Today's Challenge topic was probably the most difficult for me. I don't have a huge volume of non-sports cards to choose from. You'd think that would make it easier to pick a favorite, but for me it was the opposite. If you've read any of my other Challenge posts, you know that I have selected my favorites based upon the stories behind the cardboard and most of my non-sports stuff doesn't have much to tell about. I've really enjoyed writing those stories down and sharing them so far. Hopefully you've enjoyed them a little bit too. I had to dig deep for this one, but I definitely landed on the right one in the end.
Back in the fall of 2014, my wife and I took our 2 daughters(our third wasn't born yet) to Walt Disney World. Since the girls were too young for most of the rides, a lot of our time was spent on character meet and greets/autograph collecting. One day, while walking around Hollywood Studios, we stumbled upon the Wreck-It Ralph characters. They did a really great job recreating a space from the movie for the meet and greet area(see below).
My oldest daughter, Kara, loved that movie at the time(still does) and since it had so many retro video game references, so did(do) I. We stood in a relatively short line and she repeatedly told me how excited she was to meet them and add their autographs to her book. When it was our turn, she ran up to meet Ralph and Vanellope. I took a few pictures of her and then she asked for a picture of both of us with them. The cast member working the area took my phone and snapped a few for us in addition to the ones taken by their photographer for our PhotoPass. Once photos were done, we were informed that Ralph and Vanellope weren't able to sign autographs(the large costume hands made it too difficult to manage signing). Kara was so disappointed, for a split second. Then the cast member pulled a few cards out of a bag...
As these were handed to us, we were told that it takes Ralph and Vanellope a long time to sign autographs. Since they didn't want people to wait so long to see them, they 'signed' these cards before they came out for their meet and greet to make things go faster. Kara was so excited! We were given three(one for each of us and one for my other daughter).
Here is the back. In reality, these are PhotoPass code cards(used to access the individual character photos for the folks that hadn't already purchased the full service). Personally, I prefer the story told by that cast member. I love that these are standard trading card size and that all of the promotional info was squeezed into the bottom 2/3 which left room for 'traditional' card back info as well. I think back to the moment she was handed this card by that cast member often and it always brings a smile to my face. It is one of the best souvenirs I have ever gotten. Thanks for reading.
I want to thank everyone that took the time to participate in any of the contests this month, I hope you all found them to be as much fun as I did. I'm especially thrilled that 'Anything Goes' week drew the biggest response of the month. At the close of the claiming window, we had 16 entries! I apologize for not getting to the randomizer right after 8pm.
Here is the entire list entered into the randomizer.
Here is the screenshot of the list after 7 rounds. The time stamp on the randomizer is set at UTC(Coordinated Universal Time) which is 4 hours ahead of EST. bbcardz, The Lost Collector, and Elliptical Man are the winners of this week's contest. Congrats! I'd appreciate if bbcardz and Elliptical Man could reach out with their address within 48 hours since we have not traded in the past(same to AJ if anything has changed since I last sent stuff your way). As advertised, packages will go to the post office on Thursday.
As a final wrap up on a fun month of contests, I'd love to hear feedback of any kind. Would you like to see these continue in some form? Was a month of this long enough? Sound off. Positive, negative, or completely indifferent I'd love to hear it. Thanks again for helping celebrate the blog re-launch and as always, thanks for reading.
Welcome back for the final week of my blog re-launch contest. This week anything goes! Once again, a brief recap of the rules: 21 cards will be posted this week. Each reader can place a claim on one card. Cards can be claimed by more than one reader. Claims serve as entry into the contest and must be made with an associated name(no anonymous or unknown). The claim period will be open until Monday night at 8pm EST. At the close of that period, I will enter a list consisting of 'reader-card claimed' pairings into a list randomizer. This week, the top three readers with novel claims will be declared winners and receive Cardpocalypse packages. See yesterday’s post for clarification regarding the selection of winners. The packages will include the cards they claimed and some cards that will remain a mystery until the package is opened. Packages will be sent on Thursday.
