Forgotten Treasures

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?

eBay Quick Hits

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.

Last Week's eBay Haul

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.

More Cards From Check Out My Cards

I've been at it again, and here is another example of what $20 (including shipping) will get you on checkoutmycards.com. Whenever I get the urge to pick up some new cards (which is almost a daily occurrence), instead of paying shipping for each card on eBay, or dropping $75 on a box that will most likely yield junk hits anyway, I've instead been turning to Check Out My Cards. I got all of these cards for the price of a blaster, which is most likely what I would have spent my money on when the urge strikes me. Retail is so tempting because it is so easily acquired.

Speaking of acquired, here's what I picked up this time around, and all of it once again using the "make offer" feature. Most of them were had for around half of their asking price.

2007 Allen & Ginter's Nick Markakis black bordered mini

1967 Topps Frank Robinson

Awesome! Check out that cartoon? '66 was a big year for Frank, and the Orioles alike. A World Series ring and a Triple Crown in the same season? That has to go down as one of the best seasons in history.

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights Adam Jones All Star Jersey gold parallel #'d /50

Got outbid on this card a while back, and thought it might be awhile before there was another chance for me to get one. This card was the main reason I went on another COMC spree.

These next 4 are all from the same insert set. If you happen to have any, and want to trade them, I am officially collecting the 1994 Leaf Slideshow set.

1994 Leaf Slideshow David Justice

1994 Leaf Slideshow Ken Griffey Jr.

1994 Leaf Slideshow Juan Gonzalez

1994 Leaf Slideshow Tim Salmon

1968 Topps Frank Robinson game insert

Another card I kept getting outbid on at the last second. This one was less than $2.00, and looks great.

Last week I briefly mentioned completing the 2009 Allen & Ginter's base set. The last 7 cards I needed, all short prints, were purchased for a combined cost of $3.25. Here are a few of the final cards I needed:

And so concludes another post where I foolishly squander away my meager funds for some cardboard satisfaction. Hopefully you enjoyed it as much as I did. I think the next post will feature my flea market finds from yesterday. As always, it was a good day at the flea market, and great deals were had by all.

Most Awesome Trade From Joe V

Last week I previewed a monster trade with reader Joe V. If you recall, Joe sent me a humongous stack of quality Orioles, and a few other cards, along with a sealed retail box of 2008 Topps Chrome Football. The box break is going to have to wait for another day (it'll be soon, I promise), but in the meantime, here are some of the great cards Joe sent me in exchange for the Chase Utley Sweet Spot autograph from my 2006 Sweet Spot break a few weeks back. I have to admit I was hesitant to give the Utley up, but Joe made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

There are so many cards here it would take me all day to write a blurb on each one. I am going to give it my best shot, so strap on your seat belts, and behold the bounty a Chase Utley autograph can garner.

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

I think this leaves me only needing 2 more cards for a complete Creatures set. I'd love to wrap this up by New Year's, so please check my want list, and contact me if you've got either of the final cards I need. It will be worth your while, trust me.

2009 Goudey Nick Markakis green mini

Not sure what the green means, but one (this one) would guess that it's a short printed parallel of some sort. I didn't have it before, so it's another new one for the Markakis collection. Sweet!

1997 UD³ Cal Ripken Jr. ProMotion

This card is pretty cool. I don't have many of these cards, so it's nice to get another one, and a Ripken no less. The late 90's were full of awesome looking cards, or so it seems.

2009 Topps Frank Robinson Legends of the Game

Somehow no one had traded me this card yet. What's wrong with you people?

2009 Sweet Spot Adam Jones

The legend of Adam Jones is growing about as fast as my collection of his cards. Not exactly the most flattering picture, and blowing bubbles while running the bases seems like a choking hazard. Does baseball need a choking hazard warning label?

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Cal Ripken Road to the Hall

'07 Spectrum was a whole lot nicer than '09 Spectrum. Mark it.

2009 Upper Deck SP Authentic Nick Markakis By The Letter autograph

Jackpot! Manu-patch or no, this is one sweet looking card, and it's already catapulted itself to the top 3 Markakis autographs in my entire collection.

2009 Allen & Ginter's Burke Kenny relic

The nona-fecta is officially complete! If anyone knows where I could locate a printing plate, or wood mini, please let me know. At this point, I might as well go for it all. No guts, no glory.

I am officially out of things to say about the cards below. They are all parallels, and almost all needed. Parallels aren't the kind of cards you seek out and purchase on eBay because it's not worth paying the shipping most of the time. I love getting them in trades though, and Joe came through in a major way with quite a few for me.

