Another bulk card acquisition

The things in this picture may look familiar to ONE of you out there but to the rest, let me try to explain in the best way I know how...a long, drawn-out, brain drain of a blog post.

I have been on a strange kick these past couple years with my collecting.  I have had my ups and downs just like everyone out there but a couple years ago (or a year, I don't even remember anymore) I fell off my somewhat disciplined collecting wagon and bought a big collection.  It was what was left of two former dealers that had overextended themselves in the late 90s and early 2000s and simply couldn't hang on anymore.  Of course, they were both from Denver so I can't really say how much Broncos and Rockies stuff is in there (but it is A LOT!!!) but nonetheless, it increased my collection 20 fold.  I even attempted to start a blog just about that collection.  That part hasn't come to fruition.  Neither has the goal of unloading it within a year.

About 8 months ago, I picked up another, lesser collection from a guy trying to make some cash during a stint with unemployment.  I made him a decent offer and ended up on the receiving end of another (14) 3500 count boxes of stuff.  There is a ton of basketball stuff in these boxes from what I can tell.  Very few hockey cards, some football, and a decent amount of baseball; but TONS of basketball.  Since I don't follow the NBA, nor collect basketball cards, and basically lost interest after my "heroes" Barkley, Malone, Jordan, and Bird retired, I really have been unmotivated to sort through these.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago, same scenario (unemployment thing) only this time it was for a large, three-row shoebox (are they still called that?) full of hockey memorabilia and autograph cards (I take that back, all but one...there was a Mark Sanchez Rookie Jersey in there too).  Finally...HOCKEY STUFF!!  Again, this is all cardboard I didn't need but what fun it was to sort through? I found some rare Guerin and Jagr GU cards in there as well as some interesting cards from sets I never even knew existed.

April...I think...came another collection.  This time it was another dealer collection from a guy who only did shows and weekend swap meets.  A few years ago he decided to call it quits and started to dump everything.  That was, of course, in a bad financial time for lots of collectors and he couldn't get what he wanted for it.  So he hung on for a while until now when he found a buyer.  Then somehow I ended up with it through a third party transaction and the guy still didn't get what he wanted for it.  This collection is much more sorted and organized than the previous ones but there are also 20 Home Depot cardboard moving boxes (you know the 20x20x18 ones?) full of various sizes of individual count boxes...all marked, numbered, and apparently sorted.  I haven't even begun to pick this one apart yet.

Which brings me to the photo above (I might even be forgetting something in here too).  As many of you know, Voice Of The Collector, and co-host of the internet based Cardboard Connection Radio, Rob Bertrand put out an appeal to the blogging community not so long ago to help him cut his collection down so he could refocus on what he really wanted to go after.  I, being the "high roller" that I now appear to be, piped up on the hockey cards, we worked out a deal, and now I am the proud owner of what you see above.

We have a complete base set of 2005-06 Upper Deck Hockey, featuring a large array of inserts (over 100 in fact) and game used cards, as well as a huge chunk of the Young Guns intact (no, Crosby and Ovechkin aren't there but I still went for it).  I had this on my set needs list but never actually got around to adding what I wanted.  Now, my work is definitely been diminished.

We have a mostly complete 2006-07 Upper Deck Hockey set (about 30 cards or less short), again complete with a large array of inserts (over 30) and game used cards with a big pile of Young Guns to go with them.  I'm not sure I have the missing ones since I don't have a ton of 2006-07 stuff but I'm sure I have a few.

There is also a 2004-05 SP Authentic Hockey base set with a few of the All-Worlds thrown in.  I didn't have any cards from this set at all before getting these.  In fact, I had never even seen them before.  2004-05 was one of those voided years in collector's heads because of the lockout.  There were only a handful of sets produced by ITG, Upper Deck, and Pacific at the time.  I wouldn't mind finding some of those Young Guns Legends SPs from the flagship Upper Deck set though.

And finally, we have an almost complete base 2010-11 SP Authentic base set with, (even though I already knew, I'm just now realizing) a bunch of the Essentials SPs, a couple Future Watch cards and some HoloFX cards.  I have this set completed less 2 cards, already.  But having another one isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I may even have the missing cards in my doubles since I bought a couple of boxes of these last year trying to get those last 2 cards. 

Basically, this gives me at least two more Upper Deck flagship sets to add to my set needs list as well as a ton of inserts and GU cards that I may or may not hang on to.  Another cool thing is that apparently Rob is just like me when it comes to storing sets, in that he cuts up the box labels and affixes them to the boxes.  I bet 40% of hockey collectors do the same thing.  We should do a poll.

It is all great stuff and I am glad I now have it in my collection.  Thanks again to Rob over at VOTC!!  I really appreciate the opportunity to take this off your hands and help you toward your next collecting goal.

