Rumors of My Demise are Greatly Exaggerated

Yes, my blog has been inactive for 6 months.  I have been busy at work and have had a slew of real life expenses in that time. So, I haven't been doing much collecting and, even if I was, don't have the time to do any justice to the blog. Alas, the rest of the year looks to be more of the same. 

That said, I did get to go to a show today and I am so excited I am about to bust and I gotta show someone!  I managed to find one card towards completing my 1973 set (26 left to go) and took a flyer on some reasonably priced 1975 star cards. But I am mainly excited about buying a 800 count box of 1979 commons in mostly Ex condition or better.  My 1973 set is stalled, so I figured I might want to start another set just to keep my toes in the collecting water. I was planning on 1975, but since I need to go back and do 1979 at some point if I intend to have a complete 1970s run, this box was a golden opportunity.

But, my excitement is mainly about this:

The first, and likely only, T206 I will ever own.  But, it is in great condition, apart from a surface wrinkle and a smudge on the back.  It is hard to believe that this card has been around longer than anyone I have known in my life.

Well, back to blog hibernation

Holding Post

February Card Show - Chipping Away

As I implied the other day, I did make a little progress on my vintage sets at the show.  I had hoped to knock off a whole bunch of the 1973 high numbers, but was not able to since a particular seller wasn't at the show. I did manage to find four 73s I needed.

 

This leaves me with needing to acquire 53 more cards to complete the base set.  I also need 18 more of the team checklist cards.  At this point, I think I am going to have to start looking on EBay and other online auction sites, as I am getting to the point where I want this set done so I can move on to working 1975.

Two more cards for 1959 Fleer Ted Williams, which brings me to needing 45 cards to finish the 80 card set.  In particular, I love the first card "Sox Lose the Series."  Why? Duh. Because the Sox lose the Series.  It brings a little tear of joy to my eyes.

Three more for 1961 Fleer, leaving me 56 to go to finish the 154 card set.

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And finally two more cards from 1956.  The Berra has surface wrinkles, which explains why I was able to pick it up for only $25.  But, they are hardly noticeable, and this card has great eye appeal.

So, now you have seen every last card I got at the show, vintage or modern.  Not a large haul, but decent enough for me to declare success.  I even walked out with money still in my pocket.

What I am listening to: Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd

February Card Show - Modern Pickups

There was a card show up in OKC this weekend and I intended to go and make progress on the various vintage sets I have in the works (1959 through 1961 Fleer, and 1973 Topps.)  The hope, once again, was that a specific seller of high quality vintage would be there. The reality, once again, was that he was not.  So, I didn't make a lot of progress, but I did make some.  So, I'll call it a success.

However, this post is about the modern cards I picked up by trawling through the discount boxes.

The five cards above are all inserts from the 1994 Ted Williams Card Company set.   As you may recall, I bought a wax box of that set at a recent auction at Kevin Savage Cards.  I intend to do a review of the set, but have been awfully busy lately and haven't had the opportunity. I still intend to do so, so I won't delve into these cards now.  However, I will say that I think the set was well thought out. For example, all the insert sets, of which there was a few, were designed to have unique cards in multiples of 9.

These two cards are from recent Leaf products (2010 and 2012).  I picked them up because I liked the design concept and figured at some point maybe I'll build the sets.  I''ll throw them in my miscellaneous binder as a reminder in the future.

I didn't need this card for my Obak sets.  It is from 2011 and I only have 2009 to complete. I got thsi card because it is a numbered parallel (10/25) and Banuelos is expected to get his first real crack at making the Yankees major league roster this year.  If he sets the league on fire, I'll see if I can flip it for some cash.  If he doesn't, I'm only out two bits.

Coming up tomorrow, or whenever I find some time, my vintage pickups. I only got 11 cards, but I think it was a good haul.

What I am listening to: The Gummy Bear Song. I am not sure how I came across this and, yes, I do get that it is aimed at a crowd 40 years younger than me.  But, it makes me smile everytime I watch it. In fact, I made the main character my Facebook avatar. Don't hate.

The Splendid Splinter

I have found a site I enjoy much more than EBay for auctions.  It is Kevin Savage Cards and he always has great stuff up for auction.  Great vintage cards at a wide range of condition/price points,  modern mojo, full sets, and wax boxes.    He usually has 2-3 auctions a week and there is always plenty of things that I would like to get. But, since I don't have unlimited funds, I have to control myself and only bid on things I really, really want and can get for a bargain price. 

