Which higher end box should I buy?

It’s been a great year in the Priceless Pursuit household.  For one, it’s a “household” that we bought a few months back after an eight month search.  And of course, the birth of our son topped off a wonderful year when he joined as at the beginning of December, just one day before this guy’s birthday (the cute one… on the bottom.)  So I’m considering treating myself to something nice to cap it all off.

The two options I’m most considering are a box of 2008 Sweet Spot (in the low $80s) or a box of 2008 UD Ballpark (closer to $100).  I’d get double the hits out of Ballpark (and spare me the lecture on relics; I love ’em!), but I sure do love me some sweet spot autographs.  I suppose a box of ’09 Sweet Spot can be thrown in to the mix as well.  This is uncharted territory for me, as I usually stick to stuff that most would consider mid-range, at best, but even that is a bit of a stretch.  I’d considered buying just a single pack of UD Ballpark for the longest time, but that hardly seems the economical thing to do.

So I turn to the blogosphere – which higher end box should I go after?  Or perhaps the ‘best’ answer is “none of the above”.  Your input is welcome, either in the form of a comment or a vote in the poll below.

*** UPDATE ***

The votes have been tallied!  It was a closer race than I’d anticipated, and I’ll post the results when the higher end box arrives!

2009 Topps Updates – Needs List

OK, I’m tapping out.  I purchased one more round of packs of Topps Update and pulled exactly ONE card that I needed, making Pedro Martinez’s #UH93 essentially a $10 card.  That’s no good.  Even if it had been a Yankee it wouldn’t have been worth it, but the fact that it was a Pedro was the final straw.

Help!

Below is my ’09 Topps Updates and Highlights “needs” list.  I have a TON of doubles if you’re trying to put together a set too, so perhaps we can arrange an “Updates for Updates” trade.  If not, I’ve got some inserts you can (kind of) see in the box break entry, or you can tell me your favorite team/player and I’ll do my best to come up with a suitable trade.  Leave a comment or send an email if you can help (address is on the Contact page at the top).  Thanks!

Need #UH:  6, 10, 15, 26, 36, 46, 65, 82, 95, 129, 133, 136, 165, 192, 199, 213, 225, 230, 232, 237, 244, 264, 300, 301, 314, 317

UPDATES

** Cards in RED are pending, courtesy of Dan of It’s Like Having My Own Card Shop.

** Cards in GREEN are pending, courtesy of Alfredo “Wicked” Ortega, who there ain’t no rest for … like that song… get it?!

** Cards in BLUE are pending, courtesy of Jeremy of No One’s Going to Read This Blog

** Cards in ORANGE are pending, courtesy of Larry, who did not leave a link to any site.

Confidence is high that these missing cards will be in hand before the new year, if not shortly after.  Thanks so much, everyone, for your help!  Hopefully you’ll find my half of the trades fair, and I look forward to completing (and to helping others complete) even more sets in 2010!

Organization blues

OK, guys, I need some help.

Is there a simple way to organize cards online and actually print an inventory?  Beckett’s site is horribly tedious – entering any more than five cards at a time becomes an all day affair.  Things only get worse when trying to print a checklist… because there’s no way to print a simple checklist.

Say I’m trying to print out an inventory of oh, say, 1962 Topps.  If I do it the “normal” way, I get three lines for each card and need a ridiculous amount of paper.  I feel as if there should be a simpler option, but perhaps I’m missing it?

I’ve looked at Zistle and I don’t see easy print options at their site, either.

What sites do you all use to organize your cards? Is there a way to easily print out a checklist from any card site?  Are you as irritated by the Beckett site as I am?

(checklist card pictured courtesy of Hand Collated)

Collecting crossroads

With the baseball season nearing an end, college football in full swing, and  a fantasy football team that can be considered “above average” at best, I’ve found myself at a card collecting crossroads.

It’s not that I’m losing interest altogether.  Far from it.  It’s just that with so much else going on – all of the above mentioned distractions, not to mention the baby right around the corner – I’m having trouble focusing my collecting efforts.  The fact that the online warehouses are beginning to slash prices isn’t helping matters, either!

I’d been dead set on “sampling” $5 packs of recent releases in search of somewhat easy to obtain hits:  Ticket To Stardom (I like ’em), Goodwin Champions, Allen & Ginter (perfect for TTMs).  Of course, I’m smitten with relics like it’s 1999 and LOVE picking up packs of ’07 Fleer Ultra SE, and even occasionally consider Sweet Spot, SPx, and Legendary Cuts – all stuff with guaranteed or near guaranteed hits in each pack.

And a dangerous new thought has crept into my head:  collating “junk” sets from the late ’90s and early ’90s that I grew up on.  ’87 Topps, ’90 Fleer, ’92 Topps… stuff like that.  My card shop makes this option far too easy since they stock a ridiculous amount of cheap wax, and I’m certain I could bargain down these older boxes even further than they have them priced if I bought more than one.

What to do, what to do.  Some of the cheaper stuff I’ve been considering online include ’08 Timelime (junk autos, sure, but I LOVE early ’90s throwback designs!), 2008 Topps (jumbo, with two hits per box), Artifacts, and ’06 Flair Showcase.  All stuff under $40 with multiple hits per box.

Packs of new stuff, online boxes of products that are a couple years old, or collating junk wax from twenty years ago… what to do?

2008 Heroes – Need List

OK, blogosphere, I turn to you in one final desperate attempt to complete my set of 2009 Upper Deck Heroes (baseball) before turning to <gasp> checkoutmycards.com or ebay.  Or worse, spending even more money on another box or packs.  

