What A Kitty Cat Will Get You...

Or how I traded my Cat Osterman autograph and what I got in return.

So I traded a card that I don't even physically own yet. I pulled a Cat Osterman framed auto redemption from one of the Allen & Ginter boxes I broke back in July. At the time I thought it was a good pull, but didn't think it was as great as some other people did. THe card was immediately redeemed, and is scheduled to arrive sometime in late October (so really February). Since that time I have had no less than 10 inquiries into whether or not it is for trade, and what I would be looking for in return.

Well, after quite a few weeks of negotiations, the card has been traded to self-confessed Kitty Cat freak, The Mojo Hand, and what I get in return arrived earlier this week. We agreed to trade a few cards, so this was all part of a larger deal. I sent Mojo 2 Ginter autos, the aforementioned Cat Osterman, and a Clayton Kershaw, which can be seen here. There were a few other cards thrown in there, but that was the main part of this trade.

In return, Mojo also sent me 2 autos.

2009 Upper Deck Icons Future Foundations Nick Markakis autograph

2008 Upper Deck Mystery Cut Hank Stram cut autograph

and a much needed Creature of Myth, Legend & Terror.


I'm very happy to have a Hank Stram cut autograph. He is a legendary Super Bowl winning coach (Super Bowl IV), and was also one of the men responsible for the popularity of one of my favorite beverages, Gatorade. Everybody always seems to knock cut signatures from checks, but I don't have a problem with it. I'd rather they destroy that, than a letter or contract or other document that may be of possible historical importance. Oh, and Mr. Stram is also sadly deceased, so his signature is bound to dry up at some point. It's probably already one of the best cards in my entire collection.

The ability to acquire a new Markakis autograph was another big thing for me in this deal. It's one that doesn't book for very much, and can be had on eBay for around $10, but none of that matters to me. Markakis is my player, and I didn't have this card. The scan does it absolutely zero justice. The foil finish looks a lot better in person.

Leviathan put my Creatures of Myth, Legend & Terror quest at 10 cards out of 20. There's light at the end of the tunnel, but something tells me those last 10 are going to be a real pain to track down.

A Trade With Myself?

2 or 3 weeks ago you may recall a post about my contemplations over selling some decent cards that I didn't much care for in order to raise enough capital for a hobby box or 2. Well... I did end up selling 2 certified autographs of non-baseball or football subjects, and ended up with a decent chunk of change, but not really enough to buy a box of anything decent. Since my payments were all via PayPal, and there's no way in hell those people are ever getting my banking information (it's scary enough they know my credit card info), the decision to just spend the money on cards was pretty easy, since it wasn't "real" money anyway.

Why is this post titled "At Trade With Myself? Because 2 autos sold netted me 2 new autos for my collection, so it is almost like I just traded them for each other. No, not really? Fine. I was just trying to be clever.

2004 Fleer E-X #ST-CR Cal Ripken Signings of the Times jersey/autograph

This first card officially makes me an Orioles collector. I have wanted a Cal Ripken Jr. autograph for years, but they're generally too rich for my wallet. This card was purchased via private sale, from a seller who happened to pull 9 of them during his case break. The price was right, as was the timing, and I could not be any happier with this card.

2008 TriStar Signa Cuts Bobby Thomson cut autograph

Believe it or not, there was enough left after acquiring Cal to also pick up this card? Bobby hit the "Shot Heard Round the World", it says so right there on this card. I'm a fan of the Staten Island Scot for a couple of reasons; not only am I part Scottish, but my mother and grandparents (the Scottish side) are also from Staten Island, NY. Bobby did play for the O's during his twilight years, but this appears to have been cut from a card of his Giants days. Does anybody know exactly which card this is? I can't believe how ridiculously cheaply these Signa Cut autos can be had. They certainly aren't the nicest looking cards out there, but if you want to pick up a cut, they can be found for $10 and under on eBay (auction format).

Thank you for tolerating me showing off my collection. A Cal Ripken autograph is something far too beautiful not to share with the world, so it had to be done.