It's time for a little audience participation

Having not picked up any new 2010 Topps in quite awhile, I have not really had the need to log any codes into the transmogrifier to see what late 80s gems await me.  I have been on there once or twice since my last code entry but it seems that every time I arrive, the site is so bogged down that it takes 15 minutes just to load the homepage.

I have been reading numerous posts on blogs about trades that have been completed for various cards, and even a few "cashed in" tales, both positive and negative.  After reading Rob, from Voice of the Collector's bit on there about the misadventures of his favorite card, I was curious.  I decided to log in for once and see what the trading feature was all about.

Low and behold, I have 16 trade offers awaiting me.  My first thought was that I didn't think I had 16 cards to trade.  Upon inspection, I found this was the case (as I only have 11) but there were 3 cards in particular that everyone seemed interested in.  So here is my proposal...I am going to show my trade offers and let the masses (ie. all three people) decide which offer I should accept.  Just comment with what you think and the leading votes will win.  On Sunday, I will abide by whatever the readers decide.

First up, the 1987 Kirby Puckett.  1987?  Come on.  You can't be serious.  I though everyone out there had stockpiles of these.  Apparently not.   Here is what is being offered for trade:

1. 1985 Jerry Williard (Cleveland)
2. 1981 Jeff Newman (Oakland)
3. 2007 Derrick Turnbow (Milwaukee)
4. 1987 Bret Saberhagen (KC)
5. 2004 Clint Hurdle (Colorado)
6. 1985 Dan Driessen (Montreal)
7. 2005 Bobby Crosby (Oakland)

Now being of sound body and sound mind (debatable) I know when I am out of my league.  Being out of baseball for so long, I will admit that I haven't the faintest idea of who either Turnbow, Hurdle or Crosby are.  I used to be a fan of Bret Saberhagen back in the 80s and 90s when you used to be able to tell if it was an even or odd year based on his success (I think I also remember him spraying paint or acid or something on some reporters in the 90s.  My memory is a bit foggy).  The other guys...no idea.

Next Up, another 1987.  This time Mike Pagliarulo.  Pags played for the Yankees, Padres, Orioles, and won a World Series with the Twins.  Other than the series ring, he led the Yankees in home runs once in 87.  Not much else for me to talk about for Mike.  Here is what is being offered.

1. 1986 Tom Seaver
2. 1999 Matt Walbeck

Obviously I know who Tom Seaver is (he was Mike's brother on Growing Pains, right?).  But Walbeck?  Again...no clue.

Finally we have probably the best card in my collection of TMCG cards (and oldest).  A 1960 Bobby Thomson.  Yes, the "Shot Heard Round the World" Bobby Thomson.  Now this isn't a premium card by any means and is probably not even in that great of a condition considering some of the other 60s era cards that have been delivered thus far.  For all I know, it may even have a now mid-50 somethings childhood doodling on the back.  Frankly, I have only kept it around this long because it was the oldest card I had pulled and let's face it, it is a cool looking piece of cardboard.  Here is what is being offered:

1. 1973 Bill Buckner (Dodgers)
2. 1962 Don Demeter (Phillies)
3. 1962 Joe Koppe (Angels)
4. 1958 Gino Cimoli (Dodgers)
5. 1970 Bob Tolan (Reds)

I was originally tempted by the Cimoli card because it is older and it has a picture of a guy batting with no bat in his hand.  I also thought about the Buckner card for the simple fact that Bill's legend will live on forever in infamy because of his gaffe in the 1986 World Series.  I always have had respect for athletes that have such a love for their game that they can play for what seems like forever (Bill played in games that spanned four decades). 

So there you have it.  So many choices, so little knowledge.  This really wouldn't have been a problem if some vintage Pirates were offered up for trade but to no avail.  And with that, I leave the voting up to the readers.  Leave a comment and vote for which cards I should trade for in each case.

Rack Pack Busting: New Ultra Hockey

I decided I would take a stab at a couple rack packs of the new 2009-10 Ultra Hockey (I have had these for a couple weeks now so I still have yet to purchase anything in 2010). I don't have any of these yet and was a bit skeptical since Ultra has had basically the same design for the last 3 years.

I was pleasantly surprised by these cards. In fact, I think the design is great. Instead of the script writing on the bottom or side of the card, they decided to digitize the players last name in a silver foil stamp open font with the printed name underneath. They still have the full bleed action photo shots of each player on the front and it fades into a silver border that holds the name plate. Very appealing design in my opinion. The backs also have the players stats for their entire career and not just the previous season.

