National Baseball Card Day

Apparently today, August 10th, is National Baseball Card Day. Topps kicked off the "holiday" yesterday in Brooklyn with free cards, trivia, and other giveaways, and I found myself right in the middle of it.

I was actually on the train heading home when I came across Topps' post on Twitter saying they were in Old Fulton Plaza--not far from where I was. So I decided to take a detour and check out the Topps truck in person.

There were a handful of Topps employees hanging around handing out baseball cards and encouraging folks to enter their raffle: correctly guess how many cards are plastered on the truck and win a prize. I guessed 2020, which is probably too high, but they still haven't officially announced the winner. Any guesses as to how many cards on on this truck?

I dropped by with the hopes of grabbing some free cards and maybe winning one of their giveaways. They weren't doing any giveaways or trivia when I got there, but I did snag two of the packs they were handing out. Each pack had four cards from Series 1, and they were some of the most uneventful packs I've ever opened. Jedd Gyorko was the biggest name I pulled, and he doesn't even play with the team he's pictured with anymore. It seems like the cards showing on the tops of these packs were pretty representiative of what was inside.

Oh well. Free cards are free cards. And I can't complain about views like this either. Too bad I didn't have cash, or I would have picked up an ice cream cone, too. 

Those two packs weren't enough to get me through the day, so I followed this trip up with a trip into Target and picked up a pair of Stadium club packs. 

Couldn’t resist picking up some more @Topps at Target after dropping by the truck. My first Stadium Club of the year. #ToppsBaseballCardDay pic.twitter.com/TXt16fIAZz

— Alex Markle (@chavezravining) August 9, 2019

They were the first Stadium Club packs on 2019 for me, and I managed a pair of Dodgers among the 10 cards. Not half bad. 

That Duke will fit nicely into my growing Dodgers Legends binder. I love finding that Brooklyn 'B" on cardboard. 

All in all, I think it was a pretty successful day, especially considering I had no idea National Baseball Card Day was an actual thing heading into the day. Maybe I'll plan a fun celebration next year. Is anyone celebrating today?

2015 Topps Is Here, Am I Late To The Party?

Well, it's that time of the year again. 2015 Flagship is out, and if you are lucky a Target near you has it. Dikran and I picked up a pair of blasters earlier this week, so let's take a look. 

Eww. This was my first card of 2015. (Hint: It's a sign of things to come...for me at least)

The box may have started with a Giant, but I was lucky enough to pull a pair of Dodgers a couple packs later. Overall, I enjoy the look of the set. I'm digging the colorful borders, especially considering we get the team color treatment. So much beautiful blue. 

Let's take a look at another shade of blue: Rangers blue. I pulled this sweet card just moments after Dikran pulled it from his blaster. Typically I'm not upset with a pair of cards for my PC, but the collation on these cards was horrific. Two blasters comes to around 200 cards and they yielded 26 dupes. Not Topps' best day. 

I did, however, enjoy the return of the team card. They've been absent the past few years, but they are back in 2015 and I'm digging the look. This happens to be one of those rainbow foil variations (another great idea). It's currently set aside to go to Bob Walk The Plank, but I have an inkling to keep it for myself. 

On second thought, I'll just keep this one. It features three players (Denard Span, a former Dodger, and a future Dodger) and, it is destined for my Harper binder. 

Inserts are pretty dull (again), but I did manage to nab a Harper from one of my packs. Dull or not, I'll take any cards from my PC guys. 

Now here are some decent looking inserts. They're not the greatest looking cards you'll ever find, but the idea is pretty cool. I'm always down to add new Robinson cards to the collection, so I'm excited to go after this subset. 

I'm getting pretty tired of these to be honest. They just seem too cramped. Also, it would have nice to see a different A-Gon photo considering we see the same one on his base card. But hey, a new Kershaw!

Other than that gold foil Pirates card, this was the only other parallel in either blaster box. I'm digging the look of these parallels so far, so I'd like to get my hands on some Dodgers. This is headed to Tony L. 

That was pretty much all of the excitement as far as the base cards go. Each blaster did promise a relic though, so let's take a look.

