Beardy's Baseball Blog

Don't Make Me...

2010-02-07T11:03:00.002-05:00

Keep posting links to my new site. Every time I do, our traffic spikes, so you all must want to read what I'm posting.

HERE it is again. Bookmark it. Blogroll it. It is my new permanent home. A new post just went up concerning the authenticity of the jumbo patches found in "2009" Ultimate. Check it out!

The Good, The Bad & The Chicle

2010-02-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

What is a collector to do when he's trapped in a hotel during the worst blizzard to hit Baltimore in decades?

Make a stupid pack break video, that's what.

See it HERE.

For those of you that haven't caught on yet, I am doing most of my posting these days over at my new blog, The Mojo Beard. Most likely, this site will stay active, but I won't be posting here on a regular basis. I have packed up my wit and my trade posts and moved over to wordpress. You can expect more of the same ol' beardy, despite the new location, along with some hopefully new and better content as well.

If you haven't already done so, please check out the new site, and add us to your bookmarks/blogroll if you like what you see.

Is it Spring (training) time yet?

Topps Comes Through!

2010-02-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

With an unpossible redemption

See it HERE

I am a B.I.P Agent!

2010-02-02T22:14:00.002-05:00

Nobody Bips With The Jesus

2010-02-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

Just for you Thorzul...

Beardy And The Upper Deck Conspiracy

2010-02-02T14:23:00.000-05:00

Can be read HERE, at my new blog. It's a joint venture between Jay, formerly of The Mojo Hand, and myself. We've got big ideas, and hope to keep things as interesting as possible. Not to mention, 2 bloggers equals half the work and twice the awesomeness (right?).

While you're there, add us to your blogrolls, and check out our Topps Pristine video break. It's four packs this time, 2 from '03 & 2 from '04. Did we pull anything awesome? Not really, but go watch it anyway.

Cards From Around The Blogosphere

2010-01-31T18:31:00.000-05:00

A bit of a shorty this week, since I am WAY behind on the scanning and the posting. If you sent me cards in the past few weeks, and haven't gotten anything in return yet, your cards should be shipping out no later than Wed. Hopefully I don't miss anyone. Typically, I am on top of this stuff, but life has bee stressful the past few weeks, and as a result my writing, or at least the frequency of it has suffered as a result. Sorry dudes!

First up to bat are a couple of cards from Grant, the Old School Pack Buster. Grant and I have traded before, and he is a very generous trader. Along with a fat stack of random O's were the following 2 cards, both of which I really like:

2009 UD Goodwin Champions Brian Roberts black printing plate 1/1

This is now my 3rd one of one, and all 3 of them are printing plates. Brian Roberts wears #1, and this card is not only his jersey number, but the print run is also his jersey number. By eBay standards, this is a triple 1 of 1, which means it's value is infinite. The national debt could potentially be repaid with this card. I am now the most powerful man in the world thanks to the power of this card.

2009 Topps 206 Adam Jones Old Mill back mini

Why do I never remember to scan the back of these things, when that's all that matters? I now have the regular and Old Mill back versions of this card. It would be cool to try and complete myself a little rainbow, but odds of finding the Magician back are slim to none, especially since there are only 8 of them. I've got a feeling Adam Jones is going to have a VERY big season this year.

Next up is a card from Mike, of JD's Wild Cardz. I sent him a crummy Papelbon sticker auto (ewww!) and in return got this sweet Ichiro relic that is already on it's way to Bud, of First Day Issue, to satisfy a trade from a couple weeks back.

2009 Topps 206 Ichiro Old Mill jersey relic

Last up are some cards from I Am Joe Collector's group breaks. Along with my monthly Orioles slot, I also participated in his UD Premier Football break, and picked up a second monthly slot at a discount. The Athletics were offered up for $10, and I jumped all over it. As per usual, I didn't exactly "kill it" this month, but it surely could have been worse.

2009 Topps 206 David Hernandez Piedmont autograph

It's a shame that Topps had to include a second auto set into 206 that uses those horrible rainbow stickers, especially since these framed mini, on-card autos look so damned good. Hernandez had a decent rookie campaign last season, and will either be the 5th starter, or possibly a long reliever this season. He has a plus fastball, and with another season or two of grooming, could be a decent if not good starter somewhere.

2007 UD Exquisite Erik Bedard gold parallel #'d /75

Wow, what a stupid card this is. It's about as thick as a patch card for essentially no reason at all. Why Bedard was in a product called Exquisite Rookies in 2007 is absolutely beyond me. I tthink his rookie season was 5 years earlier, in 2002.

2008 Upper Deck Premier Ed Reed Premier Stitchings silver manupatch #'d 8/30

Speaking of stupid cards.... This is the second Premier football break I've participated in, and the second crappy manupatch I've received as a result. At least it's a Raven this time. These cards would have been infinitely better with on-card autos at the bottom.

2009 Topps 206 Jimmie Foxx short print

Look who finally remembered to scan the back. I got a whole bunch of Athletics base cards from this break, if anyone is interested, and I also received 2 copies of the card pictured above. Having already owned one prior to this break, I now have triples of this card. If anyone is interested, let me know.

Well, there you have it, this week's edition of cards from around the blogosphere. I'm hoping to post quite a bit over the next few days, and there will be another Pristine video break, along with a major announcement thrown in there somewhere. Stay tuned.

More eBay Shenanigans

2010-01-31T14:44:00.003-05:00

Look at THIS card, then look at THIS card.

I watched, and even bid on the hand-numbered version the first time it was listed, about 3 months ago. It was the first time I had ever seen that card, and I really wanted it. The fact that it was "hand-numbered" only made it more appealing. It ended up selling for $125, which was about $100 more than I was willing to pay. The day after that first auction, the card was re-listed by the winning bidder at $200, and Buy It Now.

Fast forward to this morning.... I am trolling eBay, drooling over all the sweet new Markakii found in '09 Ultimate collection, and happen to stumble across TWO more Markakis/Brooks Heritage dual relics. Both of the new listings are NOT hand numbered, and most likely will NOT sell for $125.

This is yet another reason to avoid eBay, and purchase your cards elsewhere. eBay does a horrible job policing it's listings, and there's quite a bit of counterfeit bullshit for sale these days.

EDIT: It looks like Sooz may be right. She left a comment stating that perhaps just the gray swatches are numbered. I found THIS listing that backs up her claim. Why would Topps do that? Perhaps they are trying to make plain gray swatches more appealing?

Longoria Rookie Auto For Sale

2010-01-30T19:29:00.004-05:00

This is something I normally wouldn't do, but I need to generate some PayPal funds to purchase a Markakis jumbo patch from 2009 Ultimate. I don't want to sell this card, but would rather have a jumbo patch of my favorite player than an autograph of a young stud who plays for a rival.

It's from 2007 Bowman's Best, and I acquired it from one of I Am Joe Collector's group breaks a few months ago. It is absolutely mint! I'm looking to get $50 for it, but am willing to accept offers as well. I apologize profusely for using my blog as a forum to whore out my collection, but I'm sure you all know how it is when you see a card you absolutely have to own.

Some People Are Real !@#$heads

2010-01-30T17:58:00.003-05:00

I just reported THIS as a fraudulent listing. I wonder how long it'll take for it to be pulled. Can you believe this dude (or dudette) is a "power seller"? The sad thing is that someone already bought one. I can't feel that bad for them though. $8 for a Dick Perez original? That definitely falls into the "too good to be true" category.

Trading With Myself.... Sort Of

2010-01-30T09:15:00.000-05:00

Since right around the beginning of this year, I have been selling some cards on checkoutmycards. While progress has been slow, I have managed $28.50 in sales so far, and this is how I spent it (including shipping).

1969 Topps Johnny Unitas

Sheer perfection on cardboard. This is a great looking card of one of the games greatest quarterbacks. I was fortunate enough to meet Johnny U a few times, shortly before he passed, and he was a very kind man.

2006 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Derrick Mason autograph #5/99

Truly a signature that could not be contained by any stinkin' sticker. As you can see, Mason's scribblings venture outside of the signing area, but at least you can still see it. I heart on card autos.

2005 Fleer Patchworks Dontrelle Willis/Josh Beckett dual patch #21/25

The D-Train on the front, with a great looking 4-color patch

Beckett on the back, with a great looking 3 color patch. If this isn't the ultimate Marlins fan trade bait, I don't know what is.

2008 Topps Chrome Ichiro Trading Card History refractor

A card I have wanted since the first time I laid eyes on it. The Trading Card History subset was pretty solid, and the refractors are particularly awesome. I believe this card is based on a Japanese Menko design from the 1950's.

2002 Bowman Chrome Reprints 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. refractor

This will most likely serve as trade fodder for one of the 2 Mariners fans I owe cards to.

All in all I think this is a stellar haul for $28 delivered. Lately a lot of people have been ranting about the excessive shipping costs on COMC, especially when compared to Sportlots & eBay. While shipping may not be cheap, in my opinion you are able to find better deals on checkoutmycards, especially on higher-end "hits", than you are on either of the other 2 sites. If I had purchased these cards individually on eBay, shipping would have easily exceeded $10, and may have been in the $15-$20 range. For instance, the other day, I picked up a Markakis/Adam Jones dual relic from Unique for $7.50. The card has a stated BV of $30 (ha!), routinely fetches over $10 on eBay, and would most likely cost a minimum of $2 to ship. I just saved almost $5 by picking this card up on COMC. Sportlots is another name that people often bring up. To be honest, I don't have that much experience with them, but I know that they do not give you the option to submit an offer for cards you want. You are stuck paying whatever the seller is asking, which in some instances, is simply too much. I've also found that a lot of listings on Sportlots don't include a scan or picture of the card. This might not be a big deal to some people, but if you're purchasing a patch card made by Upper Deck, don't you at least want to know if the edges are clean? They most likely aren't.

Opinions are like Gellmans (no offense).... and everyone is entitled to think whatever they'd like, and obviously shop wherever they want to. For me, right now, that place is checkoutmycards.

Another Topps Pristine 2 Pack Break

2010-01-29T08:34:00.001-05:00

I got these from the same seller as the first break, but decided against recording this one. It was probably for the best, as the pulls aren't near as exciting this time around. The EPA must have given Topps hell for all the wrappers this product generated. If you're not already familiar, these are packaged as a pack inside of a pack inside of a larger pack. Yes folks, THREE wrappers for one pack of cards. No wonder the Earth is rapidly warming (or cooling, depending on who you talk to).

Last time we started with the 2003 pack, so this time around it's 2004 that will be first up to bat. After opening the larger outer wrapper, I found this card (and another pack):

Shingo Takatsu uncirculated refractor #'d /499

I think this is of the uncommon variety, but it's hard to find solid info on this set.

After opening the second, slightly smaller pack, I found this card (and yet another pack):

Manny Ramirez Going, Going, Gone bat relic

Ahh, the good old days, when Topps actually let you know your chunk of wood is in fact from a game-used bat. It was so long ago that Manny still had short hair.

Each pack also contains one numbered rookie card. For as old as this pack is, it certainly could have been worse. At least I got a guy who's still in the league.

Erick Aybar numbered rookie #'d /999

Just like last time around, hidden in the innards of that final pack was an autograph. It's not Lance Berkman again, but it could definitely have been worse.

Ervin Santana Personal Endorsements autograph

I didn't say anything about it when I pulled the Berkman, but these are some UGLY cards.

So yeah, that was the '04 pack. Not too shabby, especially not for $10. Let's move right along to the '03 flavor, and see what that pack had to offer. After ripping the first wrapper, this puppy was found tucked away inside, along with another pack (naturally).

Michel Hernandez uncommon refractor #'d /99

If only it were someone else.... The Ryan Howard uncommon refractor books for like $200. Michel Hernandez might book for $2.

