard-gold just seems like a natural fit.<br /><br />I don't know much about printing processes from the time. Was it more difficult to print in the nuanced colors we get today? The Pirates mustards definitely come out more yellow on Topps cards from those years. So maybe Topps was just working with the primary colors available to them. I'm not sure. <br /><br />But I can pretty safely say that if the set had been produced, I definitely prefer matching to the tones of the jersey. So there you have it. What do you think? What color combo works best? Would this design have been more iconic than the rather drab '74 design?</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-59989716798409926672018-04-30T13:18:00.001-04:002018-04-30T13:18:12.065-04:00Card Show Hauling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhe2Eu0FFRzqWKUYQGihzw2S5Ijbk2ng7z_TE0xp7i9OG57ty3M5Z9RDXseIgxlxq6zB1Rd3vYiDshlfrS7yuWqXEa0ksqqFdhOFW0kkyDZZ6ARgS7XAnFQUGlwsgjhQ9CmTB7rlsZ2jMH/s1600/mark1995-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhe2Eu0FFRzqWKUYQGihzw2S5Ijbk2ng7z_TE0xp7i9OG57ty3M5Z9RDXseIgxlxq6zB1Rd3vYiDshlfrS7yuWqXEa0ksqqFdhOFW0kkyDZZ6ARgS7XAnFQUGlwsgjhQ9CmTB7rlsZ2jMH/s320/mark1995-3.jpg" width="220" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWwSNQKv3DBwMUndWpSpjcJU4nnvkzMyEZG_PRjgXUlXJ8bgtWjCgfv-r5DsdA4-EiO8YT7N4YNy8-zbnUr2bAMohb5o5amY10V6sk86xlBanJz6rPd4OkkW7cGLL5IlOSWKZjnBi2mYm/s1600/mark1995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>One of the things I love about connecting with the larger card collecting community is seeing how different things are in other parts of the country. When I lived in Ohio, there were tons of other dime box diggers like myself. Or seeing Dimebox Nick's flea market hauls of cards when most of the flea markets in my area are devoid of cards. While we all collect differently, and the internet has certainly changed how we collect, we're still ultimately a product of our cardboard environment.<br />
<br />And it's safe to say the ecosystem around the Pittsburgh area is badly imbalanced. In my high school years, mall shows were a pretty regular occurrence across the region, with at least three different promoters setting up shows. I didn't mind driving 45 minutes across the city to go to a show, because it typically meant there would be dealers who only did shows in that part of town. I could pretty safely bet on a show every month or so, and there was usually a pretty good range of cards to dig through. Dime boxes. Inserts and parallels from Pirates. And if I was lucky, a seller with discount autos/game used.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWwSNQKv3DBwMUndWpSpjcJU4nnvkzMyEZG_PRjgXUlXJ8bgtWjCgfv-r5DsdA4-EiO8YT7N4YNy8-zbnUr2bAMohb5o5amY10V6sk86xlBanJz6rPd4OkkW7cGLL5IlOSWKZjnBi2mYm/s1600/mark1995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWwSNQKv3DBwMUndWpSpjcJU4nnvkzMyEZG_PRjgXUlXJ8bgtWjCgfv-r5DsdA4-EiO8YT7N4YNy8-zbnUr2bAMohb5o5amY10V6sk86xlBanJz6rPd4OkkW7cGLL5IlOSWKZjnBi2mYm/s320/mark1995.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
Times change, the hobby changes, and lives change. Many of my favorite dealers have gotten out of the hobby altogether. The shows are less frequent. And when shows do happen, you're just as likely to see a guy with a whole table of overpriced baseballs, or video games, or action figures than cardboard. Don't get me wrong. I've picked up the odd nostalgic N64 game at a card show, or an action figure or McFarlane here or there. But when the non-cardboard outnumbers the cardboard, it makes you rethink whether it's really even a card show.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfD_ehFhh9lB8lQlciyNzIhdkiOPgxid1q8Nu-UnZLT00fk7CT_pWJUtT2vrBnZjQg2dfdm-WRr4uELWLt4vhTKofgt7qlr-EKv5rRD1RPskmq-3xL_3KEK1KaTyBZEjtg9qiMtcEp0tS/s1600/mark1995-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfD_ehFhh9lB8lQlciyNzIhdkiOPgxid1q8Nu-UnZLT00fk7CT_pWJUtT2vrBnZjQg2dfdm-WRr4uELWLt4vhTKofgt7qlr-EKv5rRD1RPskmq-3xL_3KEK1KaTyBZEjtg9qiMtcEp0tS/s320/mark1995-1.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
Saturday was the day of the one-day show I mentioned earlier in the month. I like one day shows because it draws a different crowd of seller. While you have to have a decent inventory to commit to paying for 3 days worth of tables and still hope to make a profit, a one day show has a cheaper entry point. You get guys who collect, but just want to unload some extra cards for cash. Or the occasional collector who is downsizing or getting out of collecting. Or even some dealers who just don't want to commit their whole weekend to sit behind a table in a mall.<br /><br />As an added bonus, the show was literally right down the street from me. I had to make a total of three turns from my driveway to the parking lot. It was a small show in a church...room? I'm not sure what to even call it. It wasn't really a multipurpose room. Just a small hall maybe 20X50 that I assume is used for spaghetti dinners or bingo or the like. There were a total of six dealers, two of whom I had seen just a couple weeks earlier at the other one day show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_4y-mzGi_6lRKEycfxz0JBCxN_id-5JQ418B8wdj7Iv_3ITYRLuo7iE9YmgdsQp17acHZkUlqiP5n4SXnCNxuqNp31f1hsSaVgaoeyj-bL9M5ZEcRplnGP-MET0S0uwQAWdqupmme3q-/s1600/mark1995-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0_4y-mzGi_6lRKEycfxz0JBCxN_id-5JQ418B8wdj7Iv_3ITYRLuo7iE9YmgdsQp17acHZkUlqiP5n4SXnCNxuqNp31f1hsSaVgaoeyj-bL9M5ZEcRplnGP-MET0S0uwQAWdqupmme3q-/s320/mark1995-4.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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But hey, lemonade. I made a very, very quick walkthrough. It wasn't promising. I stopped by the dealer who I bought off at the last show. We've talked a few times now and have built up some rapport. I'm probably the guy who buys the stuff he knows nobody else will want. So I figured it was as good a time as any to see what he would do on a few 2001 Donruss cards that I've had my eye on for a few shows. 2001 Donruss is tough to find, and while I know I'll never complete a master set I'm always happy to buy as many cards from the set as I can get my hands on.<br /><br />The sticker price on the four cards was $17, he offered $10, and I countered at $7. The Griffey DK is a card I've wanted since 2001, so I was happy with the deal.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivT5xgnEOnbDSiKNuKa2gIEjOQLh2I6m_Abv3nUgaWweairOK7hYC-7Ltw7FJVdXhc_OgUTisPUxZ8KZBClnqCJ_aseOTAVbT1-fsb1v1FnV61pVob4dUuWjun_PrhVYN2jenJDkz50lde/s1600/mark1995-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivT5xgnEOnbDSiKNuKa2gIEjOQLh2I6m_Abv3nUgaWweairOK7hYC-7Ltw7FJVdXhc_OgUTisPUxZ8KZBClnqCJ_aseOTAVbT1-fsb1v1FnV61pVob4dUuWjun_PrhVYN2jenJDkz50lde/s320/mark1995-5.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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There were a few other lower numbered parallels from the set that I may have to come back to next time I see him. But with the big annual Pittsburgh show in a couple weeks and plans to spend at least a day or two in Cleveland for the National, I was trying to be pretty selective on my purchases.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_9EV-AZByJDijTfYqDXx2wTAeMMttdusNwZNvOKl3QUakTDncU29S27PC-AQtdXMmn403oC9cu_jG9kgKMhC9XkXSxIM5SSfQwrwU9GUbxgUe7nqrsJpbqtrRBpsGnvUJ5foKoV6gz6G/s1600/mark1995-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_9EV-AZByJDijTfYqDXx2wTAeMMttdusNwZNvOKl3QUakTDncU29S27PC-AQtdXMmn403oC9cu_jG9kgKMhC9XkXSxIM5SSfQwrwU9GUbxgUe7nqrsJpbqtrRBpsGnvUJ5foKoV6gz6G/s320/mark1995-8.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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The hobby comes and goes in cycles. But it's amazing to me how tough high numbered cards can be to find. In the hit driven era, I guess most people assume some card numbered to 2000 from 17 years ago isn't worth much or won't have a buyer. It makes it that much better when I'm able to scoop up a card I need. But it sure is frustrating to know that probably an entire collection's worth of cards I want are wasting away in someone's basement or storage unit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6cEaeLpU1_gF8k3DmZMrR4R6fALgZ_hKiTtJ95WdlarzDZBsFPN3cq9jC304JcEQyim45LY57LwlIXI0dS04704w58nV-90wAvLrBuSgtioUKNxdFdFQkZ2tBsW-ADkYyogEMwnUSSqs/s1600/mark1995-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6cEaeLpU1_gF8k3DmZMrR4R6fALgZ_hKiTtJ95WdlarzDZBsFPN3cq9jC304JcEQyim45LY57LwlIXI0dS04704w58nV-90wAvLrBuSgtioUKNxdFdFQkZ2tBsW-ADkYyogEMwnUSSqs/s320/mark1995-2.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
My best stop of the day was probably to a dealer who I've been buying from since the good ole days of mall shows. He had a 7/$1 box that was loaded with 90's inserts, parallels, Artists Proofs, etc that I still get excited over to this day. The 7/$1 box is gone, but he had plenty of quality on the one small table he had set up. <br /><br />He had a box of autographs for $1 each. Most of the cards were known easy TTM signers or late 90's Best autos of guys who never made much impact. But I was able to find a couple cards that seemed worth the buck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClH-D2H8V0horIh_s0SKxg0xWCzmBwuyIHT_7X3w0YmRgSwQkpqiZZTjHtTCRqCmJquXyUGyQ7Z48U_Sw-tsBgx5wbLx7tL3RqmbHS_wdgGAnX73frtOMzNOQUlgmO3IBSua3jIDQ0lfV/s1600/mark1995-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="702" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClH-D2H8V0horIh_s0SKxg0xWCzmBwuyIHT_7X3w0YmRgSwQkpqiZZTjHtTCRqCmJquXyUGyQ7Z48U_Sw-tsBgx5wbLx7tL3RqmbHS_wdgGAnX73frtOMzNOQUlgmO3IBSua3jIDQ0lfV/s320/mark1995-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And my luck held true with some under appreciated parallels. The cards were individually priced, but in true 90's dealer fashion were reminiscent of reading a Beckett circa 1992. Some were $.35. Others $.40 or .50. On the odd occasion, a Clemente or Lemieux would top over $1.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aQlOvQgq6Qli9r5W89aqSWrs1J7miCcOr3rxxSlEEmNygtozl0OEQ__qYwZ5pveoPq8ujblEKMqKA091ySPHhus6sjiBstYEnvc9npLTxIefWX8N70G-w14L_0_hn_U2k6gIDU4Aqxbn/s1600/mark1995-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0aQlOvQgq6Qli9r5W89aqSWrs1J7miCcOr3rxxSlEEmNygtozl0OEQ__qYwZ5pveoPq8ujblEKMqKA091ySPHhus6sjiBstYEnvc9npLTxIefWX8N70G-w14L_0_hn_U2k6gIDU4Aqxbn/s320/mark1995-6.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
