Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Trip to the Card Shop - Strasburg!

Hey guys, Drew back here, and yes, I'm desperate enough to put Stephen Strasburg's name in the title just to get more views. Ok, don't click out of my blog just yet, there is Strasburg in this post. So crazy Strasburg collectors, please read on. ANYWAY, I went to the card shop over the weekend to blow $40, because I wanted to and I can for some reason. I actually had a $40 gift certificate to the shop so I just goofed off and wasted some cash, like most collectors do at the shop. Got some supplies, the new Beckett with Jeter on the cover (yes, Halladay is on the flip side of the cover but in New York they do show Jeter off), and then some packs and 1 relic. Yeah, kinda pathetic for $40. But whatever, this is what I got:





First off was two packs of 2010 Topps football. This was my first experience with it, and I must say it was pretty nice. In the first pack I pulled 2 Jets, the 2 I would take over anybody right now, Mark Sanchez, and my very first card of future Pro Bowl fullback John "The Terminator" Conner! I had no clue he was even in the set, you should've seen my face when I pulled that bad boy. Then my cool inserts were the Moss/Dez Bryant Gridiron Lineage, and a original back Cards Your Mom Threw Out of Joe Montana. Awesome.





The second pack didn't yield much of anything, just a Demaryius Thomas RC and a Favre "Classic Matchups" card. The design looks better on football than baseball in my opinion. The lone "good" insert (notice how Attax doesn't count) is an AP Draft Anniversary card. Very nice insert I must say.



Then I got 2 packs of 2010 Topps 206. Yeah. I did. Me of all people, tried some of this garbage. But now, I kind of like it a little. Me you ask? Yes. I kinda enjoyed it. Even with some creepy mugs of people with odd hairstyles. I like the Prince Fielder bronze, that's pretty awesome, and I pulled a Cano! Can't go wrong with Robby Cano "Don't Ya Know!", especially for my Cano collection. Also got a Will Venable "Polar Bear Back" (what the heck kind of name is that anyway, authentic or not?) and a Matt Kemp SP.



Pack 2 was schweeet! Haha. Are we missing two cards after all that junk? Yeah, we are.



Not anymore!!! Here are your left is a cycle back mini of Angels pitcher Jered Weaver numbered to 99, and to your right is the infamous RC of STEPHEN STRASBURG (see, told ya that name would come up again)! Wow, I'm so keeping that thing! The Weaver is for trade though. It's such a nice card, I'm even thinking of getting some of his Bowman rookies just for cheap investments, because as you know Tommy John Surgery does not equal the end of a career. He'll only be 23 right? That's plenty of time to win 300 games!



And the final card, is of a Hall of Famer, numbered to 99, my 8th card from the 100 card set so far, Ferguson Jenkins baby blue jersey! Pretty nice, and for a good price at that!

I didn't spend anything, but it always seems that I feel like I got ripped off, even with a Strasburg, which seems impossible. Well, nonetheless, got some nice cards, and a Beckett to read, so I guess I'll be back tomorrow with more! See Ya!

Monday, September 27, 2010

TTM's #21 and 22! Two Celebrities!

Hey guys, Drew back here, with 2 of my latest through the mail successes! I created a celebrity TTM set, and I got the 1st 2 cards signed! One I kinda consider a failure, but the other is absolutely awesome! We'll get the bad one done first.


Tim Allen?!?!?!? Wow! A very cool item to have, but I have a few problems with it. First of all, he signed the back of the card even though the front clearly has a big part that says "AUTOGRAPH" on it, and second, his autograph SUCKS! Cool to have, but anyone could say that's not Tim Allen's autograph. Well, I really like Allen, I loved Toy Story when I was little and Home Improvement is a great show too. Cool to have but very ugly looking to say the least.



And the second is from comedian and funny actress Betty White! Wow, I'm speechless. She signed the card absolutely perfectly, and has an amazing signature! How cool is that?



Oh my... could this get any better? How awesome is that? Wow.

Thanks to both Allen & White (especially White), and let me know what you guys think? See Ya!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Mail from Ken

Hey guys, Drew back here. I'm starting to get back into things, as you saw I've been buying a lot lately. Here is some mail that I got in a trade with reader Ken. We were able to work out a nice little trade that benefitted both of our collections, and this was my share:



First are some of the Yankees he threw in. That 2010 Allen & Ginter Curtis Granderson card may be my favorite in the set, it just looks really nice. The Jerry Hairston black background card is the first one of those from 2010 in my collection, and it looks really nice too. Also, the Rickey Henderson and Lou Gehrig stuff is awesome too.



