See you never, Redemption

Back in the spring, I redeemed this on Topps' super modern looking redemption website:

Now, I already have a Ty Hensley 2014 Bowman Red Ice Auto redemption that is outstanding with Topps and has been for over a year. Not happening, I know. The Hensley/Montgomery is from 2013 Bowman Sterling.

So my chances are slim, right?

But here's the thing. The card exists in Bowman Platinum! It's been on ebay! Look:

So where is the Bowman Sterling one if Platinum exists? Did Topps run out of stickers? The set seems to be all stickers, so what gives?

Topps doesn't have answers and keeps offering me a replacement. Nope, sorry, guys. Give me my card.

Winnings from @Draft2Dynasty

A few weeks back, Kevin of the famous @Draft2Dynasty Twitter handle and blog held a giveaway. Somehow, I was lucky enough to win, and Kevin was more than generous in what he sent, including the Ty Hensley pictured above.

Kevin not only sent a brick of cards (all alphabetized!), but also a nice chunk of signed Yankee cards, likely from his time patrolling Steinbrenner Field and the Himes minor league complex. It seems that he's a regular around there, and often has some great interaction with current and future Yankees.

Other than the Hensley, by far my favorite card is this Luis Sojo autograph. A Sojo auto is one of those that has escaped me forever, and I was thrilled to see that in there.

Here's just a small sampling of the many goodies Kevin sent. There was a TON of great stuff...major leaguers, minor leaguers, refractors, parallels, etc. If you like the Yanks or the minor leagues, go give Kevin a follow on Twitter @Draft2Dynasty. Thanks again for such a great prize package!

TTM Success: Mark Montegomery

This one is a head scratcher for me. I keep a pretty detailed record of when I sent out my TTMs. I was pretty sure I sent Yankees pitching prospect Mark Montgomery a TTM request this spring, but I had no recollection of it in my Excel document. I did send to him LAST spring training with no success, so is it possible this is from last year and I didn't send this year? I honestly don't know.

Regardless, I'm happy to have this back. Mark has a bright future as a late inning reliever. Many expected him to be in The Show last year, but he battled an injury and didn't put up the same numbers as he had the last few years. Regardless, he's in AAA again this year, and I fully expect him to be pitching in the Bronx at some point.

A couple of cool things about the return envelope. He mailed it from Virginia, which is where he resides in the off-season. So it looks like he sent between the end of spring training and his team's opening series in Syracuse. Also, he took the time to write "Do Not Bend" on the envelope. I've only seen one or two other players do this. Very cool!

Pro Debut from Scott Crawford

Scott Crawford and I worked on this trade for quite a while. It was my fault, really. I just didn't have my act together. Even when Scott sent me the card, it took me about three more weeks to return the package. That's not how it should go.

Regardless, I ended up with a batch of 2013 Topps Pro Debut cards I needed. I still think the product name is stupid and inaccurate.

Some eBay sellers rock

Sometimes, eBay sellers are awesome for no reason. Seriously. A few weeks ago, I picked up a few Bowman Yankee autographs. Each one was running about $2, and I noticed the seller had combined shipping. I always hear other bloggers talking about taking advantage of combined shipping, so I looked at what else he had ending around that time, and nabbed two more Yankee autos.

When the package came, I noticed a few additional cards in between the two of the Yankee autographed cards. The seller correctly assumed I was a Yankee fan, and threw in some truly sweet Yankees parallels! Check out what he sent: 

 

Truly awesome cards. Hensley is a PC guy, so love the sweet Bowman Ice of him as well.

Part 2 of the Zippy Zappy package

Here is part two of the epic package sent by Zippy Zappy. There were a bunch of cards, and I figured this was a nice sampling:

I really like these mini Chrome Refractors. I’m not a huge fan of mini cards at all, but I’ve been all for these so far. I can’t wait for Hensley to get back on the mound next season. I expect big things from him.

 

 Hold the phones! I’m pretty sure this is a 2012 Bowman Chrome Blue Ice card. I expected the pattern to be the same as the Silver Ice, but they are definitely different. This reminds me of an old Upper Deck HoloGRFX card. Either way, a stop-in-your-tracks card.

Orange! I love Orange Refractors. Love them. I need to aggregate them all because I must be getting close to having at least one full team set. 

This card brings back a lot of memories. When we were five or six, my sister and I used to fight over this card. See, I had this version of the card, but Reggie was an Oakland A. She had the version with the Yankees. And she would never, ever let me have it. 

These cards always amused me because of the blue fabric. 

I really need to get Eduardo to sign this. It’s begging for his autograph.

 

My first 2013 Topps Pro Debut! Love these sets even though the logic behind “Pro Debut” is off.

Kenny, it’s all gold (or orange or blue ice). Thanks again, my friend.

Cleve used Napkin Doon to send me cards

Napkin Doon has been spoiling me lately. The man keeps sending me packages of cards too good not to post. I’d like to think these cards were actually from Cleve himself, and Nap just acted as the middle man and mailed them on behalf of Cleve. Yeah, that’s the story I’ll go with.

Cleve set aside a few cards from a recent auction, knowing I’d drool over them. He was right.

First off, here is a 1962 Topps Hall Stowe. I hadn’t heard of Stowe before I saw the card, but thought this was pretty cool. Plus, it’s vintage. I also thought Stowe sort of reminded me of the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. I don’t know, I’m weird.

The highlight of the package for me was the Mark Montgomery Bowman auto. I can’t seem to get a TTM success from Montgomery, so I’m happy to finally get his autograph. 

Lastly, there was a fancy Derek Jeter Topps Museum. The product is too high end for me, but I always appreciate getting the Yanks through trades. 

Thanks, Nap, for sending me Cleve's card. Your Hank Blalock autograph is on the way.

Unsolved mysteries - TTM style

Out of the hundreds of TTMs I've sent out, I've experienced a lot. I've had return to senders or "REFUSED". I've had cards returned unsigned or with price lists. I've gotten cards back that were different than the one I've sent.

However, yesterday was a first. My wife texted me at work and said that I got an envelope back that said "Received without contents." Huh? I figured the TTM envelope returning to me had the card ripped out or came up in the mail. I was surprised to see that it wasn't a response back, but my original request!

I'm not sure what happened here. I could have failed to seal the envelope in haste when I sent it, or it could have naturally come undone. Someone could have opened it and swiped the card, although I'm not sure who would really want a 2013 Bowman Mark Montgomery. Based on the beat up envelope, I'd say that my request went through a lot, opened during the shipping process, and the contents spilled out.

I'll definitely try this one again.