After opening the pack within the pack, this is the game-used card that greeted me... along with another stinkin pack!

Pedro Martinez Pristine Borders jersey relic

Hello old friend, wearing a Red Sox jersey, which is how I choose to remember you. The swatch is pretty tiny, but I can't really complain about pulling this card. It beats an Eric Chavez relic any day of the week.

The pack inside the pack inside the pack wasn't super exciting, but it did have the following 2 base cards in it, which I thought were pretty nice.

There are legends in this set? Awesome!

Now all I need is the uncommon & gold refractors to build myself a little rainbow. Based on recent eBay sales & listings, this card is pretty valuable for just being of the regular base variety.

There you have it, 2 more packs of Pristine busted and scanned for all the world to see. I've actually got 2 more packs of each on the way (4 more packs total), and they will be busted on video, most likely over the weekend. The eBay seller from whom I purchased the first 4 packs offered me the rest of his inventory at a very reasonable price ($10/pack). It will be a bit of a group break, as Jay from The Mojo Hand and I are splitting the costs 50/50. We're going to try to do something fun with it, and hopefully end up with a nice little pack break video.

What do you guys think of Pristine? Do you wish it was still around? Any ideas on why Topps chose to kill off the brand?

Bipped Again! This Time It's Personal

2010-01-27T12:25:00.002-05:00

You're nice enough to send a guy a Jordan Zimmerman autograph, and this is what he sends in return. The nerve of some people! As I briefly mentioned last week, this Bipping is brought to you courtesy of Matt from Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius. I'm guessing that once the Jayhawks season is over, there probably isn't much to do in Lawrence, but that is surely no excuse to reach out and Bip someone.

Matt started things off by sending me a 1995 Upper Deck Armando Benitez card....

TIMES SIX!

Followed by FOUR 1986 Topps Sammy Stewarts.
All of this was innocent enough, and didn't cut near as deep as my first Bipping, at the hands of GCRL. But then I saw it...

This is "it"

The dreaded double "g" spelling of Greg, which happens to be my name. Matt knows this.
Matt knows that I have written in the past about my dislike for the nonsensical double "g" butchering of my first name. He knew.
He knew yet he sent the cards anyway. The balls on this friggin' guy!

I guess since this card was sent along as well, I can't be that mad. Another Brooks relic for the player collection. It's not actually a bat though, it's a piece of wood from a park bench that Brooks sat in one time. The back says "Congratulations, you have received a piece of wood".

2005 Donruss Champions Brooks Robinson relic

Thanks for the cards Matt.... I guess. I want you to keep it in the back of your mind that maybe, just maybe, I will seek vengeance. Probably not, cause I'm lazy, but I could.

Trades From Across The Blogosphere

2010-01-26T13:07:00.003-05:00

Excuse my absence for the past couple of days. There's a lot going on on beardyland, and we may become homeowners in the next few weeks. Pretty overwhelming if you ask me. Anyway, back to the card stuff.

Since there's always a whole lot of tradin' goin' on, I've decided this is going to become a weekly feature, cards allowing of course.

First up is a card from Marck, the Collective Troll. He's got one of the best card blogs around, and is also an extremely generous collector. After seeing that he had been busting some '08 Ginter boxes, I dropped him an email to see if he had pulled any Ancient Icons mini cards, since it was a set I had been thinking about chasing. The card below was sent to me in exchange for absolutely nothing. That's right, FREE. I know the Troll likes Brian Roberts, and I happen to have a TON of B-Rob cards laying around. His generosity will surely not be overlooked.

2008 Allen & Ginter Ancient Icons minis Quetzalcoatl

This is what Homer saw after eating the hot peppers at the chili festival.

Next up are a few cards from Ron over at Section 36. He had originally emailed me about a Ginter World Leader mini, but sent these great cards along as well. I deem our first trade a rousing success.

2009 Topps 206 Aubrey Huff Cycle back mini #'d /99

Probably should have scanned the back of this one instead. Sorry guys.

2007 Upper Deck Erik Bedard Game Materials relic

Does anyone know what's going on with this guy right now? It's doubtful that anyone outside of Seattle or Baltimore gives a damn, but Bedard has gone AWOL. There are doubts he will even be able to pitch next season. Pishawww!

2000 Topps Stars Brooks Robinson Spotlights

If only he could take charge of his hairline like he could a dribbler down the third base line. This is a nice card, and a new one for the Brooks collection.

2001 Upper Deck Decade Eddie Murray Award Winners '78 ROY

Has the ability to look badass even during an awkward backswing. You think he made contact?

Next up are some cards from Joe over at Cobb & Halladay. Since helping me complete the great Burke Kenny nona-fecta, Joe has become one of my favorite people to trade with, and I think this is our third or fourth completed trade.

2006 Playoff Contenders Haloti Ngata autograph

Haloti sort of has chick handwriting. This is the second rookie auto I have of his, both of them are signed with #96, which must have been what he wore at Oregon. He's always worn #92 as a pro.

2008 Upper Deck SP Threads Dwayne Bowe/Eddie Royal dual relic #'d /199

My first Dwayne Bowe relic! What the heck happened to Eddie Royal anyway? He set the fantasy football world on fire as a rookie, but didn't do diddly-poo this past season. I blame the system. At first I blamed Orton, but he actually had a pretty decent season.

2008 Upper Deck Team USA Brian Matusz National Team jersey

This guy is going to be one of a few of the O's young guns with a chance to really step up this season. With the lineup that Andy McPhail has put together, it'll only take one or two of the young arms to flourish for the Orioles to threaten the .500 mark this season. Mark it dude. Baby steps.

2008 Bowman Ray Rice refractor

Another Ray Rice rookie for my player collection. You all know how I feel about Baltimore's other Ray by now, and I was pretty happy to get this card.

Well... that's that. Another great round of trades scanned, posted and commented upon for your viewing pleasure. Thanks to Marck, Ron & Joe for the great cards. If you haven't already gotten them, your cards should hit the mail in the next few days.

Also a big thank you to Baseball Dad and The Average Joe for sending me some cards from my Goodwin Champions want list. I'm still a long way from finishing, but progress is progress.

Cards From Mr. Scott

2010-01-23T16:25:00.001-05:00

I meant to post this hours ago, but today has been pretty terrible so far, and I'm just getting around to it now. It all started this morning, at 6:07, when I woke up late for work. I was supposed to be in at 6. As I finally arrived at the office, 45 minutes late, without a shower, I witnessed a hate crime on my way in the door, as someone had defaced the sushi bar next door, and left some not so nice racial epithets scribbled on the front door. As if that wasn't bad enough, it's been insanely busy since I got here, and all I can think about is how much I'd rather be at Orioles Fan-Fest today, instead of being stuck at work. Saturday is typically the slowest day here, so typically that is when I catch up on posting. Not today. Not at all. At least not until just now.

In retrospect, that might not be such a bad thing, especially since Mr. Scott of Mr. Scott's Baseball Cards, sent me a couple of cards of a player who until a few hours ago was only a former Oriole. What was old is new again, and Miguel "B-12" Tejada is once again back in Charm City. This morning the Orioles and Tejada reached an agreement on a one-year deal, and he will most likely play 3rd base this time around.

The only Yankees fan I like is the one who is currently sending me O's cards. This rule currently applies to Mr. Scott, and Mr. Scott only. I am only capable of setting aside my hatred on an individual case-by-case basis.

2005 Leaf Certified Materials Miguel Tejada "Certified Skills" relic

Well isn't this card fancy. While I do not like Tejada, I am sort of happy to see him back in town, especially so because he's only here on a one year deal, and most likely won't be a payroll crusher. We do need someone to play third base, and Tejada, even at his worst still puts up decent numbers. After the season Melvin Mora had, I doubt the bar is set very high to begin with.

2008 Topps Lou Montanez "Red Hot Rookie" refractor

What a great looking card! Nice action shot, loads of shine, and a ton of color. Too bad Topps took the cheap way out in '09 and didn't make the rookie redemption cards with refractor technology. It still took them like 8 months to produce them....

2007 Bowman Chrome Miguel Tejada xfractor

It's still so busy here at work that I won't have time to write up a witty little editorial for each card.

2006 Bowman Chrome Brian Roberts xfractor

Do you think the Freemasons invented xfractors? Look at the angles.

1996 Flair Cal Ripken Jr. Promo

I wasn't collecting in '96, but the sheer beauty of these cards must have blown people's minds back then.

2008 Topps Finest Erik Bedard blue refractor

There has been some buzz about this guy possibly coming back to Baltimore as well.

2008 Topps Finest Erik Bedard green refractor

I'd be ok with it if he was willing to pitch more than 5 innings an outing, and could stay healthy for an entire season. Oh, and he has to be nice to the media as well. I work with a guy who used to be a cameraman for the O's broadcast network, and he has quite a few stories of nasty run-ins with Bedard the recluse.

2002 Topps Archives Frank Robinson refractor reprints

I've always been bothered by the fact that he is clearly wearing a Reds uniform in this photo. It bothers me so much that I don't own the original yet. Some things never change.

Thanks for the great cards Mr. Scott. Expect a return package chock full o' evil pinstripers some time next week.

To any O's fans out there who made it to FanFest, please post some pics or something. I'm literally green with envy right now.

The Joy of a Completed Page

2010-01-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

Now if I could only find a card shop nearby that sells pages for these things... So far I am 0 for 3, which makes me good enough to play 3rd base for the O's.

Another BIG thank you to everyone who helped me complete this set. There is absolutely no way I could have done it without making trades all over the place.

Oh, and another thing... THIS IS POST #400!

Topps Pristine Video Break

2010-01-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my first video break. Going forward I promise not to be such a goober, and to actually hold the cards in front of the camera, and not off to the side. You know, so you can actually SEE them and stuff.

Both of these sealed blister packs (one 2003 & one 2004) came from eBay, and were a ton of fun to bust. I understand why this product is no longer around, as it is very similar to Finest, but the cards are still very nice. One thing that makes no sense to me is the whole "uncirculated" thing. These things are inserted into packs. Doesn't that count as "circulation"? I understand that they come in nifty hard cases, sealed with Topps foil stickers for safety, but how does that make a card "uncirculated"?

The Video:

The Goods:

2003:

Sweet! #'d to 1599. Not sure what this card is worth, but I know it's one of the better pulls in the '03 release.

Chavez is one of those players who haunts me. This has to be at least the third Eric Chavez "hit" I've pulled since starting this blog.

#'d to 1999. Not sure why I scanned this card. Probably because it's numbered. That's about the only way a damn Yankee makes it onto this site.

2004:

Cards like this are what I was afraid of when purchasing these packs. You only get one shot at an "uncirculated" refractor, and most of them are of rookies & prospects. We all know how that game goes.

I like bat relics, and I like Mike Piazza. Good times were had by all.

#'d to 1999 or something like that. It might be numbered to something lower, but I am at work right now, and can't check the back to be sure. I know it's not the "common" rookie variation, so it might be numbered to something slightly lower. Nippert is currently with the Texas Rangers, and enjoyed his best statistical season as a pro in 2009.

Certainly wasn't expecting to pull this "Big Puma" autograph. If you watched the video, you can see the look of surprise in mine eyes. This scan is plain crummy and the card looks a lot better in person. They tried to do the whole "etched metal" thing, and it looks much better when the card is in hand.

For only being a 2 pack break, there were some decent cards to be had here. I've got another pack of each on the way that I paid even less for. Hopefully, they aren't a letdown after pulling the Howard and Berkman cards.

