My NCAA Bracket Landed Me This....

Year in and year out, I always fill out an NCAA March Madness bracket and the same results happen, my bracket gets busted, annihilated, ceases to exist.

But, this year was much different.

For the second or third year in a row, I decided to join the BCW Supplies March Madness contest held on CBS Sports. The Top 4 win a prize. I never expected to win but thought it would be fun to at least try. Free entry in, might as well.

I also must mentioned I haven't watched a basketball game all year or in ten years, pro or college, so what I was running on to do my picks was hearsay. In the end, I chose Gonzaga to face off vs North Carolina for it all and with NC taking home the trophy. That wasn't an easy pick as growing up I was a die hard Duke fan and deep inside I still am. I just don't watch the games anymore.

Anyways, it seems my picks were decent this year. After the 64 games were played, I found myself sitting at 38th place. Then 32 games, I was at 15th, then at Sweet 16 I had moved to 8th. Elite 8 got me back to 14th and then I pulled off a miracle moving up to 5th place going into the Final 4. It appeared by my predicted score I was going to at least pull off a top 4 finish. But, after the teams got narrowed down to 2, I found myself tied for first! Then when NC took home the title and my score not being too far off, I found myself winning the BCW tournament.

Yes, winning.

And that meant I had scored some pretty sweet prizes that included supplies....

And a sick National Treasures autograph of Oscar Robertson. I didn't know the card was a 1/1 til it was in-hand which made the victory even sweeter.

 

Overall, I am not only very pleased with how my bracket turned out, but my prize. I never in a million years expected to finish in the Top 4, not to mention winning it all. I didn't even pay attention to the prizes at the beginning because I just knew.

A thanks goes out to BCW Supplies for the contest prize. Make sure you enter all of their contests and give them a follow on all social media sites. 

Thoughts on my prize and how your bracket was this year are welcomed in comments!

Project Pedro Trade Recap Part 25:Running With The Best

October has officially been named, Cards I Got From Project Pedro Blog Month.

Well, here it is. The big card of the trade a 1997 Pro Line autograph numbered to 200 of Emmitt Smith.

 

I know it's not very often that a Giants fan wants a Cowboys auto, especially of a player they despised and a player that always put out his best effort against the Giants but I really had to respect the guy. He truly is one the greatest running backs of all time and I had the pleasure and displeasure of watching him.

 

I was super stoked to land this to add to my autograph HOF football PC. I have been trying to land all of the big players of the 90s autographs and this one is a biggie. Hoping for Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Brett Favre still. Those will be a tough tackle especially in Favre whose autographs are really expensive.

Tomorrow is Part 1 of 2 of the final box break with the big hit. Stay tuned!

Thoughts on today's card and what autographs you are chasing are welcomed in comments!

MONSTER TRADE COUNTDOWN CARDS # 1

As you know by now, I PC Griffey the most among my many other collections, Rodney Hampton is second. So it was obvious to me when Project Pedro Blog pulled this in that USA Champions case break, I had to find a way to get it.

 

To your surprise, I bet you wouldn't have known this is my very first Griffey auto card. I do have one auto/mem card, but when it comes to straight auto cards, this is it. My Griffey PC is built upon inserts and base card mainly with roughly 12 memorabilia cards. It's a weak PC, but one I am trying to improve upon and this card will move it up a bit.

 

 

My only tif with this card is the sticker seemed to limit Ken from his usual signature as it felt crammed and maybe some missing especially on the right side where it very slightly ran to. But, it's still a beautiful card and one I am very happy to have.

A humongous thanks goes out to Shane over at Project Pedro Blog and once again, please go check out his blog. Also, if you have any Pedro Martinez, he would be more than welcoming to trade/buy them.

WIN This Packers Player Of The Day Autographed Card!

 

This is so easy to win that a caveman can do it!

CONTEST DETAILS:

1. Must be a U.S. Resident or have a shipping address in the U.S.
2. Sport Card Collectors or it's owner will not be responsible for lost, stolen or damaged mail. I will mail it as safely as I can, then it's up to the USPS to get it to you safely. 
3. Comment below with the name of your local participating Player Of The Day shop or one that's closest to you that you can find right, HERE.
4. Have your entry in by October 19th 2015 and you will be entered into the random drawing.
5. Winner will be announced on October 20th 2015 in the comments below..
6. Good Luck to everyone! 