I’m 16 cards away, thanks to poor luck on the collation from my retail box.  I’ve posted the numbers and the player name in an effort to make things as easy as possible for ya!  Any help is greatly appreciated and will of course be reciprocated. I’ve got TONS of Heroes doubles in case you’re collecting the set, too, and lots of other goodies.  I’ve got plenty of 2007 UD Masterpieces to spare, or I can always put together a “pack” of your favorite player or team!  Leave a comment if you’ve got anything off the list and I’ll get in touch with you (so long as you’ve left a valid email).  Thanks in advance!

• #7 – John Smoltz
• #20 – Jason Varitek
• #30 – Dustin Pedroia
• #47 – Ken Griffey, Jr.
• #54 – Travis Hafner
• #70 – Dan Uggla
• #72 – Josh Willingham
• #77 – Hunter Pence
• #101 – Joe Mauer
• #121 – Yogi Berra
• #135 – Chase Utley
• #140 – Freddy Sanchez
• #157 – Troy Glaus
• #165 – Carl Crawford
• #167 – Michael Young
• #200 – Pujols/Jeter/Fielder/Ortiz

Help me scratch my itch…

OK, blogging community, I’ve got another question for ya!

Thanks to the multitude of hobby related blogs, the discovery of a local card shop, and the magic of great deals on boxes over the internet, I’ve become completely addicted (again) to collecting.  And unlike the last time I was into the hobby, about 10 years ago, I now have actual money to spend on stuff that is (debatably) above the absolute bottom of the barrel.  Not too far above the bottom, of course, but I no longer feel relegated to Opening Day or First Edition.  

Of course, now that I’m addicted to baseball cards, I’ve found myself checking out weekly specials on football cards, too.  The only problem with that is that I know nothing about football cards.  I don’t even know if I should purchase any – it seems like a “slippery slope” that has the potential to lead to a grossly disorganized collection.  However, I do follow the NFL (though not as much as MLB or NCAA football), so I kinda feel like giving in to my impulses and picking up a cheaper box of product from 2008.

Translation: I’ve got a little bit of card collecting budget burning a hole in my pocket and a little bit of free time at work  to ponder about such things.  A dangerous combination, to be sure.

I’m leaning on fellow blogger (and reader) Dave – the writer of First and Goal – to steer me in the right direction, but I thought I’d throw the question out there to the rest of the blogosphere:  what should I consider purchasing?  What’s good (and not good)?  I like relics and kinda like autos, so ’08 Bowman and ’08 Topps Rookie Progressions look nice.  Also, retail boxes of 2008 Leaf Rookies and Stars can be had for around $20 a pop and include a relic or auto.  The same can be said for 2008 (football) Heroes, and these last two may be the best way to test the waters just to see if I like it.  I’m open to suggestions for anything else I may be overlooking.

So… where do I begin?  What would YOU buy if you had $30 or so to blow on football cards?  Or should I step back, take a deep breath, and stick to baseball only?  

Quick question for the blogosphere

I’ve come to the realization that I have a decent sized chunk of 2007 Goudey, about a third of the entire set, due to retail packs being in the bargain bin at my shop.  I’m tempted to go all the way and put together a hand collated set, depending on one thing:

Do they make album sheets that’ll fit the oddly shaped, smaller Goudeys?

I can’t seem to find any that specifically state that it’ll hold cards of Goudey’s measurements (approximately 2 3/8″ by 2 7/8″), but someone out there must have some of these displayed in a binder.  All I’m looking for is something a little more snug than regular sheets that’ll hold the cards in place should the ever need to be moved.

Because if you can’t look at ’em, what’s the point of gathering the set?

Mid-week mail; Another Studio down

I don’t always get cards in the mail, but every time I do I’ll post it on Wednesday.  Why?  Because “mid-week mail” has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think?

For the second week in a row I’ve gotten a missing piece to my 1992 Studio hand collated set, this time being #204 Brian Harper, generously sent to me by “Ortega” (sorry – no name was given in email exchanges or on the return address!).  Thanks!  I’ll set aside any Marlins you collect as I come across them.

Just nine more cards and my ’92 Studio set will be complete.  Does anyone out there have what I need?  I’ll give it a couple more weeks before turning to my card shop’s commons boxes.  If you’ve got something, contact me with the players/teams you collect and we’ll arrange a trade!

• #49 Mike Sharperson
• #64 John Franco
• #73 Darren Daulton
• #90 Gary Varsho
• #97 Lee Smith
• #127 Mike Mussina
• #160 Robin Ventura
• #204 Brian Harper
• #214 Roberto Kelly
• #245 Dean Palmer
• #247 Jeff Russell
• #257 Jack Morris
• #264 History Card

Mid-week mail, part two

A few weeks ago I posted a “help wanted” ad of sorts, searching for the last remaining 1992 Studio cards needed to complete my hand collated set.  While I’m still a few short, Cliff of Capewood’s Collections made a dent in the list by generously sending numbers 49, 90, and 245.  Thanks!  My end of the trade is in the mail.

I still need a handful of cards to complete the set.  I’d rather not resort to the commons box at my card shop, so if you have any of the missing pieces please contact me!  Simply let me know who/what you collect and I’ll happily trade ya!

• #49 Mike Sharperson
• #64 John Franco
• #73 Darren Daulton
• #90 Gary Varsho
• #97 Lee Smith
• #127 Mike Mussina
• #160 Robin Ventura
• #204 Brian Harper
• #214 Roberto Kelly
• #245 Dean Palmer
• #247 Jeff Russell
• #257 Jack Morris
• #264 History Card