Greed

For someone who isn't too into the hobby right now, I sure acted greedy recently.

No, I didn't go clean out a retail shelf. I'm not that greedy. But during Wes' recent trade-a-thon on Twitter, I was admittedly more greedy than I should have been.

For those who don't know about Wes' annual event, he basically posts a bunch of cards on Twitter. The first person to respond "take" gets the card. Participants are limited to claiming five cards. Wes simply asks for a surprise package in return that he waits until Christmas to open. For this round, he asked for wrestling cards in return.

I claimed three cards this time around, and as mentioned, was a bit greedy in my claims. But I do feel that what I sent back was fair, for whenever he does open his package.

The first card I claimed was an early Derek Jeter Upper Deck card. I didn't have this one, and figured it was a good one too claim. If nothing else popped up, I was happy.

Something else did pop up. This:

Oops, I claimed it. This card isn't super rare and can be had for about the price of a blaster. But I still took it. It's one of those cards I've never gone out of my way to buy, and maybe wouldn't do it if not for Wes' event. It's place in cardboard lore is well established, and I felt like I should own one to put in my "money box"...aka the box my wife knows to look for in case something ever happens to me.

Speaking of cardboard lore going into the money box, this was my third and final greedy claim:

Whoops. Yeah, pure greed. And I felt guilty as I hit claim. This was a wantlist card for me for a long time though. I even had a saved eBay search for a PSA 8, but right when I was looking to buy one a year ago the prices when up quite a bit. I never trusted to buy a raw, so the saved search just sort of sat there.

And then it popped up on Wes' timeline and I pounced.

Afterward I felt little icky, and hope I didn't take the fun out of it for others. As mentioned, I do feel that my package to Wes will be reflective of the cards he sent me. While I don't know a ton about wrestling cards, I made sure to pick out a few for Wes that had a story behind them.

Thanks, Wes. And sorry for being a greedy bastard.

Waffle House does not have Pancakes

In 2017, I was on a short trip with my son, and he wanted pancakes for breakfast.

Right near our hotel was a Waffle House, so we went there. I figure they'd have pancakes. Guess what?

I was wrong.

I know, I know. That was stupid move by me. It's called WAFFLE House. I know that was an idiotic move by me. But I figured they must have pancakes too. After all, you can get waffles at IHOP. That was my rationale. It's a breakfast joint. Sure they specialize in waffles, but I fully expected regular old pancakes to be buried on the menu somewhere.

They weren't. Lesson learned.

He ended up eating a waffle with a heaping side of bacon. But I still felt dumb. I'm sure I could have found a diner or a Denny's or something. But I took my kid to get pancakes at a place known for waffles. I hope he grows up to be smarter than me.

I don't know why, but when my latest mail day from Wes aka the Pancake King came, I immediately thought of that story and laughed to myself.

Wes offered a mega trade-athon on Twitter where he offered up amazing card after amazing card. He truly did. I claimed five cards - the max - and they were quite a mixture. I still owe Wes a return package, which I'll get mailed out soon, buddy. I promise.

To me, two PINK cards were the crown jewel of my claim:

Look at those rookie studs! The Chase Young Leaf Draft autograph was claimed early on before anyone was paying attention, I think. It's numbered just 7/7 for the 2nd overall pick behind Joe Burrow in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The pink Zion is cool too, and definitely my best Zion RC. I know he's not the hottest card in town anymore, although I think he'll have a decent year 2 because I don't think anyone will be hot enough in the NBA's next rookie class, and that includes LaMelo Ball.

The next card I claimed was a Bernie Williams bat card from Panini. Nice relic of a great Yankee.

The last cards I claimed came after the fact, as I checked out what was left, and landed on these two:

A relic of The Mailman is a cool item to add to the collection. Bol Bol got hot for a while after a scrimmage(!) in Orlando, but I didn't get this card to iNvEsT. My buddy is an Oregon fan so I snagged this for him.

Wes, thanks buddy. The event was amazing, and another reminder of why you're one of the most generous out there.

