CUSTOMS BLASTER - PART 2: CAN'T PASS 'EM UP BASEBALL STARS

I'VE BEEN VERY GOOD ABOUT MOSTLY PICKING UP WANTLIST CARDS ON THE SITE EXCEPT WHEN I NAB AN OLD COMIC IMAGES CARD OF A DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS LADY WITH ENORMOUS BOOBLES BUT SOMETIMES I SEE A SUPER DUPER MEGA STAR CARD AND I CAN'T LET IT PASS BY. HERE'S THREE BASEBALL GUYS I KEEP GETTING DESPITE THERE BEING NO WANTLISTS

CATEGORY - SUPERSTARS

FIRST GUY IS SOMEONE I ACTUALLY COLLECT 

1992 SCORE RICKEY HENDERSON

WHEN I WAS FIRST COLLECTING CARDS I TRADED A 1981 TOPPS RICKEY HENDERSON AT SCHOOL FOR SOME NONSENSE. I QUICKLY FIGURED OUT HOW BADLY I GOT CHEATED AND HAVE SPENT 40 YEARS MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME. I ALREADY HAVE A PILE OF BASE CARDS FOR ALL THESE GUYS SO WHEN I PICK UP STAR CARDS LIKE A MAGPIE I TEND TO GRAVITATE TOWARDS HIGH END OR ODDBALL CARDS. BUT SOMETIMES A BASE CARD BEATS OUT THE FANCY STUFF

1998 SPX FINITE RICKEY HENDERSON

HERE'S ONE OF THOSE HIGH END ONES. SPX IS BEST KNOWN FOR THEIR HOLOGRAMS BUT IN 1998 UPPER DECK GOT TIRED OF DEALING WITH THAT MESS AND SPX TURNED FINITE WITH A LITTLE FOIL STAMPED WINDOW FOR A GIMMICK. THIS ONE'S A LITTLE OFF CENTER WHICH HAPPENED QUITE A BIT AND ADDS A BIT OF CHARM TO THE CARD. THAT'S NOT THE ONLY GIMMICK THO

SERIAL NUMBAZ! THAT'S THE ACTUAL FINITE GIMMICK AS EACH CARD WAS FINITED WITH THAT NUMBER PLASTERED ON IT. THIS ONE'S A BASE CARD NUMBERED TO 9000 BUT SUBSETS COULD BE NUMBERED ANYWHERE FROM 2000 TO 7000. YOU CAN SEE ALL THAT MESS FOR YOURSELF. I'M ACTIVELY COLLECTING THE HOLOGRAM VERSIONS OF SPX BUT THIS NUMBERED SET IS MORE A CURIOSITY FOR ME. I'D KINDA LIKE TO PICK UP AT LEAST ONE FROM EACH SUBSET BUT THAT IS WAAAAAAY DOWN THE PRIORITY LIST 

1998 PINNACLE PERFORMERS RICKEY HENDERSON

HERE'S A SOMEWHAT OBSCURE ODDBALL SET IN THAT IT'S A REIMAGINING OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S PINNACLE XPRESS SET THAT ALSO CAME OUT AS ONE OF THE LAST RELEASES BEFORE PINNACLE WENT BELLY UP. THE GIMMICK WITH THIS SET IS THERE WAS A SWING FOR THE FENCES CONTEST WHERE YOU COULD MATCH A CARD WITH THE LEAGUE LEADER FOR HOME RUNS WITH A CARD WITH THE NUMBER OF HOME RUNS THEY HIT AND WIN A SPECIAL INSERT SET. UNFORTUNATELY PINNACLE WAS OVER BEFORE THE SEASON WAS SO THE WINNER CARDS ARE OUT THERE BUT NOT TERRIBLY EASY TO FIND. I JUST LIKE THE DESIGN OF THIS ONE, IT'S VERY COLORFUL AND WORKS WELL WITH RICKY SPEEDING THROUGH THE CARD