2008 Topps Chrome Adam Jones x-fractor

2008 Topps Chrome Brian Roberts refractor

2009 Topps Finest Brian Roberts green refractor #'d /99

2008 Topps Stadium Club Brian Roberts photographers proof #'d /99

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Nick Markakis red parallel

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Nick Markakis green parallel

2009 Upper Deck A Piece of History Nick Markakis green parallel

2009 Upper Deck P.O.H. Nick Markakis Stadium Scenes red parallel #'d /75

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Brian Roberts black parallel #'d /50

2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Brian Roberts jersey relic

Some damage around the jersey window. Typical Upper Deck.

2009 Upper Deck Spectrum Brian Roberts red parallel

2008 Upper Deck Spectrum Brian Roberts red parallel

2008 Topps Chrome Ray Lewis copper refractor

2008 Topps Chrome Joe Flacco refractor

Big win last night dude. EPIC!

So there you have it, and that's not even everything Joe sent me. It's amazing what you can get for a Chase Utley autograph. Thanks a lot for the great trade Joe, and I hope you enjoy your cards as much as I am enjoying mine.

Oh, I almost forgot, Joe sent me a sealed 24-pack retail box of 2008 Topps Chrome Football as well. It was pretty fun to bust, and the results will be posted later this week. I don't really collect anything Football outside of the Ravens and Dwayne Bowe, so all cards will be for trade.

Some Cards From CheckOutMyCards

If you haven't checked out checkoutmycards.com as of yet, I suggest you finish reading this post, and then do so ASAP. The first few times I checked it out, it seemed like although there were some good deals to be had, a lot of the cards were still a little overpriced compared to what they sell for on eBay. There is a way around that however. Checkoutmycards has a best offer feature that I took full advantage of to score most of the cards below. You have to pre-load money onto your account (via paypal to be able to take advantage of the "make offer" feature, but in the end it is definitely worth it.

I was able to acquire all the cards you see below for a combined $30 shipped. If you notice that even after saying I wasn't going to be spending lots of money on cards anymore, I have been spending lots of money on cards. I worked 20 hours of overtime last week, and let's just say I decided to spend the money a little early.

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

Down to 3 on my want list. If you have any of the final 3, and are willing to trade, please contact me. Want list is HERE.

2006 Allen & Ginter's Brooks Robinson mini

Are there any modern cards more beautiful than Ginter minis?

2009 Upper Deck Ballpark Collection 6 Swatch Memorabilia Orioles/Red Sox

Markakis, Roberts & Jones on the back, Dice-K, Beckett & Youkilis on the front. I'm psyched to have a game used card featuring of the current Orioles I prominently collect.

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Brooks Robinson green framed parallel #'d /75

Another nice Brooksie

2008 Upper Deck Premier Stitchings Frank Robinson manu-patch #'d /35

Got a real good deal on this card. I had made the seller an offer 2 months ago, which he rejected. I made the same exact offer this time, and was surprised it was accepted. That is a really sweet Oriole patch, even if it is a manu-patch.

2001 Topps Archives Reserve 1962 Boog Powell refractor

I'm a sucker for refractor reprints, and this John Wesley Powell was a dollar. I don't even think I have any actual '62 Topps, but I have this refractor reprint of one, and that has to count for something.

2008 Topps Finest Ed Reed x-fractor #'d /25

My favorite Raven of all time. It looks like I am officially a football collector now. I probably won't bust football boxes the way I do baseball though. My wallet can barely afford to support my baseball habit as it is. Let's hope this guy has a big game tonight.


2006 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts Frank Robinson Legendary Materials bat

I may have missed out on any relic hits from I Am Joe Collector's group break, but that doesn't mean I have to go without one of these beautifully designed cards. Nice going on this one Upper Deck.

1969 Topps Boog Powell

Off-center, but with sharp corners.

2003 Topps Gallery Frank Robinson Artist's Proof refractor

This is a sweet card, and a nice elegant design.

2008 Triple Threads Frank Robinson sepia parallel #'d /150

I had a few cents to spend, and figured why not pick this one up too.


2008 Topps Heritage Brooks Robinson Stadium Seat Relic

I've now got a piece of Memorial Stadium, which is good, since they tore it down a few years ago.

Shipping was $6, so the grand total of all cards above was $24.00, and I didn't have to resort to eBay tactics. No card was more than $4.00, and the cheapest was the Brooks mini which ran me a whole quarter. I really like checkoutmycards, and have already made a few additional purchases that have yet to be shipped. I was able to purchase the last 7 '09 Ginter short prints needed to complete my base set for a measly $2.25, and picked up a '67 Topps Frank Robinson for $6.00, both of which are pretty good deals in my opinion.