White Plains Card Show 1/22/12 Recap, Part Three!

Hey guys, Drew back here! So, continuing on the series, here is Part 3, which features all of the relics we purchased between Dad & I at the show! Check it out:

PART 3: Relic Additions

This is where the show began to get out of control for us, as we picked up a ton of nice new cards to add to the collection! We'll start with all the jerseys, including our Tier One set additions, and then work our way to the autos. Lets get started!

We lead off with a 2010 Allen & Ginter relic of the reigning NL MVP, and possible PED-user Ryan Braun. Braun was starting to go up the ranks on my favorite non-Yankee player list, but I think he's starting to creep back downhill a bit. I think for the sake of baseball he should give the trophy back, whether he is truly guilty or innocent. It would show a lot of class for him to admit himself being wrong. Why should he worry about giving it back though? If he really thinks he didn't use PED's and he just had a great season, he might as well go back out and try to win another MVP award next season! Anyways, I got this card for free from a vendor because I bought two fairly expensive autos from him, and I liked the color of the swatch more than anything else on the card.

Speaking of PED's, here's a Jason Giambi patch card numbered to 45 from 2008 UD SPX! I've never really been a big Giambi fan, mainly because when I was getting into baseball, he was on his way out of baseball. Also, I got into the sport not much before the Mitchell Report and the Steroid Saga was underway, so it didn't give me a whole lot of reason to like him. But, like A-Rod, I dealt with him being in the Yankee lineup. I got this card only because the patch is just awesome all around! I see 3 different colors on the patch and a neat design, as well as a pinstripe sneaking onto the card in the corner of the swatch! Pretty neat for sure!

These two Robinson Cano relics kind of went hand in hand for me, as Dad got them for me from the same vendor as a lot. The vendor I bought these from is definitely one of my favorites at the show, and he's there every time working at the same table as Hunter, another one of my favorite vendors at the show who I've mentioned before. Anyways, I needed both of these 2007 Topps Highlights jersey and 2009 Legendary Cuts jersey cards for my Cano PC, and it's even cooler to see that they both have pinstripes!

Next was a pretty sweet dual relic from again, 2009 UD SP Legendary Cuts! This card features jersey swatches from both Bo Jackson and Albert Pujols. I don't really see the connection between the two, but I like both of them a lot so it's pretty cool for sure. I'm not a fan of the Pujols signing in LA but I still have respect for him because if he hasn't done steroids or PED's, he's one of the best players of all time. 

Along with the Pujols/Jackson card was another sweet dual relic of two of my favorites, Reggie Jackson and Josh Hamilton! Both of them reside in my Secondary Collections group, and it's only fitting that I would eventually add this one to the collection!


The final three relics I was able to add to my collection last Sunday were needed for my Topps Tier One relic set I'm working on! Going into the show I had 5 cards total from the 50 card set, along with 3 that were incoming from trades and eBay. As well as the incoming pickups, Dad was able to help me add 3 more at the show! 

The first relic was of one of my PC players, Don Mattingly! This card is absolutely awesome, with a nice crisp photo and a solid overall design. The Yankees are pretty well represented in this set, with Babe Ruth; Lou Gehrig; Joe DiMaggio; Mickey Mantle; Reggie Jackson; Thurman Munson; Mattingly; and Paul O'Neill. One of the main reasons why I decided to collect this set was because there were a lot of Yankees relics I needed to add that were included! I've already got plenty of Mattingly but I can never get enough of one of the top players in all of baseball in the 1980's!

Card #2 just so happened to be a bat relic of one of baseball's most legendary hitters, in Tris Speaker. Tris is very often overlooked by some of the heroes in the game from his time period (1907-1928), such as Cobb; Wagner; Ruth; and a young Jimmie Foxx, but he was by far one of the best hitters to ever pick up a bat. He retired in 1928 with a lifetime batting average of .345 and 3,514 hits. When he retired, only Cobb had more hits than him, and to this day he still ranks 5th all time. To now own a piece of his bat is something special, even if its just a small part of what he used to get himself to an elite level of baseball skill.

As dominant as Speaker was for all of those years, the best relic we were able to pick up was of Dodgers legendary lefty, Sandy Koufax. This is the dual relic version, numbered 41/99. Sandy is a rarity in today's hobby, but thanks to his contract signing with Topps over the past year, collectors all around the world have been able to add his autograph and memorabilia to their collections! Koufax doesn't have the raw career stats that would put most pitchers in the Hall of Fame, but his level of dominance in about a 5 year span was great enough to put him in Cooperstown with ease. Being able to own a part of his jersey is unreal, and I'm really grateful for my dad to be able to help add cards like these to my collection!

Thanks again Dad for all of the awesome cards you got for me! The autos will be on the next post, and following that will be able 2-3 more posts until I complete the in-depth recap of one of the best shows I've ever been to!

See Ya!

White Plains Card Show 1/22/12 Recap, Part Two!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Now that we're underway with the card show review, I'm just going to let it continue. Check it out!