Next are some 2010 Topps inserts, 4 Cards Your Mom Threw Out, 3 World Series cards, and a 2020. Awesome stuff, love the Mattingly and Bob Gibsons.



More 2010 Topps inserts. 3 Vintage Legends, 3 Peak Performances, and 1 more Cards Your Mom Threw Out in Joe Mauer. The more I see the Vintage Legends, as dumb as a concept as these cards are, they look great.



Finally, a jersey card of A-Rod! I don't have a huge A-Rod collection so every time I see one that I can obtain, I will obtain it! Its from one of the worst sets in the last decade, but it looks kinda nice anyway.

Thanks so much Ken! See Ya!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

MUST READ- UNBELIEVABLE GIFT!!!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I'm not permanently back, but I will be soon. I got a TTM, bought something on eBay, went to the shop today, got some mail, but before I post all that, this is by far the greatest "Vintage Cards From Pop Popps" (not cards though) gift of all time, and he will never be able to beat this. There has been nothing I've ever dreamed of that I'd want more than something like this. Take a look!



So Pop Popps stopped by today, and I didn't know that he had these 2 frames waiting for me. He got them from a dealer, for less than $500, which does seem very suspicious to me, but they do look real. Shown on this first frame is an original picture of the old Yankee Stadium, an original picture of Gehrig, Ruth, and Foxx, some sort of old cigarrette card of a former Yankees manager (don't think it's real), tickets to World Series games, including the legendary "Called Shot" ticket, and an autographed picture of the Babe and Lou Gehrig! OMG!!!!!!! This was completely unexpected! Take a look at some closer up shots.



The top part of the Autograph for both Ruth and Gehrig is a copy, but to make the item "more original" from what a story says on the back of the frame, they signed each below the copy. Now is this real, because it was one heck of a steal if so. What do you think?



It's definitely someone's signature!





I am speechless right now. Completely speechless. I don't wanna get my hopes up though, because I'm going to get it authenticated at a future White Plains show, because I have no idea how my Pop Popps was able to get this for that kind of price. I don't wanna say they're fake, but I don't wanna say they're real either. I hope for the best though.



On to Frame #2, where we have another Yankee Stadium original photo, more World Series tickets, and a ticket to Lou Gehrig Day! Wow. Then we have what looks like a reprint of the 1909 T-206 Honus Wagner, because it's much bigger than the one I saw in person. That picture on top is indeed the 1927 Yankees, an unbelievable photo. Then the big four. There's a Honus Wagner autograph on the bottom row, 2nd to the end, which may or may not be real. It says "Compliment of J. Hans Wagner"!!! Then in the top right corner, another autographed Babe Ruth photo of him with a group of kids! Lastly, 2 signed cards of the Babe and Lou Gehrig! Again, don't think the cards are authentic, but the autographs sure look like it! I can't believe how amazing this is!



No the cards are not cut, they have a little border around them, as well as all the other items. These look the most authentic out of them all by far, these signatures are really nice!



Come to think of it, this could be the actual 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card! If the autograph is real, the card is real. There is no way there were reprints back in those times, so this is incredible to own!



So if this is real I own Lou Gehrig's autograph AND rookie card! Unbelievable!



Lastly, a close up of another Babe Ruth autograph! He signed in what looks like purple, so that's neat. It looks real again, but even I know how to sign like Babe Ruth!



This hobby is really a pain. I sure love it, but some people are in this just to ruin other collector's collections. This could be anyone's autograph! I wish I didn't have to even suspect that but I have no choice but to, it's not authenticated so it's not authentic. I sure hope they're real!



Here's proof that these pictures aren't from eBay. That's me with one of the frames! I'm so happy to have these pieces, and I can't believe I own them! From the beginning of my blogging days I had no idea how good my collection would turn out, and authentic or not, these are incredible pieces in my collection!

What do you think? Do the autos and tickets look real? The price is hard to believe, which is leading me on to thinking that there's no possible way that this is all real! But hey, you never know! Thanks so so so so so so much Pop Popps, this is absolutely incredible! See Ya!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

In a Hole... Help Me Back Up!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I've had a rough past few weeks, starting school, and all that. I've been getting a lot of homework, and the only thing I've been thinking about is involving school. I get a package in the mail, open it, look once, put them to the side, scan them, and post them. That's just how it's been for me lately. I've stalled on a lot of things including the contest packages (sent 2, out of bubble mailers, I'll have the rest out soon), through the mails (I did just send 2 pictures out yesterday though), and trade packages. I guess I'm just losing interest in all this right now.