Facing the Music

2010-01-20T13:30:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all the talk of me being a coward for not taking my bipping like "a man", I decided it was time to open the mysterious and suspicious package sent to me by GCRL. Since he has already revealed that my suspicions were correct about this package, me opening it is the equivalent of throwing yourself on a live grenade. The combat analogy brings up a good point in my defense against those branding me as "not a man". If this were 1968, and trading was 'Nam, and bipping season were the Tet Offensive, am I really a coward for not walking head-on into an ambush?

All of that is null and void now that the package has been opened. I've got to admit, GCRL would have gotten me good, as this package was filled with multiple smug Oriole faces who seem to mock me even more than the limerick Jim customarily tucked safely into my stack of duplicates.

First up is the cover boy himself, Mark Williamson. This is THE card that tipped me off about this package's possible contents. Who sends a 1989 Topps card of Mark Williamson, and tries to pass it off as legitimate trade bait? GCRL was kind enough to send 7 of them my way.

His perfectly trimmed soup strainer and refusal to make eye contact subtly ask "Do you think he knows what's coming?"

Then came "the note". Hmmm... blame Thorzul.... What's that there in the limerick? Hickey? No thanks, I'll pass GCRL. Hickeys are sooooo middle school (no offense Drew).

Oh! THAT Hickey.... from 1990 Upper Deck... times 12!

Staring at me mockingly, as if he knows that I know what's coming. As if to say "He'd better know now".

Just when I thought the worst was behind me, GCRL struck back with 4 1987 Topps Mike Young cards. Even though this was the weakest bip in terms of card quantity, seeing Mike Young's mug times 4 was definitely a self-confidence blow. It was almost as if I were Deebo, and he was standing over me shouting after Craig knocked me the bip out.

Be on the lookout ladies! There is a straight player in the house. Mike's expression closes out the conversation nicely, and to me this clearly says "He knows now". I've been bipped by a mutha-bippin' hustler!

Luckily for me, GCRl was kind enough to actually send some cards of merit to ease the pain of his bipping. This post is already long enough, so I'll just show you a few.

1983 Donruss Bruce Sutter Diamond King

A splendid card of one of the finest bearded wonders in the moden history of Major League Baseball. Looks like it's officially time to start a "beard binder".

1970 O-Pee-Chee Boog Powell Sporting News All-Star

The front of this card is pretty cool, but the back is way better. I think this is the famous uncorrected Boog Powell error card featuring an illustration of Andy Rooney on the back.

Nabisco Team Nabisco All-Stars Brooks Robinson

Does anyone know what year these are from? From reading the back, it looks like these were possibly inserted into boxes of Triscuit crackers, so they can't be that old.

2006 Bazooka Brian Roberts Fielding Basics relic

Along with Mike Mussina, I've officially started a Brian Roberts player collection as well. People send me a ton of his cards, so at this point, it seems like a no-brainer to welcome him into the collective fold. Since Roberts & Tejada were all the O's had in the mid-2000's, they each have a ton of Oriole cards. Yesterday I heard a rumor that the O's are considering bringing Tejada back as a third baseman. Even though he's a dirty cheater, if his contract is easy to handle. it might not be a bad move.

So there you have it. I took my medicine like a big boy, and was bipped for all the world to see. Even if I did see it coming, GCRL too the time to assemble these cards, and paid to ship it to Baltimore. The least I could do was open, and post it.

Be on the lookout for "Beardy Gets Bipped" part 2, brought to you by Matt, from Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius.

2008 Allen & Ginter Ancient Icons Minis Checklist

2010-01-18T20:30:00.002-05:00

Since I was actually able to complete the Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror set, I figured why not give this one a shot as well.

Image courtesy (stolen) of Nachos Grande

A1 Gilgamesh
A3 Beowulf
A4 Poseidon
A5 The Sphinx
A6 Tutankhamen
A7 Alexander the Great
A9 Sun Tzu
A11 Isis
A12 Hercules
A14 Miyamoto Musashi
A15 Genghis Khan
A16 Zeus
A17 Achilles
A18 Confucius
A19 Attila the Hun

As always, your help is greatly appreciated.

There's also a new 1987 Topps Want list link posted on the sidebar. Check it out if you think you can help.

Making Up With Mike

2010-01-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

What is a collector to do when someone offers them an autograph of a player they once loved, but now hate? I found myself in this exact situation last week when Brian, of Play at the Plate offered up a Mike Mussina Orioles autograph as part of a trade we were working on. What I decided to do was bury the hatchet, and welcome Mike Mussina back into my collection. The reasoning behind my feelings was flawed to begin with, and all stemmed from Mike's decision to leave Baltimore after the 2000 season, so he could run off to New York and pitch for the much hated Yankees.

Now that a decade has passed, I am able to look at the facts. Anyone would rather play for the Yankees than the Orioles, and as a professional, you have to go where the money is. If I was offered the same job I hold down now, in a new location, for a competing company, and they were offering me almost twice what I am currently making, you'd better believe I'd blow town in a hot minute, and never look back.

When you really think about it, the only way Mussina really benefited by leaving Baltimore was monetarily. Perhaps he picked up a few more wins playing for a team that routinely has a beefy offensive lineup, and scores a lot of runs, but I speculate that his numbers would have been pretty similar if he simply stayed put right here in Bmore, where he was adored by the fans.

Mussina still spent a little more than half of his career in Baltimore, and it's not like he won a World Series while pitching for the Stankees. How can I NOT feel bad for a guy who spent 8 seasons on a perennial contender, and didn't win a ring. That in itself wouldn't be so bad, but seeing his former team finally get one last season, the season he chose to retire had to hurt. Am I doing a good job at talking myself into burying the hatchet?

Welcome back Mike! I can officially admit that you were not only once an Oriole, but one of the team's best players throughout the 90's. I will no longer grunt when coming across a card of yours while sorting through the Orioles box, and I promise not to use your cards as coasters, or draw mustaches on them from this day on.

Let's take a look at what Brian sent my way. First up is the card responsible for this sudden change of heart:

2000 Fleer Focus Mike Mussina Fresh Ink autograph

Believe it or not, this card wasn't even the centerpiece of this trade. The card below was the one I had to have.

2009 Topps Heritage Brooks Robinson "Flashback" Memorial Stadium relic

Another chunk of Memorial Stadium goodness. While my first baseball game may have been at Shea (shhh... don't tell), my second was taken in at Memorial Stadium, and this time I was old enough to sort of understand what was going on.

2008 Topps Stadium Club Dwayne Bowe gold photographer's proof #'d /50

The only item on my Ravens off-season wish list is a big WR. This guy is my #1 choice. For some reason he seemed to be in the doghouse for most of the past season in KC, and rumor has it he is on the trading block. Get on that for me Ozzie!

2004 Topps Chrome Warren Harding Presidential Pastime refractor

I've wanted this card since the day it was pulled, or at least the day that it was posted. Contrary to popular belief, and sometimes my own opinion, I like President cards, especially ones that actually have a baseball theme, which this set does. If anyone out there has any Presidential Pastime refractors, let's talk trade. I've got thoughts of going for the set, but it would probably take YEARS to complete.

Thanks for the great trade Brian. You are personally responsible for salvaging my relationship with Mike Mussina, which may or may not be a good thing.

Fear and Loathing In The Mailbox

2010-01-17T20:52:00.002-05:00

I suspect that GCRL has tried to bip me, and I can't prove it without being bipped, but I think he's trying to get me man. In order to confirm this attempted bip, I would have to open the packages pictured below, thus making myself even more vulnerable to a possible bipping, which may in fact be the package's intent.

Somebody call the Bip Squad. There was no email from GCRL. No trade agreement in place. This was just a random package with the misfortune to have arrived in the heart of bipping season. As you can see from the photo below they don't have the most enticing of cards sitting on top. In the note that was attached CGRL stated that he was "sending me some O's in the hopes that I would send him some Dodgers instead of them always going to Night Owl". I gotta be honest, 1989 Topps is not exactly the way to my collecting heart, and something about this whole thing just reeks a bit. Knowing full well that there was already some dubious mail en-route to two of my favorite frenemies, Thorzul & Motherscratcher, there was no way I could open these cards and leave myself so defenseless. Karma was not about to bip me so quickly.

Am I paranoid? Maybe. A fool? Well.... I'll leave that one up to you. Yesterday, after they had been sitting on my table for 3 days unopened, I decided to drop GCRL an email, to let him know that his suspicious package had arrived a few days ago, and that I was not about to open for fear that there was nothing but a limerick and pain inside. He was nice enough to reply, and confirm my worst fear.

I have been Bipped, but am currently in denial about it. The cards are still unopened, but they've already penetrated the fortress walls. There is a crook in my kingdom. It's only a matter of time before I break down and wonder if there are 14 Larry Sheets' in there, or 7 Joe Orsulaks. My paranoia has gotten the best of me. Look at Mark Williamson's mustache staring at me. Mocking me. ME of all people! He has the nerve to mock me. You would do that, wouldn't you.
The package with the Ravens cards in it doesn't look quite as sketchy, but I've got to stay strong here. Can't surrender to the temptation.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE AWESOMEST THING EVER.*

You'll never catch me!

*Link courtesy of Jon, from Rain of Error.

Let the Doldrums Begin!

2010-01-16T22:59:00.006-05:00

As the whole world just saw, the Baltimore Ravens were eliminated from the playoffs by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The Ravens played a terrible game, and I am starting to have doubts about Joe Flacco's decision making. He hold on to the ball too long, and loves to throw deep passes into double coverage. He either has to be hurt, or there is a chance that maybe he won't be as good as everyone thought.

I never expected the Ravens to make the playoffs after they fell to 5-5 back in November, so all in all it was a pretty good season. Ray Rice had his coronation season, and it looks like he's got a chance to become a legitimate NFL star. Between Flacco and Rice, the future of Ravens football should be exciting.

These next few months are always the hardest for me in terms of my sports fanhood. Without the Ravens or Orioles to root for February feels like it has 82 days instead of only 28.

March Madness can't get here soon enough.

Hey you! Stop throwing so many checkdowns to Ray Rice and look downfield.

For now, I am pledging my allegiance to the Dallas Cowboys, also known as America's Team. Ever heard of them?

Doomsday

2010-01-16T21:38:00.002-05:00

Why don't these announcers just get on their knees and suckle the cock that is Manning. They're already about 3 miles up his kiester anyway.

More Trades From Around The Blogosphere

2010-01-16T09:45:00.003-05:00

Get ready for another round of great cards from across the cardblogosphere! Bye Thorzul.

First up are a couple of cards from the nocturnal nightmare, Greg, of Night Owl Cards. He has been the primary beneficiary of my Dodger pulling mojo, and as a result, he occasionally drops me a bubble mailer chock full o' Orioles.

2009 O-Pee-Chee Materials Cuddyer/Francouer/Markakis

I must say these cards are really nice looking. The design is simple, and bright, bearing a slight resemblance to the Brady Bunch intro. O-Pee-Chee was a product that I did not purchase even a single pack of, but the Markakis relics always looked really cool to me. I'm so happy to have this card I won't even complain about the other 2 guys on it.

1987 Fleer Mini Cal Ripken Jr.

I didn't even know Fleer made minis in '87. Granted, I was 6 years old at the time, but still. Also... not the greatest picture of the Iron Man. His expression is thought provoking to say the least. What's he looking at that is making him make that face? Eddie's afro? Jim Palmer in his danged undies?

If you're anything like me, and didn't know these things were around, here is another image to give you some sort of an idea of scale.

Next up are a few cards from local reader Todd, who emailed me last week saying that he had the last card needed to complete my '09 Allen & Ginter Creature mini set. It was a pretty easy trade to work out, and all Todd wanted in return was an O's relic, and a bunch of my Markakis and Brooks doubles.

2009 Allen & Ginter Creature Minis "Grendel"

I can officially say that the Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror set has been completed. HUGE thanks to everyone out there who helped out via trade. Without you guys, I would have never been able to finish this set, especially considering they're only found one per box, and that's at best. Oh, I'd also like to thank God, for you know, being God. Isn't it mandatory to thank God?

