Parks and Recreation Autos are LITERALLY Amazing!

I developed a relationship with Netflix shortly after I graduated high school back in 2011. Since then, Netflix and I have established quite a close bond. Seriously, Netflix is the ultimate investment for college students. 

One of the many numerous shows that I've grown attached to over this time has been Parks and Recreation. I've professed my love for it many times before (like here, here, and here) and I'm back at it again today. 

I've been on the lookout for this card for quite some time now, but I was never able to secure it for a price I was comfortable with. Hours before I got this one, I nearly spent twice as much for a different copy that I thankfully lost. Luckily, Greg (once again) sent me a message on twitter with a link to this card with a stellar BIN price. I jumped at the opportunity, and secured one of the more difficult autos from the set. 

I figured I might as well take a look at some of the other cards the seller had up for grabs and walked away with another much needed auto for the set. 

Surprisingly, this was one of the hardest ones to track down for a good price. I ended up spending a little bit more than I was initially anticipating for this card, but I still got it for a good price. Not to mention, I saved on combined shipping. 

With these two additions, I am quickly approaching the completion of the autograph set. I recently acquired another card from the set, so I am left with only three cards needed to finish it off. Considering one of my 2015 goals was to finish this autograph set, I am pretty excited that I have completed as much as I have in only a month. 

Crush Davis

As I have mentioned a time or two on here, my best friend Dikran is a big fan of Chris Davis. At one point, Dikran had a blog going, but it was short lived. Due to his inability to keep up with his blog, I figured I would show off some of his newest additions from time to time. 

I actually purchased this card as sort of a late Christmas gift for him. It was had for only a couple bucks cheaper than a blaster, and features a sick three-colored patch of the O's away jersey. The patch and low-numbering are sweet, but the lack of color on Davis' jersey is a bit disappointing. For a team as colorful as Baltimore, going with a black and white photoshopped jersey color is unsatisfying. Nevertheless, it is still a cool card overall and a welcome addition to my buddy's PC. 

Let's Do Some Housekeeping

I was browsing the blogs last night when I came across a fantastic post by Zippy Zappy over at Torren' Up Cards. I have not had the pleasure of dealing with him yet, but perhaps that will change one of these days.

Anyway. In spite of some recent events, Zippy Zappy went over his trading Code of Conduct. It was definitely a good read, so I encourage you all to go and check it out. 

In the post, ZZ discussed building trust with trading partners. The post made me think about how I go about trades, contests, and other blog related dealings, but most importantly, it reminded me of all the people I owe cards to. 

In an effort to make things right with some of the fantastic people out there in cardboard land, I am posting this as a reminder to myself , and to those I have dealings with, to make things right.

If I owe you cards, or if we have a deal in place that hasn't been completed, please comment on this post. 

A combination of school and work has taken up a ton of my free time, and I am getting forgetful in my young age. 

Below is a list of people I know I owe cards to. If you aren't on this list, and we haven't spoken in the past few weeks, please contact me. 

• Ruben Lipsyzc (USA Relics from Contest)
• Matthew Wilson (K-Mart Set)
• Bo Rosny (K-Mart Set)
• Fantastic Catch (Bowman Minis + Cardinals)
• Nomo's Sushi Platter (Dodgers) 
• Nachos Grande (Set needs + more)
• Night Owl (Dodgers Needs)

I'm pretty positive that those are the only people I owe cards to. I double checked my email and Twitter inbox and can't find anyone else. However, I am human and I may have missed someone. 

By the way, here is one of my more recent Kemp pickups. Shiny blue cards are fun. 

Dodger Penguin is Holding a Wallet Card Contest

The title says it all, really. 

Head on over to Dodger Penguin to get in on his latest season long contest. I believe there is something like seven autos up for grabs, including an auto from Clayton Kershaw. 

Go for the contest, stay for the awesome new site design. 

CHECK OUT THE CONTEST HERE

Crème de la Crème

The crème de la crème. The best of the best. The cream of the crop. The pick of the litter. Whatever you wanna call it, I have it. 

"What is is it?" you might ask. Well, I'll show you. 

That's right. I got my hands on a 2005 Bowman Chrome Matt Kemp rookie auto. 

This card has been atop of my want list ever since my want list was a thing. With an influx of Christmas money, I finally ponied up the money and bought one shortly after the holiday. 

This is (at least for me) the card that any serious Matt Kemp collectors need to acquire. The crappy scan does not do this card justice at all. It looks truly phenomenal in person. 

I'm still not sure what to say about this card. I absolutely love it. It wasn't cheap, in fact it is the most expensive card I've purchased to date. I'm sending it off to get graded, and hopefully I'll have more to say when it gets back. I have my fingers crossed for at least a 9 overall. We'll see. 

Let's Go Colts!

I am a big fan of the Indianapolis Colts, yet my collection rarely delves into football. I do have some Colts cards, but I simply don't have enough space or money to really get into another realm of collecting. I do appreciate the Colts cards that I have been able to pick up though. Check out some of my favorites below. 

Good luck, Colts! Beat the Patriots!!!

