His Past TIme.... Is Trading

I'll give you one guess where these cards came from. If you can't tell based on the title, chances are you've already started your New Year's Eve celebrations. These here fancy cards come courtesy of "The Don" himself, Mr. Wicked Ortega of the fabulous My Past Time.... I Love It! This is not the first, and I'm almost certain it will not be the last time him and I will deal with each other. This trade post id dedicated to my main man Thorzul, who thinks that reading other people's trade posts is boring, and wants to start a fight with a fellow blogger in 2010. I'll be your huckleberry, Thorzul, but not until tomorrow.

We'll kick things off with a few of the O's cards "The Don" sent my way:

2001 Topps Gold Label Eddie Murray MLB Awards Ceremony relic

As usual, Eddie is looking like a badass on cardboard. This might be the oldest game-used card in my whole collection, and it's interesting that the whole swatch is actually encased in the window like that. There's also a thin layer of plastic covering the window, ala Allen & Ginter's. I wonder how long Topps tweaked this style, before nailing it with Ginter? Are you bored yet Thorzul?

2005 Upper Deck ProSigs Jorge Julio autograph #'d /50

Normally I would love a guy who's name translates to George July, but Jorge Julio was a bit of a letdown, both in Baltimore, and wherever he ended up after being jettisoned. It looks like now he is mired in the depths of the Pirates organization. If he can't make it there, he can't make it anywhere.

2006 Topps Chrome Nick Markakis black refractor #'d / 549

This card, to me, was the centerpiece of the trade. Even though it's #'d to 549, I've only seen one or 2 for sale... EVER. It's always nice to add a new Markakis to the collection.

2009 Bowman Chrome David Hernandez autograph

I think Thorzul just yawned. Hernandez is probably the lowest ranked O's pitching prospect who is currently on the roster, and that's really saying something, because he showed quite a bit of promise last season. With a bit more coaching, and experience, he could develop into a nice like middle/back of the rotation starter. The kid's got a great fastball.

To close things out, here's a couple of Ravens game used cards that are much appreciated. For only being a football collector for about 3 months now, I've already got a nice little start to a Ravens collection.

2008 Topps Football Joe Flacco relic

Everything you need to know about Joe Cool can be seen right HERE. I love it that he came to Baltimore complete with bad accent and all. It's easier that way, and shortens the break-in period.

2008 Upper Deck Ray Rice Game Day Gear

Dear Upper Deck, please address your quality control issues. A large percentage of your so-called "hits" come complete with chipping around the relic window, a dinged corner or both. You might wonder why MLB didn't re-up your license. I submit to you exhibit A. Oh, and say "hi" to your mother for me, ok?

Wicked Ortega, thanks for the cards dude. There is a chance you just might be the most prolific trader on the interwebs, but we'll have to wait for drewscards to announce his winners later tonight in order to know for sure.

Rock The Vote

If you have enjoyed reading this blog for the past 7 months, please head over to drewscards ASAP and follow the directions to cast your vote for the 2009 Card Blog Awards. This site is nominated for Blog of the Year (not worthy!), Rookie Blog of the Year, Blog Trader of the Year and Most Creative Blogger. It would be great to win one of them, but you don't have to vote for me. What matters most is that YOUR voice is heard, and YOUR vote is counted. The polls close at 8, so hustle over and cast your vote for ME.... or whoever else you think is worthy.

HERE IS THE LINK AGAIN, ONLY BIGGER!

Redemptions (Finally)

Last week (or the week before that) these 3 cards finally showed up in the mail. The scans all look pretty awful, and that's mainly due to scratched up top loaders, and not damaged cards. I've got to say that I am a little disappointed that the "Red Hot Rookies" aren't refractors this year like they were last year. I'm also disappointed that it took Topps SEVEN MONTHS to get get these cards in collector's hands. They aren't autographed, and don't contain pieces of "game used" memorabilia, so what was the hold up Topps? Oh, and by the way, I am still waiting on my Ginter Ryan Braun auto. Will it arrive before the world ends in 2012.... that is the question.