1987 7-11 Slurpee Coins Eddie Murray

I totally remember these things! Unlike Fleer minis, Slurpees are something that 8-year olds pay close attention to. I had one of these at some point in my childhood. There was more than one "coin" of each player as well, or at least I think there is. It's all coming back to me now! Not only did I have an Eddie coin, but there was a George Brett coin floating around my house as well. Ahhh.... memories.

2008 Allen & Ginter World Leader Minis Nicolas Sarkozy

Smarmy French bastards!

1993 Topps Finest Mike Mussina

If you've read this site for any extended period of time, you know that I have issues with Mike Mussina. The walls that exist between us are slowly being broken down, and I think there's a good chance he will be accepted back into the "circle of trust" shortly. It's been years Mike, and we've got a lot of catching up to do.

1969 Topps Dave McNally

A great card of a very "clutch" player. McNally has not only pitched a shutout in the '66 World Series (sorry Night Owl & GCRL), but also hit a grand slam to lead the Orioles to another World Series game victory in 1970.

1975 Topps Rookie Infielders Cubbage/DeCinces/Sanders/Trillo

Man, Reggie Sanders had a long career.

Moving right along to a few cards from Bud, of the fabulous First Day Issue. Bud and I discussed this trade for a while before finally reaching an agreement. These two cards were sent for a couple of numbered Mariners refractors, and an Iciro relic to be named later.

2005 Upper Deck Epic Materials Willie McCovey jersey relic

Obviously not an Orioles card, but what can I say? Color me a sucker for those old-timey gray wool swatches. The fact that it was, or at least claims to have been worn by a Hall of Famer, certainly doesn't hurt it's appeal either.

2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Memorabilia Series Cal Ripken Jr.

One can never have too many Cal relics, can they? This card could admittedly look a little better. It's off-center, and the swatch is a plain shade of gray, but I like it anyway. I think Goodwin is going to be VERY cheap to pick up by the boxload later year, and with none of previews for next year looking that great, maybe I'll be able to finally finish off this set. Wouldn't mind hitting one of the redemptions either. Both the Landmarks and Entomolgy cards are pretty cool.

2005 Topps Rooke Cup Eddie Murray

Eddie Murray is a straight up bad mother, shut your mouth.

Last up to bat is just one of the many great cards sent to me by David, of the 2008 Allen & Ginter Cardscape. This one card was selected because it's yet another Markakis that I didn't yet have. Thanks David!

2008 Topps Target Exclusive T205 Nick Markakis

The refractor version of this card has been in my collection for a couple of years now, but for some reason the regular base version alluded me.

Big thanks to Night Owl, Todd, Bud & David for the trades. It was a pleasure and a privilege to deal with each and every one of you. Even you Bud.

I Need To Stop Buying So Many Cards!

2010-01-15T21:08:00.003-05:00

So I can save money to go HERE and buy more cards!

The National is coming to Baltimore, and to be honest, it could have chosen a better year to be in my hometown. With a wedding, honeymoon, and potential home purchase on the horizon, it's going to take hard work and dedication to save as much money as possible between now and August 4th.

There are a TON of former Orioles signing, including Frank Robinson, and Eddie Murray. There isn't an Eddie autograph in my collection as of yet, so he will be the top signer on my want list.

Willie Mays is going to be there too!

There's no way I can miss out on being in the center of The Hobby universe. Especially when the universe is revolving around Baltimore. Only 200 days to go!

That's it... I'm adding a countdown in the sidebar. Hopefully it'll serve as a reminder for me to start saving up.

The Bearded Prospector

2010-01-15T08:11:00.004-05:00

Prospecting is not an aspect of the hobby that I embrace whole heartedly, but with these two cards, I just couldn't help myself. The Hobgood is the only one that could possibly be viewed as an investment right now, seeing as he was a first round pick and all, but the Flacco is pure novelty. He was a thirty-frist round draft pick, and his being in the O's organization just might have something to do with his brother. You think? The back of his card does say that he's a gifted athlete, and has a compact swing. It'd be cool with me if the Flacco brothers ran Baltimore one day.

2009 BDPP Matt Hobgood xfractor auto #51/225

225 seems like a fairly arbitrary print run number. Don't get me wrong, I've seen worse (cough...Upper Deck...cough), but why not 250?

2009 BDPP Michael Flacco gold refractor #43/50

Only 2 numbers higher than his draft round, thus making it a true 1/1! The Flacco brothers are so talented that in 2012 Joe Flacco will play third base for the Orioles and lead them to a World Championship, while his brother Mikey will quarterback the Ravens to a perfect 14-0 record. There will be no Super Bowl that year due to the apocalypse, which occurs on December 21st. Rumor has it that Matt Weiters was so jealous of the brothers he single-handedly destroys earth, thus proving that he is in fact a deity. See you all on the other side bitches!

Picked them both up on eBay for right around $25, which isn't too bad for some hometown rookie refractors. Watch your back Garrett Atkins, cause Mikey Flacco is coming to get you. This season.

Mark it dude.

Junior Is Finally Home

2010-01-14T13:45:00.002-05:00

Many thanks go out to Jay, of the recently defunct The Mojo Hand, for holding so many great contests throughout the year. I was fortunate enough to win his big year-end "Mother of all Contests", and late last week my prize arrived.

BEHOLD!

Bask in the glory that is Junior.

I've wanted a Junior Griffey autograph since I was about 9 years old, and to finally have one, that I didn't have to pay or trade for is absolutely amazing. This is one hell of a card to just give away, and that should tell you all something Jay's generosity.

A Legend In His Own Mind

2010-01-13T21:33:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Jeff of New Card Smell for further inflating my already monstrous ego by sending me a 1 of 1 sketch card..... of myself.

The resemblance is striking, don't you think.

This card was sent along with the last few 2008 Masterpieces short prints needed to complete my base set. This has to be the fastest I have ever put a set together, at just over a month. The few blasters I picked up in '08, 2 hobby boxes, a retail box, and about 5 or 6 trades was all it took. Hmmm... does that mean I technically started building it in '08? Does that count? All of the boxes were purchased in December, and that's when the decision was made to start collecting the set, even though I did bust a few blasters when I first got back in the game. Now there is a conundrum for you. Anyway, Jeff was kind enough to send roughly 10 cards for the price of shipping & materials only, which came to roughly $2.30.

Thanks dude. From both of us, my Bondsian cranium and me.

UPDATE: I AM A MORON. You read it here first folks. At least the time that I said it you did. I still need card #120, the last card in the set, to achieve completion. Insert premature completion joke here.

Old School From COMC

2010-01-13T12:30:00.002-05:00

You've heard me sing the praises of checkoutmycards.com in the past, and I will spare you the plug this time. The cards should speak for themselves. Lately I've been looking to beef up the retired player team autograph collection, and will always pick up vintage cards for a good price, especially those of guys enshrined in Cooperstown.

1959 Topps Red Schoendienst

For $2? Are you kidding me? No. Brainer.

2004 Upper Deck Legends Eddie Watt "Timeless Teams" autograph

I detailed Eddie's career a bit in a post from earlier this week. It's cool to have his autograph, and it didn't cost me more than a couple of dollars. I really like this release, even if Upper Deck did just recycle the design for '08 Timeline, and it's a prime example of an autograph card done right. The signature is on card, and there isn't a ton of gaudy foilboard or shiny crap to distract from the excellent photo and clean autograph of Mr. Watt.

2004 Upper Deck Legends Boog Powell "Timeless Teams" autograph

Same set, better player. There was a giant hole in my autograph collection that has now been filled. Booger is a Baltimore legend, and anytime you can pick up an on-card auto of a former league MVP who also happens to play for your favorite team....

2001 Topps Archives Paul Blair Rookie Reprints refractor autograph

This is my second Paul Blair autograph. The other one is also a refractor, but is from 2003 Finest. Both of them cost me less than $2, and both of them are on-card. Can't beat that! I am DONE with sticker autographs, and the majority of them are being sold and/or traded from my collection.

Also picked up this beaut, which while not being vintage, or an auto, and despite containing Miguel Tejada, who is one of my least favorite O's of all time, is still a pretty sweet card.

2006 Topps Triple Threads Tejada/Murray/Robinson triple relic

Check out that 3-color Brooksie goodness! I've said it before, and I'll say it again... sticker autos do not belong in high-end products, and that's while Triple Threads autos suck. The relics however... are pretty nice, and this is a perfect example of that point.

Enjoy these posts while you can, cause you never know when they may be gone. Read whatever you would like into that extremely vague statement. Chances are it means nothing.... or everything. It's all subjective.

Stale Gum Chicle Parody Contest Entry 2

2010-01-12T19:47:00.006-05:00

Figured it was only appropriate after yesterday's big ~~announcement~~ admission .

Vintage Variety From Project '62

2010-01-12T11:33:00.003-05:00

I really haven't posted any vintage cards for a while, and that's mainly because I haven't been fortunate enough to acquire many lately. That should change this year, because one of the things I want to do is collect more vintage Topps team sets. Based on what I've seen so far, the prospects for 2010 releases don't look very promising. Old school is going to be the way of the samuri for this year's collective Tao.

All of the great cards in this post come courtesy of a trade with Project '62. Chris emailed me with some amazing vintage scans, and was kind enough to send them over even though there wasn't a whole lot of vintage I could send back in return.

1972 Topps Eddie Watt

A psychedelic tombstone of a pitcher I know very little about. A little research reveals that his career was marginal at best. That didn't stop me from picking up his 2004 Upper Deck Legends autograph card from checkoutmycards. It's amazing how many retired players have autographs in modern sets, including some you wouldn't expect, like Eddie Watt.

1962 Topps Earl Robinson

If you blinked, you may have missed the career of Earl Robinson in it's entirety. It only lasted 170 games, just barely more than one modern season. After breaking through with the Dodgers in '58, Robinson spent 3 seasons in Baltimore. '61, '62 & '64. I wonder what happened to him in '63?

1962 Topps Milt Pappas

Most people only know Pappas as the guy who brought Frank Robinson to the Orioles. Well... before being that guy, he was a pretty good pitcher, and at one point was the ace of Baltimore's staff. Pappas would have an All-Star season in '62, the first of his career.

1962 Topps Marv Breeding

Marv Breeding was another guy with a short career, playing just 4 seasons in the major leagues. I guess with a last name like that, you are destined for other things.

1962 Topps Dick Hall

Although I wasn't alive to see or hear about Dick Hall, the numbers don't lie. Over 16 seasons Hall earned himself a respectable .554 winning percentage, and a 3.34 ERA mostly as a reliever/occasional starter. It's the contributions of guys like Dick here that go largely unnoticed over the course of a season, but have a huge impact on it's outcome. Underrated? Perhaps. Under-appreciated? Most definitely.

1958 Topps Joe Ginsberg

Judging by his career numbers, Joe spent all but 2 of his seasons as a back-up catcher. He hung around the majors for 13 seasons, but only played in 695 games. Ginsberg also qualifies as a bit of a journeyman, having spent time with 7 teams over his 13 seasons. He came to Baltimore in '56 via a trade with the Kansas City Athletics, who had in turn acquired him from Cleveland a season earlier.

1958 Topps Al Pilarcik

Pilarcik is yet another early Oriole with a less than remarkable career. He played 6 seasons, 5 with Baltimore after debuting with the Kansas City Athletics in 1956. If I had to guess by just looking at stats, I'd say his best season had to have been 1959, in which he played in 130 games, and hit .282. The '59 Topps Pilarcik was one of the first cards I came to possess in my quest for the '59 O's team set.

