Five Months of Mail Roundup!

2021 and the start of 2022 has been busy for me and I've once again neglected the blog. I've still been buying, selling, and collecting, and I've got some fun stuff to show off from recent pick ups. Let's get right to it:

 

Henry Davis - 2021 Bowman Draft Refractor

 

Baseball America released it's farm system rankings recently, and the Pirates are back near the top of the league at #3. That's what you'd expect out of a rebuild. GM Ben Cherington has depleted nearly the entire Major League roster in favor of prospects, and we're seeing the result in the cardboard world with lots of Pirates prospect cards. 2021 #1 overall pick Henry Davis is certainly part of that, and he's one of the blue chip prospects in 2021 Bowman Draft. Thanks to a TCDB trade, I was able to grab this as well as a regular base chrome.

 

 

Ke"Bryan Hayes - 2021 Topps Chrome RC

 

I've been collecting as many of Ke'Bryan Hayes' rookies as I can, both from flagship and chrome. I've got 5-6 of each so far through TCDB trades. If you've got any, send them my way! 

 

Ke"Bryan Hayes - 2021 Topps Rookie Cup RC Auto - Foil /90

 

This is the only Hayes autograph that I have in my collection at the moment since his prices have skyrocketed. For some reason, his 2021 Rookie Cup autographs are very affordable compared to other products. I am absolutely obsessed with this card - the horizonal style is perfect and it has a clean, on-card signature. The foilboard looks great. I'm still hunting a good price on the same card, gold #/50. 

 

2016 Bowman Draft - Bryan Reynolds Auto Refractor /499

 

While this may seem like an unassming Bryan Reynolds Bowman First autograph, there's something very speical about this particular card...

 

 

Ebay 1/1!!! Serial #10, Reynolds jersey number. I'm usually not one to caresabout these types of things, but as a Reynolds "super collector" of sorts, this was a special find for me. It truly does it make it one-of-a-kind for me, and I was willing to pay a little over value for the "ebay 1/1."

 

 

Bryan Reynolds - 2020 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor /50

 

I'm getting a little closer to my 2020 Topps Chrome Bryan Reynolds rainbow. Today's mail included the gold #/50, which had been on my wish list for a few months. Annoyingly, for several of the parallel colors, Topps did both a "gold /50" and "gold wave #/50," or "green /99" and "green wave /99." This is creating a little extra work for me, but I guess I could look at it glass-half-full because it's more for me to chase. Not counting the Superfractor, the complete rainbow is 17 cards, and I'm sitting at 11. I still need:

• Green /99
• Blue wave /75
  
• Orange /25
• Orange wave /25
• Red /5
• Red wave /5

 

 

 

Any leads on those are appreciated. Moving on to basketball:

 

Anthony Edwards - 2020-21 Panini Mosaic RC

 

 

Immanuel Quickley - 2020-21 Panini Przim Red Cracked Ice  

 

Obi Toppin - 2020-21 Panini Przim  

 

LeBron James - 2014-15 Panini NBA Hoops Silver #/399 

LeBron James - 2018-19 Panini NBA Hoops Silver #/199

 I've been lucky to pick up some basketball retail through Target online, which is a nice change of pace from never finding retail for the last two years. I was able to get a few Mosaic blasters, and I was happy to find the Edwards rookie, although my other breaks were largely duds. 

The Quickley cracked ice was an eBay purchase under $10, and Toppin was pulled from a pack. I'm a huge fan of this year's Prizm design and an even bigger fan of the photo on Toppin's card. If you've watched a Knicks game this year, you'll recognize that as as his post-dunk celebration.

As for the two LeBrons, those were two needed additons to a small LeBron project that I'm working on. The goal is to get my hands on a silver parallel from every year of Panini NBA Hoops in whoch Silver parallels were printed. After a hiatius, Hoops returned in 2011-12, and Silver parallels began to emerge three years later in 2014-15. With the addition of the two above, I am just two away from completing the "set" of eight cards - I need 2015-16 and 2021-22. 

Thanks for reading!

