Rock The Vote Part 2

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.

This Just In....

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.

Rock The Vote

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

HERE IS THE LINK AGAIN, ONLY BIGGER!

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Update

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.

Attention All Baltimore Based Bloggers!

M Ryan, of Ryans Memorabilia, and I will be attending the North Point Flea Market in Dundalk this Sunday to hopefully scoop up some sweet cards. Despite living in the same city, and less than 20 minutes from each other, we have never met.

Since there are a few other Bmore bloggers out there ( you know who you are) I figured why not turn this into a cardblogosphere meet & greet. If it weren't for having to work tomorrow, I would also be attending the Philly cards show meet & greet hosted by Stale Gum. Philly isn't too bad of a ride, and I could have stopped to visit my brother as well. Instead, I'll have to settle for Dundalk on a Sunday.

If you can make it, you should stop by. The flea market is pretty big, and the people are.... entertaining.... There are usually at least 4 or 5 tables jam packed with cards, and almost all of the vendors will cut you a deal.

I think we're planning on getting there around 10am or so. That way we can all make it home for football.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Reminder

Hey dingleberries, don't forget that you've only got 18 more days.... 17 now I guess... to submit your entries for the first ever Ho Ho Holiday Contest brought to you sincerely by yours truly, the Wonderbeard. Motherscratcher called me that earlier, and it made me feel "Hobbs-ish" for a few brief moments. I want to thank him for that, and for being a formidable Turk-Off 2 opponent. So far it's still pretty close, with exactly half of each box posted. Motherscratcher holds a 1 pack lead, but in the overall points category he's getting destroyed at the moment.

Why am I talking about Turk-Offs? This is about the Ho Ho Holiday Contest people! 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 2 entries have been received. A new one showed up in my mailbox today, but I haven't looked at it yet. If there were a favorite in this competition, it would most likely be this particular entrant. Let's see if that serves him/her well, or if it just ends up being a letdown.

Calling All Traders!

For the first time in a long time there are no trades set to arrive in the mail this week. Let's do something about that people!

The reality that I have to pay for a wedding & honeymoon in the next 9 months is becoming harder and harder to ignore. No more wax/eBay/checkoutmycards funds in 2010.

I am officially declaring 2010 as the "year of the trade".

If you have a card or cards that you think I may be interested in, or you KNOW I'm interested in, don't hesitate to contact me. There are quite a few non-Oriole cards in my hit box that are itching to be appreciated.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Entry Received

The contest was announced less than a week ago, and already we have our first entry. While I won't post it and ruin the surprise, I will tell you that it's pretty awesome, and was submitted by none other than Mark, of Mark's Ephemera fame. I can always count on the Commish to come through in the clutch.

The rest of you have been put on notice, and better get your entries in soon. You don't want Mark to win ALL 30 of the cards in the prize pool, do you? Well that's what's going to happen if his is the only entry.

All entries are due by December 20th 2009, at which point they will be posted, and your fellow bloggers & readers will have 4 days to vote for their favorite. Not that it matters much, since the ultimate decision is up to me.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Rules Update

I am expanding the rules to include ANY holiday ocuring in the months of November, December & January. Get as obscure as you'd like. There's a couple of easy ones in there. That might work to your advantage, then again, it might not.

Oh, and you are only allowed to enter one card. Yeah, that's right, uno cardo amigo.

Email your submissions to the contact address found on my blogger page, or contact me through the same address for mailing instructions.

HERE'S THE DEAL:

Yes, that's right, another custom card contest. Not that I'm trying to rip off Thorzul or anything, but a good idea is a good idea. Besides, I want to see if anyone can touch the awesomeness of the 1990 ProSet Santa Claus.

It's that special time of year again, and I want to see your most creative custom holiday card. It can be Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, or New Year's themed, and it MUST be awesome. Submissions will be accepted in both digital & printed formats. As the sole judge, jury & executioner of this contest, I will be basing my decision purely on creativity, and design, and not on whether the card is printed or digital.

THE PRIZES
Here is a list of preliminary prizes. These are the absolute baseline worst that the prizing will be, and are subject to change (for the better if possible). Chances are I'll throw in some cards the winners specifically collect as well, or at least try my best to do so. First & second place winners will get their choice of cards from a list of availables to be determined in the next few weeks.

First Place: Lot of 3 choice certified autos & 5 choice game used relic cards
Second Place: 1 choice certified autograph & 7 choice game used relic cards
Third Place: Lot of 5 random game used relics & 3 random refractors
Honorable Mention: Lot of 6 random refractors

THE DEADLINE
All entries must be submitted by December 20th, and the winners will be announced on Christmas Eve.

This could be epic people! Make it happen.

