BOUNTIFUL TRIP TO THE LCS

TODAY'S TWEVE DAYS OF DRAFTSMAS RECOUNTS A TRIP TO THE LCS MANY MONTHS AGO. I CHOSE THIS POST BECAUSE I MIGHT END UP AT A CARD SHOW TODAY IF THE UNIVERSE COOPERATES. I DIDN'T GET MUCH BUT WHAT I GOT IS QUALITY. FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS OF QUALITY AT LEAST. THE BEST QUALITY IS THE QUALITY YOU FIND IN THE BARGAIN BOX BECAUSE THAT QUALITY IS CHEAP

I'VE BEEN A BIT OBSESSED WITH UPPER DECK SPX RECENTLY AND I LOVE FINDING SOME OUT IN THE WILD. EVEN IF IT IS A SCRATCHES UP CARD OF ONE OF MY NOT-SO-FAVORITE PLAYERS. THIS ONE'S A GOLD CARD AND NOT A BASE CARD AS WELL BUT I DOUBT IF MANY PEOPLE DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE TWO ANYMORE. THIS PICTURE IS UGLY, I CAN DO BETTER

THAT'S MUCH BETTER. REAL HOLOGRAPHIC SHINY RIGHT THERE

DID YOU KNOW MICKEY MANTLE HAD A BASEBALL HEROES INSERT SET? IT WAS IN THE 1994 SET AND HAD A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DESIGN FROM ALL THE OTHER BASEBALL HEROES BUT HE DID. EARLY UPPER DECK INSERTS ARE ANOTHER OF THOSE THINGS THAT HOLDS MY ATTENTION IN THESE DAYS OF CARDBOARD EXCESS AND I WAS THRILLED TO FIND ONE IN THE BARGAIN BOX

I AM NOT AS OBSESSED WITH LEAF LIMITED AS I AM WITH SOME OTHER HIGH-END 90S CARDS BUT IT REALLY IS A DAMN GOOD LOOKING CARD. FOILBOARD WITH SHINY HOLOFOIL IS VERY LEAF RIGHT DOWN TO THE FOIL LOGO, BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

SERIAL NUMBERS! HELL YEAH. JEFFREY HAMMONDS DIDN'T QUITE  REACH BONDS LEVELS OF STARDOM BUT HE DID PLAY UNTIL 2005. THIS INSERT MISSED ME FOR YEARS BUT ENDED UP IN THE BARGAIN BOX FOR FIFTY CENTS

THE LAST CARD FROM THE BARGAIN BIN WAS THIS 1986 FLEER ALL STAR OF DAN QUISENBERRY. OLD INSERTS JUST HIT DIFFERENT. IT'S GETTING HARD TO FIND THESE THINGS AND EVEN HARDER TO FIND ONE I ACTUALLY NEED. THIS ONE WAS LOOSE IN THE BOX SO I ENDED UP GETTING IT FOUR FOR A BUCK WITH THE NEXT THREE CARDS

THERE'S A COUPLE BOXES FILLED WITH RANDOM BRAVES, FALCONS, HAWKS AND A DEW OTHER ASSORTED ODDS AND ENDS THAT I LIKE TO GO THROUGH WHEN I VISIT THIS SHOP. I KNEW I HAD THIS HEYWARD ALREADY WHEN I SAW IT BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE TARGET EXCLUSIVE BOX OF TOPPS CHROME IN 2010 WITH THIS SET JUST SO I COULD GET MY HANDS ON THE HEYWARD. IT'S SHINY AND PRETTY THOUGH, WHY WOULDN'T I GET A SECOND ONE

SPEAKING OF CHROMEY STUFF I COULDN'T PASS ON THIS 1993 FINEST CARD OF OTIS NIXON. I DON'T HAVE A TON OF FINEST FROM 93 WHICH IS A SHAME SINCE ITS ONE OF THOSE ICONIC FIRST YEAR DESIGNS THAT ARE SO POPULAR TO REPRINT NOWADAYS. EARLY FINEST DESIGNS ARE SO WONDERFULLY STRANGE, IT'S HARD TO PASS THEM UP. THERE WAS ANOTHER FINEST CARD THAT CAUGHT MY EYE IN THE BOX

WHY YES THAT IS A REFRACTOR. I WAS AS SURPRISED AS YOU ARE. THESE THINGS ARE PRETTY SOUGHT AFTER AND THERE'S SUPPOSEDLY ONLY 241 COPIES OF EACH CARD SO IT WAS A BIT OF A SHOCK TO SEE ONE LOOSE IN A BOX OF RANDOM STUFF. MIKE STANTON (AT LEAST NOT THIS ONE) ISN'T REALLY THE KIND OF STAR PLAYER THAT WOULD CAUSE A LOT OF COMMOTION AMONG COLLECTORS BUT A 1993 REFRACTOR IS A 1993 REFRACTOR. I WAS HOPING I COULD GET IT FOR LIKE FIVE BUCKS BUT NAH, 4 FOR A BUCK. IT'S GOOD WHEN THE OWNER OF A SHOP RECOGNIZES YOU AS A REAL COLLECTOR SICKO

SPEAKING OF SICKOS, I LOOKED THROUGH A BINDER OF FALCONS CARDS AND FOUND SEVERAL PAGES OF JESSIE TUGGLE CARDS. WHY, *I* COLLECT JESSIE TUGGLE! I WAS THE #1 JESSIE TUGGLE COLLECTOR ON TCDB FOR A WHILE BUT I GOT PASSED. THIS IS HELPING ME REGAIN MY FOOTING AT LEAST. I WASN'T SURE WHICH ONES I NEEDED AS I FORGOT MY TCDB PASSWORD AND COULDN'T ACCESS IT ON MY PHONE SO I NABBED EVERY ODDBALL I COULD. NO-DISCLAIMER ROOKIES, ACTION PACKED, TOPPS HOLOPARALLEL, SCORE GOLD RUSH, COLOR FOIL IMPACT, FOUR DIFFERENT FLEER GAMEDAYS, A PLAYOFF UNSUNG HEROES INSERT AND ACTUAL FRIDGE MAGNETS. MAN I LOVE OLD ODDBALLS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE OF A PLAYER I COLLECT

MY LAST PICKUP WAS 15 PACKS OF 1983 DONRUSS ACTION ALL-STARS. THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SETS WHEN I WAS A KID AND I COMPLETED IT WITH A COMC PICKUP I STILL NEED TO SHOW OFF. BUT I COULDN'T PASS UP THESE PACKS FOR A BUCK A POP! WHY SHOULDN'T I HAVE TWO SETS? I WENT THROUGH AND TRIED TO PICK AS MANY DIFFERENT PLAYERS ON THE FRONT AND BACK AS I COULD (EXCEPT FOR TWO RICKEYS, I LIKE RICKEY) AND PLANNED TO SEE IF I COULD BUILD A SET ONLY OUT OF PACKS. I DIDN'T EVEN COME CLOSE, BUT THAT'S OK BECAUSE I REALLY WANTED TO RIP THESE CARDS FOR THE EXCLUSIVE MICKEY MANTLE PUZZLE CARDS SO I COULD TRY TO COMPLET THAT SET. I ALSO DIDN'T COME CLOSE. I HAD FUN THOUGH!