Wednesday, June 30, 2010

2010 Topps Series 2 Jumbo Box Break Recap I

2010 Topps Series 2 Baseball Jumbo HTA Box - Click Image to Close

Hey guys, Drew back here. Today, I wanted to share the results of my 2010 Topps Series 2 Box Break, so let's get started. I wanted to try a jumbo this time, because I haven't before and the hat patches look nice.

PRODUCT CONTENT
10 Packs per Box
50 Cards per Pack
500 Cards per Box
1 of each Insert per Pack
10 of each Insert Per Box
1 Hat Logo Patch Per Box
1-2 Relics per Box
Possibly 1 Auto per Box
Possibly 1 Legend SP per Box

I've seen some breaks where people don't get autos, but most do have one. Of course as you know there are 330 cards in the base set, which adds on to the first series. Let's see what I got!

MY BOX BREAK REVIEW

Base Set: 320/330



Here are most of the Yankees I pulled. I like the pics especially on the Joba and Gardner, and what Yankee fan doesn't love the World Series card?


In other teams, I got 2 Heywards, an Austin Jackson, and a Mike Leake rookie. The Reyes card has a really cool picture, possibly card of the year? A lot of great photos were used in this set, looks great!

Doubles: A lot (no idea how many haha)

Topps Attax Code Cards: 9/25, 1 double (Lance Berkman)


- Lance Berkman (x 2)
- Alexei Ramirez
- Stephen Drew
- Joey Votto
- Torii Hunter
- Grady Sizemore
- Josh Johnson
- Tim Lincecum
- Felix Hernandez

Meh. Very boring, enjoy the codes :). BTW, most of these had at least one dinged corner, any of you have the same problem with the jumbos? All for trade

Peak Performance: 10/50 (20%)


- Luis Aparicio (PP-51)
- Mike Schmidt (PP-60)
- Hunter Pence (PP-61)
- Josh Hamilton (PP-64)
- Joe Morgan (PP-70)
- Monte Irvin (PP-76)
- Matt Kemp (PP-79)
- B.J. Upton (PP-89)
- Justin Verlander (PP-86)
- Matt Cain (PP-91)

Getting kinda bored of these, still gonna try to get them all though.

History of the World Series: 10/25 (40%)


- Rogers Hornsby (HWS4)
- Babe Ruth (HWS5)
- Bob Feller (HWS9)
- Whitey Ford (HWS10)
- Yogi Berra (HWS13)
- Jim Palmer (HWS14)
- Dennis Eckersley (HWS17)
- Paul Molitor (HWS18)
- Jason Varitek (HWS19)
- Alex Gonzalez (HWS22)

Kinda boring design here, still deciding if I'll try for the set or not. It's small, so I know I can get it done pretty fast though.

Legendary Lineage: 10/30 (33%)



- Carlton Fisk/Victor Martinez (LL-33)
- Jackie Robinson/Ichiro (LL-37)
- Phil Rizzuto/Derek Jeter (LL-39)
- Harmon Killebrew/Justin Morneau (LL-40)
- Jimmie Foxx/Prince Fielder (LL-41)
- Stan Musial/Matt Holliday (LL-48)
- Juan Marichal/Tim Lincecum (LL-51)
- Rickey Henderson/B.J. Upton (LL-55)
- Honus Wagner/Andrew McCutchen (LL-58)
- Ryne Sandberg/Chase Utley (LL-60)

Still not bored of this set, they look great all together, so I'm getting these 30!!!

Vintage Legends: 1 double, 9/25 (36%)


- Tris Speaker (VLC4)
- Jackie Robinson (VLC12)
- Eddie Murray (VLC13)
- Jimmie Foxx (VLC15)
- Johnny Bench (VLC18)
- Ty Cobb (VLC20 x 2)
- Roy Campanella (VLC22)
- Cy Young (VLC23)
- Pee Wee Reese (VLC24)

I really enjoyed these cards, I'm definitely going for the set!