I was insanely excited when I came across this reverse negative parallel from 2002 UD Authentics. It's such an under rated product, in my opinion. It was a really fun break at the time, and the merits and iconic status of the 1989 set can be debated for ages. But the cards are damn hard to find, and my team set is still incomplete. The reverse negatives were 1/box, and can be easily overlooked. Aside from the photo, they're identical to base cards. So for $.35, yes please.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2vOpYdXLb2tnbAsXIITqLyrgw3fHJCp6ZuXUvN27MktX-dSGbRWsdeM_uOpZaXB8FQZiYifgtaB8XGGTArp8fcl7TTCNgtvEn26vc4oHe37i0ov60A6RWvdfZ5s-qzqne1hsQg21I6Lq/s1600/mark1995-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2vOpYdXLb2tnbAsXIITqLyrgw3fHJCp6ZuXUvN27MktX-dSGbRWsdeM_uOpZaXB8FQZiYifgtaB8XGGTArp8fcl7TTCNgtvEn26vc4oHe37i0ov60A6RWvdfZ5s-qzqne1hsQg21I6Lq/s320/mark1995-7.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
Speaking of which, when can you get a Topps Black card for $.35? Again, it was too good to pass up. And the black jersey on black border just looks sooooo nice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkFOPe2JPNG2kMcuD5fP8Vk7jxkx2jATshLVBqknzItrpEo8tXCXLpKNXioVOzibLjjpm9IiUZSqAlYEdmX_tNVK-0240OyzxF7yBFA14F0BuhgQsXgfHWv3rJlj0F3Q5nxqS2R1sM79b/s1600/mark1995-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="505" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkFOPe2JPNG2kMcuD5fP8Vk7jxkx2jATshLVBqknzItrpEo8tXCXLpKNXioVOzibLjjpm9IiUZSqAlYEdmX_tNVK-0240OyzxF7yBFA14F0BuhgQsXgfHWv3rJlj0F3Q5nxqS2R1sM79b/s320/mark1995-9.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
My favorite card of the day was this Amos Zereoue MVP redemption card. I can't remember if there was an announced print run for the MVP promos from 1999, but the cards are tough to come by. And since Famous Amos was both a Steeler and a Mountaineer he's one of my favorite player collections. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaAtNWJdrr-nsuD2RXLbdcdNwpB0huUaEqDSXxH6QaxleBDdhY_hT6J4eCHrmR-GZf4VbxXMcr-ON2E5fKoyEsqwoTUiQAb7mIpcogD4GIZXSnBv5VP4QTR1wVG5ODrzWPpIYHTR5K6Ry/s1600/mark1995-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="482" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaAtNWJdrr-nsuD2RXLbdcdNwpB0huUaEqDSXxH6QaxleBDdhY_hT6J4eCHrmR-GZf4VbxXMcr-ON2E5fKoyEsqwoTUiQAb7mIpcogD4GIZXSnBv5VP4QTR1wVG5ODrzWPpIYHTR5K6Ry/s320/mark1995-10.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
I also snagged some nice dimebox finds, including a stack of 1993 Diamond Kings. The 93 design and art is probably my favorite of the entire DK run that Dick Perez did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ryuh1iAjVuUZng0PPx-219vNUvDpe3zauompSjQ2HqJTRuW3tHlSqWAR104p0SonmxyWjf2nuOsKDxBpREARcScVwoP-xpyy6QBK42a7-939M28_ZEIG30e9-nz7RvwHpNN-Sc_jDZlH/s1600/mark1995-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ryuh1iAjVuUZng0PPx-219vNUvDpe3zauompSjQ2HqJTRuW3tHlSqWAR104p0SonmxyWjf2nuOsKDxBpREARcScVwoP-xpyy6QBK42a7-939M28_ZEIG30e9-nz7RvwHpNN-Sc_jDZlH/s320/mark1995-11.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
The rest of the dealers were pretty unexciting. I did buy Willie Stargell and Francisco Cervelli bobbleheads off a guy who was downsizing his bobble collection. I apparently had gotten there a little after he had sold a bunch of minor league bobbles that I probably needed, so that was disappointing.<br /><br />Buying from half the dealers at the show seemed like a decent haul, and all for under $35.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWBNn0FLGvtaH4VmBYGCwbO9AcmNflEM_0Nn4BL9g2PbS1ufYqh_0dILpPLM2_EOfbMUo54qX6nE-iSCwKMvg23dcwJ3vzDnv7Y_NHCp8OXJZaOXidhyphenhyphenCy6HD3tlNibqGzm-B981MqxgK/s1600/mark1995-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWBNn0FLGvtaH4VmBYGCwbO9AcmNflEM_0Nn4BL9g2PbS1ufYqh_0dILpPLM2_EOfbMUo54qX6nE-iSCwKMvg23dcwJ3vzDnv7Y_NHCp8OXJZaOXidhyphenhyphenCy6HD3tlNibqGzm-B981MqxgK/s320/mark1995-13.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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But I miss the regular interactions of card shows. Seeing dealers you know, finding new cards you've been searching for or ones you never knew you wanted. So many of the larger shows have become vintage heavy. I don't really need to see 7 dealers all selling the same cards. While I know some collectors are particular with condition or centering, I'm going to buy the copy that's cheapest. Period. And once I have a copy, no matter how well worn, I'm not likely to actively look for another. <br /><br />But with two majors shows coming up, I'm hoping I'll continue finding some new cards for the collection. What's the cardboard pulse like in your area? Are card shows still going strong? It's always interesting to see how much variety there is across the country.</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-48655316017190430492018-04-18T15:02:00.000-04:002018-04-18T15:02:06.716-04:00An American Dream<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8MM0EXgOGqcMSxFzSoJsWL5gOcTHfZjSUf809N_e875HIcsKI9EyAYk3C4VbhqJH9dKWBFpXlQ_PZFmJT_rGjm9jkcKsEE2RVm6pywzCBsoGz6Sqnx6q_ZE8coifJ6-bNEoJpBXSJZCc/s1600/IMG_20180418_145540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8MM0EXgOGqcMSxFzSoJsWL5gOcTHfZjSUf809N_e875HIcsKI9EyAYk3C4VbhqJH9dKWBFpXlQ_PZFmJT_rGjm9jkcKsEE2RVm6pywzCBsoGz6Sqnx6q_ZE8coifJ6-bNEoJpBXSJZCc/s400/IMG_20180418_145540.jpg" width="300" /></a>One of the amazing things about sports is the way that memories become like nesting dolls, one contained within another. There's the story of the game - the late inning homer, the big putt, the perfect thrown pass. But then there's our story. Who we watched it with. Where we were when we heard the call. The memories WE make in our own lives over a sport.<br /><br />Even when the outcome is predetermined.<br /><br />When I saw the news earlier this morning that former WWF champion Bruno Sammartino passed away, it hit me like a ton of bricks.<br /><br />Bruno is a Pittsburgh icon, not to mention one of the most well known wrestlers of all time. But my connection goes far, far deeper than that. Bruno's story is intertwined with my own, both close yet distant. Bruno Sammartino came to the States in 1950 at age 15, where his father had already been since before the war. In 1928, my grandfather came to Pittsburgh from Italy. He was 17 years old, made the long journey by boat alone before joining his father, who had been here for a few years, in a dusty mill town outside Pittsburgh.<br /><br />Before the days of selling out Madison Square Garden, Sammartino got his start on a small local wrestling show in Pittsburgh called Studio Wrestling. The way my dad tells it, it was must watch tv for my grandparents, dad, and uncles. It was about more than just wins and losses, flips and punches. My grandfather worked construction, hard, backbreaking work that was supposed to lead to a better life than what was possible in the Old Country. The neighborhood was full of Italian families, mostly from the same cluster of towns in Apulia on the eastern coast of Italy. It's the little spur above the heel of the boot jutting out into the Adriatic sea.<br /><br />Like my grandfather, many of the immigrants came to the States speaking little or no English. They took jobs in the nearby mill or working construction, the wave of Italians instantly becoming the low man on the totem pole. My dad insists he and his three brothers grew up wanting for nothing. But life was hard, and pleasures were simple. My Nana loved bingo. My dad and his brothers played ball in the local fields, and whenever possible to go see the wrestling cards.<br /><br />Bruno Sammartino wasn't just the main attraction. Bruno was the embodiment of the hopes and dreams that brought them to America. The American dream of opportunity. The boy from the Old Country making good. His success was, indirectly, their success. <br /><br />Thirty years later, I made drives with my dad to the old neighborhood. I was young - 4 or 5. Most of the steel mills were long gone, though you could still see the impressive pillars of smoke rising from the mill near my grandparents' house. The neighborhood had changed. The main drag was filled with boarded up storefronts, gates over the windows. My grandfather had had a stroke a year or two earlier, before I could remember. He had lost the ability to speak or have much movement. My only memories of him are feeding him cheese curls. <br /><br />They didn't have the money for proper medical care, so the three brothers took turns stopping by once or twice a day to check in on their parents. They were always in the living room at the back of the house, my pap in a chair and nana sitting on the couch. The only things I ever remember being on tv was televised mass or wrestling. Bruno Sammartino had long since retired, but I think the familiarity was comforting for them.<br /><br />I remember being plopped in front of the tv with the KFC we always brought for them while my dad would probably be busy doing what they needed and cleaning up the house. And that's where I fell in love with professional wrestling, or studio wrestling as it would always be for Nana. I lost interest in my teenage years until I started watching again over the last couple years, but growing up all those hours watching wrestling with my grandparents made me a huge fan.<br /><br />So for me too Bruno Sammartino meant something more than just a wrestling champion. He was indirectly my connection to grandparents I never knew as well as I'd like. And for a generation of Italian-American Pittsburghers he was the shining example of what the American Dream could bring them. It makes me appreciate the hardship and sacrifices my family faced so that I can have a relatively comfortable life. And even though he's gone, Bruno will always be my world champ.<br />