I was able to pull 2 Team Leader (#TL26 David Backes, #TL28 Jason Black) cards and 2 Rookie Sensations (#RS1 Alex Goligoski, #RS29 T.J. Oshie), as they are inserted 1 per rack pack. I also was happy with the #119 Marc-Andre Fleury - Gold Medallion which is going straight into the PC.

The highlight of the packs was #RED214 Rookie Redemption Card which is normally a 1 per Hobby box hit. I think this is Davis Drewiske, who played 17 games for the Kings last year and was the team captain back when he played for the University of Wisconsin. He only has 1 goal in 32 games so far this year but he isn't known for his scoring. He is one of the old school style defensemen that, get this...plays defense. Go figure. I am scratching it off as we speak and sending off for the redemption. We will see how long this one takes.

Overall, I'd say I am impressed with the set design. It is different from the past Ultra sets and sets itself apart from the other standard issue Upper Deck releases. Despite what others have voiced about the base product design, I like the fact that they used the bleed in borders on the edges. I also really am liking the insert set designs, especially the E-X inserts. From what I have seen, the memorabilia cards are well designed, other than the smaller than average pieces. I'm going to give it a 7/10 for the pack configuration and value and 8/10 for the design.

(A warm welcome goes out to one of my many influencers in the card blogging world who is my newest follower, Rob from Voice of the Collector. Hopefully you find my stuff marginally entertaining as I love reading your posts on VOTC.)

The Voice In My Head Made Me Do It

Rob over at VOTC started a blog post entitled, "When Hobbies Collide - Regardless of Hobby Niche, It's the Same Story", that really got me thinking about behaviors of collectors. Click on the link to read what he wrote comparing card collecting and comic book collecting.


Over the past few years, I have gotten back into the hobby on more than just an occasional basis. For me, it was because of the feeling I get when I start to go through my cards reading the backs, looking at the design, and examining the photos. I am always formulating lists in my head of cards I want, planning what the next cards I buy will be, and generally deciding how I next want to change the way I display my collection. In other words, it's fun for me.


In this short time I have refocused my collecting habits, I have crossed paths with many collector's who claim to share the same feelings and passions about their own collections. However, with the exception of a few (and by few, I mean a percentage less than 20), their actions when it comes to collecting are more along the lines of the capitalistic, profit driven business owner that would cut your throat rather than conceed $.01 in perceived value. With the overly obsessive reliance on card pricing guides like Beckett and to a lesser extent, Tuff Stuff, collector's have become handcuffed to a perceived price. No where is this more apparent than on the various sports collecting message boards. Cases in point...

#1: I proposed a potential trade list to a player collector the other day with the hopes of getting the first trade of 2010 underway. It was a direct response to a request for any of his dozen or so players he collects. After taking the time to find each and every card in my hordes, I sent the list, thinking there would at least be 2-3 he needed. The response I got was that they only wanted rookies. So I thought, "Well he must be a rookie collector which is ok since at least 10 of these qualify." After exchanging dialogue back and forth for a day or two, it was brought to my attention that the reason for the "rookie only" request was not because he primarily collected rookie cards, it was because he couldn't sell anything that wasn't considered a rookie or other "premium" card. So in a nutshell, his enthusiasm for posting his player lists was not motivated by completing his player collection but rather satiating a need for making money. Whatever, dude. Whatever.

#2: Another trader hit me up for about a dozen or so Edmonton Oiler cards from the 80s. No problem for me since I had plenty to spare and he had a few that I needed. I usually try to work out a deal on the grounds that are comfortable with the person I trade with so in this case, it was "book" value. After calculating the deal, it turned out that my three cards totaled $1.25 more than than his. That was the deal breaker. He wasn't even willing to look for another card or two to make it feasible for him. His reasoning was that I was unfair and trying to pull a fast one on him and rip him off. What? Are you serious? Rip him off? In this case, he saw his collection as a money market investment account and if he wasn't at least getting a 1 for 1 trade off, he was losing out on his retirement. Again, whatever dude. Whatever.

I'm not charactirizing everyone like this. I have traded with many collector's out there that are great. However, over the last few years, the greed collector's have been growing. These are just two bad examples that stick out. In my mind, this isn't what being a collector is all about. People collect things because they like to. They enjoy their collections and want to share their collections with others. They take a personal interest in what they collect and have some feeling of success and accomplishment when they grow their collection. These other people are just investors, speculators, and salesmen looking to try and turn a profit.

Contest at VOTC

If you haven't ever checked out the blog by Rob over at Voice of the Collector you are missing out. Some great musings about the card industry and the state of the hobby can be found over there.

Currently, there is a contest going to win some swag from the National. Head on over and check it out.

http://www.voiceofthecollector.com/2009/08/contest-national-nscc-plunder.html