Secret cards

As I was walking through Target purchasing things completely unrelated to baseball cards I figured I’d at least take a peek at ‘em since they’re right next to the checkout counters.  A little window shopping never hurts, right?  I don’t usually pick up much from the retail shelves, either because they’re all searched through the minute the boxes are cracked or because there’s nothing good in them anyway.  Plus, if I’m going to buy individual packs, I’d rather support my local shop.

I don’t particularly care for the Target closest to my office since they’ve never had those discount pack bins that the rest of them do.  I always sort through them but never get excited enough over a pack of 2007 Upper Deck to pull the trigger.  Except this time, my “work Target” did have a bargain bin!  And there was something I felt like buying inside!

I call these “secret cards” because I used to sneak them onto the conveyor belt to “hide” them among larger purchases from the wife.  Because what’s an additional buck, right?  It would never be noticed.  I don’t really do this any more since I just take the money out of my card collecting budget, but I usually open these in the parking lot at work and keep them in my office desk like it’s some sort of stash I’m ashamed of.  Yeah… anyway…  this was as close to a “hot” pack as it gets from the retail sector.  The contents:

#201 Luis Mendoza

#183 Billy Butler

Chrome Heritage A.J. Burnett, serial numbered 1,015/1,959

#111 Copper Refractor Hanley Ramirez, serial numbered out of 599.  I scanned and emailed these to myself to post from work and forgot to note the specific serial number from this card… oops.  It’s shiny, though!

Two serial numbered cards from one bargain bin retail pack?!?!  What are the odds??  I generally don’t care about serial numbered cards since the whole thing seems so arbitrary, but there’s not much else to look for in a retail pack, so I’ll take it.  A dollar and 59 cents well spent!  And oh-by-the-way-I-also-bought-a-pack-of-2009-Allen & Ginter… shhhhh!!  What can I say?  Those are fun to send out for TTMs…

Mid-week mail

Another big week of mail, and as always, gotta give credit where credit is due… or something like that.

First up, from Derek and his kids at Hey, That’s Mine! Derek contacted me about a Darryl Strawberry card that I somehow didn’t have in my collection, the ‘84 Topps.  He asked if I’d be interested – of course I was – and initiated the first of hopefully many trades.  The center piece of the deal:

He also included a few more Darryls:

Some Yanks from a couple sets I’ve been thinking about buying, in this case Threads and Greats of the Game:

And a nice assortment of ‘other’ Yanks.  Thanks!

Next up was a bigger ‘trade’ than I ever intended for it to be.  Duane of Democratic Roadkill (and a fellow VaTech alum) sent along card #200 from ‘08 Upper Deck Heroes and some sweet older wax!

Can’t wait to bust those – I’m saving them for a rainy day.

I gotta thank Rob (aka Voice of the Collector) for this next one.  I’m not sure of his affiliation with Card Corner Club, but he had a post on his site mentioning that the club was giving away a free memorabilia card for simply joining the network.  Easy enough.  I signed up, sent them my mailing address, and received my relic card in less than a week!

I know most of you are fairly unenthused by Topps Ticket to Stardom, but I’m a fan.  Now, it’s definitely strange for the Jack Cust card to feature a ticket with a big picture of Howie Kendrick (I think) on it, and the actual ticket isn’t all that exciting to begin with, but it’s a concept that makes the card a bit more interesting than your typical relic.  I enjoy those types of oddities.

Thanks again to everyone!

And the winner is…

The winner of the certified, on-card, serial numbered (I forgot to mention that part in the contest details…) is:

Pack Addict!

Congratulations!  Pack Addict commented that he lives in Portland and follows the Trailblazers.  Fair enough.  My NBA knowledge is limited to NBA Jam: Tournament Addition, but I’ve never played with the ‘Blazers and don’t know who they had on their roster 15 years ago.  Anyhow, let’s see what he won!

Signature Rookies “TETRAD” #’d 7,514 of 7,750, Greg Minor!  Wikipedia says he was the 25th overall pick of the 1994 draft, so he couldn’t have been THAT bad.

