BIRTHDAY BOOLSHEET BLASTER: PART 10 - BRAVES

I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO SEE A BRAVES TEAM PILE IN THE CRAPOLA BOX. I EXPECTED MOST OR ALL OF THE BRAVES TO BE YOINKED OUT AND PUT IN THE 50 CENT BRAVES BOXES BUT I GUESS THOSE WERE GETTING A LITTLE FULL AS WELL SO I GOT A NICE PILE OF THIRTY SEVEN BRAVES. IT'S NOT EVEN THE SMALLEST TEAM PILE IN THE BOX!

ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR BRAVES IN THE 87 TRADED SET MADE IT INTO THE BOX. I NEED IT FOR THE SET, SO THAT'S NICE AT LEAST

1987 TOPPS TRADED COUNT: 15/132

THERE WERE TWELVE 2002 TOPPS CARDS IN THE PILE BUT I'M ONLY ADDING SIX OF THEM TO THE SECOND SET BECAUSE HALF THE PILE IS NEEDED FOR MY TEAM SET

SINCE I ALREADY HAVE THE ENTIRE 2002 BASE SET, A SECOND TEAM SET IS KIND OF A LUXURY, BUT IT MAKES THE TEAM BINDERS LOOK NICE. LOOKING AT MY SET WANT LIST AND TEAM WANT LIST I COULD PROBABLY COMPLETE A FEW SETS IF I RAIDED MY BINDERS. HMMMM

2002 TOPPS COUNT: 86/718

SO THERE'S NOT ONLY BRAVES IN THE BULLSHIT BLASTER BUT VINTAGE BRAVES. 1978 IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SETS BUT I'VE COMPLETED THE BASE SET AND THE TEAM SET SO IT'S HARD TO JUSTIFY PICKING UP RANDOM CARDS FROM THE SET WHEN I SEE THEM. I WILL ABSOLUTELY TAKE THEM JUST OUTTA NOWHERE THOUGH. THIS IS A GOOD MIX OF PLAYERS TOO, ALL STAR WILLIE MONTANEZ, GOOD OL' CHANNEL 17, LONG TIME UTILITY GUY JERRY ROYSTER AND ROOKIE OF THE YEAR GARY MATTHEWS. IF WE PLAY THE GAME ON THE BACK OF THE CARDS WE GET A GROUND OUT AND STRIKEOUT BOOKENDED BY GAME INSTRUCTIONS. THAT'S HOW IT GOES SOMETIMES

THERE'S ALSO A TEAM CARD IN THERE AND IT ISN'T EVEN MARKED UP OR NOTHIN. THERE IS A COOL ARTICLE FROM SPORTS COLLECTORS DAILY ON THE SURPRISING PLAYERS THAT TURNED UP ON TEAM CARDS OVER THE YEARS THAT'S WELL WORTH A READ. I'D LOOK UP WHO IS ON THIS CARD BUT I AM TRYING TO GET THIS WRITTEN BEFORE I HAVE TO GO RUN ERRANDS THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON SO THERE'S NO TIME. I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE FORD FRICK AWARD YEARS AGO ERNIE JOHNSON SR. ON THE LEFT OF THE TOP ROW THOUGH

I ALSO LOVE 1980 CARDS AND WE HAVE A BRUCE BENEDICT ROOKIE CARD RIGHT HERE. I'M GLAD MY LCS COMPLETELY DISREGARDS VINTAGE TOPPS AFTER ABOUT 1974

SINCE THERE'S SO FEW CARDS IN THE PILE I'M SHOWING THEM ALL OFF EVEN IF I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY. MAN, THERE'S A LOT OF COLORS ON THIS CARD

THIS PHOTO IS NOT ONLY OUT OF FOCUS BUT I ALSO FORGOT TO CROP IT. I RETOOK THE PICTURE OF THE 1978 CARDS BECAUSE THEY DESERVE TO LOOK NICE BUT I CAN'T BE ARSED WITH THIS ONE