Cheap Fun Breaks Mystery Box Break

For the second month in a row, I decided to purchase a Mystery Box from Cheap Fun Breaks:

Despite getting close many times in the past, I’ve never actually dabbled with mystery boxes. Many collectors/breakers have tried to create them and sell them over the years, but I can’t recall any that any have had lasting success. I think the biggest issue with these products is that you rarely have an accurate idea of what types of packs you’ll be getting, so there’s always the risk of lots of junk packs and non-licensed brands. It also seems like mystery boxes rarely include hobby packs. Couple these factors with trepidation over legitimacy and trustworthiness, and it’s usually best to stay away.

 

I have been ordering hobby boxes from Blowout Cards since 2013, and on the rare occasion I join a group break, I usually use Cheap Fun Breaks, run by JBrooks and Houdini who are affiliated with Blowout. All experiences with Blowout have been great, so I took a stab at a Mystery Box in July, and I was very happy with the contents. I ordered again for August and decided to recap on the blog.

 

Each box is $200, which is in the ballpark of what you’ll fork over for a hobby box these days. The mystery boxes typically contain an assortment of hobby packs from very recent releases. You are promised at least $200 in “sealed” value, and you will have a good idea of what types of products will be included, so there’s no real surprises. For August, potential packs included: 2021 Topps Chrome, box hobby and jumbo, 2021 A&G, 2021 GQ, 2021 Museum Collection, 2021 Bowman Sapphire, 2021 S2 Jumbo, 2021 Bowman hobby and jumbo, 2021 Heritage, and a few other older releases. 

 

Here's what I ended up with:

 

Not a bad mix! There were a few certain packs that I hoped to see, and I was perfectly fine with a big chunk of Topps Chrome.

 

I did some math (cross multiplying is sweet) to calculate my odds of getting some hits. Topps Chrome hobby has an autograph in every 12 packs, so with seven packs, I could expect .6 hits, if you will. In TC jumbo, you’ll find five autographs in each 12 pack box, so three packs should yield me 1.25 hits.

 

Allen & Ginter has three hits in each hobby box of 24 packs. With four packs, I should expect .5 hits, so it would be fair to expect a 50/50 shot at a hit.

 

Here’s how it went:

As you can see, I was very lucky and beat the odds big time with both Topps Chrome and Ginter. Nothing here is too spectacular, and none of the rookies are big names. Regardless, it’s always fun to pull some rookie autographs as you never know where these guys careers may take them. It’s also nice to pull some hits out of a mystery box. I have full trust in the product, but it never hurts to have some reassurance that there’s no funny business with pack searching, or something of the like.

 

The 2021 Topps design works much better with Chrome than it did on the paper cards, in my opinion. The silver borders are clean. On card autographs are also a big plus. The Ginter hits are underwhelming, although the Chapman relic does have a pinstripe, if you look closely. Always nice to get more than just a white patch on a relic. Aside from hits, I also pulled a few other noteworthy cards:

 

Some refractors from some “veterans,” including a Pirate who is having *abysmal* season.

A few noteworthy rookies.

 

 

These two cards may very well be the best pulls from the box. Both players have showed flashes of excellence this year, albeit very inconsistent. Bohm has been terrible defensively and the Phillies have had a hard time justifying keeping him on the hot corner. His power has also been down, but he’s made a ton of hard contact and by no means has been an easy out. It’s always exciting to pull some rookie parallels, so I’ll be stashing these away.

 

To wrap it up, this was a really fun rip. I’m well aware that I got lucky and beat the odds with hits. I’ll do my best to prevent that from creating a bias. Bottom line, there are less fun ways to burn through $200 in this hobby and I fully endorse grabbing Cheap Fun Breaks Mystery Box. Thanks to JBrooks and Houdini for creating the opportunity to purchase and enjoy these boxes.

May Mail Roundup

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day Weekend. I've been enjoying some quiet time off of work. I'm able to do that thanks to the brave men and women who fight to keep us safe, and I'm very grateful for that. 

With a quiet Sunday at home, I was able to get catalogue all of the cards I acquired in May - let's take a look:

Christian Pache - 2021 Bowman 1991 Chrome Throwback - Gold #/50

Readers of the blog know I have a soft spot for gold refractors. I'm also a huge fan of the 1991 bowman throwbacks, which I personally think look great in chrome. I picked this up through a Twitter sale. Christian Pache has the tools to be a star, but he's got a a long way to go to get there.

