More From the Semi-Local Card Shop

My recent trip to B&D Sports Cards yielded me more than just a bag full of homemade repacks and a new set to collect. I also decided to flip through the various quarter and 'priced as marked' boxes that share shelf space with unopened product. Each time I've looked in these boxes, the stock seems to be almost entirely different from the time before. It gives me the 'I could find anything' feeling that I get when I'm at a card show. When I was ready to call it a day, I had picked out 15 singles to bring home for my collection and a few that will make their way into trade packages.

Let's start things off with a few of my favorite Broncos from their first two championship teams. I especially love the Certified Elway since the photo was from Super Bowl XXXII. Oh, and I love Shannon Sharpe sporting the older school jersey and helmet.

From key players in the first two championship teams to Mr. Super Bowl MVP, Von Miller. I couldn't pass up that cool die-cut Cody Latimer RC. I'm hoping for big things from him this coming season.

I was really disappointed that Osweiler wasn't re-signed, but he was a big part of the championship season, so I decided to add this awesomely shiny RC. Speaking of awesomely shiny, there is a prismatic RC of the aforementioned Cody Latimer. Wrapping up this scan is the RC of Shane Ray from Topps' Take it to the House promo set. Each of these new Broncos set me back a shiny quarter which I considered quite the deal!

Here are more quarter box finds. Hey, wait a minute. Isn't his blog written by a Yankee fan? Yes, it is. Your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, I picked up this trio of BoSox for my own collection. Why? The Napoli card is one of the reare pieces of cardboard where the World Series trophy shares the spotlight. I really like Mookie Betts, so I had to take the opportunity to add an new-to-me RC. That Boggs...it's a horrible picture from a product with no logos but it has two things going for it. First, it's shiny and I love shiny cardboard. Second, and most importantly, it's a Christmas card. If you look closely, you can see the 12/25 serial number. I just couldn't leave that in the quarter box.

These are the last three I snagged for my own collection. The Soler is a bronze framed parallel and is #/499. Again, I couldn't pass hat up for a quarter. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll have a chance to say it again, but Kiermaier is one of my favorite former Durham Bulls. I needed this base Classics RC. The last single I picked up nearly broke the bank. Whereas all of e others were snagged from the quarter boxes, that Arenado RC refractor set me back a whole dollar. He had a great season last year and he has picked up where he left off. The more I get to see him play, the more I like him and it doesn't hurt that he was my first round draft pick for my fantasy team this season. This is the first rookie year Arenado I have thus far. That wraps up the singles I picked up on my recent visit. Tomorrow I'll plan to show the contents of the remaining repacks. Thanks for reading.

There Should Be More Cards Like This - A Single Card Post

I have been a New York Yankees fan for as long as I can remember. In my younger days, I would never have allowed myself to like anything related to the Red Sox. I bought in to the whole rivalry thing. I thought that because I loved my team, that I had to hate anything to do with the Sox. Fortunately, I've grown older (and what I like to think) wiser. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't happy when they broke the Curse of the Bambino and won their first championship in 86 years, especially since they made history by rallying in the ALCS. However, I've learned to appreciate some of the great talent they've had over the last decade(I'm talking about you, Big Papi). Their subsequent WS wins didn't make me happy either, but at least they didn't make me angry or depressed like some fans. In fact, at least one good thin came from their 2007 Workd Series win.

It's this 2008 Upper Deck Jason Varitek, recently pulled from one of those 100 card repacks.

This is one incredible piece of cardboard! It's got everything:

Great photo? Check.

Captain of the squad? Check. 

Championship sweatshirt and hat? Check.

A moment in baseball history frozen in time? Check.

World Series Trophy? Check!

I really dig cards like this. Sadly, they are few and far between. Cards like this can break down barriers. If I pulled a Varitek with a random picture of him behind the plate, hitting, or something of the like, I'd be frustrated at pulling a BoSox card and eventually throw it into a trade package. Pulling this was memorable. It's a rare occasion that I can say I'm happy to have pulled a card from my favorite team's bitter rivals, but hey... A great card is a great card!