Much Delayed Pickups from COMC!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I haven't had a whole lot coming in over the past few weeks, but I did get this package in a while back that I haven't gotten around to showing off to you all just yet. I ordered some cards off of Check Out My Collectibles after selling a few cards I'd been wanting to move, all of which going towards my new Player Collections box I've been building while I've been away from the blogosphere. Take a look at what I was able to add this go-round:

When I first made my list of players I wanted to collect from this point on, I made sure to look young in some cases. Obviously I love a lot of the legends of the game, and a majority of my list consists of those players, but I was also sure to pick a few new favorites such as Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, and Bryce Harper. Cutch has been a favorite of mine for a few seasons now while I've been warming up to Trout and Harper along the way. The Home Run Derby I attended last summer definitely made me a bigger Harper fan, because I originally labeled him as cocky and arrogant (kind of like Puig). I love the intensity each of these 3 players bring to the table; they're always willing to go the extra mile and that has allowed them to be as successful as they have been. Also, while Robinson Cano left New York, I still decided to collect his cards because I've been a fan of his from the very beginning of his career and I can't let the business part in baseball get in the way of me rooting for one of my favorite players ever. I don't like seeing him in a Mariners uniform but he is still a favorite of mine, without a doubt!

The Knicks suck. I've been so incredibly disappointed with them this season, as I came into the 2013-14 season with high expectations coming off of a very good previous season. Now, I can't even bring myself to watch them, and I think a lot of smart business moves need to be made before I can really take interest in them again. However, I don't see James Dolan making any of those smart moves, so until he's out of the franchise, I don't know if I can get my expectations up again. Amar'e Stoudemire, despite all of his injuries, is still my current favorite Knick, although Carmelo is carrying most of the load. I feel bad for his poor health even though he's making a boatload of money because I see how much he cares about being a part of the team and wanting to contribute. I picked up this relic of his for a few dollars just for the heck of it. It's out of 2012-13 Timeless Treasures and is numbered 76 of 99. 

Tyson Chandler is another favorite of mine on the Knicks during this dark period. I love the way he carries the team on defense and he does a great job in his role. Unfortunately he doesn't have much help, as the defense is basically helpless outside of his performance, so with his frequent injuries it leads to many more problems. I picked up this gorgeous dual patch autograph of Chandler's from 2012-13 Panini National Treasures numbered only to 10 for a pretty fair (while expensive) price, but it's absolutely gorgeous and I'm glad to add it to my collection, despite how pathetic the Knicks have played this season.

Finally, going back to my Cano tangent, here's a really sweet 2011 Topps Triple Threads relic numbered only to 9 featuring Robby along with Hall of Famer's Joe Morgan and Roberto Alomar! The relics spell out Second Sackers, and while sort of cheesy, the card is still amazing to look at in person and it's really cool to see a personal favorite player of mine stacked up with the all time greats at his trade! I think Cano will ultimately go down as one of the best second basemen of all time (especially offensively, while he more than holds his own defensively as well), and quite possibly a Hall of Famer as well!

So that's all I have for now everyone, hopefully I'll be getting some stuff in soon leading up to perhaps the biggest event I've attended yet coming up next month! Be on the lookout for that, but until then, see ya!

Triple Threads Addition to the PC!

Hey guys, Drew back here! So, I hope everyone had themselves a nice Thanksgiving, filled with amazing food and some good football! Now we're on the road to Christmas, and it should be a nice way to cap off 2011. Anyways, getting back to what I normally do here, let's have a look at the most recent card I spent my money on off of eBay!

I saw this card with a few minutes left a couple weeks ago, and I knew immediately it would fit nicely into the collection. Out of 2011 Topps Triple Threads, this is a triple relic card numbered out of 36, featuring jersey relics from Boston's Jon Lester, New York's CC Sabathia, and Tampa Bay's David Price. All 3 of them are considered one of the top two pitchers on their respective teams, and they all play in the AL East, as shown by what the relics spell out. It's a really nice card to look at in person, as Triple Threads never fails to disappoint in appearance. I picked it up not only for my Yankees collection, but also because I like Price a lot as well. As for Lester, well, I respect him more than most Red Sox, but still, he's a Red Sox player. 

Anyways, I got the card for around $10 and I'm glad I purchased it to add to the collection! If you were a fan of either of these teams, would you buy the card even though it also features relic pieces from a rival team? 

See Ya!

A Few Recent eBay Purchases!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Dang, the last couple weeks have been awful on here, I haven't had time for anything! But I'm glad to be back here for now, because I have a couple of recent additions I'd like to show you all! Take a look:

First off, I have to say that I absolutely love the look of 2011 Topps Marquee! This here is a rookie autograph card from that very product of Rays phenom rookie Jeremy Hellickson. You all know my love for some of the Rays that came through the farm system around here in New York, such as Longoria; Shields; Hellickson; and even Josh Hamilton in his short minor league stint with the Devil Rays. This card was at a fairly low price, and for what I figured, a great price for one of his rookie autographs. It's on card, numbered out of 185, and I think it just looks incredible in person! 