Hanson & Borbon are both for trade. If anyone is interested, leave a comment or drop me a quick email.

Blue Moonshots

Not only is tonight New Year's Eve, it's also a full moon. Not only is it a full moon, it's also the second full moon of the month and 13th of the year, which makes it a blue moon as well. Typically, there is on average (just like Upper Deck), one full moon a month, but every once in a while, roughly every 2-3 years, that wacky lunar calendar decides to throw a curve ball, and give us an extra full moon. I figured since my favorite player's nickname is "Moonshots", that this would be an ideal time to showcase a couple of "Blue Moonshots"

Markakis earned his moniker by hitting towering home run after towering home run in the minor leagues. If you've ever had the pleasure of watching him launch one in person, there's no doubt you'll agree that he is well on his way to earning that very same nickname in the majors.

Happy New Years Eve everyone!

Be safe out there, and most importantly, have fun! It's hard to believe that not only is a New Year upon us, but a new decade as well. It's been a crazy year for me, from being laid off, and starting my blog, to finding a decent job and getting engaged. I can honestly say that 2009 has been full of it's ups and downs, and I am curious to see what 2010 has in store.

Most Wanted O's Prospects

While I am not much of a prospector (too risky), A Cardboard A.P.B. is nonetheless officially out for the following cards/players:


They don't have to be gold, or even blue, but I would at least like them to be refractors. I you or anyone you know has seen these cards, please contact beardy immediately to receive your reward.

Even More Cards From Check Out My Cards

This was a Christmas present of sorts to myself, and is once again a shining example of what you can get for $20 on checkoutmycards.com. This was actually $20 and change, since there were some funds left over from my last spree. I used the majority of the leftover funds to pick up a couple of cards to be used in trades. They have already been sent off to their new homes, so you will not be seeing them here. Anyway, enough jibba-jabba, let's get on with the cards.

2006 Allen & Ginter's Nick Markakis mini

I remember the good old days, when Nick wore #61.

2009 Goodwin Champions Buffalo Bill Cody Gypsy Queen mini

Cody's eyes on this card remind me of one of those paintings, you know the ones, with the eyes cut out, that are always following you. Watch a Scooby-Doo episode if you're still unfamiliar.

2008 Upper Deck X Nick Markakis Xponential

Oh the plight of the player collector. This is one of my least favorite sets of all time, but these Xponential inserts are awesome looking. If anyone has the other 50,000 Nick Markakis variations, I'd love to discuss a trade.

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Nick Markakis Rookie Retrospectrum

Spectrum was released in 2007? I had no idea. This is what checkoutmycards.com is perfect for, picking up base/inserts of your favorite player/team that you wouldn't purchase individually on eBay because the shipping costs just aren't worth it.

2007 Bowman Chrome Nick Markakis refractor

Oooooh... a rainbow.

2008 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Nick Markakis #'d /350

2008 Topps Finest Ed Reed blue refractor

Please get healthy soon Ed, the Ravens need you... desperately.

2008 Topps Finest Ed Reed green refractor #'d /299

2008 Bowman Sterling Ray Rice blue refractor

I love this guy in the most heterosexual way possible. Not only is he going to be the greatest Ravens running back ever, he also led me to one of the two fantasy football championships I won this season.

2006 Playoff National Treasures Haloti Ngata rookie autograph #'d /52

I was pretty psyched to get this card. Ngata is an absolute beast, and is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the league. Since he used to be a rugby player, I'd love to see the Ravens use him as a ball carrier near the goal line.

2001 Topps Archives Johnny Unitas Memorial Stadium seat relic

Yeah, I know, this card is awesome. There really isn't much more to be said, so I won't bother.

Well there you have it. Another great round of cards picked I picked up on checkoutmycards.com. You can expect plenty of these posts in 2010, since my plan is to do a lot less buying on eBay. I've realized that paying for shipping on eBay is a rip-off, and if there's any other place possible to acquire the cards I want, I am going to that other place, wherever that place may be. While checkoutmycards.com doesn't have the biggest selection in the world, I challenge you to spend 15 minutes poking around and NOT find at least one card you want.