1998 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED RICKEY HENDERSON

I LOVE THESE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED CARDS BUT THEY'RE NOT A SET I'M EVER GOING TO BOTHER COMPLETING. THERE'S USUALLY SOME GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY ON THEM LIKE RICKEY DOING SOME FIELDING DRILLS HERE

1998 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED THEN AND NOW RICKEY HENDERSON A PLACE IN HISTORY

THIS ONE'S A SUBSET FEATURING RICKEY AT THE TOP OF SOME ALL TIME LEADERBOARDS. RICKEY IS OBVIOUSLY AT THE TOP OF THE STEALS CATEGORY BUT IS ALSO FAR AND ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE ON MOST LEADOFF HOME RUNS. THIS SET IS ANOTHER REASON WHY I DON'T BOTHER WITH FLEER SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, IT'S ONE OF THREE SI SETS RELEASED IN 1998 AND IT'S NOT EASY TO TELL ANY OF THEM APART. POSSIBLE FUTURE FRANKENSET PERHAPS?

1993 FLAIR RICKEY HENDERSON

I DIDN'T APPRECIATE FLAIR AT THE TIME BUT DANG IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LOOKING SET. ELEGANT DESIGN, GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AND JUST A TOUCH OF FOIL STAMPING. THEY'RE JUST PRETTY! IT'S ANOTHER SET I'LL NEVER COMPLETE BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HOARDING SOME STARS

THE NEXT GUY I DON'T OFFICIALLY COLLECT BUT I MIGHT AS WELL AT THIS POINT

1996 ZENITH BARRY BONDS

'GOOD OL' BARRY BONDS, HOW I HATE HIM' SEEMS TO BE THE HOBBY'S OPINION ON OUR DEAR HOME RUN KING AT THE MOMENT. THIS IS FINE WITH ME BECAUSE I CAN PICK UP BONDS CARDS EASILY ALMOST ANYWHERE. AND I DO, OH BOY I DO. ZENITH IS A WEIRD BUT ATTRACTIVE SET AND POKES MY 90S NOSTALGIA BUTTON WHEN I SEE IT. OH I MISS THE DAYS WHEN HIGH END CARDS WERE MERELY THREE TIMES AS THICK AS REGULAR CARDS AND DOUSED WITH FOIL AND A THICK GLOSSY CLEAR COAT INSTEAD OF BEING SOLD IN BOXES OF THREE CARDS FOR FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS

1998 FLAIR SHOWCASE BARRY BONDS

FLAIR SHOWCASE IS ONE OF THOSE MULTI-LEVEL FRACTURED SETS WITH SEVERAL TIERS OF PARALLEL CARDS THAT ALL JUMBLE TOGETHER IN MY MIND. I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE LOWEST LEVEL BASE CARDS BUT WHO KNOWS REALLY. IT'S EXTREMELY SHINY AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS

1998 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED THEN AND NOW BARRY BONDS LEGENDS OF TODAY

THIS IS FROM THE SAME SET AS RICKEY ABOVE BUT THERE'S NO WAY OF TELLING THAT. MOST OF THE OTHER CARDS IN THE SET HAVE 'LEGENDS' PLASTERED ON THEM BUT NOT THE PLACE IN HISTORY CARDS! MY POOR BRAIN CAN'T COMPREHEND ALL THIS 90S WEIRDNESS BUT BARRY ABOUT TO MURDER A BASEBALL I UNDERSTAND

1998 FINEST  BARRY BONDS

FINEST! THIS STUFF I DO COLLECT ALTHOUGH I DON'T REALLY HAVE A HANDLE ON WHAT EXACTLY I'M COLLECTING YET. I'VE BEEN PICKING OUT RANDOM FINEST OUT OF DIME BOXES WHEN I SEE IT FOR YEARS AND THERE'S NO NEED TO STOP NOW. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST LOOKING FINEST DESIGNS AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO PEELING THIS CARD ONE OF THESE DAYS

