Oh, and on a completely unrelated to cards note, I'm happy to announce that I was asked by one of the most up and coming online magazines to join their editorial staff. Because, well, yes, I write in French also (and much better than in English, or so I hope).
Not that it really matters to you guys, especially since I don't see why you'd want to read articles in French about comic books, but it does give you a chance to see what I look like. Someone should make a series of posts where everybody puts up a picture, so we know what we each look like. For example, in my head, Tony looks like Robin Yount. And he actually doesn't. That came as a shock.
Anyway, I won't post the photo directly here, you'll need to click on that link first.
Teaser : those are cocker spaniel ears. Absolutely.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Plenty of wood to satisfy everybody
Well, this is the final haul from my ebay binge shopping from the past three months. The last one I showed took a week to get here, whereas this one was sent a month earlier by Comc also. Go figure. Anyway, as always, there's a little bit of everything, depending on cost, shipping charges and whatever a certain seller would carry that I could add to lower said shipping charges.
I'm very excited about that card. My first Campy, and it's from a great looking set (I wonder how high it'll be in Night Owl's countdown). Not the sharpest of conditions, but as you know by now, I don't really care about that. My collection really isn't about value at all (though it's always nice to know your cards aren't worthless, but I don't see it as an investment). It's about rekindling with baseball history and my adolescent years (No, I wasn't around when Campanella played, my sentence is simply poorly phrased. Let's all blame the fact that my first language is French, and leave it at that)
Another Mays. The third in my collection, after the 1960 and 1965.
Some more Brooks Robinson (yeah, I'm pretty much chasing all of his base cards), including a second year one. Those two we sold together and cost me $8 shipped, so I'm happy about that.
(not so) random BLue Jays autos. I'm always happy to add one of those Fan Favorites autos. It'll be tough finding the Olerud and the Mc Griff for cheap (I try not to spend more than $10 on modern cards, including autos), but you never know. I'm confused as to why you'd call a collection 'co-signers' and have a 'solo sigs' subset.
Giant, low numbered patch ! (when is a number considered low, by the way ?)
This is one of those refractors that always confuse me. Though this one is Sepia. I know this because it's SN /99, and those are the sepias. Also, I have to admit that it does look sepia. Granted. I still think they should clearly identify them on the backs of the cards.
PC purchases. That Griffey is actually made of plastic, not cardboard, and is SN /3250 (that, for example, is NOT low numbered)
Completely random purchases. Then again, I love those A&G framed minis and also like Swisher a lot. But I've never really cared for Luis Gonzalez. I just really liked the card and didn't think I'd win with a .99 cts opening bid.
I always have an eye out for Red Sox cards, so I'll have trade bait for Mark Hoyle. But I'll hold onto those for a little bit, simply because they're great looking cards.
I'm a big Ted Williams fan. And that card is made out of wood (seems like I got a lot of bat relics and just wood in general. I wonder if I'm over-compensating for something), which adds to the fun. And how can you not be a Gary Carter fan ?
Finally, same as the other day, another Black signature auto. With a budget under $10, you can't expect big names...Magic an Jordan will have to wait.
So there you go...We'll see how long I'm able to stay away from Ebay and Comc. Not too long, as I'll need to always accumulate trade bait for my steady trade partners, but it's ok. It's under control.
For now.
I'm very excited about that card. My first Campy, and it's from a great looking set (I wonder how high it'll be in Night Owl's countdown). Not the sharpest of conditions, but as you know by now, I don't really care about that. My collection really isn't about value at all (though it's always nice to know your cards aren't worthless, but I don't see it as an investment). It's about rekindling with baseball history and my adolescent years (No, I wasn't around when Campanella played, my sentence is simply poorly phrased. Let's all blame the fact that my first language is French, and leave it at that)
Another Mays. The third in my collection, after the 1960 and 1965.
Some more Brooks Robinson (yeah, I'm pretty much chasing all of his base cards), including a second year one. Those two we sold together and cost me $8 shipped, so I'm happy about that.
(not so) random BLue Jays autos. I'm always happy to add one of those Fan Favorites autos. It'll be tough finding the Olerud and the Mc Griff for cheap (I try not to spend more than $10 on modern cards, including autos), but you never know. I'm confused as to why you'd call a collection 'co-signers' and have a 'solo sigs' subset.
Giant, low numbered patch ! (when is a number considered low, by the way ?)
This is one of those refractors that always confuse me. Though this one is Sepia. I know this because it's SN /99, and those are the sepias. Also, I have to admit that it does look sepia. Granted. I still think they should clearly identify them on the backs of the cards.