If you look at my sidebar, you'll see that I have added a sales tracker for all cards I am selling on checkoutmycards.com. So far the total is pretty pathetic, but I've also only sold 1 card. Once sales pick up, or I'm patient enough, there should be some store credit to play with in the coming weeks/months.

Cards From Night Owl Cards

A little while back Night Owl sent me a bundle of O's. As the blogosphere's greatest Gregs, we trade fairly regularly, and no one has benefited more from my year long stretch of Dodgers hits than he has. Night Owl isn't a big box breaker, so he doesn't have the crazy hits to trade away. That doesn't really matter much to me because what he does have is a lifetime's worth of cards to trade away, and every package is sure to include a couple of awesome cards that weren't previously in my collection. This package was a pretty typical Night Owl offering, and I enjoyed every minute spent thumbing through each card in the pile.

1986 True Value Hardware Eddie Murray

Holy crap this is the coolest Eddie Murray card ever in the history of time! I've never seen a True Value cards before. Before opening Night Owl's package, I didn't even know they made cards. There might not be a logo, but that is more than compensated for by the mutton chopiosity, and afrotude of Eddie.

1993 Upper Deck Randy Milligan

Mooooooooooooose! Milligan was my favorite Oriole for a little while in the early 90's. He took over at first after Eddie left town, and struggled to fill the void. I think almost anyone would ahve struggled to fill that void, so Moose shouldn't take it personally.

Night Owl also sent me a bunch of 1978 Topps cards. I've been thinking about spending most of 2010 building old team sets, and this, combined with a bunch of other cards I've received in trades, is a nice start to the '78 set.

1978 Topps Earl Weaver

1978 Topps Mark Belanger

1978 Topps Ken Singleton

1978 Topps Dave Skaggs

I would regret not making a snide comment about Dave Skaggs. Just look at him! Is there any doubt that his last name is Skaggs? He LOOKS like a Skaggs (no offense to Boz).

Night Owl always manages to include a few sweet older cards of legends that I don't already have. The Brooks below, and the Eddie at the top of this post are prime examples of how clutch Night Owl is. I didn't previously have either card, and they are both going right into the player binder.

1987 Leaf Hall of Fame Greats Brooks Robinson

1975 Topps Rich Coggins

Mr. Coggins looks pretty happy for a guy on his way to the Montreal Expos. Maybe he knew he was going to be a Yankee after a short stay in Montreal?

Closing out this trade post are a couple of Kojis. I'm hoping big things are in store for this guy next season, and hopefully those big things happen for him in the closer role. He's absolutely tailor made to be a closer at this point in his career, and has a similar skill-set to John Smoltz, who we all know was one hell of a closer.

2009 Topps Chrome Koji Uehara refractor

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter's Koji Uehara black framed mini Wow, what a great card!

Thanks for the cards Night Owl! It's always a pleasure to complete a trade with you, and as always, I have a stockpile of Dodger hits for you, and any other Dodger collector. 2009 was the year of Dodger pulls for me, as I think I've managed to pull at least 10 Dodger relics/autos from various box/pack breaks.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Prizes Pool

Here is the official prize list for the Ho Ho Holiday Contest. If we need more cards, I'll see what I can round up, but this should be enough. We can get the prize machine rolling once Dayf selects his prizes. Please leave a comment stating which cards you are claiming, and they will be removed from the list.

To everyone else who participated in the contest.... I will be sending each of you some cards, and you may get some of the leftovers off of this list, once the winners have chosen what they want. I need ALL contestants to please send me your addresses, so that at some point I can drop some cards in the mail for you.

