Luis Severino PC Additions: Spring 2016

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I've been back in the US for almost a month now, and unless you keep tabs with my Twitter or Instagram accounts; you haven't seen any of my new Luis Severino PC additions. So with that, let's get you all up to date, shall we?

- 2014 Bowman Scout's Breakouts Insert

- 2014 Bowman Scout's Breakouts Die-Cut Insert

- 2014 Bowman Scout's Breakouts Die-Cut X-Fractor 61/99
- 2015 Bowman Chrome Prospects Black Refractor 

I purchased these four cards off of Check Out My Collectibles just before I fly off to Italy, and arrived home to find them waiting on my desk for me. I'm going to try to fill as many holes in his early Topps/Bowman rainbow checklists as I can without breaking the bank, and I believe these all came to me for less than $10 shipped.

- 2016 Topps #265 Rookie Card (x17)

Not one, not two, but seventeen. It's safe to say I won't be needing any more copies of Severino's official Topps rookie card. They really put together a solid debut card of his, more than likely thanks in part to him being represented by them.

- 2016 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autograph Refractor 177/499

When I initially started collecting Severino, I told myself I would only focus on his prospect years and his rookie year, and only went after his Topps/Bowman releases. I didn't think it would be much. I was wrong. His autograph is featured multiple times in every single Topps release this year, which I can only imagine is part of why they hardly sell for over $10 a pop (though, in fairness to Topps; his performance in 2016 has left much to be desired). I want to at least have one autograph from each set he's been included in, but as for completing the rookie year rainbows.... we'll see.

- 2016 Topps Museum Collection Signature Series Triple Relic Auto 95/99

Museum Collection has produced some of Topps' finest quality since its birth in 2012. This year, I feel like it may have taken a bit of a step back. Don't get me wrong, I'll take a card like this any day; but it does feel a little busy. Regardless, there are a few other Severino inclusions in this year's release that I'll be trying to add sooner or later.

- 2016 Topps Archives 1969 Super Auto 70/75

When I first saw these cards appearing out of this year's Topps Archives, I was so pumped. I quickly made an offer on a Severino autographed version on eBay and it was accepted. The card came in yesterday, and it is undoubtedly one of my favorites in my growing collection of the future Yankees ace.

And yes, I said ace. Because I still believe in the kid, and so should you.

All Star Stitches

Relics don't really have the same appeal they once did to me. There have been so many controversies in regards to where the "game used material" comes from to the point where I'm generally driven away from buying them. I'm even at the point where I'd rather add a colorful parallel of a player I collect over having a piece of their bathroom towel or socks or whatever Topps and Panini are using.

One of the best relic sets every year to me is the All Star cards in Topps' annual Update Series. I like some diversity in my player collections, and typically most of the jersey swatches placed on their cards look pretty similar. But the All Star ones can be bright and on the complete opposite end of the color spectrum from what they typically don throughout the course of the regular season. I recently added two cards of this nature, the first on Check Out My Collectibles and the second from eBay.

2013 Topps Update Prince Fielder All Star Stitches

I've had a few of these cards on my want list ever since they came out in 2013. I was lucky enough to attend that year's Home Run Derby and watch my favorite sluggers duke it out in Citi Field. Prince Fielder was a favorite to win, and was one of my favorite players at the time (still very much up there). He didn't make it as far into the competition as we hoped, but the power display Yoenis Cespedes provided Queens that night was enough to make up for it. It's pretty cool in retrospect to think that just two years later Cespedes helped lead the Mets to the World Series.

I highly doubt this was the jersey Fielder wore during the Derby, but it's close as it's going to get for me. That was one of the best days of my life, and I'm glad I have another token to remember it by. This cost me maybe $2.

2015 Topps Update Joe Panik All Star Stitches

It's hard to believe that a player can make such a quiet splash into the league. Joe Panik helped lead the Giants to an unforgettable World Series victory in his rookie year, and followed up by making the All Star team the next season. I hope this is the first of many for Joe, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was. I talk him up a great deal because we rarely get major league quality talent in my neck of the woods, but he really is evolving into one of the best second basemen in the National League. If he can put together a full, healthy season, I feel like he can bring in some hardware.