First up, some familiar cardboard.
Joanna is /125, Bayley is /199(mat relic actually from NXT Takeover), and Kell is /175.
Familiar Refractor-y goodness.
From here on all of the cardboard will be making its contest debut. Max is the photo variation SP.
The final Cardpocalypse giveaway drops tomorrow. As previously promised, there will be multiple winners this time around. The theme is 'Anything Goes'. All rules from previous weeks apply here. However, I wanted to clarify how the winners will be selected. This week, the top three readers with novel claims will be declared winners.
The screenshot from this past week's contest will provide a good opportunity for me to explain. In the example above, the three winners would be John Sharp, Sport Card Collectors, and The Lost Collector. Jafronius would have missed out since SCC had claimed the same card and was higher on the list after the final shuffle.
Remember, everyone is eligible to enter this week. There will be 21 cards spanning all previous themes and a few that weren't already represented. Of those 21 cards, only 8 are making a second appearance in the contest. I'm really excited for this round and I hope all of you are too. The claiming period will begin in less than 24 hours...Are you ready?
The bell has been rung on this week's claiming period. Thank you to the 9 readers that participated this week. Let's go to the list.
Here is the list pasted into the box, ready to be shuffled.
Here is the screenshot of the list after 7 rounds. Remember that the time stamp on the randomizer is set at UTC(Coordinated Universal Time) which is 4 hours ahead of EST. This week's winner is John Sharp! Please drop a comment with the best way to contact you about shipping instructions. The Sasha Banks relic will be headed your way. I once again have a challenging few days ahead of me preparing a prize pack for someone I haven't traded with in the past. If last week is any indicator, it's definitely going to be a blast! I thought that the Willie Nelson relic was out of here for sure since it proved to be so popular. Perhaps I'll have to throw it back out there for the upcoming 'Anything Goes' week. All previous winners are now eligible to enter once again. Stay tuned for a brief rules post later this week. It will outline how many winners there will be and give some additional contest specifications that will be in play.
Check back here this coming Sunday to see what is up for grabs when anything goes! Thanks for reading.
Welcome back for week four of my blog re-launch contest. This week, the focus turns to MMA, wrestling, and non-sport content. Once again, a brief recap of the rules: nine cards will be posted every week. Each reader can place a claim on one card per week. Cards can be claimed by more than one reader. Claims serve as entry into the contest and must be made with an associated name(no anonymous or unknown). The claim period will be open until Monday night at 8pm EST. At the close of that period, I will enter a list consisting of 'reader-card claimed' pairings into a list randomizer. The reader/card combo at the top of the list after 7 rounds of shuffling will be the winner of the week's Cardpocalypse package. The winnings will include the card they claimed and some cards that will remain a mystery until the package is opened. Packages will be sent on Thursday each week. Readers can only win once during weeks 1-4. Week 5 will have multiple winners(number yet to be determined) and the four previous weekly winners will be eligible to enter again.
First up, some UFC cardboard.
Rose is /99, Joanna /125, and DJ /200.
Sasha is /150, Bayley /199 and HBK /299. Both mat relics are from he actual events(NXT Takeover Dallas for Bayley and Royal Rumble 2018 for Sasha).
I apologize that my non-sport game is kinda weak. We've got a sparkly Star-lord, The Flash in its foilboard glory, and a Willie Nelson relic.
In the words of 'Big' John McCarthy, 'Are you ready? Let's get it on!'
Welcome back for week three of my blog re-launch contest. This week, we focus on basketball. Once again, a brief recap of the rules: Nine cards will be posted every week. Each reader can place a claim on one card per week. Cards can be claimed by more than one reader. Claims serve as entry into the contest and must be made with an associated name(no anonymous or unknown). The claim period will be open until Monday night at 8pm EST. At the close of that period, I will enter a list consisting of 'reader-card claimed' pairings into a list randomizer. The reader/card combo at the top of the list after 7 rounds of shuffling will be the winner of the week's Cardpocalypse package. The winnings will include the card they claimed and some cards that will remain a mystery until the package is opened. Packages will be sent on Thursday each week. Readers can only win once during weeks 1-4. Week 5 will have multiple winners(number yet to be determined) and the four previous weekly winners will be eligible to enter again.