Dayf gets first pick, and will be selecting 3 autographs, and 5 game used relic cards of his choice.
Slangon picks second, and will receive the 1 remining autograph card, and 7 game used relics of his choice.
GCRL is up next, and will be choosing 5 game used relics and 3 refractors.
Jeremy & Thorzul will then be receiving random relic & refractor lots most likely from the leftovers on this list. Once everyone has chosen, if there are some cards you guys want, leave me a comment, and I will set it aside.

Autographs:
2008 Donruss Threads Luis Cruz #'d 44/975
2004 Topps Chrome Mike Gosling (on-card)
2008 Topps Allen & Ginter's Burke Kenny framed autograph (on card)
2006 Upper Deck SPx Ryan Shealy autograph

Relics:
2008 Allen & Ginter's Carlos Marmol framed jersey relic (w/ pinstripe)
2008 Allen & Ginter's Bobby Crosby framed jersey relic (gray)
2008 Allen & Ginter's J.J. Hardy framed jersey relic (white)
2008 Allen & Ginter's Garret Anderson framed jersey relic (white)
2008 Allen & Ginter's Casey Kotchman framed jersey relic (white)
2008 Allen & Ginter's Wily Mo Pena framed bat relic
2009 Allen & Ginter's Fred Lewis framed bat relic
2009 Allen & Ginter's Ryan Ludwick framed jersey relic (white)
2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Ryan Garko jersey relic (white)
2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Kerry Wood jersey relic (white)
2009 Upper Deck Piece of History "A Piece of Hollywood" William Hurt pants relic from Outlander (leather swatch)
2006 Topps Turkey Red Rich Harden jersey relic red parallel #'d 110/150 (green)
2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces Garrett Atkins "Captured on Canvas " jersey relic
(white)
2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Eric Chavez "Captured on Canvas" jersey relic (white)
2008 Upper Deck Goudey Jered Weaver jersey relic (gray)
2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Jered Weaver jersey relic (gray)
2005 Upper Deck Origins Mark Prior jersey relic (w/ pinstripe)
2006 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Scott Rolen jumbo swatch #'d 154/299
2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Chien-Ming Wang jersey relic (gray)
2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Chris Young (D-backs) jersey relic (gray)
2009 Upper Deck Ballpark Chone Figgins/Yunel Escobar "Emerging Stars" dual relic #'d 299/325
2009 Upper Deck Ballpark Collection Ohlendorf/Carmona/Kelly Johnson/Albaladejo "Emerging Stars" quad swatch #'d 344/400
2004 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts Wade Boggs "Legendary Swatches" jersey relic (gray)
2004 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts Paul Molitor "Historic Swatches" jersey relic (dark blue)
2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom Daric Barton ticket relic #'d 16/110

Refractors:
2004 Topps Finest Jose Vidro refractor
2004 Topps Finest Scott Posednik refractor
2009 Topps Finest Luis Valbuena refractor
2009 Topps Finest Wade LeBlanc refractor
2009 Topps Finest Eric Chavez refractor
2009 Topps Finest Jon Lester blue refractor #'d 69/399
2009 Topps Finest Chris Lambert blue refractor #'d 396/399
2009 Topps Finest Miguel Tejada blue refractor #'d 126/399
2009 Topps Finest Ryan Ludwick blue refractor #'d 311/399
2009 Topps Finest Carlos Quentin blue refractor #'d 214/399
2009 Topps Finest Stephen Drew green refractor #'d 35/99
2007 Topps Turkey Red Roger Clemens refractor #'d 520/999
2007 Topps Turkey Red Hideki Okajima black refractor #'d 36/99
2005 Topps Finest Football Matt Jones blue refractor #'d 181/299
2005 Topps Finest Football Santana Moss green refractor #'d 30/199

Misc.
2008 Upper Deck Piece of History Hunter Pence red parallel #'d 50/149
2009 Allen & Ginter's Aramis Ramirez no number mini #'d 35/59 (hand numbered)

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Winners

It has been decided that since there were so many entries, and all of them were so absolutely awesome, that EVERYONE who participated will be receiving some sort of a prize. It has also been decided that there will be an Honorable Honorable Mention prize as well, giving us 5 winners, and 7 losers who will still be getting cards.

