More Trades From Around The Blogosphere

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.

Even More Trades From Across The Blogosphere

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.

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?

Christmas Kindness - The Tardy Edition

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.

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.

More Trades From Around The Blogosphere

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

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.

Blue Moonshots

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.

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.