(L) Nick Gonzales - 2020 Bowman's Best Autograph

(R) Quinn Priester - 2019 Bowman's Best Autograph

In another Twitter purchase, I grabbed two Pirates prospect autographs in one deal. I haven't been collecting many autographs these days, so it was nice to pick up two top prospects at a reasonable price. This is my first auto from Gonzales - more to come on him...

Bryan Reynolds - 2016 Bowman Draft

Mitch Keller - 2019 Topps - Gold #/2019

I have several copies of Bryan Reynold's first Bowman card from 2016, and I'll take even more copies when I see them on TCDB. I might be weird, but I love having multiple copies of my favorite cards.

(L) Wil Crowe - 2017 Bowman Draft

(C) Travis Swaggerty - 2018 Bowman Draft

(R) Quinn Priester - 2019 Bowman Draft 

On the subject of first Bowman cards, I grabbed a several from the same TCDB trade in which I acquired the Reynolds and Keller cards. Wil Crowe is enjoying his first season in the majors as we speak. Several injuries in the rotation at the big league level expedited Crowe's timeline, and he's been so-so. The arm talent is there, but he's struggled with efficiency. 

(L) Nick Gonzales - 2020 Bowman Draft

(R) Nick Gonzales - 2020 Bowman Draft Chrome Refractor

Nick Gonzales, the #7 overall pick in the 2020 draft, is the Pirates top prospect. He currently sits as the #32 prospect in the MLB. It will be a another year or two before we see him, but his elite hands and bat speed have generated plenty of excitement among scouts and Pirates fans alike. 

I acquired the paper base card on the left from a TCDB trade, and the chrome refractor was another Twitter sale. The refractor scanned in a really cool way with that shimmer look - but it's just a standard base refractor.

Luka Doncic - 2017-18 NBA Hoops RC

Believe it or not, I actually pulled off a TCDB trade for this Luka rookie. I was sent a trade by a gentleman in Texas for a few Astros cards. I noticed he had this for trade (a rare sight) and we negotiated for a bit. I ended up sending him a great haul, including two Altuve rookies. It was a win-win, and by far by highest value TCDB trade. I'm really, really stoked to add this to my collection.

2019-20 NBA Hoops - Darius Bazley RC

My last TCDB trade piece is this Darius Bazley rookie. Bazley and I have a very rocky past, but we're on better terms now. He was committed to Syracuse back in 2018, and would have been one of our most highly-touted recruits since Carmelo Anthony. I believe he was #9 recruit in the country. 

Several months after his commitment, he decided to skip college and play a year in the G-League. He was one of the first players to do so, and blazed a trail for many young amateurs who are doing the same in his wake. It's been a few years and I'm finally starting to allow some forgiveness. Bazley has found a nice little role with OKC, and I'm happy for him. Maybe soon I can forgive him for good. 

2020-21 NBA Hoops - LeBron James Premium Stock #/199

2019-20 NBA Hoops - LeBron James Premium Stock #/199

LeBron James - 2009-10 Panini Studio Masterstrokes - Proof #/199

I've developed somewhat of a LeBron James PC of late - I've been trying to grab as many short printed cards of his as I can. After watching the boom of Jordan cards earlier this year, I started to wonder if the same thing will happen with LeBron in 20 years. If it does, it would be really cool to have a bunch of short printed, serial numbered cards in a dusty old box somewhere. 

Not to mention, I'm a closet LeBron fan. I say "closet" because I sort of just... admire him from afar. I was definitely annoyed by his move to Miami in 2012, but that was a long time ago, and we all would have done the same thing in his shoes. The number of LeBron haters that exist present day really surprises me. Then again, I think Jordan had his fair share of haters in the 90's too. LeBron, to me, is the ideal role model. The dude is seriously squeaky clean. He's not a criminal and he's not a cheater. He's a great teammate, a great family man, and he's done a ton for his community. He's also a winner.

Anyhow - about the cards -  I grabbed three LeBron cards, all numbered to 199. Anything that's a shorter print is likely out of my price range. All were bought on eBay. I'm not being too picky about the product or the year, I'd love to get a variety. I don't have a specific number of cards or a target I'm shooting for - I'll just keep grabbing these until I get bored with it. It's been a fun chase so far. 