Cards Your Mom Threw Out: 10/58 (17%)


- Willie McCovey (CMT67)
- Harmon Killebrew (CMT70)
- Nolan Ryan (CMT76)
- Johnny Bench (CMT77)
- Paul Molitor (CMT86)
- Steve Carlton (CMT89)
- Ken Griffey Jr. (CMT98)
- Bo Jackson (CMT101)
- Alex Rodriguez (CMT106)
- Ichiro/Albert Pujols (CMT111)

Original Back: Jim Bunning (FT)

Turkey Red: 10/50 (20%)


- Adam Dunn (TR52)
- Felix Hernandez (TR61)
- Jackie Robinson (TR70)
- Tom Seaver (TR74)
- Chris Coghlan (TR76)
- Raul Ibanez (TR79)
- Lou Gehrig (TR85)
- Billy Butler (TR86)
- Ubaldo Jimenez (TR89)
- Kurt Suzuki (TR94)

Lovin Turkey Reds always, the best insert set in the product by far!!

Topps 2020: 10/20 (50%)


- Andre Ethier (T3)
- Justin Upton (T5)
- Buster Posey (T8)
- Madison Bumgarner (T9)
- Joe Mauer (T11)
- Andrew McCutchen (T13)
- Ubaldo Jimenez (T14)
- Tommy Hanson (T17)
- Clayton Kershaw (T18)
- Matt Kemp (T20)

Great looking set, just some damage on the backs, but still going for it since it's small.

Gold Parallel: 10/330 (3%) All /2010!


- Aramis Ramirez (359)
- Philadelphia Phillies (372)
- Derek Lowe (383)
- Josh Fields (387)
- Emilio Bonifacio (439)
- Jeremy Guthrie (447)
- Delmon Young (468)
- Chris Carpenter (479)
- Steve Pearce (530)
- Bird Watching Checklist (543)

Boring golds, all for trade!

Million Card Giveaway: 10, unlocked


- 1959 Frank Lary
- 1968 Hank Allen
- 1972 Sonny Siebert
- 1973 Ron Reed
- 1975 Sonny Siebert
- 1981 Jerry Remy
- 1981 Byron McLaughlin
- 1990 Rick Leach
- 1999 Paul Sorrento
- 2004 Steve Sparks

All for trade except the 1959 (unless you offer a Yankee from that set for it)


You Sketch It Card: 1

Red Hot Rookie Redemption: #3

Will it be Strasburg??? If so, it's for sale

Vintage Legend SP: Nolan Ryan (#615b)



Nothing like a nice looking Nolan Ryan card to improve the break! Now on to the main 3 hits...

Autograph: #PPA-DM Daniel Murphy




Eh.... it's for trade

Game Used: #PPR-NS Nick Swisher


Eh.... it's in the PC! I never got a hit of a player I collect before until now, and the card is really nice. It says it's just plain memorabilia, it's gray with a cool texture, I'm thinking batting gloves possibly?

Hat Patch: #MHR-301 Zack Greinke


Very nice card to finish it out, numbered out of 99, of a premier pitcher in baseball today. Too bad he plays for the Royals. It's for trade, but only for a Yankee like this of similar value.

What do you think? My review is coming up next. See Ya!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

PC Additions

Hey guys, Drew back here. Yesterday I went to the card store, and with my Confirmation $ I bought a jumbo box of 2010 Topps Series 2. It was a good box, but you'll have to wait to see it. I also jammed my camera lens yesterday and it appears that it may need to be fixed. Anyway, today I've been cleaning my card temple in my basement, and for anyone that I may owe packages to, be prepared for something coming soon, I'm really sorry if I forgot any of you, I've had trouble getting trades finished because it's such a mess in my house so I apologize. With that out of the way now, check out this nice card I got off eBay:



I bought this card mainly because I've never seen it in my life and I didn't know how rare it is, plus my Cano collection was getting a little boring lately so I needed something nice to help get it back up. It's numbered out of 50 and the design is really nice, plus 2 pinstripes adds to the card too.



At the card shop yesterday, I picked this up. Pretty nice card eh? I like the seam in the jersey, it makes the card unique, plus I wanted something nice to go along with the box of Series 2.