The winners will be announced momentarily, but first I want to take a moment and thank everyone who submitted an entry into this contest, as well as everyone who voted for their favorite in the poll. 88 votes is a pretty impressive turnout. As I said earlier, the poll results are not gospel, and it is I who has the ultimate decision. Much like Dubya, I am the decider. I will say that the poll results are very accurate, and there won't be too many surprises. We had two cards that tied for first with 22 votes apiece, as well as two more cards that tied for second with 10 each.

We'll start with our newest category, Honorable Honorable Mention. While this card was tied for 2nd in the voting, putting up an impressive 10 votes, there were simply better entries, and people who put more time into their submissions. That not to say that this card isn't absolutely brilliant. My favorite thing about it is actually it's simplicity, and that is the main reason why it was selected for a prize at all. Congratulations to Thorzul, of Thorzul Will Rule, for winning the Honorable Honorable Mention prize! I am not 100% sure what the prize will be yet, but chances are it'll be your choice of the leftovers from the prize pool that the top 4 winners will be selecting from, or couple of random Brewers cards of note.


Next up we have the winner of our Honorable Mention category, which goes to Jeremy of No One's Going To Read This Blog. His Festivus card is excellent, and even though it only garnered 7 votes in the poll, the fact that he designed both a front and back to his card definitely helped his cause. I almost awarded this card third place, but didn't want to stray too far from the poll results.
The back of this card is as hilarious as it is well-done.


Now, on to the big winners. These 3 folks not only got the most votes in the poll, they obviously submitted some high-quality custom cards. It is my honor to award 3rd place in the First Annual Ho Ho Holiday Contest to Jim of GCRL. His entry combines a sound concept, with first class execution. The signatures look fantastic, and I can tell that a lot of work went into this card design. The fact that GCRL didn't design a back is the main reason I was considering flipping his entry with Jeremy's, but this card got 3 more votes in the poll, so the people seemed to enjoy it. If you rigged the poll GCRL, it worked. Congratulations on winning third place!


This is where things get difficult. There were 2 entries that between them garnered 50% of all poll votes. Each of them finished with 22, and they are both truly worthy of the title. I agonized over this decision for days. Both of them are exceptionally sound of concept, and well executed. Both of them took the time to actually assemble and physically mail their entries to me, and they will be unique pieces of my collection for all time. In the end, I decided to award second place in the First Annual Ho Ho Holiday Contest to Slangon of Condition:Poor.
The story behind his Krampus/Sinterclaas T202 relic is fascinating, and cultural folklore happens to be something of which I am a huge fan.


And then there was one. This is the moment we've all been waiting for (or not). It's time to announce the first place winner of the First Annual Ho Ho Holiday Contest. His entry arrived late, but the photos were sent in before the deadline expired, so I decided not to ding him for it. This card has been selected as the winner mainly because I didn't see it coming. Condition:Poor has a reputation that precedes him, especially after winning Thorzul's Nightmares on Cardboard Contest earlier this year. I knew what to expect from Slangon, and I knew it was going to be good. I did not however expect something as awesome as what this year's champion Dayf of Cardboard Junkie submitted. That's not to say that I have a low opinion of Dayf, because I can assure you I do not. The man is an inspiration to me, and one of the main reason this blog even exists. He's also a fellow beardy, but that ultimately did not factor into my decision. What did factor into my decision was the strong showing Dayf's card had in the poll. He and Slangon were tied when the polls closed yesterday at 4pm. Once again, congratulations to Dayf! You are the First Annual Ho Ho Holiday Contest Grand Prize Winner!!!
This card almost made me shoot egg nog from my nose at first glance. There is nothing nastier than a nose full of nog. What is "nog" anyway? I'd like to know what specifications a beverage has to meet in order to be officially classified as a "nog".