I have really appreciated the participation and interaction throughout the first few weeks. Entry numbers were down last week which I expected considering the switch from baseball to football. As we move on to basketball this week, will we see an increase in numbers? Will there be more than week one? Time will tell. Let's see what's up for grabs this week.
Let's start with some ink and a relic.
Durant is /25.
Carter/Edwards is the single side refractor(VC) variety, Dominique is a bronze refractor, and Richmond is the gold parallel.
Best of luck to all, the claiming period tips off now!
Over the years, my collecting habits have flipped more times than the commemorative coin being tossed at the beginning of the Super Bowl. I've been a set collector on again/off again for as long as I can remember. There have been countless sets that I started/stopped building and then revisited from time to time. There are many others that I started and lost interest in altogether. Ive stuck with a select few for the better part of 19 years now. Today we take a look at one of those: Stitches in Time from 2001 Fleer Tradition. The set consists of 25 base inserts and has both autographed(7) and relic(5) parallels. When the product released, I remember pulling one from a pack and immediately feeling drawn to both the design and the Negro League subjects. It became one of the sets I just had to complete. Within short order, I accumulated 9 of the 25 cards in the set. Just as quickly, my focus moved on to something else. Many times over the years, I have revisited this set, picking one up here and there. As time has passed, the hope of finding these in quarter(or even dollar) boxes at shows has faded. I currently stand at 14/25 in my possession. The remaining 10 base inserts I need are readily available on eBay or COMC, but not at prices I'm willing to pay.
I had never really considered putting together the relic or auto sets until a little over a year ago while I was running an eBay search for the set. I happened to stumble upon an inexpensive listing for one of the autos from the set and decided to snap it up as quick as I could click the 'Buy It Now' button. Approximately a week later, the auto arrived and as I gazed upon it for the first time I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me. All of a sudden the wonder and excitement I felt when I saw that first base insert in 2001 came rushing back. Holding that hard-signed piece of baseball history started me on a new collecting journey: track down all of the autos in the set and research each subject that signed for it.
This is the one that started that new journey. He may not be a household name like some of the others in the set, but Joe Black had an incredible MLB rookie season. Having already logged seven seasons in the Negro Leagues and a year in the minors, he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1952(5 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier). Black finished the season with 15 wins, 15 saves, and a 2.15 ERA which would have lead the category if he logged an additional 8 IP to qualify for that title. He wrapped up that great season by being named NL Rookie of the Year.
The next pickup... I targeted Monte Irvin second because I at this point in the journey, I wasn't sure if my hobby budget would allow me to complete the auto set and I thought this would go great with the few vintage Irvin's I already had in my collection. In 1951, he led the Giants to the World Series hitting .312 with 24 home runs and 121 RBI. He stepped up even further in the WS, raking at a rate of .458 in the Fall Classic. His season was capped off by a third place finish third in the NL MVP voting and he did all of that while mentoring a young ball player by the name of Willie Mays!
Speaking of the Say Hey Kid... This addition to the set clearly contains no ink. Several signed copies of this card have surfaced in the years since Fleer went bankrupt, however all of those are believed to be forgeries. Mays was well known for his refusal to sign anything related to the Negro Leagues. He began playing with the Birmingham club in 1947 at the age of 16 and helped the Black Barons earn a spot in the Negro League World Series the following year.
This was the one that got me over the hump so to speak. While it was only the third auto I picked up, it was the big one! When I successfully tracked down a copy that fit into my budget, I knew I'd eventually be able to complete this set. It was quite an exciting acquisition! Banks played two seasons with the Monarchs which were split up by a two year stint in the Army. When the Cubs came calling to sign him, he didn't want to leave because he loved playing in Kansas City so much. He eventually decided the opportunity to sign with Chicago was too good to pass up and the rest is history.