PART 2: 1961 Topps Pickups

The 1961 Set has been moving quite slow of late for us, but every show Dad and I tend to at least chip away a few cards from the set. We've knocked off a majority of the star player base cards, except for Bob Gibson, Carl Yastrzemski, Sandy Koufax, and Roberto Clemente, however there is still a long way to go until the set is be anywhere close to complete! I officially announced that I was collecting the set last spring, so within the year, to be able to track down 1/3 of the set is not bad at all! Anyways, let's get to the new additions to the set:

Some may consider this set extremely boring, but honestly I think there's something about them that I really like. It's a very classy set, and while it doesn't contain the flare and fantastic design that many modern sets have, I still value the photo more than anything else. There are some classic shots in this set for sure. My favorite of the 8 above cards is definitely Ted Kluszewski, who was known for being the muscular home run hitting guy who cut his sleeves off on his jersey. Unfortunately, while the card is nice, it doesn't show his hot abs!

Next up are all of the remaining League Leaders cards I needed for the whole set! Honestly, I think these cards are the ugliest part of the set, but that's just my opinion. Of course, there is nothing ugly about the top card, featuring Mantle and Maris! Anyways, there are some solid players displayed on these cards without a doubt, but I'm not a big fan of the overall design. Still, they are part of the set, which means I'm obligated to obtain them. I'm glad to have them all out of the way!

In my opinion, the top pickups (besides the Mantle/Maris leaders card) were of these 4 players: Warren Spahn, Brooks Robinson, Bill Virdon, and Harmon Killebrew. While clearly Virdon may not fit with the other 3 Hall of Famers, I like him a lot and it's a nice card. I got him through the mail a while back and he also was a Yankee manager so I'm a fan for sure. Besides Virdon, I've been really meaning to add Brooks' card for a while now. Not only do I think it's one of the nicest cards in the set, but I knocked off a majority of the first 50 cards, and he was the biggest card I needed to get. Also, Dad originally bought a Richie Ashburn but then realized we had it, went back and exchanged it for the Warren Spahn you see above. I didn't have much in Spahn, so I'm glad he was able to get that one! Lastly, the late Harmon Killebrew's card is pretty nice as well, showing him while his hair was still a full strawberry blonde/brownish color. 

So, that will do it for the 1961 portion of my card show gatherings! Thanks a lot Dad for all of the help as always! You're the best! If anyone has any 1961 Topps cards you wouldn't mind trading, please take a look at my list of what I have under the first headline of the sidebar! Thanks guys!

See Ya!

White Plains Card Show 1/22/12 Recap, Part One!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Phew, midterms are finally over! I wish I could have brought you the awesome news about the card show earlier, but no, I was stuck in rooms testing for hours and studying all week. Anyways, on Sunday, Dad, Mike, and I went down to White Plains yet again to meet a few players and buy some cards at the "Winter Extravaganza" card show! It was a pretty nasty day outside and there was a big Giants game that night, so it wasn't very packed, which led to quick lines to meet players and more time to browse cards!

To start, I'll show off the packs that Dad and I opened after we got back from the show. We didn't hit anything overly special, until the very last pack, but continue reading to see what it was. Dad got 2 packs of 2011 Goodwin Champions, 2 packs of 2011 Topps Lineage, 2 packs of 2011 Topps Pro Debut Series 2, and 3 packs of 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter. Let's see what we got!

PART 1: Pack Breaks

2011 Goodwin Champions: (2 Packs)

- Steve Young

- Lou Brock

- John McGraw

- Laffit Pincay Jr. (Jockey)

- Carlton Fisk

- Edgar Allan Poe

- John Muir

- Hope Solo (Soccer)

- John L. Sullivan (Boxing)

- Julia Mancuso (Skiing)

Honestly, I'm going to be straight up and say I am not impressed with this product by any means. I didn't mind the 2009 edition with mainly baseball players, but Upper Deck's version of Allen & Ginter doesn't do much for me at all. It does provide a lot of variety if you're a fan of that, but for me, I don't know how much more I'll be getting out of this set.

2011 Topps Pro Debut: (2 Packs)

- Chris Murrill (Renegades PC!)

- Jacob Turner

- Louis Coleman

- Tyler Vail

- Gustavo Pierre Blue Parallel /369

- Michael Kirkman

- Jesus Montero

- Brodie Greene

- Devin Mesoraco
- Justin O'Conner
- Niko Goodrum
- Brian Diemer
- Mike Montgomery Tools of the Trade
- T.J. House
- Todd Frazier
- Tanner Bushue

First of all, I get that these cards aren't legitimate rookie cards. In my opinion, a player's true rookie card should be their first Bowman card, but nonetheless, who says they can't have a solid minor league set? I'm all for this set, although I'm not much of a prospector personally. I like the photography and insert/parallel designs, and I think it's a very good set for the market of collectors that enjoy this kind of thing. On a side note, pulling a Jesus Montero card makes me cry on the inside, but hopefully in a few years pulling Michael Pineda cards will make me scream with joy!