Dikran managed to pull that aptly colored Goldschmidt, whereas I pulled that awkward Cespedes card. Topps must have produced these a while back because Cespedes has now been on two different teams since he was last on the A's. But, I guess these are commemorating the player's first homer, so it make a bit of sense. 

Both of these are on eBay for the time being. I'd typically trade these away, but the good ol' bank account could use a gift right about now. 

Overall, I liked the set. Definitely the best of the past ten years or so. The design is great. The inserts are dull. Collation is still a problem. Lack of Dodgers always stinks. Excited to see what parallels look like, especially when Chrome comes out.The good definitely outweighed the bad, and I am excited to get my hands on more. Especially the last Matt Kemp card as a Dodger. 

The Bubble Machine

I've been quiet over the past week or so. School is a big factor in my posting ability, but I've been spending most of my time working on a new project for the blog. 

In honor of the fantastic Dodger win the other night, take a sneak peak of that project. 

There will be more info on this project later in the week, but I'm interested in hearing what you guys think so far. Can you guess what the project is?

Vintage Cardboard Is The Best Cardboard

I recently made a trade with a fellow named Steve, whom I met on Twitter. We actually started out trading cards on the Topps Bunt app, but quickly moved into trading for some real cards. You know....the kind that matter. 

Steve said he rescued some vintage Topps cards from his parents attic, though none of the cards were in great condition. I am not too concerned about the condition of vintage cards I add to my collection, so this was no big deal for me. 

I decided to start with the team card from '72, if only to mention how badly I'd like to see team cards return. They aren't always the most aesthetically pleasing cards, but I think it would be cool to see in Topps Flagship today.

I am becoming a bigger fan of '72 each time I get new cards. On top of one of the better designs in Topps history, we see some great photos in the set. I had never heard of Jim Lefebvre before I received this card, but I really dig his one batting glove. I'm no vintage expert, but it is the oldest card I have of a player wearing batting gloves. Pretty cool to see.

I'm not so sure why I singled out this card (I scanned these weeks ago), but I really enjoy it. Downing had a career year in 1971, his first year in Dodger Blue. As such, this is also his very first card as a member of the Dodgers. 

Yay! Another team card. This one hails from 1966 Topps (We are going way back in time here). If I knew more about the Dodger teams of the past I might be able to point out a few players on here. I do know that Sandy Koufax, Ron Fairly, and the aforementioned Jim Lefebvre are featured on this card somewhere, but that is only because I looked at the back of the card. 

Fun Fact: Jim Lefebvre led the Dodgers in homers in 1965.......with 12.

If you don't like team cards you'll be happy to know this is the last one in this post. Most of you know that this is from 1973, but many of you would be shocked to learn this is my favorite set from the 1970's. Gasp! In a decade of phenomenal cardboard, somehow 1973 came out on top for me. That said, '73 did not run away with that crown and I'm sure my opinion will change over the years. 

The most enjoyable thing about vintage cardboard is the history behind each card. Not only the story of the card's journey into my hands, but the history of the player and the team featured on the card. Every time I pick up a new piece of vintage cardboard, I spend at least five minutes reading about the player on the card. Now I know Osteen pitched a 5-hit shutout against the Twins in Game Three of the 1965 World Series. Thanks for that Mr. Osteen!

Hey, it's Davy Lopes! I would love to get my hands on a Lopes auto one of these days. I guess I need to make a cardboard to-do list.

If 1973 is my favorite set from the 70's, then 1978 is my least favorite. That said, I do enjoy this card of Doug Rau. Which, by the way, is another new name in my Dodger vocabulary. Speaking of vocabulary, check out this profanity laced tirade between Rau and Tommy Lasorda in the 1977 World Series. Definitely NSFW. 

Woohoo! Another '75 for the collection. This time Rick Auerbach is the lucky player being inserted into my 70's binder. Another new name, I discovered Auerbach was one of the final Dodgers to wear the number 1 for the team. The number 1 was retired by the club in honor of Pee Wee Reese way back in 1984. 

