Tabata Time!

Gavin of the well regarded Baseball Card Breakdown has a been a consistent trade partner of mine.  I've probably gone back and forth with Gavin more than any other collector. I was trying to figure out why that is today, and I think it's simply because... Gavin has about 50 different player collections (ranked by high, medium, and low priority). That sure makes for an easy trading partner!

Before I get to the cards I'll present a quick aside:

I NEVER enter web addresses until the URL bar. I google EVERYTHING. So today, when I wanted to get to Gavin's blog, I just googled "baseball card breakdown." Some images popped up, and I got curious. This is what you'll see in google images:

I thought this was pretty cool for any blog. He and Adam do a lot of trading, Matt too. Just another way to navigate some old posts and see some different material, but using images rather than text... nice for us visual people.

Gavin was kind enough to throw in some extra cards, seen above some good-old-fashioned (and very 90's) household Bucco names: Kendall, Garcia, Hermansen, Guillen, and fan favorite Andy Van Slyke.

Gavin also threw in three Auto's. Far left is a nice base auto from prospect Wyatt Mathisen, who I believe resides in Bradenton Florida with the Pirates Single A affiliate. From I've read he shows some promise, but is at an early stage in terms of development.

Next is Brad Lincoln, who is *actually* back with the Pirates down on the farm. He was with the Bucs from 2010-2012 before he was dealt straight up from Travis Snider, who has made an appearance on this blog before.

Lastly, to the far right, a very nice looking card of the Pirates pinch-hitter-of-choice:

 Jose Tabata. That name sound familiar? Can't figure out why? 

Tabby was getting quite a lot of press this weekend after he may or may not have ruined Max Sherzer's perfect game. With two outs and two strikes in the ninth, a breaking ball got away from Maxxy and ran inside. The rest is history. 

Funny timing, but I received the Rookie auto from Gavin just a few days prior. It's a beauty.

Lastly, a COMC purchase- treating myself with some extra store credit. I've been hunting A.J.'s autographed products for a while, and they're hard to come by. He shows up often in base sets but I don't believe he's signed any Topps products in a Pirates Jersey. Could be wrong.

Happy to add my first A.J. Auto.

Thanks for reading!

2 Blaster Break - 2014 Topps Chrome/2014 Bowman Platinum

Overcome by "the itch" at Target last night. 

Except instead of browsing hanger packs and picking through the .99 cent packs, I was fortunate to come across some discounted blasters.

Boy I love seeing those big orange stickers. I've seen them on other blasters- NASCAR, Press Pass products, but never on anything this recent or collectible.

I cracked into the Chrome first, and was smacked immediately with the reminder of the inevitable "Chrome Warp."

Looks like these puppies have been sitting on the shelf for some time. I'm a huge fan of chrome, always have been- but the bend in the cards is a tragic flaw. I'm surprised that this hasn't been resolved in the hobby, I can't imagine that I'm the only who feels that way. I mean, it's 2015 for Pete's sake!

The blaster promises a 4-card purple chrome pack, and this one delivered. I imagine the Jeter card is somewhat collectible being his final year. I like the Bogaerts as well, a very clean RC.

Some more highlights.

Moving on to the Bowman Platinum with two Pirates. None in the Chrome, so I was happy to see two top prospects make an appearance in the base set. Bell and McGuire are the #4 and #5 prospects in the Pirates farm system, respectively. Welcome to the PC boys.

Two parallels and a (now) household name.

Here are my three inserts, which is very Tanaka-centric. How about that insert on the bottom? Doesn't it look like something's missing there?

Maybe an autograph? 

That was my first thought- the design of this card is very similar to many horizontal autographed cards I've seen (Topps Tribute comes to mind). For whatever reason, Bowman Platinum seems to love this sort of design and tease. If anyone ever hears of Tanaka signing TTM, let me know... this baby is asking for it.

Lastly, Mr. Bogaerts makes another appearance. This card looks fantastic with the Ruby background to match the Sox Jersey. And again, I'll never complain about a rookie.

Overall, solid return. More importantly, I had alot of fun ripping these packs. At full price there may have been some remorse, but I can live with the result after the hefty discount. Anyone else see good $12.99 blasters at Target lately? Not sure if this was a local deal or a company-wide initiative.

Everything here is for trade, so drop a comment if you something piques your interest.

Thanks for reading!

Nate

Autograph Trade Bait Randomness

Browsing my collection on a lazy Sunday and hoping to find some takers on some trade bait that's cluttering my collection. These have been acquired mostly through box breaks. Never been in a accident, one owner (check the carfax).

If you folks see anything that tickles your fancy, please drop a comment or reach me by email and nsbell440 at gmail dot com. Descriptions below (L to R, top to bottom).

***If you're building a set of 2015 Topps Baseball, please let me know. I have lots of singles and will happily send them off compliments of Big 44 Cards.***

Jorge Polanco 2013 Bowman Chrome Auto

Cameron Gallagher 2013 Bowman Chrome Auto

Andre Rienzo 2013 Bowman Chrome Refractor Auto /500

L.J. Hoes 2013 Topps Chrome Auto

Rob Brantly 2013 Topps Chrome Refractor Auto /499

Onelki Garcia 2014 Topps Chrome Refractor Auto /499

Mike Leake 2010 Topps "Peak Performance" Auto

Scottie Pippen 2012-13 Panini Momentum Auto /25

Larry Johnson 2012-13 Panini Elite Auto /199

Dwayne Bowe 2011 Panini Certified Jersey /50

Kyrie Irving 2012-2013 Panini "Swirlorama" RC #161

***If you're building a set of 2015 Topps Baseball, please let me know. I have lots of singles and will happily send them off compliments of Big 44 Cards.***

Thanks for reading!