NOW WE REACH THE BIG STACK OF UPPER DECK COMMONS THAT WE GET WITH EVERY TEAM. THESE ARE JUNK BUT I WILL ALWAYS APPRECIATE FRANCISCO CABRERA'S CONTRIBUTION TO HUMANITY

I'M TEMPTED TO COMPARE THE GIANT STACK OF 1992 UPPER DECK TO 2002 TOPPS WHEN THIS IS ALL SAID AND DONE, BUT UPPER DECK'S CARD STOCK IS THINNER SO TOPPS WILL END UP WINNING NO MATTER WHAT. IT DOES IRK ME THAT I STILL HAVE NOT FOUND A 1992 CARD I NEED TO FINISH THE SET OUT OF THEM ALL. JUST ONE IN THE BOX AND I WILL BE HAPPY

1993 UPPER DECK IS NOT JUNK EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN THE RIGHT ERA AND PROBABLY HAD JUST AS MANY CARDS PRINTED. YES, THERE ARE MILLIONS OF THIS BRIAN HUNTER CARD BUT HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE PERMANENTLY BRICKED OR HAVE THE DREADED 93 UPPER DECK SNOW FROM CARDS STICKING TOGETHER? JUST COMPARE THIS CARD COMMEMORATING THE DEMISE OF A POOR BAT TO THAT BRIAN HUNTER TOPPS CARD ABOVE THAT I COULDN'T BE BOTHERED TO CORP. JUNK 1993 UPPER DECK DOES NOT EXIST. EXCEPT FOR THE ONES YOU CAN BUILD A HOUSE WITH

LEMKE!!! FROM MY FAVORITE DONRUSS SET!!! LE EPIC WIN!!! 

WE WIND UP THE PILE WITH A COUPLE ROYAL ROOKIES. STEVE TORREALBA MADE IT TO THE BIGS WITH THE BRAVES IN 2001 AND 2002 AND WAS A GOOD ENOUGH PROSPECT TO GET A COUPLE SHORT PRINTED ROOKIE PROSPECT CARDS. I HAD NO IDEA WHO KENNY NELSON SO I LOOKED HIM UP AND DISCOVERED THIS ISN'T KENNY NELSON IT'S BUBBA NELSON. BUBBA WAS ALL OVER THE PLACE IN PROSPECT SUBSETS IN THE EARLY 00S. IN ADDITION TO THE GAWDAWFUL CARD DESIGN ROYAL ROOKIE DEPRIVED US OF A BUBBA CARD. UNFORGIVABLE. I HAVE ABOUT SIX COPIES OF BOTH THESE CARDS AS THESE PACKS WERE RIPPED LIKE CRAZY FOR AUTOGRAPHS AND NO ONE WANTS THE BASE

THAT WAS A NICE LITTLE PILE OF BRAVES AND THE NEXT BULLSHIT BLASTER POST IS EVEN NICER BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO DO A LOT OF WRITING

BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 46: GOOF

WE GOT A WEIRD ONE TODAY. AS STATED PREVIOUSLY, I AM TRYING TO WORK MY WAY UP THE TCDB MARK LEMKE RANKINGS. I DIDN'T FIND A WHOLE LOT ON COMC THIS GO AROUND BECAUSE THE COMMON CARDS I CAN USUALLY FIND AT THE LCS FOR CHEAP (AND SOMETIMES HANGING OUT IN AN OLD NEGLECTED BOX OF JUNK) AND THE ACTUALLY RARE ONES CAN BE PRICEY ON COMC. I FOUND A SNEAKY GOOD ONE THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THOUGH! CHECK THIS ODDBALL OUT