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-50059765376096813922018-04-14T10:56:00.000-04:002018-04-14T10:56:29.738-04:00Taking on the Roster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaZ8hlarBRJjrwKmaiQ0mfoZNhw1LMyfQUpvSekbOi1AsG8zofVXhohgTary8YPDAbTUTLp2EMCkESfNjph8Il_1Vidg8Z-SZk4v6M8DF4lsgNzeKEJScAxATklqrqJQaY9VijVxDwDt6/s1600/Dovydas+Neverauskas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghaZ8hlarBRJjrwKmaiQ0mfoZNhw1LMyfQUpvSekbOi1AsG8zofVXhohgTary8YPDAbTUTLp2EMCkESfNjph8Il_1Vidg8Z-SZk4v6M8DF4lsgNzeKEJScAxATklqrqJQaY9VijVxDwDt6/s320/Dovydas+Neverauskas.jpg" width="228" /></a>I wanted to show off the other little custom project I'm working on this season. I'm a little surprised it's taken me so long to act on the idea. I've kicked around the idea of creating a team set for a few years, and even actually made most of the cards for one a few years back.<br /><br />To some extent, it's a no brainer. I was so excited for Topps Total and Upper Deck 40-Man. I loved the idea of getting into all the nooks and crannies of the team's roster. As I was working through some custom designs for what ultimately became my <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23documentarynow&src=typd">#DocumentaryNOW</a> project, I ended up with a couple different designs I liked, but didn't want to use for that project.<br /><br />For DocumentaryNOW, I liked the idea of using a design that had a more vintage feel. But for a living team set? I thought a more modern looking design was a better fit.<br /><br />I guess I took some cues from two of my favorite Donruss sets here - 1990 and 1991 Donruss. I'm going to slowly work my way through this team set, trying to find the best possible photo for each player. Some, like the Polanco below, might get recycled from DocumentaryNOW. But how cool is a play at the plate in the SNOW? That's not something you see on a card every day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWc7voxWolXSTcSa9DhMZbJ-hgRjvr4Hizl97vs35YvcRBBahLsKQs53QxSz479tQF4gHgEF34p9Np7tbxmTC4Q0ofzUdN2ZfXNJnSOjFZ4fi8KdOmiORaIMU7o1niOcl76UUAW_BtwyM/s1600/Gregory+Polanco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTWc7voxWolXSTcSa9DhMZbJ-hgRjvr4Hizl97vs35YvcRBBahLsKQs53QxSz479tQF4gHgEF34p9Np7tbxmTC4Q0ofzUdN2ZfXNJnSOjFZ4fi8KdOmiORaIMU7o1niOcl76UUAW_BtwyM/s320/Gregory+Polanco.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
Even just taking my initial pass through the set, it's already clear that relievers are going to be trouble. They don't get photographed much, and when they do the photos tend to be shots that are a better fit for a horizontal card. My plans are to keep this set all vertical, which might result in some odd cropping. We'll see how that goes throughout the season, and I may add in a horizontal design as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LBjcM8OobfHkm0D_4-xGbpDF3rSBsML1uq6GihgM6zq3C-VREiCgp0sD4DwMYoHEao_DYEkZ3PDkOMu7Kb7Erwiv6SuMKv0prkSsa9yVpIwJ5S_3aboc-4_BLD1hIE_BB4uA0oIIzAhj/s1600/Josh+Smoker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LBjcM8OobfHkm0D_4-xGbpDF3rSBsML1uq6GihgM6zq3C-VREiCgp0sD4DwMYoHEao_DYEkZ3PDkOMu7Kb7Erwiv6SuMKv0prkSsa9yVpIwJ5S_3aboc-4_BLD1hIE_BB4uA0oIIzAhj/s320/Josh+Smoker.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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I'm also going to be making a Highlights subset, probably around 10-15 cards. I'm still working on finalizing the design for that card, but I'm hoping to find a way to make it stand out from the DocumentaryNOW cards. Even though they're technically two separate "series" I want to keep things as fresh as possible for my own stake if I'm going to keep this up for 162 games.<br /><br />For those interested, Pirate DocumentaryNOW cards for the first 12 games are up on Twitter (you can follow the link earlier in the post). We're still less than 1/10th of the way through the season, but I'm having a lot of fun with the set so far. </div>
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I'd love to hear any thoughts or feedback, and of course it's not too late if any other teams want to jump on the bandwagon! If you have access to Photoshop and the most minimal skills to change text/photos, I'd be more than happy to help create the card template if anyone is interested in joining in.</div>
<br />Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-17661246934901326112018-04-10T12:49:00.003-04:002018-04-10T12:49:49.486-04:00A Very McCutchen Mailday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHKONx4VDC1EoiNua-A3hdQFFtF_VA9C_d9rKhC32BeFmTKP7Sg1lOP6-KRBUPbW6sHRpXahQiO0kKRgEgRjAuARpute8PT5M1tEdDvYaZOoJb6GFbWmQMq1kGEZAyUoLSFCTAk6kKBA2/s1600/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHKONx4VDC1EoiNua-A3hdQFFtF_VA9C_d9rKhC32BeFmTKP7Sg1lOP6-KRBUPbW6sHRpXahQiO0kKRgEgRjAuARpute8PT5M1tEdDvYaZOoJb6GFbWmQMq1kGEZAyUoLSFCTAk6kKBA2/s320/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-1.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
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Even though the 2018 season is in full swing, it's still a little bit of an adjustment to see Andrew McCutchen not on the field for the Pirates. Cutch was a fixture on the field, but also sort of carried the spirit of the team. As I catch up on 2017 cards and the first few releases of 2018, I'm savoring the Cutch cards that come in, knowing they'll be the last releases in black and gold until he inevitably pops up in Archives sets hopefully mans seasons down the road.<br /><br />I've had a steady stream of packages from bloggers and my team collector pals coming into the mailbox, so much so that I've been having trouble keeping up.<br /><br />It's been fun seeing what I missed out on while taking a little hobby vacation.<br /></div>
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Seeing Topps Gallery make a comeback brings out some mixed feelings. I typically love art-driven products, and it always seemed a little odd that Gallery *wasn't* an art set in its early years. Heck, on of my favorite pieces in my collection is the original painting from Jack Wilson's 2002 Gallery card.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF499MGMbVbxnV7gx6p9PsGneCx4UysRHQFgl5W6813kMQYS7hiNsYFCZKdvxw2-KAU7td-XrGhPn92PldduDR-Ob7Sss2_yvEqLw1TFDv6RBjyL9sugOuwDRlNWFgql11Mg60IgdDa3u2/s1600/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF499MGMbVbxnV7gx6p9PsGneCx4UysRHQFgl5W6813kMQYS7hiNsYFCZKdvxw2-KAU7td-XrGhPn92PldduDR-Ob7Sss2_yvEqLw1TFDv6RBjyL9sugOuwDRlNWFgql11Mg60IgdDa3u2/s320/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-3.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCenTrJiS86IKIsDNRu99h4ocDjtRO_U3ilSahQd6hLY55I7ZjqwDATPD4cjev95zeZxSO_vs8vSXHabZH49KWU47IBj4v0zzk01wrI9RaCXVG8-rZv1rDySwhPJnnuF5zmsnZtvp-kWGM/s1600/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCenTrJiS86IKIsDNRu99h4ocDjtRO_U3ilSahQd6hLY55I7ZjqwDATPD4cjev95zeZxSO_vs8vSXHabZH49KWU47IBj4v0zzk01wrI9RaCXVG8-rZv1rDySwhPJnnuF5zmsnZtvp-kWGM/s320/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-2.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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But these cards? My feelings are split. I love the clean white borders, which is a nice change of pace from Topps' usual hyper-busy design. The art though? Meh. The McCutchen looks alright, while the Josh Bell leaves a lot to be desired. I think it's the colored pencils that are making it tough for me to love these cards. They just don't have the smoothness of a painted set. The art in Topps' Living Set shows what these cards could have been.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12c6vgTk3W0o_dhZ6wU84jWRdELE-eMIok3XAHwc95yuoS6GNl1bwnAx5qUR1QqM4RYYtC3hY9gHdxndeu8yv2JIJWEWIGKAQPAjsnytPJCaqgSb6Sk9dXdUeakkz3eAksaKwk-QBBzqd/s1600/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12c6vgTk3W0o_dhZ6wU84jWRdELE-eMIok3XAHwc95yuoS6GNl1bwnAx5qUR1QqM4RYYtC3hY9gHdxndeu8yv2JIJWEWIGKAQPAjsnytPJCaqgSb6Sk9dXdUeakkz3eAksaKwk-QBBzqd/s320/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-4.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>
The package also had an auto of Bucs top prospect Mitch Keller. Hopefully Keller can rise up the ranks successfully and avoid the Tyler Glasnow fate or imploding in the majors. This is my first autos of his, so I'm glad to have this one queued up whenever he hits the bigs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXEnG2uEnzKW5NbyruG-PE3j7oXqFBThUdbU7UEU0Ab5O2lg6S1BhUx9vGILsnw4jMjVKzFXHLeSy1b4NzEQzK_wZ5Zr65TrUSq2aak8tnrYA6bLXnzl0tloj9K30igMB4VvcYcjRY_-b/s1600/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXEnG2uEnzKW5NbyruG-PE3j7oXqFBThUdbU7UEU0Ab5O2lg6S1BhUx9vGILsnw4jMjVKzFXHLeSy1b4NzEQzK_wZ5Zr65TrUSq2aak8tnrYA6bLXnzl0tloj9K30igMB4VvcYcjRY_-b/s320/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-5.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