PC purchases. That Griffey is actually made of plastic, not cardboard, and is SN /3250 (that, for example, is NOT low numbered)
Completely random purchases. Then again, I love those A&G framed minis and also like Swisher a lot. But I've never really cared for Luis Gonzalez. I just really liked the card and didn't think I'd win with a .99 cts opening bid.
I always have an eye out for Red Sox cards, so I'll have trade bait for Mark Hoyle. But I'll hold onto those for a little bit, simply because they're great looking cards.
I'm a big Ted Williams fan. And that card is made out of wood (seems like I got a lot of bat relics and just wood in general. I wonder if I'm over-compensating for something), which adds to the fun. And how can you not be a Gary Carter fan ?
Finally, same as the other day, another Black signature auto. With a budget under $10, you can't expect big names...Magic an Jordan will have to wait.
So there you go...We'll see how long I'm able to stay away from Ebay and Comc. Not too long, as I'll need to always accumulate trade bait for my steady trade partners, but it's ok. It's under control.
For now.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
This is for me...this is for other bloggers and this is for...hmm
It's time to have a look at some of the cards I got, following my ebay binge of the past couple of months. I'm actually proud of myself, as I haven't bid on anything since March 9th. I don't know if this earns me a chip, but the first step was admitting I had a problem, and that's done. I'm glad I had an intervention with myself. I'm still expecting a big package from Comc that should be here anytime, but after that, I'll be done with my ebay purchases.
The good thing though is that at no time did I receive cards wondering why on earth I'd bid on them. Well...sort off...
As always, I'll start with vintage !
1960 Topps just may be my favorite post 50s card set. Yep, even in front of 65.
My very first vintage Koufax ! His cards can't be found for cheap, even in bad shape. This one is semi-beat up and cost me $7. I'm still actively looking for (relatively) cheap copies of his 63 Fleer, 60 and 65 Topps...maybe one day.
I got both of those for $10 shipped (they were sold together). Not the most glamorous of May's cards, but still a very cool one to own.
For once, I got this Pirate card for my PC and not for Matt's collection. Please don't hold it against me !
The listing did not mention that the Munson was a Topps mini. I'm ok with that, it'll give me an excuse to chase down his regular issue too. The Ryan is for my 'let's get a copy of each of Nolan Ryan's base Topps cards" project.
Now, the modern cards :
I own several of Well's autos (3 or 4, which for me is a lot), and am always happy to add new ones, especially when they're on card.
This was an extra card sent by one of the ebay sellers. He didn't do it on purpose, but it happens to be a card for my PC, of one of my favorite sets ever. Ok, he did also put a couple of Star Wars cards in there, that I donated to Comc because...Well because it's Star Wars cards...
Basketball !
I don't know if you can tell from the scans, but those two cards are partly acetate, hence transparent. They look real nice. The first one, I got simply because I'm trying to add as many UD Black autos as possible.
Hardaway looks way scarier on that card than on-court...
This is a great looking booklet ! (yeah, I'm feeling very inspired tonight)
Mark was nice enough to send me a bunch of those a couple of months ago, and I instantly fell in love with them. So it's naturally that I'm trying to complete the Knicks team set.
And finally, cards from nowhere. Well, actually, I got those cards for Wes, of jaybarker fame. Why ? Well, because I was absolutely sure that he collected Rockets players. I don't know why. Turns out he doesn't, as I mistook him with another blogger (sorry, can't remember who !). Those are still real nice looking cards, but talk about a dumb purchase ! I'll explain to my accountant that my heart was in the right place, that I was just trying to make Wes happy. He'll understand.
The good thing though is that at no time did I receive cards wondering why on earth I'd bid on them. Well...sort off...
As always, I'll start with vintage !
1960 Topps just may be my favorite post 50s card set. Yep, even in front of 65.
My very first vintage Koufax ! His cards can't be found for cheap, even in bad shape. This one is semi-beat up and cost me $7. I'm still actively looking for (relatively) cheap copies of his 63 Fleer, 60 and 65 Topps...maybe one day.
I got both of those for $10 shipped (they were sold together). Not the most glamorous of May's cards, but still a very cool one to own.
For once, I got this Pirate card for my PC and not for Matt's collection. Please don't hold it against me !
The listing did not mention that the Munson was a Topps mini. I'm ok with that, it'll give me an excuse to chase down his regular issue too. The Ryan is for my 'let's get a copy of each of Nolan Ryan's base Topps cards" project.
Now, the modern cards :
I own several of Well's autos (3 or 4, which for me is a lot), and am always happy to add new ones, especially when they're on card.
Basketball !