1995 DONRUSS MARK LEMKE

1995 IS A GREAT YEAR FOR BASEBALL CARDS, DESPITE THE STRIKE CAUSING MANUFACTURERS TO CUT WAAAAY BACK ON SETS EARLY IN THE YEAR. THE TOPPS DESIGN MAY NOT HAVE A LOT OF FANS AND THE FLEER DESIGN(S) HAVE BECOME A MEME, BUT THERE ARE A TON OF GREAT LOOKING SETS FROM THAT YEAR. UPPER DECK AND COLLECTOR'S CHOICE HAVE CLEAN LOOKING SETS. STADIUM CLUB AND ULTRA ARE VERY ELEGANT. LEAF, UPPER DECK SP AND PINNACLE GO HARD WITH THE FOIL STAMPING. FLAIR AND SELECT ARE TWO OF THE BEST LOOKING HORIZONTAL SETS EVER MADE. BOWMAN'S BEST, LEAF LIMITED, SKYBOX E-MOTION AND ZENITH ARE AMAZING EARLY HIGH-END SETS. MY PICK FOR THE BEST SET IS DONRUSS

THE DESIGN IS FANTASTIC, A FULL BLEED CARD WITH A SECOND IMAGE INSERTED INSIDE A HOME PLATE FRAME. THE BACK HAS ANOTHER LARGE PHOTO WITH A LOGO BACKGROUND. THERE'S A PILE OF COOL INSERTS THAT MOSTLY AREN'T IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND. I LOVE THE WAY IT LOOKS ALTHOUGH I ADMIT THE LACK OF FULL CAREER STATS WILL ANNOY PEOPLE AND THE NAME AND TEAM ON FOIL STAMPING IS A LITTLE HARD TO READ. THE FOIL STAMPING IS IMPORTANT FOR THIS ONE ACTUALLY, LET'S LOOK AT THE BACK

SEE THAT LITTLE BANNER AT THE TOP? 1ST 2,000 PRINTED? THAT'S SUPPOSED TO ONLY BE ON PRESS PROOF CARDS. BUT PRESS PROOFS HAVE GOLD FOIL ON THE FRONT AND A GIGANTIC PRESS PROOF STAMPED ON THE TOP. SO ONE OF TWO THINGS HAPPENED HERE: DONRUSS FORGOT TO PUT THE FOIL STAMPING ON SOME PRESS PROOF CARDS OR THEY ACCIDENTALLY PRINTED UP A BUNCH OF EXTRA CARDS WITH THE WRONG BACK. THE PRESS PROOF CARDS AREN'T SERIAL NUMBERED* SO IT'S NOT REALLY POSSIBLE TO FIGURE OUT WHICH HAPPENED HERE. I SPOTTED THIS IMMEDIATELY WHILE SCROLLING THROUGH THE LEMKE LISTINGS BECAUSE I ACTUALLY PULLED A FEW OF THESE CARDS FROM PACKS BACK IN 1995. I'D SHOW THEM OFF, BUT MY BOX OF DONRUSS/LEAF INSERTS HAS DECIDED TO HIDE FROM ME AND WILL LIKELY SHOW UP A COUPLE DAYS AFTER THIS POSTS. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW RARE THESE THINGS ARE BUT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SEEN THEM AND I'VE SEEN THEM FOR SALE HERE AND THERE BUT I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ANY SOLID INFORMATION ON WHICH CARDS HAVE THIS VARIATION. THE IRONY IS THAT I BOUGHT A NEW LEMKE CARD TO UP MY COUNT IN TCDB, BUT THE VARIATION IS NOT ACTUALLY LISTED ON THE SITE. IT'S STILL A COOL LEMMER CARD SO NO RAGRETS