Thanks to all who entered, and keep your eyes out for more contests over the winter.

Inside the Player’s Studio – Tom Gordon

One of all time favorite Saturday Night Live skits was Will Ferrell’s impression of James Lipton on Inside the Actor’s Studio.  I’ve never watched the actual show since I have no particular interest in actors/actresses, but the skits were hilarious.

How does this relate to Priceless Pursuit?  One of my favorite sets from the early ’90s is 1992 Leaf Studio.  It’s a full set of yearbook style photographs with random information about the player on the back.  It was definitely unique, and while a bit strange it gave a little bit of insight into a player’s personal life beyond the baseball field.  Kinda cool. I guess.

So for all of you who didn’t collect in the early ’90s – and you’re not missing much if you didn’t – I bring to you “Inside the Player’s Studio”.  It may or not be a running feature on the blog, I haven’t decided.  It’ll give you a chance to get to know the faces on all of your cards from the junk wax era; just because their cards aren’t worth more than a penny doesn’t mean they weren’t people, too.

Let’s get to know Tom Gordon.

First off, he was single.  Helloooooo, ladies!  This beats any business card some slicky boy businessman would’ve passed out in a hotel bar.  “I play for the Royals, my friends call me Flash, and I loooove to face Roberto Kelly.” Need a fill-in player for your weekend softball team?  It just so happens to be one of Gordon’s hobbies!  Doesn’t seem fair to me…

Also, his favorite book is “Bo Knows Bo”, and his best friend in baseball is Bo Jackson.  Way to throw your friend a bone, Tom!

Winner to be announced… soon.

Thanks to all who commented for a chance to win a certified, on-card basketball autograph!  I hope to get to the drawing tonight or tomorrow and I’ll announce the winner by the end of the day Tuesday (Wednesday at the LATEST).

For now, I’m off to watch the Yanks-Phillies game five – hoping it’s the last baseball game I’ll watch in ‘09!

Giveaway reminder, random thoughts

Alright guys and gals, the NBA season is now in full swing (I think), and I’ve got a certified, on-card autograph of someone may or may not have been good just dying to get in to the hands of someone who actually cards about it!  All you gotta do is comment in the post below this one and your entered for a chance to win!

As for my random thought/question – how do card shops price their products?  I’ve been calling a couple area card shops recently trying to find out which ones would have 1962 Topps singles for the lowest price.  Not for me – I can only hope my collection will someday be as valuable as ‘62 Topps.  My dad is coming to town and is looking to complete his set.  Yeah… one of us will be buying ‘62 Topps, the other (me) will be sifting through the bargain relic bin in search of baseball hits.  Anyway… I’ve been using 2008 Sweet Spot as the comparison product, and asking in an “oh-by-the-way” manner if they had in ‘09 Sweet Spot yet, and if so how much did it cost.

One shop, which has priced out as more expensive on nearly every product I’ve compared to my normal shop, says ‘09 Sweet Spot is $27 per pack.  My regular shop owner said he won’t know how much it costs until he gets it in.   Huh????

Does anyone out there know how ordering cards through a distributor works?  Does he not know how much Sweet Spot he’ll be getting in?  Is he just waiting to see what demand is like?  Will the first batch be marked higher just because it’s new?? He has the ‘08 Sweet Spot marked at $20 per pack, so I just assumed ‘09 would cost the same.  He assured me that he ordered more ‘08, too, so I’m not incredibly worried, I was just curious if any of you out there know how ordering/pricing works.  I thought it’d be more ’set in stone’ than it seems to me.

As for the basketball contest – it ends tonight, when I’m done with work, which is just before the Yanks kick off the 5th (and possibly final!?) World Series game tonight.

Autograph giveaway!

I was listening to sports talk radio on the way in to work the other day and realized that the NBA season has started… is anyone else aware of this?

I’ve never been able to get into basketball.  It’s without a doubt the easiest sport to play – and by “play” I mean get a sandlot game going with a bunch of friends.  Nearly everyone has a shot a basketball at a hoop at some point in time as it’s such an easily accessible sport, too.  All you need is a ball – public courts are everywhere.