1997 PACIFIC BARRY BONDS

I'M MILDLY OBSESSED WITH PACIFIC CARDS FOR THEIR WILD BASE CARDS AND EVEN WILDER INSERT CARDS. THE 1997 SET HAS A HEALTHY SLAB OF FOIL ACROSS THE LEFT BORDER WHICH IS A TAD AWKWARD ON MOST CARDS BUT LOOKS AMAZING ON THE HORIZONAL ONES. BARRY IS MASHING DINGERS IN A 3D FOIL MATRIX ON THIS CARD. IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE GILDED SOME OLD-SCHOOL COMPUTER GRAPHICS

1997 ULTRA BARRY BONDS

GREAT GOOGLEY MOOGELY CARDS LOOKED SO GOOD IN 1997. A WATER LEAK BRICKED MOST OF MY 97 ULTRA CARDS SO GETTING SOME REPLACEMENTS IS ALWAYS NICE

1996 STADIUM CLUB BARRY BONDS TEAM TSC

I HAVEN'T BEEN FOCUSING ON STADIUM CLUB CARDS RECENTLY BUT SHORT PRINTS ARE ALWAYS ON MY RADAR. THESE TEAM TSC CARDS WERE INSERTED ONE PER PACK AND FEATURE TWO LEVELS OF FANCY FOIL. RAINBOW FOIL FOR THE NAME AND HOLOFOIL FOR THE BORDER. THEY LOOK VERY SNAZZY AND THE RAINBOW FOIL CAN VARY FROM CARD TO CARD 

1997 STADIUM CLUB BARRY BONDS STADIUM SLUGGER

1997 STADIUM CLUB SNUCK IN SOME SHORT PRINTS AS WELL. SERIES ONE HAD A TSC 2000 SUBSET FEATURING SOME YOUNG STARS WHILE SERIES TWO HAD THESE STADIUM SLUGGERS FEATURING THE HOME RUN HITTING USUAL SUSPECTS OF THE MID-90S. THEY DON'T LOOK AS GOOD AS THE TEAM TSC CARDS BUT THEY'RE ONLY A THIRD THE SIZE OF THE 96 SHORT PRINT SET SO IT'S NOT AS HARD A SET TO BUILD

THE LAST GUY NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION

1993 FLAIR KEN GRIFFEY JR. 

IF YOU SEE A GOOD GRIFFEY CARD YOU GRAB IT. PROBLEM IS THE GOOD ONES ARE USUALLY ALREADY PRE-GRABBED. THAT JUST MAKES THE ONES YOU GET ALL THE MORE SPECIAL. HERE'S ANOTHER FLAIR CARD I MANAGED TO GET WHEN A LIST OF THEM WERE POSTED THAT I MANAGED TO GET TO FIRST

1997 PACIFIC PRISM INVINCIBLE KEN GRIFFEY JR. GEMS OF THE DIAMOND

WEIRDO PACIFIC CARD ALERT! THESE WERE INSERTED INTO PRISM INVINCIBLE PACKS SO YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THERE WAS ONLY ONE OF THE WEIRD FOILY ACETATE WINDOW CARDS IN THE PACK. THE WORDS PRISM, INVICIBLE, GEMS AND DIAMOND ARE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND ON THIS CARD SO I HAD A HELL OF A TIME FIGURING OUT WHAT IT WAS FROM FOR THIS POST AND I SHALL GO ON TO IMMEDIATELY FORGET ONCE I HIT PUBLISH. THERE IS A LITTLE GEM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CARD THOUGH. THE ONLY REASON I WAS ABLE TO WIN THIS CARD IS BECAUSE THIS WAS THE SECOND ONE POSTED. GRIFFEYS ARE TOUGH, MAN!