One of the things I love about our team collector group is the sheer variety of cards that come in. Some guys are box/blaster/case breakers and will dump the latest releases on you. Others, like myself, are more likely to resupply for the other teams at a show. I had a nice stack of inserts and early 00's refractors that I was able to scoop up at the show this weekend to fill out packages for the other teams.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zbc9jIk8bmzpQnw-PCsFIT5ekJStfkFpz2d2_wfEissOh7LZ7kicmYfEpKvH997UJiR1hXbDiOIxgb6i4IsEgeBiri7qB656gMsxIZmAHTvA4m1QOlIq7aB_s8MXgk8_YDY3Pk3LiVMq/s1600/Scan+2018-4-10+0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zbc9jIk8bmzpQnw-PCsFIT5ekJStfkFpz2d2_wfEissOh7LZ7kicmYfEpKvH997UJiR1hXbDiOIxgb6i4IsEgeBiri7qB656gMsxIZmAHTvA4m1QOlIq7aB_s8MXgk8_YDY3Pk3LiVMq/s320/Scan+2018-4-10+0002.jpg" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GxQl6OZG1nyY23_Ar4TVpEqtV_iASuQEjyIRvxcniPgQzuQK6OTgBkqgxzK1ZXU3136TViLPLJdHSreciUpszIUccq6jfnpVVegNCD31dIPk-qa7bywh-uADu9SWPTjsg32pI2qMZ-L5/s1600/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GxQl6OZG1nyY23_Ar4TVpEqtV_iASuQEjyIRvxcniPgQzuQK6OTgBkqgxzK1ZXU3136TViLPLJdHSreciUpszIUccq6jfnpVVegNCD31dIPk-qa7bywh-uADu9SWPTjsg32pI2qMZ-L5/s320/Scan+2018-4-10+0002-6.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />Now it's just a matter of carving out some time to sort through all these cards and start building my 2017 and 2018 binders.<br />
<br />Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-63014965000016986712018-04-09T14:45:00.001-04:002018-04-09T14:45:33.096-04:00I Went To a Card Show, Just Not the One I Planned<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9PyqtunDvb76CrtolXnqv4WLGUkQEGOMM21shaIPCET9AS1WqAHcgvSeWC_ZKV6MQLzk2P7koWA1NUnLO6OfNR3EGs4_fUgpqaMP9PFbbWFG8CvZFiJaotwq5REHY-d9iBaqSpioqY0M/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9PyqtunDvb76CrtolXnqv4WLGUkQEGOMM21shaIPCET9AS1WqAHcgvSeWC_ZKV6MQLzk2P7koWA1NUnLO6OfNR3EGs4_fUgpqaMP9PFbbWFG8CvZFiJaotwq5REHY-d9iBaqSpioqY0M/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-5.jpg" width="218" /></a>Sometimes the best plans are mistakes. Or at least that's what I'm going to tell myself. See, I was at the grocery store a couple months ago when a guy stopped me. I recognized the face, but couldn't quite place him until he said, "you collect cards, right?" <br /><br />He's one of the old school dealers in the area that only rarely sets up at shows, but I've bought off him at shows in the past. He told me there was a show coming up in April - a small church show right down the street from my house that I've been to before. April 7th. My phone was almost dead, but I put it in my calendar.<br /><br />Weeks rolled by and as we were coming up on this weekend, I realized the show was coming up. Saturday was looking to be a packed day. There was the card show and Kate had a roller derby bout. The game wasn't until 7, but with setting up for the game and some things with ticket sales that she's involved with we were going to need to be out the door around 5pm. I checked Beckett's show calendar to make sure I was leaving myself enough time for everything.<br /><br />There it was, April 7th. But the show was listed at a different venue about 5 minutes further than where I had though it would be. Not a big deal obviously, and I assumed they had just switched venues. I hopped in the car and headed over to the show. It looked pretty unassuming when I walked in. Maybe 10 dealers, only maybe half of which had anything even worth looking at as I scanned the room. There was a guy who always has one table with about 20 signed baseballs, all well overpriced. A video game/NASCAR diecast dealer, and a guy with tables of common Pirates bobbleheads I already have. So those were easy passes.<br /><br />But there were enough boxes that there was at least a good chance I'd be there for a few hours. Oddly I didn't see the dealer who I had run into at the store who told me he was putting on the show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L96Pbe1FwoNU3-lB4oBsrKaUe_YCMI4dlM9ekKBg9_aucTzs8GVO35ssxgnNbJ_2P_prlEGHMCg4Rtx8t16EgpTEfzAG2h0RqH_8m1dGZgkJMMrM3zQPy4VZ3Pne5RXlhI46YptxVaNk/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="724" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4L96Pbe1FwoNU3-lB4oBsrKaUe_YCMI4dlM9ekKBg9_aucTzs8GVO35ssxgnNbJ_2P_prlEGHMCg4Rtx8t16EgpTEfzAG2h0RqH_8m1dGZgkJMMrM3zQPy4VZ3Pne5RXlhI46YptxVaNk/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I buy out of sheer boredom. I recently eclipsed the 19,000 unique cards mark in my collection. It's tough to find cards at shows that I don't already have, and I often go in assuming the worst. But it's usually made a little easier when you have an entire group of other team collectors to pick up cards for.<br />
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The first dealer I walked up to had a decent array of $.25 boxes. Being out of collecting for almost a year means that a) I had the itch to buy cards and b) my stockpile of nicer stuff to send out to my other team collectors in our group has run pretty low. I was able to grab some decent cards for the others at a good price, and also snag a few fun inserts for my own binders.<br />
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If you can't find current Pirates, the next best thing is a former Pirate. And how often can you find a pitcher play at the plate card?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7N5lpd0bEdYg8Bg2mqMZYmktpncKiyGwiMNXWhh81K2UEaxQWJ8UZIzwZlZK2X8sPZscTXc057Rl_NujKABMIlh2xIgj_TCYqHu56Q4Bc4cpw_hvYe9ZIMbMmKe2cNhq1LdcLTzY2qcle/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="514" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7N5lpd0bEdYg8Bg2mqMZYmktpncKiyGwiMNXWhh81K2UEaxQWJ8UZIzwZlZK2X8sPZscTXc057Rl_NujKABMIlh2xIgj_TCYqHu56Q4Bc4cpw_hvYe9ZIMbMmKe2cNhq1LdcLTzY2qcle/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-1.jpg" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPUgo3v4GLXG-dCILk1myDRCc42Dh7ikg0PVNImOt-bdxmtupwJiXg6qbVeM1PCX_lqCQ9rkv9mjwgl_VCRQAEoXhKiaEh9i4UxQB_cd4i3iA9rwV3HYgaOFIL77zjBufVtfM2VO5tbgq/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPUgo3v4GLXG-dCILk1myDRCc42Dh7ikg0PVNImOt-bdxmtupwJiXg6qbVeM1PCX_lqCQ9rkv9mjwgl_VCRQAEoXhKiaEh9i4UxQB_cd4i3iA9rwV3HYgaOFIL77zjBufVtfM2VO5tbgq/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-6.jpg" width="227" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqbjDebNbZWO1GZ3urKZSRrk0cP9GE43gxHERC6YDfvNgezQlAXvXO90sN4mUDMD7VYsSpYMplxoJK5RYiijgN5AW5MM25dBG7kMdvO1hsqBM7Q7X22K6wJkUGdziCIXK0wL744HeiZDU/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqbjDebNbZWO1GZ3urKZSRrk0cP9GE43gxHERC6YDfvNgezQlAXvXO90sN4mUDMD7VYsSpYMplxoJK5RYiijgN5AW5MM25dBG7kMdvO1hsqBM7Q7X22K6wJkUGdziCIXK0wL744HeiZDU/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-1.jpg" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4o1rfy8V6TAIQidzxZMheNyhDOm6C9Yv2Y_gCiF4x1w0vn4uz9HgDafsTamFWp_kHVe3N5DJSMZbVOnRgmClDUp80ZQNVT-0zMuI1AslsJoiejnsZpUW2gisQTO8YvxGkz-AGYCxar5u/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4o1rfy8V6TAIQidzxZMheNyhDOm6C9Yv2Y_gCiF4x1w0vn4uz9HgDafsTamFWp_kHVe3N5DJSMZbVOnRgmClDUp80ZQNVT-0zMuI1AslsJoiejnsZpUW2gisQTO8YvxGkz-AGYCxar5u/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-2.jpg" width="229" /></a><br /><br /></div>
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It's no shocker that when you find a seller with a good quarter box, you can usually bet that they'll have solid dime, $.50, $1, or whatever else boxes. And while I didn't want to spend too much time digging, knowing that Pirates would be few and far between, I was able to dig out some fun cards for my binders.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyW2-_gkbkLI2IdtycV_iEECdK-xgkSA-PpG0xL3UHFNQq4PVLNGN8d2FtQaDR3K8U7m1RO2IpyFUZMepRncjoGjFJwxUJ4sbak5xQp8c7LjITQIhgRJo2Hwdy4Vh8kbx11R8IfXtxvZh/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="704" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyW2-_gkbkLI2IdtycV_iEECdK-xgkSA-PpG0xL3UHFNQq4PVLNGN8d2FtQaDR3K8U7m1RO2IpyFUZMepRncjoGjFJwxUJ4sbak5xQp8c7LjITQIhgRJo2Hwdy4Vh8kbx11R8IfXtxvZh/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I found a great run of 90's inserts and higher end base cards. The Denny's Grand Slam cards were some of my favorites of the era, and about the only reason I would voluntarily eat at a Denny's these days. I saw on Twitter that Denny's is doing some sort of Star Wars card promo with Topps - $3 for a 2 pack? Meh.<br /><br />But if they bring back the holo cards, I'm all in.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zUuBUCKx1FfKzIQibN57X2L0RSZq_hinS9gA80pdxHT6yO3vlEFNDJM7WIkABHZ1E07lFfDECtS2kWi8FtqOyoz9bTBe2Wll7v1OE1WlgdEwLOOwyjLWfNJOlCYUDOSz6mt9Tv5WPPZZ/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zUuBUCKx1FfKzIQibN57X2L0RSZq_hinS9gA80pdxHT6yO3vlEFNDJM7WIkABHZ1E07lFfDECtS2kWi8FtqOyoz9bTBe2Wll7v1OE1WlgdEwLOOwyjLWfNJOlCYUDOSz6mt9Tv5WPPZZ/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0011.jpg" width="230" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFbSSiBQnJkN3KglivkD8ieyNVqVEoofhNCunEpGMH6jsXFhMIN0LrRVZjCl0pRPbIPsHAOFsuGZrqq4afhQ1amUL2LoIxgioDLc5LTH1daBSj6QdOmCX4bCDvXZIEpwnqKzaex1hPjt3/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFbSSiBQnJkN3KglivkD8ieyNVqVEoofhNCunEpGMH6jsXFhMIN0LrRVZjCl0pRPbIPsHAOFsuGZrqq4afhQ1amUL2LoIxgioDLc5LTH1daBSj6QdOmCX4bCDvXZIEpwnqKzaex1hPjt3/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-7.jpg" width="227" /></a><br />I get frustrated with modern cards because it gets tough for me to tell one year from another. Show me inserts from Heritage or Opening Day and one year easily bleeds into the next. I love how distinctive 90's cards are, but also how often they jumped through ideas. Full borderless painted cards with some trippy themes from Fleer, and just a couple years you have some crazy holograms from UD. The variety is what kept me interested as a collector. And that's something that just feels like it's missing today.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNJwbixTrJRBgeMzV2BjGSVRHp8OelhbewiRcg2tbkr7CSknOVJgYnHM7q1PqWwjWEkxzpC_yMO9xkjW-yIp1RGL3nEgd9KCLYZO4j5zThm2Jroqn-FdgFzSr-LHahVplWsBy_JSVxLaO/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="706" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNJwbixTrJRBgeMzV2BjGSVRHp8OelhbewiRcg2tbkr7CSknOVJgYnHM7q1PqWwjWEkxzpC_yMO9xkjW-yIp1RGL3nEgd9KCLYZO4j5zThm2Jroqn-FdgFzSr-LHahVplWsBy_JSVxLaO/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-4.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