Ho Ho Holiday Contest Prizes

Here is a list of preliminary prizes. These are the absolute baseline worst that the prizing will be, and are subject to change (for the better if possible). Chances are I'll throw in some cards the winners specifically collect as well, or at least try my best to do so. First & second place winners will get their choice of cards from a list of availables to be determined in the next few weeks.

First Place: Lot of 3 choice certified autos & 5 choice game used relic cards
Second Place: 1 choice certified autograph & 7 choice game used relic cards
Third Place: Lot of 5 random game used relics & 3 random refractors
Honorable Mention: Lot of 6 random refractors

Now get to work so you can win some cards!

Do YOU Want to Host This Show?

Mike Smeth, owner of The Cardboard Connection and I have been discussing the possibility of creating a monthly, hobby news-esque show called "The Cardboard Report". Each month, the show will feature viewer-generated videos highlighting the best of what hobby has to offer. Did you go to a card show or flea market in search of cardboard gold? Bring your camera along, and give us some commentary. Thinking about doing a product review or box break? Do it on video, and send it in. Do you enjoy getting your point across and sparking intelligent and thought provoking conversation? Get it on video, and reach a wider audience.

Still image from animated intro sequence that is currently in production.

We are currently searching for a host, as well as monthly contributors. The host position would be fairly intensive, and would require you to be witty, and have some writing skills, as well as a decent video camera. The show is meant to be funny, and the host would deliver a quick humorous monologue, and then segue between the viewer generated videos. You would be required to write and record your own material, but it is also a tremendous opportunity for someone with possible Hollywood aspirations. It is essential that the host be a collector themselves, to preserve authenticity. Currently, there is no monetary compensation available. The host and any/all contributors would be compensated in cards.

Aside from needing a host, we are always looking for video content for the show, and for that, we rely on you. It doesn't matter whether you've got a professional video camera, or a crappy web cam, we want your videos! This show won't be possible unless you are a part of it, so if you've got a video camera, and a voice, hit the record button. The possibilities are endless here, and the hobby world is your oyster. There is only 1 limitation here, and that is your video must be hobby related, and that's all. Do you have a great idea for a monthly feature? Send me an email, and get involved. We want this to be the best hobby show on the web, and that won't be possible without the support of the collecting community.

How is all of this going to work? It's actually pretty simple. All content will be sent to me, and I will be editing together each month's episode. Once we figure out how much and what we've got to work with each month, the host will then generate his material, and record each episodes intro monologue and segue sequences. At the end of the month, each new episode goes up and is featured on The Cardboard Connection website.

If you're interested in contributing, or want to be the host of what very well could end up among the finest hobby programs ever created, please leave a comment, or drop me an email. Even if you're not interested in participating, and have some ideas about what would be cool, and what types of things you'd like to see featured, please comment. I cannot stress enough that this show won't be successful without everyone's input.

The Burke Kenny Octo-fecta

As a blogger named beardy, I absolutely LOVE that Topps included 2008 Full Beard & Mustache champion Burke Kenny in this year's Allen & Ginter's set. I love it so much in fact, that I am going to try and attempt to collect EVERY Kenny variation in this year's release. Believe it or not, through 4 boxes of Ginter, I wasn't even lucky enough to pull his base card. So I truly will be starting from scratch. Too bad Topps didn't use a picture like the one above for his card. It would have looked a little better than just a dude with a huge beard in his sweats, and would really showcases what all that facial hair can do.

Here's the rundown of Kenny cards I am searching for:

1. #61 Base card: ALREADY EN-ROUTE FROM Ryan's Memorabilia, BUT MORE COPIES NEEDED
2. #61 Mini card






















3. #61 Mini A&G back
4. #61 Mini black framed
5. Mini no number back: WON ON EBAY LAST NIGHT!
6. #61 Mini Bazooka back: TRADE IN THE WORKS WITH RYAN OF Card Cache






















7. #AGR-BK Burke Kenny beard hair relic






















8. #AGA-BK Burke Kenny autograph: WON ON EBAY 5 MINUTES AGO!






















If you were fortunate enough to pull any of the cards listed or shown above, please contact me about a trade. I am dead serious about trying to complete The Burke Kenny Octo-fecta. If I were really crazy, I'd add the red ink auto to this list. It would be nice to own, but I'm not made of money, and it's not like he's a Hall of Famer or anything.... at least not a baseball Hall of Famer.

Seriously, drop me an email or leave a comment if you have any of these cards for trade. I mean it!



Oh, and one more thing, make sure your sound is turned up, and CLICK THE LINK!

Gint-A-Cuffs Official Scoring Rules

Since quite a few bloggers have already expressed an interest in participating in a 2009 Allen & Ginter battle, I would like to try and find a way to involve anyone who wants to participate. That way, this will truly be war!

