Moving Toward A Matt Kemp Rainbow

I have slowly been gathering all of the different Matt Kemp parallels from 2013 Bowman Chrome. It started with the blue parallel (which was actually my 50th Matt Kemp card), continued with the yellow printing plate in a trade with Dodger Penguin, progressed with me obtaining the orange and purple refractors, then moved on to the pink refractor (while simultaneously forgetting I had a rainbow going), to me finally obtaining the regular ol' refractor that you see below. 

I was going through my Kemp cards a few weeks ago when I realized that I didn't have this one yet. After a quick look on eBay, I walked away with this one for a mere .95 cents shipped. Well worth it. 

I have 6 of the parallels now (not counting the base card), leaving me just 6 parallels shy (not counting the superfractor). Sigh. Sounds like another project that won't ever really be completed, especially when you consider the rarity of the cards I have left. 

X-Fractor
Green Refractor
Gold Grefractor #/50
Black Refractor #/15
Yellow Refractor #/10
Red Refractor #/5 

Oof. Those will be tough, not to mention pricey. On the plus side, the refractor above is Matt Kemp card number 192. Let's celebrate by taking a look at my current rainbow. 

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 Pretty Kemp That Seemed Pretty Important

I recently made a purchase on eBay just because I was feeling like spending some money. It wasn't until I got the card in hand that I realized that my purchase carried a little bit more weight than any other Matt Kemp card.

This hails from 2013 Bowman Chrome and is #'d 5/35. What I didn't realize until after I got it was how close I was to putting together an incidental rainbow. 

I also have these three parallels (all #'d) in addition to the Yellow printing plate I got in a trade with Dodger Penguin a while back.

Well, I thought I was close to a rainbow anyways. I double checked the checklist and found that I will still need the x-fractor, green, gold #'d/50, black #'d /15, yellow #'d /10, and red #'d /5. So six cards are still on the chopping block and a few of them will be pretty difficult to find, not to mention pricey. I won't be losing any sleep if I don't get any closer to the rainbow. 

Luckily for me, the seller of the pink refractor decided to toss in an extra Kemp that I didn't already have. With the addition of both cards, my Matt Kemp PC now stands at 158 unique cards. 

I Went to Jarrod!

About a week and a half ago I posted about some cards I received from reader Jarrod. You can check that out by clicking this fancy blue text. Shortly after posting that, I decided to browse Jarrod's eBay page in the hopes of finding some more Dodger goodies. I came across an auction full of Yasiel Puig cards. Though I want to get my hands on all things Puig, one particular card in the lot stood out. 

Considering this was a card desperately needed for my Topps Chrome Rainbow, I messaged Jarrod expressing my interest in it. The auction came and went with no bids, so Jarrod decided to offer it up to me. We settled on a price (I didn't pay enough in hindsight) which also included some other cards that I will get to in a minute. 

Though I am not normally a big fan of orange cards, especially Dodgers cards, I love the look of these orange refractors from 2013 Topps Chrome. This orange refractor is not only my first colored Puig refractor, but it is my eighth orange refractor out of the ten needed. Carl Crawford and Matt Magill are the only ones I am missing. 

STOP: Check out Jarrod's eBay page here and see what he has to offer!

Of course, I did say I got some other cards in this purchase, so let's get to it. 

The first card I saw when opening up the package was this beauty. Julio Urias is the Dodgers uber-talented pitching prospect. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite prospects, but Corey Seager has a solid hold on the top spot for now. As much as I enjoy this card, it depresses me a bit. I am only 20 years old, but the fact that this kid is only 17 makes me feel like an old man. Though I am sure many of you probably despise both me and Julio :)

Next up is this fantastic card featuring The Bison. I am surprised that I did not already have this card. I have always done my best to stay on top of blue parallels of my favorite player, but I guess this one slipped though the cracks. Thanks Jarrod!