1958 Topps Hal Brown

Another journeyman pitcher, only this time a guy who was mainly used as a starter. Over 14 seasons and 4 teams Brown moved on with a career record of 85-92 over 211 career starts.

1958 Topps Gus Triandos

Triandos was a solid catcher for a number of seasons in the mid-late fifties, and would have an All-Star season the year this card was printed. Gus was originally signed by, and made his debut with the Yankees, which is something I didn't know until looking him up on Baseball Reference to write this post. I almost feel bad for the guy now, knowing he had to play on some pretty miserable Oriole teams in the fifties.

Thanks for the old-school O's Chris. I had a lot of fun looking at these cards, and even more fun looking up some of these players on Baseball Reference. You've gotten me off to a pretty good start on both the '58 and '62 Orioles team sets, and I will definitely be putting together a vintage want list in the near future. Scratch that, future. "Near" implies that I plan on not being lazy in the immediate interval following my typing of this post, and that is already highly improbable.

Monday Morning Video Fun

2010-01-11T09:39:00.000-05:00

Censorship really can be fun.

Stale Gum's Chicle Parody Contest

2010-01-10T20:33:00.006-05:00

Check Stale Gum is you don't know what I'm talking about.

Here is my entry. It's a play on the whole home run king thing.

Even More Trades From Across The Blogosphere

2010-01-10T11:20:00.003-05:00

Yes, that's right Thorzul, another dullard of a trade post.

First up we have some cards from Jay, of the recently defunct The Mojo Hand blog. I don't know about you guys, but I miss Jay, and hope he makes his triumphant return to the blogosphere post haste. I'm not just saying that because I recently won a Griffey Jr. autograph in his contest either. The Mojo Hand is greatly missed. This may be the first trade I've ever posted that does not contain a single Orioles card.

09 Donruss Certified Materials Kenny Britt Souvenir Stamps

While this card is still sort of cool, it's not near as cool as the older incarnations that actually used old postage. There's something about seeing "Stamps.com" on a football card that doesn't sit quite right with me. Britt was my rookie WR du jour this season, and spent time on all 3 of the fantasy teams I managed. WR is the one position where most of the youngsters I have a good feeling about go on to have pretty good rookie campaigns. At every other position, "my guys" don't ever pan out.

2009 Bowman Chrome Joe Flacco green refractor #'d 75/99

If my Ravens are going to take down the evil Patriots and the hooded one this afternoon, my boy "Cup a Joe" is going to have to play better. He holds the ball too long, and ends up taking too many sacks as a result. This is the second season in a row that I feel like they are just a big, play-making wide receiver away from a Lombardi Trophy. It would be great to be proven wrong today.

2008 Upper Deck SP Lawrence Jackson Rookie Threads auto

I don't know much about this guy, aside from the fact that he was a low first round pick of the Seahawks in the 2008 draft. It's too early to call him a bust, but I certainly haven't seen him on Sportscenter either.

2009 Topps Finest Dwayne Bowe refractor

A few years ago Bowe was the rookie wide receiver that started my run of psychic prognosticating ability. He's still one of my favorites in the game, and for the sake of his career I hope he is able to make it out of Kansas City soon. A trade to the Ravens would make me the happiest fan in all the land.

Next up are a few of the cards sent to me by Ed, of Roll Out the Barrel fame. He posted his '08 Allen & Ginter wantlist a week or two ago, and I still have 3 boxes of doubles laying around. It seemed like a match made in heaven. I didn't even want anything in return, since box space is very much in demand these days. Well, Ed sent me some cards back anyway. I can't say I'm disappointed about that either.

2004 Topps Oriole Prospects Nick Markakis/Adam Loewen

A new Markakis! Thanks Ed. This one is a bonus, cause it's also got Adam Loewen on it too. I still believe in Adam. This will be the year he goes Ankiel on us. Mark it dude.

2009 Topps 206 Koji Uehara "Rookie" short print

It would have been smart of me to scan the back of this card too. We all know why it's not here.

2009 Topps Heritage High #'s Chrome Nolan Reimold Rookie Star

Great looking card right there. Can't wait to get the base version as well. Believe it or not, I haven't opened a single pack of Heritage High. For some reason I always lose interest by the time series 2 and high number sets come out. Wanna go ride bikes?

2009 Goodwin Champions Great White Shark Animal Series

My first Greg Norman card. Gotta love the Shaaaaaahhhk.

Big thanks as always to both Mojo and Ed for the great cards. Just like last week, if anyone needs me I'll be on the couch, in front of the TV, biting my nails.

GO RAVENS!!

P.S. If you haven't yet voted for your hobby favorites in the 2009 Gummies, you have 14 hours left to do so. I am currently trailing the Troll by 19 votes for Best New Cardblog. It's been pretty close the whole time, and there have been over 270 votes cast. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Worst. Masterpieces. Break. Ever.

2010-01-09T07:19:00.000-05:00

I love 2008 Masterpieces. Even though I've only done three proper reviews using the Beard-O-Meter, I gave this product the highest rating yet, a full Grizzly Adams, which is one step below the pinnacle of beardiness itself. All of that aside, this was a miserable hobby box. Along with the cards seen below, I also pulled 4 black framed parallels, 3 of which were doubles.

#'d to 75, and the best card of the break. I think this is windsor green frame, but only I Am Joe Collector knows for sure.

Wow, a game-used hit of a guy who at the moment is out of baseball.

Too bad it's not 2004 anymore, or Jack would be sporting black & orange, and I would be pleased as punch to have pulled this card. While typing this post, Cust struck out 4 times. It doesn't matter that baseball season is still 3 months away, Jack Cust strikes out in his sleep.

Still not that bad for $35 plus shipping, but I can't think of too many hits worse than these two. All cards are for trade if anyone is interested. My black-framed parallel want list can be found HERE, if you want to help out.

What The Hell?

2010-01-08T13:16:00.005-05:00

President Barack Obama, only 1 year into his presidency, already has a whopping 403 trading cards bearing his likeness, according to Beckett.com. By comparison, JFK, who is widely regarded as one of America's greatest modern Presidents only has 164 cards bearing his. Our first President, George Washington, has only 42, and Abraham Lincoln, 106.

Does anyone else find it absolutely disgusting that 3 of our greatest and most popular Presidents of all time COMBINED still find themselves on 101 LESS total cards than a guy who has only been in office for a year?

Barack Obama has more cards out there than Adam Jones, who has been a professional baseball player now for 4-5 years! Jones falls 58 cards shy of the Prez, with 345 total cards.

THIS news story inspired me to research the topic this morning. I just have one question America...

WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUU IS GOING ON HERE?

We don't have JUST a President, we have a celebrity, and personally I find it disgusting. Thank you modern media for further warping our perceptions of what a leader is and what a leader should be.

EDIT: To all those who are claiming the reason for this is that the other Presidents have long since passed on....

George W. Bush: 36 cards
Bill Clinton: 39 cards

Those guys both held the office of the President for 8 years. Riddle me that....

EDIT EDIT: This is NOT a political post. I voted for Obama, and still feel he is the best man for the job. It is however, a reflection of how warped our media has become, and how the card companies just seem to be following right along. Enough is enough.

Forgotten Treasures

2010-01-08T08:38:00.000-05:00

Found these cards the other day, whilst organizing my collection (finally). The first 3 are graded, and were hanging out in a drawer somewhere, collecting dust.

Why would someone send in a regular ol' xfractor to be graded? I have no earthly idea, but it was a PSA 10 Markakis for $1, so it seemed like a good pickup at the time. I've got a few copies of this card now, but this is the only one that is graded.

I got this card, and the Adam Jones auto below, as payment for a business card design I did for Mike Smeth, of The Cardboard Connection. The money would have just gone towards buying more cards anyway, and I like to cut corners. This was the perfect solution.

This is the only Adam Jones auto currently in my collection. He only has a few that are certified, and most of them sell for decent coin. It's only a matter of time before his autographs are flooding the market just like everyone else's. In the meantime, I will enjoy the one I've got. Thanks Mike!

This next little gem was mixed in with my Orioles cards for some reason, and obviously shouldn't have been. It's always nice to stumble upon a Hall of Famer autograph you forgot you had.

2005 Leaf Century Collection Red Schoendienst stamp auto

If the signature wasn't half cut off, this would be one of the sweetest cards I've ever seen. This card made me excited for the 2009 Century Collection release that ended up not happening. Now, instead of using awesome, old vintage stamps, Donini resorts to Stamps.com for it's newer incarnations of this design. Total cop-out if you ask me.

2008 Allen & Ginter #363 Tris Speaker extended mini

Not long before starting this blog, I was fortunate enough to pull an Alex Rios rip card from some loose hobby packs of 2008 Allen & Ginter. When I ripped it this mini was tucked inside. At the time I was disappointed that it wasn't a wood parallel or red ink auto, and mindlessly tossed it into a stack with the rest of my minis. Obviously, I was being a total Joe Collector, and failed to appreciate the true beauty of this card.

Normally, this is where I would remind you to vote for me in the 2009 Gummie Awards, but my once large lead has turned into a sizable deficit. It's not looking like I'm going to win, so I won't bother telling you to get your arse in gear and go vote right now. Did you see what I did there? Did it work?

Is This A Wasteland... No, It's a Another Trade Post

2010-01-07T19:52:00.004-05:00

Justin, of the wonderful Is This A Wasteland- No It's Tampa Bay Sports, dropped me an email a week or two back and offered up some Masterpieces black framed parallels for my set. All he wanted in return was a Brian Roberts relic, which pretty much flow like water around here. A deal was struck, and Justin, being the sneaky little bugger that he is, threw in a few extra cards.

2006 Bowman Heritage Brian Roberts mini

Look at little Brian Roberts on his little Bowman Heritage card. Awwwwww.

2005 Bowman Adam Loewen

I had big hopes for Adam Loewen. He was a highly-touted beast of a man, and left handed to boot. Pretty much everything you look for in a dominating major league starter. Well... after blowing his arm twice, and possibly even thrice, he is now an outfield prospect in the Blue Jays organization. Oh, what could have been.

1993 Pinnacle Eddie Murray "Now & Then"

This card helps us pinpoint the exact moment Eddie lost his badassedness. Naturally, it just so happens to coincide with him leaving Bmore for NY Have you ever seen Eddie smile in Baltimore? Have you ever seen anyone smile in Baltimore?

1996 Topps Stadium Club Jonathan Ogden "New Age"

This card is what Dock Ellis' no hitter looked like to Dock Ellis. This is the single coolest looking card I have ever seen. Jonathan Ogden RULES. Don't believe me, click HERE, watch THIS, then try to argue.

2006 Topps Finest Football Derrick Mason red refractor #'d /399

I'm only featuring this card because it's shiny, and because my boy D-Mase needs to come correct this Sunday. It's do or die for everyone, but in the end this fan is hoping it's the Patriots who end up dead.

Finally, here are a few of the Masterpieces black framed parallels that Justin sent over. This is what the trade was all about to begin with, and I most definitely appreciate the help. Without the support of the blogosphere, there's no way building this set would be a reality for me. You guys (and gals) rock!

Sorry to bore you to tears Thorzul, it's just that people keep sending me cards, and it only seems fair to give credit where credit is due. Perhaps I am arrogant, but it seems that people want to trade with me because they know I'll do a proper trade post, and talk about every card I love or hate. This blog was started mainly as a forum to find trade partners, and boy did I ever! Thanks for the cards Justin, and fear not, Tampa Bay really IS a wasteland, but it's a wasteland I wouldn't mind spending some time in right about now, especially with more snow in the forecast tonight.

There Are Too Many Hall of Famers

2010-01-06T13:05:00.001-05:00

As the world awaits the final tally of this year's Hall of Fame vote, I figured what better time than now to weigh in and share a slightly different opinion than the ones Ive seen on other blogs.

