Take My 2014 Topps S1 Parallels and Inserts, For I Need Them Not

So far I've only bought two hanger boxes of Series 1. I'm happy with that, because I'm on a pretty tight budget as of now. It also helps that I'm not in love with S1, although it does offer some good stuff- none which I've pulled. In my opinion, everything I've pulled is crap. Big lack of Pirates too, which is disappointing. 

Here's all the crap that I've pulled. It's all for trade, and it won't take much in exchange for you to take them home. If you're interested, drop a comment or shoot me an email at nsbell440@gmail.com!

Thanks for reading, Nate

CONTEST WINNER - ANNOUNCED!

First off I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in my first ever contest!! I had exactly 60 entries, which is way more than I could have ever hoped for. I'd also like to extend an even bigger thank you to those who promoted or "pimped" the contest on their own blogs. I'm still quite new to the blogosphere and it means a lot to me that everyone was willing to spread the word.

Quick reminder, here's what's on the line...

I threw all 60 entries into random.org and shuffled twice- a nice, simple number. So without further ado, here are the results:

And there you have it! Please join me in giving a big congratulations to Chunter! 

Chunter's a collector that I hadn't previously connected with. He runs two blogs - A Pack To Be Named Later and Chipp 'n' Dale. He's also on Twitter, @wordriht. Chunter- please shoot me your address at nsbell440@gmail.com.

As for my feelings on this contest, it was everything I had hoped it would be. As far as entries, there was basically an equal number from both the blog and from Twitter. Becuase of the success of the contest, I'll definitely hold more in the future. One change I'd like to make is stick to one media outlet per contest, to reward my blog followers and Twitter followers separately. 

Again, thanks to all who participated and congrats to Chunter! For those who didn't win, fear not- there are more contests on the Big 44 Horizon!

CONTEST! Tulo and J. Upton Jerseys Up for Grabs!

Friends! I'm going to attempt to run a small contest - my first ever! Here's what's on the line!

 You can enter in any of THREE ways: 

1) Drop a comment on this post.

2) Retweet the contest on Twitter HERE.

3) A post about this contest on your blog. Just let me know if you've done so, so I can add that to the tally.

You can do any one of the above. You can do two, or you can do all three!!

So, a maximum of 3 entries per person, one through each of the outlets.

All entries will be randomized through random.org. Winner gets both cards! Winner announced on Monday, 2/10! Good luck!

The Future of the Pirates, In One Card

One of my informal collecting goals for this year is to acquire a certified autographed card from each of the Pirates projected Opening Day starters. I've already got several bench players, relief pitchers and role players, but I've had a hard time finding affordable autos of the young stars (McCutchen, Marte, Alvarez). Thanks to 2013 Gypsy Queen and the off-season, I've finally been able to knock one of these off my list for a decent price:

Marte is without a doubt one of the biggest, if not the biggest part of the Pirates future. The guy has all of the tools to be to a bonafide star, and times he already looks as if he is one. He also prompts some awesome calls from Pirates announcer Greg Brown, usually including the cheesy-yet-awesome exclamation, "MARTAY-PARTAYYY."

To hear that call and others, play around with this for a minute. I guarantee it will give you a chuckle.

I feel like Gypsy Queen autographs embody everything that a perfect card should have. Sharp action photography, a nice border, and sufficient room for an on-card signature.

Starling's inscription is a little violent looking and the centering is a little poor, but this card is actually better than many I've seen. For less than 10 dollars shipped, I will refrain from filing any complaints. This baby is a welcome addition to my Pirates PC.

2014 Topps Series 1 Three Hobby Pack Break

Two regular hobby packs, and one jumbo pack to be exact. My LCS had reasonable prices on hobby packs, so I felt that my money was best spent there rather than on more retail. Here are the highlights from the three packs:

This card was right near the top of the stack, and it was a huge surprise to me. In all honesty, I had no idea that the Great Lambino (like it?) had made the checklist. 

Why? Because he only has 30 major league at-bats. I'm not complaining, merely surpirsed. There's a lot of hope in Pittsburgh that Lambo will be able to adequately fill the gaping holes at both first base and in right field. In 2013 between AA and AAA, he amassed 31 dingers, which was tops in Pirates farm system by far. Because of the hype, I picked up a sick auto of him way back in September.

Above is the rest of the inserts and parallels. Nothing to write home about. For a minute, I thought the gold parallel was Kevin MILLAR, which got me really excited that he had made ANOTHER comeback. He did play for the Jays in 2010, so there was a ton of foolery here. Wikipedia even agrees with me!

Moving on:

Lastly is possibly the most interesting pull I've ever had. This came from one of the regular hobby packs, not the jumbo. What I believe we have here is an original Dave Ricketts card from 1970 Topps. The card itself looks old, feels old, and is terribly beat up- there's a complete fold running diagonally through the left side. The stamp on the top left corner is clearly modern, but the back of the card has no indication of it being a reprint. 

Also, I can't see a situation where Topps would make a reprint and then take the time to physically damage the card. Doesn't make sense.

This was really cool to see, mostly because it's a Pirate. Ricketts was a lifetime back-up, amassing a gargantuan ONE career homerun. 

My question to you is, have you seen vintage cards inserted into 2014 S1? Which ones? Is this some type of promotion? I'd love to hear what's out there.

Thanks for reading.