Jarrod wasn't done with blue bordered Dodgers though, as he added this bad boy to the mix. The blue on these Opening Day cards tends to look a bit more electric than most blue parallels. I really enjoy these blue borders from Opening day.

Jarrod also sent over this sweet Opening Day insert of the Dodgers young stud. I haven't bought a ton of Opening Day, so these inserts are greatly appreciated.

Now here is where the surprises started. The first being this totally awesome Steve Garvey auto. This is my first Garvey auto, and I could not be happier. I don't pick up a ton of autos/relics of Dodger legends, so anything I can acquire through trade, or eBay purchases like this one, is a bonus. I will gladly add this to my pile of Dodger hits. A pile of cards that will be uploaded to the blog sometime soon. 

Finally, Jarrod sent over one last card that was probably the biggest surprise of all. 

The scan did not come out as well as I would have liked, though it still works. At first glance, I thought this was an in-person auto. It took me a second to see the numbering at the top and the sticker on the back that said 2004 Topps Originals Baseball. I took a quick look into the set, but was unable to find out a ton. I did find out that these cards were sold 1 card per pack with 6 packs per box. Regardless, this is a fantastic addition to my growing stack of Dodger hits. 

Thanks again Jarrod! I am sure we will be dealing again very soon.

Colorful Kershaw's and More

I received an email from a gentleman named Jarrod a couple of weeks ago commending me on my great work on the blog. Like most people, I enjoy kind words every now and again, so thanks for that Jarrod. Anyways, Jarrod had some Dodger cards that he thought I may be interested in and offered to sell them to me for an incredibly low price. I obliged and here we are. 

*Before we continue, be sure to check out Jarrod's eBay page here. It's worth it.*

The center of this deal revolved around this lovely Kershaw from 2013 Topps Chrome. I have done my best to pick up as many of these colorful Dodgers from last years set, though I am having a tough go at the cards with low numbering. Purple refractors aren't numbered, so I am a bit surprised I only have 4 of these things. But even with only four of the purples, I am 42.50% complete (51/120). Check out my progress here. 

I considered pretty much everything else in this package a bonus, and a great bonus it was. 

These two Kershaw's were full of color themselves. Both hail from 2014 Opening Day, and are probably two of only a few cards I am interested in from that set. I dig the 3-D cards, so the Opening Day Stars was a nice surprise. The Breaking Out insert is also pretty sweet, but I don't know if Kershaw is really "breaking out". I mean, he has 2 Cy Youngs already, I think he broke out a few years ago.

Also included was this sweet mini from 2013 Allen and Ginters. I don't know how I didn't have this yet, but Jarrod was sure to fix that. This card goes down as one of my favorite Kershaw cards in my collection so far, and probably won't be topped anytime soon. 

Jarrod didn't just send along Kershaw cardboard though. This fantastic Shawn Green card came courtesy of Jarrod as well. Like the mini Kershaw above, this may go down as one of my favorite cards of Green. The card shows him in his high school jersey, something cards rarely do these days. 

There were a few more Dodgers in the package, but I simply don't have the time to show them all. Thanks again Jarrod! In case you missed it up top, be sure to check out Jarrod's eBay page here. It's worth it.

Topps Chrome Rainbow: Matt Magill Camo Refractor

I was able to pick up another card for my Topps Chrome Rainbow last week in the form of a Matt Magill Camo Refractor. 

The card is #'d 14/15, which, believe it or not, is the lowest numbered card I have in my rainbow so far. As far as the individual player rainbows go, I have 8/12 Matt Kemp cards and 5/12 Matt Magill cards. However, completing the Magill rainbow will probable be completed sooner because I have the hardest ones in hand, with the exception of the Atomic, Pink, and 1/1. That and they're cheaper. 

This marks the 50th card toward the 120 needed. Frankly, I didn't think I would get this far, but at the same time I don't feel like I have 50. Finding the numbered cards has been a challenge lately, especially when ebayers are listing the cards for ridiculous prices in BIN formats. My goal is to stay patient and pick them up without breaking the bank. 