Thanks for looking, and See Ya!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Grandpa Roy Column

[grandpa+roy+questions.jpeg]

Hey guys, Drew back here. Today we have another question courtesy of Grandpa Roy, who has been getting me plenty of questions lately to use. So, let's get started!

I am the only player to obtain at least 500 hits on 4 different teams. Who am I and what 4 teams?

Player: Rusty Staub

Team 1- Houston Astros/Colt 45's
Team 2- New York Mets
Team 3- Montreal Expos
Team 4- Detroit Tigers

Please only guess for one of the opened spots. Guess the player, or guess one of the teams, and try not to cheat or anything. No prizes are involved in this, just some fun trivia. Good luck!

Confirmation Gift from Dad: Hit Gold!

Hey guys, Drew back here. We had a party celebrating my Confirmation yesterday, and my dad, yeah, again, got me boxes of cards. Which is very awesome, just very hard to sort out. He got it for around $40 at a yard sale, and we hit gold as usual...



Yep, filled with cards, and this for the hockey fans...



I looked through most everything in the boxes. 2 cards really stuck out and made the purchase a true success.



An autograph of Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson! My baseball coach always talks about Brooks' stellar defense back in the 1970's, and this is my first auto of him. It can with a certificate too, like the Frank Robinson and Bob Gibson ones I already had. The "B" in the auto looks pretty bad though but I'm sure it's legit.



Right in the middle of the 1980 Topps stack I came across this one. The Rickey Henderson rookie card! Now I have what you may consider 2 of the most legendary cards of the 80's! I've wanted this card for a while now and now I have this and the Griffey.

With the help of my awesome dad, my collection is getting pretty nice! I got a ton of $ yesterday, and I don't want to spend it all, but I do want to buy 3 things. A jumbo box of Topps Series 2, a box of 2010 Allen & Ginter, and an autograph of my favorite player. Stay tuned, and see ya!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Concert!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Yesterday was a great day for me, and since I have absolutely nothing else to tell you guys right now, I figured I'd talk about it. Yesterday we went to Bethel Woods, of course, the famous grounds of Woodstock! We left extra early so we could go to the Woodstock Museum, and then that night see a concert. I brought one of my best friends there, because he loves rock n roll and the Beatles and all. The Museum was really cool, it took you through the whole history of the 60's and Woodstock itself. They didn't allow pictures unfortunately so I can't really show you anything, but there is this video if you want to check it out:



While that was really cool, the main reason for this trip was to attend my 1st "true" concert in my life. And what better way to start it off than with a Beatles, one of those famous 4 guys that came out of an airplane way back in 1964, the famous guys who wore those colorful suits and tried to bring out peace in all different ways. Yes, one of them. And it was this one,


click to zoom

The Star does indeed represent good old Ringo, the former drummer of The Beatles. Sure, Paul McCartney may have been a little bit better to see, but nonetheless, Ringo was awesome. He played a few songs off his recent album "Y Not", some of his famous songs from his solo career ("Photograph", "It Don't Come Easy", "Back of Boogaloo", and "Honey Don't"), and of course his famous Beatles songs, "Yellow Submarine", "With a Little Help from My Friends" (which he connected to "Give Peace a Chance"to end the show), "Act Naturally", "Boys", and "I Wanna Be Your Man".

But Ringo wasn't the only star on the stage last night. Guitarist Rick Derringer, who is part of the All Starr Band like all the others, was incredible. He sang a few of his solo career songs including "Rock 'n' Roll Hoochie Coo", and "Hang On Sloppy" . Also, Gary Wright, Richard Page (from The Romantics), some drummer guy not named Ringo, and Wally Palmar were all pretty good. However, Edgar Winter stole the show. He played "Frankenstein", which was probably the best performance that night!

Overall, the concert was spectacular, and I strongly suggest if you like any of those guys, especially Ringo, go check them out if you can find tickets! See Ya!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Let's Trade!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I just wanted to let you know that I filled my Picasa album with stuff for trade if you're interested. The cards aren't high end by any means, but give a look, maybe you'll like something. I have 3 albums currently, Baseball Autos for trade, Baseball game used for trade, and Football game used for trade. If you like anything please contact me @ yanks1996wsc@gmail.com. Check them out!!!