I don't know if you can tell from the scans, but those two cards are partly acetate, hence transparent. They look real nice. The first one, I got simply because I'm trying to add as many UD Black autos as possible.
Hardaway looks way scarier on that card than on-court...
This is a great looking booklet ! (yeah, I'm feeling very inspired tonight)
Mark was nice enough to send me a bunch of those a couple of months ago, and I instantly fell in love with them. So it's naturally that I'm trying to complete the Knicks team set.
And finally, cards from nowhere. Well, actually, I got those cards for Wes, of jaybarker fame. Why ? Well, because I was absolutely sure that he collected Rockets players. I don't know why. Turns out he doesn't, as I mistook him with another blogger (sorry, can't remember who !). Those are still real nice looking cards, but talk about a dumb purchase ! I'll explain to my accountant that my heart was in the right place, that I was just trying to make Wes happy. He'll understand.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Box Break part II : the French return with a vengeance. Well, sort of
As you all know, Matt and I have put this box breaking trade in place. Each month, we choose a box or two, draft some teams and we take turns hosting the break and sending the cards. That way, no money is exchanged. Easy way to get trade bait and to have fun.
Well, it was my turn. I did have a lot of fun opening 24 packs of 2005 Throwback threads and 2013 Hometown Heroes (see Panini, I do like you after all). As far as trade bait is concerned...well, that's another story altogether.
There was one hit in the box, and it went to Matt. Strangely enough, I was relieved, as I got the better part of his break last time around ! I'm so unselfish, it's touching. Which is why I only have those inserts to show. Hobby boxes yield 3 autos, apparently, so I must have had the retail version. Considering I paid something like $15 for it, it makes a lot of sense.
And those. But at least I got a Joe Carter for my PC.
I do like the base cards, as a matter of fact. And there wasn't a single duplicate in the whole box, so good for them.
I was very, very excited about Throwback Threads. I really like their relics, and there are soooooo many of them in this set, it got me dizzy just looking at the checklist. I started daydreaming. I'd see us both diving in tons and tons of Throwback hits, like Uncle Scrooge in his vault. Except here's what I got :
This is just plain cruel. You can tell by the size of packs which ones are supposed to contain a hit card. So they try to fool those who are cherry picking with those blank thick cards. The 24 packs I got didn't come from a box, so I can't help but wonder if the boxes had been searched or the packs just put aside once the hits had been pulled. But I'll trust Dave & Adam's on this, I don't think it's the kind of thing they'd do. It's just part of the game...sometimes you just end up paying a fee to jump in an empty swimming pool.
There were some numbered inserts, though. Even Beckett acknowledges that those are worth nothing, but they still look nice and hey, a Frank Thomas for my Pc ! yay.
and finally a couple more inserts I have nothing to write about.
So there you go. It was fun, but very disappointing. Next time, I'll try to choose my options better and go for a hits oriented product, instead of trying to get the best deal possible. Because those are often too good to be true.
Well, it was my turn. I did have a lot of fun opening 24 packs of 2005 Throwback threads and 2013 Hometown Heroes (see Panini, I do like you after all). As far as trade bait is concerned...well, that's another story altogether.
There was one hit in the box, and it went to Matt. Strangely enough, I was relieved, as I got the better part of his break last time around ! I'm so unselfish, it's touching. Which is why I only have those inserts to show. Hobby boxes yield 3 autos, apparently, so I must have had the retail version. Considering I paid something like $15 for it, it makes a lot of sense.
And those. But at least I got a Joe Carter for my PC.
I do like the base cards, as a matter of fact. And there wasn't a single duplicate in the whole box, so good for them.
I was very, very excited about Throwback Threads. I really like their relics, and there are soooooo many of them in this set, it got me dizzy just looking at the checklist. I started daydreaming. I'd see us both diving in tons and tons of Throwback hits, like Uncle Scrooge in his vault. Except here's what I got :
This is just plain cruel. You can tell by the size of packs which ones are supposed to contain a hit card. So they try to fool those who are cherry picking with those blank thick cards. The 24 packs I got didn't come from a box, so I can't help but wonder if the boxes had been searched or the packs just put aside once the hits had been pulled. But I'll trust Dave & Adam's on this, I don't think it's the kind of thing they'd do. It's just part of the game...sometimes you just end up paying a fee to jump in an empty swimming pool.
There were some numbered inserts, though. Even Beckett acknowledges that those are worth nothing, but they still look nice and hey, a Frank Thomas for my Pc ! yay.
and finally a couple more inserts I have nothing to write about.