*ALTHOUGH SERIAL NUMBERS DON'T COMPLETELY PREVENT SHENANIGANS, IT'S A LITTLE EASIER TO CATCH THAN THE ALTERNATIVE

FIFTY CENT GIFT CARD BINGE - PART 1: LEMMER

GOT A GIFT CARD FOR MY BIRTHDAY AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT SO I DECIDED TO WASTE IT AT THE CARD SHOP BY RAIDING THE 50 CENT BOXES. YOU CAN GET 50 CARDS FOR TWENNY BUX SO I GOT THOSE REGGIES I POSTED ABOUT EARLIER, A TON OF PLAYER COLLECTION STUFF AND A SPECIAL SECRET SUPRISE WHICH WILL BE PART THREE. I KILLED SOME TIME IN DECEMBER ENTERING IN SOME PLAYER COLLECTIONS INTO TCDB. IT'S PRETTY FUN TO SEE HOW YOU RANK AMONGST ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO PAINSTAKINGLY ENTER IN HUNDREDS OF CARDS ONE AT A TIME IN A SOMEWHAT JANKY UI. THE PROBLEM IS ONCE YOU SEE HOW HIGH YOU RANK AMONG THE WEIRDOS METICULOUSLY ORGANIZED COLLECTORS, YOU WANT MORE. YOU WANT TO LEAD THAT LIST. SO YOU GO OUT AND BUY MOAR CARDS. MARK LEMKE WAS OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST PLAYER I ENTERED INTO TCDB AND I SNAGGED THIRTEEN CARDS TO ADD TO MY ALREADY SILLY TOTAL OF LEMMERS

1992 US PLAYING CARD COMPANY 4♠  2♣

1992 WAS A BIG YEAR FOR PLAYING CARDS CARDS. LEMMER HAS TWO CARDS EACH IN A BICYCLE DECK AND A US PLAYING CARDS DECK. I SHOULDA JUST BOUGHT THE BRAVES DECKS YEARS AGO BUT I COULD SAY THAT ABOUT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING NOW. I FOUND BOTH US PLAYING CARDS LEMKES AND SNAGGED THEM. THESE WERE A DISCOUNT FROM COMC PRICES, BUT PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HOW MUCH THEY GO FOR ON SPORTLOTS OR CARDBARREL OR WHATEVER HYPER CHEAP BASE CARD SELLING APP I DON'T HAVE TIME TO LEARN TO USE 

I TOOK PICS OF ALL THE BACKS BUT I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS ONE. PINSTRIPES AND A LOGO. NOTHING SPECIAL BUT IT'S A DECK OF CARDS, WE DON'T NEED ETCHED HOLOFOIL

1994 FLAIR

FROM HERE ON OUT I'M POSTING THE PROBABILITY I ALREADY HAVE THE CARD ALREADY BURIED IN A RANDOM BRAVES BOX OR HIDING IN A SET. THIS IS PROBABLY ABOUT 10% AS I'VE GONE THROUGH MY FLAIR CARDS IN THE PAST YEAR AND DIDN'T FIND IT. 94 FLAIR IS A NICE LOOKING SET! SUPER THICK, EXTRA GLOSSY AND HAS THAT WEIRD LOOKING INITIAL SHIELD FOIL STAMPING. PLUS A-ROD'S ROOKIE CARD ROOKIE CARD IS IN SERIES TWO ALONG WITH LEMMER SO AN ABSOLUTE SHITLOAD OF THIS STUFF WAS RIPPED AND LEFTOVER TRASH BASE IS EVERYWHERE

WHILE IT'S HARD AS HELL TO READ ANYTHING ON THE BACK OF THIS CARD, THIS HERE IS TOP TIER DESIGN. LOOK AT THE COMPOSITION OF THAT CARD BACK! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS

1995 PACIFIC

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 5%

FOR SOME REASON I HAVE HARDLY ANY PACIFIC CARDS FROM 1995 IN ANY SPORT. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED THAT YEAR, I HAVE TONS OF EVERYTHING ELSE. THIS DESIGN ALWAYS LOOKS WEIRD TO ME WITH THE FOIL DIAMONDS AND THE LOGO BASEBALL THAT LOOKS OFF KILTER

THE BACK LOOKS GREAT THOUGH, BIG BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT, BILINGUAL HIGHLIGHTS AND A GORGEOUS BASEBALL DIAMOND FOR A BACKGROUND. SECOND STRAIGHT CARD THAT LOOKS BETTER ON THE BACK THAN THE FRONT

1994 TEAM STADIUM CLUB

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 100%

I HAVE THE TEAM SET BUT DON'T WANT TO BREAK IT UP FOR PLAYER COLLECTIONS. I MIGHT EVEN HAVE A SECOND ONE AFTER THAT, SO BUMP THE PROBABILITY UP TO 150%. NOT GONNA LIE, THIS SET KINDA SUCKS. IT COULD BE FOUND SOLD IN TEAM SETS AND PLAIN OL REGULAR PACKS AND IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. STUFF LIKE THIS JUST DILUTED THE STADIUM CLUB BRAND