Strasburg Mania- What the heck is going on?



Hey guys, Drew back here. Since I don't really have much to talk about right now, I figured I would cover the Stephen Strasburg insanity that is going on in our hobby. If you are hiding in a hill somewhere with Osama Bin Laden, Strasburg is the phenom pitcher on the Washington Nationals, who is 2-1 in 4 starts with now 41 strikeouts.

Stephen has been pitching great through his first 4 starts and has helped bring the Nationals to a popularity that is almost unbelievable. The thing that really jumps out at me are his cards. His regular Bowman card from 2010 sells for an average of $20-30 bucks while the chrome typically sells between $40 and $60, sometimes even more. His Superfractor card was recently found and sold for $16, 400 dollars. $16, 400. That is a ridiculous price to pay for a 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 sized piece of cardboard. Now, his red parallel 1/1 autographed card has been found, and currently the bid is at $121,100 dollars! $121,100 dollars!

This really proves that our hobby is basically pictures of men that cover up the gambling issue in our world. We spend money to hope that the cards we buy will soon reach a price that we can sell them for a profit. Back in the 1970's, 1980's and such, cards were fun. Sure, we've seen many expensive cards from that time, but collectors didn't really rely on money back in that time. It was more about pulling a card of a favorite player that got people excited. Most collectors didn't run to eBay once they pulled it back then. Of course, eBay wasn't around, but you get what I mean.

Our world has many problems right now. You can tell by this auction. This makes our country look like a bunch of gamblers who go out to McDonalds, and go home and watch sports waiting for their card's prices to soar. Stephen Strasburg is a phenomenal pitcher right now, and I definitely like him a lot, but I could only imagine how it would feel to buy a card of this caliber and then have him turn out to be a terrible player. I mean, what if Strasburg blows his arm out? He only throws 100 mph!

To be honest, seeing this auction makes me not only sick, but it makes me kind of feel embarrassed about where our hobby is going. All over the internet you find people that are selling cards for prices where they should not be. This year, we only have so many products to look forward to, and most of them have not been special. Nobody really knew what kind of effect there would be by Upper Deck losing it's license.

I sure hope that Strasburg is what everyone says he is, because everyone here in this hobby (except eBay snipers) are my friends, and I don't want to see them do something dumb like this.

Please comment and leave your thoughts on the monstrosity that is Strasburg cardboard. I leave you with this. Take a look at it and then tell me what you think.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Hall of Fame Pickup!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here, and I can barely walk now due to hours outside in the 90 degree weather for field day. Let's just say that I needed to play for at least half of my team haha. After middle school graduation tonight, I am done!!! This calls for a song...



Yeah, you guessed it probably

Anyway, I went to one of the smaller local card stores today after the half day ended, and I bought this:



It was $25, but looking at the comparing prices online makes me think I got it for an average price. This is now my second Goose auto, the first was the triple auto with Guidry and Tiant that I bought for $21. Now I'm going to looking for a Reggie Jackson auto, anything in the 40's- low 50's I might do if I like the card.

See Ya!

Monday, June 21, 2010

I'm BACK!!!



Well, I was never really gone, but since school is out in 2 days now, I am officially back 100%!!! It's gonna be a great summer not only for me, but for you too, especially by reading here!!!! Starting Thursday, expect possibly a post a day!!! See Ya!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Grandpa Roy Column

[grandpa+roy+questions.jpeg]

Hey guys, Drew back here. Today has been a relaxing stay home day, after a long week of projects and tests had finally concluded. I got a call from Grandpa Roy today about a new question, and I'll share with ya now, here it is:

Yankees Legendary closer and future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera has been shutting down batters into his 16th season. Rivera has gotten saves in 541 games (maybe 542 after today) thus far, and he has closed out a ballgame for 5 former Cy Young award winners. Who are the 5?

http://www.homeruncards.com/imagesrc/riverabow.jpg

1: Roger Clemens
2: Randy Johnson
3: David Cone
4: CC Sabathia
5: Dwight Gooden

Good luck, and only 1 guess per day please! No cheatin! See Ya!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Remember when I told you about this?....



