2009 UD Philadelphia Box Break Review Part 2

Hey guys, Drew back here. Well, after a trade post tomorrow I should be caught up. I'm working a lot on my new custom cards, and when I get a response from Grandpa Roy I'll have the backs complete. You'll see what the heck I'm talking about. I got a sweet Cano in, my 5th auto of his, and you'll see it soon. Here is the final review for 2009 UD Philadelphia, gonna be hard to beat my great mid term performances! My final average in Spanish was 100! BooYah! Anyway, here goes:

Design: The design is very original, but you have to look back at the greatness of the old school set. There are some nice cards, and Upper Deck did use some nice pictures, so that makes me happy. The inserts are pretty nice, but I do have a small problem with the set. It has 100 short prints. That's a heck of a lot. 25 or 30 of whatever amount it was of stupid Obama inserts is NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU COMPLETE THE STUPID SET!!!! (By the way, this is pretty funny. Brian Bruney of the Nationals makes more money than Obama, but President Obama has more cards). I like the Woodstock inserts and I don't mind all the others, but I am sick of Obama cards. He's nothing but a celebrity, the way people are treating him. I'm not saying anything bad politically, but it feels like George Clooney is our President, the way they make him look. He's done a lot of work and I don't even follow politics, so I'm not knocking on the guy. Remember though, he's a President, not Brad Pitt. I love how the set has on card autos, there's a big plus. Design Grade: B+

Price: Another awesome deal here. For 40 bucks on Blowout Cards, you can get about close to half the base set, about 3 quarters of a short 200 card set of veterans. You also get 2 game used of solid players and an on card autograph. Being that Jerricho Cotchery may be the worst auto in the checklist benefits me. They don't sell really well but none of us are here to sell. We are here to see some great cards join our collection. With the chance of a buyback card, it adds more fun and suspense to the product. Price Grade: A+

Hits: Well, as I said, 2 game used of solid players and a nice on card autograph are guaranteed per box, and with a chance of an original card (I got a Hall of Famer, woo!!!!) from an original Philadelphia set is great. You get all that for the price of 2 blasters. Upper Deck really hit the jackpot on this set! Hits Grade: A-

Overall: Like I just said, Upper Deck definitely hit the jackpot on this set! I have seen some great cards come out of it, and they definitely proved us collectors wrong, the ones who thought they couldn't make a football set to save their life! For the price and the amount of hits it's a great deal, and I'm very happy my dad got me the box! I may trade the buyback to Beardy but I'm still thinking about it because it's such a cool card. Sure, it would be better off in his collection, but I would like to get a Jets one. Titans maybe even. No, not Tennessee. New York! Thanks Upper Deck for putting out such a solid release, definitely will consider buying more of it in the future. Overall Grade: A

Some high praise for a company that is drowning underwater right now in lawsuits! Got a mailday coming next! See Ya!

2009 UD Philadelphia Box Break Review Part 1

Hey guys, Drew back here, with a box break review of 2009 Upper Deck Philadelphia football. Still typing on Microsoft Word due to Internet connectivity issues, but its OK. I just found out how to add scans, click to enlarge them if you'd like! Sorry about the font, it'll be fixed in the next post, it's just because of Word copy and paste. Thanks again to my dad for the box, and let’s get cracking! But first, the very important Product Expectations!

PRODUCT CONTENT

20 Packs per Box

8 Cards per Box

160 Cards per Box!

1 5x7 National Chicle R311 Box Topper

15 Base Set Short Prints Expected per Box

4 National Chicle Inserts

2 Memorabilia Cards per Box!

1 On Card Autograph per Box!

Chance at buybacks from original Philadelphia Sets!

