The sound of music : my life

Today, I only have those two cards to show. Two great players from a very nice set, but there isn't much to write home about.

But now that I have your attention, I figured I'd write a little bit about my mind-blowingly quiet life. More precisely about what I was doing before I started selling books 8 years ago.

Let's start with the beginning.
2001 marks the last time I purchased a pack of cards before I got back in the hobby last summer. I was in Seattle visiting some friends, happened to find a card shop in the nearby mall and picked up a couple of Topps and Upper Deck packs, along with the latest Beckett. It didn't trigger anything much, so I just left it at that, before getting hooked again 13 years later.
Anyway, the reason why I was in Seattle was because I was very deep into music. No, nothing to do with Hendrix, Nirvana or Soundgarden. Mainly independent Hip hop at the time. I used to write reviews for the main French webzine on the subject, and I also used to conduct interviews and go to a ton of concerts. For any of you who followed that scene back then, I was the French "agent" for Anticon, but that's another story. Which means I met a lot of people, some got fairly famous, some were soon forgotten and some invited me over to Seattle to spend a couple of months in the summer. I had a great time over there. My friends were great Djs and musicians (and there was also an awesome graff artist in the mix) and they showed me how to make music. I learned the basics of beatmaking (I did play the piano for a couple of years when I was a kid, but was never really good at it) and started fiddling with electronic music also.
When I got back home shortly after 9/11, I decided to invest and by my own Workstation. I had worked as communication manager for a start-up for a couple of years before calling it quits (I loved my job, but working 70 hours a week had its toll and I needed a change in my life), and had a little bit of money put aside, and a lot of free time.

I'll try to keep it short, I promise !

I never thought of myself as a musician. I was just having fun. But people started saying that they liked what I was doing, so it motivated me to continue and explore this. One of my friends is a very good Dj (really, really good), and we had this idea to make music together. I'd take care of instrumentals and melodies, he'd then incorporate scratches and general turntablism. I love the sound of those wicky wicky fresh and thought it worked real well with electronic music.

Long story short : we sent out some demos, had our project accepted by a few labels and chose the one that was the best suited for us. The album came out in 2004, and the music industry was changing real fast. The internet was taking over, sales were plummeting, distributors were shutting down. But we did our thing. The album sold quite well all things considered (there was a track featuring Buck 65, which helped) and we had a lot of press. It wasn't Pitchfork material, but our album was still very well received. Our label didn't do much to promote us, but we had a big enough following to get concert dates and to have fun.

Which is exactly what that period of time was all about : fun. We didn't make any money, many concert experiences were terrible, but all in all, it was a blast. Whether it was playing in front of 30 people or 500 people, in Paris or in London, with or without gust stars, headlining or opening (hardly ever headlining, of course, you need to start somewhere), it was all great. I have so many memories, I could probably write a book on the subject.

And then it was 2006. We had signed for 3 albums. The second one was close to completion and we were very happy with it. But the record company turned it down, claiming it wasn't sounding rock enough (say what ?). We started looking for another record label, but none were biting. A lot weren't signing any new bands anyway and were just waiting for the musical hurricane to pass by and see what would still be standing. That's when I started working full time. That's when people started forgetting us altogether. That's when I started writing instead of making music. But that's another story.

The name of the band was Langage Computer (yes Langage, not Language, it's on purpose). If you're curious, you can listen to the album right there

Sorry if I got all nostalgic on you guys, I'm aware this has nothing to do with cards. But it's got a lot to do with who I am.

Family Guy part III

As you all know by now, Brian hosted an innovative break : you claimed a team, and in exchange all you had to do was send some Twins from the era he wasn't collecting cards at all (like many of us, me included, so I can relate ! ). Since the Blue Jays had already been claimed and I thought the idea was too cool not to participate, I picked the Mariners, hoping for some Griffeys.

Turns out it was a pretty smart move (thank you very much), especially considering I have most Blue Jays base cards from the many boxes he chose to include : 1996 Pinnacle, 1999 Ultra, 2002 Fleer Greats and 2002 Topps Gallery. A great choice and variety of boxes that made for a real fun break that we could all watch live (I watched from 1 am to 4 am and called it a night).

