January 19th White Plains Card Show Recap!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I literally just got home from my SAT test, and boy do I feel relieved! It wasn't easy, but even if I didn't fare all that well I still have two more chances to make up for it. Hopefully I won't be taking it for at least a few more months. Anyway, getting back on track, last weekend Dad, my good friend Schuyler, and I took the trip down to the Westchester County Center for our first card show since August! As most of you know, my collection thrives off of many great sources, but none can reach the amount of opportunities that JP's Sports & Rock Solid Promotions have provided me over the years! However, none of those shows brought anticipation quite like this one. But before I get to who I met, let me show you all the few cards I added at the show:

Dad bought me two cards towards my 1961 Topps set, the above Yankees team card and the Dick Groat MVP card! Any bit helps, as we approach the half way point of the entire set. I've been considering dropping the high numbers and just finishing the regular set, and worrying about the high numbers at a later time. The older sets are a lot of fun to work on, but the high numbers really seem to drag them out, especially when you're dropping $20 plus on cards of Rollie Sheldon and Ron Perranoski, for example. The Yankee team card is beaten up a bit, but it's definitely one of the cooler cards from the 60's considering how great they were in the 1961 season! They were certainly one of the best teams to ever take the field!

I find it pretty funny that of the money I put towards cards, all of it (with the exception of one card) were bought off of my good friends Rich and Hunter! They put out a nice affordable bargain bin, with prices half off on all of the cards, which are mainly relics and autographs from the mid 2000's. I feel like it's almost obligatory to buy a few Yankee relics once in a while, and I certainly did so at this show, without even realizing it. This Bernie Williams bat card was just something I couldn't pass up. I don't think I have enough of Bernie's in my collection, but then again, I don't think many people do, as he was one of the most underrated players of his era!

Billy Martin was another one of the Yankee's more underrated members. He wasn't the best of players, however he did outplay Jackie Robinson in the 1952 World Series, which has to say something. Through his life he was a gritty, tough-as-nails type of guy, but most of all, he really seemed to love the game of baseball. This is my first relic of his, back from his playing days with a beautiful pinstripe right across it. For 10 bucks, I couldn't pass it up.

I guess I really was sympathetic towards the underrated players last Saturday, considering I also picked up this beautiful dual patch of Vladimir Guerrero! Patches still intrigue me, which is sort of strange considering lately I've really ventured away from relics. There's just something so cool about a nice low numbered three color patch of one of baseball's quietest but most dangerous sluggers in history! I really enjoyed watching Vladdy play; chasing pitches in the dirt and still knocking them out of the ballpark. With the way prospects are being brought up today, I think it'll be a while before we see another player like Vlad.

The final card I bought at this month's show was this beautiful Yankee Stadium Legacy relic of who else but Yogi Berra! Two posts in a row topped off with a beautiful card of Yogi is something I know most collectors would be more than happy to do. Come on now, I know most of you hate the Yankees; but there's something seriously wrong if you don't like Yogi. I've been trying to expand my Berra collection a lot lately, taking advantage of any nice prices I see. Patches and wool swatches seem to really get my collecting gears on, and boy did they kick off what ended up being an incredible day!

Over the next few days, you'll see just what made this show experience above and beyond all the past shows we've been to! Thanks Dad for the 61 help, and to the rest of you, See Ya!

Awesome Check out my Cards Purchase!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Well, it was a short week of school but it took forever to go by. I made my fantasy league, and I have about 6 packs left in my box. I'm sending a new through the mail out soon, so I've been busy. But, I've posted a ton lately and a lot this month, which is nice! I've been struggling to keep on track but once I got back on track, I got behind again. Check out this sweet package that I used Check Out My Cards store credit for, I got the $ for my report card grades.

2009 Bowman Chrome X Fractors /250:
Nick Swisher
Robinson Cano

We'll start off with these. I don't have many nice x-fractors so this is cool. I love these cards! I wanna get a basic Swisher and Cano rainbow with the set, for Swisher I still need the base, refractor, gold and blue, I have the orange. For cano I need the blue, gold, and orange. Red will be tough to find for both, so I made the lists shorter. I really like this set and these cards only cost me a few bucks.

2009 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor /199:
Nick Swisher

Now, as I said in my box break review of Topps Chrome a while back, these blue refractors are AMAZING looking, and I pulled a few out of my box. Unfortunately, I didn't get a Swisher or Cano, and when I saw Swisher's on the site I jumped all over it. It was worth it. The picture on this card is hilarious and makes me laugh every time I see it. Well, that's all for Player Collection pickups, here is the rest of the loot.

1997 Bowman Chrome Javier Vazquez RC
2002 Bowman Draft Gold Curtis Granderson RC

I needed these for the Yankee Rookie Card PC, which has an updated list of current Yankees rookie cards that I need. Only 2 more (Randy Winn & Sergio Mitre) and I'll be up to date. I will need to upgrade a few of them, but for the most part this collection is nice! Vazquez has had a pretty solid career, last year being the highlight, and now he's a Yankee (again). I've always liked Granderson and he has had a nice short career right now. I got him through the mail last year, and he's seemed to be a really charitable and nice guy, and hopefully he can help donate another World Series ring to New York! I'm pretty sure these are true rookie cards, and they are nice!

2001 Topps Drew Brees RC

After the Saints won the Super Bowl I ran over to COMC and had to make an offer on this card. I barely had enough store credit, and I actually needed to take 3 cards off the shipment so I didn't go over on price. This is a really nice card, and I really like Drew (not just because he shares my name). He deserved a ring after a very successful career and I'll be rooting for him for the rest of his career. Congrats again Drew!

2005 UD Artifacts "Autofacts" Sparky Lyle Autograph /599

When I saw this I knew I needed to have it. And $6.00 later it was mine! Sparky is probably my favorite Yankees pitcher that played before I was born, along with Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, and Goose Gossage. The design is sweet on this card, and it is on card, which is a plus! It also doesn't have that annoying green and yellow old Upper Deck logo on it, the gold foil makes it look so much better. Overall, a heck of a card considering he's one of the Top 5 Yankees relief pitchers of all time.

2005 Sweet Spot Signatures Don Maynard Autograph

Probably the sweetest Jets card I own right now, and it was only $10.00. Maynard is a Hall of Fame wide receiver who played for the Jets during the same time and before Joe Namath. He even played when the Jets were the New York Titans. He is one of a few Jets Hall of Famers, including head coach Weeb Ewbank & Broadway Joe, well, along with Curtis Martin too when he gets in. As for the card, the autograph is really sharp, and he signed the plastic helmet perfectly. From what I've seen this set has some killer looking autographs. The hole in the helmet obviously is part of the helmet, not an error.

and lastly....

1960 Topps Billy Martin

This is one of my Top 5 oldest cards right now, and although he is not in a Yankee uniform, it was worth it for $5.00. Not only that but it is in MINT condition, it looks like it could've been part of the 2009 Topps Heritage set. If I ever get the money I will probably get this graded but that has yet to be decided. Doesn't it cost like $30.00 to get a card graded? I love only this card, Billy should be a Hall of Famer, but he is in a long list of "should be's" so chances are he won't make it. My dad loved Billy when he was manager of the Yankees, and I enjoyed watching that ESPN show "The Bronx is Burning" that was about him, George Steinbrenner, Reggie, and the rest of the 1970's Yankees.

Wow, my collection is growing every day thanks to you guys, and thanks to my grades, haha. I think I'm caught up now but still have a Topps box that will be finished within days. Maybe even tomorrow. See Ya!