Double stacked

The other day, the King of Kindness, Wes, decided to send out a giant stack of PWEs. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of not one, but two of these!

The first came in about two weeks ago, and it was from a set I've long admired, 2002 Upper Deck Yankees Dynasty Game-Used:

What a cool card. The Tino and Paul O'Neill combo is one of my favorites. This issue features coach Willie Randolph alongside Chuck Knoblauch. It's a set I might think about chasing sometime, outside of the fact that guys like DiMaggio and Mantle are included. Oof. The card itself is really attractive, and the jersey pieces inside the interlocking NY is a nice touch.

I would have been happy there, but then ANOTHER PWE arrived earlier this week.

Look at that! A Topps Gallery RC autograph of Clint Frazier.

Frazier needs to play. He's an impact bat. I like Brett Gardner. He's been a good Yankee for over a decade. But it's hard to watch him up there while Frazier is wasting away at an alternate site (cue Gardner hitting two HRs tonight).

Wes, thanks for thinking of me!

There is only one Pancake King

Last week, Wes aka JBF aka The Pancake King dropped a line on Twitter to 13 of us, telling us we were the Lucky 13 and that he had a little something coming out way.

When Wes says something like that, it's not to be taken lightly.

We've all witnessed his generosity, and while he doesn't currently blog, he's always there like a snake in the weeds...just waiting to strike. And he struck just in time for the holidays.

I've always been very appreciative to be on Wes' good list, and his bombs have always been epic. What I appreciate most though, is the thoughtfulness behind it. He truly goes out of his way to send packages he knows the other person will enjoy.

When my Lucky 13 package arrived, part of me wanted to wait until Christmas to open it. But how could I look at a mailer from Wes for two weeks without peeking? Impossible. Plus, it arrived as I was outside hanging Christmas lights in frigid temps, so I felt in the holiday spirit.

So I opened it.

I love the tamper seal. Such a Wes touch.

The first card was the Pancake King Bowman custom he was including in each package. Mine was #8/13.

And the gift itself was one card, but a big one:

Oh my.

I never figured I'd own something like a Lou Gehrig relic, yet here is this card, now sitting in my collection. Unreal! I've become a bit jaded by all the great cards sent to me over the last 8 years of blogging, but this is one of those ones that stops you in your tracks. I keep going back to look at it.

What an incredible gesture, and a card I'll have forever. Even when I eventually downsize my collection, this one will stay.

Thanks, Wes!

What has Napkin Doon been up to? A Q&A with a blogging legend

A few days ago, Bob Walk The Plank came out of semi-retirement to make a blog post. I half-jokingly asked two legends, Napkin Doon and Jaybarkerfan, to do so as well. But since Wes' retirement is a lot more recent, I decided to check in on Napkin Doon, who has not blogged since March of 2014.

Napster was kind enough to answer a few questions and share what he's been up to.

The Lost Collector: "Napkin Doon is a Jerk" is still one of my most popular blog posts. How does that make you feel? 

Napkin Doon: About the same as when you asked me that in our last Q&A. (my note: burnnnn. Still got it, Nap.)

TLC: Are you still a jerk? 

ND: No. I’m a good person now. A very, very, very good person now.

TLC: Are you ever coming out of blogging retirement? 

ND: Despite relentless peer pressure from you and Wes, I don’t see it happening. There are times when I come up with something that I think would be a good blog bit, but I then realize I couldn’t sustain a blog again for longer than a month or two. I just don’t have enough to say to start up

again.

TLC: Are you currently collecting, and if so, what's your focus as of late? 