Nowadays people don't really believe in book value, so this doesn't matter much, BUT, considering these few auctions, I think you're a little off with pricing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-Bowman-Blue-UBALDO-JIMENEZ-15-Rockies-520-/130393731274?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Baseball&hash=item1e5c1270ca

http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-BOWMAN-UBALDO-JIMENEZ-BLUE-SP-520-ROCKIES-HOT-/250650040138?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Baseball&hash=item3a5be8174a

http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-Bowman-Blue-15-Ubaldo-Jimenez-520-/350365138468?cmd=ViewItem&pt=US_Baseball&hash=item519363be24

Ok, so, you did manage to get the nice old book value on there, how does it look now with a big old $3.00 book value slapped on top of that beautiful price?

http://www.checkoutmycards.com/Cards/Baseball/2010/Bowman_Blue/15/Ubaldo_Jimenez


Something needs to be done on COMC, cuz this is insane. See Ya!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Vintage Cards from Pop Popps

Hey all, Drew back here. Today I finished my social studies testing, next is Math Regents on Friday, and then a Spanish test on Monday... then field day... then graduation.... then a concert... then summer! So, I've been working hard in school to finish on a good note before I begin high school next year. My Pop Popps recognized my efforts and decided to reward me with some new cards, and here are the highlights-



It was hard to find 8 cards that I liked the most here, a lot of cool stuff, including Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Roberto Clemente, 3 of the best players in history. Next, 2 soon to be Yankees in Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson, and Yankees Rookies nobodies, Lindy McDaniel, and the team card! Pretty sweet!



Somebody got hungry!

Thanks Pop Popps! See Ya!

Monday, June 14, 2010

WAT Elite 8! VOTE NOW!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I've been trying to catch up at any time I have free right now, because this week I have 3 final projects, a DBQ Social Studies test, and Math Regents on Friday. Yay. (upside down smiley face :( ) Today, I have decided to finally get this Worst Autograph Tournament thing moving and out of the way, that way I don't have to deal with it, and the other 3 helpers don't have to either. So, without adieu, my final matchup!

FINAL MATCHUP IN CHECK POINT REGION!!

http://www.sports-trader.net/uplimg/bulk_img_mb100003_32a506eb6a5ceaa17446bed2b7d15e08_image0.jpg

VERNAND MORENCY

The man behind the name of the region itself, this number 1 seeded current free agent is a star, well, at least here.

http://danmahan.com/autos/uploaded_images/2008_mayo_johnson-773840.jpg

CHAD OCHOCINCO

Your very own crazy wide receiver, Chad Johnson/Ochocinco/Hachi Go, whatever the heck his name is. Whatever it is, his auto has dramatically changed throughout his career and has gotten much worse. So, if you like the CL L signature, you are crazy.

So, vote on the poll on the sidebar!!!! See Ya!

What did I miss?

Hey, so guys, guess what??? I guess I missed out on the biggest thing while I was gone. I found out that 2010 Bowman regular parallels now sell for hundreds of dollars!!! Wouldn't you believe it? Oh, here's a wonderful example...




I mean, it should be $100 because it's numbered to only 520!!! O M G!!! Who dares me to make a $2 offer on it? See Ya!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Catching Up! Some Mail

Hey guys, Drew back here, with some new stuff for ya. As I hope you noticed, we have an all new arrangement on this here blog. I tried to make it different, because it was time for a new design. So, I had a GREAT time in Washington DC, it was an amazing trip, and now I have some mail to share with ya. First up is some stuff from Jonathan of RGB Cards. Jonathan is from Australia, and he's the first person I've traded with from Australia! Here are the cards that made the journey over the Atlantic Ocean...



First are some cards I needed from 2010 Heritage. This set has dragged on and is getting kinda boring. But the Jeter insert is nice!



Here are 5 Peak Performances that I needed for the set, and 1 Yo Mama Card. I like these, but I gotta finish them now. Check out the set wantlists for stuff you may have to help me!