It took me a few minutes to find some info on the final card of this great trade. It comes form a set realeased in 1970 called Topps Scratch Off. It was actually an insert set in Topps that year, but that is all the research I did. Anybody willing to give me some more info?

Thanks again for the great trade, Steve! 

Topps Chrome Rainbow: Zack Greinke Gold Refractor

I picked up another card in my quest for the complete Dodgers Topps Chrome Rainbow team set earlier this week. This time in the form of a Zack Greinke Gold Refractor /50.

This card marks the third gold refractor I have out of 12. Current members of the Gold Club are Matt Kemp, Matt Magill, and now Zack Greinke. The gold refractors look pretty crisp and are probably my third favorite refractor out of the set. I really like the orange refractors, and the black refractors look clean as well. 

This Greinke is #'d 15/50 and was had off the bay for $7.00 bucks shipped. These eBay sellers are uploading these cards hours after I get paid, which makes me want to spend. I picked up three other cards for the quest last night, however I got a pretty good bargain on those. The Atomic Matt Kemp is up on eBay right now, and I am closely watching. I will have to go over my budget for that one which sucks, but there are only 10 out there so I may not get another shot at one. 

---------------

The Trade Bait Mega Post is scheduled for either Sunday or Monday, and is just waiting on me to scan the cards. I have a stack that is about 3 inches high ready to be dealt. I will also be selling off some of my near complete sets from 2013 for EXTREMELY CHEAP. If you see a set on my set needs that isn't Topps Chrome/Heritage/Flagship then it will be for sell. I will have more on that over the weekend, but I need to clear up some space and get a little extra card money. 

Trade with Cubs Cardboard: An A-Gon Variation

I completed my second trade with Kalib over at Cubs Cardboard last week. 

Speaking of Kalib, he is hosting a 2014 Allen and Ginters double box break and spots are only $15.00 each. With the purchase of a spot you get a team of your choice, as well as a random team that was not claimed. Kalib is selling 15 total spots for the break and only has a few more left. Be sure to contact him for more info. 

I was lucky enough to claim this sweet Adrian Gonzalez variation before anyone else had the chance after Kalib posted it on his blog. We swapped some cards and this baby arrived at my doorstep last week. 

I am not planning on going for all the variations in 2014, but when I have the opportunity to snag one I will do just that. I will be on the lookout for the Kershaw variation though. And the Ryu variation. Dammit....looks like I am going for all of the variations. 

Thanks again for the swap Kalib. 

Re-evalutaing My Collection

I have been putting this post of for a while. I guess I have been trying to hide from the madness that cards have been causing me.

A a full-time student, a part-time worker, a blogger, and the manager/editor of the MLB Section at Pro Sports Extra, I have been overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed at some point in your life is completely normal, but eventually it becomes too much to handle. Things start to get pushed back, other things start to slip the mind, and there is a constant feeling of being behind. 

That is why I am re-evaluating my collection and my goals. 

Let's take a look at some of the things I plan on continuing first.

1. My Main PC Guys

Of course I wasn't going to stop collecting my main guys. I will still be on the hunt for anything from Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Adrian Beltre, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Shawn Green.

2. Dodger Autos and Relics

I am a Dodger fan first, and a card collector second. It has always been that way and the Dodgers play a large role in my collection. I plan on acquiring more hits from my boys in blue as time passes by.

3. Secondary PC's

I will take advantage of every opportunity I get to post a scan of this fabulous card.  The Secondary PC guys will still be a part of my collection. That means anything from David Ortiz, Bryce Harper, Yasiel Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Corey Seager, and Andre Ethier will still be welcome here. 

4. Tertiary PC's

This is new to most of you. I have decided to actually expand my collection in one particular area. I will not actively be on the hunt for these players, but I will attempt to add their cards through trades.

• Russell Martin
• Paco Rodriguez
• Kerry Wood
• Jose Fernandez
• Zack Greinke
• Manny Ramirez 

5. Topps Team Set Project/Topps Chrome Rainbow

I will continue these two "lifetime" goals until the dawn of time. You can check the progress of these in the title bar up top. 