2010 Famous Fabrics Preview

While trolling Blowout Cards this morning, checking out the weekend specials, I stumbled across a pre-order release that I'd never seen nor heard of before. The set is called Famous Fabrics, and is distributed by Creative Cardboard Concepts. I read somewhere that CCC was affiliated with In The Game, but their website mentions nothing about it, and I don't want to dole out false information, so please don't quote me on that.

PRODUCT INFO:
Famous Fabrics is a multi-sport set featuring authentic memorabilia & cut signatures of the sporting world's finest athletes. No card is numbered to higher than 10 copies, 9 of which will be silver, with the last one being gold.

INSERTS:
Franchises Rookie of the Year, USA, Forever Linked, Decades, Champions, Quad Memorabilia, For Your Country, Greatest Rivalry, Gloves Are Off, Solid Footing, Dynamic Duos and many, many more.

PRICE: Currently pre-selling at $74.99

One of the nicer things about this release in my opinion is the fact that it is apparently limited to a 40 case production run, with 10 boxes to a case, and with each box containing 1 pack and 1 card, there will only be 4,000 total cards produced (if my math is right... I ain't no mathamagician)

As of now, this release is scheduled for early 2010, and you can find more information HERE, HERE and HERE

IMAGE GALERY

*All images courtesy of Creative Cardboard Concepts website*

Now THAT'S a Cut Signature!

The new eBay layout doesn't let you steal images like the old one used to, but luckily Joe of The Priceless Pursuit was bored at work and got some screen grabs for me. I'm not positive, but I think this is the first cut signature to be auctioned off from '09 Ginter. Not the greatest of subjects, but I really like how it says "Very truly yours" before the autograph. It makes the whole thing seem so much more polite and personal.

CHECK OUT THE AUCTION HERE

My $7 Cut Autograph

You may recall from reading THIS post, that I won an eBay auction for a cut autograph while I was away at the beach. Well.... it arrived yesterday.

There is it, my $7 Bob Feller cut autograph. Unfortunately, it's put out by TriStar, and is from the Signa Cuts set. I say unfortunately for a few reasons. The first is that the back of this card is EXTREMELY vague and there isn't even an attempt at authentication. Here's the exact verbiage from the back of this card:

"You have received a Signa Cut^® featuring an authentic hand-signed autograph"

What exactly does that mean? I could have signed this card, and that verbiage would still ring true.

My second issue with this card is something that should be pretty obvious to all of us. Bob Feller is still alive! This set is actually FULL of players who are still alive. Granted, Bob Feller is 90 some-odd years old at this point, and is widely considered one of the best pitchers of his era, along with being a first ballot Hall of Famer, but the question still remains.... Why are companies releasing cut autographs of players who are not deceased and could otherwise sign a regular card?

My third and final issue with this card I'm not even sure is actually an issue. Originally, I thought the card was pretty bland looking, but to tell you the truth, the more I think about it, the more I like the fact that this is just a plain, white index card instead of a recycled autograph bit from an autographed card that was previously released years ago, ala 2009 Legendary Cuts. Those cards are just plain ugly! TriStar did manage to put some sparkles on the border, so they've got that going for them. I will admit though, it's still a pretty dull looking card overall, and a photo of the actual player would have been a nice addition.

Despite the fact that it MAY be a fake cut autograph of a player who is not deceased that also happens to be sort of boring, I still got a freakin' Bob freakin' Feller cut autograph card for SEVEN FREAKIN' DOLLARS! The freakin' heater from Van Meter, and hurler of 3 no-hitters, including the only one to ever be thrown on Opening Day! That's pretty freakin' awesome!

Wish List Card #4

2007 Topps Allen & Ginter Fidel Castro Cut Autograph 1/1
Yeah, that's right. I am prepared to deal with the massive buttloads of crap people may give me for wanting this card.

It's not new to most of you, Mario has blogged about it, as has Sports Card Info, and I'm sure a few other bloggers have as well... but it is one of a kind. As far as I can tell, this is the only certified auto of El Presidente that has been released by any card company. I've got to hand it to Topps for having the gravitas to actually produce this card, and include it in '07 Allen & Ginter.