Topps Redemption Mail Day:Giancarlo Stanton Autograph!!!!

On a daily basis I check the updates on my redemption cards, especially two I am waiting on.

Well, in Topps latest redemption update, I knew that one was on it's way.

This morning about 5 a.m.I received an email from Topps telling me that my card was on it's way and five hours, yes, FIVE HOURS later the card was in my hand. Crazy huh? I just assumed they were a bit delayed on the update.

Well, anyways, here is my newest addition. One I am extremely happy to have in hand as the 25 year old has an outstanding future ahead of him. Just wished he played in a more popular place. Hopefully he makes a healthy return on Friday and swings away for the remaining part of the baseball season.

This card is numbered 21/50.

Here is the front. ON CARD AUTO TOO!

Pretty happy with this card and the turnaround on it. Luckily I haven't had the same problems that others have had with Topps redemptions. I have always gotten a two to four month return on them from Topps. I have only gotten one Panini redemption back in that time frame so I usually just get replacements for my redemption cards from them. I have also pulled many more Panini redemptions than Topps too.

So tonight's topic is a three-parter,
First, thoughts on my card?
Second, what's your normal return wait on redemption cards?
Third, which company takes care of redemptions better, Topps or Panini?

#SundayFunday Contest # 1:Football

Well, it has been awhile since I have done a giveaway and there may be many reasons for that. One, giveaways are very time consuming sometimes. Two, I have been setting aside my prizes for the fall when I possibly host the Player Of The Day contest. Three, the last few giveaways I have held there seems to be a lack of interest in them. I mean, 10-12 entries doesn't seem worth it.

But, with so much generated interest around the #SundayFunday giveaways and all of the generosity I have seen and been given recently, I decided to join in on the fun. So for the next 4-5 weeks I plan on joining in on the #SundayFunday fun. Mine however, will have contests hosted on here and more than one day to enter.

For my first Sunday, with the recent draft being held, I thought I would kick it off with a football giveaway.
Here are the goods:

And now onto the easy entry.

1. ONLY OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS OR TO ANYONE WHO HAS A SHIPPING ADDRESS IN THE U.S. I cannot afford to ship outside the U.S.
2. THE CARDS WILL BE SHIPPED IN A PWE. Sport Card Collectors blog will not be held responsible for lost, stolen or damaged mail. The cards are being shipped to you with the hope they arrive safely. I have only ever lost one package so the chances of arrival are high. If the package is lost, stolen or damaged, I may replace them with something else. But, don't always count on that and try pulling the "they were lost" thing. Sport Card Collectors will make the final decision. Failure to follow any of the rules, you will be asked to forfeit your prize.
3. To enter, just tell me YOUR teams draft grade
4. Since this is a #SundayFunday contest, this contest will start today May 10th 2015 and end next Sunday, May 17th 2015, at 12:00 am e.t. where a winner will be announced before or around 10am e.t. that morning. That way a full Sunday to Sunday. There will be a random 7 times to pick the winner.
5. The winner will have ONE WEEK to claim their prize once they are chosen or they will forfeit it and it will be re-given away..

Most importantly, good luck and have fun!! Please RT this on Twitter and Share on Facebook as well.

Panini Card Of The Week: 2014 Donruss Dave Parker Donruss Signatures

Brand: Donruss

Card Number:DP

Card Type:Autograph

Retail Break Em: Fairfield Company Baseball Box

I have seen many people breaking these all across the internet. Blogs, sites, Twitter, etc. I have seen the good and the bad that can come from these. But, I look at something that offers me 20 packs, 1 guaranteed hit for $20 and I can't turn away from that. Who Can? So I broke one of the football ones and one of the baseball ones so tame my curiosity.

This specific post is about the baseball box, I will show the football results next week. How did this one go, well, you will have to see for yourself as you check out the gallery!