THE BACK SUCKS TOO, WHY THE GREEN BLOB DESIGN AND EYE BLEED TEXT

1994 DONRUSS

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 75%

IF IT'S NOT IN THE DONRUSS BOX, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE I HAVE A TEAM SET SOMEWHERE. WHY YES IT'S DUMB I COLLECT THREE OF THE SAME CARD. IF I SEE IT AGAIN I'LL BUY IT AGAIN, SEE IF I DON'T. 1994 DONRUSS IS A MASSIVE UPGRADE ON 1993, BUT I FEEL LIKE THEY PEAKED THE NEXT YEAR IN 95

ANOTHER GOOD LOOKING BACK HIGHLIGHTED BY LEMKE'S PHOTO FEATURING THE CHONKY GOGGLES AND HAT UNDERNEATH HELMET. WHILE THIS PATICULAR BACK LOOKS GREAT, THE BACKS FOR THE SET ARE MISERABLE AS THEY ARE BOTH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL WITH THE CARD NUMBERS BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH LEFT AND RIGHT. I DESPISE TRYING TO SORT THIS SET

1996 STADIUM CLUB SILVER FOIL

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 1%

THIS IS A PARALLEL THAT CAME OUT OF MICKEY MANTLE CEREAL BOX PACKS. THE FOIL IS HARD TO DIFFERENTIATE WITHOUT COMPARING SIDE BY SIDE UNDER BRIGHT LIGHT AND DOESN'T CONE THROUGH AT ALL IN A PHOTO. HERE'S A SLIGHTLY BETTER PIC:

SEE? IT'S SILVER INSTEAD OF GOLD. YIPPEE. BUT I GET TO ADD A CHECKMARK TO THAT TCDB LIST AND FILL ANOTHER POCKET IN THE BINDER SO TOTALLY WORTH THE 40 CENTS

STADIUM CLUB FRONTS USUALLY LOOK GOOD, BUT A LOT OF THEIR BACKS ARE JUST DOGSHIT. WHY THE SAWTOOTH DESIGN. WHY THE DISTORTED PHOTO BEHIND YELLOW TEXT. WHY THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET. WHY

1993 PINNACLE

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 15%

I RIPPED SEVERAL BOXES OF 1992 PINNACLE AND MAYBE THREE PACKS OF 1993. WHY OPEN MORE? IT LOOKS LIKE 1992 PINNACLE WITH A GOLD STAMP AND EXTRA BORING

BACK LOOKS GOOD THO. NICE PICTURE, NICE LOGO, TEXT COULD BE A LITTLE MORE READABLE. AT LEAST IT'S NOT A DISASTER (THIS IS FORESHADOWING)

1995 STADIUM CLUB

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 60%

IT'S PROBABLY IN THE BASE SET, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW STADIUM CLUB BASE SETS I KINDA WANT TO BUILD. I REALLY LIKE THE DESIGN THINGY WITH THE LOGO INSIDE A FOIL REPRESENTATION OF A GALAXY VIEWED FROM THE EDGE. THE PHOTOS ARE MOSTLY PRETTY NICE AND I'VE ALWAYS LIKED THE STADIUM CLUB LOGO THAT LOOKS LIKE THE AFTERMATH OF A HOME RUN BALL HITTING SOMEONE'S WINDOW IN THE PARKING LOT. IT'S A REALLY SMART LOOKING SET. UNTIL

ONE OF THE MOST CLUSTERFUCKY CARD BACKS OF ALL TIME. TERRIBLE BLOTCHY COLORS, DUMB REPEATED PHOTO, USELESS BAR GRAPHS, MOAR UNREADABLE TEXT. ALTHOUGH I WILL GIVE IT THIS: THE CARD NUMBER IS REASONABLY LARGE AND IN THE SAME GODDAMN PLACE EVERY TIME