While I wouldn't consider myself a Castro supporter, by any means, I will go as far as to say that he is mis-understood, and probably "exhibit A" for what the media machine can do to a person and a country if they don't agree with their ideals. I have read several book about Fidel, including "My Life", his spoken autobiography, and as a result, am not sure what to believe about him. There is no doubt in my mind that he is at the very least and extraordinary important historical figure. Somehow, I was captivated and inspired by the romanticism of the 26th of July revolutionary movement that took place in 1959, which ultimately ended with Castro in control of Cuba. I mean, aren't all revolutions inspiring? Whenever the masses rise up against perceived oppression and manage to take the power back, isn't that at the least a testament to the power of the human spirit? See: The Revolutionary War, 4th of July

However you view Fidel Castro, and his life, the one thing that you must keep in mind is how much of the story is really known? Much like in communist Cuba, where information is tightly controlled, our own media is biased, and some could argue so is our written history. We only know what the powers that be want us to know. What I always try to do, as a matter of principle, is take what both sides are saying (because there are ALWAYS sides) and assume that the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. Castro claims to be anti-violence, and only believes in taking the lives of those who are perpetrators of oppression. During the revolution, Castro says that not a single civilian was murdered by his army, and whenever they captured prisoners from the opposing side, they were always released unharmed. What we know of him in America is his reported reputation and penchant for senseless violence. He is even referred to as a murderer from time to time. Chances are the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Every man has his principles, and the struggle to stay true to what you believe has been known put a people in precarious situations, where tough choices must be made.

Take for example the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Cuba's relationship with the U.S.S.R. In 1961, the US decided that they wanted someone else in control of Cuba, and did not approve of Castro's government. It was becoming apparent to the world that Cuba was headed towards full-blown communism, and due to our own pre-conceived notions that any communist country must be pure evil, a plot was launched to militarily overthrow Castro, and bring multi-party democracy to Cuba (just like we try to do to the rest of the world now). Needless to say, the plan backfired, and the Cuban, army as well as the people of Cuba, who would not turn on their leader, were able to thwart the US plan. As a result, a strict trade embargo was imposed on Cuba, which essentially cut them off from the rest of the world financially. It makes perfect sense that given all of this, and the sinking economic state of his country, Castro would turn to the only possible ally at the time for support and protection, which at this time in history was the U.S.S.R. We all know where the story goes from there, with the Cuban Missile Crisis. In my opinion, ALL parties involved used poor judgment, and the consequences were almost detrimental.

I don't want to give anyone the impression that I am a Castro sympathizer, because I am not. What I am is a person who like to have all the information before coming to a conclusion. While what Castro did is certainly frowned upon by the majority, it seems pretty clear to me that he was doing whatever he had to do to ensure the well being of his little island nation, and it's people. That having been said, I have also read about and heard about some things he is accused of that are absolutely reprehensible. Not having both sides of the story on things leaves me up in the air about how I feel about them. I mean, if you believe everything you read, or hear, you're just as enslaved the citizens of Cuba are perceived to be, not to mention naive.

Ok, now that I feel like I've justified my reasons for wanting this card, lets start talking about the actual card itself. As a firm believer in the First Amendment, I feel that the scribblings on this card only make it more valuable, at least to me. I'm sure the book & resale value have been drastically hurt by what could be viewed as a desecration, I think it only adds to the cards rarity. It's essentially now a 1/1 of a 1/1, with some great (and colorful) expressions of opinion scribbled all over it. Not only is it the ONLY Fidel Castro autographed card, it is the ONLY Fidel Castro card that is this unique. It's my understanding that this card was pulled from eBay last year, before it could be sold, and I'm not sure if it's been sold since. The odds of me actually ever owning this card are substantially lower than those of my previous wish list cards, but it doesn't make me want it any less. How cool would it be to own a cut signature of arguably the most controversial world leader of all time, and of a man who survived a reported 638 assassination attempts by the C.I.A.? I think it would be very cool. Controversially cool. Viva la Revolucion! Yo quiero Taco Bell!

My favorite part is where it says ", jerk" next to Castro's name.