So I don’t know why, exactly, I can’t get in to the professional game.  Maybe because nobody plays defense?  Or because the games don’t matter until the last quarter?  Or because of the overwhelming sense I get that the regular season doesn’t matter?  My lack of interest isn’t reserved only for the professional level; I don’t care much for the college game, either.  Sure, I’ll participate in the requisite tournament pool every March, but other than that I don’t follow it.

And it’s not as if I haven’t tried to like the sport.  I once participated in a fantasy basketball league and actually won the whole thing, albeit accidentally.  It was some crazy league where we started 18 guys (or something like that), and I’m pretty I won only because of Chris Paul – this would’ve been two seasons ago.  I also had someone named Deron Williams.  I never knew how good he was because whenever I’d hear his name on Sportscenter it was pronounced “Darren”… I was listening for “De’RON (emphasis on “RON”).  Anyway…

I have a certified on-card autograph of a basketball player (somehow) that I’m giving away for free!  All you have to do is one of three things:

1. If you don’t care much for basketball, leave a comment with the ONE guy you’d consider paying to see.  For me, that guy would be Lebron James.
2. Comment with why you DO like basketball (pro or college)
3. Simply leave a comment saying you’d like to win the card – this contest is open to everyone!

I’ll leave the player a mystery, the same thing I did with my Jamal Anderson autograph giveaway a few months ago.  I can’t promise that the player is good (or bad), as I wouldn’t know.  I’ll leave the contest open through the end of my work day on Monday (approx. 4pm, WST).  I’ll select a winner at random using random.org and will contact the winner for a mailing address.

Good luck!!

Mail bag, part two

More mail!   Jumping right in, these cards were sent by the mythical “M” Ryan, of the Ripken Pursuit!  First up from a very large pile of Yanks is a 1992 Topps Brien Taylor RC.  I’ve got about 10 of these now, and I still laugh every time I come across one of them.  When this guy makes it the big leagues I’m gonna be rich!

Some cards of the Mick…

Some cards in screw down cases…

Some cards that came in a can…

My first two Goodwin Champions base cards… gotta be honest, not sure how much I like ‘em, quality wise.  They feel like Topps Total, with cheap, “wet” feeling card board.  I’m sure Upper Deck spins this as being retro but I have a sneaking suspicion that this set was born after UD realized they had tons of leftover Goudey card stock laying around…

And the rest of the bunch, all appreciated equally:

Be sure to check out this guy’s impressive Ripken collection and see if you can’t come up with a card or two he doesn’t have!
Next up is a stack of unwanted Yanks from Mike of JD’s Wildcardz.  He recently gave himself a collecting intervention and realized he’s spending far too much on products he doesn’t care about and has accumulated a collection too random to organize… or something like that.  Winner = me!  Lots of good stuff from recent years…

2009 Upper Deck Icons:

2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom.  I like these and am probably the only person on the planet who does.  The ONLY problem is their price point, which I suppose is fairly significant.  But seriously, if these cost the same as Topps flagship I’d be all over them like Joba Chamberlain on Adrian Gonzalez…

Which leads me to the next card – 2008 Stadium Club Joba Chamberlain.  Man, I wish this series would’ve been played out here in San Diego!  This is a nice action shot of Adrian Gonzalez, just about the only guy in the entire Padres organization worth watching, being tagged out at the plate in Yankee Stadium.

Some 2008 Sweet Spot, which I’m currently addicted to…

Phil Hughes relic from ‘09 Goodwin Champions…

And pretty much the entire Yankees team set from Topps Updates and Highlights.  I was going to buy some of these the next time I go to the card shop, but now I don’t have to – I have all of the cards I’d want.

Thanks, Mike!  That’s quite an assortment from the past two years of cards – perhaps your intervention was in order.

Mail bag, part one

I’m waaaay behind on some mail posts, so what better time for a catch up day than… well… late Wednesday night?  Part one is below, part two will follow by the weekend, at the latest!