Most fans don't get much out of the All Star Game, and I understand why. The game means too much for the World Series but usually isn't as thrilling as the stakes would entail. On top of it all, interleague play is so common that it's not as exciting to see these players face off. I still enjoy seeing the players I've admired for years honored annually, and I hope that feeling stays with me for a while. 

Severino Sunday: November 1st (PLUS Contest Results)

Hey everyone, Drew back here. I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween! Mine was relaxing, as I got to sit back and watch game 4 of the World Series after powering my way through a never ending week. I've been rooting for the Mets because I honestly don't have any emotional attachment to the Royals at all, and because I'm a big fan of David Wright's. It doesn't look ideal for the Mets, but crazier things have happened.

I have been able to add 13 new Luis Severino cards to my collection since my first edition of Severino Sunday, and the quality hasn't decreased as far as I can tell.

 

- 2014 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Blue Paper Parallel 279/399

- 2014 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Green Paper Parallel 6/75

- 2014 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Red Ice Parallel 49/150

- 2014 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Purple Ice Parallel 58/99

- 2014 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Black Wave Refractor

- 2014 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Black Refractor 60/75

- 2014 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Blue Refractor 217/399

- 2015 Bowman Prospects Silver Paper Parallel 54/499

- 2015 Bowman Prospects Purple Paper Parallel 226/250

- 2015 Bowman Prospects Blue Paper Parallel 106/150

- 2015 Bowman Chrome Prospect Profiles

- 2015 Bowman Chrome Prospect Profiles Green Parallel 66/99

- 2015 Bowman Autograph

Many of these additions came together via Check Out My Collectibles, but the autograph, ice parallels, and black refractor arrived through separate eBay purchases. I now have his regular and refractor Bowman rookie autographs, and hopefully won't be my last Bowman autograph parallel of his. I completed the mini 2015 Bowman Chrome Prospect Profiles rainbow with the regular and green parallels (the gold and orange cards were featured in the last post). It's quite difficult working on four separate set rainbows at once of a highly touted prospect, but its refreshing to get the newest set out of the way before the cards become more rare and expensive.

To see my current Luis Severino collection all together, click here.

Before I let you all go and enjoy the rest of your football and World Series Sundays, I would like to announce the winner of my Victory Fine Art contest I ran this week. I was a little disappointed by the total number of entries, but those who did get involved were fantastic and it really seems like I'm not the only one to see the potential of this company.

I placed all of your names on random.org and after five randomizations, the winner of any Victory Fine Art print of their choice is...

Congrats Rich B.! I'm going to send Victory Fine Art an email announcing that you have won, and if at possible, please send them an email also (marie@americanpopdigital.com) with your mailing address and the Ali print you are interested in winning so they can ship it out to you!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest, and I just hope this helped bring more awareness to a great up and coming company. Once again, if you haven't seen their work yet, click here.

See Ya!

Check Out My Phenom Fireballers!

Hey guys, Drew back here! The final week of my summer is just about to hit the midway point, and I'm doing everything I can to not only enjoy it but get a lot accomplished before heading back to school. I slacked early on in the summer due to a big change in my life personally, but now as this fall semester is getting underway I'm feeling more motivated to take care of some things. 

I've been selling cards on Check Out My Collectibles for a few years now, and although I don't quite sell as much as I used to, I still do pretty well. With the store credit I accumulate, I've been purchasing cards I'd prefer to own in my collection; whether they be direct PC or not. I added two cards this summer with my store credit, both being of particularly special young hurlers in the AL East.

Chris Archer has been building off a successful first few years in the big leagues consistently, but has truly broken out in 2015. Though at times inconsistent, there are few pitchers who can dominate a start better than the Rays 26 year old ace. This year, he is 11-9 with a 2.77 ERA and is 4th in all of baseball with 205 strikeouts! His record doesn't speak for the success he's had, and the advanced stats indicate that his ERA could even be high for what he has compiled throughout the year. With a little bit of help down the stretch he could lead Tampa Bay to the final Wild Card spot.

I bought this "Future Phenoms" autographed relic out of 2013 Topps Triple Threads for a little over $10, and I have a feeling I won't be regretting it.