Most of my pickups were impulse purchases. I picked up a few Marino cards for my collection, some Steeler dime inserts in addition to the ones above, and some cards from sets I might like to tackle some day like the '93 Diamond Kings insert set. But overall it was pretty unfocused.<br /><br />But I didn't spend all my time in dime boxes. The same seller had some game used and autographs out at 2/$5. Usually these boxes are a pass for me unless they seem to be pretty high quality, since most of those cards can be found on COMC for half the price.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP2own73W6Y3q0DxKfkZN3CWYFfQfPUuAyDew9UGREVwv3lsPioCJr1UIZ8lnKGiNCA6UYcXzCzMd-r7pMyNaBIerMaG8nrb_zVT-JkYc8A0UvQX3PaOhHc-WbBDZWSA60teXZeD6sgI-/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="524" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP2own73W6Y3q0DxKfkZN3CWYFfQfPUuAyDew9UGREVwv3lsPioCJr1UIZ8lnKGiNCA6UYcXzCzMd-r7pMyNaBIerMaG8nrb_zVT-JkYc8A0UvQX3PaOhHc-WbBDZWSA60teXZeD6sgI-/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0020-2.jpg" width="233" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
But as I flipped through the cards, I noticed this base relic from the '06 All Star Game. I've been working on the game jersey insert from that year here and there since the game was hosted in Pittsburgh, and these base relics are a little tougher to come by.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2IUsd2Mo42XYwVMAl-Uzgcd6wNj9OQf1cFRagkb8SKy3-5_Ka1BQgtlpZ04hTbBhByBIRkR2q20AUfG931V3-6J92tjaFDrNjZIEtoaMlTFneQGXATElK4thU4oxQb8uv9_7ro7DJb6r/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2IUsd2Mo42XYwVMAl-Uzgcd6wNj9OQf1cFRagkb8SKy3-5_Ka1BQgtlpZ04hTbBhByBIRkR2q20AUfG931V3-6J92tjaFDrNjZIEtoaMlTFneQGXATElK4thU4oxQb8uv9_7ro7DJb6r/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-7.jpg" width="224" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
And with my burning itch to buy, what the heck. I found a Brandon Phillips autograph for my second card. When we were living in Ohio, I really gained a new appreciation for Phillips as a player. I got to meet him at Reds Caravan event and got his Expos 2000 Topps RC signed, so this was a good excuse to add a Reds autograph to my collection. The Goudey design is great, an on card auto, and maybe best of all the Griffey Says section isn't too distracting or out of place on the card since they're on the same team.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigschlLq4A9AAbk3QLhZT9LQi8OMX7Tl-abc1woXg_xldD3MIpNYMfi9P8zE7-AtkvblWK3mhx1BCMiJEoN6Qq_Nai_-8H58FWSjhT0N3SnuppmptiVCTS79vxUnQgxKyrzMO9T5bW0q7E/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigschlLq4A9AAbk3QLhZT9LQi8OMX7Tl-abc1woXg_xldD3MIpNYMfi9P8zE7-AtkvblWK3mhx1BCMiJEoN6Qq_Nai_-8H58FWSjhT0N3SnuppmptiVCTS79vxUnQgxKyrzMO9T5bW0q7E/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-6.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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And keeping up the 90's nostalgia, I also plucked an Eric Karros auto for $1 from the same seller. At one time this would have been a pretty hot card, but not today.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZTGawKkO56d9x7-qqfX9M-Fh97t5ocq0BAY4ZXKN5zxW-A9gag19mTDdYroZS7lNBFLkNs6wuU4YlI_rHrGcyOGcyDpkCIYpErLjOFdkgO-Z3lG8uY-RmRQ0bM9H-4Wc4eateooUrmDA/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="702" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZTGawKkO56d9x7-qqfX9M-Fh97t5ocq0BAY4ZXKN5zxW-A9gag19mTDdYroZS7lNBFLkNs6wuU4YlI_rHrGcyOGcyDpkCIYpErLjOFdkgO-Z3lG8uY-RmRQ0bM9H-4Wc4eateooUrmDA/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0002.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
It wasn't a total shutout on the Pirate front. I did find about half a dozen new cards, including this great Promo version of the 2005 UD Classics card.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9mcayYfgrFeFpIOaglGGDmBsj1t97Hum1p2j4CNfLQi7ovW6jAgN52STIRNLNKjWuV4TC87xHts0wdaRhSLmTCxOzGVqhGg8TXHiLHH3-nOyx0xkJ2UPAbDhucCpJIby6GJdgvxN5WP1/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="518" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9mcayYfgrFeFpIOaglGGDmBsj1t97Hum1p2j4CNfLQi7ovW6jAgN52STIRNLNKjWuV4TC87xHts0wdaRhSLmTCxOzGVqhGg8TXHiLHH3-nOyx0xkJ2UPAbDhucCpJIby6GJdgvxN5WP1/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0002-5.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
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As I was wrapping up with the seller, I asked if he is doing any other shows coming up. He said he has one on the 27th right down the road. I asked if he knew where exactly it is. And then he named the church where I THOUGHT the show would be. Turns out the show was the 27th, not the 7th. But there were two shows in the same month, 20 days and about 2 miles apart. Talk about an odd coincidence. Crazier yet, the other show isn't in Beckett. So I probably would have missed it if I hadn't gone to the wrong show!<br /><br />The rest of the tables looked like duds - either nothing worth buying or prices that weren't worth paying. But I did make a stop at one table where a guy had some binders of autographs. We got to talking and he is a local autograph hound.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMF9QHI8ATyG2ZMKdbjmFNqy9JPeCXB2zlSXpP-Yy3os7lbl-WXUkDg3nPTpeMpzfoywCkyc25rL20fOIQ5MWJuD2YUHMXgHZ9kUQ1w1qJqVq1yopdDvO6VmkZ8IHXxKKW6CTHIGLtTsP/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQMF9QHI8ATyG2ZMKdbjmFNqy9JPeCXB2zlSXpP-Yy3os7lbl-WXUkDg3nPTpeMpzfoywCkyc25rL20fOIQ5MWJuD2YUHMXgHZ9kUQ1w1qJqVq1yopdDvO6VmkZ8IHXxKKW6CTHIGLtTsP/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-3.jpg" width="257" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6IL_UKipNYSBfrb5mFS9Q1IEExul1Vtpf8Lo6qYGA8qGk6Bwpn-FeFPwOepygnyNGSztEBtS1khsNo3gXofB9rrglThPybjjZ_vtW3kbBjmBxlUeu1wEL5Okf7beM9cBLfgjAIEnn7x5/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="470" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6IL_UKipNYSBfrb5mFS9Q1IEExul1Vtpf8Lo6qYGA8qGk6Bwpn-FeFPwOepygnyNGSztEBtS1khsNo3gXofB9rrglThPybjjZ_vtW3kbBjmBxlUeu1wEL5Okf7beM9cBLfgjAIEnn7x5/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-4.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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He primarily collects hockey, but also had some baseball autographs. I told him I'm working on getting autographs of every Pirate player, and as often as possible in a Pirate uniform. Turns out he's doing the same thing with the Penguins. I've met some baseball collectors working on similar projects, but never anyone from another sport.<br /><br />It was fun swapping stories of tough signers or the frustrations of trying to find a photo in uniform of a guy who may have only played a handful of games with the team. Despite having a small baseball collection, I surprisingly came across two autos I wanted. Terry Harper has been a toughie for me, and while I have a Doug Mientkiewicz signed 8X10 as a Pirate, I couldn't pass up adding a card. At $5 the prices were a little steep, but neither are common Pirate autos.</div>
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As we were talking, I started flipping through his hockey autographs.</div>
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Mixed in with plenty of no-names were some cards that I couldn't pass up. </div>
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I know some people prefer not to deal with IP autos, and with the number of certified autos out there I can certainly understand that perspective. But I usually feel comfortable buying autographs, especially when the signatures of lower end guys all check out and there's some provenance. I felt confident with this guy's autographs that I was willing to take a chance, even if the prices were a little higher than I usually pay for IP autos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-KIVzAdaACmZlCG47XmmI7wAQahKa3WmqA7p51UTMMvMX16YKLbtS8YNMX4vnSY-XDvRfi5EGb33mkLAFFZy5Db32wMoD8zwMEJUVBS6f8eMdzZQXoW8ACLY7YVfcjx3igtmKVqyV-zM/s1600/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-KIVzAdaACmZlCG47XmmI7wAQahKa3WmqA7p51UTMMvMX16YKLbtS8YNMX4vnSY-XDvRfi5EGb33mkLAFFZy5Db32wMoD8zwMEJUVBS6f8eMdzZQXoW8ACLY7YVfcjx3igtmKVqyV-zM/s320/Scan+2018-4-9+0011-5.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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It didn't hurt that another collector I know in passing came up to tell the guy that he a Jerome Bettis auto he had bought from the dealer a few months earlier was certified by PSA before he gave it to his daughter as a birthday gift and that she loved it.<br /><br />I ended up paying $20 on the 5 autos. This is my 3rd IP Jagr auto and probably the most confident I am in any of the 3 being real with the backstory. Jagr has played for so long and his signature is usually so rushed it's tough to be completely confident, but I'm happy with the pickups.<br /><br />It was a small haul, but I picked up some nice additions to my collection. I'm hoping at the next show I'll have a little more luck with Pirates and now that the itch to go to a show, any show, has passed I'll be a little more selective in my buying later this month.</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-4593911442903036562018-04-05T11:57:00.000-04:002018-04-05T11:57:37.990-04:00DocumentaryNOW<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7pBowS0UFHq_DWdCUaDglhAIgnoUZ6F5yV0uPVxr-WdTM5mCgje8ZCxTKygWd8vnvJt7X4fbxtkgWBuLG-9EH6X5lkpF9jFTYySp0td5rbI1WMqgaRLneiP4GE7_LQYLG53qKSOgn18u/s1600/artbb-16c2s-16tn-0001-1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7pBowS0UFHq_DWdCUaDglhAIgnoUZ6F5yV0uPVxr-WdTM5mCgje8ZCxTKygWd8vnvJt7X4fbxtkgWBuLG-9EH6X5lkpF9jFTYySp0td5rbI1WMqgaRLneiP4GE7_LQYLG53qKSOgn18u/s320/artbb-16c2s-16tn-0001-1_1.jpg" width="320" /></a>This hobby is a funny thing. Sometimes it feels like it's standing still, resting on the laurels of ideas that came about ten, twenty, sixty years earlier. Other times, it speeds by so fast you think somebody hit the fast forward button.<br /><br />I had been slowly dropping out of blogging when ToppsNOW first started up, but was still actively collecting. If you'll remember, then-Pirate Francisco Liriano was the first card in the "set." There wasn't much time to think over whether I cared for the cards or not - I had a couple hours to order or not order the first Pirate card. Ultimately I decided to pass. The idea of instantly capturing the biggest moments in the game seemed great. The price didn't.<br />