I actually got these in the mail last week as part of a trade with Ed of Roll Out the Barrell.  I pulled a couple Ryan Braun serial numbered parallels out of 2008 Upper Deck Heroes, he requested them, and I said yes.  Easy enough!  All I usually ask for in return for lowly serial numbered cards are a random assortment of Yanks from somewhat newly released packs.  It’s a nice way for me to get a sampling of what all is out there and most people I trade with don’t seem to mind parting with Yankees.  Win-win.

Anyhow, here are the highlights from the bubble envelope from Ed!

2006 Fleer Flair Showcase.  I’ve been eyeing a box of these online for a while now.  Three hits per box, $35 price tag… not too bad.  They’re thick and shiny, and I like ‘em.  The Mussina you see here is some sort of refractor parallel.

2008 Upper Deck X.  I go back and forth on liking/not liking these.  They’re flimsy, kinda lame, but they’re also cheap, so it’s tough to complain.

I love Chroooooooooooome…

I also love retro themed sets featuring designs from the early ’90s.  Needless to say, 2008 Upper Deck Timeline is my second favorite set of the past few years, right behind Heroes:

2009 Icons.  These are awfully expensive for the price per hobby pack, but odds of a hit are decent.  I may purchase a blaster of the stuff at some point just to guarantee a relic.

And the rest of the assorted Yanks cards, all of which are greatly appreciated:

Thanks, Ed!  Make sure to check out his site and keep him in mind as a dumping ground for your unwanted Brewers!

Next up, obtained via trade with the oh-so-generous Alfredo “Wicked” Ortega, author of “My Past Time… I Love It!“, is a 2009 Legendary Icons Reggie Jackson, serial numbered 53/999:

2009 Topps Chrome, assorted Yankees (including a Hideki Matsui X-Fractor):

And, of course, even more Yanks.  Thanks, Alfredo!

Last and certainly not least, obtained via trade with Paul of Crawford Cards, two cards from one of my absolute favorite sets ever 2001 Topps Gold Label.  I don’t remember how much these cost per pack, or where I used to buy ‘em, but they’re thick and shiny!

Some Yanks from one of my favorite overall product, Topps Finest (these are 2001):

And a nice assortment of even more Yankees greats.  Oddly, there was a foil Carlos Delgado included, too.  Nice card, I guess…

Thanks to everyone for the trades!  I love turning my unwanted Rays, Marlins, Brewers, etc. into Yankees through the miracle of the blogosphere.  My apologies for the delay in getting these posted.

‘08 Sweet Spot – the results

You can all finally exhale as I’m about to relieve you of the suspense of what could possibly have been lurking inside my pack of Sweet Spot.  I’m in search of a sweet spot autograph, and I figured that since I typically spend $20 on random packs in search of hits, I may as well buy just one pack for twenty bucks and guarantee myself something nice.  Let’s see what was inside…

#24 Chase Utley, #51 Jeff Francoeur, #55 Joba Chamberlain. The base cards are growing on me.  The stock feels thicker to me now that I’ve purchased plently of other products over the past couple months to compare it to.  Still not sure how much I like the overall design (I actually like the backs more!), but they’re alright.  Not like anybody buys Sweet Spot for the base, anyway.

And a few more, #92 Scott Rolen, #2 Aaron Rowand, #87 Roy Oswalt.

Of course, the requisite Yankee Stadium Legacy card.  I have about 30 of these now.  Sure beats UD Retrospective…

And the hit, a dual swatch Lance Berkman and Mark Teixeira.  The Teixeira swatch is a classic new team logo/old picture, made even older looking since the card was put out in 2008, before he joined his current team.  I’m amused by the laziness in such an expensive product.

There ya go – my second pack of 2008 Sweet Spot.  I’ll probably pick up one more pack this weekend before switching over to the 2009 version, which may actually be available Friday… so maybe this will have been my last ever pack of ‘08.  How sad.  Of course, a little price break on the ‘old’ stuff could keep me interested…