My best repack pull - EVER

I rather doubt I will ever pull everything this spectacular from a repack product again.

To start at the start, as some are wont to say, Matt over at Cardboard Conundrum posted a recap of his busting of a 20 pack and hit repack from Target. I was near a Target this morning, and decided to see if they had one. They had some hockey and football. Seeing as I'd seen a hockey one busted in blog-land, I figured I'd try the football.

The contents were as followed:

3  packs 2010 Panini Gridiron Gear
1 rack pack 2011 Press Pass
1 rack pack 2012 Topps
7 packs 2012 Topps
1 pack 2012 Topps Strata retail
6 packs 2013 Sage Hit Low Series
2 packs 2013 Sage Hit High Series

For the mathematically inept, that's actually 21 packs.

And the hit as well.

The best ever repack pull wasn't the hit.

It actually came from the rack pack of 2012 Topps.

And it fell at a rate of approx. 1:3600 packs.

I actually thought this was merely a nice looking insert until I looked in the lower right corner. This beauty is numbered to 10.

The film strip is clear, as you can see from the back.

I just wish it happened to be the Jim Kelly.

I'll probably post it on ebay sometime next week, unless there's a Steeler fan out there that can wow me with something spectacular for my PC. The only one from this particular subset on ebay I can see is going for $150.00, but that's Peyton Manning.

For those wondering about the rest of the repack box, I'll start posting that over the weekend.

Not quite dime-box goodies - Part 5

The easiest way to create room in the box is to remove and post about the cards that were in the hard top loaders. Which I'm doing right now.

First up is my favourite of the day. I had no idea about the Iooss collection cards. I had no idea they even existed, despite collecting at the time they were out. Maybe I just got really unlucky in my pack busting. Either way, I grabbed my first at an Expo from a dime box. Here's the second one, from a 12 for $1 box. So it wasn't even a dime. And it is a beautiful card for the "acquired in 2014" binder. Busch Stadium looks spectacular rising behind Ozzie.

I don't know why I grabbed this one. I'm guessing because it was interesting looking, but trying to put it back into a penny sleeve after scanning it changed my opinion. What an annoying card. Someone might get this as a bonus in a trade envelope I send them. Then they'll have to remove it from the sleeve to scan it, get frustrated and trade it elsewhere. And so on.

I'm well aware that sometimes dealers re-use sleeves and top loaders, and just can't be arsed to pull the old price tags off it. So, I didn't think too much of this when I grabbed it from the box, with an $8.00 price tag on it. Turns out the card is one of those so-called SPs.

And there were no cards of this on COMC.

Nor on ebay, where the only one was part of a $13.00 team set.

But I could have picked one up for $6.50 at sportlots.

So maybe that wasn't a re-used holder after all.

This one was picked up under the guise "I have no idea where this is from, so I'll buy it and look it up at COMC to find out." Turns out it is a glossy card OPC in 1977-78. So it isn't as much of an oddball as I thought. But it's still different, and I like the 70s full-bleed.

And to wrap it up, here's a pair of serial numbered Senators. SPXcitement is right up there with Cardsupial among the cheesier names for hockey card subsets. The Carkner is the easy winner of this pairing. How can you not love that there was a card saluting the first goal of a 29-year old journeyman minor leaguer as part of a subset that also saluted 1000 point plateaus?

And now, the box seems emptier.

Not quite dime-box goodies - Part 4

Focus! Focus!

2000 Fleer Focus!

The cap is a pleasant flashback to the 1981 Topps design. I'[m leading with Juan Guzman because he's pictured with one team, listed with another, and I don't remember either of his stints with those teams. He had 12 games with the Reds, and 1 game with the Rays. So it isn't quite a zero year card. But that one game was memorable for the wrong reasons - 1.2 innings and a 43.20 ERA. Ouch. Strangely, he has more cards listed as a Ray as opposed to a Red.

I always love adding random Expos to my collection. Interesting combo of C/3B on the position as well.

As well as adding new CanCon to my CanCon baseball collection.

Turning two! Part 1!

 Turning two! Part 2! I think I actually prefer the Desi since that particular angle isn't used as often.

Of course, I'm going to grab a Mets card or three from the bunch. Even if one is a Traded card.

And I might as well show the backs as well. They're nice and colourful, but depending on the colour scheme (Tampa's is tough), it can be a challenge to read the stats.

And there's another dent in the ol' show box.

RIP: Nelson Frazier

Aka: Mabel, Viscera, or Big Daddy V

And, as a member of the 2/14 club, a guy who I collected. This was not the news I wanted to wake up to.

2014 Adventures in Repacks: Part 10 - Bring on the baseball - Part 2

50 cards and a bonus! Lets continue with this repack!