Ted 'Double Duty' Radcliffe was an interesting player. The origin of his nickname came in 1932. While playing in back-to-back games of a Negro League World Series doubleheader, he assumed catching duties in game one and toed the pitching rubber in game two. His performances helped the Pittsburgh Crawfords win the championship that year. Throughout his career, he would go back and forth between the Crawfords and the Homestead Grays with two stints on the Chicago American Giants mixed in. He won the Negro American League MVP award during his second run with Chicago at the age of 43. Incredibly, Radcliffe was 98 or 99 years old when he signed for this set!
These Artie Wilson cards were apparently not released in packs of 2001 Fleer Tradition like the others, or so the story goes. There are claims that these were redemptions which were filled prior to the bankruptcy and other stories that say they didn't make their way to the secondary market until Fleer's liquidation sale/auction. Either way, these did eventually become available and I was happy to grab one at a very reasonable price. In a stretch of seasons lasting from 1942-1948, Wilson was the best shortstop in the Negro American League. His best season at the plate came in 1948 when he hit .402, eight years after Ted Williams became the last player in the majors to accomplish the feat. In that same season, he served as a mentor to Willie Mays(three years before Monte Irvin did the same in the majors) during the youngster's second season in professional ball.
...and then there was one. Buck O'Neil was the final step on this collecting journey. Buck had a lengthy career as a solid ballplayer. When his playing days were over he became a well-respected Major League coach/scout and later had significant role in establishing the Negro League Museum in 1990. Many likely know him best for being featured prominently in Ken Burns' Baseball documentary.
Hunting down these autographs and researching the players involved was one of the most rewarding things I've done as a baseball card collector. Upon completion I took a small break to enjoy the cards, but now I'm ready to begin tackling the memorabilia portion of the set. Though there are only five cards in the set, two are absolutely huge: Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson. The other three are no slouches either: Elston Howard, Larry Doby, and Roy Campanella. In addition to probable budgetary issues, I'm likely to have considerable difficulty even finding a copy of each one. While tracking currently listed cards(and list price) for over a month, I have only seen copies of Howard, Robinson, and Doby thus far. It's going to take some creative dealing if I'm going to be successful in this endeavor, but I'm up for the challenge! If anyone out there has any of these(or any of my base insert needs) they're willing to part with, let's make a deal. Thanks for reading.
I've been thinking of reviving this theme for a few weeks, but haven't found the right event to tie into my collection...until today.
On this day back in 1959, Whitey Ford pitched a 14-inning complete game shutout against the Washington Nationals before an estimated crowd of 7,337 at Griffith Park. Making his second start of the young season, he scattered 7 hits, walked 7, and struck out 15. The 15 K's tied the Yankees' single game record(at the time) and his 14 IP would end up being the longest outing of his career. The incredible start helped the team improve its record to 6-3. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be a sign of things to come as they finished the season at 79-75 which was only good enough for 3rd place in the AL.
From an impressive on-field performance to an impressive piece of cardboard... I'm typically not a fan of unlicensed cards but this one is certainly an exception. It has a nicely cropped photo and a legible, on-card auto with an inscription! You don't see that everyday. This (somewhat)new arrival came to me courtesy of my friend Matt from Sport Card Colectors blog. We've been involved in a never-ending trade for over a year now and has been responsible for some huge PC additions. Thanks SCC, I'm looking forward to our next exchange!
The 1959 season may have been a rare disappointment in the middle of a Yankee dynasty, but the ace of the New York rotation turned in an effort befitting a future HOF'er on this day in baseball history. Thanks for reading.
Today's the day! The first two episodes of The Last Dance premiere tonight. The hype surrounding this 10 part, documentary mini-series is real and has definitely extended into the world of cardboard. Social media feeds near and far are being overtaken by Jordans from the late '90's and even sales of base cards have been going through the roof. I was never a huge Bulls fan or Jordan collector, but it certainly was incredible watching what that team was able to accomplish. In celebration of those accomplishments and the entertainment to come courtesy of the folks at ESPN, let's take a look at the starting lineup of your 1997-98 Chicago Bulls!!!