I was able to land this card for a little over 4 bucks. Though I did feel a little bad in doing so. I was watching this card for just about the entire time the auction was up, but decided to wait and bid right before the auction ended. Normally I just place my high bid and hope I win, but I figured I would try DodgerPenguin's strategy of sniping at the last second. Lucky for me, the bid I placed at the last second was a penny over the other bidders final bid. Guess I'll be sniping more frequently now. Look out!

Topps Chrome Rainbow: Andre Ethier Black Refractor

For those that didn't notice, it was a bit quiet on my blog over the weekend. My mom decided to head to Vegas for the weekend, which forced me to pack up my laptop and homework to go and watch our dogs about 40 miles away. Unfortunately, I forgot to scan any cards before heading out there which meant no posting. 

It's a moot point now, as I got back yesterday evening. Waiting for me were a few awesome packages, the first containing the sweet card you'll see below.

I was able to pick this beauty up off of the bay last week for just a few bucks. Numbered 26/100, it marks my fourth black refractor out of twelve needed for my Dodgers Topps Chrome Rainbow. 

For those who don't care to click on the link, or for those just too lazy, I now have 49/120 cards needed to put together the entire Topps Chrome Rainbow. That number will increase to 50 tomorrow, as I plan on showing off the lowest numbered card in my possession yet. 

P.S: I will be shipping out cards to everybody I have talked to over the past two weeks or so this Friday! Yippee! I didn't want to take this long to ship, and most of the packages are already put together, but shipping about 20 bubble mailers at one time can be quiet costly. 

Topps Chrome Rainbow: A Couple of New Kershaws

So I won an auction on eBay last week, something I am still pretty surprised about. It was a three card lot of 2013 Topps Chrome cards for Dodger's disabled ace, Clayton Kerhsaw. Included were the regular refractor, an X-Fractor, and an Orange refractor. The total cost to me: $2.99. And that includes shipping. 

These two cards put my total TCR quest at 40.00% complete. I now have 8/10 X-Fractors, and 7/10 Orange refractors. Remember, I include CC points if we can trade for a card I don't already have.  

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. 

Topps Chrome Rainbow: Hyun-Jin Ryu Orange Refractor

In addition to the sweet Matt Kemp Gold Refractor I picked up last week, I was able to add another card to my Topps Chrome Rainbow. In fact, this card officially means that I am 30% of the way to the entire team set rainbow. 

This one was shipped for 3 bucks, a bargain for a card as nice as this one. Hyun-Jin Ryu is becoming one of my favorite players to collect, and I may end up picking up another copy of this card for the binder. I absolutely love the orange refractors and may just have to finish up the orange team set sooner than I was planning. If you don't have an orange refractor of your favorite player yet, I strongly urge you to go and buy one. You won't be let down. I guarantee* it. 

*Guarantee void in Tennessee

Topps Chrome Rainbow: Matt Kemp Gold Refractor

It seems like forever since I've laid hands on a new card for my Topps Chrome Rainbow quest, but that changed a few days ago.

I saw this pop up on eBay as a BIN auction. I noticed that other cards sold for about half the price this one was listed at, but I didn't want to chance missing out on this card as finding these Kemp's has been a daunting task. It was shipped for around 10 bucks, which was well worth it. This awesome card is #'d 34/50.

2014 Topps Series One: Yasiel Puig Rainbow

Editors Note: This post comes from Dikran Samarjian. He will occasionally have posts here. As you may know, Dikran and I usually split the price of higher end cards to share, at least until we are out of college and can actually earn some money. If you would like to get in touch with him, you can give him a follow on Twitter @D_Samarjian. Any comments you leave will be forwarded to him as well. Enjoy!

This post is way past overdue, but the wait is over.