Upper Deck gave this retro set a try this year, after Topps said they would release Magic, and of course, Mayo. The cards are simple, but have a pretty nice design. More on that when I get to the review. Here is what I got in my box:

MY BOX BREAK REVIEW:

Full Set: 144/300

Base Set: 139/200

Base Set Short Prints: 5/100

- Rookies: 3 (Peria Jerry, Patrick Chung, Malcolm Jenkins)

- NFL Legends: 2 (Barry Sanders, John Elway)

Other Short Prints: 10/100

- The Story of Barack Obama: 3 (305, 307, 320)

- Woodstock 40^th Anniversary: 1 (328)

- Vietnam War Bulletin: 1 (U.S. Involvement in Vietnam War Ends)

- The Election Years: 1 (1960: JFK vs. Humphrey)

- Stars of Action: 4 (Drew Brees, Julian Peterson, Ronnie Brown, Derrick Brooks)

5x7 National Chicle Box Topper: 1 (Hines Ward)

National Chicle Minis: 4

(William Miller NC9, George McGovern NC17, FG-1D Corsair NC33, Hines Ward NC58)

Memorabilia Cards: 2

- Steve Smith (CAR)

- Darren Sproles

Autographs: 1

- Jerricho Cotchery

1965 Philadelphia Buyback: 1

- Lenny Moore (Baltimore Colts HOF!!!)

In my opinion, this was a great box! I got a very old card in decent shape of a Hall of Famer, and the game used are of players I have always liked. The autograph, is of course a Jet. Unfortunately, I bought the Cotchery auto at the show BEFORE we opened the box, before I knew he got me a box that is. So, I have 2 now, 1 is for trade I guess, but I'm only looking for my PC stuff in return. Thanks, and See Ya! Stay tuned for Part 2, the grading!

White Plains Card Show Review Part 8

PART 8:
SURPRISE BOX!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Today, I am typing this on Microsoft Word, because my computer is having weird connection issues. So, anyway, we got out of school 1 HOUR early, which is ridiculous, due to a snow storm.

So, my dad got me a box of 2009 Upper Deck Philadelphia. It was a nice box, especially because we got like a bonus hit. Stay tuned for the review coming up next!

This show was great, JP’s Sports Promotions did great as usual, a big thanks to them. I got a ton of stuff, so my PC’s are really growing and are getting awesome. My Cano collection really improved, with 2 autos, one being a rookie auto.

See Ya!

UPDATE: I now can upload scans to posts! So no more videos unless they are necessary. And the problems are fixed. A nice copy and paste post! How bout dat!

White Plains Card Show Review Part 7

Part 7:

Meeting Mattingly & Montefusco!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here, after a long day of boredom at home. Here is the next part of the series.

Well, it was a great day of picking up cards and other stuff, but there was a whole other side to this story. The lines were huge, so I had to pass on former Dodgers Ed Roebuck & Ralph Branca, and former Mets manager Bobby Valentine, and so I met the freebie autograph guest, John "The Count" Montefusco, after I met Mattingly.

Let's start with Montefusco. I had to go pick up his rookie card at a vendor so I could get it signed, since we had 2 tickets and 1 card. So, I got that for I think 50 cents, and off we went. They did the Mattingly session by number called, in order. Yeah, we were #145. Ugh. So, we went in line to meet Montefusco, and it was a really long wait. We got called to meet Mattingly when we became close to the front of the line, and so we hopped over to meet him. But after we got back from meeting Mattingly, it was almost our turn to meet Montefusco. Actually, if Mattingly hadn't left right after we met him and Montefusco had to run out and get his autograph before he left our plan may have never worked out. But it did, and he was a really nice guy and looked pretty young, although he is 59, he looked in his early 50's. He never was too successful in the majors but did finish his career with a 90-83 record and a career 3.54 ERA. He made the all star team in his 1976 rookie season, and he also was named rookie of the year. He threw a no hitter that year and had a great rookie season. It went downhill after that unfortunately. He inscribed the cards I gave him to sign "The Count" and I was happy to meet him. Here are the cards and me with him:

Him Signing Autographs


Me with The Count


The End Result

Next up, was the reason I preferred going the Saturday instead of meeting the entire Yankees infield from the 1977 World Series on Sunday, meeting former Yankee Captain, 6 time All Star, 9 Time Gold Glover, 3 Time Silver Slugger, and 1985 AL MVP Don Mattingly! As I mentioned in the Montefusco paragraph we had to get out of line for him and go to the Mattingly line when nobody was there and he was about to leave. Since we practically were first in line, we rushed to get everything ready, and all turned out well except for the picture of me and him, which is blurry. He signed the 8x10 picture we bought of him and it looks nice with my other signed pictures (Roy White, Chris Chambliss, Cecil Fielder, Brian Bruney, and Yogi Berra). We asked him if he remembered a story in an elevator involving my uncle and him. There were in a hotel, same elevator at one time, and my uncle thought he was Ron Guidry. He said to Mattingly "Hey, Louisiana Lightning!". Of course, it wasn't Guidry. Mattingly didn't remember it, but he said many funny things like that have happened to him in his career that they are all a blur. He laughed at the story though. It was great meeting him and getting his second autograph. I already have his trifecta after that crazy pull in my box of Donruss Threads, but it's nice to actually meet him. Here are the pictures of the autograph and other stuff from the quick meet with a former Captain:

Him Signing

Me with Donnie Baseball

Always good to authenticate!


The Autograph

I hope you enjoyed that story, and See Ya!

White Plains Card Show Review Part 6

PART 6: ROBINSON CANO &

NICK SWISHER PC PICKUPS!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I had to stay home today because I have a bit of a stomach bug and other cold symptoms, but I'm feeling a little better, so I figured why not put up a post? I sorta got over the Jets loss, you guys proved a point, they did much better than anyone thought. With a new head coach and rookie quarterback, we had no business being that far in the playoffs. So, here are the new cards in my growing collections of Swisher & Cano. I focused mainly on Cano this time around, trying to play it safe with Swisher as he may be dealt at some point before the season. Chances are unlikely, and even if he does get dealt I will probably still collect him, but just calming down a bit with Nick Swisher.

5 Robby Cano Inserts

Top left is a 2009 206 Bronze Parallel, got it cheap, pretty nice card. Top right is a 2006 Topps Finest card. It looks like a parallel but apparently it is a base card. Never seen them but they are nice. The middle one is a Bazooka Mini rookie card I got for a quarter, which was sweet! The bottom left is a 2008 Finest Dual Team Favorites Cano/Melky Cabrera Refractor, I need the regular version but this is really nice! The bottom right is a 2008 Bowman Gold Parallel, nothing special there, just a 1 per pack insert I didn't have.

2008 UD Diamond Collection Nick Swisher

Pretty nice card here, I never see these inserts anywhere, but I do have the Brian McCann & another one too lying around my house if I haven't traded them. I think this was a quarter too, so not too bad there.

7 2008 Moments & Milestones Cano Base Cards, 1 2007 Moments & Milestones
(all #ed/150)

This set is a headache, so I bought all the ones I saw. I hope to get as many of them as possible just to get it off my chest. This is a pretty good start on 2008, one of the most pointless sets Topps has ever created.

2007 Bowman's Best Blue & Green Refractors

When I saw these 2 cards lying around, I knew I may never get a chance at the blue at least again, so I got them for pretty cheap, I think in a deal with another card for 5 bucks. The blue is numbered to 99 and is hard to find, while the green is a little easier, numbered to 249. I still need the gold version, and that is numbered to 50. Wish me luck on finding that one.

2008 Topps Finest Cano Blue Refractor /499

Keeping with the refractor theme, I picked up this nice Cano for cheap, and it is a really nice card. I still prefer 07 or 09 Finest over 2008 but it's a pretty nice set nonetheless.

2006 Topps Co-Signers Changing Faces Red Insert w/Jeter /150

Another pain in the butt set for Cano cards, in base and inserts only it adds up to 25 different cards! He is featured on the Jeter inserts on the side, and also there is a version with Mickey Mantle. Topps really gives me a hard time. But it's worth it.

2003 Bowman Robinson Cano Rookie Card

This is a card I've wanted for quite some time, and it's definitely an awesome card. My dad secretly got this one for me as well as the next one. He certainly did a ton for me and I thank him so much for the cards! Now I have 3 regular rookie cards and something awesome at the end of this post of Cano. I definitely made some progress.