Of course, many of the big offseason awards have started to be announced, and that means that this guy could come home with some hardware soon. Hellickson's great rookie season (13-10 W-L, 2.95 ERA, 117 Strikeouts) may give him a chance at taking home the AL Rookie of the Year award! I feel like the biggest 3 contenders for that award are him, as well as Royals' Eric Hosmer and my beloved Yankees' Ivan Nova. I'd be happy for either Hellickson or Nova, because either way they rank pretty high on my favorite players list!

The second and final pickup to show and tell for today is this 2011 Topps Triple Threads Unity autographed relic card of 2011 Silver Slugger winner Aramis Ramirez! This card was dirt cheap, only at a couple bucks, and for the year he gave me in fantasy baseball, I owed him a quick little $4-5 dollar pickup. I never really was a big fan of his, because he always seemed so injury prone and overrated. Well, he certainly proved me wrong in 2011, batting .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI. At this point I would take him over the ridiculously over expensive Alex Rodriguez, but beggars can't be choosers I guess. Maybe the Yankees should've put an ounce of thought in before they signed him to a 10 year contract.

Triple Threads has always been a nice looking product to me, although some people may disagree. Sure, it's very similar year in and year out, but with the new addition of the addition autograph and autographed-relic in these "Unity" designs makes for a cool chase. Plus, there are 3 different photo variations for each player in the checklist, which can be put together to make the Unity part complete. Although it's a sticker autograph, it's really shiny and just looks great in general. Nice job, Topps!

So, hopefully this will put me back on the blogging map, but we'll see! See Ya!

October 1st White Plains Card Show Recap! Part 1!

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I hope you all remember me, because it's been over a week. Sorry about the slack everyone, I wish I could be more active but with my busy life nowadays with school its very hard to keep the site running. However, this past weekend I spent majority of my Saturday with Dad and one of my best friends Matt at the White Plains show! I think we made out incredibly well, even though I didn't go overly prepared and were on short notice before we decided to confirm we were going for sure. To start off the recap, here are the many new additions to my growing Robinson Cano collection! I thought Cano deserved his own post after his incredible Game 1 performance in the ALDS, smashing a grand slam and driving in 6 runs in the Yankees win! Way to go Robby Cano!

PART 1:

ROBINSON CANO!

I didn't hope to accomplish anything overly specific at the show in terms of buying cards, I just wanted to add some nice ones to my collection. I think I did a pretty decent job, take a look:

Leading off was this card out of 2011 Bowman, part of the "Bowman's Best" insert set. It cost me a dollar and I figured why not because it was an all around nice looking card! I haven't picked up nearly any 2011 cards of either one of my PC players- Cano and Swisher, but when I do, I buy in bulk!

I find it ironic how clutch Cano was the night following all of these pickups. I had a feeling this postseason could bring an even bigger jumpstart to his card prices, so I definitely tried to help the collection while I could. Out of 2011 Topps Heritage, here is Cano's bat relic card. I like the look of this card but I think they honestly  could have done away with the yellow bottom design. It's a simple but effective look, and I got this as well as the next card for $15 together! 

I came to this seller frequently throughout the show. Yes, there were hundreds of tables, but this guy's low priced Yankees relics and autos had me biting all day. This one was out of 2008 UD Baseball Heroes, numbered out of only 50! Its cards like these that really pop, especially the blue parallel. Plus with the hint of a pinstripe, I couldn't go wrong! 

This card was actually my final pickup of the show, that Dad actually bought for me. He had a few spare singles and we put together enough money to buy this 2006 Allen & Ginter jersey relic of don't ya know? Robby Cano. I absolutely love any relic or autograph from any year of the Ginter line, and this card has to be one of my favorite cards of Cano in my PC. Again, this one has a pinstripe, and with this card I now only need his newest relic out of 2011 Ginter to complete the chase of his relics in the product. 

Finally, the most expensive Cano card of the day was this 2011 Topps Triple Threads five piece bat relic, spelling out "Robby". Numbered only 12 of 27, this is definitely one of the lowest numbered cards I own of his, and I love its design. Triple Threads is such an expensive product but if you hit big, I think it can be well worth it! I would be happy with this pull, but then again I did buy the card for $25, instead of paying a good $100 on a pack of it. 

Anyways, I hope by now you can tell that Cano is certainly one of my favorites on the current Yankee team! At this moment I have 172 unique cards of his, and will have a few more incoming! Be sure to stay tuned for more card show review posts and future posts!

See Ya!