<br />I don't regret the decision. It's a cool novelty, but not worth the price to me. A similar price can nab me most autographs of Pirate HoF'ers Ralph Kiner or Bill Mazeroski. I could add some low numbered parallels. Heck, most 1/1 press plates sell for less these days. And with many print runs higher than a Topps Gold, I think we'll see a lot of these Topps Now cards popping up in dollar bins at shows in 3-5 years. <br /><br />But maybe the biggest driving force is the fact that I have all the tools to make those Topps Now cards myself right within an arm's length. Literally. I've been making custom cards for years, and have gotten pretty comfortable. I have a printer, and have a printing process that produces a card that's actually a thicker stock than the flimsy Topps cards (though I do skip card backs - just personal preference). Why shell out $10 to Topps when I can make something more memorable and special to me right at home?<br /><br />When Topps announced their Living Set <strike>money grab</strike> concept, some conversations started up in the collecting communities I'm in. In my Team Collector group, we discussed the idea of making our own Living Set. And on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/battlinbucs">@battlinbucs</a>) the a few different collectors and bloggers who make customs started kicking around the idea of doing a Topps NOW style set for our teams.<br /><br />The conversation kicked in a few different directions - a highlights set, a 40-man type set with highlights, using the Rookies app, printed versus digital cards, and if it was possible to have a common design shared across teams.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jLrWZ-oHnPTyZtbLt7pzBpjYnYqtoObwOLoDxfW-bTibGI39yivqtObsw9FRIP892aDI880Ex81kwU1xSu6EqNQ_Hk2FTxhKc_p-6LpCooclwYlYgze6AvGSyJH2q-p9nqXjYutiOkt_/s1600/cdb21b447883abcab4bd1fb40ff24bc4--ichiro-suzuki-upper-deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jLrWZ-oHnPTyZtbLt7pzBpjYnYqtoObwOLoDxfW-bTibGI39yivqtObsw9FRIP892aDI880Ex81kwU1xSu6EqNQ_Hk2FTxhKc_p-6LpCooclwYlYgze6AvGSyJH2q-p9nqXjYutiOkt_/s1600/cdb21b447883abcab4bd1fb40ff24bc4--ichiro-suzuki-upper-deck.jpg" /></a></div>
Ultimately the conversation sort of petered out. And apparently everyone went back to their corner of the internet and went to work.<br /><br />Over the next few days the conversation picked up again. It turned out that a number of collectors, including myself, had run with the idea. But we all went in completely different directions. Be sure to check out <a href="http://summerof74blog.blogspot.com/2018/03/a-call-to-revolution-or-how-ill-be.html">Summer of '74</a> and Matt's (<a href="https://twitter.com/mjpmke">@mjpmke</a>) late 70's inspired set. Meanwhile Nick (<a href="https://njwv.wordpress.com/">njwv.wordpress.com</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/vossbrink">@vossbrink </a>) went for a '93 Upper Deck design.<br /><br />And me? <br />
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This is what I came up with. I'm very excited to show off my 2018 DocumentaryNOW cards, based off of the 1960 World Series Highlights subset in '61 Topps.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheYGO8yvb3HQjiiBQHhau9GHWKhJ1T4ZzzVNWCdkeIOSuFbmUTtrs4WH1mE8FG1EyIk61zXHpsiwtWCGBUmAHp9DlAfRZX_PZtKOCM2ncL9tO0XEl-DQ-XcMSBcI4_JoRap060f5-MhiA/s1600/Game+3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheYGO8yvb3HQjiiBQHhau9GHWKhJ1T4ZzzVNWCdkeIOSuFbmUTtrs4WH1mE8FG1EyIk61zXHpsiwtWCGBUmAHp9DlAfRZX_PZtKOCM2ncL9tO0XEl-DQ-XcMSBcI4_JoRap060f5-MhiA/s320/Game+3-1.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPlCA1z5F_HIi3-IxeuXQLg_hNTtcl_yeOyWlkVDINsl8qOJ3rFyjpRgJuxjg5aJDMGZCkHqUzTXipzWTcoBYcInXadE8Ubz8RlBighmrrLmZTKaXskev_xvgXB-JsNIZMSZmdPyNEQaY/s1600/Game+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1050" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPlCA1z5F_HIi3-IxeuXQLg_hNTtcl_yeOyWlkVDINsl8qOJ3rFyjpRgJuxjg5aJDMGZCkHqUzTXipzWTcoBYcInXadE8Ubz8RlBighmrrLmZTKaXskev_xvgXB-JsNIZMSZmdPyNEQaY/s320/Game+4.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />It made sense to me. First, the '60 World Series is such an iconic moment for Pirates fans, and the highlights cards are some of my favorite from that era. Second, I don't print card backs on my customs. So I was looking for a design that would feature the critical info I wanted - game, score, and memorable moment - without being too busy. <br /><br />I found it really cool that each of us picked three very different designs (or in my case, a modified design) from completely different eras of collecting. Hopefully a couple other custom card makers get on board - it would be a lot of fun to see as many teams as possible represented this season.<br /><br />I loved the 2008 Documentary set, and initially was trying to build a design that played off that set. Documentary was the most excited I've been about a card set in ages. I loved the idea of commemorating each game of a season.<br /><br />But UD's effort fell well short. They recycled the same 8 or 10 players and six players through every card in the set. And the "highlight" sounded a lot more like a random piece of info picked from a box score. When you have thousands of cards to design, it's not a shocker. But I wanted to capture everything I hoped Documentary would be in a set - photos from each unique game and flavor text that included something memorable. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv_wvAILJri22rMIVsIC_c-l4aZKXG4KrfnzVJL0xRCXmLOsAmOp4JzRYRhu3RCzinqHXLehGDOepmkgomK3bGxFfaeYL0h3y1n8i7PpRvQRFGkW2VV9oFzPcrYMNSd6Lqtj2eaeueHB_/s1600/Game+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv_wvAILJri22rMIVsIC_c-l4aZKXG4KrfnzVJL0xRCXmLOsAmOp4JzRYRhu3RCzinqHXLehGDOepmkgomK3bGxFfaeYL0h3y1n8i7PpRvQRFGkW2VV9oFzPcrYMNSd6Lqtj2eaeueHB_/s320/Game+5.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be able to keep this up for a full season. I'll be posting the set daily (or close to it) on Twitter with the hashtag #DocumentaryNOW and hopefully some occasional updates on the blog. I hope you'll check out the awesome work myself and other collectors are putting together throughout the season.<br /><br />Oh, and remember how I said the idea of doing a 40-man style set was kicked around as well? Check back in the next few days. I may be working on something on that front as well that's a little less retro-inspired.</div>
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-42438716860498666102018-04-02T11:21:00.004-04:002018-04-02T11:21:51.701-04:00It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ievSxnzUxlxvfdvGu-oJPsh9dU308cNzwxDZZPXpUMmxbttxJKh6tGjKhMwa7Q8EN3LlGZtxOnzQgeQUHMdCTpwMZxd2-IlIvWPpNf9QUy_7i1NVt2Nh1Zli6cVdGU6kScl0raL86QrD/s1600/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ievSxnzUxlxvfdvGu-oJPsh9dU308cNzwxDZZPXpUMmxbttxJKh6tGjKhMwa7Q8EN3LlGZtxOnzQgeQUHMdCTpwMZxd2-IlIvWPpNf9QUy_7i1NVt2Nh1Zli6cVdGU6kScl0raL86QrD/s320/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-3.jpg" width="224" /></a>There's something special about springtime and baseball. Baseball is back. Winter's browns and whites gives way to green. And for lucky Pirate fans, we got to enjoy gorgeous weather while the Bucs were rained out twice in Detroit only for the team to return for today's Home Opener with an inch of snow on the ground.<br /><br />Guess it can't all be good. <br /><br />This time of year always brings out the collecting warm and fuzzies in me too. It was in the spring that I went from "kid with baseball cards" to "baseball card collector." <br /><br />I've <a href="https://battlinbucs.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-other-opening-day.html">written before </a>about how opening packs of Opening Day and Topps in my Easter basket in 2000. It was the first time I felt absolutely enamored with cards, and kept couldn't get enough of either set.<br /><br />There was something so cool about Opening Day, with the giant foil stamp. In the days before Opening Day being overloaded with inserts, the best it had to offer was a preview of some cards in series 2. I mean, there were autographs. But your odds of being blasted to the moon were better than hitting an auto.<br /><br />Today Opening Day is a fairly lazy, kid-friendly set. We get the same mascot cards year over year. Two of the insert designs this year are exactly the same as the freaking base cards. Remember when an insert was called that because it was...different?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZeH-70MpbNRxLRmLG1S_JBun2wapCb8Plz6mLOOr1K2pFnaw6DxmtRQ3PpHhb4_7cYZJPRnHvsPQ92GBq7h8QZvhHeYeLVjIuNd8A4w_4szea5B3JklxBH1C4TqN8HjDLEWtZj98Veqp/s1600/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="514" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZeH-70MpbNRxLRmLG1S_JBun2wapCb8Plz6mLOOr1K2pFnaw6DxmtRQ3PpHhb4_7cYZJPRnHvsPQ92GBq7h8QZvhHeYeLVjIuNd8A4w_4szea5B3JklxBH1C4TqN8HjDLEWtZj98Veqp/s320/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-4.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
