2024 WEEK IN REVIEW - WEEK 3

 I HAVE BASICALLY SPENT THIS ENTIRE WEEK WORKING AND FREEZING SO THOUGHT I MIGHT NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO SHOW OFF BUT THANKFULLY I TOOK PICTURES AND SCREENSHOTS OF THE STUFF I DID DO SO THE WEEK IN REVIEW STREAK IS NOW UP TO THREE. TWO MORE THAN I EXPECTED, HONESTLY. THE HIBERNATION INSTINCT IS STRONG THOUGH, I'M STILL TRYING TO PROCRASTINATE WRITING THIS. I'VE WASHED TWO LOADS OF DISHES AND COOKED DINNER SO FAR TO AVOID TYPING BUT A TOO-LATE-IN-THE-DAY CUP OF COFFEE HAS ME HITTING THE KEYBOARD NOW. THAT AND SOMETHING EVEN MORE URGENT I'M PROCRASTINATING FROM DOING. LET'S START WITH A PILE OF CRAP

COLLECTING STUFF I DID THIS WEEK

I GOT A LITTLE BIT OF ORGANIZING DONE BUT THE MAIN ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS DRAGGING A BUNCH OF UPPER DECK STUFF TO MY DESK TO SORT. MY FINALIZED COLLECTING GOALS ARE STILL A DREAM BUT IT ISS SLOWLY COMING INTO FOCUS DAY BY DAY. I MIGHT HAVE IT ALL WRITTEN DOWN BY DECEMBER, WHICH MIGHT BE THE PROPER WAY TO DO SUCH THINGS. ABOVE ARE SOME SETS I MADE SOME WANTLISTS FOR BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO ADD SOME TO MY COLLECTION AND MAYBE EVEN COMPLETE THE SET ONE OF THESE DECADES! HERE'S A LIST OF 'EM:

1995, 1997 SP

1996-1999 SPX

1997 UD3

1999 UD POWERDECK

1999-2000 IONIX

2002 A PIECE OF HISTORY

1995 SP I WAS ALREADY WORKING ON BUT I FORGOT HOW INCREDIBLY SHINY THE 1997 SET WAS AND I HAD MANAGED TO ACCUMULATE A BUNCH OF IT, INCLUDING THE SHORT PRINTED HIDECKI IRABU ROOKIE. JUST LOOKA T THAT BIG SEXY CARD, ETCHED FOIL AND A HOLOFIL BORDER, YOWZA. SPX SPEAKS FOR ITSELF BUT I FINALLY GOT ALL THE ONES I HAVE IN ONE PLACE. I'VE ALWAYS PREFERRED 1998 UD3 TO THE 1997 VERSION BUT I HAD A REALIZATION: 1998 UD3 HAS A FRACTURED BASE SET WITH CARDS IN VARIOUS LEVELS OF SCARCITY THAT'S ALMOST 300 CARDS IN SIZE. 1997 UD3 IS 60 CARDS WITH NO FUSS. I HAVE A CHANCE IN HELL OF COMPLETING THAT SET! IONIX IS A CHROME-LIKE SET WITH SOME FUN DESIGNS, POWERDECK IS POWERDECK, AND 2002 PIECE OF HISTORY IS A COOL LEGENDSISH SET THAT IS SLIGHTLY SPOILED WITH SOME UNNECESSARY SHORTPRINTS BUT I LIKE IT. NONE OF THESE CARDS ARE TERRIBLY COMMON BUT IF I FIND SOME IN MY TRAVELS I CAN MAKE SURE I'M NOT SPENDING MY MONEY ON DOUBLES NOW

I ALSO GOT MY UPPER DECK INSERT CARDS SOMEWHAT ORGANIZED. THEY'VE BEEN A MESS FOR A WHILE AS SOME CARDS WERE IN AN INSERT BOX, AND OTHERS WERE WITH THE SET, AND OTHERS WERE HIDING IN RANDOM PLACES. I'VE AVOIDED DOING THIS FOR SO LONG BECAUSE AFTER 1993, WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS I DO NOT HAVE ANY IDEA WHICH INSERT IS FROM WHICH YEAR AND SINCE A LOT OF THE MID 90S-EARLY 00S SETS HAVE A COPYRIGHT DATE OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR FOR SERIES ONE IT'S A REAL PAIN. THIS ARRAY OF PILES WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SORTED BY YEAR BUT HOO BOY DID I BUNGLE IT ON MOST OF THE STACKS. A LOT OF THOSE AREN'T EVEN FROM FLAGSHIP SETS. ASIDE FROM MOSTLY GETTING THINGS WHERE THEY BELONG I ALSO GOT ALL MY UPPER DECK E-CARD CODE CARDS IN ONE PLACE. THESE WERE CONTEST CARDS WHERE YOU COULD ENTER A CODE INTO A WEBSITE AND WIN ACTUAL CARDS, A DECADE BEFORE TOPPS DID IT. THERE'S THIRTY-THREE CARDS TOTAL BETWEEN TWO FLAGSHIP SETS AND AN ODDBALL CALLED EVOLUTION AND I KINDA WANT TO CHASE THEM ALL SINCE I HAVE A GOOD HEAD START ALREADY