This contest was more fun that I had ever imagined it would be. It looked for a while like I would be lucky if there enough entries to even have a legitimate contest, but my blogosphere brethren got down to business, and absolutely made this the best contest I have held all year. Take that Gint-A-Cuffs! Once more, I want to say a big "thank you" to everyone who entered, and to everyone who voted in the poll. You made this contest what it is, and it is awesome.

Just to recap, here are the winners in list format:

1st Place: Dayf (Cardboard Junkie)
2nd Place: Slangon (Condition:Poor)
3rd Place: Jim (GCRL)
Honorable Mention: Jeremy (No One's Going To Read This Blog)
Honorable Honorable Mention: Thorzul (Thorzul Shall Rule)


To ALL contestants: Please email me your addresses, and a list of teams/players of your choice so I can put together a little prize package for you. For best results, stick to baseball & football, since that's pretty much all I got.

To the WINNERS: There will be a list of prizes posted on my page in the coming days. Dayf will get first crack at it, and gets to select 3 autographed and 5 relic/refractor cards, Slangon will be up second, and will select his one autograph, and 7 relics, followed by GCRL who gets first crack at the leftovers, to select his 5 relic and 3 refractor cards. Finally, Jeremy and Thorzul will each be receiving 6 random refractors and one relic of my choice. I will try accommodate both of your collecting preferences when selecting your prizes.

Wish List Card #10

Yes, it's another Buffalo Bill card again. If you're sick and tired of my borderline obsession with his cards, I suggest you stop reading right now. Before you do though, would you stay if I told you this is only an ALMOST Wish List Card?

What we've got here is a very tiny pic of Upper Deck's Goodwin Champions "Buffalo" Bill Cody relic card. This card could have been incredibly awesome, and is limited to just 5 copies. I say COULD have been incredibly awesome because Upper Deck has a shot to deliver on some serious wild west memorabilia here. Instead, they sort of struck out, at least in my opinion. This card could have featured a swatch of leather from Buffalo Bill's holster, or a piece of clothing or saddle blanket, but instead, this card features a piece of wood from a chair reported to have resided in Cody's home. Not exactly earth shattering, but a card I would still love to own.


It's Fantasy Football Championship Sunday, and I have the privilege of of playing for two titles today. It should be interesting to say the least, with the absolute potential for heartbreak. The past 24 hours have been spent agonizing over my lineup. Peyton Manning has guided my team to a 14-2 record, but there are some doubts this week that he will play a full four quarters. Some people are saying he might not even play two. Even if he does play it's against the Jets #1 ranked pass defense. Ol' Cup O' Joe Flacco is on my bench, and I know he's gonna play the whole game. My Ravens face the Steelers this week in what should be the most physical game in the history of professional football. In the end, I decided to leave my heart out of this, and stick by my boy Peyton. There's money on the line, money which would ultimately translate to at least one box break.

Wish me luck!

Are You My Secret Santa?

McCann Can Triple over at A Rookie (Baseball) Card Collector held a most excellent Secret Santa gift exchange thing, and while I received my present (which is MOST excellent) I still have NO idea who my Secret Santa is. The bubble mailer I received came straight from an eBay seller, and the note inside simply stated "Merry Christmas from your Secret Santa".

Will beardy's real Secret Santa please stand up? I want to give credit where credit is due when the present is eventually posted.


Oh, and don't forget to vote for your favorite Ho Ho Holiday Custom Card Contest entry. We're well on our way to 100 votes, and I want to see us hit that number dammit! As of now, Dayf & Condition:Poor are locked in a battle for the ages, and are tied for the lead with 18 votes apiece.

Of Turk-Offs, Law Breaking & Drunkeness

Precisely a week before Christmas there was a blizzard predicted to blanket the mid-Atlantic region with between one and two feet of snow. Predictions were correct, and last Friday night, it started snowing at my house. The good news is that last Friday afternoon a box arrived from Motherscratcher. It was my Turk-Off 2 winnings, and arrived in the nick of time.