2006 Allen & Ginter Cano Bat Relic

Now this is a beauty. My dad got me this one too as I said and it is a great addition. I have a huge stack of Cano relics and autos, and this is definitely one of the nicer ones. I upgraded my Cano wantlist yesterday too by the way, the 2010 stuff is already on the list. I still need to work on the Swisher list.

2006 Bowman Originals Nick Swisher Buyback Autograph /342

I bought this card for 10 bucks, a great deal! I saw a few Swishers that I needed to pass on but this one is cool. Another nice steal for Drew! I just don't get why they made Nick Swisher sign 342 2006 Bowman base cards, kinda pointless, but so is the rest of this hobby.

2008 Topps Stadium Club Robinson Cano Beam Team Autograph

YES! I finally can get rid of my Tom Gorzelanny version of this card! And better yet, I have a Cano now, and I got it for like 15 bucks. It's a really nice one I must add, probably the greatest autograph design I've ever seen. Nothing much you can do about the sticker, and I still need the other 2 versions of the card, which kinda sucks, because I like this one the best. But I'm trying to be a Cano Supercollector so I need to do what I gotta do.

2005 Topps Total Robinson Cano RC Autograph

My 1st thought of this card when I saw it (other then, wow, how much does it cost?) was, his autograph has really developed over time. I got this for like 15 bucks too I'm pretty sure, another no doubt steal. I love this card, and it is probably one of the better pieces of the PC. I actually just bought another sweet one of his off eBay, from a newer product. Can't wait to get it and show it to you guys!

Well, that's it. Not that much, haha, yeah, I'm crazy. See Ya!

Next up is the post about meeting Donnie Baseball, and then the surprise box break, and then I'm somewhat caught up, at least finished with this show.

White Plains Card Show Review Part 5

Part 5: J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here, and I am amped for the big game that will probably start while I'm posting the Jets I bought at the card show. My dad got me 2 of these, thanks again dad! Anyway, here goes, but first, this little video to amp me, you, the person sitting next to you, the dude throwing pistachios into a sleeping dude's mouth at an airport, or any other people up!

2009 Bowman Sterling Dustin Keller Jersey /999

Wow, Jordin Sparks does a good National Anthem. Anyway, got this card in a nice deal for dirt cheap, and it's an awesome card. I have one of his relics from that stupid premier from 2008 Bowman Sterling, and this is now my 3rd relic of his. I'd sure love to get his auto. He is a great young tight end, and he may be a big factor in today's game.

2009 UD Philadelphia Jerricho Cotchery On Card Autograph

What a nice card this is. When I traded my auto from this set of D-Bowe to Beardy, I knew I had to check for Jets in the checklist. Sure enough, one of my favorite wide receivers, Jerricho Cotchery, had an auto in the set. I'm pysched to have this card, but there is a funny story about the card too, and I'll have to tell you that in one of the next posts in the series. I think I got this for 10 bucks, which isn't bad.

2009 Upper Deck 3D Stars Shonn Greene Rookie Card

Boy I'm amped up! I think I got this for like 2 or 3 bucks, and it's an awesome card. When you tilt it it shows his college jersey, and then of course the Jets side as you see in this picture. Shonn is a great rookie and I'm excited to see how he'll play later on in his career.

1990 (or 1991) NFL Pro Set Matt Snell On Card Autograph

My dad got me this one and the next one, and nothing better than having an autograph of a 1968 NFL Super Bowl Champion. Matt was a key factor as the Jets fullback and occasional running back back in the day, so it's cool to have. He bought it at a vendor, so there's no guarantee it's authentic, the guy said he met Matt and got that auto then. He inscribed his number too, which was cool.

2007 Topps Performance David Harris Rookie Jersey Autograph

Jeez. First play, first down. Let's hope that isn't the start of bad things here in NY. Good, 3rd down. Sorry, just typing while watching, and since my subject is based on the Jets, then I could write whatever I want about them. 4TH DOWN!!! And guess who just sacked Peyton? DAVID HARRIS!!!! He's a good linebacker and this is a sweet card. Now I need an autograph of Darelle Revis, who has his own island named after him for the day!