6. Parks and Rec Auto Quest

No way I'm stopping this. I haven't been able to watch this show lately because they haven't uploaded the newest season to Netflix yet, but as soon as they do I am looking at an all day marathon. 

7. Topps Flagship/Topps Heritage/Topps Chrome

Finally we get to the end of the list.  I was previously collecting nearly every set that was realized for Topps/Bowman  in 2013 but that is just too stupid and expensive for my taste. I decided to cut back to just my favorite 3 sets of the year. Topps Flagship, Topps Heritage, and Topps Chrome. I will look to complete the master set for 2014 Flagship, but that will change to the base set only next year. As far as the other two sets go, I am just going to complete the base sets, including the SP's on Heritage. Otherwise, I will only be looking for Dodgers/PC people with the other sets. 

As far as everything else goes, its out the window for the time being. That includes my mini collections like Pimping Dingers, Celebrating on the Mound, and the rest. I will keep the cards I already have with the intention of starting those up again when I am out of college with a real job and an apartment of my own, but as of now they don't fit. 

Hopefully this will relieve some of the stress associated with the hobby and it will allow me to get things under a bit more control. I will be contacting a few people with some cards that I no longer have interest in and there will be a mega Trade Bait Tuesday next week. If there is anything you are interested in let me know,  and we can work something out. This will also allow me to continue with contests again. In fact, expect a new contest tonight!

Finally Got My Hands on 2014 Heritage

I have been low on money for awhile now. I don't usually have a whole lot to spend in the first place, but my card funds were even lower than normal this paycheck. However, I was still able to pick up some cards without completely breaking the bank. 

I took a trip down to my LCS with my good friend Dikran to get rid of some old basketball/footbal cards that were taking up too much of my space. The owner, Matt, didn't want to take them so I told him I was going to take them to the dumpster, bluffing of course. He quickly changed his mind and took them off of my hands. I told him to give them away to the next kid that walked into his store, so hopefully someone can enjoy some free cards. 

There were quite a few boxes of Heritage there, but I knew I couldn't afford a box. I had 4 bucks in my wallet so I ended up buying a pack which I figured would be a small start towards the set. Dikran then go the itching to open something so we made a deal. I told him that if he bought a box of heritage, I would take him out to lunch and he would get to keep the hit, as well as the variations given they weren't a Dodger or one of my PC guys. He agreed, and we were soon busting some brand new cards.

Before I get to what I walked away with, we'll take a look at Dikran's lone card. This happened to be the hit of the box, and is not bad considering some of the other hits out there. It is currently on eBay, so be sure to bid if you are interested. I won't be able to trade this one. 

I guess I was lucky in the sense that every other "hit" from the box ended up coming my way. The first happens to be the action variation of Big Papi. I absolutely love this Heritage this year and this card is no exception to that. This is going to the Oritz PC, but it could just as well be a Pimping Dingers addition.

This was the other "hit" from the box. Lucky me, I was able to get this without having to do anything other than taking out my best friend to lunch. It may be hard to tell from the scan, but this is the refractor and is #'d 517/565. It is probably my favorite card from Heritage, at least so far. 

This particular box happened to hold 9 high-number short prints. Especially helpful since I am putting together the set. I have also decided to stop my pursuit of building sets, other than Topps Heritage and Topps Flagship. More on that later though. 

These two cards happen to be my favorites of the SP's we pulled.

We pulled 12 base Dodgers from the box, missing only Kemp and Puig (I think). There is a lot to like here, my favorites being: Ryu, Wilson, Greinke, Kersh, and Jansen. There is a nice mix of players with their hats on and off, which is a nice touch Heritage seems to add every year. The Wilson card almost seems to be an action variation, but after checking online, it isn't. Wither way, it is a gorgeous card of the Beard. 

Check out what I still need here. I am not looking for the inserts, but I do want the Dodgers. 

I still think getting all of these cards for the cost of a burrito is a steal. It is definitely the most delicious box of cards I have ever bought. 

Trade with A Swing and a Hit: Some Colorful Dodgers and Some Mini Collection Hits

I completed my (according to my blog) second trade with Nathan of A Swing and a Hit. In actuality, we have made numerous trades but I don't know how many exactly.