I'll start with what was clearly the highlight of the package:
Yeah, that's right, Motherscratcher sent me a six-pack. Not just any six pack. This stuff is like 7.5% alcohol! What Motherscratcher doesn't know is that he is now a criminal, and I am outing him. You see my friends, it is ILLEGAL to send alcohol through the mail to Maryland. Way to commit a felony dude. It really means a lot to me that you go to such great lengths to ensure that I would not be without the proper libations during such a time of need as blizzard. If they have internet access from prison, maybe you'll post more often.

Packing up this six-pack for shipping was clearly a labor of love, as each bottle was individually bubble-wrapped and placed in a Ziploc freezer bag, which was also once again bubble wrapped. It certainly appears that Motherscratcher has done this before, and is most definitely not an amateur. Wouldn't that also make him a repeat offender?

As if an unexpected sixer the day of the biggest snowstorm in the past 5 years wasn't enough, Motherscratcher also sent over a few great cards, and some random packs, which has become his modus operandi. If you've ever traded with him, surely you catch my drift.

2008 Donruss Gridiron Gear Derrick Mason Player Timeline #'d /500

2009 Topps 206 Nick Markakis Old Mill relic

This completes my Markakis 206 framed relic rainbow. You haven't seen the Polar Bear framed version yet, but you shall. Oh yes... you shall.

2009 Upper Deck Ballpark Collection Nolan Reimold rookie autograph

Shweeeeet! As if the Markakis relic wasn't already enough. Reimold put together a pretty solid rookie campaign, after playing his way onto the team with a strong spring season. Whether or not he is "the truth" will largely be determined by his performance next year.

In amongst the pile of old Stadium Club and Fleer Ultra packs that Motherscratcher sent me, were a few packs of '08 Stadium Club retail. I ripped the first one, and found this puppy waiting for me inside, begging to be redeemed.

Thanks a lot for one of the most excellent and timely packages in the history of mail service, Motherscratcher. I enjoyed the Great Lakes Christmas Ale very much, but I do have a question for you. Is it normal to walk into walls and stuff after you drink it?

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE CUSTOM HOLIDAY CARD! ENTRIES ARE POSTED HERE, AND VOTING IS OPEN UNTIL TOMORROW AFTERNOON.

That Santa Claus Is One Lucky Dude...

Just because I'm holding a custom holiday card contest doesn't mean I can't make my own anyway. There was someone missing thematically, so I went ahead and took care of that.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVERYONE!

Don't forget to cast your vote for the winner of the Ho Ho Holiday Custom Card Contest. Entries can be found HERE, and the poll is posted on the right.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Entries (For Real This Time)

I want to start out by saying that ALL of these entries are absolutely incredible. When I announced this contest a month or so ago, I would have been impressed if 5 people had entered. After all, it wasn't the kind of contest for everyone. You had to be creative, and make something. You had to not be self-conscious about your creative skill level (or lack thereof). Never did I ever think that 12 people would enter, and as a result, this contest will likely return for next year as well. Don't forget to vote for your favorite card in the poll that can be found on the right sidebar. Let's get to the entries, shall we?

First up is Omega Cardboard, who went above and beyond the call of duty by actually hand-making a card, and mailing it to me. I am now the proud owner of an O-Pee-Chee Santa Claus relic autograph card. I really like how Santa's signature incorporates a Christmas tree to cross the "t". I also like the Upper Deck appropiate chipping on the relic window. Classic!
Here is a scan of the back. You can never have too many fuzzy hat relics, especially ones that are one of a kind.


Next up to bat is Condition:Poor, who made a most excellent fold out card. Just like Omega Cardboard, Slangon also put in the extra time and effort to manufacture his card, and mail it to me. This card may score some extra points with me for being so well put together. Here is a scan of the front, when the card is closed:
Here is the back, while the card is closed:
Here is the front once the flaps have been folded outward. You'll most definitely want to click this photo to view it full-sized. There's a relic in there, one that mildly offended me.
Here is the back view of the card while it's open. Once again, click it to truly appreciate the details, and read each story.


