Trade with Thoughts and Sox!

Adam over at Thoughts and Sox contacted me about a possible trade.  He has a highly organized need list so it made things easy on my end.

In return for some Red Sox cards he sent me a 300 card box packed full of mostly Orioles.  It was a great mix including numerous cards from sets I never had the chance to collect.

There's too many to show but I pulled a nice sampling of some of my favorites:

Gotta start with the 2009 Topps Tribute cards.  This is such a high-end, classy product.  I'll probably never bust one of these boxes so it's really nice to be able to add these to my player collections.  I've never even held a 2009 Topps Tribute card before today.

 

Another card I've never even seen.  Nice insert!

 

Argh!  Bipped!  It's Steady Eddie though.  

As Adam noted, this was a Bipping sent before a ceasefire was called.  It's the first time I have been Bipped so I'm glad one hit me before it officially ended.  

Although, I guess wanting to get Bipped may be part of what caused Bipping to Jump the Shark in the first place.  I mean when Socialites of the 50's started hiring "genuine Beatniks" to attend their parties...well, the days of the Beatniks were numbered.

 

Perfect card.

The eternally loved All-Time Fan Favorites set.

More classic photos.  I especially love the background of the Brooks Robinson shot.

Wide range of cards here.

I also received a good amount of Tejada cards.

My Markakis collection received the biggest boost.

I'm looking for Nick to rebound this season.  Last year was okay but not his best.  With all the offense he will have around him in 2010 it will be nearly impossible for him to avoid 110 runs batted in.

Markakis and Felix Hernandez serial numbered to 525.  Cool!

There were also a ton of other star cards from Adam.  A successful and happy trade.  Good times!  Thanks, Adam!

Ebay Treats: Cards Taste Great (Part 1)

Have you ever had dinner with friends and when the bill came you imagined the cards you could have purchased with that money?  It happens to me all the time, especially after I've already widened my face with food not yet paid for.




















Everywhere I go I get sad over the cards I could have had.   Sandwich meat could be six Heritage chrome cards.  Pizza and drinks could be an entire Hobby box of Masterpiece packs.

I buy a can of carrots at the grocery store and I think about how that dollar could have been a 1968 Vada Pinson I'd forever own.  Instead I get stupid vegetables that I only force myself to eat because they are healthy.  But should I sacrifice cards in the name of health?  Maybe sometimes the right thing to do is wrong and bad.

When I buy cans of peas that dang check out scanner beep doesn't sound like a beep at all.  It sounds like "1973 Tony Oliva, 1974 Frank Robinson, 1977 Rod Carew, 1985 Don Mattingly."



So, for all its frustrations and shenanigans, Ebay can help balance the sadness of losing cards to sustenance and responsible grown up behavior.

"The good news is you're healthy, the bad news is this doctor's visit will cost you the equivalent of a Willie McCovey rookie in near mint condition."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Why me?  Why ME?

Package:  000 Bubble-lite mailer (Approx: 5x8 inches)
Postage Listed on Package:  Not shown
Postage Paid By Buyer: $7.00 ($3.00 first card, .25 each additional card)
Total Cost of Cards: $29.00 (includes the $7.00 shipping cost)
Total Number of Cards Purchased:  17
Date Purchased: 12/22/09
Date Received: 12/24/09 (Note: Seller lives within 100 miles)
Signature Required: No

Card Packaging:  One Packet.  All cards were in a sealed team bag. Within the bag there was a top loader on top, cards penny sleeved in the middle, and a top loader on bottom.  No cards were without a sleeve.  The packaging was a traditional and highly effective method.

Card Packaging Rating: (1-10 scale: 1 worst, 10 best): 9

Cost: $1.00
Details:  1968 Topps #90

Card Comment:  One of the least attractive sets of the sixties.

Pinson had 2757 lifetime hits with 256 hr, 305 stolen bases, and a .286 batting average.  His career was quite similar to Al Oliver and Bill Buckner.  They were players every team was happy to have in the lineup.  They were cogs. Heat up some Pinson, sprinkle in some Olivers, add a dash of Buckner, and Tada!  You have a far above average meal.

When you factor in that Pinson played most of his career in center field, his statistics mean even more.