WHILE SORTING THE IONIX, I FOUND THIS GEM:

THIS CARD IS A REAL MESS BUT THAT'S ON PURPOSE. UPPER DECK WAS ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF INTERNET 1337 5P33K WITH THIS SHOCKWAVE SET. THE WHOLE BRAND WAS VERY COMPUTERY WITH SOME WILD DESIGNS AND PIXELY COMPUTER GRAPHIC ART. THERE'S A SLIGHT PROBLEM WITH THIS ONE AS THERE'S A HOLOFOIL TEXTURED OVERLAY ON TOP OF THE CARD THAT OUTLINED THE PLAYER PICTURE BUT THIS ONE GOT A LITTLE JACKED UP. YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER OF THE HOLOFOIL THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE CORNER OF THE CARD IN BETWEEN DELGADO'S SHOES. HERE'S A LITTLE BETTER LOOK AT THE TEXTURE

YOU CAN NOT OLY SEE THE TEXTURE ON THE CARD IS RIGHT ON TOP OF CARLOS, BUT THE PLAYER OUTLINE APPEARS TO BE FOR A HORIZONTAL DESIGN. THE HORIZONTAL INSERT IN 2000 IONIX IS CALLED ATOMIC AND IF WE LOOK AT THE BACK...

HERE'S A NICE RIDICULOUSLY MISCUT BACK OF TONY GWYNN'S ATOMIC INSERT. I THINK THAT IS ALSO THE OUTLINE OF TONY ON THE FRONT, HERE'S A PIC SWIPED FROM EBAY, DECIDE FOR YOURSELF. IT LOOKS LIKE A CARLOS DELAGO SHOCKWAVE CARD GOT INTO A TELEPORTER WITH A TONY GWYNN ATOMIC CARD AND GOT BRUNDLEFLYED. CARDS LIKE THIS REALLY GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF JUST HOW INTRICATE THE PRODUCTION OF THESE WILD LOOKING CARDS REALLY IS

MOVIES

ONLY WATCHED ONE MOVIE THIS WEEK FOR REASONS I'LL EXPLAIN SOON

#7 COMIC BOOK CONFIDENTIAL
I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR A WHILE AND A COPY POPPED UP ON YOUTUBE. THIS IS A DOCUMENTARY THAT DISCUSSES THE HISTORY OF COMICS FROM THE '30S TO THE '80S THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH THE ORIGINAL CREATORS. FROM WILLIAM GAINES AND STAN LEE TO FRANK MILLER AND CHARLES BURNS. THE DOCUMENTARY SKEWS TOWARD THE INDEPENDENT AND UNDERGROUND COMICS BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO HEAR FROM A LOT OF THE ALL TIME GREATS OF THE MEDIUM THIS IS A FANTASTIC WATCH

THE REASON WHY MOVIES GOT PUT TO THE BACK BURNER THIS WEEK IS BECAUSE THE AGDQ SPEED RUNNING MARATHON WAS LAST WEEK AND I ENDED UP WATCHIGN A LOT OF THAT INSTEAD. I FLAKED AND FORGOT IT WAS STARTING LAST SUNDAY OR I WOULD HAVE POSTED IT IN LAST WEEK'S ROUNDUP. A TON OF GAMES ARE SPEEDRUN FOR CHARITY TWICE A YEAR AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF MAY FAVORITE GAMES RUN WAY TOO FAST. IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH SPEEDRUNNING, HERE'S A VIDEO OF THIS YEARS LEGEND OF ZELDA RUN WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN A LITTLE OVER A HALF HOUR

THEIR TWITCH CHANNEL HOSTS SPEEDRUNS ALL YEAR LONG IF YOU IND YOU ENJOY THIS SORT OF THING. I MISSED HALF THE MARATHON SO I'VE GOT A LOT OF RUNS TO CATCH UP ON

