Original Andy Pafko painted sketch card

I hope that Matt from Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius doesn’t mind me showing off this card, as it’s now in his possession. You see, I was assigned Matt as my Secret Santa in Bad Wax’s Secret Santa/Hanukkah Harry idea. I received Matt’s wish list and I was able to knock a few cards off that. I wanted to send him a little something extra, so I took a spin around his blog and came to realize that he was an Andy Pafko collector, and that he also liked the 2011 Topps Diamond Die Cut cards.

Since Pafko wasn’t included in this set, I decided to make one for Matt. I found a picture of Pafko that I liked, and started drawing. He was actually featured in a Dodgers uniform, and I took the liberty to make him a Brave instead. I tried to copy the look of my CC Sabathia Diamond Die Cut. I even cut the edges so it was a true die-cut. It didn’t come out perfectly, but I was happy enough with it to begin painting.

I’m not convinced this is my strongest painting. I have an assorted pack of sketch cards with different card stock, and I don’t think I used the right one. It was a nice, thick card, but the paper wasn't perfect for this. The acrylic paint I used dried too fast and it was tough to blend colors for the sake of shading. I think the red background came out pretty well, as well as the diamond in the background.

Anyhow, Matt said very kind things about the card HERE. I’m glad he liked it and that it’ll be a positive addition to his Andy Pafko collection.

Another Heartbreaking relic

For the third time in as many weeks, Matt from Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius sent me a relic. This sweet Tino is from 2005 Prime Patches #'d 69/100. I already had a quad-relic (2 jersey/2 bat pieces) from this set, and this is a welcome addition, as there are many variations in this set. Check out the card - it's just itching for Tino's signature below the bat!

I am definitely in debt to Matt, and have a small package going out to him today. I still owe him, but it'll be a start. Matt - thanks again my friend!

A not so Heartbreaking gift

Yesterday I got home from work to find four envelops for me that weren't bills or credit card offers. One was a TTM return, one was a trade, one was an eBay purchase. There was a fourth envelope – a brown package. The return address was from Matt at Heartbreak Cards of Staggering Genius. I hadn’t been expecting anything from him, so I was certainly curious.

I opened the envelope, and was shocked to find a gift from Matt – a Tino Martinez card/jersey combo! It's definitely one I haven't seen. There is a Pinnacle Inside card mounted with a jersey swatch below it. I believe the size of the whole piece is around 5x7, and can actually be folded on the back to create a stand for display – old school pop up card style. There is no branding on the front, but the on the back there is a Vintage Sports Cards logo. A note above that says that the jersey was obtained from Upper Deck. There is no year, but the pinstripe is obviously from his Yankee Days.

This is a great item for my Tino collection! I’ve never seen anything like it, and as Matt said in his note to me, while not a conventional card, a jersey card is still a jersey card. I love the card and I can’t thank Matt enough for sending it.

 

Trade Review: Heartbreaking Cards

I've made quite a few trades in a short time since I started blogging. I've been pretty proactive about reaching out to a lot of you. I hope it's not annoying. It's really helped me meet a lot of fellow collectors and expand my Yankee collection quicker than I ever could have on my own.

One of the trade packages I got on Friday was from Matt F. of Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius. I had four 2011 Topps Kimball Champions that Matt needed, so per usual, I told him to send me a few Yankees and we'll call it even.

Matt over delivered. I was shocked when I opened the envelope and found this:

A 2009 Upper Deck Icons Joe Pepitone Immortal Lettermen #'d 09/40!! I couldn't believe it. This card is a beauty (the awful iPhone photo doesn't do it justice), and Matt certainly didn't need to send it to me for a few Kimballs. It has quickly become one of my favorite cards, and the second lowest #'d card that I own (I have a /25 Tino Quad Relic). I know that people feel differently about manu-patchs, but this card will certainly find a prominent place in my Yankees relics collection. As if the Pepitone wasn't more than enough, Matt also sent me a great assortment of 2011 Topps Yankee inserts:

Matt, you went above and beyond in this trade. Hopefully I'll get a few more Kimballs to send your way. Thanks again for your generosity!