So there you go. It was fun, but very disappointing. Next time, I'll try to choose my options better and go for a hits oriented product, instead of trying to get the best deal possible. Because those are often too good to be true.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Trade post #8760980986 : Bob Walk the plank
Along with the contents of our first ever transatlantic box break, Matt also sent some Blue Jays for our ongoing trading bouts. It's of course gotten to a point where we each try to outdo one another (as is often the case with blind trades, which is why I love them so much). And boy did Matt send yet another terrific bunch of cards my way.
I love those throwback threads. Great looking cards. Nice thread there for my new Mega Gold Glovers PC !
The hunt for 2015 parallels begins ! This one is low numbered : 20/50
I think I'm now only missing a couple of relics to complete the series 1 Blue Jays master set. Thanks for making that task easy, Topps.
Delgado on-card auto !! I only own his 96 Leaf signature series auto, and I got it in a trade 15 years ago. I'm very excited about that card, as Delgado autos hardly ever come cheap (well, for me anyway) and there aren't that many around.
One of my favorite Blue Jays, and my first auto of his. And a great one at that. I had to look up the difference between blue, green and red autos for the Donruss Signature series, and if I understand correctly, the first 100 cards are the blue ones, and the next 100 cards signed are the green ones. Awesome card.
I hate prizm with all my heart, and yet I really like that card. Simply because it's numbered 37/42 and that there are little 42s everywhere. And, as you all know, 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything.
And finally, a nice patch and a nice card and another low numbered serial of one of my favorite players as well.
Matt, you once again outdid yourself, so thanks a lot ! But I got a few cards up my sleeve...
I love those throwback threads. Great looking cards. Nice thread there for my new Mega Gold Glovers PC !
The hunt for 2015 parallels begins ! This one is low numbered : 20/50
I think I'm now only missing a couple of relics to complete the series 1 Blue Jays master set. Thanks for making that task easy, Topps.
Delgado on-card auto !! I only own his 96 Leaf signature series auto, and I got it in a trade 15 years ago. I'm very excited about that card, as Delgado autos hardly ever come cheap (well, for me anyway) and there aren't that many around.
One of my favorite Blue Jays, and my first auto of his. And a great one at that. I had to look up the difference between blue, green and red autos for the Donruss Signature series, and if I understand correctly, the first 100 cards are the blue ones, and the next 100 cards signed are the green ones. Awesome card.
I hate prizm with all my heart, and yet I really like that card. Simply because it's numbered 37/42 and that there are little 42s everywhere. And, as you all know, 42 is the answer to life, the universe and everything.
And finally, a nice patch and a nice card and another low numbered serial of one of my favorite players as well.
Matt, you once again outdid yourself, so thanks a lot ! But I got a few cards up my sleeve...
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Blabbin' n bloggin' 'bout Bob's box break
As you guys might have seen on Matt's post the other day , we decided to take our friendship to the next level. No, not THAT kind of level, but we've still become quite the pen-pals and often talk about the hobby and about ways to make it even more fun for us. One of Matt's ideas was to have box breaks between us. We'd simply draft teams and pick one or two boxes each month, taking turns of course. No money exchanges hands, we simply set limits in terms of value of the boxes and we start ripping packs ! It's all about having fun, of course, but also an easy way of accumulating trade bait.
Matt was the first to pick out boxes. He opted for 2006 Ovation and 2013 Topps Mini. The least we can say is that I got the better end of the breaks, even though he did pull a printing plate. I've never pulled one in a pack, I wonder what it feels like.
Ok, let's see what I got with my half of the teams.
I didn't own any of those mini Blue jays, so yay. Though between mini, flagship and opening day, some of these photos are getting old.
The usual inserts. The design on those Chasing history inserts are actually pretty nice.
First hit !
Second hit, numbered out of 62
A couple of low numbered real hits (pink parallels are numbered out of 25). I got lucky getting that Buehrle for my PC
Next up, please stand up for Ovation !
The base cards, which I have always liked a lot because of how they magically feel like a real baseball.
Some cute inserts.
The first hit of the box (basically, I got all the hits from Ovation. Sorry Matt !). It's safe to say this one is headed Brian's way if he wants it.
And finally, the main hit of the break :
This is a very, very cool auto, I absolutely love it ! Plus, it's a player I've always liked. He didn't put up fancy numbers, as he mainly retired batters on ground balls, but he used to be solid.
The boxes for my turn should be here early next week (I can't get mine in 24h !) and will show them in due time. I'm officially very excited about this ! Let's all keep having fun, in one way or another.