But in 2000 Opening Day had all I could ask for. The set offered a rundown of the game's top stars. They even included cards from the Magic Moments subset featured at the top of the post and the three player prospect cards. It was a nice touch that added a nice touch. You had all the biggest names in the league, but here are a few players to watch out for as well. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1bzoK43WkQVqPStCp57pPIRMW3m6lmCM5BmRapv_ehEBU6CpJNC6EuuoLDv8Dj8Tq9WyxKotW0XmKc5zvoNtgqvFc8SPdUpHWJ_3bnXzoIwfRYRMHhSj3sK1wJ5acXkGE2UVs_yGe8HV/s1600/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="509" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1bzoK43WkQVqPStCp57pPIRMW3m6lmCM5BmRapv_ehEBU6CpJNC6EuuoLDv8Dj8Tq9WyxKotW0XmKc5zvoNtgqvFc8SPdUpHWJ_3bnXzoIwfRYRMHhSj3sK1wJ5acXkGE2UVs_yGe8HV/s320/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-2.jpg" width="225" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXltRRXVBgHAj8euNBCEcM1IffDGiw2G-3zvdL5JOI-Xquo_L3xYDCLzwjt9srzqYgtpfiLtXNr1lmeTa_rYYtHHLEUJ9YEmI2eQ-QX5xMrrQJpOJ5ZczhG2SpnY9HAhoaSBYOoK4HSo7p/s1600/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="505" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXltRRXVBgHAj8euNBCEcM1IffDGiw2G-3zvdL5JOI-Xquo_L3xYDCLzwjt9srzqYgtpfiLtXNr1lmeTa_rYYtHHLEUJ9YEmI2eQ-QX5xMrrQJpOJ5ZczhG2SpnY9HAhoaSBYOoK4HSo7p/s320/Scan+2018-4-2+0002-1.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
And of course what would a set be without some quirks. Two Astros cards. But notice anything different? The 'Stros logo change must have caught the designers at Topps off guard. Not only to we get to see the same color scheme with two very different logos, Mike Hampton would also make his appearance in the regular 2000 Topps set wearing a Mets jersey. Griffey also gets the retro uni treatment, appearing as a Mariner in the set.<br /><br />It's some of those fun subtleties that make it more than just a lower end clone of Topps. And that's a glorious thing in this collector's eyes. While Opening Day is getting a little too formulaic for my liking the last two or three years, phoning it in with recycled insert concepts or oddball stuff like ballpark food, nearly 20 years later it's still my first go-round with the set that has given it a special place in my collecting heart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkcezNsg8zdXoZBWQchWWmhOo9-Q9LbNpCyZ7Hdw_URmoTxDQEiLcGnYfAKYD9tOLRRxIbT_VB4MHWS6sqLB25nvP5HYonxDVl4Gtq1OyN5oolVegvA8F94FeCauX3izqbDPx7GTNuxzj/s1600/Scan+2018-4-2+0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="706" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkcezNsg8zdXoZBWQchWWmhOo9-Q9LbNpCyZ7Hdw_URmoTxDQEiLcGnYfAKYD9tOLRRxIbT_VB4MHWS6sqLB25nvP5HYonxDVl4Gtq1OyN5oolVegvA8F94FeCauX3izqbDPx7GTNuxzj/s320/Scan+2018-4-2+0002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So happy home opener for those the teams kicking off their season today. I'll be watching on tv this year, glad I'm not trudging through snow.</div>
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-75472973470581637162018-03-30T12:30:00.000-04:002018-03-30T12:30:09.574-04:00Opening Day-iversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I hope everyone can excuse the lack of cardboard related posts lately. I actually have a backlog of packages and mail to show off, but there have been some other topics that I wanted to knock out first. </div>
<br />Regardless of what happens in today's game, Opening Day 2018 is a special occasion for me. It's my Opening Day-iversary. See, in February of 2008 I met this girl. Later that month we went on our first date, and things took off from there. A few months later, baseball season started. On the scale of "deciding relationship factors," "Going to a Pirates game" ranks ahead of taking her home to meet the parents or introducing her to my friends. If I'm taking a girl to a baseball game, you know things are getting serious. <br /><br />I already had my season ticket package for the 2008 season, and the home opener was always one of my favorite events of otherwise uneventful Pirates seasons. We were both in college, and a short 15 minute walk from PNC Park. I'd rather not own up to how many classes I cut to attend day games. Let's just say it was for the best I was in Pittsburgh and not Chicago. The Cubbies day schedule would have flunked me out of school.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Nzp5kARLH-wjrNPK4yPhyphenhyphen0XlxAU8cnRfk0-PGN_jFU6Y8nGENbjbxCcLj66ZHgQNixLHDN0bd2uhIAUXb7Z1DyH_RbVlTjlMjqwEXNH8q-raGkUhhBnFUD-Uj8e2O5uZ6goqGMObzbMs/s1600/28059173_10101433230067602_8517595216552131146_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Nzp5kARLH-wjrNPK4yPhyphenhyphen0XlxAU8cnRfk0-PGN_jFU6Y8nGENbjbxCcLj66ZHgQNixLHDN0bd2uhIAUXb7Z1DyH_RbVlTjlMjqwEXNH8q-raGkUhhBnFUD-Uj8e2O5uZ6goqGMObzbMs/s1600/28059173_10101433230067602_8517595216552131146_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first baseball game. Please excuse the atrocious late 00's fashion.</td></tr>
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The home opener was Monday, April 7th. I asked her if she wanted to go, and plans were made. Kate had only gone to a handful of Pirate games before we met. And by a handful I mean like 2 or 3. Her family has zero interest in sports, despite their daughter being a D1 athlete at the time. I still can't totally comprehend the concept to this day. Heck, there were plenty of home series where I went to more than 2 or 3 games. So this was going to be a big test in my eyes. It's impossible to be around me and not have some sort of Pirates related topic or reference slip into casual conversation. So dating someone who isn't interested in the Pirates? That would be a deal breaker.<br /><br />The game went on in typical Pirates fashion, giving up one run in the second before the Cubs put up a 6-spot in the 3rd. Losing 7-0? Sounds about right.<br /><br />I think I spent the better part of the first few innings explaining what was happening. At the time, she didn't even know the names of any of the other teams. The Cubs are from Chicago. No, I don't know why the bear is blue. Just go with it. It would be into the next season before she would finally have all the teams down, and probably a while after that before she could finally embrace that yes, there are Giants in both baseball and football, no they are not from the same city, but yes, they used to be. Oh and the football ones don't actually plan in New York. Maybe this sports thing is tougher than it looks...<br /><br />The Bucs put out their best and brightest for the home crowd. Doug Mientkiewicz was at first. The Pirates had a lengthy period where they thought any catcher or first basemen who at least one working knee could handle the hot corner. Luis Rivas was the shortstop, and actually managed two hits on the day. I think they were the only ones he that entire season. Pre-IHitaTonofHomers Jose Bautista played third.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPh_1a5rmVsgXSCY5O2htXWGI-X7NlciKaIUHgOKgaKTMbW45zOTJwLDHKL5cCAfqi5uxRthssJU5-fPWuqe_FbUqdlscNT1soie7X8uXLtxAGWM4iHHNElbFTBlKBZkSz8w0E9iPnvMc/s1600/scan0133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnPh_1a5rmVsgXSCY5O2htXWGI-X7NlciKaIUHgOKgaKTMbW45zOTJwLDHKL5cCAfqi5uxRthssJU5-fPWuqe_FbUqdlscNT1soie7X8uXLtxAGWM4iHHNElbFTBlKBZkSz8w0E9iPnvMc/s320/scan0133.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
The Pirates responded with 5 runs in the 4th, and suddenly we had a game again. The Pirates knotted it up in the 7th at 8. We had an Opening Day shootout, and I was in heaven. If you are going to your first baseball game with a non-baseball fan, a high scoring game definitely helps move things along. I don't know that things would have gone nearly as well in a 1-0 pitchers duel. <br /><br />With all of the scoring, the game had dragged on. The 1:30 start time had now into dinner time. As I said, I didn't mind skipping a few classes in the name of baseball. But Kate had a once a week evening class. I think it was from 5-8 or 6-9. Not fun. The professor had some sort of policy that you could miss one class, and after that your grade dropped. Or you failed. Something ominous happened. And young love be damned, Kate wasn't going to burn her one missed class on a baseball game.<br /><br />She looked at the time and said she needed to get going so she could walk back to campus and get to class. Leave? A baseball game? Opening Day no less? The concept was still working its way into my 20 year old brain. It's a tie game! <br /><br />I'm a little ashamed to admit that instead of doing the sweet thing and leaving the game to walk back to campus with her, I stayed and watched the end of the game. It's a tie game on Opening Day! The Bucs would go on to lose 10-8 in extra innings. Neither her clear lack of commitment to the National Pastime nor my less than stellar date etiquette were apparently a deal breaker.<br /><br />Ten years, three states, a wedding, and a house later, leaving Opening Day is still something I hold over our head during the occasional argument. I guess we have some real knock down, drag out fights. But that's love, when the worst thing you can hold against someone is leaving a baseball game of a 95 loss team a decade earlier.<br /><br />Anyone else have any good game stories with their significant other? To everyone else whose game got rained out yesterday, happy Opening Day! I promise I'll get back to actual card-related content this weekend!<br />
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Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-77167549495741809292018-03-29T12:05:00.000-04:002018-03-29T12:05:04.818-04:00What Could Have Been: 1972 Topps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had an Opening Day post scheduled for today, but with the Pirates rainout I'm going to bump that back until tomorrow. But hopefully this is a fair consolation prize.</div>