At small forward #1, 6ft-8in, from Central Arkansas, #33...
Scottie Pippen!!!
Full disclosure: this is not my card. I grabbed this image from a recently sold eBay listing. Way back in early 1997, I did own a copy of this. I was recently out of high school and working at Toys R Us unloading trucks or assembling various floor models. One day I went to the front of the store to buy a Mountain Dew(don't judge, I was young) at the end of a shift. On the way to the checkout lanes, I saw one of those 100 card repacks with this showing on the front. I didn't think twice and brought it with me to the register. I held onto this awesome insert for a few years and eventually traded it away. I can't remember what I got in return, but it was probably a handful of Gary Payton cards.
At small forward #2, 6ft-10in, from Croatia, #7...
Toni Kukoć!!!
*I split the small forward position because Pippen missed the first half of the regular season with an injury.*
In the middle of the Vin-Sanity craze, I bought a box of 1998-99 SP Authentic hoping to pull the Vince Carter Sign of the Times auto, his serial numbered RC, and maybe an Antawn Jamison RC. I pulled none of the above. I wasn't even lucky enough to pull a Dirk Nowitzki rookie(even though I had no idea who he was at the time). I pulled this auto instead. I remember what a big deal it was when Kukoć finally came to the NBA to play in Chicago, he just wasn't one of my favorites. To this day, his auto lives in my 'for trade/sale' box.
At power forward, 6ft-7in, from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, #91...
Dennis Rodman!!!
From his time with the Pistons through his post-career craziness, I was not a fan of The Worm. Younger me did have an appreciation for how great he was on the boards though. This is my favorite card of his that I actually own. I loved Finest and this is a low-key, all business design/picture. With my current collecting preferences, I kinda wish I owned one of the cards showing him in a more dynamic light, like diving for a loose ball or pulling down a rebound.
Next up, the man in the middle, at center, 7ft-2in, from New Mexico, #13...
Luc Longley!!!
Not much to say about this one. It came out of a pack of Ultra while I was searching for Tim Duncan and Keith VanHorn. I was not thrilled. However, upon inspecting it a bit closer for the purposes of writing this post, it appears this picture was taken during the 1996-97 NBA Finals.
At point guard, 6ft-6in, from Miami-Ohio, #9...
Ron Harper!!!
I don't have any non-base Harper cards. Much like the Longley, I thought this was the most fitting of the occasion as it looks like this photo is also from the '96-97 Finals.
And at shooting guard, 6ft-6in, from the University of North Carolina, #23...
Michael Jordan!!!
Back in the day, most MJ cards were out of my collecting budget. I really couldn't trade for them either because almost all of my friends that collected wanted his cardboard too. So, I pretty much had to stick with what I was lucky enough to pull from packs. From the moment I saw this card peeking out from middle of a 1992-93 Skybox pack, I was in love! I had enjoyed watching the Dream Team win the Olympic gold medal in the summer of '92 and this was a rare, non-base Jordan pull for me. Since he is the source of all the hoopla(see what I did there), I'm going to write about one more Jordan card before wrapping up.
In the summer of 1994, all of the MJ hype was focused on his new found quest to become an MLB ball player. I was living in a rural town in Orange County, NY and had the good fortune to have a tiny LCS that was about a 5 minute bike ride from my house. A few days a week, I would ride to the shop and spend time talking with the owner, flipping through singles, and buying some packs(allowance-permitting). I wasn't one for minor league cards back then, but since MJ was going to make an appearance in the newly released Upper Deck Minors set, I picked up a few packs throughout the summer. A week or two before school started, I pulled this. Though I may be in the minority, I really liked the 1994 Upper Deck design and I was thrilled to pull such an 'in-demand' piece of cardboard.
They're coached by...
Phil Jackson.
This is one of the first basketball sets I can remember opening. Packs were cheap and readily available at my local mom and pop convenience store. Get a load of that tie!