I DON'T THINK ANYONE ON THE BALLOT DESERVES TO GET IN. PERIOD. At least not this year anyway.

This is not a knock on Alomar, The Hawk, Larkin or Blyleven. I feel that the "Hall of Fame" has been compromised. It's become the Hall of Pretty Good, the Hall of Above Average, and is no longer a place where ONLY the true greats of the game are enshrined. In my opinion there are already too many players enshrined in Cooperstown, and a large percentage of them may not deserve the honor which was bestowed upon them.

Given that the so-called "golden age" of baseball has all but disappeared in the rear-view, I think it's time for a criteria change. You should have a record-breaking career in order to be elected, or you should have had to have been one of the top 2-3 players at your respective position for the era in which you played. Using this criteria, I think everyone on this year's ballot is not worthy. Not that they all weren't good, or even great players, I just don't think they were the best.

Take Barry Larkin for example. He was not among the top 2-3 shortstops of his era (Ripken, Yount, The Wizard), nor did he put up particularly outstanding numbers. He did however have a very nice, solid, long career. Is that enough to make you a Hall of Famer? In my opinion, no. If there were a Hall of Very Good, Larkin is a first ballot inductee, no questions asked. I feel the same way about both Dawson and Blyleven.

About the only player on this year's ballot that I can make a case for is Alomar. I have him as the third best second baseman of his era, behind only Sandberg and Biggio (who isn't yet eligible) . Alomar was solid both defensively, and at the plate, but to me, his career numbers aren't mind blowing. What gets Alomar in to the Hall in my opinion is the fact that there weren't a whole lot of players better at the position than he was for his time. What I do not think however, is that Roberto Alomar is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He deserves to get in, and most likely will at some point, but this year, I think there shouldn't be anyone elected.

If you think I'm being too rash, and my criteria isn't detailed, or complicated enough, so be it. I would love to hear your reasons why I am wrong, and why you think I am an idiot. Peter Gammons said the best way to decide who is in and who is out is simply first impression, without having to look at numbers. If someone walked up to you and said "Do you think Andre Dawson should be in the Hall of Fame" I think most people's first instinct would be to say "No". I encourage you to do that with everyone on the ballot this year, and if there is anyone that immediately jumps out at you as an obvious "Yes", please state your case. I would love to hear it.

Trade With Cardboard Icons

2010-01-06T09:15:00.001-05:00

This is not the first time I've traded with Ben, from Cardboard Icons, and I certainly hope it's not the last. Ben is a very generous trader, and always sends a ton of cards. This round arrived in a 400-count box that was almost packed full. Here are a few personal favorites:

1993 Pinnacle Cal Ripken Jr.

Classic Cal at his best. He has one of the most fun stances to emulate, but it can get a little rough on the knees. I don't know for sure, but I think the knee-bending was how he kept such great timing at the plate. Sort of like Strawberry's high leg lift. Skip all the way to the last 25 seconds or so of THIS video if you don't know which stance(s) to which I am referring.

1993 Pinnacle Hometown Heroes Cal Ripken Jr.

Another solid Ripken card from back in the day.

2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Frank Robinson black parallel

Doesn't matter how many times I look at this card, it's still one ofmy favorites from '08. Don't think I had this parallel version yet.

2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Frank Robinson

See, there it is again. What did I tell you? This card is fantastic.

2005 Bowman Heritage Brian Roberts "Pieces of Greatness" bat relic

This is one of the largest pieces of bat I've ever seen in a card that isn't considered a "jumbo" relic. It could just be an illusion, caused by the curved window edges. Regardless, I really dig the design of this card. It reminds me of the Jetsons for some reason, but I can't quite place it.

2009 Topps Series 2 David Hernandez silk #'d /50

Call me crazy, but I like silk cards. They're totally manufactured cheese, but at least this cheddar is based on baseball cards from days gone by.

Thanks a lot for the great cards Ben! Yours are on the way, so enjoy. On an unrelated note, the 2009 Gummies are heating up and a lot of the polls are REALLY close, including the Best New Card Blog. If you haven't done so already I encourage you to go forth, and make your voice heard! Click HERE to access the polls, and remember, a vote for beardy is a vote for freedom!

2008 Allen & Ginter World Leader Minis Wantlist

2010-01-05T19:32:00.009-05:00

Didn't even realize how close I am to completing this set until just now. Granted, I'm not that close, but it seems doable. Guess that's what happens when you start getting organized.

Needs:
WL5, WL7, WL25, WL36, WL43, WL46, WL48

Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Christmas Kindness - The Tardy Edition

2010-01-05T12:35:00.002-05:00

It's cold here in beardyland today, and Rookie of the Year is on cable. I had totally forgotten that Busey is in this movie, and until looking it up in imdb.com just now, had no idea it was directed by Daniel Stern. Anyway, These cards should have been up at least a week ago, and there is absolutely no excuse for my slackitude.

The first one comes from Sharpe, of Sharpe Since '92, who just sent this card out of the kindness of his great big heart. I wasn't expecting it, and he insisted on not accepting anything in return. Griffin puts me just ONE card away from finishing the Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror mini set. I still need Mr. Grendel, who is hopefully on the way soon via another trade. Does anyone else out there think that Griffin is mis-spelled? I always thought it was Gryphon, which looks a whole hell of a lot more mythical than Griffin.

Next up is the gift I received from A Rookie (Baseball) Card Collector's Secret Santa thingamajig. This is not only a Markakis I don't have, but it's also one I wouldn't have gone out of my way to purchase. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that you wait a year to add cards like this to your player collection, or you'll end up overpaying for it. It's quite a treat to have this card now, and I have admittedly lost out on a few auctions for it in the past. So a big thank you to whoever it was that got me this fabulous card.

I hope everyone is having a terrific Tuesday (alliteration bitches!). Stay tuned for some cards I found while organizing my collection. It's amazing what you forget you have when you let things get out of hand. There's also a few trades to be posted, so be on the lookout for those as well. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to the Post Office.

Greetings From...

2010-01-04T18:13:00.002-05:00

Greetings From Postal Mountain....
If you've been waiting for a package from me, be it for a trade, or a contest you won, chances are pretty good it's in there somewhere, and will hit the mail tomorrow. Let's hope there are no angry old ladies standing behind me waiting while I'm using the postage machine this time. Last time things almost turned ugly. Don't think for a second that I won't bitch slap your Grandma if she runs her mouth.

Great Moments In Advertising...

2010-01-04T09:27:00.000-05:00

THIS

PLUS THIS

EQUALS THIS

Bravo Subway, bravo.

Look What I Found In The Dictionary!

2010-01-03T22:10:00.005-05:00

I couldn't believe it! They even had pictures.

Here's a scan:
If you can't read the captions, click on the image. I scanned it at 300dpi so you'd be able to enlarge it.

Oh yes Thorzul my friend, it's ON!

Rock The Vote Part 2

2010-01-03T15:17:00.003-05:00

Go HERE.

NOW!

Cast your vote, and let your voice be heard by the blogosphere. While you're at it, please vote for me in the "Best New Cardblog" category. I could use your support, if you think I'm worthy.

eBay Quick Hits

2010-01-03T11:00:00.001-05:00

Another year, another decade.... the same eBay. These cards arrived a couple of weeks ago, and are my first eBay purchases in a while. In case you haven't been able to tell, my opinion of eBay as a trading card marketplace has been significantly lowered in the past few months, and posts like these will be fewer and farther between in 2010. Both cards came from the same seller, which was the main reason I picked them both up.

2009 Topps Heritage High Adam Jones "Clubhouse Collection" relic

There's nothing finer than a dirty jersey swatch. Seeing the brown streaks on this card makes me think about Adam possibly making a diving catch in center field while wearing the jersey that ended up in this card. I guess he could have also been eating chocolate ice cream, and missed his mouth. The sad thing is, the world may never know how this white jersey got so stained. Do you see that there on the top of the card? It's tape, and it's on the top loader only. Why do so many eBay seller and trade partners tape up perfectly good top-loaders or tape them together? I am officially starting up a new non-profit called P.A.T.T. It stands for People Against the Taping of Top-loaders. Who's with me? Anyone care to make a donation?

2009 Topps Unique Nick Markakis "Solo Shot" relic

What can I say about Topps Unique that hasn't already been said about Afghanistan? It looks bombed out and depleted. Being a player collector sucks sometimes, but having this card in my Markakis collection is necessary evil. At least Topps took the time stamp these with a serial number, so you can be sure of the print run.

It's a big Sunday for me and my Baltimore Ravens. A win against the lowly but tricky Oakland Raiders, and the season continues. A loss, and the season is over. Both teams are near the top of the league in penalties per game, and the Ravens have been notorious this season for beating themselves by doing dumb shit. It could be a long and ugly afternoon, but the Ravens should emerge victorious, and go on to face the Pats or Bengals in the first round of the playoffs. If anyone needs me, I'll be biting my nails on the couch, in front of the TV.

This Just In....

2010-01-02T22:01:00.007-05:00

Stale Gum has announced his 2009 Gummie Award nominees, which can be seen HERE. I am absolutely humbled and flattered to be nominated for Best New Cardblog! I didn't even know Chris Harris knew who I was. It is up to you dear readers, to decide who the winners shall be, but I sure would like you to cast a vote for me while you're also picking your favorites from all of the other wonderful categories.

While it is truly an honor to even be nominated, it would be even better to receive some recognition. I have worked hard over the past 7 months to keep this blog entertaining, and seem to have built up a decent following in the process. Anyone who thinks this is easy has another thing coming. If you are a frequent or daily reader, I need your vote, and all the support I can get.

Voting starts tomorrow, so be sure to check out all of the nominees, and cast your votes accordingly. The power is in your hands, dear readers. The power is in your hands.

More Trades From Around The Blogosphere

2010-01-01T10:30:00.003-05:00

Another round of trades from across the blogosphere and beyond... The perfect way to start off a brand new year.

A month or so ago, reader Joe L. emailed me saying that he had gotten the wrong Topps 206 box, and that this particular hobby box should have been mine. Well... being the nice guy that he is, Joe sent me the 2 Orioles hits he pulled from his box, along with an AMAZING Ray Rice patch card. First up is the case hit...

2009 Topps 206 Nick Markakis Polar Bear framed relic

I'm not sure how I feel about relic case hits. The only thing that makes this card any different than the other Markakis relics in this set is the frame. I would be pretty bummed if I shelled out all that cash for a case, and this was the "big hit". C'mon Topps! These should at least be autographed or something.

2009 Topps 206 Koji Uehara Piedmont framed autograph

Welcome to my Orioles autograph collection Koji! You have an interesting signature, and I dig the exclamation points that look like they are supposed to be i's.

2008 Donruss Gridiron Gear Ray Rice 4-color patch #'d /50

This is officially the nicest patch card in my collection, and the only one featuring 4 colors. Joe swears he saw this card pulled in person, so I have confidence that this isn't a fake. Even if it is, aren't all "memorabilia" cards sort of fake in a way? There's no guarantee that the swatch on your card was ever actually touched by the player pictured.

Next up are a few cards from Duane over at Democratic Roadkill. Duane also emailed me about some cards he thought I might be interested in, and boy was he ever right. I am still rooting around for some Blue Jays cards to send back in return, and should have a package ready for mailing by Monday or Tuesday. Let's see what Duane sent!

2009 UD Ballpark Collection Stat Kings quad swatch

Ballpark Collection was yet another in a long line of overpriced sets featuring a gratuitous use of relics. All autographs are on stickers, and the price tag is upwards of $100/box. Pretty freakin' ridiculous if you ask me, especially since most of the relics (even the six & eight swatches) sell for right around the $5 mark on the secondary market. I'm still going to collect the Markakis & Adam Jones cards though. Being a player/team collector is such a pain in the ass sometimes, but such is life as a collector.

