Holding Oneself Accountable

When I returned to blogging four months ago, I wrote a "back from hiatus post" and laid out several collecting goals. At the time I felt like this would be an important way to hold myself accountable. Like any hobby, collecting cards has to be meaningful and it has to have a purpose. That’s something that we can never lose sight of. We’re all guilty of chasing hits and hoping to rip a pack and pull the card that’s going to net us $1,000 on eBay, but we need to remember the score reasons about why we collect and cling to those principles.

Coming back to the hobby in July was kind of a “reset” for me, and I put my goals down in writing. Let’s revisit those goals and see how I’ve done:

Goal 1: Continue to grow the Pirates PC, specifically certified autographs:

I’ve done pretty well here. I’ve put a focus on collecting the team I cheer for and my Pirates PC has continued to grow. Some highlights are adding two Kevin Newman autos, my first Oneil Cruz SP /50, a Kevin Kramer Gold Wave /50, a Kramer Auto, and Nick Burdi Auto. I’ve also picked up lots of base cards and parallels through trades.

I’d be remiss to not mention the monster trade with Brian over at Collecting Cutch, who sent me a massive haul of Pirates autos and memorabilia cards (small sample below).

Goal 2: Get a Twitter up and running:

Done! Authored my first tweet on 9/11. Follow me @BucsHere.

Goal 3: Post at least once monthly:

Two posts in July, six in August, five in September, and this is my third in October. Maybe I should have shot higher.

Goal 4: Build a set of 2017 Topps Chrome Purple Parallels #/299:

I happened to casually slip in this goal of collecting 200 short printed parallels. Since I wrote that in July, I’ve altered that goal quite a bit. Rather than shooting for the entire set of 200 cards, I decided to pivot and collect only the Rookies which total 44 cards. I’m excited to say that I’m just ONE (very elusive) card away from completing the Rookie set. Hopefully I can run that final card down soon and have post up showcasing my newest completed set. This is one that I’m really excited for. A lot of chasing involved with this set and there are some awesome names in here.

Goal 5: Send some trade packages out:

"I Got My Eleanor" - Trade with Collecting Cutch

"Trade with The Bucs Stop Here" - Trade with Topps Cards That Never Were

"Delivery Time! The Bucs Stop Here!" - Trade with Nachos Grande

The Snake Stops Here - Trade with Sport Card Collectors

Goal 6: Connect with some new collectors:

We’re getting there for sure. The trades with Sport Card Collectors, Topps That Never Were, and Collecting Cutch were all firsts. I imagine my venture into the Twitterverse will open some new doors, although building a following has been slow going so far. I’m hoping to continue to slowly build a following and drop a contest at a certain point. Maybe 100 followers or a similar milestone.

Thanks for reading!

2019 Topps Chrome Group Break: Pirates

Last week I joined a group break for the first time in years. While browsing the cardboard blogosphere recently, I ended up on the Cardboard Connection reading a guide about the best group break sites. They mentioned Real Breaks, who is Facebook-exclusive family friendly group. They have an assortment of breaks with a little something for everyone - pick your team, random team, etc. I believe they do mostly case breaks. 

I started by just joining the group and not looking for any specific group breaks. Of course over time I started to get notifications, and one night I found myself checking out a 12-box case break of 2019 Topps Chrome, which will yield 24 autos. The Pirates don't have the greatest autograph checklist in 2019 - so my yield had a low ceiling - but that also meant that the price was right. For $30, I jumped in.

The whole break took about an hour which is a long time to tune in to hope for one or two good cards. You'll need some free time and some patience. If you're feeling social, the chat can certainly help keep it interactive. I should also mention that I received all of my cards within a week of the break! Speedy.

Aside from accumulating about five team sets, I did land three nice cards:

Two Nick Burdi autos. The one on the right is the base auto, but the one on the left is the gold parallel #/50. I'll take it! I guess Burdi shows up a ton in Chrome and sort of saturates the product. The break host was joking about "another dang Nick Burdi card." I'm not complaining.

Burdi carried a lot of hype into the season this year because he can creep into triple digits with his fastball. He won a spot in the bullpen out of spring training and was expected to work his way into meaningful late innings. That was cut short after just 11 appearances when his elbow acted up and he underwent his second Tommy John in three years. He's only 26, so here's to hoping he can come back strong some time next year.

Here's the card that I was most excited about, a Kevin Kramer Gold Wave #/50. There's something about gold parallels that really bode well with the Pirates. Yes, the Pirates colors are often referred to as "Black and Gold." In reality, it's black and yellow, but yellow parallels are generally impossible on the eyes. Gold parallels on the other hand... give me all the gold.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my return. Group breaks will always involve risk, but this one worked out. I'd definitely recommend Real Breaks to those looking for a taste of a break without buying a box.

Newman and Kramer: PWE and Some Random PC Adds

I've been a big fan of Sport Card Collectors for a long time. I'm a frequent reader and I especially enjoy the product reviews, which have often inspired (or discouraged) my hobby box purchases. 

I was browsing through the blog the other day and noticed a few late 90's Topps football cards on the wantlist. I have a handful of football cards from that era, so I dug through some of my football commons and was able to dig up two of the cards on there. I contacted Matt who runs the blog and in a few days we had a PWE swap lined up.

I had my eye on a few of his recent breaks after seeing Matt pull a few good looking Pirates.

First up, Matt sent me this 2019 Stadium Club Auto from Kevin Newman. I've never busted open any Stadium Club myself, and I'm not sure I ever will. The photography is great - we know that - but I find myself gravitating towards bordered cards. Therefore, it's awesome to get another Stadium Club Auto in my collection, especially from a guy who has been super impressive in his rookie season.

The other card I requested is the 2019 Topps Chrome Kevin Kramer Prism. I do love some me shiny! At this time last year, Newman and Kramer were projected as the future middle infield for the Pirates. "The Seinfeld Double Play." That hasn't gone exactly to plan as Kramer has been on a slower path of progression. 

Matt also threw in the 2019 Topps Heritage Gregory Polanco Purple Parallel #/175. A really pleasant surprise. Thanks, Matt!

Now for a few random PC pick ups:

Top left: 2018 Bowman Draft Chrome Oneil Cruz #10/50. This guy is super intriguing. First off, he was traded at the deadline in 2017 straight up for reliever Tony Watson, who went on to pitch very meaningful innings for the Dodgers in the playoffs that year. Need more? His dad named him after Paul O'Neil! Not enough for you? He's a 6'6 shortstop, who has a cannon for an arm and a ton of raw power. 

He's 21 years old and was promoted to AA in August. He probably won't stick at that position, but so far his pure athleticism has been enough to keep him there. This is my first Cruz card. I'd love an auto, but he's only signed one licensed product so far and the prices aren't reasonable. 

Top right: 2014 Bowman Chrome Francisco Liriano Bubble Refractor /99. I think the bubble refactors are sooo sweet and I don't know why.

Bottom: 2019 Topps Series 2 Steel City Slammers. I mean... Steel City Slammers. Only two of the players on this card are still Pirates, which sounds about right since it's September and I'm a Pirates fan. Sweet card nonetheless, and a really great way for me to remember Corey Dickerson in one card.

Thanks again to Matt for the awesome PWE swap, and thanks to you for reading!