I watch videos of breaks like I've always done, and now, I look to see whats there, and I don't even bother watching. I still read all your blogs, and I love to read them, but something's just not clicking right now. I've got a cold, and my sister's been very sick, and everyone around my house has been completely stressed out. I still get really excited for through the mails, but posting is once again becoming a chore.

I hope this funk I'm in is over soon, because right now, I've got more readers than ever, and I'm sorry I haven't had the interest to entertain you guys lately. Any ideas? I might just take a few weeks off of posting, I think it could really help me, and then when I come back you'll have plenty to read.

See Ya for a while everybody

Drew

Monday, September 20, 2010

Another Trade with BA Benny

Hey guys, Drew back here, with a nice little 1 for 1 trade I just made recently with BA Benny, of course, the author of BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet and BA Benny's Pack Rip Cafe. It was a nice little trade for both of us, and this was my share:



This is as close to Lance Berkman's first Yankees jersey card! This jersey piece is from the 2008 All Star festivities, from Yankee Stadium. With the Yankee colors, logo, and the facade at the top is an awesome touch. I'm happy to see Lance doing well with the Yankees, and this is certainly a really awesome card to have!

Thanks BA Benny! See Ya!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

TTM #20- Awesome Music Success!

Hey guys, Drew back here, with another really sweet through the mail success. So far in September I've received 5 successes and 1 email success, so I've had a really nice month. This has been my coolest September success thus far but hopefully not the last!


Lil Wayne!

Wow, this is pure awesomeness to say the least. I like many kinds of music, rock, some pop, hard rock, and rap. Lil Wayne is one of my favorite rappers, and I only with many other people took advantage of the fact that he has nothing to do while in prison for criminal gun possession charges, and got some stuff signed! I made the custom card for him to sign, and I must say it came out incredible. There's a little smudging on the first "L" in "Lil", but other than that it's clean, and very nice!

This is currently my favorite Lil Wayne song to date:


*I highly suggest not to watch around kids*

What's your favorite non sports return? This is most certainly mine! See Ya!

The Future for One of My Favorites



Hey everyone Drew back here. I know I'm a little late to announce this, but as most of you know by now, Don Mattingly is going to take over as manager for the Dodgers next season. This is hard to see as a lifelong Yankees fan, but maybe if he could be Torre-like as a manager, he could do what Torre has done in ensuring a plaque in the Hall of Fame. I think guys like Dale Murphy, Don Mattingly, and some of those other 80's stars shouldn't be passed on in voting.

Don deserves this job, no matter what he's done as hitting coach. Hitting Coach and Manager are two different things, and I hope Mr. Mattingly can make a big difference as the new man in LA. I'm glad th at he has this chance, but then again, it's very weird to see him not in a Yankees uniform. I met him back in January 2010, and it sure was cool. He seemed like a really nice guy, and while I liked and collected him before that day already, I now love to collect his cards.

So, good luck Mr. Mattingly! I might actually root for the Dodgers as an NL favorite next year!!!!! See Ya!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Dad's Yard Sale Spectacular! Part 2



Hey guys, Drew back here, with some more Yard Sale pickups from my dad! I knew it was worth creating a logo for this series because this will most certainly not be the last time I would end up needing it! Let's see what Joemama got us this time:



A very nice stack of good players from the 90's, 80's, and sometimes earlier! Some sweet vintage Tommy John, Luis Tiant stuff, as well as Cecil, Gooden, and Winfield. If you've been reading this blog for a while you would know the connection I have between those 3 guys, I met them all at one point at past White Plains card shows. Also, Moose, Reggie Jackson, and Paul O'Neill make appearances on this scan.



More older stuff, including some nice 1969 Topps Hoyt Wilhelm and Bobby Murcers, which is pretty sweet. Also Mickey Rivers, Seaver, and Brett make for a nice little group, as well as Halladay, Pettitte, and Girardi. Nice cards!



3 nice 90's rookies, with Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano, and Lance Berkman on it. If they all made the same rookie that would be awesome. The Berkman will head into my Yankees PC!



This card paid for the entire lot's price basically, and it was in the .25 cent bin! A Rollie Fingers rookie card! Wow, what a nice way to conclude this little yard sale spree! Awesome!