I did pretty good, and it allowed Brian to send me this third envelope crammed with cards, in as many weeks. The USPS and Scotch are very grateful.

First, the hits. Gold medallions and a couple of Naturals inserts, including the Griffey. So yay !

I myself opened a box of 2003 SC not so long ago, so I'm only missing a dozen of cards from the set, but I did not have that Ichiro gold parallel.

Strange that I hadn't picked up that Griffey base card. It's always been high on my want list.

A couple more Griffeys, including one from an interleague game, I suppose,  and three different A-Rods. He's more PED-friendly than fan-friendly, but he's still one hell of a player.

Ichiro or not, ANY player looks good on a Gallery card.

Finally, in addition to the Mariners cards, Brian, of course, included some cards for my PC. The Puckett is especially nice to get, as he's Brian's favorite player from his childhood. Ok, he probably has multiple copies, BUT STILL. There were no Mariners in the Fleer Greats checklist, so I'm getting the Wizzard. Great choice !

Oh, and there was also that unopened X Files pack of cards. I never really watched the show (my mom and brother were big fans though, and my brother actually collected those cards), but what I do know is that those cards scare me to death.

Thanks for helping make the hobby even more fun than it already is, I hope you'll be bombed with Twins cards from the early 2000s !

Vintagy-diecuty-shinyy-autography-reliquy pick ups

I received another envelope full of cards today (things should be slowing down rapidly from now on mail-wise, so I'll try not to get used to this too much), this time from ebay purchases I made last week. LAST WEEK ! This is crazy. Less than 6 weeks to receive cards...it's too overwhelming for me actually, I might need to take a moment.

there.

much better.

Anyway, as I often explained, I hardly ever chase a particular card on ebay. I simply browse the items my favorite sellers have for sale. As if I was in an LCS just looking around. Which explains the complete randomness of what I pick up. It's probably not very smart, I should focus more on real wants, but there are sooooo many cards out there and soooooo many that I don't even know exist, that I prefer doing it that way. It's more fun to me.

I couldn't imagine not having a Don Mossi card in my collection. Sorry Julie, I'm keeping this Tiger this time !

A couple of 2015 Heritage purple refractors. I wonder if the refractors are SPs also ?

 A random auto from a Blue Jays prospect who only had 100 plate appearance in the majors with Toronto. But there's still the logo up there, so I wanted it.

Topps mini ! From Topps Mini online exclusive. I have no idea what that is, but I'll take their word for it.

This, apparently, is an encased box topper. I had no idea whatsoever that box toppers existed, 20 years ago. A whole new world unfolding before me. This is a chrome xfractor (ooooooh. fancy) numbered 21/57.

I picked it up because it's Alomar (probably the year of the spitting incident, I don't remember when that was exactly) and because it looked really cool. This time I wasn't mistaken, this is really die-cut, and it is pretty cool.I'll have to see if I can find the Griffey from that set.

Some Braves stitches ! No, this is not Jaybarker's blog. THe one on the left I picked up because it's Andruw Jones. I used to collect Sheffield cards 20 years ago. Before he...well, you know. And the one on the right I got simply because I think it looks very nice. And it's numbered 10/25. And it's meant for Wes at some point.

Just a shiny auto. I believe Sierra never made it to the majors, but I just liked the card.

This one I got because I owe Brian soooooooooooo many cards ! And what does he do ? He picks one up at a card show ! PLUS, he gets one in Chris's Heritage break (see how I'm using everybody's real name instead of the name of their blogs ? This means I'm IN, baby). So I'll keep this one in my collection. Which is fine by me, I think Mauer is an amazing player.

Ebay frustration

I'm going cold turkey.
It's decided.

Until next month, that is, of course.
I try to keep a budget, as far as cards go. I know how much I want to spend (too much), and how much over my budget I'm willing to go (way too much). But I've been doing so much shopping around on ebay to keep the trade bait flowing, that I kind of lost track. I'm still within my budget, but if I keep that pace, I'll be broke soon.
And nobody wants that.