1997 STADIUM CLUB

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 20%

I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THE BOX WITH MY SET WAS WHEN I BOUGHT THE CARD. I HAVE SINCE FOUND IT AND NOT TWO MINUTES AGO DROPPED THE WHOLE THING ONTO THE FLOOR SO I STILL DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE IT ALREADY. STADIUM CLUB GOT MUCH THICKER AND MUCH SHINIER AND MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE IN 1997 SO I DON'T HAVE AS MUCH OF IT AS PREVIOUS SETS. THE STUFF LOOKS REALLY NICE, MAYBE THE BEST OF THE ORIGINAL RUN

BACKS ARE BUSY BUT NOT TERRIBLE. ALL THE UGLY NONSENSE WAS SHOVED TO THE SIDE TO MAKE ROOM FOR A NICE BIG PICTURE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY READ THE STATS AS WELL! WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS AT LEAST. I DO LIKE THE WAY TOPPS INCORPORATED THE EMBOSSED SWOOSH ON THE BACK WITH THE PLAYER NAME

1996 TOPPS TEAM TOPPS BRAVES TEAM SET

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 100%

I BOUGHT THIS TEAM SET AT WAL-MART IN 1996, AND MAY HAVE ACQUIRED A SECOND SET SINCE THEN. DON'T CARE, WORLD CHAMPION LEMMER CARD

WHAT IS THERE TO SAY ABOUT 1996 TOPPS BACKS? IT'S UNIQUE AT LEAST. ALSO PEACHES ARE BARELY A TOP 10 CROP IN GEORGIA DESPITE THE MARKETING

1995 FLEER ULTRA

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 85%

I BOUGHT A BUNCH OF THIS STUFF IN 95, ALTHOUGH A CHUNK OF IT GOT WRECKED IN A FLOOD. I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THERE'S ONE OF THESE IN A BRAVES BOX IF I LOOKED HARD ENOUGH. THIS SET HASN'T AGED GREAT AS MULTICOLOR FOIL ISN'T AS COOL AS IT WAS BACK IN THE DAY

THE BACK IS A LITTLE BLAH AS WELL WITH MORE NEEDLESS FOIL AND THE MONOCHROMATIC PHOTO. I'M A LITTLE MELANCHOLY NOW AS I FRIGGING LOVED THIS SET AT THE TIME

1996 METAL UNIVERSE PLATINUM PARALLEL

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 20%

I BOUGHT AS MUCH METAL UNIVERSE AS I COULD IN 96 AND THESE PLATINUM PARALLELS WERE ONE PER PACK SO THEY ARE NOT HARD TO FIND. THESE CARDS ARE OBJECTIVELY WORSE THAN THE BASE AS YOU CAN'T TELL WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND WITHOUT THE COLOR. LEMKE IS CAUSING LIGHTNING BOLTS TO COME OUT HIS THROWING ARM IN THE BASE CARD, HERE IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S TANGLED UP IN SOME CHRISTMAS GARLAND

I REALLY LIKE METAL UNIVERSE BACKS, THEY USUALLY KEEP UP THE WHOLE STEAMPUNK METALIZE ALL THE THINGS MOTIF IN INTERESTING WAYS. IT'S A LITTLE CORNY LOOKING BUT I DIG IT. NICE BIG PORTRAIT OF MARK HERE TOO

THIRTEEN NEW CARDS TO ADD TO THE COLLECTION! ORIGINALLY I HAD MEANT TO SHOW BEFORE AND AFTER SCREENSHOTS OF MY COLLECTOR RANKING BUT I SCREWED IT UP AND LOST THE PICS. LONG STORY SHORT I NOW HAVE 124 OUT OF 297 (I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS LINK IS GONNA WORK) TOTAL LEMKE CARDS AVAILABLE AND THAT DOESN'T COUNT THE HALF A DOZEN AUTOGRAPHS AND TWO ITEMS I HAVE THAT AREN'T EVEN IN THE DATABASE. THIS IS GOOD FOR FOURTH PLACE ON THE RANKINGS! I AM EXCESSIVELY EXCITED ABOUT THIS, AND LOOK FORWARD FOR DIGGING FOR MORE CARDS TO CHECK OFF THE LIST

Third Annual COMC Blaster

Once a year since 2011, I've splurged a Jackson on Check Out My Cards. I'd be much happier if I'd quit the wax and threw that card cash at COMC, but old habits die hard. This year thanks to the Black Friday free shipping I had a buck and change left over when all was said and done. Let's see what I got instead of a blaster.