1997 STADIUM CLUB KEN GRIFFEY JR. STADIUM SLUGGER

WE END OUR JOURNEY WITH ANOTHER STADIUM SLUGGER SHORT PRINT. THESE WERE ONE PER THREE PACKS SO THE WHOLE SET WAS POSSIBLE OUT OF A COUPLE HOBBY BOXES WHICH AIN'T BAD AS FAR AS SHORT PRINTS GO. I LOOKED THROUGH MY STADIUM CLUB BOX TO SEE WHICH ONES I ALREADY HAD AND SOMEHOW I HAVE NONE?? WHICH IS ABSURD BECAUSE I KNOW I PULLED SOME FROM PACKS BACK IN THE DAY. SO NOW I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT IF THEY ARE HIDING IN MY INSERT BOX OR A DOUBLES BOX SOMEWHERE. AT LEAST I HAVE TWO OF THE BEST NOW

UP NEXT: OUR FIRST TASTE OF CHAOS

FIRST CARD PURCHASE OF 2023

I FINALLY GOT TO THE FLEA MARKET THIS WEEKEND WITH A LITTLE CASH IN MY POCKET. THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE TRIP WAS THIS:

   

I SPOTTED THIS BOOK ON MY PREVIOUS TRIP TO THE FLEA MARKET WHEN I GOT THE BASEBALL IMMORTALS AND TONY HAWK ROOKIE AND SAVED MY PENNIES FOR TWO MONTHS TO GET THE CASH FOR IT. THIS WILL LIKELY GET IT'S OWN POST EVENTUALLY BUT THE SHORT VERSION IS THIS IS THE PREQUEL TO THAT GIGANTIC TOPPS COFFEE TABLE BOOK WITH PICTURES OF EVERY CARD FROM 1951-1985. AS SOMEONE WHO LOOOOVES PRE-WAR CARDS BUT IS MOSTLY PRICED OUT OF THE HOBBY AT THIS POINT THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET A PHYSICAL OBJECT REPRESENTING ALL THESE CLASSIC CARD SETS. SURE, YOU CAN FIND EVERY IMAGE IN THIS BOOK ON THE INTERNET, BUT IT STILL HITS DIFFERENT WHEN YOU HAVE A GIGANTIC TOME OF CARDAGE IN FRONT OF YOU. ALSO UNLIKE THE TOPPS BOOK THE VAST MAJORITY OF IMAGES ARE FULL SIZED AND NOT SQUISHED DOWN TO POSTAGE STAMP SIZE (WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS)

I BASICALLY PAID FULL PRICE FOR THIS AND IT WAS WELL WORTH IT. I AM ALSO OFFICIALLY A 'REGULAR' AT THIS FLEA MARKET BOOTH NOW SO WAS ABLE TO SNAG A COUPLE DEALS TO GO ALONG WITH THE LUXURY ITEM. YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED MY HASTILY THROWN TOGETHER POST WITH ALL THE SETS I'M DOWN TO FIVE CARDS OR FEWER TO COMPLETE. THE PLAN WAS TO GET THIS BOOK AND THEN DIG THROUGH HIS STUFF TO FIND AS MANY CARDS OFF THAT LIST THAT I COULD. THAT PLAN WENT SIDEWAYS IMMEDIATELY AS THE SELLER TRIED TO SELL ME BOXES OF STUFF HE WANTED TO GET RID OF. HE KNOWS I WILL BUY HIS TRASH AND I GET OFFERED JUNK BOXES EVERY TIME NOW. LUCKILY, I QUICKLY FOUND SOME GOOD TRASH

OLD TIMERS BOX IN AN OLD TIMEY CARD BOX. THIS IS ANOTHER THING THAT WILL GET IT'S OWN POST AND YOU WILL GET SOME BETTER PICTURES OF IT THEN. THE BOX EVEN HAS A TED WILLIAMS AUTOGRAPH ON IT, TIME TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT JSA AUTHENTICATION AT THE LOCAL CARD SHOP AND ENJOY THEIR PEALS OF LAUGHTER. AS YOU CAN SEE IT'S A SMALL BOX FULL OF SLEEVED CARDS THAT DON'T QUITE FIT. HERE'S A BETTER PIC OF THE GOODS:

LARGE PILE OF EVEN MORE PACIFIC NOLAN CARDS, SMALL PILES OF PACIFIC LEGENDS AND SWELL BASEBALL GREAT CARDS, A NEAR SET OF THE 85 TOPPS ALL-TIME RECORD HOLDER BOX SET, SOME 1993 STUDIO CARDS, AND SOME RANDOM CONLON COLLECTION CARDS WHICH IS THE BIGGEST PILE OF THE BUNCH. HE WANTED FIFTEEN FOR THE BOX WHICH MADE ME HAVE TO DO SOME MENTAL CALCULATIONS. IS IT A BETTER DEAL TO BUY THE WHOLE THING, OR JUST PICK OUT THE CARDS I ACTUALLY WANT FOR A QUARTER? THE PACIFIC AND SWELL LEGENDS CARDS I DEFINITELY WANTED AND THERE WERE LIKELY SOME CONLON CARDS I NEEDED BUT THE REST I'M SURE I HAD ALREADY. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE BOX CAME HOME WITH ME AND WE'LL BREAK IT DOWN IF I GOT GOOD VALUE AT A LATER DATE

I ALSO CAME HOME WITH THIS HANES HER WAY SHOEBOX HALF FILLED WITH ACTUAL CRAP PLUS A COOL DAVE HENDERSON MINOR LEAGUE CARD. THIS WAS ABOUT THREE QUARTERS JUNKWAX BASKETBALL WHICH IS FINE, BUT MOST OF THAT WAS BEAT UP 1990  HOOPS. DUDE HAD BEEN TRYING TO SELL ME THIS BOX FOR MAYBE A YEAR AND WHILE I WAS INTERESTED, IT WAS A TERRIBLE DEAL AT FIVE BUCKS AND HE USUALLY WANTED SOMETHING LIKE TWENTY FOR IT. AFTER A QUICK LOOK THROUGH IT LOOKS LIKE I NEEDED MAYBE A DOZEN OR SO BASKETBALL CARDS OUT OF HERE BUT IT WAS A HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT TO SEE THAT ALL THREE 2000-01 TOPPS CARDS IN THE BOX WERE ONES I ALREADY HAD. THAT HENDU CARD ROCKS THOUGH AND IS GOING TO END UP IN A PROMINENT PLACE IN A FUTURE COOL CARD BINDER

I WAS ABLE TO GET HIM TO AGREE ON A ULYSSES S. GRANT FOR THE BOOK AND BOXES, WHICH I BROKE DOWN IN MY MIND AS FULL PRICE FOR THE BOOK, TEN BUX FOR THE OLD TIMERS, AND THE SHOEBOX JUNK FOR FREE. I FELT THIS WAS EXCELLENT VALUE FOR EACH ITEM. THIS WAS ALL WORKED OUT WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES HOWEVER, AND I STILL WANTED TO DIG THROUGH A BUNCH OF CARDS TO KILL THE AFTERNOON SO I ASKED IF I COULD THROW IN A COUPLE MORE CHEAPO CARDS AS WELL AND THESE TERMS WERE ACCEPTABLE. HERE'S WHAT I FOUND THROUGH DIGGING:

1992 TOPPS CAL RIPKEN JR.

AM NOW DOWN TO ONE SINGLE CARD TO COMPLETE MY 1992 TOPPS SET. NOT COUNTING THE WHOLE-ASS FACTORY SET I'VE HAD FOR DECADES. THIS IS LEGIT A GREAT CARD AND I'M NOT SURE HOW IT ELUDED ME FOR SO LONG. ACTUALLY, I DO KNOW, IT'S A LEGIT GREAT CARD THAT NO ONE IS THROWING IN A JUNK BOX AND I DON'T GO OUT OF MY WAY TO BUY RIPKEN CARDS

