WALLET CARD - Huge COMC Haul

Well my giant COMC order has arrived.  Pretty quick for a Black Friday purchase wouldn't you think?  Sadly, I ordered a full week early and thus missed out on what would have likely been a few discounted cards.

But the gang at COMC was really great and refunded me the shipping discount they provided.  Add to that the fact that the cards themselves were all pretty decent prices and I really can't complain.

What I'm really excited about though is the plethora of #WalletCard cardboard I can cross off the list.  Twelve cards in total....without question the biggest Oscar haul I've had since I started collecting him.

So let's cut the chit chat and get to some pics.

2004 Upper Deck

#48 Yankees Classics Gold  /30

I was teetering a bit back and forth on this low-numbered parallel.  I guess $7 ended up being a tipping point for me.  But since I needed to get to 20 cards for my free shipping I thought what the heck.

Glad to have it but I wouldn't be surprised if I find the next one that pops up to be a little cheaper.

What really catches my eye is how the gold lettering and band at the bottom just give the photo some warmth that the silver does not have.

Weird.  It's as if Upper Deck doctored the gold version to bring out the yellows and golds in the photo.

But what do I know.

2016 Topps Archives

#106 Jumbo 5x7  /49

This was a neat card to pull out of the envelope.  It's the spitting image of it's smaller 2.5x3.5 counterpart say for the serial numbering in the bottom left.

Released as an online exclusive through the Topps website, I was a little concerned at first how quickly these would get snatched up and then never see the light of day.  My nerves were calmed pretty quick as these can be found pretty easily on the secondary market.  Even the gold version (limited to just 10 copies) has a couple auctions up on eBay.  I'm just waiting for the price to come down even more.

2013 Panini America's Pastime

#BS-OG Boys Of Summer Autograph  /125

This base version of the Boys Of Summer signature will go nicely with the Gold (/25) and Red (/10) versions I have already picked up.  With there being 125 copies of this card out there I wasn't really in a rush to pick this one up.  Again, the COMC sale had me grabbing a couple cheapies to fill out my order.

For three bucks....it'll do.

2015 Topps Original Buybacks

#74 1976 Topps

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for these buyback cards.  I have no idea why (and it goes against my hatred of them for my Linden collection).  Maybe the market hasn't been oversaturated with Oscar buybacks yet.

I love this photo.  What a great half-fro.

2015 Topps Original Buybacks

#390 1978 Topps

Second verse, same as the first.  This one caps off an 11-card buyback party.  I now own a copy of every Oscar Gamble buyback I've actually seen.  I'm sure there are others out there, but they don't go on the list until I've actually seen a copy of it.

Killer Padres cap.

(you thought I was going to say fro)

2014 Donruss

#11 Donruss Signatures

Sticker auto.  Cheap.  That's about it.

2013 Panini Hometown Heroes

#HSOG Hometown Signatures

This card truly finishes off the auto rainbow from this set.  As many of you know, I recently picked up the black 1/1 card (my first 1/1 #WalletCard) and so I felt the need to complete the triple.

Another inexpensive signature card (less than $3) so it was a no-brainer.

1993 Keebler

#156 Rangers Keebler

I'm not presenting these in any particular order, but this one might have the nicest afro.

Too bad the photo isn't in color as that would've just added to the awesomeness.

1975 Topps

#213 Topps Mini & Regular

I take that back....THIS is the best Oscar afro of the lot.

What a great card design.  The 1975 Topps might be one of my favourites.  The crazy colours and the throwback photos.  Terrific.

And the mini is in fantastic condition.  I couldn't believe it when I took it out of the penny sleeve.  Incredible to think it's a 40-year-old card.

Love it.

2013 Panini Hometown Heroes

#184 State

It took me a while to clue in to what the "State" and "Zip Code" cards were from this set.  There's nothing more than foil stamps indicating the player's state and zip code (fancy that).

Made this 0.70 cent purchase an easy one.

1992 Yankees WIZ

#51 Yankees WIZ 70's

This was another one of those "let's just pick this up to get my order to 20 cards".  It goes well with my Yankees WIZ 80's card I picked up earlier in the year.

Well, that's all the Oscar Gamble goodness I've got to share for now.  I'm really pleased with how the collection is growing - and it's not costing me an arm and a leg.

One of the best hobby decisions I've made in a long time.  Now....time to check COMC for any new adds.

BOX BREAK - 2016 Topps Archives Signatures

There are times when I get a little caught up in the world of box breaking.  Not too much and not that often, but every once in a while it surfaces.

I've had some decent success at times too.  Be it my CFL box break a few months back, my nephew's good luck in picking a box of ITGU or the sheer joy in a half case of ITG Canadiana.  There's something so basic and fun when it comes to opening packs.  I truly believe it's the essence of this hobby....and I hope I never see a day where I no longer have the ability to bust boxes and open packs.

Recently, I've had an itchy trigger finger when it comes to baseball - especially the single hit autograph boxes.

At the most recent trade night I had my eye on a box for most of the night...and was good enough not to cave for most of the evening.  But the temptation got the better of me in the end.

AKA.....I caved.  (again)

So how did I do?

2016 Topps Archives Signatures

Edgar Martinez 1/1

I'd say pretty good.

To me, Edgar Martinez will be one of two things - a Seattle Mariner and a Calgary Cannon.

I remember the days of heading down to Foothills Stadium and watching the Calgary Cannons play in the PCL.  They were the triple-A farm team for the Mariners and we got to see some great ball for a few years.

Martinez was always a fan fave and he was an incredible hitter.  Not a power hitter....but boy could he hit for average.

Always exciting to watch, I was happy to see him break into the bigs and make a name for himself.  Even in the large shadow of a guy named Griffey.

So will Edgar end up in the Hall Of Fame?  I hope so.  I think he has the resume but the fact that he was predominantly a DH might make the road a little bumpier.

Regardless, I'm thrilled to have pulled this card and am looking forward to having it in my trade box and hopefully working it towards a pc item.

WALLET CARD - Sometimes It's Just Black & White

With the year almost complete, I've had a chance to reflect on my collecting over the past year.  And while I have definitely slowed down when it comes to pickups (especially bigger ticket items) I can say with great confidence that I've made really good progress on my #WalletCard project.

For two years my Oscar Gamble collection has grown considerably.  Keeping in mind that I'm not rushing to get everything all in one fell swoop.  I could very easily hit up COMC or Sportlots and snag the bulk of Oscar's cards out there.  But where would the fun be in that?

Instead, I've been pacing myself nicely....hoping to land a few cards locally (which I have) and taking a stab at some of the tougher or rarer cards when they show up.

You've all seen my first true Oscar Gamble 1/1 and I'm hoping that it won't be the last.  The card I'm sharing today is another tough find and I'm really happy to have landed it as well.

2016 Topps Archives Snapshots

#AS-OG Black & White Autograph  /10

One of the newest #WalletCard releases is Topps Archives Snapshots.  A simple design (and a pretty good photo of Oscar's days with Cleveland) with a handful of parallels.  This one is the tougher Black & White autograph limited to just 10 copies.

Once again, I reached out to a fellow collector who has (numerous times) helped me save some shipping as he has a US address.  Thanks Kevin!!

I had let an even tougher parallel pass a couple months back and was kind of kicking myself about it.  I'm glad to have hit this one at a fair price.

With this pickup, I have officially hit the 50-card mark (out of a listed 162 cards) with another 10 incoming from COMC...likely before the end of the year.

Not bad for a fun little project.

LINDEN CARD OF THE WEEK - A Very Big Fish Is In The Pond

There are very few cards that really get my juices flowing these days.  With all the boring re-usages of design and photos, with the uninspired creativity in products and the over saturation of parallels, I've grown pretty immune to what is out there.

Sure, there are cards that really look good or I'm excited about because they've taken a decade to surface, but when it comes to the newer stuff.....one word - boring.

Well, take a look at the beauty that just showed up on the open market last week.

2013/14 Upper Deck The Cup

#PO-TL Property Of  1/1

Now THIS is how you do a stickpiece.

Remember about a year ago when I shared the abysmal Nameplate attempt by Leaf?  Here's a refresher...

Absolutely brutal.

Now, what this Cup piece has is a very clean design with a lot of "name recognition" to those who chase the Property Of cards.

So what will this piece of cardboard (and stick) end up going for?  My guess is that it will be the highest priced Linden card to come around in a good 5-6 years.  That said, I don't think it will come close to the $1000 price that the Leaf version was tagged with.  Let's hope that a big dose of reality sits in to the owner of that one once he sees this auction end.

So will I bid on it?  Time will tell.  But I'm seriously considering it.

Regardless, it's an exciting card to see surface and it will be a gem in anyone's collection.

OUSIDE THE BOX - A Pack Of Cards From Guatemala

After a couple of busy weeks at work I'm excited about some upcoming time off.  This year however I won't have to wait until our holiday break in mid-December.  I've got the whole next week off....and I am absolutely loving it.

It'll be a chance to get some stuff done around my place, maybe get my Christmas shopping done (ha....I openly laughed at that one), get some long...LONG overdue custom card work done and even take some time to blog.

So where to start?

Well, I have some new Oscar Gamble cards to show off, a couple new Lindens and even some box breaks.  But that will all come in time.  Today I wanted to share a really cool gift I received from my co-worker.

I've been at my current workplace for almost 8 years now and one constant has been my co-worker.  He is a terrific person.  Really critical and opinionated when need be, a real team player, willing to take a hit on a roadtrip call or early arrival to work.  He's a hard worker and we have a really great rapport.  His strengths offset my weaknesses and vice-versa.

But more importantly, he's a really good person.  Honest, ethical and with strong ideals.  I can say without hesitation that my becoming more involved in charity work is due to his example.

Recently, he (and some of his family) travelled to Guatemala as part of an organization that helps local children learn and stay healthy.  These kids would likely have fallen through the cracks of their environment and who knows what might have happened to them.  This organization is run by a local family and has done so much with just hard work and dedication to success.  In fact, while my co-worker was down there it was announced that a couple of the students had been awarded full scholarships to US colleges (they both won what are called Walton Scholarships).  It was an amazing moment.

Anyways, I was involved months back in their fundraiser to raise money to go to the medial building and school.  It was really exciting to be a part of something that I was able to see the direct results of.

As a bit of a "thank you", my co-worker wanted to get something for me while he was down there.  He knows I'm a collector and when he saw this on the shelf in one of the stores he knew his search was over.

So I guess firecrackers are a big thing in Guatemala and somebody decided to take all of the different wrappers and create a collectible pack of them.

Perfect.

There are 20 cards in total and they are slightly bigger than a regular trading card (3.5x4.5 inches).  They are printed on flimsy cardboard and are blank on the back.

I think my co-worker was as excited as I was to tear into them to check out the different cards.

The top card, Rambo, is really an eye-catcher.  It even looks like Sly Stallone.

My co-worker felt bad about the corner being bent on this one.  Please....I'm sure I'm not going to get these graded any time soon.

The hummingbird......and kids throwing rocks at it.

Wow.

We got some good chuckles at these as we were flipping though.

This one stumped me.  Some Cabbage Patch Kid with an arm sling and firecrackers going off in his crotch.

Why not.

The cobra.

A you can see with all of these, they have the firecrackers as a prevalent part of the picture.

The great dane.  Go fetch!!

The artwork on some of these are really quite good.  They remind me of slick looking beer labels or something.

I can only imagine myself buying a pack of "bee bombs".

Godzilla.  Cool.

Looks like th firecrackers are getting the better of him.

You'll notice some volcanoes in the background of some of these pictures.  I was told that there are some in the area of Guatemala where they were staying and I guess they are very popular.

Alright then.

Next slide.

I think this is supposed to be the Lone Ranger.

That's what I'm telling myself anyways.

The mermaid......with some dude setting off firecrackers on land.

That always impresses the ladies.

I'm not sure how much to read into these pictures...but a parrot holding onto the firecrackers can't end well.

The rooster.

I was told that my co-worker's brother-in-law was nicknamed "Gallo" because he had red hair and talked a lot.

Hilarious.

Not sure what the farmer in the background has to do with this picture.

Boy, there must be a lot of creepy crawlers in Guatemala.

I like this one.  I was born in April so I'm a Taurus...the bull.

But this dude is looking a little too oddly at the swans in the lake.

Really cool artwork on this one.

So nice, they did it twice.

Uh........alright.  We will wrap things up with Super Dog.

I must be losing something in the translation.

All in all a fantastic gift and I really appreciated the gesture.  I was following along with their time in Guatemala through Instagram and really felt privileged to be a part of the trip - even though I was not physically there.

I'm looking forward to the work towards their next trip which will likely take place in 2018.

Thanks so much Joel (although you will probably not see this post).  This was really the perfect gift.


For those who are interested in seeing more or learning about the organization, you can go to www.guatemalaconexions.org

OPINION - Bonehead

That would be me.

So I noticed last week on COMC's blog that their Black Friday sale would be gearing up.  I got really excited because I had close to 20 cards ready to ship, there would be some sales to be had and then to top it off....cheap shipping.

Glorious.

Well.......only if you take advantage of all that on the correct weekend.

Seems my anxious nature put me in the mindset that this past weekend was the big sale.

So I snagged a few more cards (surprised to really see no big deals going on), got my total all dolled up and hit the purchase button.  I was kind of surprised to not really see any hug discount for shipping (heck, I don't even know the usual amount as this was my first go around on COMC) but I figured that all was taken care of and I could just sit back, relax and wait for my monster shipment to arrive.

Then today I saw the posts about the Black Friday sales week starting up on COMC.

DOH!!!!!!

If you need any special bonehead services over the next few days, I'm available to botch things up royally.

Oh well....I'm sure I'll laugh about it.

Someday.


To make me feel better...here's a little sneak peek at one of my favourite cards coming in my order.

LINDEN CARD(s) OF THE WEEK - Playing Catchup

A pair of smaller (but no less important) pickups for my Linden collection.  These come courtesy of a fellow Linden collector who scoped out some goodies.

I'm finding that the low level Lindens are becoming more desirable for me of late.  The prospect of chasing so many "rare" cards with umpteen parallels is getting a little tiring.  Don't get me wrong...I'm still hunting for them.  I just may not choose to fire a bid on them when they do show up.

No worries here though.  Both are relative "cheapies".

Trev's first foray into the Upper Deck Overtime product.  For those not familiar, it's a product that you can't get off the shelf.  Packs of Overtime are handed out to buyers who pick up certain products at the card shop.  I've snagged a couple packs (on the longshot chance of pulling a Linden) from when I bought the latest Artifacts release.  No dice for me so I've resorted to the help of another collector.  Much thanks.

In addition to this simple base card, there is a blue parallel, a red parallel numbered to 99 and a gold parallel that has a sticker autograph on it.  I've seen one of the signed copies pop up already but the asking price was too high for my liking.  I felt I made a fair offer but the seller is looking for more.  I can respect that.  He might just get it.....but not from me.

So this is an Eric Desjardins card.  Obviously by looking at it you can see Linden's cameo in the photo.  In fact, you could put Linden's name on the card and the photo could still make sense.  That's how prevalent he is on this pic.

But what makes this card so special is that it is one of those UD Exclusive "error" card like the Linden I received recently.

I must say that I'm pretty excited to land this copy.  The completist in me was really happy to find a copy of this.

And with that, two more off the list.  Yes, I've added waaaaaaaaay more since back onto the list but that's how she goes nowadays.

More Linden cards to share before the end of the year, and I'm very excited to announce that I will be having my first batch of COMC cards shipped before the end of the month.  Some real gems in there. Stay tuned.

OUTSIDE THE BOX - 1981/82 Topps Basketball ...REALLY

A very busy weekend for me at work had me miss this month's local card show.  I hated to miss it as there were sure to be some new Lindens out there.  He's been featured in Artifacts, Overtime and Leaf Ultimate of late.  Add to that the excitement surrounding the release of Upper Deck Series I (and the uber-desirable Auston Matthews Young Gun rookie card) and the show was sure to be hopping.

Well, maybe not hopping....but one I wanted to check out.

Thankfully, fellow collector, blogger, good guy all around Captain Canuck came to the rescue and noticed a couple cards I might need.  A quick text back and forth and the cards are now in his possession.  Thanks in advance Cap't.

Let's see....what else.....oh yeah, I was a part of a Series I case break.  Team are randomly picked and I snagged a couple spots.  I couldn't be there for the actual box breaking (again...work) and it was probably a good thing.  I got Phoenix and Anaheim.  Yucky.  Not sure what "hits" I landed yet but I'm sure I won't be sharing them here.  I'm not holding my breath.

With that, let's get to some card scans.  A couple weeks ago at the big card show here in town my stablemate Captain Canuck tracked down a sweet looking basketball card.  I remember seeing a stack of them in a quarter box and decided it would be a fun couple bucks to spend.  I have pretty much no interest in basketball cards - especially cheap base from the 80's.

But boy do they look awesome.

I mean, c'mon....that's how you design a card.

These come from the 1981/82 Topps set and my first thought was "what if they had these designs for their hockey cards?"  Customs to come at a later time.

There really is no rhyme or reason to what cards I picked up.  I just wanted the ones I thought looked the best.....or the worst, which would still be the best.

I am instantly enamoured by the jerseys and knee-high socks.  Vintage at its best (ok....maybe the 60's and 70's would win out, but don't ruin this for me).

What a great action shot.  And yes, that's a pre-Pistons Bill Laimbeer cameo.  Extra points for that.

Again, the jerseys are tremendous.

Mike Dunleavy looks like he's in coaching mode already.

Those shorts with the "Rockets" on the side are pretty cool.....for short shorts.  The warm-up jacket though....very nice.

Lloyd Free sporting some sweet sideburns.

Pretty quiet night at the court I see.

Can you really call this Dan Issel shot a "Super Action"?  I think more "High Energy Aerobics" as the better title.

Dude is tall though.

Now this is a super action shot.......right to the pills.

I think there needs to be more handlebar moustaches in the league these days.  And it's November to boot....even more reason.

Quick....who is this?

If you said Moses Malone...you'd be right.  Lookin' like he's about to do some teaching.

I picked up this card simply for the jersey.  Kansas City.  Other than that there's not much exciting going on with this card.

Kansas City though.

The Chief....Robert Parrish.  The silent giant.

I remember watching him back in the 80's when it was all about Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.  Parrish was a beast and took no crap from anyone.

He looks huge in this card.

Here he is Super Action style.

He's just towering over everyone.  Awesome.

There needs to be more guys named Campy.....in all sports.

It's amazing how dark those backgrounds look (in most of the cards).  Boy photography sure has improved.  I can't tell if these games were just poorly attended or what.  Actually, at this time in NBA history, the league was really struggling and it wasn't until the Bird/Johnson pairing would revitalize the league as a whole.

But that was still a year or two away.

For now, we have Campy.

Nice reverse layup by Reggie Theus.  Looks like the Washington Bullets are constantly getting hammered in these photos.  I wonder if one of the main Topps photographers was based there and thus the plethora of Bullets?

I like this photo.  Captures the action nicely.

No action here.  Brian Winters looks pretty dejected.  Don't know why though as he's sporting one of the coolest warmup jackets I've ever seen.  And he's paired it nicely with a well groomed beard.

Win-win in my books.

Well that was too much fun....and worth the two bucks it cost to pick these up.

Have you ever bought cards for no other reason than thinking they look fun?  If you see a dime box or quarter binder you should give it a try.  Sure it's a waste of a buck or two....but it's a good time stepping outside the box.