1987 Nestle Dream Team Robert Gibson - Despite the damage, this is my favourite card in the repack. And there is a bonus that this is an oddball as well.
2010 Topps Carlos Monasterios
2010 Topps Logan Ondrusek
1988 Donruss Mike Devereaux
1993 Donruss Stan Royer

1982 Donruss Lary Sorensen - I knew I remembered Lary's name from somewhere. Then I recalled this:

Sorensen's sixth offense resulted in a multi-year prison sentence. On February 2, 2008, he was found by police unconscious in his car in a ditch off 23 Mile Road in Chesterfield, Michigan. He had a .48 BAC and alcohol poisoning. One expert said that half of the population would die with a BAC that high. 

Wow.  That is amazing. I'm stunned he didn't just float home.
1990 Upper Deck Brian DuBois

1992 Donruss Terry Leach - A definite contender for my favourite photo of the 50. But the competition would get much stronger as it went on.
1993 Donruss Steve Cooke
1989 Topps Traded Jerry Browne
1987 Topps Kevin Romine

1988 Topps Garth Iorg - A Blue Jay!

1987 Donruss Rick Leach - Another one!

1987 Topps Mookie Wilson

1987 Donruss Dave Sax - I had no idea that Steve Sax had an older brother that also played ball until I pulled this card.
1991 Score Todd Ritchie
2011 Topps Traded Bill Hall

2011 Topps Brett Cecil - And the Blue Jays keep on coming.

1987 Donruss Moose Haas - Baseball seriously needs more people named Moose.

1993 Leaf Juan Guzman - About halfway through the 50, and my 4th Blue Jay. What a spectacular repack!
1991 Classic Joe Vitiello
1988 Donruss Donnie Moore
1992 Donruss Joe Klink
1997 Topps Paul Sorrento
1988 Topps Ken Dixon

1997 Finest Joe Carter - And here's #6. And there's a bonus that it is a higher end card for the time, and it's of a PC guy.

2001 Bowman Tim Raines Jr. - Getting stuff from this set was unexpected. It reminded me of going to a Jays/Orioles game in 2004ish, and they announced Tim Raines was pinch hitting. They announced him without adding the Jr at the end of his name, and I was unable to keep myself from blurting out "Whoa! He's still playing! Baltimore must be desperate!"
1999 Bowman Cesar King
2001 Bowman Jason Belcher
2010 Topps AL Batting Average League
1982 Topps Mickey Rivers
1994 Ultra Matt Nokes
1990 Fleer Dennis Martinez

1992 Topps Ed Sprague - 7 Blue Jays among 50 cards. I swear I didn't pack this repack myself.
2002 Upper Deck Kaz Ishii

2002 Upper Deck Wiki Gonzalez - I sense a play at the plate! This card offers a very interesting view of one as well.

2011 Topps Seth Smith - And here's the aftermath of one. This could also have been an argument card had the umpire's ruling been different.
1986 Donruss The Rookies Eric King
1986 Topps Rich Gedman
1986 Topps Rick Manning

1986 Topps Harold Reynolds - An OK rookie card to pull. At least for addition to my misc. binder.
2012 Topps John Danks
1992 Ultra Dave Righetti
1988 Fleer Paul Kilgus
2008 Upper Deck FE Jimmy Rollins
1989 Topps Glossy All-Star Ryne Sandberg
1989 Topps Glossy All-Star Cal Ripken
1989 Topps Glossy All-Star Terry Steinbach
1988 Topps Glossy All-Star Jose Canseco
1988 Topps Glossy All-Star Will Clark
1989 Topps Glossy All-Star Rick Reuschel
1989 Topps Glossy All-Star Julio Franco

and the bonus item:

2008 Topps Heritage T205 Mini - Ichiro

Nice, but it really doesn't seem that special alongside some of the base cards from the 50.

Oh well, back to the card show not-quite dime box tomorrow.

2014 Adventures in Repacks: Part 10 - Bring on the baseball - Part 1

50 cards. 4 packs. A bonus. I've busted these before. I'll likely bust them again. Today,I'll start with the packs, and instead of scanning and posting most of the cards, I'll hit a handful of favourites.

2008 First Edition Update

You knew there was likely to be one of these in there.

Brian Schneider - Starting off with a Mets card? Nice! He was a short term Met, but I'm still happy with it.
Brian Wilson
Trevor Hoffman
Matt Garza
Shelley Duncan
Gary Matthews
Joel Zumaya
Adam Jones
Pat Neshek

Curtis Granderson - Starquest - And a future Met.

2012 Series 1

Matt Kemp
Ryan Howard

Ben Revere - When in doubt, post your favourite photo from the pack. This was an easy highlight in a pretty bland pack.
James McDonald
AJ Pierzynski
Verlander/Sabathia/Weaver Gold Sparkle
Golden Giveaway
Seth Smith

2012 Series 2 Rack Pack

Alejandro de Aza
Ryan Vogelsong
Jonny Venters
Andrew Bailey
Henderson Alvarez
Jose Constanza
Taylor Green

Thomas Field  - Way back when, I'd probably be upset at a photo where some guy's arm is in the way. Now, I really love it.

Mound Dominance - Warren Spahn
Golden Moments - Steve Garvey
Cut Above - Albert Pujols - An interesting group of inserts. Die-cuts are always enjoyable pulls.
Zach McAllister
Vladimir Guerrero
Albert Pujols
Francisco Rodriguez
Bruce Chen
Robinson Cano
Ryan Meek
Juan Abreu
Brandon Dickson
Garrett Jones
Reid Brignac
Rajai Davis
Sean Rodriguez
Matt Capps
Golden Giveaway
1987 Mini - Mickey Mantle
Luis Marte
Jose Contreras
Fautino de los Santos
Joel Hanrahan
Andres Torres
Clayton Kershaw
Don Kelly
Jason Donald
Alexei Ramirez

2013 Heritage

Norichika Aoki
Victor Martinez

Ricky Romero - You can't really pick a most interesting photo from a Heritage pack (although Francoeur's hair later on in this pack might be a contender), so when in doubt, pick a player from your team.
Ben Revere
Ryan Dempster
Andy Pettite
Memorable Moments - Derek Jeter
Rickie Weeks
Jeff Francoeur

So, these weren't the most interesting of packs, but still enough keepers in it to make it interesting. However in the end I think I preferred the group of 50 to the packs. See if you agree tomorrow when I post.

Part 2 of a Trade w/ The Raz Card Blog

I started this off yesterday, by showing off a pile of cards on their way into my 2/14 binder. Today, the best of the rest.

This auto was the card that set the trade in motion. It's a nice auto for the binder of someone who has very few certified autos on the market. There's this one, and something in 2010 Historic Autographs (as per zistle), and very little else.

My Top 10 most-wanted list took a beating in this trade. This one featuring a St. Patty's Day cap disappeared off my list.

As did a bunch of Raptors I needed for my all-time Raptors set. As best I can tell, these might be the only cards (along with parallels) where these folks are both listed with the Raptors, and in a Raptors uniform. That knocks the needs down to three, all of which are now in my top 10. Since my Frankenset needs can be combined into my top 10 list, I can drop my Frankenset needs completely off the sidebar.

The rest of the trade were a pile of Raptors cards.

Ranging from a mini:

Too a much larger mini-poster:

Thanks for all the goodies, Chris! They've all moved into a great home.

2/14 is over for 2014, but I'll still show off some new stuff!

aka Part 1 of a trade w/ The Raz card blog.

I sent a somewhat varied, but still focused package of goodies to Idaho, and the return package arrived this week. It's enough that I can break the enveloped goodies into two posts.

Firstly, let's knock a card off my top 10 list (a theme that will continue tomorrow). It's a wonderfully odd addition to my 2/14 collection. Since it really doesn't have too many cards in which someone is kissing the basketball, it's a welcome addition.

Also included was a pair of rookie cards for the binder. If Clowney does end up as the number one pick in the draft, he'll join Bledsoe and Courtney Brown as the third one among the #1 overall draft picks born on 2/14.

But the best of the bunch was this addition to the Muresan portion of the binder is my second hit of his. Both of them are autos, but this one is my first on card autograph of the two. It's also a far clearer and bolder auto than my first. He's a Muresan super collector for height related reasons, so it isn't surprising that he has lots of Muresans around and can part with an auto. I'm sure if I ever made a reasonable effort to audit my collections of Delgado, Alfredsson, Vlad & Joe Carter, I'd probably come up with way too many dupes as well.

Oh, did I mention he was a Muresan super collector? Since I really should have, since he sent a lot of Muresans.

I mean a lot of them.

Enough to vault Gheorge well into the lead in terms of basketball cards in the binder. He now stands at 26 total, 8 ahead of Richard Hamilton, and tied with Viktor Kozlov for 5th overall.

Thanks for the goodies, and I'll get to the rest tomorrow!

2/14 Binder miscellany

So, it's my birthday. And for those that don't read regularly, I super collect cards of people I share a birthday with. To the point that they have their own binder. To the point I have 639 cards worth of 2/14 babies. It is an obsession. Hunting down cards of golf coaches and career minor leaguers has become a pleasant obsession of mine. Scouring birthday lists for the names of anybody who might have a card is a perfect way to kill an hour. For the first releases of 2014, I'm already planning on entering a case break and picking whichever team drafts him just so I can get my hands on the first cards of Jadeveon Clowney.

Even if I end up with a half dozen Houston Texans team sets.

That's the not too distant future, though. Today, I'm just looking at miscellaneous things in the binder. And pretty much mostly by using pictures.

Best Autograph: Darius Songaila

Worst Autograph: Ilya Zubov (at least it is on card)

Best swatch/patch:

Largest card: (technically, this 3*4 card is actually in a pocket in the back of the binder)

Smallest card:

Non athletes:

In as both coach and player:

While Geoffrion is my oldest hockey card, here are the other oldest in the other main sports:

Newest card in terms of release date:

And finally, the lowest numbered card:

Blogging is so much easier when you don't concern yourself with silly things like writing. I'm starting to understand instagram's popularity.