Lords Of The Diamond

 

For a few months now, @Jake1725 and myself have been working on and off on a trade and knocking out the details on it. I knew in the end we would work it out like we always do, its just sometimes it takes a little longer to do so.

I didn't know completely what I was getting on my end from Jake and on his end was the same from me. All I know is kicking it off with this beautiful Lords Of The Diamond Ken Griffey Jr is a heck of a start.

Wanna feel older? This was Topps 55th anniversary design. We are now in Year 70....Also, remember when we used to be able to spot a gold parallel from Topps easier?

Juan's gone the right way. If you know Donruss 90 and this card, you will get that.

Another new Griffey Jr! Big Fly Zone, he definitely sent plenty of balls that way.

The Franchise Big Hurt

Alex Rodriguez

Three more new Griffey Jr's. I like the Drawing Power insert but the photography on Big Shots takes the medal here.

Five-Tool Talent A-Rod. His sixth tool was cheating the game.

Revolution always came out with a nice base card design, I believe this is my first taste of the 1998 baseball.

I hate to admit it, I like Stick Ums

Randy Johnson Proview. Except this is the gold version I have never seen before.

Some fun 90's chromed inserts

Upper Deck MVP had some nice cards despite being on the same level as Collectors Choice as a brand and cost. These Swing Times also are foiled.

Super Tools. Revert to the comment above about MVP

Some shiny Topps inserts. I wished Topps would do more of these and not so much bland like today's

Bonds Home Run cards. Not sure how many of these should count

Up next, I know it's Collectors Choice and that these Star Quests fell one-per-pack, but these were probably the most eye-pleasers of this group of cards for me.

The blue ones/one star are the easiest to find falling one-per-pack

The green falls 1:8 packs. A tad tougher than the blue level

The Red level falls 1:23 packs.

Almost a complete rainbow of Clemens, just lacking the Gold. That one is really tough to find and numbered to 100. I tried to look on eBay for one just for kicks and didn't see one.

Thanks to Jake for another terrific trade and looking forward to more.

The Day That Was Coffee-Less

*Hello Coffee my old friend, I'm glad to sip on you again. I couldn't drink you yest,,,,er....day, wasn't having fun in surgery. But today...I get to drink you at least once, maybe twice. I hear the sound....of percolating*

Yesterday didn't go as planned.

My arrival time was for noon yesterday with a planned surgery for 1pm and an hour and a half procedure. Well, surgery didn't begin to almost 2pm, it lasted only an hour only because they couldn't get the job done and put a stent in instead.  I didn't quite wake up from anesthesia very easily so what was estimated to be around three and a half hours total turned out to be more like 8. My poor wife had to sit in the car the entire time. 

I haven't even mentioned yet that they didn't provide me the coffee they promised me when I woke up!! So I went coffee-less the entire day which is a feat for most coffee drinkers.

So I will be returning back there in a couple of weeks to get the stent and stone removed. Hopefully it will be much quicker and more successful next time.

I appreciate all of you who reached out to me to give me good wishes.

But, enough with me blabbering about that. Today is all about Cards and Coffee and focusing on the positive. 

The positive being is this hanger pack that I traded for awhile back when Ginter released from my father. He grabbed me the blaster box I showed previously on here then grabbed this a week later before flippers grabbed the rest of it.

*takes a sip of well earned coffee*

*takes a sip, begins to rip*

Each hanger pack of 2020 Allen and Ginter comes with 3 packs of 6 cards and a bonus pack of 5 gold parallel mini cards. I think these cost roughly $5 a pack but can't remember since this was so long ago.

Here are the highlights from the packs,

 

 

(only need one more of these for my set!!)

(solid find)

 

(having grown up on a farm, I would agree a dog is essential on one)

*takes a sip before taking a rip of the gold parallel pack*

The pack has a great topper so I expect the rest of it to go well.

Not too bad at all! Don Mattingly, Doby, MVP Abreu, Judge and a Chip Gaines I really wanted.

I felt pretty good after ripping this rack pack. Being a fan of Ginter helps as well.

*takes a sip before finishing up the post*

I plan on taking the rest of today to get some rest. Yesterday was tiring and I didn't sleep much last night at all in pain. But, came on today to put up a new post was a nice distraction and it gave me an excuse to drink some extra coffee. I don't blog on this blog without it!

Profiles Sent By Padrographs

Man, do I ever miss being in the 80's and 90's with so much going on in the world right now. Those were good times for me and there wasn't a lot of stress and worries.

Unlike today, it's full of it. It makes you either want the world to end like in Revelations and have Jesus take me home or lock myself in a closet in the house forever. It's a better ending then stepping outside or even turning on the news most days.

I may not have a time machine, but at least through cardboard, I can travel back to the greatest times of my life.

Thanks to my latest mail day from Rod over at Padrographs as I claimed two cards in one of his latest giveaway posts that takes me back.

