Trading With Myself.... Sort Of

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.

Old School From COMC

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.

Even More Cards From Check Out My Cards

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

2006 Allen & Ginter's Nick Markakis mini

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

2009 Goodwin Champions Buffalo Bill Cody Gypsy Queen mini

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

2008 Upper Deck X Nick Markakis Xponential

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

2007 Upper Deck Spectrum Nick Markakis Rookie Retrospectrum

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

2007 Bowman Chrome Nick Markakis refractor

Oooooh... a rainbow.

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

2008 Topps Finest Ed Reed blue refractor

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

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

2008 Bowman Sterling Ray Rice blue refractor

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

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

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

2001 Topps Archives Johnny Unitas Memorial Stadium seat relic

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

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

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

Just Hit The Post Office.... Hard

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.

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.

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.