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Did you ever wonder how a card design becomes THE card design? What would collecting history look like if the design for 1952 Topps or 1960 Topps had been left on the design room floor? What would cards from those years look like? Would they still be the iconic sets we remember and collect today, or would their place in hobby lore be radically different?<br /><br />The design process behind cards fascinates me. How many different designs and ideas got kicked around before settling on the design for the year. When Topps was the only game in town, and there was basically one set each year there was a lot riding on designing a set that would attract kids. One wrong design choice could spell financial headaches for the company.<br /><br />Unfortunately not a lot is known about the mockups and design boards that never made it into cardboard form. But I have been able to find some different mockups and designs online, mainly from the collection of Keith Olberman. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNK3YJ2XnXZ3l9ldRHZDipBdpC3jyPqGwUUjVjaThquU0Be-P25aYusCwL1tWwmt5QhAc4XT1AzS1d8cY91gjQIwtpj0lnzWK61xwW5miDB4PNSKlGJKeU6fBt4TLWXL1-BAntSwO2pNw/s1600/mockups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1000" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNK3YJ2XnXZ3l9ldRHZDipBdpC3jyPqGwUUjVjaThquU0Be-P25aYusCwL1tWwmt5QhAc4XT1AzS1d8cY91gjQIwtpj0lnzWK61xwW5miDB4PNSKlGJKeU6fBt4TLWXL1-BAntSwO2pNw/s320/mockups.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
They're fascinating windows into the bizarro world of collecting and what could have been. But what stop there? Why not give these designs a life of their own?<br /><br />The scan above comes from <a href="http://toppsarchives.blogspot.com/">The Topps Archives</a> blog, and is thought to come from an issue of the <i>Baseball Card News</i> from the 80's.<br /><br />There are a lot of gems there, but check out the lower left corner. That's a sight to behold. I believe it's a mockup for 1972 Topps. The Pirates started playing at Three Rivers in mid 1970, Clemente died in late '72, and '72 is the first real radical departure from Topps fairly conservative designs of the late '60's and early 70's. <br /><br />For comparison, here's what the '72 Clemente ended up looking like:<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdhxujqPMvvi94W2k_Gui5EJuuS_cdMpXMMIhrpBGTiP9qAj9mlFrVMvXz0ySUZSFg6sCovcUQUYElG9_D4d3uabpcc8TXZZpaWNJXc8aWTqoD0raIig-lYhhsYgIUR5gjHYf5gAHAlzL/s1600/150425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="276" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdhxujqPMvvi94W2k_Gui5EJuuS_cdMpXMMIhrpBGTiP9qAj9mlFrVMvXz0ySUZSFg6sCovcUQUYElG9_D4d3uabpcc8TXZZpaWNJXc8aWTqoD0raIig-lYhhsYgIUR5gjHYf5gAHAlzL/s320/150425.jpg" width="228" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Though they still used a unique, and pretty trippy, font, the city name is replaced with the team name. And while the '72 design is certainly iconic, I love the radical departure from the earlier Topps style in the mockup. The home plate design is great, and I love the counterbalance of the team logo (though the mockup is using a long outdated logo, probably because Topps hadn't included team logos for years) and the name and position.<br /><br />The font is reminiscent of the wild font Topps used on their 1971 baseball set.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXi60azmfUskMvORk8RZ-IXIQadHYQ8xE47LVbmY9Cg1HV0iRt3Ap3Mi6kO-by_iktjBn3l1e7aQYrAr6rr1QA4QvbUFoldNd7RNua476tHUs89vpkzMPSd3EU7t7-j78J3pCizKnVUrp9/s1600/105186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="272" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXi60azmfUskMvORk8RZ-IXIQadHYQ8xE47LVbmY9Cg1HV0iRt3Ap3Mi6kO-by_iktjBn3l1e7aQYrAr6rr1QA4QvbUFoldNd7RNua476tHUs89vpkzMPSd3EU7t7-j78J3pCizKnVUrp9/s320/105186.jpg" width="225" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While Topps was willing to take some risks with the designs on their football and basketball sets, the baseball releases played it pretty safe from the mid 60's through early 70's. The '72 set would mark a pretty radical shift that would result in some incredibly unique designs in '72, '73, and '75.<br /><br />A design this wild deserves to have a second chance at life.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoy5imZ-1ouV5qJN3pHpq3SH9bHQ4FIagcH_C3FqIaYBq3JJUlmFHm8z6moA84WzM_3HZaFLmkXiCSp2CGPokZKaEvuHsf3Exrwd_vsqr67lh6yGWR2-LPBTS1h-c3QfT5GtZdU00V7nnS/s1600/1972+Clemente.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoy5imZ-1ouV5qJN3pHpq3SH9bHQ4FIagcH_C3FqIaYBq3JJUlmFHm8z6moA84WzM_3HZaFLmkXiCSp2CGPokZKaEvuHsf3Exrwd_vsqr67lh6yGWR2-LPBTS1h-c3QfT5GtZdU00V7nnS/s320/1972+Clemente.jpg" width="228" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
It's tough to tell from the small black and white photo what these cards might have looked like. But I think these are pretty close approximations. The font isn't spot on, but I tried to use color combinations that were pretty common for Topps during this era.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_m3gwCCMt-xDzOYEln5Vx0UK4fvJ-Nf4OGvc5QHcEfn41TfQnKkrp7MZ0ZfmM_ibx5tNyyL5HaJ4J5qzd4T_UIGfiEQCx3P4JiOtIT2v2cbN4aksdjGozx8Sscx3KJMdd6X9cHC-axe4d/s1600/Clemente+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_m3gwCCMt-xDzOYEln5Vx0UK4fvJ-Nf4OGvc5QHcEfn41TfQnKkrp7MZ0ZfmM_ibx5tNyyL5HaJ4J5qzd4T_UIGfiEQCx3P4JiOtIT2v2cbN4aksdjGozx8Sscx3KJMdd6X9cHC-axe4d/s320/Clemente+2.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-G3GuLD86Zy2rPbFmJX7G37-kscuMbVHH0mAZw9WKhHWA1zbm1ZxrSLty7VHW3qwefkte83jFVbdKqnQwCYJ34UhMHqGDTkrbXnGA25weVec67jh1Yq_bDwutFcTuNN6BsohqwW8no5vn/s1600/1973+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-G3GuLD86Zy2rPbFmJX7G37-kscuMbVHH0mAZw9WKhHWA1zbm1ZxrSLty7VHW3qwefkte83jFVbdKqnQwCYJ34UhMHqGDTkrbXnGA25weVec67jh1Yq_bDwutFcTuNN6BsohqwW8no5vn/s320/1973+3.jpg" width="228" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">
Would they have matched the outline on the plate to the team color or gone with a separate color for the plate border? Judging by the '72 style, I think the second design is probably more accurate.<br /><br />Who knows what could have been if this had been the final design. Maybe the multi-player rookies would have been abandoned for a standalone Fisk rookie card?<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzsivw9-Iy4acfjkr0DpBU5_mzL6iPKGquaimGcQjXG1RXuhbUaPE35584qVGqw0Z6wjbYXO00ZWwal1EzYbZ50s9bRqs1eHQxYlapklAF-CZu2H_SvtXcZzychmC7Fwgv3KlVkg5nCQh/s1600/fisk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzsivw9-Iy4acfjkr0DpBU5_mzL6iPKGquaimGcQjXG1RXuhbUaPE35584qVGqw0Z6wjbYXO00ZWwal1EzYbZ50s9bRqs1eHQxYlapklAF-CZu2H_SvtXcZzychmC7Fwgv3KlVkg5nCQh/s320/fisk.jpg" width="228" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
Here are a few other stars of the day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0Zquta_-qG-IrA_FX01dZuJyFyUSkTa68DFokaEVY4VOfd0NmSyB0DlGY_t9XDzQe6PALGtQX5bOzNtp4H7YqGW_4CnRCHPgLM95ZXw2L4Xk-inN9qPeJIAHGqcc8tyJSUeq-79HJTXb/s1600/Vida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0Zquta_-qG-IrA_FX01dZuJyFyUSkTa68DFokaEVY4VOfd0NmSyB0DlGY_t9XDzQe6PALGtQX5bOzNtp4H7YqGW_4CnRCHPgLM95ZXw2L4Xk-inN9qPeJIAHGqcc8tyJSUeq-79HJTXb/s320/Vida.jpg" width="228" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xIL05229Z6308YSwqRLKp2EnMwj0og3tioHD18LkU8V4qxKQ_OM68-EVc_iYk5Dh0a-Ygr8fVwXwM5xaBzZICDNocfptFEEhpCH_KrQDeDQZ7iTIkVhLZQyGhHG-oorv1gzZhJlWNoqi/s1600/Aaron+1972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xIL05229Z6308YSwqRLKp2EnMwj0og3tioHD18LkU8V4qxKQ_OM68-EVc_iYk5Dh0a-Ygr8fVwXwM5xaBzZICDNocfptFEEhpCH_KrQDeDQZ7iTIkVhLZQyGhHG-oorv1gzZhJlWNoqi/s320/Aaron+1972.jpg" width="228" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
At the end of the day I think Topps settled on the right design. But I do love this alternate design, and it's fun to wonder what a full set might have looked like in an alternate universe. It was a lot of fun bringing this unreleased design back to life, so let me know what you think. If there's interest, I may unearth some other forgotten designs.</div>
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<br /><br /><br /><br />Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9108520133795628754.post-64488778390517206682018-03-28T15:20:00.000-04:002018-03-28T15:20:06.663-04:00Please Excuse the Mess<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUehi5vxA9v4TOoasYsmh0bzwzivR1HQe7LcijkN5NHFdaO7LsA5wDz1j5nujRusV7q2sR41bE9LSXm8XSjXhBa3-AjxoPqeoNUzSJT1KpqS-_vGDzPfowVreQc66BUIKniZjB83fJWsDa/s1600/layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="640" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUehi5vxA9v4TOoasYsmh0bzwzivR1HQe7LcijkN5NHFdaO7LsA5wDz1j5nujRusV7q2sR41bE9LSXm8XSjXhBa3-AjxoPqeoNUzSJT1KpqS-_vGDzPfowVreQc66BUIKniZjB83fJWsDa/s320/layout.jpg" width="320" /></a>Sorry for the lack of activity lately. Gearing up for Opening Day, I've been working on a new layout for the blog. The current template is based off of the design I created for my Pirates webpage circa 2010, and was adapted to the blog when I started writing in 2013. <br />
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Quite a bit has changed since then both in terms of technology and my Photoshop skills. So it's time for a fresh look, but that also has meant dusting off some skills I haven't really put into practice since almost a decade ago. While the planned launch date was originally Opening Day, I'm going to miss the mark there.<br /><br />But I'm hard at work behind the scenes to try to upgrade the look of the page from a late 90's Geocities page at least up to a respectable early 00's Freewebs page. In the mean time, I'll try to get some content up here and there. I've had a busy mailweek which I'm excited to show off and have a group break with my team collector pals on the calendar for tomorrow, so there should be some new content trickling in soon.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04854315904173219584noreply@blogger.com4