2011 Topps Lineage: (2 Packs)

- Carlos Beltran

- Michael Young

- Joe Morgan

- Roberto Alomar

- Jayson Werth Diamond Parallel

- Ty Cobb

- Chipper Jones

- Paul O'Neill

- Larry Walker

- Grady Sizemore

- Justin Upton

- Ryan Howard

- Ike Davis Diamond Parallel

- Wandy Rodriguez

- Daniel Hudson

- Andruw Jones All Star Rookie

I don't really care about this set personally. If it never existed, I wouldn't be crying, but I'm content with it for the most part. The design is nice and clean and would be great for some autos, and I still can't deny to say I love the diamond parallels. The player selection is solid although its the same old, same old from Topps, but it's still cool to pull a card of Ty Cobb and Michael Young in the same pack. 

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter: (3 Packs) 

- Billy Butler

- Drew Stubbs

- Matt Guy (Cornhole Champ)

- John McEnroe

- David Ortiz

- Andre Ethier

- Jose Reyes

- Robinson Cano

- Jeremy Jeffress RC

- Rick Porcello

- John Lackey

- Carlos Ruiz

- Neil Walker

- Maxim Shmyrev (Ping Pong Champ)

- Colby Lewis

- Prince Fielder Hometown Heroes

- Mike Napoli Hometown Heroes

- Starlin Castro Highlight Sketch

- Gregor Mendel Minds That Made The Future

- Ben Revere RC Mini

- Troy Tulowitzki Mini

- Gharial Animals in Peril Mini

It's always nice to crack open a few packs of Allen & Ginter! Ginter, as well as Masterpieces, was one of my favorite products of the past decade, and no matter how boring some of the inserts can be (Mendel, really?), it's still fun because you never know what you're going to get. We had no clue, but we actually ended up pulling a relic in this pack! Of who? Keep scrolling..

Just the biggest name in sports this week, Prince Fielder! Fielder, the newest Detroit Tiger, is always a good pull. Personally, I like the guy, maybe even more than I like Pujols. I just like how his swing is so strong and powerful and he has a really cool personality. At first glance, I was happy to pull a Prince relic, because he's one of my favorite players outside of the Yankees. Then at second glance, I became even more happy because, the swatch is not a bat but instead, a very dirty jersey piece! It's not often you come across a really dirty relic, especially from Allen & Ginter, so I was really happy with the pull!

Well that will just about wrap up the pack break portion of the recap, so be sure to stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon to a computer right in front of you! 

See Ya!

Nice Yankees PC Add!

Hey guys, Drew back here. As I get into midterm week for school, things are going to get busy. But that doesn't mean I can't still have a little fun! On Sunday, Dad, my friend Mike, and I are going down to the White Plains show, to meet a few awesome players! The following Sunday I'm going to an autograph signing, but you guys are going to have to wait and see who it is of! I'm going to try to get around posting it all as soon as I can but if I don't, I'll get to it when I have the time. Sophomore year has been really difficult this year so I'm definitely going to have some studying to do. Anyways, here's a new card I was able to add to my Yankees collection (and 2 player collections!):

Out of the new 2011 Bowman Sterling product, here is the dual relic box topper featuring a jersey swatch from Curtis Granderson and a bat relic of Robinson Cano! Not only is this an absolutely awesome looking Yankees card, but it features 2 of the 4 current Yankees I'm collecting! It's a win-win-win for me for sure. I love the design of this card and it really has a nice shine in person. Hopefully I'll be able to add more cards like this in the future because this is pretty darn sweet!

I paid about $9 for the card, which wasn't bad at all. I have a few more eBay posts to come but I'll do them when the cards come in. 

See Ya!

TTM #79- One of My Favorite Players!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Yeah, I've still got a lot of stuff to show you all, so I might as well get going on that! A few weeks ago, I received one of my favorite TTM returns I've ever gotten, one that came out of absolutely nowhere. I've sent one TTM request since June, which is pathetic but unfortunately true, so when one of the older requests come back I'm always in complete shock! He didn't sign my custom I sent him, but he did sign the other card I included, and it looks pretty darn nice. Check it out:

The return was from Rangers All Star outfielder Josh Hamilton! Ever since that one summer night in 2008 in Yankee Stadium, Hamilton has been my favorite non-Yankee player. His performance in the Home Run Derby that year may be one of the most unreal moments I've ever watched, clearly something I'll never forget. From that point on, I researched him and learned about his story, and immediately gained a lot of respect for him because he came back so strong after going down a dark path. He suffered emotional issues for many years due to his drug addiction, but he was able to recover from the addiction  in order to play baseball again. The Rangers traded Edinson Volquez for Hamilton following the 2007 season, and boy has he worked out for them. While he's suffered some injury issues, he did win the 2010 AL MVP award after posting up big numbers: .359 AVG / 32 HR / 100 RBI! I really enjoy watching him play and I'm so happy he signed my card for me! 

I sent the card out on January 7th of last year, and got it back in late December of 2011. I didn't think I'd ever see the day it would come back, but I guess he decided to catch up on his mail, and I was one of the lucky fans to receive an autograph! Thanks so much Josh! 

See Ya!