2005 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes Jim Palmer relic #'d /50

This card has some chipping on the right edge, which is pretty standard for Upper Deck. I really like artwork on this card, and being numbered to 50 certainly doesn't hurt either. Both '05 & '08 Heroes are great products, but for me, '05 takes the cake since all autographs are on-card.

2009 Topps Allen & Ginter's Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror Hydra mini

I goofed up a bit and left this card on my want list, even though I've already got a copy. If anyone needs this card for their set, or happens to be a huge Hydra fan, this card is for trade. My Creatures want list is officially down to just TWO cards, LMT3 & LMT14. If you happen to have them, please contact me and I will make sure you are more than fairly compensated. At this point I'm soooooo close, and just want to knock this set out.

Next we have a card sent to me by Larry the SewingMachineGuy, who is not to be confused with Larry the Cable Guy. Larry just re-did the banner on his blog, and it looks great. If you've never been there, or haven't been there in a while, I suggest checking it out immediately. Much like Joe & Duane, Larry emailed me to say that he'd pulled a Nick Markakis relic from a pack of '09 Sweet Spot, and was wondering if I was interested. Naturally, I was, and quickly sent off a Maggs relic in return.

2009 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Nick Markakis Sweet Swatch Memorabilia

Finally, we have an amazing card from Jeff at I Am Joe Collector. Over the summer he busted a case (maybe 2) of 2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes, and happened to pull not one, but TWO Joe Flacco hard-signed rookie autos. I immediately emailed him about acquiring one, but didn't have anything in my collection that Jeff was interested in. Fast forward to late November, when the Darren Sproles black refractor auto from my 2005 Topps Finest Football mini box break caught his eye, and a comment appeared on my blog that simply read "Sproles for Flacco". In my mind, that is a no brainer, and here is the beauty that arrived early last week, just in time for Christmas.

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes Joe Flacco rookie autograph #'d/ 250

Hot damn that is beautiful! "Joe the quarterback" had better bring it this Sunday, and every Sunday (or Saturday) from now until Super Bowl Sunday!

A big thank you to both Joes, Duane and Larry for the great cards! It was a pleasure trading with all of you. Oh, and Happy New Year to everyone out there in the great net of the inter.

His Past TIme.... Is Trading

2009-12-31T21:14:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-31T17:43:00.003-05:00

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)

2009-12-31T13:54:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-31T07:24:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-30T08:20:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-29T19:45:00.001-05:00

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

2009-12-29T16:20:00.002-05:00

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

2009-12-29T09:30:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-28T12:00:00.001-05:00

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

2009-12-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

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?

2009-12-26T16:16:00.000-05:00

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

2009-12-26T09:21:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-12-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

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)

2009-12-23T18:14:00.000-05:00

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.

Blog Awards

2009-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

No, not here. It's happening over at drewscards. You should check it out, stop by, and vote in the polls found on the sidebar. Yours truly just so happens to be nominated for FOUR awards, including one which I am truly not worthy of (Blog of the Year). Just to be mentioned along with the likes of Wax Heaven, Cardboard Junkie, Night Owl Cards and Stale Gum is an honor in an of itself. All four of those blogs are a major reason that this one exists to begin with, and I am truly flattered to have even been nominated.

There will be different award polls added throughout the week, so be sure to check drewscards often, and make your voice heard. Currently, polls are posted for Coach & Athlete of the Year. I could tell you who I voted for, but then I'd have to kill you. It's up to you.

Card Shop...

2009-12-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

Today, I went back to Sport Card Depot, in search of some loose packs of '08 Masterpieces for my set. I was hoping to pull a short print or two I need, and a few of those black framed parallels as well. In all I purchased 6 packs for $3.50/pack. Even though short prints are seeded 1:2 packs, there were none to be found in any of the six packs I ripped. After opening 4 packs, I had only pulled 1 black framed parallel (needed it), and none of the remaining base cards from my want list.

Then along came pack #5. After ripping the wrapper, I saw the word "Congratulations" and knew I had a hit on my hands. Closer examination revealed that it was a Dodgers hit. "Dammit" I thought, "another Andruw Jones jersey card". As I was flipping the card over, I noticed that the card was rather thick, like thicker than a regular jersey card. "Dammit", I thought, "an Andruw Jones patch card".

You could imagine my surprise when I finally flipped the card over and saw this....
Totally sucks that there's a cat hair on the patch, but that's what happens when you've got one. There's nothing in this house without cat hair on it. Supposedly these patches are seeded 1:15 or 1:20 cases. Yes, you read that right, CASES. At least that's what a little birdie told me anyway. After a rought run of horrible luck, it's nice to finally pull an unexpected hit out of something. This may actually be one of my better pulls ever, if not the best. Sad, I know, but my box busting luck has been fairly lousy in the "big hits" department.

In case you were wondering, pack 6 contained another black framed parallel from my want list.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Entries

2009-12-22T09:55:00.002-05:00

Ha! Fooled ya! They will not be posted until tonight or tomorrow. Between the snow and the beer and having to unexpectedly work yesterday, there just hasn't been time to get everything together.

As a result, the polls will be left open a little later, and instead of declaring a victor in Xmas Eve, the winner shall be chosen the day after Xmas.

Stay tuned to catch a glimpse of all the wonderful custom cards that were submitted for this contest.

Last Week's eBay Haul

2009-12-21T10:13:00.000-05:00

You know me. I've got a fever, and the only cure is more cards! The title may say last week's eBay haul, but do not be fooled. It is Monday, and a new week is upon us, which makes these cards now 2 weeks old. I'm pretty far behind. Let's see what I got, shall we...

2006 Bowman Sterling Nick Markakis gold refractor (not #'d?)

I don't know much about Bowman Sterling, but I thought this was supposed to be #'d /10. I didn't pay #'d /10 money for it, so I guess it's ok that it's not numbered. It's still a nice looking refractor.

2009 Upper Deck SPx Ed Reed shadowbox

Ryans Memorabilia just posted one of these as well. For a case hit, they come fairly cheaply on eBay. Reed should find himself in Canton when his playing days finally come to an end, and he's also my favorite Raven of all time (no offense to Ray Lewis).

2009 Topps 206 Adam Jones printing plate

This was the only photo of this card I saw on eBay. The description mentioned it was the black plate. When I flipped it over, this is what i saw:

No wonder they only showed the back. There's barely any image there at all. At least it was cheap, less than $7 delivered. I'm a total sucker for framed cards, and have been trying to score a framed printing plate for a while now. Some people hate printing plates, but I think they're cool. I've done a lot of graphic design work in my day, and have a respect for the printing process. Besides, if Upper Deck had seeded the '89 Griffey rookie plates in packs, there wouldn't be so many of them floating around these days. As long as you don't drop crazy money on them, printing plates are typically the cheapest and easiest way to acquire a one of one featuring your favorite player.

There will be another eBay post later this week featuring the few cards I grabbed last week. There should also be a CheckOutMyCards post, assuming my purchases arrive in the next couple of days.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Update

2009-12-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

Judgment Day has arrived! Once I get both cars dug out from yesterday's blizzard, and watch a football game or 4, all submissions will be posted. Being the gracious contest host that I am, I have extended the deadline. There are still one or two submissions in the mail that haven't made it to me yet, so as long as your entry is postmarked by TODAY, 12/20, it will be allowed into the contest. Because of this exception, all entries may not be posted until Monday or Tuesday. However, if you are planning on submitting a digital entry, please submit it my 11:59pm TONIGHT!

UPDATE: It has been decided... by me... that all entries will be posted on Mon. 12/21 for everyone to view, and a poll will be posted, allowing you to vote for your favorite card. The poll will be open until the morning of December 24th, and the winners will be announced that night. Much like when you vote for President, your vote is meaningless, and the decision will ultimately be made by "the machine", which in this case is me. I will however take the popular vote into account when making my final decision.

All YOU have to do is design your best holiday themed custom card. There are other rules (only a few), which can be found HERE. You can only submit one card, and it must have a Fall/Winter holiday theme to it. That's pretty much about it. You can print them, you can send them as digital files, you can fax them to the Kinko's down the street. As long as it is in my hands, or my inbox, by 11:59PM (All US time zones.... and Canada too.... I guess) Sunday December 20th, 2009. No purchase necessary. For complete rules read this post by looking at it backwards in a mirror while standing on your head.

Here are just a few of the cards you could win:

This is only 10% of what I'll be awarding to the top 4 card designs. If 2 Hall of Fame relics and a sweet beard don't motivate you, I don't know what will. So far 6 entries have officially been received, so your odds of winning something are still fairly high.

2009 Topps Unique Box Break & Review

2009-12-20T16:20:00.004-05:00

Last week I went to my local card shop, Sports Card Depot, in search of some Topps Unique packs to bust, so I could get a feel for what this product is really like. Trolling eBay, it's damn near impossible not to run into one of the jumbo swatches, either of the autographed, or regular varieties. The autographed ones are atrocious, and like I've said before, a product with an MSRP in the $100 range should NEVER, EVER, EVER use sticker autographs... EVER! But I digress, I arrived at the card shop to find 4 sealed boxes, and zero individual packs for sale. If the box wasn't a good deal, there's no way I would have ever forked over this much cash for a product that has such high letdown potential. I'm no dummy, I've checked out the forum breaks. Most of them suck, but for $90, I figured it would make a nice early Xmas gift to myself, and perhaps I would get lucky (ha!) and pull something kickass. I could have definitely done worse, but Topps couldn't have. This product is about as Unique as my nutsack.

Here's the wrapper, it's pretty plain, as you can see.

Initially, I was unimpressed with what lay before me. the box very closely resembles retail, with 2 stacks of 10 packs, and in general was pretty plain. After cracking the first pack, and taking a peek at the base cards, my first impression was not altered. Very unimpressive. That having been said, here are some base cards of the blogosphere's favorite players.

Each pack also includes one red parallel. These cards are a little thicker, and are all numbered to 1199. I guess that means the print run for this set is 1200? Here's one of the reds I pulled, Matt Holliday in his new and soon to be old digs.

And another of NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan. These cards are ok I guess, and since they're thicker they must serve as some sort of pack searching deterrent.

Along with #'d red parallels, there are also numbered rookies. These are essentially no different than the base cards, other than the serial numbering on the backside. All rookies are numbered to 2699, which is a number as arbitrary as it is high. Here, once again, is NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan. If you look real close you can see that the base cards have the last name displayed vertically in a slightly darker and shinier black than the background on the left side of the card.

As is to be expected, Topps Unique also delivers a few insert sets, and if anything, these are it's only saving grace. First up we have the "Alone at the Top" set, which in my opinion looks a heck of a lot better than the base set. Overall the concept is pretty bland, certainly not UNIQUE, but it was refreshing to pull a somewhat well-designed card from this box, after multiple packs of base cards.

Next up is the second out of the three insert varieties lurking in this box, the "Unparalleled Performances" set. Yawn. Apparently, A-Rod's douchebaggery is "unparalleled".

The last insert I am going to show you is also my favorite. "Unique Unis" is an interesting set, and the design is also refreshing after staring at a box of black base cards. I pulled 5 of these, and these 2 are my favorite.

I have to second what Jay from The Mojo Hand suggested. It would be MUCH more unique to have relic & patch cards in this set featuring throwback uniform swatches. That would have been awesome.... and UNIQUE. Hey, you asked for it Topps. Is this opposite day? If it isn't then Unique is surely a misnomer.

Ok, it's time for the hits. First up we have more parallels. Yay. My box yielded one copper, and one gold. The coppers are numbered to 99, and the golds to 25. Yawn. Again, what is exciting about this concept? The only thing that's unique about them is instead of being called bronze and gold, these inserts are actually called "Reserve" and "Select". There is also a "Unique" parallel which is a 1/1.