Thanks for stopping by, Happy MDW!

The Pirates Don't Suck (Yet)

Baseball season is underway. Somehow - by the grace of god - the Pirates aren't doing nearly as poorly as expected. With this afternoon's win over the Twins, the Pirates have raised their record to 10-11. Pre-season projections had the team winning 60 games - so some quick math tells me that 10 wins in 21 games projects to 77 wins in 162 game season.

We will actually win 77 games? No shot. The rebuild is full swing, and we'll be sellers at the trade deadline. After we ship out some of our consistent role players for prospects (I'm looking at you Adam Frazier), I imagine August and September will be rough.

Regardless, this has been a fun start to the season, and I am elated to have baseball back on my television. To celebrate, let's check out some of my recent Pirates pickups:

Bryan Reynolds - 2020 Topps Allen & Ginter Chrome Gold Refractor #/50

After a miserable 2020 campaign where he hit below the Mendoza line and looked like a shell of the player we saw in his rookie year, Bryan Reynolds is back to his old self. With this add, I'm now up to 38 unique Reynolds cards.  Not only was this a nice addition to my Reynolds PC, it's also another great add to my Pirates Gold Room. I know many collectors are experiencing "chrome fatigue" and aren't thrilled bout Ginter chrome. I didn't buy any boxes of it but I think this gold parallel is a beauty. 

Tyler Glasnow - 2017 Topps Chrome Rookie Debut Gold Refractor #/50

Speaking of gold parallels,  I was able to add this Tyler Glasnow card to my old PC for a reasonable price. As he continues to dominate, I'm not sure how many more of his cards I'll be able to snag. 

Nick Gonzales - 2020 Bowman Draft Paper

Nick Gonzales was the Pirates first round pick in last year's draft at #7 overall. He's a big time prospect, so collectors of all types are clinging to his cards. I was able to acquire this through a TCDB trade. This is my first Gonzales card and I hope it's the first of many. 

Phillip Evans - 2018 Topps Stadium Club Autograph

(L) Phillip Evans - 2018 Topps RC

(R) Phillips Evans - 2018 Topps Rainbow Foil RC

The Pirates have a handful of new faces in the everyday lineup, one of whom is Phillip Evans. Evans made a quick debut with the Mets in 2017 and 2018 but it only amounted to about 50 plate appearances. He spent all of 2019 in the minors before making his way back to the show with the Pirates last year. Across four seasons, he's still only played in 63 games, making him a widely unknown name. I was able to trade for all three of the cards above on TCDB. 

David Bednar - 2020 Topps Foilboard Rookie #/264

While this certainly isn't the flashiest of my recent pickups, it might be my favorite. Bednar, a Pittsburgh native, was part of the trade return for Joe Musgrove. Bednar isn't a big name but he's pitched very well for the Pirates and has earned himself a look in high leverage situations. He's a Pittsburgh native and has quickly become a fan favorite. The foilboard parallels were added exclusively to Wal-Mart complete sets, and they're one of the prettier parallel finishes that I've seen. 

Joe Musgrove - 2018 Bowman Chrome RC Refractor #/500

When Joe Musgrove was dealt to San Diego over the winter, I let go of several of my Musgrove cards, including most of my autographs. I had too many, and his cards were fetching a decent price right after the trade.... Fast forward to last week when he threw the Padres first ever no hitter. I had immediate seller's remorse. Nostalgia washed over me, and I hopped on eBay to see if I could find a cheap rookie. For $6, this is what I came up with. It's nice to have a shiny Big Joe rookie back in my collection. 

Thanks for stopping by.

March Mail Roundup

Another month has flown by. I stopped today to take a look at all of the cards I acquired in March, and it was another great month of grabbing singles. The sports card market is still blazing hot, and I'm still taking full advantage of that by continuing to sell cards that I'm ready to move on from. The eBay Standard Envelope mailing option is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things to happen to our hobby in the past decade. It's really enticed me to list some PWE-ship cards that I never would have considered listing. 

As I send cards out, I'm able to bring cards in. 