GO JETS!!!! AND SEE YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

White Plains Card Show Review Part 4

Part 4: YANKEES HITS

Hey guys, Drew back here, moving right along with part 4, all the Yanks hits (outside of Cano & Swisher) that I picked up at the show. Tonight I'm going to my friend's house, after we hit a concert by 1964, the world's greatest Beatles impersonators. More on that tomorrow, here we go:

2008 Legendary Cuts Roger Clemens/Catfish Hunter Dual Jersey

There are two sides of the equation on this card, but one side I hate. But, for the price I paid, it was an added bonus. I hope you know the side I'm talking about. The vintage Catfish jersey definitely makes the card, and I'm happy to say it's my second Catfish jersey card, but 1st as a Yankee. Always nice to welcome Hall of Famers into your collection.

2009 Goodwin Champions Graig Nettles Jersey

Although it's just a plain gray swatch, Goodwin did great with the design and this is a great card. Nettles would've had a better shot at the Hall of Fame if it wasn't for Brooks Robinson, but what can you do. This is my 3rd jersey card of a Yankee from the set and I'm certainly looking to add more. I currently have: Nettles, Wang, and Posada.

2008 Legendary Cuts Curtis Granderson Jersey

My 1st game used of the great new Yankee, Curtis Granderson. Although I shouldn't say great, because you are only great if you can play in the battlefield here in the Big Apple. Mets or Yankees, pitcher or left bench, you're gonna get tossed around like a hot potato. And it certainly won't change. I wish Curtis luck next year, to have a nice season and not get torn apart by the media.

2008 Bowman Sterling Mark Melancon Autograph

Had to pick up an autograph of a good Yanks prospect. He might be gone in a few years but still, Melancon is a pretty good pitcher, and it's nice to own.

2009 Sweet Spot Dave Winfield Jersey

I may never get a chance to meet and greet Mr. Winfield again like I did last show, so I guess I'll have to stick to a bunch of tiny pieces of jerseys of his for now. This is a pretty nice card, and I'm happy to have it. The first time I saw it when Sweet Spot came out, I thought to myself that I'll have that card at some point in the future. Tadah!

2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Preston Mattingly Autograph /519

I know, the beloved Dodgers have this guy, but still, I consider him some sort of property of the Yanks. He'll probably never get as big as his daddy, chances are he may never make it. But I got it for dirt cheap and since I met his dad the same day, it was a cool card to have.

2009 UD Spectrum Francisco Cervelli RC Auto

Out of all the cards I got, this was a very exciting one for me. I think this guy is gonna be good. Real good. Still gotta get a Jesus Montero autograph, but I'm happy I have an auto of the Yanks catcher in coming! Boy it's a nice card too. I would really like the Goudey auto of his too, anybody have it?

1993 Upper Deck Derek Jeter RC

This isn't really a hit, but I spent 10 bucks on it so I think it belongs here, and I forgot it anyway in last post. This is an iconic card, and I'm happy to have it! I have 2 Topps RC's, this one, and a few others, but I still need one more. And it's gonna cost me! The SP rookie card, and I saw it for 90 bucks. I'm like, no thanks!

2007 Bowman Sterling Phil Hughes RC Auto

This is probably my favorite of this bunch. It is an awesome card, and I picked it up for 10 bucks! Not bad! There are defintely some very nice vendors at the shows, but some really try to rip you off, a guy wanted 30 bucks for a Nick Swisher 2009 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor numbered to 199! I saw one at a different vendor for like 2 bucks! The guy said to me, "Well, he's a good player, and it is ONLY limited to 199 copies". I'm like "Screw that!" in my head. But to the subject though, hopefully Phil can continue to pitch well and this might be a nice card down the road!

I think I really looked like a prospector on this post, but I think it was worth it! See Ya!

White Plains Card Show Review Part 3

Hey guys, Drew back here, after a very long break. Sorry bout that. We had a virus on the computer, and I wasn't able to get on for a few days. Thankfully it's gone, and as I am wiping out random pictures and videos on the PC that I don't need, I figured it was time to post part 3, the random base and numbered Yanks inserts picked up while at the show. I spent some money on this stuff as it was pretty critical for me to get. Here we go:

Part 3: Plain old Yanks for the PC!