Ever since 2014 Topps Series One came out, I had made it my duty to venture out and complete the Yasiel Puig rainbow. Of course the 1/1 platinum is almost impossible to get, so I had to make my quest more realistic. It cost me a pretty penny, but long story short I finally completed it!

It was very hard to get the cards for the right price, especially when it’s Yasiel Puig. People get pretty greedy when you’re dealing with one of the hottest players in baseball. Also not to mention, when the cards are eBay firsts, it is expected to pay highest dollar for it. (I had wasted no time starting my journey to complete the rainbow.) The majority of the retail bases I had purchased cost me at least 10 dollars including shipping.

The numbered cards are a whole different story. Obviously the most expensive card was the clear #'d /10. Though the card hit triple digits, it was a great buy. I think the clear cards are gorgeous regardless the player. Props to Topps for creating such a nice card. I completed the much more realistic 12 card rainbow and quickly secured the cards in plaques. 

It was a fun and highly anticipated journey with the bid wars and delivery wait, but I am not much of a parallel collector. I love the sexy “chunk-a-licious” multicolored patches and on-card autos. Alex and I have decided to put the rainbow for sale. I will also accept a fair trade. I am a Celtics fan, and of course a Dodgers fan. I want to add a booklet or two to my collection just letting you guys know ;) lol!

Contact Alex with any trade offers, and as for the purchasing goes it will be on Alex’s eBay. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy the cards as much as we did. If these cards were from Chrome I would definitely keep them because the Chrome line is gorgeous!

I am going to have Alex embed my latest track I had produced to this post. If you guys could check it out and show some support/give me some feedback it would be more than appreciated! I’m just a kid with a talent and a huge love for music and some support wouldn’t hurt. Thanks guys! Until next time, take care!

     

Trade with S.Mack Talk: 2013 Set Needs & PC Awesomeness

EDIT: I mistakenly credited this trade to Ethan of Playing With My Cards. I have edited the posting, and now credited Jimmy for the awesome trade. I apologize for the mix-up guys. 


I completed my first trade with Jimmy of the new S.mack Talk card blog. 

Jimmy almost wiped out my 2013 Bowman Platinum needs. Below are the only cards I am missing.

19 Justin Upton
52 Kris Medlen
78 Robinson Cano
90 Jedd Gyorko RC
99 Dylan Bundy RC

This is probably my favorite card come from the trade, but not because it is a great looking card. It's because it puts me one step closer to finishing off the refractors for my Topps Chome Rainbow quest. In fact, I now have 9/10 of the refractors needed, leaving me with just the Ethier refractor to finish them off. Of course, I still have a ton I need to before I'm anywhere close to finishing, but taking one parallel out of the equation will simplify a few things. 

I was also to get my hands on these two great looking my cards. These cards are my favorite thing about 2014 so far, and I sincerely hope they carry it over to S2. 

This was one of the cooler cards that Jimmy included. I actually didn't even realize that this was floating out there so I'm happy to add it. It features ex-Dodgers OF Jerry Sands, who unfortunately wasn't able to make anything out of his career after a big season in AAA a few years back. That's what Albuquerque does to you I guess. 

I love receiving cards of my favorite two ex-Dodgers, Green and Beltre. Green is actually my favorite player of all-time, so anytime I add something new to my Green binder I am happy. The Beltre card also proves my theory that Beltre is featured in nothing but road Seattle grays on cardboard. I have yet to add a Mariner card of Beltre featuring him in the home whites. I'm sure there are some out there, but my collection stays gray for now. 

Thanks for the wonderful trade Jimmy! And I apologize again for making an error in the initial posting. 

Topps Chrome Rainbow: Yasiel Puig Refractor

Not much of a story behind this one. Dikran bought a box of Topps Chrome yesterday, and this was one of the lucky pulls. It is my first Puig card for the rainbow, and probably my last for a bit. His cards a little too pricey for me, so I'll wait for the cards to cool off before looking to acquire them. For the sake of the Dodgers, I hope he doesn't cool off and his cards gain even more value.