Let's hear it for your starting five(plus two) getting ready for The Last Dance!
I hope you enjoyed this take on the highly anticipated series. Thanks for reading.
As we sit on the eve of a new MLB season, hope springs eternal. It's the time of year when fans of every team can still have hope for a playoff run to culminate in a World Series Championship(no matter how unlikely it may be). I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I have this exact feeling about the Yankees this season. It's an exciting time to be a fan of that team from the Bronx. The addition of Giancarlo Stanton via offseason trade is one reason of course, but the team is also stocked with young, homegrown talent. In fact, my hope is that this year will be the dawning of a brand new 'Core Four'. Much like Jeter, Posada, Pettite, and Rivera were just coming into their own in the mid '90's, there are currently four youngsters that are establishing themselves as some of the best players in the league.
First, the starting pitcher:
Sevy had quite the season last year. He logged just shy of 300 innings, won 14 games, registered 230 K's, and finished among the league leaders in ERA. I was beyond fortunate to pull this blue parallel of his Chrome RC auto from a discounted retail hanger I found at Walmart a few months back. The auto is on card and one of the cleaner looking examples I've seen.
Next up, we've got the relief pitcher:
Betances came up through the Yankees system and began making an impact as a setup man, much like Mariano Rivera. Dellin had a brief opportunity as the closer, but has taken the backseat to Chapman since his return from the Cubs. Even back in the setup role, Betances has been pretty dominant. I picked this blue Chrome RC auto up a few years ago before he really had his breakout season. I really love the Yankee Stadium facade in the background. I feel like it makes for quite an iconic RC.
Lastly, we've got the backstop and the humble superstar in the making.
These guys aren't Jeter and Posada, but they sure have been fun to watch over the past two seasons. It should be really interesting to see these two continue to develop over the next few years. This is perhaps my best pull of the year thus far. I was in my local Target and there was a single hanger box of Heritage left sitting behind a few blasters of Series 1. When I opened the cello pack inside, I was a bit bummed that there wasn't a Deckle edge insert in the stack of cards. However, when I reached the middle of the stack, this card was peeking out at me. At the time I didn't know the details about these parallels(except that I really like the gold stamp). I thought they were serial numbers, but when I flipped it over, there was no numbering to be found. After a bit of research I found that they have a print run of only 25 copies.
So, therein lies my hope(s). Not only that the current group of young guys can sustain a high level of play like their predecessors, but also that this year is the beginning of their success. After all, the original Core Four made their initial playoff debut as a wild card in 1995, didn't make it to the World Series that year, and won their first championship as a group the next year. Hmmm, the Core Four Redux team was a wild card entry into last season's playoffs...perhaps history does repeat itself. I guess we will see in about 8 months. Thanks for reading.
My quest to catch up on some (not so)recent trade packages and establish a semi-regular posting schedule begins anew today. Hopefully this time I'll be able to make it last. Though this is not chronologically the first package I need to catch up on, it did contain a huge PC addition and the scans were ready to go so this is where I start. Several months back I was tweeting back and forth with Matt from Sport Card Collectors. He informed me that he had recently pulled a card of a guy I collected. From the moment the picture came through the message, I knew I needed to find a way to make a deal. Fortunately enough, Matt was super laid back about the deal and I was able to come up with a mixed bag of cards that hit some of his collecting interests. In fact, he sent me the centerpiece of our trade before I finished putting together his return package.
This awesome patch/auto of 'The Outlaw' was that centerpiece. This blue parallel #'d 1/3 came from his box review of Topps Triple Threads, so as is customary - thank you Topps for providing that box to him for his review! Additionally, I received two other Durham Bulls guys to round out my end of this huge deal.
I hadn't opened any Heritage Minors and was thrilled to receive these two in the package. Bauers had a really good first season in Durham last year and Schultz has been a fan favorite for the better part of the past 2 seasons. He led the league in K's the year before last. As much as I'd like to see him in Durham, I hope he sticks in Tampa this year. A short while after these arrived and I sent the return portion of this trade, I received a somewhat unexpected PWE from Matt as well.