Next up is a card submitted by reader Alec. I'm not sure if Alec has a blog or not, and if he does, he should let me know, so I can post a link. Alec submitted a New Year's themed Then & Now card, which is extremely sound of concept.


Not to be outdone by Alec, GCRL also submitted a New Year's themed card, and this one has some mojo to it. Dual auto mojo to be exact. I love it how Father Time's signature is shaky. The guy is quite old, so it only makes sense. On the other hand, Baby New Year's signature makes me think that he thinks he's Chris Johnson or something. What a great card!


Thorzul submitted this next card, entitled "How the Lynch Stole Christmas". The expression on his face is perfect, and this card is pure comedic brilliance. Out of all the cards featured this far, this one is the simplest, but it's so hilarious that it doesn't even matter. Oh, and the whole play on words thing is great too. Nice work Thorzul!


Next up is a 2009 Topps Heritage Chrome Festivus card submitted by Jeremy of No One's Going To Read This Blog. This is yet another great looking card with a an equally great concept. I laughed out loud the first time I saw it, which was a fairly common theme throughout this contest. Wanna know what's better than the front of this card? It's the back! Excellent work indeed, sir.


Our next entry is one of the main reasons the contest deadlines had to be stretched a little bit. Dayf, being the procrastinating legend that he is decided to email me on the 18th and ask if entries had to be postmarked by the 20th, or mailed by the 20th. It was the first time anyone had asked me, and I wanted as many entries as possible, so an exception was made for Mr. Cardboard Junkie. It'll definitely not work in his favor when judgment day arrives, but that might not matter much anyway, since his entry is pretty solid. I waited this long to post, and yet today Dayf's card still didn't arrive. You'll have to judge his entry based on these crummy cell phone pics, at least for now.
The back is classic Dayf, and also made me giggle.


Let's move along to our next entry which was submitted by Rod of Padrographs fame. So far this is only our second Santa card, and Rod has chosen to depict Santa as a Player/Manager, which is pretty cool. I imagine you'd have to be pretty fast to track down fly balls in those boots. Please click on the image to view it full-sized. Blogger is lame when it comes to image sizing.


SpastikMooss of The Great Sports Name Hall of Fame submitted this most excellent Topps Heritage Pablo Santaval card. I hope my beard gets white like when I get old. That way when retirement finally arrives, I'll be able to make some side cash as a mall Santa during the holiday season. Could Topps have made that rookie card logo any bigger. Geez! This is yet another card that made me LOL, and I find it quite clever.

This next entry is most certainly an attempt at brown-nosery. It was sent in my reader Mark W., and depicts yours truly as some sort of Santa Claus. Beardy Claus to be exact. Yet another card that cracked me up. You guys are killin' me!


Up next is a card submitted by 2008 Allen & Ginter Cardscape that I am quite fond of. It draws it's theme from the famous Christmas carol "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", and models it's design after my favorite insert of 2009, the Topps Propaganda Posters from Updates & Highlights.
Is that Mimi from the Drew Carey Show?


Finally, and last but not least is a wonderful card submitted by Mark's Ephemera. He also decided to do a tri-fold card, and since he was the first one to submit his entry, technically beat Condition:Poor to the punch. Mark also tried his hand at suck-upery by designing an Orioles card. In this case, it works out in his favor since this card also delivers a sound concept. It's a play on the famous Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol. Nice work Mark!
Here's a look at the back. Just like all the rest, please click on the image to view it at full size.


There you have it, all 12 entries. It's going to be very tough to pick a winner with so many great designs to choose from. As I said earlier, the fact that 12 people took the time to enter my silly little contest is totally awesome! There's some real nice stuff here people, and I thank you for it, especially those who sent a physical card in as their entry. You've given me some of the rarest cards I own. Please don't forget to vote in the poll for you think is the winner of the Ho Ho Holiday Contest. Polls will remain open until Sunday afternoon, and the winners will be announced not long after that. Even though your vote alone will not decide the winner it does matter, so be sure to select your favorite.