1990 DONRUSS RICKEY HENDERSON

I KNOW I HAVE THIS FUCKIN' CARD SOMEWHERE, IF NOT SEVERAL, BUT IT'S THE LAST CARD REMAINING ON MY WANTLIST SO I HAD TO GET IT. I COLLECT RICKEYS THOUGH SO EVEN IF IT ULTIMATELY IS A DOUBLE I'M FINE WITH HAVING ANOTHER OF THEM. SO NOW TECHNICALLY MY 1990 DONRUSS SET IS COMPLETE BUT NOW I HAVE TO ACTUALLY DRAG IT OUT, PUT THIS CARD IN, AND SEE JUST HOW MANY OTHER CARDS ARE REALLY MISSING. AND THEN I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I DID WITH THEM BECAUSE I AM 1000% CERTAIN THEY ARE SOMEWHERE IN MY HOUSE. HONESTLY I PROBABLY HAVE THREE COMPLETE SETS OF THIS NOW, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF WORK GETTING JUST THE ONE ALL IN THE SAME PLACE. I STILL HAVENT DONE IT FOUR DAYS LATER AND I'M HONESTLY DREADING IT A BIT

1995 STADIUM CLUB RICKEY HENDERSON RING LEADERS INSERT

SO BY NOW I HAD FOUND THE AGREED-UPON COUPLE EXTRA CARDS BUT THIS GORGEOUS MONSTROSITY SHOWED UP IN THE RICKEY HENDERSON BOX AND I COULDN'T PASS IT UP. THESE ARE A ONE PER BOX INSERT FROM 95 STADIUM CLUB. THEY ARE NOT EXACLY RARE, BUT THEY'RE NOT EASY EITHER. I WAS WILLING TO COUGH UP A COUPLE MORE BUCKS FOR THIS ONE, BUT THE DUDE ALREADY HAD MY MONEY AND WAS FINE WITH THROWING IT IN THE DEAL. I ALSO FOUND A RICKEY DENNY'S HOLOGRAM CARD IN THE BOX BUT LEFT IT ONCE I SAW THIS ONE. THIS IS HOW THINGS USUALLY GO ON MY FLEA MARKET RUNS, THERE IS ALWAYS ONE MORE THING I WANT THAT I LEAVE BEHIND FOR NEXT TIME

1993 UPPER DECK DAVE WINFIELD SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

ANOTHER GUY I COLLECT ON AN INSERT FOR A SET I COLLECT. WHILE I THINK I HAVE FINALLY COMPLETED THE 1993 UPPER DECK BASE SET, I HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO IN COMPLETING THE INSERT SETS. I HAVE A FEW INSERT SETS KNOCKED OUT, BUT THE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS SET IS LEGIT SCARCE AS THEY WERE ONLY INSERTED IN SPECIAL SERIES TWO BOXES. I COME ACROSS THEM VERY RARELY AND WHEN I SEE 'EM I GET 'EM. THIS ONE HAS A GREAT BIG DOINK ON THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER BUT THAT DON'T MATTER TO ME NONE. I AM A LITTLE SAD THIS HIGHLIGHT IS FOR THE BLUE JAYS WORLD SERIES WIN, BUT THERE ARE ALSO FRANCISCO CABRERA AND BIP ROBERTS CARDS FROM THIS SET FOR ME TO CHASE

I FEEL LIKE THE FIRST PURCHASE OF THE YEAR WAS WORTH THE WAIT AND HONESTLY JANUARY SUCKED SO HARD I'M OK WITH HIBERNATING THROUGH IT. THIS IS BEING POSTED ON 2023 TOPPS RELEASE DAY AND I HOPE ALL OF YOU OUT THERE RIPPING HOBBY BOXES AND RAIDING TARGET FOR BLASTERS HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS I DID WITH THESE CARDS. I WON'T BE JOINING YOU AS I'M BROKE AS HELL NOW

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?

Oldy Moldy Mailday Video

I got you a 2013 Topps Series One Rack Pack to video...

But I opened it.

Here's a video mailday from @grogg on Twitter instead. Go sign up for Twitter and stalk him, it'll be worth your while. Or just watch the video. Or not. Totally up to you, I'm not your boss.



For the tl;dw crowd here's some highlights/spoilers.

And the biggun':

I now have no excuse to not finish up my '80s Topps sets anymore.