Although I am, first and foremost, a vintage collector, occasionally some thing from the modern era catches my fancy.  You can see several of them over to right on my want list sidebar.  This is another:

I am looking forward to opening this box, which mixes old timers and modern players.  But first, someone wants to play.

1963 Fleer Autograph Project - Part 29

This is the 29th card from the 1963 Fleer baseball set that I have gotten autographed.  I have another one out to a Chris Potter signing in February . Additionally, AJ, from over at The Lost Collector, found about 10 addresses for TTM.  I have been super busy at work and haven't had any opportunity to start going after more through the mail, but hopefully will get started soon.

Over there.....

......you will find a new want list:  1991 The Sporting News Conlon Collection.  I managed to win an auction for a box of these cards for $10.  After sorting through, I find myself 6 cards short of completing the 330 card set. 

I finished the 1992 Conlon Collection a while back when I got the last two cards I needed for that set from COMC.  Now, I guess I am going to have to chase the 1993 and 1994 sets also.

While I am on the subject:  Does anyone want my duplicates from 1991 and 1992?  I have around 500, give or take, that I would like to be rid of, and I have a hard time just throwing them out.  Lemme know and they are yours!

Say Hey!

I have widened my card habit to include on line auction sites not named EBay.  My modus operandi is to place low ball bids in the hopes of snagging cards at a bargain price.  The vast majority of the time, I get outbid. No worries, right? Can win if you don't play.

But, every once in a while, I sneak in with one of my low bids.  This is one of those times:

So, I knocked off another of the pricey cards from the 1956 set for a fraction of what it would have cost me pretty much anywhere else. 

Package from Night Owl

I am not exactly sure why Night Owl sent a package to me. I may be one up on him, although he was just the beneficiary of a productive search of a discount box a month or so ago. This was entirely unecessary, but totally appreciated.

So, what did he send?

Like NO, I am not much for Bowman. The modern variant, at least. This 2007 Bowman's Best, however, is a nice card. Thicker than normal and shiny, it has a classic design that I like. Somewhat reminiscent of 2003 Topps Tribute.

This card is special as it is likely the last Topps card issued during Mo's career. I am quite sure that he will be all over 2014 products (mark my word, especially that final scene where Andy Pettite and Derek Jeter come out to pull him from his last game), but this is the last one issued while he was still playing.  I'm not much for modern cards anymore, but this one is dear to me for that reason. It will be a long time before MLB sees another man like Mo.

Night Owl, knowing I have been focusing on vintage, sent along a couple cards of that variety:

Not one, but two cards from 1956, a set we are both slowly working on.  I am pleased beyond measure with these. Not only did I need both, but they are in far better condition than the rest of my 1956 cards.

Thanks, Night Owl.

1963 Fleer Autograph Project - Parts 27 and 28

Astute observers (and let's face it, that is all of you) will note that on my Thursday post I talked about having 26 1963 Fleer cards autographed. Yet, on my Friday post, I said 28.  What gives, you probably think?  Is that doofus innumerate?  Nope.

This is what gives:

Yup, I got two more cards with my Christmas loot.  These are both cards of deceased players.  Glen Hobbie passed away in August of 2013. Smoky Burgess died in 1991, so this card was a rare find. And it means that I now have 4 out of the 5 Pirates in the set (missing only Clemente.) I've got two more cards going out for signature in the next few days and I have identified addresses for about 6 TTMs.

What I am listening to:  Thanks A Lot by Neko Case

2014 Goals

No frills here. Pretty much the same format as last year.

Sets I would like to finish:

1. 1960 Fleer
2. 1973 Topps
3. 1975 Topps
4. 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game - Basically, I only have 4 cards from the Forever insert set to complete this set.  Granted I haven't completed the blue serialized parallels or the autograph subset, but I never considered that as necessary to be considered complete.