School has been incredibly time consuming lately and has nearly made me insane. I seem to always be in a constant rush and I have been forgetting a ton of stuff too. Spring Break is right around the corner though, so hopefully that will give me time to recharge my batteries. 

The scan above is evidence of my descent into madness. I guess I should make sure that I set the cards up on my scanner before clicking on that scan button.

The highlights of this trade were these two cards. Both were needs for my 2014 Dodger Parallel quest. I am simply going for the retail parallels, but it is honestly not big on my list of priorities. If you have any laying around, I will gladly take them off of your hands. 

Along with the Dodgers, I received a fair share of Celebrating on the Mound from Nathan. This one stood out the most to me which is why I scanned it. 

Along with some Celebrating on the Mound cards, I picked up some new Pimping Dingers cards. This shot of Josh Hamilton perfectly captures what I am looking for in my Pimping Dingers mini collection. I have received some Pimping Dingers cards in just about every trade I have made over the past few weeks, and so far so good. They all fit into the collection. I hope to have a larger post on the cards I have acquired soon, but for now they will be stacked together on my card desk.

Thanks again for the trade Nathan! I am just getting to posting this, yet we have another trade in the works. 

Contest Winnings From Dodger Penguin

In the five years I've owned my printer/scanner this is the first time I have actually scanned a piece of paper. I guess that's mildly interesting. 

I recently received a package from my buddy Matthew of Dodger Penguin fame. We recently worked out a trade, but I won't show my goodies off until the weekend. 

That auto belongs to long-time Dodger broadcaster, Pepe Yñiguez. If you haven't heard of him before, you're not alone. He does the spanish broadcast along with HOF broadcaster, Jaime Jarrín. I personally don't listen to the spanish broadcast, as my ears are reserved for Vin, but I pay enough attention to my team to recognize the name. 

This is my first non-card/ball auto, so Matthew has put me in quite the dilemma. How to store this? It think I'll put it with my bobbleheads for now, but hopefully I will have a new setup soon. 

Thanks for the contest Matthew. I look forward to winning again soon!

Cracking Some 2014 Donruss

My buddy Dikran decided to purchase a box of 2014 Donruss earlier this week. The big hit from the box is on eBay here, while the others were posted in my Trade Bait Tuesday post earlier today. Because he is only looking for the hits, the majority of the cards came to me.

Let's take a look at the Dodgers and a few other PC hits from the box.

Thanks to Dodgers Blue Heaven, I know that I have all nine base cards, but I am missing the Diamond Kings insert of Puig. I did, however, get my hands on a nice looking Power Plus card of my favorite Cuban. 

I also was able to land the sweet Adrian Gonzalez Press Proof to add to my A-Gon binder. It is numbered #'d 78/99, and is a welcome addition to the family. 

I dig these cards overall, though the lack of licensing is a problem on a few of the cards. Most notably the Michael Young card located in the center of the scan. Panini isn't fooling me; he is wearing a Rangers uni.

I was also able to add six awesome cards for my other various PC guys. Because of a lack of licensing, we see a ton of shots of the backs of players while they are batting (i.e Beltre). Though Panini has gotten better, there are a few things that can be improved.

I do love that Diamond Kings shot of Harper and I do have an extra up for grabs. On second thought, I will probably be sending that too Judson of My Cardboard Habit, so long as he promises not to play Wrecking Ball on his blog everyday.

The Ortiz cards look great, and the lack of licensing doesn't hurt here at all. The Hall-Worthy card has a nice texture to it, and is a good way to get around the team logo. The blue Elite Series card is also a cool card, #'d 363/999. 

Overall, 2014 Donruss is a passable product. Lack of licensing can be a bug and produces some unflattering pictures, but Panini has done a decent job getting around that. The set-list is pretty strong, particularly for my Dodgers. I plan on picking up a few of the #'d Dodgers cards from online, but will wait for the hype to go down a bit. 

If you are interested in getting your hands on some of the base cards from this set, head over here and make a claim on a team.