Matt was the first to pick out boxes. He opted for 2006 Ovation and 2013 Topps Mini. The least we can say is that I got the better end of the breaks, even though he did pull a printing plate. I've never pulled one in a pack, I wonder what it feels like.
Ok, let's see what I got with my half of the teams.
I didn't own any of those mini Blue jays, so yay. Though between mini, flagship and opening day, some of these photos are getting old.
The usual inserts. The design on those Chasing history inserts are actually pretty nice.
First hit !
Second hit, numbered out of 62
A couple of low numbered real hits (pink parallels are numbered out of 25). I got lucky getting that Buehrle for my PC
Next up, please stand up for Ovation !
Some cute inserts.
The first hit of the box (basically, I got all the hits from Ovation. Sorry Matt !). It's safe to say this one is headed Brian's way if he wants it.
And finally, the main hit of the break :
This is a very, very cool auto, I absolutely love it ! Plus, it's a player I've always liked. He didn't put up fancy numbers, as he mainly retired batters on ground balls, but he used to be solid.
The boxes for my turn should be here early next week (I can't get mine in 24h !) and will show them in due time. I'm officially very excited about this ! Let's all keep having fun, in one way or another.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Christmas in March : a Panini tradition
Last winter, I won a contest at 2x3 Heroes. I was very proud. It took a lot of skills to be able to comment, say hi, and have my name randomly selected. It's still the first contest I've ever won. Then again, I don't enter that many, because I always feel bad that the person then might have to ship out free cards to France. But this time, I'm really glad I did, as I won a hefty stack of basketball cards from the last couple of years. Jeff also included some Blue Jays for my collection (thanks !) and a card I had claimed as part of his Christmas giveaway. A few weeks and a flat rate box packed full later, it's Christmas all over again.
This is the card I claimed. I used to make fun of patches. I didn't understand them. Now I can't stay away from them. I'm drawn. I don't get it. Those things are powerful.
One of the very few remaining base cards of Alomar that I still needed. Plus it's a Stadium Club !
A&G SP !
This was one crazy idea. I wonder if people actually collected that set.
Various Blue Jays needs from various brands and eras. This happens to be my very first 91 O Pee Chee.This might just be cause for celebration.
This took care of some of my 2008 UD needs
I won't scan the 150 basketball cards Jeff was kind enough to send me, and even though I'm very grateful for them (I really am), I can't help but wonder why people would give their money to Panini. Some of their high-end cards are nice, but their 'base brands' are terrible. Hoops did a good job with the design this year and the action shots (this is basketball after all, there should only be action shots), but they tend to forget that cards are two-sided. To illustrate this, here are the backs from Hoops. One is from last year's issue, the other one from this year's.
Remember when we could tell a set from the back of the cards ? Not anymore.
Oh wait, there IS that black lining on the top and bottom. My bad. And the Panini logo did change places. I apologize for saying that Panini design the worst backs in the history of spots cards, and that includes old tobacco cards. Then again, they are used to producing stickers, after all
And even when they do include a photo on the back, they re-use the one from the front. And I hate that. HATE IT.
Anyway, thanks a lot Jeff for the cards, even if I always hate on Panini, I had a blast sorting through all of them. I'll have some White Sox ready for you real soon !
This is the card I claimed. I used to make fun of patches. I didn't understand them. Now I can't stay away from them. I'm drawn. I don't get it. Those things are powerful.
One of the very few remaining base cards of Alomar that I still needed. Plus it's a Stadium Club !
A&G SP !
This was one crazy idea. I wonder if people actually collected that set.
Various Blue Jays needs from various brands and eras. This happens to be my very first 91 O Pee Chee.This might just be cause for celebration.
This took care of some of my 2008 UD needs
I won't scan the 150 basketball cards Jeff was kind enough to send me, and even though I'm very grateful for them (I really am), I can't help but wonder why people would give their money to Panini. Some of their high-end cards are nice, but their 'base brands' are terrible. Hoops did a good job with the design this year and the action shots (this is basketball after all, there should only be action shots), but they tend to forget that cards are two-sided. To illustrate this, here are the backs from Hoops. One is from last year's issue, the other one from this year's.
Remember when we could tell a set from the back of the cards ? Not anymore.
Oh wait, there IS that black lining on the top and bottom. My bad. And the Panini logo did change places. I apologize for saying that Panini design the worst backs in the history of spots cards, and that includes old tobacco cards. Then again, they are used to producing stickers, after all
And even when they do include a photo on the back, they re-use the one from the front. And I hate that. HATE IT.
Anyway, thanks a lot Jeff for the cards, even if I always hate on Panini, I had a blast sorting through all of them. I'll have some White Sox ready for you real soon !