A Burt Reynolds Auto!

I have been amigos with Greg over at Plaschke, They Sweater is Argyle for quite some time now. I read his blog long before I got back into collecting, and ultimately his blog is the reason I decided to start my own. 

Greg has also been a big influence my television show viewing. His post on quite possibly the greatest TTM return ever got me to watch Parks and Rec. Which, in turn, led me to start collecting all of the Parks and Rec autos. A goal I am still attempting to complete. 

Greg also suggested I watch Archer. I took him up on this suggestion and instantly fell in love with the show. Of course, I had to go out and pick up some of the cards from the set, which you can see here. However, it wasn't until recently that I actually began my pursuit of the 15-card autograph set. 

Thanks to Greg's magic powers in finding crazy good deals on eBay, I am now the proud owner of my very first Archer autograph. 

I was able to secure this bad boy for the price of a blaster, simply due to the smudged autograph. While it would be nice to have a perfect autograph, I cant complain abut the imperfection or the price of the card. 

There isn't much out there in terms of Archer/Burt Reynolds videos, so I would suggest that you just watch the entire series on Netflix.

Thanks again for the heads up, Greg! 

Chad Billingsley, You're My Hero

I mentioned my overflowing scans folder in one of my last posts, and I am feeling pretty thankful for that at the moment. I have only attended three of my six classes so far, but it looks like the work will be piling up. Of course, if you add in my time spent working at the tutorial center and my other job, my schedule looks like hell. 

The problem with my scans folder is that it is filled with Matt Kemp related posts. Shortly after he was traded to San Diego, I went on an eBay binge, and I am now left with a ton of posts on the dude. But, in an effort to spare my readers of so many consecutive Kemp posts, I am going to bounce around to some of the other subjects in my scan folder. 

One of those subjects is Chad Billingsley. I recently started an official PC for him, so I naturally fled to the bay to snap up any good deals. I found plenty, but this may be my favorite one. 

As the slab shows, this stunning card comes from 2003 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks. It features a great on-card autograph from C-Bills, and even warranted a 'Mint 9' grade from PSA. 

Injuries have plagued Bills for the past few years, and the value on his cards has declined tremendously. While that sucsk for some people, it is a great advantage for me. The beauty that you see above ran me less than six bucks shipped. A phenomenal price for an autographed rookie card, and a graded one at that. 

A Trade That Wasn't

I recently completed my second trade with my friend Austin...well...it wasn't really a trade. I actually didn't send him anything at all. But, being the great guy that he is, he sent a few awesome cards my way.

The first being this fantastic Chad Billingsley card you see above. As most of you probably know, the card comes from 2012 Topps Heritage and features the awesome dual-image design. It is interesting to note how long Chad's last name is, and how close it came to being to long to fit on the card. An extra letter may have changed the entire look of the card. 

Austin also tossed in a new #'d card of one of my favorite players, Adrian Beltre. Austin knows his way around my Beltre PC, evident by our previous trade, and his good eye showed up in his most recent package. This looks to be a copper or brown parallel, limited to just 625 copies. Stealing a page from Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown, this an exclusive eBay one of one. How you ask? Well, during Beltre's time is the American League, he has been caught stealing 55 times. So, I now happen to have the "copper caught stealing in the AL eBay 1/1". Great, isn't it?

To top it all off, Austin included this weirdly awesome Beltre relic. I consider it to be a bit weird considering the card lists Beltre as a Mariner, is Mariner green, yet features Beltre in a Dodgers batting helmet. It isn't uncommon for cards like this (pictured as one team, listed as another), but I always find these cards fascinating when they fall into my hands.

One thing that does bug me about this card in the unnecessary black box that seems to be circling Beltre's face. Perhaps it was a plot to cover up the "LA" on the batting helmet, though I doubt it. It just looks to be a part of the design that wasn't well thought out. Also, anybody else see a football field surrounding the relic? 

Thanks again for the cards, Austin. One of these days, I'm going to have to return the favor and send you something back. 

Are You Tired Of All These Matt Kemp Posts? No? Good!

It's currently late, late Friday night. I should probably be in bed, but with an overflowing scans folder, and craving for a bowl of Cap'n Crunch, I found my way to the computer. 

It will probably be my final late, late night writing for awhile, at least blog related. School is starting back up Monday, and I am planning on being busier than ever. With five classes, not to mention a sixth in which I will be an embedded tutor, two jobs, and a lack of free time, I expect the blog to dry up a little. 

That's not to say I won't be posting, but I will probably be cutting it back to about 3-4 posts a week. Which is totally fine by me, considering I won't be buying much cardboard for a while. College is freakin' expensive.

That said, let's take a look at one of my newest cards from that overflowing scans folder.

Can't go wrong with a new card of Matt Kemp. I mean, unless he's in a Padres jersey. Yuck. (Which I would totally still want by the way).

Anyway. There isn't anything really special about this card, other that the fact that it contains a piece of jersey that may or may not have been worn by Kemp. It is officially the 201st Kemp card in my PC, and the last time I mention how many cards are in that PC until I reach 300.