3 Whitey Fords

Gotta start off with an all time great, no doubt the best left handed pitcher for the Yanks all time. I'm too lazy to post the sets they're from, I know the middle one is from 2005 Diamond Kings but I forgot the rest. The picture on the left card is the same picture as the one I will be soon sending out to Mr. Ford through the mail. All 3 of these cards would look great signed but I wanna do the picture instead. I picked each of these up for I think a quarter each. Not bad!

3 Thurman Munsons

Sweet! I got the cheapest Triple Threads base card they had, it's numbered out of 1350 and I think I got it for 4 bucks. It's a really nice card and my first of any year Triple Threads base cards. The next one is from 2009 Topps American Heritage and is part of the Heroes of Sport inserts. The picture and design is great and I got it along with the next one in a deal, don't remember how much. The last one is a 2009 Topps Legends of the Game insert, and very well could be my favorite of the 3. It's got an excellent picture of a former Yankee great, my dad's all time favorite baseball player not to mention. These 3 cards were must haves when I saw them and they look great in the collection!

2 C.C. Sabathias

Awesome cards, one is from 2009 SP Authentic, one of those old school die cut inserts, the Platinum Powers. No doubt a great card, and the second one is from 2009 Ticket to Stardom. Unlike many of you, I really like this set, and I think Topps & Upper Deck finished the year strong. I can't wait to get my hands on some 2010 Topps! Just wanted to throw that out there, hopefully I get to Target soon. The insert on the CC card on the right is one of the Big Ticket inserts, and that name certainly fits C.C. He is a heck of a pitcher and I'm glad to have him on the team.

2 Phil Hughes

Both of these cards are a little plain (it's Bowman, what can you say?), but the one on the left is a rookie card and it is cool with the Futures Game jersey on (that is that jersey right?) and the one on the right was a quarter and I didn't have it, from 2009 Bowman. Cool, hopefully he can have another stellar season. Quick question for you Yanks fans reading: Starter or Reliever? I wanna say reliever but I think they need another starter. Comment with your opinion please.

1 Paul O'Neill, 1 Roger Maris, and 2 Don Mattinglys

The Paul O'Neill is a really cool 90's insert, or is it a regular set (boy, times have changed!), and it was also a quarter so it was cool. The next one is a 2009 Legends of the Game Roger Maris. This card was really nice so I got it along with the Thurman Legends. I think I have around 6 of these now (A-Rod, Maris, Munson, Boggs, Gehrig, and Reggie, could use some more if you got em') so I definitely got my share of the insert set. From what it looks like some 2010 Topps inserts are nice, yet some are pointless. More on that another time. I bought the next card of Mattingly for a quarter, only because I needed to pick 1 more card out to even it out and I thought it would be cool to get a card of Mattingly signing autographs when he would be soon signing autographs for me. Get it? The last one is an oddball produced by the Metz Baking Company in the 90's. I got this card for free from a vintage vendor. She was really nice, and apparently she was given the Bill Simmons "best vendor" award at the National one time. She sells vintage cards and gave it to me out of kindness. Thanks if you're reading!

2 Topps Unique Red Parallel Cards

So, there is living, breathing proof if you haven't seen the cards that there are name engravings on the cards. They don't scan well, and I have no clue how to convert my scan files anyway, so let's just go with the old camera now. These are nice, and they are numbered out of 1199 and they're a one per pack insert. Nice!

The Yankees cards from the packs in the last post

Nice Yanks in this little lot. Got the CC short print from 206, and a Swisher for the PC. Also getting a Jeter numbered out of 495 is cool, and a few more of those DiMaggio's don't hurt!

Overall, I did well with the base and inserts I picked up! I have a few more parts to this series coming very soon, possibly the next 2 tomorrow! Here is what I have planned for the finishing of the series:

Part 4: The Yankees Hits
Part 5: The Jets Hits
Part 6: Meeting Mattingly & Montefusco
Part 7: The Surprise Box!

Stay tuned, and See Ya!