Yankee fans waited a long time for this giant of a kid. After waiting for years, hearing about the "Killer B's" (Betances & Banuelos), and just about giving up all hope on the former top prospect, Dellin Betances is finally here to stay. And if you haven't seen him dominate the late innings for the Bronx Bombers yet, you're missing out. Relievers are supposed to be filled with adrenaline and pump the stadium up, and Betances does just that; throwing fastballs that have the potential of hitting 100 mph with a filthy slurve. He made up for what we had lost when Mariano Rivera retired, and then some. I don't expect him to maintain this dominance for as long as Rivera did, but I'm going to enjoy this run while I can.

For about $20, I picked up his 2012 Bowman Chrome rookie autograph refractor numbered 120 of 500! I had a TriStar sticker autograph of his already, but I needed something flashy of our flashy arm.

All in all, I'm more than happy with my recent additions. See Ya!

Store Credit Flips at COMC!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! Over the past few months, I've been occasionally selling a card or three on my Check Out My Collectibles store. I've been using the site for several years now for buying and selling, and have recently put all the money I earned in sales towards cards I preferred for my personal collection. Lately, the money has been going towards autographs of rising stars in baseball that I enjoy watching, and I was able to add four to my Autograph PC in the process.

2013 Topps Allen & Ginter Starling Marte Autograph

First up, I picked up a 2013 Allen & Ginter framed autograph of Pirates young 5 tool outfielder Starling Marte. Marte swings a streaky bat, but when he's on, there aren't many more dangerous hitters. At 26, he's only entering his prime, and he's already built up two very solid statistical campaigns and is on pace for his best yet in 2015. I originally drafted him in my 8 team friends fantasy baseball league, but traded him along with Pedro Alvarez for Gerrit Cole and Jayson Werth. Werth has since hit the DL, but I've been pleased with what Cole has given me. I've always liked Marte's sharp signature, and had been looking forward to getting my own copy. 

2014 Topps Stadium Club Julio Teheran Autograph

The remaining three pickups are all of current pitchers, two of the three currently struggling thus far in 2015. First, I was able to complement ranking Julio Teheran as having the second best signature in baseball today by purchasing a certified autograph out of 2014 Topps Stadium Club. Teheran had a breakout season in 2014, going 14-13 with a 2.89 ERA and 186 strikeouts, however this season has been a different ballgame for the Columbian hurler. He has a 4.33 ERA through his first eight starts, and has produced inconsistent results. Despite this, I knew it was a good time to look into his autograph, and sure enough for just over $5, it was mine.

2014 Topps Finest Yordano Ventura Autograph Refractor

Perhaps the most controversial star in baseball (outside of A-Rod) in 2015 has been the Royals' Vordano Ventura. Clearly, the sky is the limit for this kid potential wise, as fans have seen in his spectacular 2014 playoff performances. The problem has been his attitude, which may have possibly affected his delivery on the field. After placing 6th in Rookie of the Year voting, he has come out the gate rather ineffectively in 2015. His ERA currently sits at a whopping 4.56, and advanced metrics don't appear to be cutting him much slack at all. This 2014 Topps Finest rookie autograph was too nice for me to pass up, but I know there is much more to be discovered about this kid before we can judge if he's an annoying, Delmon Young-esque fluke, or something much more memorable.

2013 Topps Tier One Andrew Cashner Autograph

My final autograph pickup was of Padres's young righty Andrew Cashner. Cashner was on my fantasy team last year, and I took a liking to him after he dominated in the early goings. Unfortunately, he only made 19 starts over the course of the season, and I may have put too much trust in him. How could I not though; when he pitched to a 2.55 ERA with 93 strikeouts when he was on the hill? This year, I shied away from him in my drafts, but despite a currently league leading 7 losses he only has a 3.24 ERA. It hasn't been an overly successful season for the 28 year old, but I can easily see his potential being all too high to keep things that way. This 2013 Tier One autograph only cost me a little over $3.00 in store credit, so it was worth every penny. On a side note, the new Tier One product looks amazing in all of the pictures I've seen so far.

What do you all think of these players, as well as the current state of youth in baseball today? Also, before I go I wanted to apologize for missing this week's Ten for Tuesday, especially considering that the king of Top Ten's is having his final show tonight. The series will be resumed around the same time next week.

See Ya!

COMC Card Exchange Mailday!