These were the packs within. Was pleasantly surprised to find a hobby pack of Topps Heritage:

 This was the guaranteed "hit" of the box:

And these were the best cards I got from the packs:

Overall, not bad for what I paid for. If I was to go back and buy another one, this is the one I would buy. I feel like the baseball has more variety and a lot more to offer in value unlike the football one but I will leave that judgement up to you when you see the football break. The pleasant surprise of a hobby pack goes a long ways as well. The hit I got in this box was much better than the football one I got as well. That is not saying much. But I have seen some boxes that have come with much better hits which is what tempted me to breaking these in the first place.

Let me know your thoughts and if you tried breaking one of these and how you did.

Panini Card Of The Week: 2012-2013 Marquee Leonard Robinson Legends Autograph

Brand: Marquee

Card Number:33

Card Type:Autograph

HOBBY TOPIC

Another post in our new series Hobby Topics. This is not so much a post for us to comment about or give our opinions on, this is your chance to let your voice be heard on a variety of topics in the hobby. We are leaving the floor open to you! So comment away! But please no language and keep your answer clean as we do have a younger following as well.

Today's Topic: Would the hobby survive if we didn't do memorabilia or autographed cards anymore?

What happens if all we pulled from packs were inserts and base cards? Would it help you lean towards not having autographs and memorabilia cards anymore if companies improved upon designs for the base and insert cards and brought back innovations? Would you not want to collect anymore if companies got rid of them?

This question is a toughie and I can't wait to see what you guys respond with!

Let's hear your thoughts!

Retail Break Em: Fairfield Company Football Box

I have seen many people breaking these all across the internet. Blogs, sites, Twitter, etc. I have seen the good and the bad that can come from these. But, I look at something that offers me 20 packs, 1 guaranteed hit for $20 and I can't turn away from that. Who Can? So I broke one of the football ones and one of the baseball ones so tame my curiosity.

This specific post is about the football box. How did it go, well, you will have to see for yourself as you check out the gallery!

These were the packs within:

This was the guaranteed "hit" of the box:

And these were the best cards I got from the packs:

 Really like the photography Topps Prime. Probably their best done base set.

First one of these I have ever pulled:

Overall, despite not getting anything too big and having the packs not be that much of a variety, I feel I did well with the overall break. A big part of that is thanks to a ton of rookie cards. If it wasn't for those however, I wouldn't have felt good about this buy. The hit wasn't anything to get excited about either. I would assume though some boxes may have better hits than others.

The baseball box, was a much better buy with more opportunities in my opinion. If I was to buy one again, that is the one I would buy.

Let me know your thoughts and if you have ever given one a try.

Win Two Autographed Baseball Cards From The Pack Gambler

Thanks to our friends at The Pack Gambler, we are hosting a contest to celebrate baseball's Opening Day! I know I for one am ready for the sound of bats cracking, the smell of fresh cut grass and crowds cheering. Not only is the thought of baseball's Opening Day exciting, but the other fun thing is...this contest is open to both U.S. and Canadian Residents!

Now onto how to enter, The Pack Gambler and myself decided to go with a Blue Jays game and we wanted to give you enough time to enter, so we chose April 2nds game against the Rays giving everyone a week. Now onto the rest:

1. Pick the winner of the Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays
2. Pick the total runs of the game WITHOUT GOING OVER
3. For a third tiebreaker, tell me many strikeouts will Mark Buehrle
4. If there is a fourth tiebreaker needed, it will be randomed.
5. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE FOLLOWING THIS BLOG, US ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER OR FOLLOWING THE PACK GAMBLER. There have been a lot of lost contest prizes when a winner doesn't claim them and never returns to know they won. Please make sure you keep this blog on your radar. This is the only place you will find out who wins.
6. Your entries are due by 7:00 pm e.t. on Wednesday, April 2nd 2014.
7. Winner will be announced the following day. 

Your entries should look like this:

Blue Jays
8
4

Please say thank you to The Pack Gambler (click onto their name to visit their site) for sponsoring this contest. And most of all, have fun and good luck!

Panini Card Of The Week: 2012-2013 Donruss Classics Stephane Matteau Autograph

Brand: Donruss Classics

Card Number:120

Card Type:Autographed Card