ND: Yes, I still collect. My focus has been on Topps Runs of HOF’s and my favorite players. I just finished my Frank Robinson run recently, and it’s awesome! And I have a few other main focuses:

• Still chipping away at 52 Bowman.
• Trying to add more T206s when I can (I recently picked up a card of a guy named Boss Schmidt that apparently beat up Ty Cobb and wrestled bears. I had to have that card. I mean, look at the flipped-up collar, and his name was “Boss.” (This should be a must own for every card collector)
• I’ve basically completed my Topps sampler album (1 page for every year of Topps from 1951 to now, with no player in the album more than once)
• I’m about 3/4 done with a junk wax sampler album (1 page per year of base of Donruss, Fleer, UD, Score, Bowman and Sportflics from 1981 to 1999). This project has been really fun (and mostly inexpensive) and the album is awesome to flip through. I’m trying to add any of the notable cards (Bill Ripken FF card, 89 UD Griffey, 84 Donruss Mattingly etc.) of the era are in it when possible.

I’m trying to cut down my bulk collection. I was inspired by the book “The Joy of Tidying Up” (even years ago before it was cool) and I’ve been limiting wax buys as much as I can because the bulk boxes of cards I’ve accumulated don’t bring me as much satisfaction as they used to. My kids have no interest in this stuff, so I’m imagining long term that when I hand over my collection, I’d rather it be manageable and interesting to whomever inherits it, rather than bulky and a big nuisance.

TLC: You recently sold a Vlad Jr card you've been hanging on to, and used it to buy a few

awesome cards. Care to share? 

ND: Sure! I bought a gorgeous T206 Wee Willie Keeler that I’ve wanted forever, a Johnny Bench Rookie, a 1959 Clemente and a 1972 Traded Frank Robinson. All paid for by a non-autographed card from 2016.

TLC: 2019 Bowman - yay or nay? 

ND: I won’t be buying it if I can help myself, but yay on the design. It’s pretty sharp looking IMO. Buying Bowman is one of the topics I was referring to when I mentioned I sometimes think of bits to do if I still had the blog. The bit was to have an ongoing series called “The Collector.” I was going to pretend like I was “The Bachelor” on TV, and all of these card collecting options were going to be like the hot babe contestants trying to get me to marry them at the end of the season. Early on, I would kick Finest, Triple Threads and other expensive sets to the curb because despite how hot they looked, all they wanted me for was my money. Modern Bowman was going to be one of the early favorites since I’ve bought so much of it in the past, but after Bowman and I would go on our “ one-on-one date” I would decide there was no future with “her” long term, and it ultimately wasn’t going to work out between us. Interestingly, before our one-on-one date, there would be a scene where 52 Bowman would pull me aside and go through this act where she tells me how much she cares about Modern Bowman because they are related, BUT, as much as it hurt her to say, Modern Bowman was nothing but a short term fling and not in my best interests. It would all lead to an emotional rose ceremony, with me sending Modern Bowman home, while all the remaining contestants looked on in shock and catty satisfaction. Plot Twist: later in the season, the cameras were going to catch me and Bowman making out away from the mansion and all sorts of drama would unfold with the contestants that were still around. Spoiler Alert: Topps HOF Runs and 1952 Bowman were going to finish in an unprecedented tie for the final rose. (my note: Folks, this is the kind of stuff we're missing around here.)

TLC: Which product are you looking forward to most this year? 

ND: Topps flagship. That’s it for the new stuff.

TLC: Any final thoughts? 

ND: Yes, but they are too disturbing to admit.

And there it is folks. As legendary as ever.

Thanks, Napkin Doon!

Thank you, Wes

I've been wanting to post this for awhile, but the scanned cards in my folder have just been very daunting. Yes, I'm talking about my haul from Wes "You'll Always Be JBF To Me" of Area 40's final cardboard giveaway this past holiday season.

For whatever reason, Wes decided that I would be an often recipient of his generous "bombs." The first package came in May, 2011. I had started blogging in February of that same year, so for basically as long as this blog has existed, JBF has been a constant source of blog fodder, usually the result of his ridiculous card packages he'd send at any given moment.

I tried to think of a favorite card he sent, but I couldn't possibly. I've got over 65 posts dedicated to him, and he's really one of the main reasons my collection is as large as it is, and has as many amazing cards as it does. I appreciate each and every bombing, as they were always well thought out and personalized. You could make one small comment at some point, and Wes stored that information for future card packages.