Lastly, some 09 Heritage cards, including a cool insert of Bobby Richardson winning the World Series MVP in a losing effort. The final two are chromes numbered to 1961 from 2010 Heritage of Jeter and Granderson. The Granderson is a monster but the Jeter is great looking! Thanks Jonathan!



These next cards are from Cam H, of Collectable Cards. He hooked me up with some Yankees in a trade, and here is my share. I got some cool Sheffields, which is good because he used to be my favorite player when he was a Yankee. Next are more former Yankees in Damon and Abreu, two other faves of mine. I like the Mr. Baseball Reggie Jackson card, how awesome! It really should be Mr. October though.



Finally, a nice Phil Hughes (now 9-1) rookie card, followed by some 2010 Upper Decks of Burnett and Posada (2 grand slam games in a row). The X Ponential inserts are awesome from 08, and the Matsui and a Abreu which wasn't scanned look spectacular. Lastly, a needed Swish and a Dave Parker card!

Thanks so much both of you, Cam, your cards will be packed out soon, I promise! See Ya!

COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THE DESIGN!!!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Break

Hey guys, Drew back here. I'm going on the most awesome field trip for the week, to Washington D.C., so don't expect any posts here! I'll probably have some pics when I get back, so see ya til the weekend!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Trip to the Card Shop

Hey everyone, Drew back here. Last week I stopped at my card store to pick up some supplies, which is by now the simplest excuse for wasting money at your store! So, I got a binder, some toploaders, penny sleeves, and 1 pack of 2010 Bowman, 2 packs of 2010 National Chicle, and 1 jumbo pack of Topps Series 2 2010. I also bought one card, which you see at the bottom of the post. In my packs... this is what I got...

2010 Bowman
- Ubaldo Jimenez
- Ian Kinsler
- Miguel Tejada
- Grady Sizemore 1993 Bowman
- Ryan Howard/Domonic Brown Bowman Expectations
- Yen-Wen Kuo Chrome
- C.J. Retherford Chrome
- Daniel Nava Prospect
- Gustavo Nunez Prospect
- Max Scherzer Gold



2010 National Chicle (2 Packs Combined)
- Brandon Inge
- Jonathan Sanchez
- Tobi Stoner RC
- Chris Carpenter
- Nate McLouth
- Mark Buehrle
- Zach Greinke
- Pee Wee Reese
- Stan Musial
- Alex Rios
- Mel Ott (non short print version)
- Ryne Sandberg
- Carlton Fisk
- Tim Wakefield
- Mariano Rivera National Chicle Back (PC)
- Yadier Molina Bazooka Back




2010 Topps Series 2 Jumbo
- Ton of Base



- Chris Johnson RC Gold /2010
- Justin Verlander Topps Attax (have the code if you want)
- Jason Varitek World Series History (mini throw up)
- Frank Robinson/Ryan Braun Legendary Lineage
- Cal Ripken Card Yo Mama Threw Out
- Ubaldo Jimenez 2020 Topps
- Lou Gehrig Turkey Red (PC)
- Curtis Granderson Peak Performance (PC)
- Lou Gehrig Vintage Legends (PC)
- Gary Carter Million Card Giveaway Redemption



So, overall, not too bad, but not great. The Bowman was pretty brutal, the Chicle was decent because of the Rivera National Chicle back (which are pointless oh by the way), and the Topps was pretty good. The Pujols was thrown in for free by the dude working at the shop, and it's for trade if anyone wants it. Anyone can use the Verlander code, and the gold is also for trade. Topps should seriously consider getting rid of the printed serial numbers, it's really cheap and stupid looking. Lastly, I like Topps 2020, except the Ubaldo has some seriously bad damage on it!

The Million Card Giveaway code unlocked this:



I'll take it! And I bought this at the store:



I could've met Orlando Cepeda if I wanted to back in August for $30, but I didn't really know him, and I still kind of don't. I like 2008 Legendary Cuts, and this is numbered out of 75. I also really like old school relics as do many other people, and here is a good example!

See Ya!