A Hanger Pack of 2014 Topps S1 and a Quick Puig Rant

A little late to the party, but not too late. Fashionably late, we'll say. I hope you're not sick of seeing these babies just yet.

Yesterday I picked up a hanger pack of 2014 S1 from the big blue box. From what I've seen and heard, this year's design is nothing to write home about. I decided to judge for myself:

It's nice to see a bonafide star gracing the cover, rather than a potential star. Let's get straight into the box contents.

Starting off the with base cards, they're not horrible. I've heard a ton from collectors about the design, and rightfully so. It's different, that's for sure. I don't have a huge problem with the wavy bottom, but it's the strange looking cut-out-tab looking thingy on the right side that really gets me. It's entirely unnecessary. In my opinion, one non-straight edge is plenty. It's also not necessary to have the team names spelled out on the right hand side when the logo is already in the bottom left. But I digress.

This was my only Pirate, which is disappointing. Better Cutch thatn no one though! I do like the Ripken insert, probably because it has the old-school look. Simple, colorful, effective.

Above is the new red sparkle parallels, which I prefer much more than the old emeralds. These look sharp. I also like the Upper Class inserts, which are also clean and effective. It's also cool to see Randy Johnson in a 'Spos jersey, about to hurl an 89 mile per hour slider (that will most likely break your knees).

And of course, the obligatory Puig insert. To be blunt, I am thoroughly sick of seeing this guy. I'm sick of seeing so much praise for a guy that hasn't even had 400 major league at bats. It's safe to say that I will root against this guy in 2014. Combine both his on and off-field antics with the fact he's completely reckless, and I've got plenty of reasons to dislike him.

The common rebuttal from collectors is often, "He's good for the hobby." Is he? Is he good for the hobby? Or is he good for Topps?

I'd argue the latter. Set builders in particular come to mind. It seems that set builders dread having to search for a Puig card to complete their set, because they're either too expensive or no will trade them.

Rant concluded. Moving on:

The top row is the good ol' blue Walmart blue parallels. Not much to see there. I also landed two canary yellow parallels, which are absolutely hideous. I will say however, that the Callaspo parallel looks excellent only because of the A's colors. I can't think of any other team that this would work with though; so A's fans, you've lucked out here. Everyone else: Sorry.

I was happy to see that the gold parallel was at least a relevant, everyday player. We'll see if Mr. Brown continue striking bombs in 2014 and stand out for reeling Phillies squad.

Every thing except for Cutch is for trade. Get in touch if you see something you like!

I'll be tearing open some hobby packs later tonight, so hopefully I'll have another post up sooner than later. 

Thanks for reading, 

Nate 

Atomic PC Additions and Some Topps Series 1 Previews!

I haven't posted in forever. That's a fact. I feel bad too, because I was having some great interactions and building somewhat of a following. However, even when I'm not posting I'm constantly reading and browsing blogs, and you guys have provided some excellent reading material. 

I've also been neglecting eBay and COMC somewhat, but I was able to sit down the other night and put together a few orders. Here's what I hauled in:

I actually stumbled across these by accident, in a way. I was searching eBay for 2013 Topps Chrome atomic refractors, which are numbered to 10. I absolutely love the "cracked ice" look to these parallels, but the 2013's are generally way too expensive, being so rare.

 In my search I learned that in 2011 Topps, the atomic refractors are exactly the same design, but numbered to 225. Boom! There were several of each of COMC, so I was able to pick and choose. The best part is, the Liriano is 47/225, his jersey number! I absolutely hate when eBayers use this gimmick to jack up prices, but that wasn't the case here. Happy to have it!

I'm still looking for this same card, but of Pedro Alvarez. Please let me know if you see one!

Next up:

This baby. What to say here. This is more or less a case of, "Whoa. Shiny. Must. Have." It also satisfied many of my conditions for buying a single:

Price? The price was right. Really right (I think). The same card has gone on eBay for waaayy more than I bought it for, although the grades were higher.

Rarity? Somewhat rare. It's an X-fractor RC, at least.

Value? People f**kin' love this guy. I'm sure the 9 brings the value down. 

Unique? I've never owned a graded card! Plus it's a just a beautiful looking card all-around.

That was enough for me. I guess this is technically for trade if there are any Harper super-fans out there that are dying for a card like this. I'd need a great offer though. 

Moving on: How about 2014 Topps Series 1?! Who's excited?! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. I'm definitely a bigger fan of S2, Update, and Chrome... but the novelty of a new product is always exciting to me. I've been avoiding the card isle all week and WallyWorld in an effort to save up for some packs of S1. I may even consider a blaster. Thoughts? Anyone out there buying a hobby box? Joining a group break? I'd love to hear some opinions. 

I've been keeping up with Topps' updates throught Twitter, and here are some of the cards that have caught my eye:

All of these autos are pretty damn nice. I've seen a ton of complaints about all of the autos being stickers. I actually don't mind the stickers for S1 and S2, because it means that other Topps products with on-card autos will remain higher end (Chrome, Gypsy Queen Five Star, etc). It also cuts down on redemptions, I believe.

A few quick housekeeping items; I 've updated my Trade Bait. There are over a dozen 2013 Topps Chome sapphire blue refractors /199 on there, as well as tons of other goodies. Check it out! I'd love to get some trades going.

Also, if you haven't checked me out on Twitter, please do so! @big44cards

Thanks for reading! Nate