Thanks again so much dad! See Ya!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Awesome Yankees Collection Pickup

Hey guys, Drew back here. Finally, the week is over, and the 2 days of freedom begins. I'll start with this nice quick little eBay pickup:


1971 Topps Thurman Munson

Oh man. This was one of the cards I wanted most, for a long time I've dreamed about owning this great card, and now my dreams have finally came true. It appears as if the book value has declined for the card, but since Beckett won't update what it's been recently selling for, people still try to make a profit on it. Most people who sell this card on eBay now have a high price of $50 and a low of $5, typically depending on the condition of the card. I got this one for only $9 plus $3 shipping!

I've seen this card at card shows, card shops, and all over the place selling for $60, $70. I didn't just pick this card up because of the deal, I am a huge Thurman Munson fan, and I really think he deserves to join many of the other great catchers of all time in the Hall of Fame. If he had a longer career, which of course was sadly cut short, he would be very much comparable to Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk, and maybe even a Johnny Bench! You really never know.

I'm really glad I was able to get this card. The photo is just completely awesome, and the card's surfacing is fantastic. The corners are in decent shape, and it's offcenter, but isn't a 1971 Topps card supposed to look like that? If it looked mint than people would accuse it of being a 2010 Topps Cards Your Momma Threw Out insert! Now I am most certainly on the hunt for his 1970 Topps rookie card, which would certainly be the cornerstone of my Munson collection.

See Ya!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Mail from someone obsessed with Baseball!

Hey guys, Drew back here with some more mail! Yay! I could be writing all of this stuff into one post, but I just don't have time, considering I spent the last 2 hours typing an essay! I got a package recently from Kelly, from Baseball Obsession-itis! She and I worked out a very nice deal, we got some hits exchanged, and some wantlist needs too! Check out my haul!



First, a bunch more 2010 Allen & Ginter cards! This makes me only need 1 more card to complete the base and short print set, card #75, who I believe is of Jayson Werth. If anyone has it let me know! By the way, this scan came out really cool hahaha.



From one of the best designed relic/auto sets of all time, a 2010 Allen & Ginter Ryan Howard jersey card with a pinstripe! I haven't gotten anything major of Ryan Howard really except a dual relic from the card show that dad got me! As you've probably noticed, I've been working on branching my collection out and getting cards of players not playing for the Yankees that I like. This guy is certainly one of my favorites! And wow, this card looks spectacular!



I never said I stopped collecting Yankees too though! Here's a very nice 2010 National Chicle jersey with pinstripe card of Mark Teixeira! This is now my 4th Yankees relic card from this set, 3 of them being pants cards! And the weird thing is, the only one that is numbered has game used "memorabilia" instead of pants. This is a really card, but again, my biggest complaint is that pink and purple should never be used on a baseball card set!

Thanks so much Kelly! Everyone please check out her blog!

See Ya!

Cliff Lee New Addition!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I'm just scheduling pretty much everything, posting a few things when I get the time, and over the weekend I can post more usually unless I'm busy then too. Anyways, here's a cool card I bought off eBay for less than $10 shipped! It's a great card and I'm glad to add it to the PC!



A 2010 Topps Tribute jersey auto /50 of the guy that dominated the Yankees in the World Series last year, and hopefully a Yankee in 2011, Cliff Lee! It's amazing how low this guy's autos sell for considering how great of a pitcher he is! If I could have 1 pitcher on my team on any day in the majors right now, CC Sabathia is my 1st pick, and Cliff Lee is right there at number 2. The way he can pitch complete games and strike out 10 guys is truly incredible, Sabathia, Lee, and Halladay have by far the best stamina in baseball!

So, it was $6.50 plus the typical $3 shipping, in my opinion, a total steal! See if you can find one of him for cheap, because he's totally worth the investment! See Ya!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

TTM #19 and Email Success #1!

Hey guys, Drew back here, with two pretty cool autos I got in recently through the mail. We'll start with the first one, which was a little disappointing, but it's still a nice auto:



Al Downing signed my custom, and it would have been much nicer if he signed across the autograph section of the card. Nonetheless, it's still cool to have, he's probably too old to notice the circle. But I mean, if he isn't, if you see that spot on a card waiting for your name to be written across it, wouldn't you sign there? Whatever. Still a success, of one of Whitey's pitching buddies for the Yanks in the 60's. He also surrended the 715th home run to Hank Aaron, which isn't a good thing in Al's favor but an interesting fact.