Pure awesomeness all throughout! Three new Kiermaiers highlighted the envelope, but all were needs and very much appreciated. Hats my second different version of that Golden Grabs insert from Fire and I am slowly but surely(though inadvertently) building the rainbow on the Optic Diamond Kings(and the Optic base - more on that in another post). This one happens to be an unnumbered purple prizm parallel. Thanks for a really great swap, Matt! I've already started another stack to be sent your way in the near future. Thanks for reading.
A quick contest promo: if you're quick and like contests, Julie over at A Cracked Bat is running a contest that closes in just under an hour. Click here to see how you can enter.
I have envisioned a series that explores some awesome patch cards for quite some time. However, it's not easy to find unique and affordable relic cards. A few weeks back, I was able to do just that! I'm sure I won't be able to make this a regular theme on the blog, but I had so much fun prepping to write this one. Volume 2 will follow at some point.
There it is! I was thrilled to find this Kiermaier with such an interesting swatch(and auto) for a really affordable price. When I saw that patch, I knew I wanted to add this card to my former Durham Bulls collection. As I've previously mentioned, Kiermaier is one of my favorite players in the league right now. As I was waiting for this card to arrive, I started searching for where this piece of embroidered goodness came from.
I was able to find this pretty easily. This pic not only let me see the patch in its entirety, but it also gave me an idea of where to look for shots of it in game action.
There it is! Just like that the card became all the more awesome to me. The Rays wore that patch on their pseudo-retro faux-back jerseys. Like many of you, I dig the throwback unis and I especially love that Tampa developed their own version since they didn't actually have team history to draw from. Yes, I know that is a picture of Longo rocking the retro theme, not Kiermaier. It's one of the only pics I could find of anyone sporting the faux-back with the patch visible.
Speaking of 'the Outlaw'...
Like I said, this was a lot of fun to research/prepare. I hope I'll be able to write another post in this theme sometime soon. Thanks for reading.
Amidst the frenzy surrounding the Bowman Mega Boxes, I found a Target that hadn't been completely pillaged. There were two boxes still on the shelf, so I decided to drop the $30 on what may be my last chance to rip some of these packs. For a split second, I thought about flipping at least one of the boxes, but by the time I was driving out of the parking lot, that thought had passed. As soon as I got home, I tore into the boxes like the Tazmanian Devil. Once again, no base Bowman in the scans.
I was fortunate to pull three of the bigger prospects that I hadn't already found in the first few boxes. Not too bad... The inserts were a little better to me though.
I've really been digging the Talent Pipeline insert in regular Chrome and these 'mojo' refractors. I was thrilled to pull the Yankees from one of the boxes. I'm thinking about trying to get in-person autos of all three guys on it. It would be quite the challenge, but I think it would be pretty awesome if I was able to pull it off. The Cubbies Pipeline and the Moncada insert were nice bonuses. There was one more pretty great card in one of the boxes.
I definitely didn't expect to see an auto as I was flipping through the packs and I certainly was thrilled that the ink was from a Yankees prospect! As great as it was to pull this auto, it still wasn't the highly sought after Shohei Otani that has caused the clamoring for this product. Since I figured my chance to pull one had passed me by, I turned my attention to the secondary market, not really expecting I'd find one for a decent price. Diligence paid off though(and came with a pretty sweet bonus).
I found a guy in a FB group that was selling this for $60 or best offer. He had a few other cards that he was 'listing' as well. I found a second card I had been wanting to add for some time and sent a PM to the guy making an offer on both. We countered back and forth and he decided he could accept my second offer. I sent payment and he quickly shipped the two cards out. I received them yesterday. Here was the second card I got in the deal.
The best part is that I got them both for $50. I know sets a lot to pay for only two cards, but considering the Otani has been regularly selling for more than that, I figured it was a good deal. Of course, that may change if Trout's injury alters the trajectory of his career path. Here's hoping that it won't and he'll pick back up where he left off, being one of the best players in baseball. Thanks for reading.