Today, for example, I received about 15 cards from Ebay. Woohoo. Except I can only show a handful, because most of my purchases are made for others. Which is absolutely fine, it's a lot of fun for me, and I always get tenfold in return (thanks gals and guys !). But it's still very frustrating, I love to show off. It's probably a male thing. I still have a couple of years before my mid-life crisis and before I start shopping for a red sportscar and the big breasted blonde that comes with it.

I'm still expecting a ton of cards, and many are waiting in my Comc mailbox to be sent over too. I have enough to keep me busy for the next few weeks. It's time to concentrate on other things.

One of those things is a super secret project we have with Matt, over at Bob Walk the plank. So secret that we might form a special club with a special handshake and a secret name. GROSS was already taken by Calvin & Hobbes, but we'll find something. More on that soon ! (I can tell you're intrigued)

Anyway : here are the few cards I can show

My first vintage Ted Williams card ! Ok, I took the beaten path and went for 59 Fleer rather than his Topps issues (I'm still trying to track some down, but even cards in a very, very bad shape sell for a lot). I still really like that card, and it's convenient that you can usually pick them up for a few dollars each.

 Just felt like adding this one to my collection ! Plus, 67 was a pretty good year for Gibson. Not as good as 68, but still.

This one I got because it was cheap, and features three of my favorite players of all time. Other than that, I find the composition of the photos absolutely horrendous. The patches look nice though. If you have an incredibly good memory, you'll notice that I'd already gotten one from that collection, and had already made fun of the pics

Finally, a couple of basketball cards that came together. Nice on card autos of unknown players. Ok, I'm unfair, Villanueva has had some very decent stats and years, though now he only comes off the bench from time to time for the Pistons.

Fun with book value

I'm happy, as I recently found an ebayer with a bunch of cool inserts from the 90s and more modern cards (I can't believe the 90s isn't considered modern, anymore) and who offers very fair international shipping fees ($3 for a card, $7 for 10 and $10 for 15-20). I need to be careful, as prices add up easily, but it was fun to shop around.

The real fun thing about 90s inserts is to compare their book value at the time they came out with the price I paid for them this time around. I really feel sorry for those who invested large amounts of money at the time, but come one...what did you expect ?

Ok, here's what I picked up this time, and none cost more than $3, except the (spoiler alert) Andruw Jones auto :

The problem when you shop on your computer screen is that you solely rely on photos. I was really disappointed in this one, as I was under the impression that it was some kind of embossed or die cut card. Which is why I got it in the first place, even though I've always liked Pettitte. I'm a little stupid like that sometimes. BV at the time was around $1, which is what I got it for.

A nice shiny card for my PC. This one is numbered out of 1 500, which in 97 was a big deal. So big a deal that it was worth...let's see...$80. Okay, to be fair, Andruw was incredibly popular at that time because of his World Series heroics. This $80 card was mine for $1.25 (and is still 'officially' worth $8 today)

More mid-90s shininess ! This time with The Kid. You could only get that set by redeeming for it, but I'm willing to bet thousands of people did so. It was worth $10-15. Got it for $1.3

Robbie  ! a tough insert to get (1:75) from a high-end set. Card worth $30 in 97, got it for $1.6

I like trying to chase on-card autos for my PC. SO I jumped on the opportunity of landing that nice Andruw Jones for $5. BV in 2001 was $30.

Ok, I'm done making fun of BV and Beckett. I randomly got that card because it features game-used base and ball. And they claim that they were used on May 12th 2001, which is a nice lie addition.

I like Bernie, don't care much about Giambi, but there's a nice pinstripe there.

I have no idea what this one was worth, as there was no pricing due to scarcity. I got it because it's numbered 01/10 and (only) cost $1.8

 This is one nice Delgado there.