Hey guys, Drew back here! A few months ago I decided it would be a great idea to send a few batches of my autographed/memorabilia cards in to Check Out My Collectibles in anticipation of making a few extra bucks. It turned out to be an awesome idea, because with the $300+ I've earned thus far I've been able to buy the Robinson Cano Bowman Heritage autograph, some cards I've used for TTM requests, and a bunch of various other cards that hold more of a place in my collection! Here's a look at some of the loot I brought in this summer from COMC:

Charlie Sheen is one of my favorite actors, and "Eight Men Out" is a classic baseball movie. Although he didn't have a leading role here, it was one of the kickstarts to his "winning" career! For under a dollar, I couldn't pass this bad boy up!

There is a slim possibility that Robinson Cano may not be a part of the Yankees after this season, but clearly I believe Cashman will pull through and resign him longterm. Of course, I wouldn't like to see anything past 6 or 7 years contract wise, but with the way these longterm contracts have panned out throughout baseball I doubt he'll get much more. I picked up this 2012 Museum Collection parallel numbered to 299 and 2013 Heritage purple refractor for a couple of cheap meaningless relics.

I really need to update my Cano PC page soon. I've been in the midst of a huge liquidation movement with my collection, but after things settle I'll try to take my current PC's to the Internet for all of you to keep up with. Here's a bland Leaf Limited logo-less bat relic numbered out of 299 along with a funky 2006 All Star Stitches jersey card!

Despite the unfortunate Fanfest turnout with Mr. McCutchen, I'm still attempting to root for him. He's a great player and a lot of fun to watch, and when I saw this 2012 National Treasures relic of his for so cheap I knew I couldn't give up on the McCutch PC!

With the last dollar I had to spend, I turned to William and asked him what I should do with it. Rather than use it towards shipping costs, I bought 1961 Golden Press Bill Dickey card! I own literally next to nothing of Dickey's, and since he was the model in which Yogi Berra used to build his playing abilities, I feel like that's a bit cruel. That said, he doesn't have much out there and his autographs cost a fortune. For under a buck, I'll stick with this cool vintage card for now!

I haven't worked on my Knicks collection in what feels like forever, so here's a Raymond Felton auto relic out of this past year's Absolute Memorabilia product numbered out of 74! I'm not the biggest Felton believer but I do think he moves the ball extremely well and I admire his toughness and ability to drive towards the basket. JR Smith recently guaranteed a championship (what else is new), but on a serious note I'm looking forward to seeing the Knickstape back in action!

Last but most certainly not least, I added this beautiful 1982 Topps Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider rookie card! Oh, and some Ripken guy. Bummer he didn't work out, or else this card would've been a classic. Seriously though, any baseball fan should own a rookie card of Ripken's. I've now had the pleasure of saying that 9 months into 2013, I've had the opportunity to see Cal in person on 4 different days! That's a pretty easy way of saying 2013 has treated me pretty darn well!

School starts Thursday... but for now, See Ya!

A Mixed Bag of MLB Veteran Auto Pickups!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I just did the calculations- 66 days left until my summer vacation begins! Junior year hasn't been a piece of cake; in result I've had to work a lot harder than usual. However; the results have still been quality for me, and I'm proud to say I've done all that and also still made a lot of time for this hobby! Take a look at some of my recent pickups, most of which in exchange for my sales on Check Out My Collectibles:

First of all, my friend Mike and I made a 1 for 1 trade, which landed me his Exquisite autograph numbered to 50 of current Tigers DH Victor Martinez! I gave him my National Chicle Hakeem Nicks autograph straight up for the card, so the value was about even. Martinez is up there as one of the more underrated hitters in baseball, and I'm hoping he could have a solid bounce back campaign to make up for his injury plagued 2012 season. 

Joel Hanrahan was one of my favorite relievers in the game up until he packed his bags to become a member of the Red Sox. However, I still thought it'd be nice to pick up one of his autographs in his Bucs uni, and I took the one out of 2013 Topps. It's a decent looking card, and I'll probably hang on to it despite his dreadful start to the season. 

Next, I added this beautiful Masterpieces autograph of Indians speedy center fielder Michael Bourn! Bourn has really made his rounds in the big leagues throughout his 8 years, from Philadelphia to Houston to Atlanta, and now this season, to Cleveland. He's a valuable asset to any team, but I guess those sorts of players get overlooked because of the risk for injury. On another note, Upper Deck, come back, these are way too nice looking. 