Each box (Hobby only product) is guaranteed to contain 2 game used cards, and one autograph. One of those game used cards is also guaranteed to be of the patch or jumbo variety. I pulled exactly what the box stated I would. No more. No less.

Joba has a nice signature. Even though it's a Yankee hit, it's hard to be disappointed by this one. It could have been a LOT worse.

This is one of the most boring patch cards I have ever seen. At least it's 3 color. This is probably a patch from 2006, which is the last time there was a market for Hank Blalock. I'd still take him on the O's right now, but that's not saying much.

You should obviously be able to tell by now that I am not impressed. This seems like a total throw away effort by Topps. If this isn't a sticker and patch dump, then clearly I don't know what is. Is it Unique to put swatches of teams that players no longer play for in a new set? No, Upper Deck has been doing it for years. I understand that Unique features photos of players in those outdated uniforms as well, but if the card should have been released in 2006, you should have released it in 2006. I'm starting to think that there are going to be a lot more sets of this caliber in our collective future, now that Topps is the only licensed game in town.

FINAL BEARDOMETER RATING:

Ben Affleck.

It would have been lower if some of the inserts weren't well-designed, and nice. Let's be clear, we're talking about Gigli/Jersey Girl/Bounce Affleck here, and not Dazed & Confused/Mallrats/Chasing Amy Affleck. Everyone knows Ben Affleck is weak, and so is Topps Unique. Wow, unintentional rhyme. I really am a poet. All cards for trade, so come and gets 'em if you wants 'em.

Trades From Around the Blogosphere

2009-12-19T13:00:00.002-05:00

It's a snowy, snowy day here in Baltimore. I have lived here for 23 years, and in all of that time do not recall a time where they were actually predicting twenty-four inches of the white stuff! We're absolutely getting pummeled right now, and there's already a good eight inches already on the ground. What better time than now to feature some trades that came in late last week. I'm always a week or so behind in posting everything, and right now the "to scan" pile is about as tall as the snow is deep.

First up we have some cards from Marie over at a Cardboard Problem. Her and I had a bit of an issue a while back, over a potential trade that had gone sour. Nothing squashes that quite like a great trade, and that's exactly what transpired. I sent over a Pujols Finest refractor, along with a few other cards, and in exchange received the following:

2009 Topps 206 Nolan Reimold Piedmont mini

2009 Topps 206 Nolan Reimold gold

2009 Ballpark Collection Quad Swatch Markakis/McLouth/Jones/Braun

Hatchet buried. This card features game-used swatches from my 2 favorite current Orioles, and it simply doesn't get much better than that. At least to me anyway.

2005 Donruss Zenith EPIX Cal Ripken Jr. blue #150/150

2005 Donruss Zenith EPIX Cal Ripken Jr. red #391/500

Next up are 2 random cards of what I have dubbed the "Brewtown Beardies". I don't remember who these cards came from, whether it was Night Owl, Ryan's Memorabilia, or Mark's Ephemera who sent them along, or why. My guess would be that they thought I collected cards of dudes with sweet beards, which I don't. Until right now that is. As of this moment, I officially collect cards of dudes with awesome beards, sports and non-sports alike.

1990 Upper Deck Bryan Clutterbuck

1991 Leaf Ron Robinson

Clutterbuck has nothing on Robinson. That is one sweet ginger beard right there. I heart 1991 Leaf, what a great set.

Next up are some cards I received from reader Shane. He was interested in a Steve Bechler autograph card that Old School Breaks had traded me a few months back. While I am not generally in the business of trading away Orioles cards, Shane is a Steve Bechler player collector, so I knew the card would be headed to the right place. To say I got a lot in return would be an understatement.

2001 Donruss Classics Frank Robinson Legendary Lumberjacks bat relic

2000 Ultimate Victory Cal Ripken Jr. Diamond Dignitaries

2008 Topps Heritage Brooks Robinson Clubhouse Collection relic

This appears to be that old woolen material they used to make jerseys out of. Score!

2000 Fleer Gamers Cal To Greatness Cal Ripken Jr.

Thanks for the great trades guys! Assuming I am not buried alive by an avalanche, there should most certainly be another post or two to follow today. After all, what else do I have to do aside from clean, which I'm currently on the lam from at the moment. I've gone AWOL from housework.

Orioles Hot Stove Update

2009-12-17T18:05:00.003-05:00

Three acquisitions before Christmas? Thanks Andy! Today the Orioles added Garrett Atkins, formerly of the Colorado Rockies. This comes a couple days after signing potential closer Mike Gonzalez, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, and a week after Acquiring Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers. With Felix Pie already in town, it seems like Andy MacPhail is trying to build a team full of bad box hits from 2007. Seems like damn near every product from 2007 has a Pie & Atkins game used or autograph in it, and they're all numbered out of 60,000.

It's nice to see the Orioles making some moves, but compared to the moves made every offseason by the Red Sox and Yankees, they always seem insignificant. Almost like mini-moves. I like the Atkins signing, and lord knows the bullpen needs some help, so Gonzalez can't hurt. I've already posted about Millwood's leadership potentially being key next season. All that's left now is getting our hands on Adrian Gonzalez, and Matt Holliday to solidify the lineup. With an offense that potent, it wouldn't matter so much that our young pitching staff is still adjusting to the big league game.

I know it's not going to happen, but humor me here. Below is a projected lineup IF the Orioles were in fact able to sign both Holliday and Gonzalez.

1. Roberts
2. Jones
3. Markakis
4. Gonzalez
5. Holliday
6. Scott/Pie
7. Wieters
8. Atkins
9. Izturis

Tell me that lineup wouldn't be able to keep up with the Yankees and Red Sox? That would be the sweetest Baltimore starting nine in decades! There are so many ways to re-arrange it as well, to ensure that someone is always going to be seeing pitches to hit, which has become a real problem for the Orioles the past few seasons.

Alas, all of this dreaming will be for naught. It would be awesome if the O's could even manage to land one of the two, which they most likely will not. But I say who cares! It's nice enough as it is to be thinking about baseball in December. When does spring training start again?

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Baseball Want List

2009-12-16T20:09:00.010-05:00

BLACK FRAMED PARALLEL SET
2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 45, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 55, 59, 61, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 71, 74, 75, 76, 78, 80, 81, 84, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97, 99, 100, 102, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 116, 117, 118, 119

'08 Upper Deck Masterpieces 2 Box Break & Review

2009-12-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

Along with the box of Topps 206 which was reviewed last week, I also got one retail, and one hobby box of 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces. Since the retail box was one of the all-day specials they ran on Black Friday, and since I had already ordered the 206, decided to throw that and the hobby version on to my order, in an attempt to qualify for free shipping. Basically, for $50 I am able to bust 2 boxes worth of Masterpieces. I've had grand delusions of maybe taking a shot at building this set, so it seemed like a good idea at the time.

First up is the retail box. Pretty standard procedure here, 24 packs per box, with each pack holding 4 cards. The whole 4 cards per pack thing is probably the biggest knock on Masterpieces, since it takes 647 packs to actually complete the 120 card base set, thanks to there being 30 short prints. I did not pull a single double out of this retail box, and was able to score 4 short prints, 3 framed parallels, and a jersey relic. Not too bad for $9.99, but these boxes were right around $50 at time of release. Ouch.

As usual, the base set looks incredible, and the canvas-textured card stock looks as good as it feels.

#104 Rod Carew SP

As you will see later, I also pulled this card from the hobby version.

#103 Jack Morris SP

#101 Cal Ripken Jr. SP

#107 Lou Brock SP

#42 Andruw Jones

#115 Roberto Clemente

#32 Justin Verlander #'d 57/125

A very nice looking card that looks even better with the navy blue frame.

#CC-RZ Ryan Zimmerman relic

At least it's not a plain, white swatch and at least it's of a player I like.

For $10, that was a great break. 4 short prints, a numbered parallel and a game-used relic for the price of a blaster. I really like the framed parallels, and think it would be cool to try and complete the black framed set. You'd really have to be insane to attempt it, but I imagine it would feel great to finish that, and you'd have a fine looking set to show off. Hmm...

Now it's time to move on to the second box of this break. The hobby version of 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces offers up 12 packs per box, each holding 6 cards. Between the two boxes, I pulled a mind-boggling total of 58 doubles. Yes, you read that correctly, 58 freakin' doubles! With the base set only being 120 cards, 30 of which are short printed, doubles are unavoidable. The good news is that these 2 boxes left me only 6 cards shy of the 90 card short set.

Each Masterpieces hobby box guarantees one autograph and/or one relic card per box (on average). My box could most certainly be considered "on average", but you'll have to wait until later to find out just how average it was.

Short prints are seeded 1:2 packs, and as such, my box delivered 6 of them. Unfortunately, 3 of them are dupes from the retail break.

#117 Stan Musial SP

#94 Ryne Sandberg SP

#112 Mike Schmidt SP

#101 Cal Ripken Jr. SP (double)

I didn't mention it earlier, but this is an ugly painting of Cal.

#103 Jack Morris SP (double)

#104 Rod Carew SP (double)

Happy Hanukkah Mr. Carew!

Of the 6 framed parallels in this box, 4 were black, one was red, and one was surprisingly brown, and low numbered.

#83 Ozzie Smith

#72 Bill Mazeroski

#106 Don Mattingly

#77 Jake Peavy

#102 Nolan Ryan

#68 Rich Harden #'d 10/10

One of the lowest numbered cards I have ever pulled. Too bad it's of Rich Harden.

#CC-AJ Andruw Jones relic

There's been far too much of this guy in these 2 breaks. A Braves photo on a Dodgers card, and a plain white swatch. It doesn't get much worse than that. This card would be ideal for leveling the legs on that wobbly table in the den.

#SG-BC Clay Buchholz autograph

Nice card, crappy signature. He hurled a no-no vs. the Orioles in '07, and for that, I still hold a grudge. This card is for trade.

Final Beardometer rating:

GRIZZLY ADAMS.

Whether it's the 2007 or 2008 variety, Upper Deck Masterpieces is a generally affordable and fun box to break, and a nice set to collect. The base set is absolutely gorgeous, and all autographs are on-card, which makes an already affordable product even more appealing. I am officially going to attempt completion of not only the base set, but the black framed base set as well. If you have any for trade, please contact me. My lazy behind will get a want list up at some point, hopefully in the next few days.

Stay tuned later this week for another box break and review. This time it'll be the kick to the nards that is Topps Unique.

Win a Beautiful Signed Custom Card of a Heisman Winner!

2009-12-16T09:38:00.005-05:00

No, not here. HERE.

Enter if you want, but you'll only decrease my chances of winning. I recommend you at least check out the fabulous blog Condition:Poor. If you do decide to enter, I just want you to know that you will be held partially responsible when I don't win.

Just Hit The Post Office.... Hard

2009-12-15T14:28:00.003-05:00

If we have discussed and agreed on a trade, or if I mentioned sending you free cards, chances are they hit the mail this afternoon. The only exceptions to this rule are Wicked Ortega & Mojo Hand. I am still waiting on some cards to reach me, before they can reach you.

It was insanity at the post office! I had to leave the one closest to my house because the line was literally out the door. So I went to the one in the next town over, which was also hectic, but not quite to the same extent. Along with all the trade packages, I also sent in my first batch of cards to be sold on checkoutmycards.com. 2010 is going to be a year in which my expendable funds are going to be limited. If I want to continue to grow the collections that matter to me, I'm going to have to part with some of the other cards I own that aren't necessarily "of focus". I'm hoping to make enough to maybe pick up a few hobby boxes from Blowout, or at the very least grab some sweet O's from other sellers on the site.