The Lost Collector Turns 8!

On Thursday, February 10th, 2011, I made my first blog post. It was not good.

I guess not much has changed in 8 years!

Regardless, I'm happy to say I'm still at it 8 years and over 2,100 posts later. The vast majority of my posts are simply show & tells, but that's the real reason my blog exists. It's to keep me engaged. I don't want to just acquire cards and put them away and have that be the end of the experience. Even if a quick blog post is the buffer between that, it makes the acquisition that much more meaningful.

I can honestly say that I might not still be collecting if it wasn't for the blog. In that sense, it's really what has continued to fuel my enjoyment of the hobby since I got back into collecting.

I feel like my blog is really focused on a couple of topics: blogger packages, TTMs, Tino Martinez, and Ty Hensley. Those are the content drivers, as I'm rarely original enough to pull a post out of thin air otherwise.

With that, it felt appropriate to show off a couple of new Tino Martinez and Ty Hensley additions, as those guys are what keep me ticking (and spending).

I saw this Tino card on eBay and was one I knew I hadn't seen before. I have the single relic of Tino, but was shocked to see Todd Helton on there with a jersey swatch. Numbered to just 100, I knew I might not see it again. It was listed for $8, I offered $4, and it was accepted.

That is Tino #866.

On to Ty Hensley #111 and 112. I usually avoid the COMC auctions on eBay. They annoy me. I'm not sure why. However, this was actually a very pleasant experience, as combined shipping really came to the rescue.

This rare 2012 Bowman Draft Chome Red Refractor was listed for just $2.50. It's numbered 3/5, and I don't think I had ever seen it in the wild before this.

Alongside it were a Purple Ice from the same set (8/10) for another $2.50, and Red Ice for just  $1.35 (9/25). I already had the Red Ice, but for that price with combined shipping, I couldn't leave it there. So I snagged all three for around $10 shipped. That is a big win and has me seriously thinking about the 2012 Bowman Draft rainbow, especially because I have 2 printing plates and because the Super is for sale ($89...too much).

There it is. Another show and tell, and another year down. Thanks for reading all these years, thanks for the trades all these years, and thanks for letting me do my thing in this tint little corner of the card-collecting world.