Moving on, to my first ever email through the mail success! In late July, early August-ish, I sent some emails to some basketball coaches and a former football player. Check out my absolutely free prize was:



Vince Papale! Vince took his time to send a picture about the size of a long envelope and inscribed it "To Drew, You Are a Star, Vince Papale, #83"! This is one awesome piece!

Vince didn't have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL most certainly, but he holds a cool record, the oldest player to ever break into the NFL (30) without any college experience! In 1979 he was named "Man of the Year" for his charitable efforts. There's actually a movie made by Disney about him called "Invincible". You guys should check it out, if you haven't heard it about it already, Mark Wahlberg is the starring actor, playing Papale.

So thank you to both Mr. Downing and Mr. Papale, two truly awesome successes! See Ya!

Monday, September 13, 2010

3 Awesome Autos from Anthony!

Hey everyone, Drew back here, starting up school for the week, but I should have some stuff up while I can. Anthony, as you know by now, has done a lot for me, and he's a heck of a guy, and I just wanted to share my latest loot from him. I'd rather help guys I know out selling things than just buying things, if that makes sense. Well, here are the 3 autos I took off his hands this time:


Al Oliver
First, you all know, I'm a fan of Al Oliver's, not only because he was the first player I was able to meet for free in my life, and he was a great guy, but because he was a great player who was very underrated and still is. Anthony obtained this auto the same day I got some autos of him myself, August 16th, 2009. What a great day. The last awesome thing about this is that it's his rookie card, a card I've wanted for a while. I was eventually going to drop $4 or so on one, but now $1 more and it's signed!


Mike Mussina
One of my favorite Yankees pitchers must've signed for the former Met fan in the past, which is cool. I love this Bowman Heritage card, I even wondered if I should send again to Mike to get it signed. But apparently he hasn't been signing much lately. Which is a shame, since he was a great signer. I hope he makes the Hall of Fame, I really do, he was an incredible pitcher in his prime for sure, and even in his final season, winning 20 games for the first and last time!


Jim Thome
Okay, I don't know how the heck Anthony got Thome back TTM, because as far as I know, I thought he never signed! Well, his auto sure is sloppy, but for the price I paid, a near 600 home run guy, totally worth it.

Thanks again Anthony, you're an awesome dude! Please everybody help him clear out his TTM auto collection, I guarantee it's all authentic, from TTM's, and there's some great stuff left to take, for a very low price! I paid $10 for this lot! See Ya!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Contest Winners!

Hey everyone, Drew back here, with your winners for the contest! Sorry for the delay, but I've been a little busy lately, so anyway, here are the randoms!

I randomized it 5 times and the winner is the 7th one down for each of the 4 groups, because that was the serial number of our box of OBAK.

GROUP A: 18 Base Cards, 3 Base Minis, Smead Jolley Mini Insert /25, Canseco Circle Back Base, Jason Heyward Circle Back RC Mini, Greenberg Square Back Base, Robert Nelson Auto /125





Group A's winner is The Dimwit!!! Congrats!

GROUP B: 18 Base Cards, 3 Base Minis, Jason Heyward Regular Mini, Eddie Cicotte Base Parallel /50, Jason Kipnis Prospect Auto /75



Group B's winner is Dan! Congrats!

GROUP C: 18 Base Cards, 3 Base Minis, Chick Gandil Mini Parallel, Jason Heyward Circle Back Base Parallel, Col. John Stevens III Insert, Reymond Fuentes Prospect Auto /75





Group C's Winner is 82RedBirds! Congrats!

GROUP D: 18 Base Cards, 3 Minis, Hank Greenberg Circle Back Mini, Jeff Burroughs Black Back /50, Jason Heyward Triangle Back RC Mini, Tim Raines Autograph /125



Group D's Winner is Dion's IP Autos Only! Congrats on the best prize!!!



And for this box topper, every person was entered as many times as they entered the contest (ie: entered Group's A,B,C, and D: get 4 entries, 3, 2, 1). I randomized the list 10 times, and the 1st name on the list was...



The Gooch! Congrats!

So, it was a great contest, I think TriStar, myself, and you the fans made out really well. If you won any of these 5 groups, please shoot me an email to yanks1996wsc@gmail.com and give me your address, I'd like to have them out as soon as I can!

Thanks again for everything, you guys are the best, and I just want to welcome all my new friends that joined my blog throughout this contest! See Ya!