Back in Black

I took a small break in my pursuit of cards for my Topps Chrome Rainbow. For those unfamiliar with my pursuit, I am attempting to complete the rainbow for every Dodger in 2013 Topps Chrome. It was sort of my big project upon my entrance to collecting, though I know completing it will be next to impossible. However, that is only due to my card budget. I may win the lottery next week and finish the entire thing off. But I guess I'd have to buy lottery tickets for that to happen.

I decided to hit up eBay in search of some more of the black parallels #'d /100 that I needed. I was able to pick up the Paco card (#'d 11/100) for just a few bucks shipped. Now if only the Dodgers would DFA Paul Maholm and Chris Perez, then bring up Paco and Yimi Garcia.Doing so would vastly improve the bullpen for the Dodgers. Frankly, anybody could probably put up better numbers than either Maholm or Perez. 

I also picked this up for less than two bucks shipped. The card, featuring the recently re-instated from DL Carl Crawford, is #'d 52/100.Crawford may be on the outside looking in in the Dodgers crowded outfield. Matt Kemp has been hitting the ball well over the past month, and shouldn't be benched. Puig will be a starter as long as he is healthy. And Ethier and Van Slyke form a nice platoon in center. The Dodgers (and Crawford) would probably benefit by trading him, but there aren't many teams that could truly use him. The outfield situation will have to be monitored over the next few days and weeks, but hopefully egos don't get in the way of productive play. 

With the addition of both cards, my Topps Chrome Rainbow sit at 54/120 cards (45% complete). I am now up to 6 out of 10 black parallels, but still have the tougher ones (Kershaw, Puig) to acquire. A COMC purchase I made last week is in route, so that will take care of a few more parallels. I guess slow and steady wins the race. 

Of course, I couldn't use that title without linking to one of the better AC/DC songs. 

A Surprise from Arizona

A while back I sent off some of my unwanted D-Backs cards to fellow blogger, Daniel of It's Like Having My Own Card Shop. Early last week, Daniel returned the favor with some Dodger goodies for me.

One of the cards Daniel sent over was this beauty out of 2013 Allen and Ginter's. I almost pulled the trigger on an eBay auction for this card a few weeks ago, but thankfully I didn't. This is the second relic in my Zack Greinke PC, though I am still on the hunt for an affordable auto that is to my liking. 

Daniel also threw in this sweet relic of Hanley Ramirez. I still don't understand why there is a color difference between the "frames" of this relic and the Greinke above.

As nice as this card is, I already have a copy of it. I would be more than happy keeping it, but I am planning on flipping it at View From the Skybox for a Dodger relic that I have had my eyes on for a bit. 

Also included in this package were rookie cards of 2/3 of my favorite Dodger lefties. (Kershaw is obviously far above them both). The Ryu RC may be my favorite card from 2013, though I know a few that may challenge it. Either way, I am glad to have another one for my collection.

Anther Ryu managed to find its way into the package in the form of this sweet shot from 2014 Bowman. I am a bigger fan of Bowman Chrome than Bowman, strictly because SHINY, but I will be keeping an eye out for cheap parallels of this card.

Thanks again for the awesome cards Daniel. I hope my Dodgers can continue to beat up on your D-Backs.

What Makes This Hobby So Fun

I was recently thinking about what makes this hobby so fun. Perhaps it's coming across a wonderful card like the one below. How can I not fall in love with a bat barrel shot of one of greatest first baseman in Dodgers history? 

Easy answer. I can't.

Now I know there are numerous collector's out there, all with different tastes and collecting habits, but for me the best thing about this hobby may be the element of surprise.

This awesome card of the former Dodgers pitcher is not surprising in itself, but it would be surprising to see Topps put out a shot like this in a new product.

But I digress. Whether it's ripping open a fresh pack of cards, digging through dime boxes, or simply getting a package of cards in your mailbox, the surprise factor makes this hobby great. 

Nick of the infamous Dime Boxes blog hit the latter of the two surprising features in this hobby. Not only is he a dime box extraordinaire, he is an awesome dude willing to share some of his loot with me. 

In fact we just completed a trade which means I get to share that loot with you. 

I'm sure your face is as lit up as Eric Davis' in this fantastic piece of cardboard Nick sent my way. 

I was expecting a few cards like this from Nick, and he came through. But he also hit a ton of different collecting interests of mine. 

Let's start out with some of my player collections. 

Nick must know I love Matt Kemp because he sent me 4 new awesome cards for my PC. I cannot pick a favorite when it comes to Matt Kemp, but that 2012 Heritage red parallel is freaking beautiful.

However, it gets even better. Take a look at this sweet card featuring Clayton Kershaw at the plate. Well, he could be in the batter's box or something, but it doesn't really matter. I am a big fan of these UD Spectrum cards, but even more so after laying my eyes on this beauty. 

Of course, Nick is a great trader and managed to hit quite a few more of my player collections.

As if new Kemp's and a new Kershaw wasn't enough, Nick went ahead and found 4 Shawn Green cards that I had yet to get my hands on. 