Limited to only 2025 copies was my next pickup, this 2002 Best of Donruss Fan Club Alfonso Soriano autograph, pictured back during his pinstripe days! Soriano had a very underrated 2012 season, although he never really has hit for much of a batting average. It's crazy to imagine if the Yankees never traded him for A-Rod. I've always liked Sori though, and I think he's had a pretty nice career.

Lastly, how about this incredible 2011 Topps Tribute Giancarlo "Don't Call Me Mike" Stanton autographed relic? I've wanted an autograph of Mr. Stanton for a while now, as he's become one of my favorite players in the league! I wish the Marlins would get rid of him though, because it'd be for the best for both sides. As long as he doesn't go to Boston, I'd be happy. I used $40 of COMC store credit for this one, and I'm hoping my investment will pay off!

What do you guys think? Have a good week everyone! See Ya!

The Highlight of my Robinson Cano Collection!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I've been meaning to show this one off for a while now, as it's now been in my possession for a few weeks. I used a good chunk of the money I made off of COMC to buy quite possibly the best Cano autograph around, and while it wasn't cheap; I think it was definitely worth it! Take a look:

Indeed, I added his 2003 Bowman Heritage rookie autograph to my collection! Technically; I owned this card before the most recent one I picked up at a card show, so this was my 10th different Cano autograph! There's something so simple, yet so elegant about this card. Cano looks like the prototypical rookie, excited and anxious to begin his career. However, he soon showed that he was no average player, and since his rookie campaign in 2005, he's been all but "average". His lifetime batting average is .308, and with 4 Gold Gloves, 4 Silver Sluggers, and about halfway to 3,000 hits; he's well on pace to having a plaque in Cooperstown!

Cano was the first star I got to really watch develop as a player, considering I started watching in 2005. I didn't exactly take it in the way I have today with guys like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, but I'm proud to say I've grown up during the Cano era, and even prouder to say I have a lot of nice memorabilia to go along with it! 

I'm really glad I decided to save for this, rather than buy a ton of cheaper cards. I sold my 2007 Topps Chrome Adrian Peterson blue refractor for $80, which made this purchase a little cheaper. It's a simple card, but it really speaks for the type of player Robby Cano is. Hopefully he'll be flashing his trademark smile while signing a huge extension following the season, with Jay-Z by his side! 

See Ya!

Get Well Soon Ty! Recent PC Pickups

Hey guys, Drew back here! As many of you know, I recently started a new player collection; 2012 Yankees 1st round draft pick Ty Hensley! Unfortunately, the well touted prospect just recently underwent successful hip surgery, and will be out for a good chunk of the 2013 season. In order to wish him a proper get well, take a look at some of the cards I recently added of his:

I made a Check Out My Collectibles purchase about a month ago, taking home a bunch of great new cards for my collection (you'll see most of those another day). With the few bits and pieces of store credit I had left, I added a few Hensley cards to deepen my collection of his. Of course, I added the 2012 Bowman Chrome base and refractor, two pretty essential cards towards any prospect collection.

I also added these two parallels from the regular Bowman set; the orange and blue ones in particular. The orange is numbered 208 of 250; the blue numbered 390 of 500. I'm not the kind of collector who would chase multiples of the same card; I've always liked just having one of a card. I'm not against it though, so if you guys have any of these cards for trade I'd love to take them off your hands.

I bought this one off of eBay for less than $10 delivered, the Bowman red ice parallel numbered 1/25! It's a beautiful card; easily one of my favorites in the small but ever growing collection. I was surprised it didn't go for more than it did, because of the scarcity and the whole "eBay 1/1" spiel, but I'm definitely glad it didn't.

I've been selling quite a bit on COMC (although I've hit a dry spell of late), and I was able to fund enough $ to buy this sweet Hensley magenta printing plate! It's been a while since I've been able to add a 1/1 card to my collection, but after selling my Torii Hunter SP Legendary Cuts 1/1; I felt like I should replace it with something I liked more. 

But wait! There's more! I also happened to stumble upon the Cyan plate on eBay, and I got it for $10 less than I paid for the magenta. It was a great price, and my opinion, the better of the two!

Despite the injury, I'm still confident that Ty will be able to rebound and get to the majors one day! I'll definitely be rooting for him when he does! Get well soon!

See Ya!