These Topps Profiles came out in 1996 Topps at 1:12 odds. It features Topps spokesmen Kirby Puckett  for the AL and Tony Gwynn  for the NL and has them give opinions on players within their league.

Here is a Cal done by Puckett

And a Thomas done by Puckett.

I didn't get any from the NL. But, man, I love these. Topps did these for every sport back then.

 

Padrographs even added in a new piece for my bloggers PC. Yes, I have a thing like that. I keep the notes, stickers, business cards, etc that any of you send me and store them in a box for the memories.

Speaking of memories, 2020 won't bring out many great ones for myself, but there is still a lot of the year left to make some.

Thanks again Rod for the mail day!

Coming In Third Ain't Bad

I am an old fashioned guy. I believe those who work hard, should earn things. Nothing in life comes easy, there are no participation trophies and there is winners and losers. There is no black/white or in-between no matter the age or sport.

If there wasn't a winner or loser and everyone got the same trophy, then why bother playing? Yes, you can still play for fun, but what does that show you? Not to try your hardest? Don't give it your all? Can you imagine baseball or football and both teams get a Championship trophy in the World Series and Super Bowl...yeah...my thoughts exactly. I feel you work hard at something you can achieve it. You didn't win the top prize, go practice and make yourself better to earn it. You should never expect things and never should be handed things for free. Work harder and do your best.

Which is what I did for this years 2nd Annual The Rose Bowl Contest hosted by Stadium Fantasium blog.Yes, it's not always sports you can be competitive in. you can be in other things as well. Last year I just tossed some numbers out to the wind in hopes I would win, but, the fact I didn't put any thought and effort into my entry I wasn't even close.

This year I strived to do better and guess what, I won a prize. It was only the bronze level which is third place, but its further than I was last year and I got to take home a prize because of my efforts.

Each prize level spot won a couple of cups commemorating the Rose Bowl Game.

Then after that it was a rotating winner claim prize depending on where you finished. There was lots of great prizes up for grabs, a few I really wanted but my turn wasn't at that point yet, so I claimed what I wanted from what was left.

Including this 2007 Fleer retail baseball pack. Anytime I can open anything Fleer, I will take it.

Delmon Young rookie. Can you imagine how hot that card was at the time?

Davis Ross mini

The two promised Rookie Sensations inserts, Josh Beckett and Jeremy Hermida who I had some nice cards of and I had always hoped he would turn out big. But, he didn't.

And then a bonus surprise, Crowning Achievement Frank Thomas insert. I will never get used to see him in any uniform that's not the White Sox.

And the final prize was this Carlos Carrasco autograph on card from Topps Tek. I always like the Tek design but always worry that the autographs will fade over time like with those Pinnacle Inscriptions from the 90's,.

A solid prize for finishing third if I may say so myself.

Next year if this is hosted I will strive for an even better finish, except I would have to find a way to outdo the two-time champion Fuji. But, I am coming for ya haha.

Thanks for the prize Stadium Fantasium!

Stars Of Today For Stars Of Yesterday

In today's hobby, there is a lot of hustle and bustle when it comes to collecting the next big thing.

Everyone wants that next big prospect money return. Some buy low, sell high. Others will pour their life savings into one prospect they feel could be the next Mike Trout. Even though that sometimes works out, probably only 10-20% of the time (I am looking at you Baker Mayfield and Shohei Ohtani collectors in 2018 and 2019), it's a huge risk to take.

One I am not willing to.

For me, collecting is fun and nostalgic. I don't rip and flip. I don't buy all in on one player, unless it's a guy on my team but that's not prospecting. I don't buy just to sell. I collect plain and simple.

So if I happen to land one of those big name prospects, I usually trade it off for what I consider an upgrade.

When looking for an upgrade, I look for players who are in the Hall Of Fame and ones that I have had a history somewhat with.

Being a huge fan of the 90's, I saw a lot of Hall Of Fame players play in that era spread across all sports, so those are the guys I am typically drawn to getting autographed cards of.

I have already picked up autos of guys such as Ken Griffey Jr, Kobe Bryant, Steve Young, Dan Marino, and many others and have been weaning my search down as I go. My recent prospect trade off took two more off from my list of needs.

 

Tony was atop my baseball list needs that includes guys like Mariano Rivera still to get.  Gwynn played 20 seasons all for the SD Padres. He won 8 batting titles and is one of the most consistent. hitters in MLB history He also was an 15 time All Star, seven time Silver Slugger award winner and five gold gloves as well. Solid player who has a place in my collection. When I saw also this was a 90's autograph I was acquiring it made it an even more beautiful sight.

 

The Big Hurt stars in commericals now, but when he was on the baseball field he put a hurt ont all baseballs. He was an MVP, Five time All Star, AL Comeback Player Of The Year and won a World Series. Not quite the list of accomplishments as Gwynn, but one heck of a player no matter. If only injuries hadn't take a toll on him throughout his career we may be talking more about him.