Pretty Rickey! This is, pending a reality check, the last card needed for my 1982 Topps set. I have looked through a few hundred Rickey Henderson cards at various card shops/flea markets/card shows looking for this damn thing with no success. Especially irksome since I have a couple dozen of the 1987 Topps reprints. All mine now, along with one other card that completed a set.

Jason Heyward relic for under two bucks. Either I'm a lucky bastige or this hobby is screwed.

The first of many Ginter SP pickups. I am full steam ahead in my quest to complete the 2006-2013 run before the 2014 edition comes out. Basically the criteria for any Ginters I bought this go-around is if it was a short print and it was cheaper than I could get at the local card shop I went for it. Don't give me that look, I've already mostly cleared them out on pre-2010 cards off my wantlist.

Catfish! The good kind. Lookit that beautiful Oakland jersey/jacket/whatever. This simultaneously knocks another card off my 1972 Topps list and adds to my unofficial collection of cards so badly miscut you see the printer markings.

The 1974 Topps list is getting really small. When I tried to put this card in my basket, I got a popup stating that this card had "Problems". 569 wins, six Cy Youngs and two Hall of Famers? I see no problems.

Another Ginter SP down. Oswalt is one of those players whose cards I can never seem to pull out of packs. Unless it's a relic card, I'm a magnet for those.

I swear I have three or four or maybe five of Nasty Nate's SP mini cards, but the full size has somehow eluded me until now.

MARK LEMKE DUFEX WITH EXTRA ADDED CHARLIE O'BRIEN MOJO

I'm slowly but surely adding to the Mark Lemkepalooza collection.

Wiped out my 2010 short print needs with this order. I don't know much about this guy other than his odd name is pronounced oddly.

I love love love it when I knock any 2006 Ginter card off my list even if it is of a dooooooouche like Lackey. For some reason on my wantlist I had card #325 listed as Brad Hawpe and not LAckey, which confused me greatly.

I didn't even know this card existed until I did a COMC search and it's now one of my favorites ever.

TEAM SET COMPLETE!!! I'll show it off as soon as I can get my scanner working again. These traded cards are a real pain in the rump to find loose. Especially odd for this set as I expect a good number of them have been strip mined for Ripkens.

What's the word Thorzul uses for these kind of players? Pissant? This is a very pissanty card. Oh well. *ticks box off checklist*

The fact that this card is not a super expensive key card to the 1996 Topps set instead of something that gets thrown in 50 cent boxes if you can even find it is all that needs to be said about cards from the '90s.

BAM 2009 Ginter short prints are a wrap. Anyone got a pile of commons lying around? I only need about 5 more cards.

Look at Sid Bream smoldering on his '91 Traded card. Bonds couldn't throw him out because he was too stunned by the handsome.

My reaction when I completed the best insert set of the past 20 years:

Hey kids! If you wait long enough you can get one of the biggest card of the '80s for the price of a pack of 2013 Topps with tax! This also completes my 1985 set, probably.

This is the first time I've had one of these Online Exclusive nouveau Turkey Reds in hand. My verdict:

Completely crappy cynical cash grab.

The stuff is printed on Ginter stock for fuck's sake. Put it in a top loader and forget what once was and it's a pretty nice looking card.

This card was literally my 2013 Archives Holy Grail. I had virtually no chance of pulling it out of a pack so thank $DEITY for rippers and flippers.

Not technically a short print, but it's a Jeter which will be priced at over twice a normal short print anyway. I now only need 34 cards for my complete 2006-2011 Ginter run.

The package finished up with a Collector's Choice Gold Signature card of The Lemmer. Back in the day when parallels weren't completely obnoxious.

That was fun, maybe I should do it more often?