Manny Ramirez sighting!

Nick must have got bored with sending me standard cards of my PC's, because he sent 2 awesome minis of Dodgers shortstop, Hanley Ramirez. When I first got into this hobby I despised minis. They were hard to store and even harder to keep track of. However, my opinion on them has done a 180 in the past few months. This change of heart would have been surprising to me late last year.

Hey! Here's another mini from Nick. Considering I have only seen two of these mini's from the flagship design, this was a big surprise. I guess I will have to talk about these fantastic minis from Topps in the near future. *Hint: I LOVE them.*

I could go on with the barrage of cards Nick sent me toward my PC's, but let us take a break to look at some vintage goodiness. 

I'll start with the Sutton on the left. I was never able to see Sutton pitch, but from what I hear he was a fantastic pitcher. If baseball cards could speak for a players performance, Sutton is a Hall of Famer. 

Of course, the same thing can be said for Ron Cey aka The Penguin. Topps delivered a beautiful set in 1980, so hopefully this is not the last Cey I grab from this set.

Moving on to one of the worst miscut cards in my possession. I guess that goes to show you that I don't have a ton of miscuts laying around. Hailing from 1966, this Tommy Davis is not only a great vintage pickup, it is a valuable addition to my Topps Team Set Project. (Scroll down a bit on that link).

Speaking of my Topps Team Set Project, here are 6 more cards that Nick sent my way. 

Now these cards may have surprised me the most. Specifically the Kaz Ishii on the left. Even as a Dodger collector, I don't run across too many of his cards. So when I ripped open the bubble mailer to find this, I was more than excited. What is so special about Ishii you ask? 

Well, he started the first Dodger game I ever attended (or at least remember). 

My dad took me to Dodger Stadium close to ten years ago for one of many Dodger games we have attended over the years. Ishii started the game against the crosstown Angels, a game in which the Dodgers kicked some butt. Here is a recap from that game for anybody interested. I completely forgot that Beltre homered twice in that game, not to mention Bartolo Colon was pitching for the Angels. Ahhhh, nostalgia.

I guess these two cards meant a lot more to me than Nick intended them too. 

So yea. I guess surprises are what make this hobby so damn fun. At least that is what I tell myself.

My Paco Rodriguez PC

On Saturday night I had an unexpected surprise when I checked the status of the four cards I was waiting on via Topps Redemption. All four had been shipped and the first two arrived yesterday. One of those cards will be included in the Mega Trade Bait Post which I am working on, but the other is this beauty.

I picked this up on eBay a few months back for just a couple of bucks. It is #'d 148/499, and is a great addition to my upstart Paco PC. 

That auto joins this fantabulous auto I picked up a few months ago, but the fun doesn't stop there.

(Note: The autos look like they were signed by two different people....)

I also have six Paco cards that are not autos, though three of them are pretty much the same card. 

In addition, I own three of Paco's parallel's from 2013 Topps Chrome. These cards are going toward my Topps Chrome Rainbow project, so I won't officially count them toward my Paco Card total.

I thought I had another Paco around here but it looks like I don't. Without counting the TC cards, I have a total of 8 different Paco cards. It is unlikely Topps puts out a ton of Paco cards, but I will do my darndest to acquire them. 

Topps Chrome Rainbow: 5 New Dodger Additions

After declaring my desire to complete the rainbow for every Dodgers player from 2013 Topps Chrome, I went on a mini eBay bender. The first of several packages arrived today and it will take a big chuck out of Orange Parallel needs. 

This leaves me with 6 Orange Parallels left to acquire. The contrast between the Blue and the Orange looks great, though I am not fond of featuring the Giants primary color on a Dodger card. Adding the Orange Kemp puts me at 5 out of 12 of the parallels for him. The hardest and most expensive ones remain in the wild, and I have yet to see one on eBay since the dawn of my quest. I would definitely appreciate a heads up if anybody runs into one. 

I didn't just come away with Orange Parallels with this purchase though, I also picked up this sweet Purple of Dodgers Co-Ace, Zack Greinke. 

I spent seven and a half bucks to get these to my door, a price I'd be happy to pay again. You can't go wrong spending a little over a buck per card shipped, for some beautiful parallels of my boys in blue. I have updated my Topps Chrome Rainbow tab to include these. 

Card of the Day: 2013 Topps Chrome Paco Rodriguez Red Refractor, #'d 12/25

Picked this up in a trade through reddit on the r/baseballcards sub. It's #'d 12/25 and is another addition to my list of Dodger Hits. I'm still looking to complete a Matt Kemp rainbow from this set, but frankly the budget is not there.

Card of the Day: 2013 Topps Finest Paco Rodriguez Autographed Jumbo Relic

One of my most recent purchases, and my first Paco Relic/Auto. Got this for a little over $5 bucks shipped and couldn't be happier. I've been wanting to get my hands on a Paco hit for a while now, and this was a deal to good to pass up. The card looks great in the scan, but even better in person. It's #'d 115/149 and will be an excellent piece to add to my PC.