BOOKS

YESTERDAY WAS THE LOCAL COMMUNITY CENTER'S ANNUAL BOOK SWAP AND I GOT A BUNCH OF GOODIES. TWENTY ONE BOOKS FOR ME TO THINK ABOUT READING ONCE I HAVE TIME! (SPOILER: I WILL NEVER HAVE TIME) I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS NOW WITH MY DAUGHTER AND WE MANAGED TO GET SOME STUFF WE WANTED AND GET THIRTY UNWANTED BOOKS OUT OF THE HOUSE AT THE SAME TIME. THIS IS A GOOD CROSS SECTION OF WHAT I GOT, WITH A LOCAL BASEBALL BOOK, A HORROR COMEDY AND MYSTERY NOVEL. I ALSO MADE A FEW RECORD SWAPS. I HAD A LOT OF FUN WRITING UP THE SWAP POSTS LAST YEAR AND I'LL START SHOWING THE NEW TRADES OFF IN A WEEK OR TWO

PODCASTY STUFF

I MEANT TO SHOW OFF THE POSCASTS I LIKE BUT I KEEP WRITING ABOUT OLD TIME RADIO INSTEAD. THIS BOX SET OF SYDNEY GREENSTREET'S VERSION OF NERO WOLFE JUMPED UP AT ME BECAUSE I WAS HOPING TO FIND SOME OF THE ACTUAL BOOKS AT THE SWAP. I WAS VERY LUCKY TO GET THIS AS IT CAUGHT MY EYE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW AND A FEW MINUTES LATER THE AUDIO BOOK SECTION WAS PICKED CLEAN.NERO WOLFE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE DETECTIVES AND I ENJOY THE BOOKS AND THE A&E TV SERIES. SYDNEY GREENSTREET IS A REAL CHARACTER TOO, I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING HIS INTERPRETATION OF THE FAT DETECTIVE. A TON OF THESE OLD RADIO PLAYS ARE ON ARCHIVE DOT ORG AND YOU CAN LISTEN TO GREENSTREET'S VERSION, MAVOR MOORE'S VERSION, WHATEVER THIS VERSION IS (MAYBE IT'S GREENSTREET'S? THE DESCRIPTION ISN'T CLEAR) AND WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THEM ALL YOU CAN LISTEN TO A PODCAST WITH COMMENTARY ON THE EPISODES. HA HA! I WAS ABLE TO BRING IT BACK TO PODCASTS AFTER ALL! THE GREAT DETECTIVES OF OLD TIME RADIO WITH ADAM GRAHAM IS A PODCAST I LEARNED ABOUT 15 MINUTES AGO AND IT LOOKS LIKE I HAVE - OH DEAR - THAT'S A LOT OF EPISODES TO CATCH UP ON. MAYBE I'LL JUST START WITH NERO FIRST

OK YOU READ THROUGH ALL THAT, TIME FOR YOUR REWARD

THE BEST CARD I BOUGHT THIS WEEK

THE ONLY CARDS I BOUGHT THIS WEEK WERE ON BASEBALLCARDSTORE DOT CA. I GAVE COMC A REST AND IT WAS TOO COLD TO GO OUTSIDE. I MANAGED TO KEEP IT UNDER FORTY CARDS THIS WEEK TOO ALTHOUGH IT WAS HARD TO PICK A FAVORITE FOR THE POST. I GOT A VERY NICE WILLIAM ANDREWS 1983 TOPPS STICKER, THE JOHN SMOLTZ SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (R.I.P.) CARD WHERE HIS DAD'S PLAYING THE ACCORDIAN AND A CHRIS CHELIOS POST CEREAL CARD THAT I DIDN'T KNOW EXISTED. THESE ARE ALL GREAT CANDIDATES BUT YOU KNOW HOW I CAN'T RESIST THE SHINY

I HAVE TO GO WITH THE 2021 TOPPS CHROME PRISMIC POWER CARD OF FREDDIE FREEMAN. I'VE SEEN THESE BEFORE AND THEY ARE VERY PRETTY BUT I NEVER PICKED ONE UP. I'LL TAKE A GOOD LOOKING FREDDIE INSERT CARD (IN A BRAVES UNI) ANY DAY

HERE'S THE TOTALS FOR THE WEEK:

WANTLIST CARDS - 7
BRAVES/HAWKS/ETC. - 6 
SHIIINY - 5
INSERTS - 11
STARS/PLAYER COLLECTION - 5
CHRONICLES - 2
NON SPORT - 1
CHUCK MCELROY - 1

OH NO! I FINISHED THE POST! NOW I HAVE TO DO THAT THING I WAS PROCRASTINATING ABOUT. UNTIL NEXT WEEK, KEEP HAVING FUN OUT THERE

2007 Topps A-Rod Mets card

I got an e-mail with a couple of card images from a reader last night asking if I've ever seen this card before. I had not. Here's what he sent:


Oh great. another A-Rod Mets error card. Is this one of those super short prints that just got lost in the flood of gimmicks last year? I'm not even sure what card set it's from. It looks like a Yankees team set of some sort but I thought the blister pack sets were only 15 cards each. I did a little Googling and found a super special Yankee box set with 55 cards in it. There's NYY20 Alex Rodriguez right there in the checklist too. I looked up the card number and found you can buy it on Amazon for $3.79.