Pinson's best season came in 1961 when he hit .343 with 208 hits and 16 home runs.  He won a gold glove that year and finished third in the MVP voting.

Pinson is one of those players I like to pick up while buying others.  He is always affordable and had a very nice career.

Cost: $1.00

Details:  1963 Topps #43

Card Comment:  I dislike most modern combo-cards, but I tend to love old cards with multiple players.

This card looks much better to the naked eye.

"The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided." -Stengel

 

Cost: $1.00

Details:  2003 Topps Chrome #426 (s/n: #205/699)

Card Comment:  Shiny and blue can never be bad.

After watching Upton hit seven home runs in the 2008 playoffs leading up to the World Series, I couldn't help but become a fan.

I expected a massive season from him in 2009.  In fact, he was part of the reason I predicated the Rays would finish second in the division and earn a wild card slot.

Upton's 2009 season turned out to be highly disappointing on many levels.  His power (just 11 hr) and batting average (.241) were far below expectations.  Worse though, his walks dropped from 97 in 2008, to just 57 in 2009.  His OPS has now decreased by 100 or so points for a couple seasons (.894, .784, .686).  He will be just age 25 in 2010 but it will be an important season in his career.

His brother Justin Upton is looking like the player I hoped B.J. would be.  At age 21, Justin has a brighter future than B.J..  But I never get to watch Justin play so I'm sticking with his older brother.  Brothers rule.

 

 








Cost: $1.00
Details:  2004 Leaf #15 (s/n: #35/35)
Card Comment:  This is a picture I don't recall seeing often.

What exactly is going on behind Frank?  Is it me or does that look like the local small town Sheriff guiding a witness around the infield dirt?

At any rate, the crime scene can wait.  An evidential dig site is secondary to Frank taking a fantastic swing!

I've run out of time.  Back soon with more of this batch of happy.

My First Photo Attempt - Orioles

Hi!  Hope you all had fun on Christmas.  Lotsa fat lootz?

I got a new digital camera!  I've never owned one of these futuristic devices.  I'm still fiddling with it but I love how easy it is to use.  One thing that seems strange is the batteries only last like twenty minutes.  I'm thinking (hoping) that I just had bad batteries.  That's an awfully short lifespan if that's the case.

I did manage to get a shot of one of my favorite O's auto cards.  Go Orioles! (go where?):

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Retail Box Breaks (6 boxes, Just The Hits)

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Retail Box

24 packs, 4 cards per pack

Cost:  $9.99 (Blowout Cards - Black Friday deal)

Box 1:

Russell Martin (Framed Brown, s/n: #047/100).

Victor Martinez game used jersey.

Box 2:

Lance Berkman (Framed Brown, s/n: #013/100).

Miguel Cabrera game used jersey.

Box 3:

Victor Martinez (Framed Blue, s/n: #008/125).

Chad Billingsley game used jersey.

Box 4:

Stan Musial (Blue Framed, s/n: #034/125).

Nick Blackburn auto.

C.C. Sabathia game used jersey.

Box 5:

Stan Musial (Framed Black, no serial number).

Miguel Cabrera (Framed Black, no serial number).

Eddie Murray (Framed Brown, s/n: #001/100)

Back of Eddie Murray.  Love this card.  Interestingly, this is the only box that did not have a game used card.

Box 6:

Alex Rodriguez (Framed Black, no serial number).

Pedro Martinez game used jersey.

And finally, the card that made me want to post these hits right away:

Frank Robinson (Framed Silver, s/n: #20/25).

Frank!  What a nice card.  This is the first silver framed Masterpieces in my collection.  I am very happy it's an Oriole and one of my favorite players.

These retail boxes are a super deal at $9.99.  What makes them a steal is the stack of base stars.  There are only 10 or so cards per box that aren't star players.  And even those are mostly rookies that haven't made their mark in the majors yet.

And although it is rare to pull an auto from these retail boxes, and the jersey cards are almost all plain white swatches, the hits are icing on the cake anyway.

Just when you think you've seen all the cards in the set, another wonderful short print will pop up. 

At the usual cost of $20 per retail box, they are still a good deal.  A beautiful set that never gets boring.