It would work like this:

Deadline to enter: Monday July 6th (before the release, so no one can open a box, and then decide to enter)
How to enter: Leave a comment on this post, stating that you are in, and name your favorite player and team.
How to achieve victory: Based on the scoring criteria below (still a work in progress), do the math and figure out how many points your box is worth. You must scan & post all cards that are worth positive points, as well as your total box score. Whoever gets the highest total box score is the Gint-A-Cuffs grand champion. We'll have to figure out a prize for the winner. I could probably make them a custom Ginter card, sort of like if you had "cracked the code" last year.

OFFICIAL SCORING (still being tweaked)

BASE CARDS
0 base card
+1 Favorite Team base card
-1 Yankee base card

+2 Favorite player list base card (Nick Markakis, Grady Sizemore, Tim Lincecum, Joe Mauer, Chipper Jones) MORE PLAYERS TO BE ADDED AS PEOPLE SIGN UP
-1 points if we pull base card of ....Eric Byrnes, Bobby Crosby, Scott Olsen, Jeff Clement, Kenji Johjima, Tom Gorzelanny
+2 Beard & Mustache Champion base card
+3 YOUR favorite player base card

-1 points for pulling the base for Suez Canal, Milky Way, Old Faithful, Electron (because what the hell are you going to do with that)
+5 Short printed base card (301-350?)
+1 FOR ANY BASE CARD OF YANKEE ON "FAVORITE PLAYERS" LIST

MINI CARDS
0 for base

-1 Yankees
+3 Beard & Mustache Champion mini

+1 Mini of player on your favorite team
+3 Mini of player from "favorite players" list (see above)
+5 Mini of YOUR favorite player

+2 Mini A&G back

+3 Mini black border

+10 Mini no number
+7 Mini short print (301-350?)

(Combine points if it qualifies for multiple categories (mini "favorite player list" with A&G back = 7pts)
DIVIDE BY 2 FOR ANY MINI CARD OF YANKEE ON FAVORITE PLAYER LIST

NATIONAL PRIDE INSERTS

+2 Player from your favorite team

+4 Favorite player list
+6 YOUR favorite player

-1 Yankee
SUBTRACT 1 FOR ANY YANKEE ON FAVORITE PLAYER LIST ex: Jeter: +4 (Favorite List) minus 1 (Yankee) = 3pts

OTHER INSERTS

+5 World's Biggest Hoaxes

+7 Creatures of Legend

+5 National Heroes

+3 Brian Kong Baseball Highlight Sketch cards
+10 Inventions of the Future

HITS

+8 Relic
+12 Short Printed Relic (usually non-baseball)

+15 Autograph
+15 Silk
+25 Group A Autograph
+25 Rip Card

+100 Cut Signature
+200 DNA Relic
+5 N43 Box Topper
+8 Cabinet Card Box Topper
+10 N43 of player from "favorite players" list
+20 N43 of your favorite player
+20 N43 Relics
+30 N43 Autographs
+50 N43 Autograph Relic
+75 Michael Phelps Autograph Boxloader

MULTIPLIERS FOR "HITS"
x2 If any of those pulls are of a player from your favorite team

x5 If any hits are of players on the "favorite players" list (see above)

x10 If it's YOUR favorite player

-5 points if we pull a hit of ........Corey Paterson (Relic), Eric Gagne (Relic), Jered Weaver (Relic)
DIVIDE BY 2 FOR ALL YANKEES HITS, INCLUDING "FAVORITE PLAYERS LIST"

IF YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER IS A YANKEE, YOU GET FULL POINTS FOR THAT PLAYER ONLY. ALL OTHER YANKEES ARE WORTH NEGATIVE POINTS, OR HALF AS MANY POINTS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

IF THE YANKEES ARE YOUR FAVORITE TEAM, THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, AND YOU MUST ACCEPT ANY AND ALL PENALTIES FOR ALL CARDS THAT ARE NOT OF YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER.

Favorite Players List
Nick Markakis
Joe Mauer
Brian Roberts
Tim Lincecum
Jay Bruce
Evan Longoria
Grady Sizemore
Adam LaRoche
Derek Jeter
Adrian Gonzalez
Hanley Ramirez
Joey Votto
Chipper Jones
Geovany Soto
Mariano Rivera
Clayton Kershaw
Dustin Pedroia
David Wright
Josh Hamilton

If there are any suggestions or changes to the scoring system, feel free to speak up. I'm all ears on this one. It would be cool to decide on a system that everyone is comfortable with in the next couple of days. For all the O's fans out there, including myself, there doesn't appear to be a single autograph in this set for us, and the only relic appears to be of Melvin Mora.

Yankees fans may claim the scoring system is unfair. So is the Yankees payroll, and the rest of us have to deal with that.