CoJo, not Cujo

I picked up this nifty X-Fractor for $.51 shipped on eBay. Corban Joseph is one of the Yankees better offensive prospects. He currently plays second base, and many scouts believe his bat will carry him to the big leagues. He comes with a nice nickname, CoJo, so he's already got that going for him.

Trade with Colbey

Colbey of Cardboard Collections and I did a good old-fashioned one for one swap. I sent him an Andruw Jones 2000 UD HoloGRFX Piece of the Series base relic, and he sent me this 2011 Topps 60 Mark Teixeria relic in return. Nice, simple, quick trade. Thanks, Colbey!

Two Heritage SPs for trade

Anyone need these?

 Or this?

Opening Day for trade (including mascots)

I have a few extra Opening Day cards laying around from my blaster. Anyone need any of the cards below?

RIP Moose Skowron

Today, Bill "Moose" Skowron passed away at the age of 81. Always a fan favorite in NY, here is an old post I did about a TTM return I had from Moose. RIP, good sir.


Yesterday, Commishbob did a post about his 1959 Topps All Star Bill "Moose" Skowron card and how he looks like John C. Reilly. I couldn't agree more, and it inspired me to dig out a few Skowron cards that I own and giggle a little about the thought of the Talladega Nights and Step Brothers star looking like a Yankee great.

Anyhow, years ago I got this beautiful Fleer Greats of the Game card signed TTM by Moose. I think he charges money now, but I was able to score this card for free. This is perhaps my favorite set that features players from the past. It's not a new concept, and I don't think it really was at the time either, but these cards were awesome. The card stock and the finish was great for signatures. My only real complaint is that the borders chipped very easily.

It was great to see Moose don the Pinstripes again at Old Timer's Day this past Sunday. He is a mainstay at Old Timer's Day and it's always fun to see him run out there with guys I watched growing up.

A Bill Buckner bat from Jaybarkerfan

Recently, Wes at Jaybarkerfan’s Junk posted a few cards. You could claim one, and send Wes any vintage card in return. There was a Bill Buckner bat relic that caught my eye. Now, I’m obviously no Red Sox fan, I despise them, which is partly why I wanted this Buckner.

I’d be glad to trade it away, but it is cool to have this little piece of history.

Wes also decided to go above and beyond as he always does. He sent me this sweet 2007 Upper Deck 1/1 printing plate that was not part of the deal. It’s my third Yankees printing plate, the first featuring a major leaguer (or someone who has spent time in the majors I should say). Chase Wright is most likely best known for letting up four straight homers to the Red Sox a few years ago. However, still a great card and I’ll never decline a 1/1.

 Wes, thanks as always!

Fill ‘er up, and I’ll take some cards too

Back in 1994, Sunoco offered Fleer baseball cards when you purchased gas. I can’t remember if you got a free card or had to buy them. They might have even come in a three pack or something. I just remember that the guys at my dad’s work would always send these home with my dad for me. I seriously got like five or six of these a week. It was really cool of them.

The other day, I came across the Don Mattingly from this set. It made me want the entire set, so I found it on eBay for a few bucks shipped. It’s funny to see the checklist looking back. Some guys were no-brainers, like Griffey and Frank Thomas. However, other guys were interesting choices…Jay Bell, Kruk, Van Slyke. Although looking back, I’m sure those guys were the biggest names at the time.

In the 24 card set, there were three Phillies! I guess that’s how collectors feel nowadays when there are more Yankees in a set. The cards themselves were the same exact design as 1994 Fleer, but did not include any foil on the front. They were basically Fleer Opening Day cards.

I wish gas stations would do something like this nowadays. For $4 a gallon, I should well get a damn card with my purchase. I suppose there wouldn’t be much demand for them these days though. Do any of you guys remember these cards?

Tino Tuesday #37: 1998 Collector's Choice You Crash The Game - Win!

This Tino comes from Adam aka arpsmith of Arpsmith’sSportscard Obsession. He recently reached out say that he found this at his LCS and it was mine if I wanted it. It was a really nice gesture and I’m always thankful when someone thinks of me.

The card itself is from 1998 Collector’s Choice as part of the You Crash the Game insert set. As a kid collecting at this time, I LOVED this insert set. And not just for baseball. I loved it for basketball and football too. Essentially, if the player hit a HR (or scored a TD or had a certain number of points), you’d be able to send that card in for a prize. Some years it was for a limed edition set. Other years, you’d get a special card of the winning player.

Since this is a winning card, it looks like Tino came through and hit a homer on the date listed and this card was redeemed. Since it was always a favorite promotion of mine, I really appreciate having a Tino from this set.

Adam, thanks again!

TTM recap - 2012 Spring Training

This spring, I sent 41 TTM requests out. I received successes from 17 of them. I also received one failure (a card returned unsigned). Therefore, 23 went unanswered. Now, I will never write any of these off. They could still trickle in, but for the most part, it looks like I batted a little under .500 this spring. I know that’s part of the game, so I’m not upset. A few players were reaches and I knew that going in.

Here are my successes from 2012 Spring Training:

Ackley, Dustin

Adams, David

Brackman, Andrew

Higashioka, Kyle

Kuroda, Kiroki

Laird, Brandon

Martinez, Tino

Melancon, Mark

Nix, Jayson

Noesi, Hector

Pendleton, Lance

Rivera, Mariano

Romine, Austin

Soriano, Rafael

Stoneburner, Graham

Taillon, Jameson

Warren, Adam

eTopps shipped...and I'm out.

eTopps is going away. They no longer offer any new cards or really maintain their website. I had a few cards, but by no means am I an eTopps collector. With their current state of the business, I only had one card I really liked, so I bit the bullet and paid the $6.00 to have this Gary Sanchez shipped to me. The cards are really nice and come enclosed in a sealed case. It’s just ridiculous how much they cost to get shipped. Do you think I should have my Jose Contreras 2004 rookie shipped to me as well? I kid.

Anyhow, after receiving this card, I'm done with eTopps. I have nothing worth shipping and won't be pursuing any new ones unless they are in-hand.