Usually I don't like unlicensed baseball cards like this, but I have been needing an autograph of Thomas so this fits the bill.

I still have many more needs across multiple sports to acquire so when I hit that next big prospect or if I already have, I will turn that into players who are more established careers. That's just the way I roll.

CARDBOARD REVIEW:2019 Topps Update Baseball

Baseball season is winding down, we are now in the World Series, and so isn't the final few baseball products such as the latest release in Topps Update or as I call it, Topps Series 3.
Update however, has set itself apart from the flagship as it carries the most sought after rookie cards on the market, year in and year out. That's right folks, more popular than Bowman and even some more popular than their autographed rookies.

Update for me is usually all about the rookies, so let's see if I had any other surprises in store this year.

 

Each hobby box of 2019 Topps Update baseball comes with 24 packs of 14 cards. There is one hit per box and boxes currently run around $85.

 

I didn't do much studying on the product before it's release, so I found a surprise to me when I opened it. A 2019 Topps Silver pack. Something I hadn't ever gotten before as I believe they were handed out at shops and online retailers when buying the product. This was a plus for me! Jumbo boxes come with two of them.

Let's see how that rip went first.

 Kerry Wood and Jeff Bagwell stand out here

And then some JV. This is a blue parallel /150

BASE CARDS:

The Topps Update set comes with 300 cards.It includes all of the late season call-ups, All-Star Game related subsets and other fun subsets.

 The closest to a Yaz rookie I will get

 Plenty of Vlad Jr cards for you Vlad Jr collectors.

Fishin' Wonder if he will the MVP award?

Rookie Combos

Team Card

And my favorite base card of them...let it rain!

SHORT PRINTS/VARIATIONS

As with any product, especially baseball, there are Short Prints or variations. Luckily for us unlike the old days, they are defined by a CMP code on the back bottom right of the card. I go by the last two digits on that code (sorry no pic of the card back this time)

Here are the codes you are looking at

• Base ends in 010
• SP Variation ends in 055
• SSP Rookie Variation  ends in 057

You may need a magnifying glass sometimes to tell the difference but you should find one per box on both hobby and jumbo box levels.

 Paul Goldschmidt Sp ends in 55.

PARALLELS

Here is an over look at the parallels in Update,

Purple, 150th Anniversary, Rainbow Foil, Gold /2,019, Vintage Stock /99, Independence Day /76, Black /67, Mother's Day Pink /50, Father's Day Blue /50, Memorial Day Camo /25, Platinum 1/1, and Printing Plates 1/1.

150 Years falls 1:6 packs

Gold Falls 1:8 packs

Foil falls 1:10 packs. Nice find on the Vlad Jr

Black /67

INSERTS

1984 Inserts has 50 cards to collect


Most of the inserts include parallels such as Blue, Black /299, 150th Anniversary /150, Gold /50, Red /10, and Platinum 1/1.

 Black /299

 The Family Business. There are 25 to chase in this set.

Iconic Cards. To me, the more iconic one would have been the no name. But, that's just me. There are 50 in this set to collect.

Greatest Players. Find 100 in this set. WOW.

HITS:

 

All Star Game Jersey. No surprise to find a jersey in my break as I find them and as will you 9 out of 10 times. If you are autograph chasing, go find yourself a Jumbo Box.

Other hits not found in my box include,

• 1984 Topps Baseball Autographs
• Legacy of Baseball Autographs
• 150 Years of Professional Baseball Autograph
• Bryce Harper Highlights Autographs
• Est. 1869 Autographs
• Iconic Card Reprints Autographs
• Shohei Ohtani Highlights Autographs
• The Family Business Autographs
• Cut Signatures
• All-Star Stitches Autographs
• All-Star Stitches Jumbo Patch Autographs
• All-Star Stitches Dual Autographs
• Topps Reverence Autograph Patch
• 150th Anniversary Manufactured Medallion Autographs
• 150th Anniversary Manufactured Patch Autographs
• All-Star Stitches Jumbo Patch
• All-Star Stitches Dual Relics
• All-Star Stitches Triple Relics
• Major League Material
• Own The Name Nameplate Letter
• 150th Anniversary Manufactured Medallion Relics
• 150th Anniversary Manufactured Patch Relics

HERE IS THE OVERALL CHECKLIST FOR 2019 TOPPS UPDATE BASEBALL. YOU CAN FIND IT HERE

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This is a sit on it and wait product. Rookies, not hits carry this one. The price is a bit steep for only one hit that's most likely a jersey card, but, potentially down the road it may be worth a lot and box prices could go even higher. It's all about how much risk you want to take. Remember they also have plenty of retail options as well.

If you want in on a box break of this product without paying box prices, I suggest Midwest Box Breaks as they pull fire!

Please make sure to take a minute out to thank Topps for providing this box for me to review and to be able to do giveaways with. ALWAYS check my Twitter @SportCardCollec for those..Also follow Topps on all social media sites and visit their SITE, as well

Here is the NPN info and all odds info: