My 2016 Recap/Looking to Head to the Top of the Class in 2017

Here we are almost a full two weeks into a new year and I'm just getting around to revisiting my 2016 goals and setting some for the 2017 collecting/blogging year. Better late than never, I suppose. To start things off, I had hoped to complete both the vintage Topps Game and Deckle edge sets. Well, I succeeded in half of that goal as I was able to finish off the Topps Game set relatively early in the year. There are still a few I'd probably like to upgrade at some point, but it's complete nonetheless. I fell a bit short on the Deckle edge set, but in all fairness, I really didn't put forth much effort towards that end. Most recently, I picked up this:

I found this shortly before Christmas at a relatively new LCS that was hosting a 'trade night'. It set me back a whole $2. Sadly, I'm still at six cards to go to complete the set with Clemente, Gibson, Robinson, and McLain being among them.

My next goal was to increase my post total. Well, I fell significantly short of that thanks to the lengthy post-less time periods that filled the last few months of the year. In the end, I ended the year 30 posts short of my 2015 total. The second part of the increased productivity goal was an aim to write some 'creative' posts. I can't really judge that for myself. I was hoping maybe some of you could help me on that. The idea was to not have to rely on trade, pack or box busting, and eBay/Listia win related posts alone. Perhaps, I'll know better than to set a goal that I can't evaluate on my own for this coming year.

My last goal of 2016 was to control my impulse spending...I can say that I definitely failed terribly in this one. Here is some recent proof:

I found this box at said LCS for a reasonable price and decided that I would pick it up. Why, you ask? I'm not exactly sure. Other than being a UFC fan and the fact that it was there for the taking at a 

decent price, there was no true reason. I guess it fulfilled my desire to break a premium product without spending premium dollars.

Base card #1. Not a bad way to start the box considering he was considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world a few years back. I never really liked 'The Spider' while he was beating anyone set in front of him and I was actually quite happy when he lost to Chris Weidman(twice), but I can't argue with his greatness.

Base card #2. Perhaps the current best pound for pound fighter in the world. McGregor is currently a dual weight class champion. I kinda like his showmanship, but I was also thrilled when he was upset by Nate Diaz a few months back.

Here was my promised 'jumbo' relic. I don't have much to say here besides at least the swatch was two colors.

Auto #1. Teixeira was formerly a big deal. He had some pretty lofty expectations to live up to upon entering the UFC and he hasn't really delivered on any of that potential as yet.

Auto #2 puts the finishing touches on a solid, if unremarkable box break. Mighty Mouse here certainly has the ability to manufacture a win even if he doesn't get many spectacular finishes.

It was a fun break. However, what I'm left with are some high quality cards that I'll eventually be looking to sell or trade in hopes of either picking up BJ Penn/Robbie Lawler cards or making as much of the box price back as possible. I'd actually love to build he base set, but it might be quite difficult with just two per box.

So, where does this leave me for the 2017 collecting year? I'll set some modest goals:

1. Complete the vintage Deckle edge set. I've only got six to go and even though there are some of the biggest stars in the set still left, I know this is easily achievable if I actually put forth the effort.

2. Reorganize the blog layout. With this, I intend to create two separate 'most wanted' lists, one that highlights cardboard that is more likely out of reach for whatever reason(cost, availability, etc.) and the other that focuses on the more easily attainable(but still elusive). Yes, I realize this is not a new concept and I am ripping off several other bloggers out there, but I have come to realize over my 2+ years of contributing to this community that I have only been able to cross off three cards from the current version of my 'most wanted' list(one of those I snagged from eBay). My hope is to facilitate greater success in adding the cardboard from these lists to my collection. Additionally, I will be overhauling my 'who I collect' page. Some of the names will be changing and some other sports/entertainers may be making an appearance. I'll be sure to make a brief announcement once their change is complete and I hope you'll all check out some of my new collecting interests.

3. My third and final goal for the year is to send more trade packages and run more giveaways/contests. Ultimately, I'd like to add a tracker/counter to keep up with the number of trade packages that make their way to my PO. Over the past few years, I have added a good bit of cardboard that simply doesn't fit anywhere into my enjoyment of our hobby. Therefore, that cardboard is better off taking a trip to another home where it will be appreciated more than it is here. I don't think I can possibly move all of the cards that I want to through trade packages alone, so I plan to channel those creative impulses I tried to let loose last year into some (hopefully) interesting contests/giveaways. Details on the first of these will follow shortly(after I can finalize the two Anniversary contest winning packages - should make a serious dent in these with the first card show of the year coming up this weekend).

There you have it. I'm sorry for the lengthy post, but I wanted to get the recap/goals post out of the way before finishing off the 12 days of trade posts and getting into some other content. I've got a few box breaks, repacks, eBay/Listia wins to share soon and I hope to have a huge haul from the show. Oh yeah, I'm several months behind on talking about the grand opening of that new LCS I mentioned. I was quite excited about the first visit haul and the subsequent finds(and wins). Yes, wins...more on that some other time. Here's to big things in 2017! Thanks for reading.

Raleigh Card Show Post 1 of 3 - The Eclectic Quarter Boxes

I've decide that I've made enough progress on my trade post back log that I could finally reward myself by sharing some of the cards that I found at the card show the weekend before last. Like many of you who have the fortune of going to shows in your area, most of the vendors at the Raleigh Card Show are the same time after time. Lucky for me, I've found some really great stuff at some of these tables. Today, I'll focus on a vendor that I've come to think of as the 'random guy'. He usually has a mixture of quarter, dollar, and $5 boxes. I have yet to make it past his quarter boxes. They're some of the most eclectic, treasure filled boxes I've ever dug through. This past show was no different. Often times I end up finding cards that I had no idea even existed.

These oddballs however don't fit that description, but that doesn't make them any less exciting to find. At a quarter a piece, there was no way I was leaving these in those boxes. I'm going to put some effort into completing the Deckle edge set once I finish up the '68 Game set. In fact, I've already got a pretty great start. After adding this one, I only need 8 more to finish the set. Unfortunately, I've got some big names in those 8. I'll post my set needs at some point in the near future.

Let's move on to some cards that I never knew existed. Of these six, three were completely new to me. There was also one that I had never seen in person, only online. I have several cards from the Purina set, but it was awesome to find this Rickey mixed into those stacks. I've also got a few of the SP Holoview inserts. These take me back to my younger collecting days. I loved these, but always had to admire them from afar since back then they were all pretty pricey. Fortunately, these are largely forgotten in the modern collecting landscape so I can reminisce and finally own a few of these. Bo knows holograms! 

I had heard that there was a card of Larry Bird playing baseball, so a few years back, I searched for it. I found a few copies online, but never picked one up and soon forgot all about it, until this show. Finding this beauty made me do a double take. I was thrilled, and couldn't pull it out of the stack I was flipping through fast enough! That Nolan Ryan threw me for a loop. I had seen the Classic Best minor league set before, but I didn't know that Ryan had a card in it. As it turns out, this is a promo that shows him in a Jacksonville Suns uniform. I knew of another Jacksonville Ryan card out there from an Obak issue, but not this one. I don't officially have a collection that it fits into, but I couldn't leave it behind. I was probably most shocked to come across those USA Baseball Training Site cards of Tino Martinez and Jim Abbott. Again, I had no idea these existed and I couldn't pull them out fast enough. Two former Yankees, playing for Team USA on oddball issues...sounds like a winner to me! Plus, how could you not love Abbott at bat?

The unexpected finds didn't stop there. This Joe Torre from an Atlanta PD release was an odd find. It was the only PD card that I found. When I came upon it, I had visions of picking a handful of others to share with the Braves collectors that I trade with regularly, but it wasn't to be.

Wait, 1993 Topps? Why on Earth would I pull those out of an otherwise interesting bunch of quarter boxes? Hmmm, let's take a closer look.

That would be the Rockies Inaugural Year gold foil stamp on those '93 Topps cards. I love how Mattingly seems to be ready to catch the gold foil stamp and apply the tag!

In keeping with the theme of most of the cards I picked from this guy's quarter boxes, I had never seen these in person prior to this show. All in all, I grabbed around 40 of these. I knew I wouldn't find the Jeter RC, but I was shocked to find Mattingly, Griffey Jr, Bonds, and a bunch of other HOF players. That wraps up my quarter box dig. Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 of my show recap where I'll explore dealer made repacks, cheap relics/autos, and some other discount boxes. Thanks for reading!