Tiger Woods - 2001 Upper Deck RC

I wish I would have grabbed this last year when it was a $10 card, but better late than never. This rookie card is almost one of those "must haves" for any collector. Tiger is consistently ranked amongst the greatest athletes of all time. I wanted to grab one in good condition, and paid a little extra for that luxury. If all goes according to plan, this will be the next 1987 Fleer Jordan and it will pay for my kid's college tuition some day. 

Nolan Arenado 

2013 Bowman Draft Base

2013 Bowman Draft Chrome

2013 Bowman Draft Chrome Refractor

Is it just me, or has Nolan Arenado become one of the most under-appreciated players in baseball in the last year or two? Playing in Colorado probably hasn't help him. That should change when he's a big time factor in the middle of the lineup for the Cardinals, who will try to contend with the Cubs for the top spot in the NL Central. 

Just in case you've forgotten about this dude, from 2015-2019, he never had less than 37 HRS and 110 RBI in a season. In that five year strech, he led the NL in HRs three times, and led the entire league in RBI twice. 

Oh, and he's won a Gold Glove in every single season that he's been in the majors. Yep, eight for eight. He's only 30 years old -- and aside from the 2020 season that was fluky for so many top players -- he's showing no signs of slowing down.

You can have your Sotos and Acunas - I'll take my Arenados, thank you very much. I grabbed this lot of three cards for $27 total. 

Jared Oliva - 2019 Bowman Draft Chrome Refractor Autograph #/499

The 25 year old Jared Oliva was looking to have a shot at the major league roster this year. The Pirates are lacking depth in the outfield and I thought Oliva had a chance to grab a backup spot. After collecting only a few hits in spring training, he was optioned to the minor league camp last week. The former 7th round pick will try to prove himself in AAA. 

Sydney Crosby - 2005-06 Upper Deck Trilogy Rookie Premiere #/999

Casually sliding in one of the largest single card purchases I've ever made. As I watch more hockey, I'm really starting to appreciate the greatness of players like Sydney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Connor McDavid. I've had the privilege of watch Sid in person a few times and it doesn't take long to understand that you're watching a master of his craft. 

I was really hoping to land a card with a serial number on it, but it can get pricey. I've been keeping an eye on a few Sid rookies for a few months, and finally found one I was comfortable pulling the trigger on. 

This one was in my price range. It's super clean - great surface, sharp edges and corners. There is one flaw on the card, which the seller was kind enough to highlight so it wasn't a surprise. Check out the pictures below and you can see the chipping right along the bottom center of the back. I decided it's a flaw that I can live with, and the price reflected it.  

Like I said - very minor, and I can definitely live with it. The rest of the card is nearly flawless. 

Immanuel Quickley - 2020-21 NBA Hoops 

My little Knicks PC barely ever makes it on the blog, but it's been picking up some steam now that we're becoming a competitive team again, and there are actually some players worth rooting for. As a pseudo-Kentucky fan, I watch nearly every one of Immanuel Quickley's games at the collegiate level. I'm definitely biased, but I was pumped when the Knicks drafted him. He's already looking like a late-first-round steal and potentially one of the top five picks in the draft. I let the Hoops craze die down for about a month after it's release and then grabbed this for $4.

2020 Prizm Draft Prospects - Elijah Hughes Auto

Speaking of $4 pickups, I grabbed this Elijah Hughes auto. Hughes was the catalyst for 'Cuse's success last year. A lanky 6'6 shooter, his game is built for the NBA. He was selcted by the Jazz in the middle of the second round. He's bounced between the G-League and the big leagues and I hope he'll be able to stick at some point. 

Kevin Durant - 2007-08 Topps RC

The last pickup is another beauty. This is considered Durant's "true" rookie. The Nets are going to be NBA Finals worthy this year, and I wanted to grab a Durant rookie before they make their run and the prices skyrocket. If all goes according to recent events, we may be looking at a Lakers-Nets final... and it would be one for the ages. If the Nets can pull it off, Durant would be the odds-on favorite for MVP. Each of those steps falling into place might be a long-shot parlay, but this would be a hell of a card to own if it happens. 

It's a classic 2000's rookie card. You have to love the old baggy Sonics jersey. I really do miss Topps basketball cards. I have a lot of gripes with Topps, but it would be fun to see them produce licensed hoops cards and give Panini a competition. 

Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I'll get another post up before the April Mail Roundup, but no promises!