Sets to start working on, or continue to work on, seriously:

1. 1961 Fleer
2. 1972 Topps
3. 2009 Obak

Other projects and distractions:

1. 1963 Fleer Autograph Project - I'd like to get to the halfway point (33 cards) on this project. I stand at 28 now (yes, I know I said 26 yesterday), with two more heading out in the mail for signings in late January/early February.  That means I have line of sight to 30.
2. 1955 and 1956 Topps - These will be many years in completing, so I am feeling no pressure to elevate them on the priority list.

On a final note, I want to comment on something serious.  Earlier yesterday (I am writing this postscript on the evening of January 2) a post popped up in my feed from the 1973 Topps Photography blog.  As many of you probably know, that blog was written by Chris Stufflestreet, who passed away in September of 2012. It appears that he had this post planned well ahead of time.  It is a bittersweet reminder of what we had, and lost, in Chris.  I never met Chris, but he was generous to me as I was re-entering the hobby a few years ago. That left an indelible impact on me about my place in the collecting world.

In my experience with online communities, the sportscard blog community is unique in that the members are so willing to help each other out and there seems to be almost no conflict. Chris was my introduction to that giving spirit, but many of you have contributed to it as well. I want to thank each and every one of you for making this experience special.  I want to honor his memory by committing in 2014 to take opportunities to help other collectors in paring down their want lists.

What I am listening to: One Good Year by Slaid Cleaves

2013 Goals Revisited

So, with the start of the new year, it is time to see how I did, hobby wise, in 2013.  So, let's take a look:

Sets I intended to finish:

1. All the Insert sets to 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game, except the Announcing Greats - Well, I didn't finish the Forever insert set, but I did actually finish the Announcing Greats inserts.  So, I consider this one achieved even though I have a different incomplete insert set than I had figured.
2. 1971 - Done!
3. 1973 - I did not finish this set. 
4. 1963 Fleer - Done!

Sets to continue working on:

1. 1960 and 1961 Fleer -  I am now only 9 cards away from completing 1960.
2. 2009 through 2011 Obak - I actually completed 2010 and 2011 Obak.
3. Continue to work on my Paul Blair and Johnny Antonelli player collections -  I had wanted to add more OPC Blair's and a 1950 Bowman Antonelli to my player collections. I didn't do either. But I did add a few cards to both player collections in 2013.
4. 1963 Fleer autograph project - I started 2013 with 16 of these cards autographed.  I am entering 2014 at 26.  I'd call that a success.

Sets that I'd like to start of the opportunity presents itself:

1. 1975 Topps - I added a few 75s here and there, but no serious activity
2. 1959 Fleer Ted Williams - I did start this set with a splurge purchase during the fall. I have 33 of the 80 cards and am working a trade for some more.
3. 1959 Fleer Three Stooges - did not start.

Overall, it was a pretty good year. 

What I am listening to: "The Road to Ensenada" by Lyle Lovett

Favorite Surprise Pickup of 2013

Being in this hobby, we all know the joy of finding something wonderful when you were least expecting it.  I had a fair number of serendipitous pickups in 2013.  But, this is my favorite:

You may recall someone dumped a dog out in the country near my home in early October and we took her in a couple weeks later and named her Abby.  She can be seen above playing with Buddy, the Great Pyrenees mix, who was, coincidentally, my favorite surprise pickup of 2011.  She is a great dog, although she is still a puppy and can get in a bit of trouble at times.

What I Am Listening To: I'll Drink to You by Duke Jupiter (it's a Rochester thing)

Favorite Cards of 2013 - Part 3

4. 1958 Topps Sandy Koufax

I have a informal goal to pick up playing-days cards of some of the greatest ballplayers ever.  This is the first and, so far, only Koufax card issued during his actual career that I own.

3. 1956 Topps Hank Aaron

I bought this at the same time I got the Koufax above, but this is more than just picking up a card of a all-time great. I already have several Aaron cards in the 1970s sets I am building.  This is more important as it represents one of the big dollar cards in 1956, which I am slowly working on.

2. 1952 Bowman Roy Campanella

This card is special because it was issued right after Campy won the 1951 MVP Award. It is part and parcel with the next card.

1. 1952 Bowman Yogi Berra

Like the Campanella above, this card was issued after Berra won the 1951 AL MVP.  Two have the cards for two great catchers from the year after they both won the MVP is pretty special.

Coming up next: A review of my 2013 goals and how I did against them.

What I am listening to: Close Your House Down by Cordero