Hey, that's not the same card! What gives? Time to do more research. Let's go to the best resource on the planet for overpriced trading cards - eBay. One search and I found one for sale. $49 bucks to get A-Rod on the Mets. Free shipping too! The fans in Queens can only dream... But this card number is NYY44. Ok, I still don't know what's going on. Back to eBay search. This time I found an entire set for the low, low price of $19.99, plus the seller was kind enough to scan whe whole thing.

NYY20 is here, top row middle card. Looks like the one on Amazon.

NYY44 is here, bottom row middle card. Aha! New York Mets! So it may be an error, but unless this dealer got lucky it's not especially rare. Since Topps states they don't do second runs to fix things like this (which is stupid, but that's a rant for another post) I'll wager that every single set has the Mets error. $49 for the card, or $19.99 for the set. Hmmmm... I believe a call of shenanigans is in order.

So that's that mystery solved, but what about the scan I was sent? It's got the wrong back. I can't tell from the scans if it's the same screw-down in both pictures. It could be the front from one card and the back from the other. Unless I had the thing in hand there's no way to tell. This whole thing could be Michael Eisner playing a trick on me in order to get me to post Topps cards on the site again. Don't laugh, the e-mail is from a guy who calls himself Mickey®. If this is Eisner screwing with me I'm gonna be ticked off. I know it ain't Keith Olbermann because he has an anti-Obama picture as his avatar. So the options are:

a) legit wrong back error card (not wrong team as that's probably a UER) worth one... MILLION dollars!
b) someone put both card NYY44 and NYY20 in a screwdown as a joke
c) Michael Eisner is messing with my mind because I refuse to finish my Series 2 box break
d) dayf has been staring at baseball cards too long and needs to go take a nap

Has anyone seen anything like this? Let me know in the comments if you have. I'm going to go have a lie down in the meantime.

Mailbag - Vintage Card Prices and 1987 Topps Questions

I got these questions in my e-mail a little while back and I thought I'd share my answers for all those shy people out there who don't want to post a question or an e-mail. Feel free to make your own suggestions in the comments.

First up, a question about vintage card prices.

Just a few questions about the vintage card market and how find prices on these cards I have a few and would like to know the value of what i have......any help would be appreciated.

Thank You very much

Devin

A quick way to find an approximate value on a vintage card is to check out current auction listings to see what the card is selling for. Do a search on eBay or Beckett for the card you have and gauge the prices of the ones for sale. You can also search closed auctions to see the final price on eBay. There is also a website, SportsLizard, that has a price guide that you can search that is based on these listings.

There are also several books you can get with pricing for vintage cards. Beckett's Baseball Card Plus Magazine has many different sets listed including vintage sets. It is $10 and comes out every 2 months. The current issue has Pete Rose on the cover. It is better for more recent sets though and does not list every card for every set.

Beckett also has a small price guide that can be found a bookstore for under $10 called the Beckett Official Price guide. It is a paperback book that has complete checklists for some of the major vintage sets but doesn't have everything.

If you are looking for a book with prices for just about every card, the Sports Collector's Digest Standard Catalog of Baseball cards has just about anything you could think of. It is a very large book and costs about $40 although it can be gotten more cheaply online. If you don't mind an out of date version (and a new one will be released in a couple of months making the current one out of date) they can be gotten much more cheaply than that. Older cards don't fluctuate in
value as much and a copy a couple years old would still be a good reference and could probably be gotten for about $10 if you looked around. This is the best reference for all baseball cards I've found. Your local card shop would probably let you have a look at their store copy if you asked or you could browse a copy at a bookstore if you only needed to look up a couple of prices.


Now one about a neat wrong back card.

Hey
Saw your website, excellent advice, do cards not drugs.
I am very new to this and hope you can help me. I have a Roy Lee Jackson TOPPS 1987 card. However, on the back is Dwayne Murphy's info and part of that is even cut off.
I heard that error cards could be worth something.
Thanks for any help
Best Regards
and wishing you an awesome 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Anne-Frédérique

Hi there, that's a pretty neat card, but unfortunately it's a pretty common error and there's not much demand for it. Regular cards from that set are only worth about a nickel each or so, and a miscut back like that is usually considered a defect. There are however some people who specifically collect that type of card, but it's probably worth only worth a few cents at most unless you manage to find someone who really wants it.

If you have any oddball questions about card, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them for you. Just be warned I might post it and make you internet famous for about 15 seconds!