So with that, I'll show a few of the amazing cards he sent my way as part of his incredible final giveaway.

The most interesting item was easily this jumbo memorabilia swatch of Mariano Rivera. The card is massive (and has a regular sized card embedded, with a truly enormous piece of jersey included. It's obviously a swatch of a mesh spring training jersey, with some elastic either from a sleeve or collar. It's so large really pops out of the card. I have never seen anything like it! Plus, this was pulled right around the time of Mariano gaining election to the Hall of Fame. Someday I'll probably frame this.

Probably the other most interesting card is a cut autograph from 2018 Leaf History of Baseball. Hall of Fame Hill Dickey is the subject of this card, with a cut HOF post card embedded within the plastic case. I know many are not big fans of cut signatures, but I'm very thankful to own a signature of a Yankee Hall of Famer.

There were plenty of more memorabilia cards pulled, including several from Topps Clubhouse Collection. Sorry these scanned so dark:

I really like relics of bases as well (why doesn't Topps do this nowadays?), and this Posada from the 2003 All-Star Game is definitely cool looking.

here were plenty of autographs too, including a Clint Frazier, who has gotten off to a torrid start this season. The Enos Slaughter IP/TTM is really beautiful as well.

When I saw this Winfield, I was definitely confused since I hadn't seen it. Turns out it was a Topps on demand issue.

Here's a few more cards that jumped out to me as scan-worthy.

Wes, all I can really say is thank you. Thank you for this card package. Thank you for the countless others over the last 8 years. And thank you for choosing me as one of the many recipients of your generosity.

Winnings from Wes

A couple weeks back, I got a nice package from Wes over at Jaybarkerfan's Junk Willingham Rising Area 40. He's been holding some giveaways as he accumulates a massive amount of packs to bust.

My winnings were one card and a toy:

A cool graded mini of Jordan Matthews. I let me son display this in his room, as he likes football cards and thought the graded case was neat.

Wes also included this Skeletor toy. I certainly remember this guy from He-Man. It's a small figure, but very cool looking. I believe it may have come from a bling bag, but I'm not 100% certain.

Thanks, as always, Wes! Can't wait to watch you bust those packs.

Happy Trails, Wes

I feel bad.

My epic packages from Wes always seem to take too long to post. It's not that I don't want to. They are always just so daunting.

They usually sit in the mailer for longer than they should because I know I have to scan them and that's going to take awhile.

Then the scanning is done, but then they sit in my scanned folder because again, I scanned a lot of awesome cards.

Well, the time is here. I am going to power through. A while back, Wes aka JBF sent out his retirement packages. I was a lucky recipient. I've always been a lucky recipient of his, and I'll always be grateful for that. Here we go...

My favorite card of the group was this Derek Jeter relic. I have very few Jeter memorabilia cards, and while I don't know if I'll ever have an autograph of his, any jersey swatch will always be special.

There were a few other fun jersey cards too, including a Tino and a great-looking Paul O'Neill pinstripe!

There were a couple of autographs too! I didn't know Spring Fever cards (what happened to those?!) had auto versions, so the Boone Logan is neat. JR Murphy was forgotten for awhile but seems to have found a home in Arizona. A refractor autograph?! Sure, why not!

Judge Chrome RC! I didn't have this one.

Here's a card to making Zippy Zappy swoon:

And here's a card to make me swoon because I needed this Tino, which is limited to just 100 copies!

There were a TON of other serially numbered cards too:

As well as some oddballs. A .999 silver Babe Ruth?! How cool is that. When my kid asks me for a Babe Ruth card, he'd definitely not getting this one.

Anyone have a hunkering for Cracker Jacks?

And of course, Wes had to throw in some vintage.

Vintage is a fitting way to end this post, because these cards were just vintage Wes. The guy has done more for my collection than anyone out there, and I'll always appreciate it. Happy trails (for now), Wes!