Finally, an on card auto of Shannon Stewart for the Blue Jays collection

So there you go. That sure was nice. I'll be back soon for another episode of 'Fun with BV, why you should have fun with your cards'

Uncompleted trade with Brian

Less than a week after receiving a return package from Brian, he hit me back with another great stack of cards (and is planning on sending this week my winnings from the group trade he hosted this week-end). It's not easy keeping up with him, but as soon as I get the cards I ordered a little bit everywhere, I'll retaliate.

The thing I really like about Brian is that you can tell he's enjoying this. Sometimes, I'll look at my cards and think how silly it is to spend so much on so little. It's mostly uninspired pieces of cardboard, we need to face the hard truth. But there are so many glimpses of fun and awesomeness that it makes it worth it. And Brian (along with many others) puts so much thought into his trade packages, that it quite simply makes me happy. Yes, I'm a corny cheesy 37 year old card collector from France. Maybe I need to start a 12 step program.

That Vic Janowicz card was sent to me for a very specific reason (Brian included a note about that) : he's the only Mlb player ever to have won the Heisman trophy, besides Bo Jackson. Actually, even though he only played for a couple of seasons with the Pirates (sorry Matt, this one stays in my collection !), they have another thing in common : their low BA.

 Brian was obviously paying attention when I introduced my new PC (Gold Glovers). This amazing cad of Brooks Robinson was very high on my wantlist. It was actually in my Comc shopping cart.

Two other beautiful cards. And it's not everyday that I say this about Fleer cards from 2000-on. You can't tell from the scan, but the picture is actually framed. Apparently, only 700 sets were made, even though it's not SN. The Aparicio is in great condition too ! My first base card of his.

 A couple of Bo needs (weird that I didn't have that 90 UD).

Somme Griffeys, including two early ones. Favorites of mine, actually.

Plenty of Blue Jays needs also, including an Ames oddball, a regular issue Joe Carter that I can't believe I was missing, some parallels and an 83 Diamond King

 Those are a little sneakier. The first one is obvious, as it's technically an Angels card (but still headed for my Blue Jays binders). The other two need to be flipped over.

Ooooooh. Exhibition Stadium ! And oooooooh, O-Pee-Chee !

Also included was the almost complete 93 SP team set, including the Morris, Olerud and Alomar that I was missing, and a copy of that disturbing Pat Borders card. He's bleeding heavily ? sure, let's slap it on a card ! I'm glad they did, though, makes for a great card.

It didn't scan well, but this is a Refractor, SN out of 199. I have no idea what kind of refractor it is, they always confuse me. I'll take my chances and state it's the base refractor, but what do I know ?

 I love that Sportsflic card. You can't tell, but the other player on the card is Delgado. Two of the best (if not the best) young catchers at the time (96). A nice Billy Koch prospect auto. He did play a few years for the Blue Jays, with some good numbers. I suspect the people of Best to have named their card company that way just so they could write this on the back of their cards and in their ads :

"The best card company". Hilarious.

Brian also sent me a few unopened wax packs : 92 Upper Deck (one of my favorite sets, because it was my very first baseball box that I ripped open), 89 Fleer (voted most likely to be rapidly forgotten at the time) and a couple of  recent Triple Play. As always, those were fun to open !

The Ryan Bowen is a card that I've always loved. It's so improbable.

And to fully round out that trade package, there was that Ewing card that I didn't have in my collection. And I have a lot of Knicks cards from the late 80s/early 90s !

Thanks again Brian, I accept the challenge of trying to keep up pace with you !

Number 5 000

Well, it's a feat nobody in baseball ever achieved : reaching 5 000. Not Pete Rose, not Ty Cobb, nobody.

But I did.
Thanks to the all around trading that's been going on lately around the globe, I reached the milestone : 5 000 different Blue Jays cards. That's 3 000 more than what I had when I started this blog.

So thank you everybody. AJ and Chris helped a lot this week getting there (thanks guys !), but it's Brian who gets all the balloons and confetti with that card :

I should probably have it encased.

This sure has been fun. I already did a 4 000th card post, so I know I'm yet another broken record, but it's not my fault if I keep piling up milestones. I'm not sure 10 000 is possible, but I'll take a crack at it. One card at a time.