Michael Phelps Autograph - Part 2

While Part 2 of this post won't feature any cards better than the Micael Phelps autograph, it's really all gravy from here on out. I mean, for $25 I got this:

And this:

Even if the remaining 1,000 or so cards were utter junk wax, I was still coming out well ahead.

Well, one of the first cards I came across was this:

Another Bryant RC. That makes two!

From there, there was a row of probably about 100 straight RCs. That makes me feel like this person knew even more what they were doing. They ranged from big stars to guys who you thought would be big stars, to some junk wax era RCs that are still great to have. Here's a sampling.

The Freeman and Baez are pretty good pulls alone, then you've got busy like Boegarts, Yelich, Didi, Votto, etc.

And while its not a RC, this card was a surprise.

There was actually a decent stack of Bowman Platinum, which shows this person was a fairly recent collector.

From there, I found a few more autographs that weren't pictured, as well as a couple of numbered cards. Still gravy.

I was surprised to find an old Pinnacle Epix! These were tough pulls, and I'm sure that the Belle would have fetched a few bucks back in the day. The condition of it was a bit rough, but cool to have!

Many cards were grouped by star player, as there were plenty of Bryants, Altuves, and around 30 Ichiros!

Yanks weren't overly plentiful, but still some decent ones, including some from 2018. Again, a recent collector!

And it was right after the James Paxton trade, so it was fun to find these included.

There were a few vintage cards, and nothing great, but again, any stack of vintage is gravy at this point.

Oh, and the shiny I mentioned from yesterday? These were in the form of a bunch of colorful 2014 Topps parallels. I was actually just a tad let down from these because when I peeked at them while still in NYC, they caught a weird light and looked orange. I thought I stumbled upon a rare Orange version!

I finished up the first box, which was the largest of the two, and then I started on the smaller box. The first 20 cards or so were junk wax, so I figured that's what I was in for from here on out. Then this card showed up:

Whoa! Followed by a massive run of Seaver cards, maybe 25-30 total, both vintage and modern.

Following the run of Seavers, was the run of game-used cards. THESE WERE NOT ADVERTISED. There were literally 30 right in a row, with guys like Ortiz, Teixeira, Sheffield, and Helton featured. Pretty cool!

Honestly, there were a lot more treasures not even pictured, but this is the best recap I can muster up.

Probably the best $25 I've spent on this hobby. And a feat I don't ever expect to replicate again.

SuperTraders #25: San Jose Fuji

It's nearing the end as a "SuperTrader" for me. I have a few packages I need to send those I haven't yet, then I'll be stepping away. I don't buy enough cards to replenish inventory to regularly trade with a representative of all teams.

Unexpectedly, San Jose Fuji sent me a great package around the new year. It had a bunch of great relic-type cards.

I really gravitated toward the Jason Giambi base relic. I think game-used bases are some of the coolest out there. This one has some great dimples and dirt (that'd be a good name of an insert set...Dimple & Dirt). Far more interesting than a plain jersey swatch, right? I don't think we've seen a game-used base insert set in a long time - probably at least ten years, right?

Speaking of plain jersey swatches, these are two relics I didn't have. For a time I considered collecting the 2011 Topps 60 relic set of just Yankees, but I couldn't stay dedicated to it. The Cracker Jack of Soriano is cool too, as it's smaller than a standard card.

I always liked these rookie reprints too. I have the Mattingly, and am now happy to have the Cano.

I meant to buy this Jose Pirela autographed card during COMC Black Friday, but I forgot! Luckily, Fuji took care of that for me.

He also snuck in a pretty great vintage card of Bobby Murcer. I have a few Murcers, but this is new to my collection. Tony Oliva was pretty great too. I may be showing my age, but I have no idea who Merv Rettenmund is.

Last, but not least, Fuji was kind enough to send a pack of Sportflics for my son! I haven't given him the pack yet - he got too many 'time outs' at pre-school last week!

Fuji, it's always a pleasure. Thank you!

9 years too late

It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years since Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and Ian Kennedy burst onto the scene for the Yankees. Those three had massive potential, and some was reached with the Yankees and some wasn’t. But it’s easy to forget just how exciting it was when these three were waiting in the wings.

We had heard about Phil Hughes for awhile, and he made his much anticipated debut on April 26, 2007. I was at the game. I was in my first job in NYC still, and when it was announced he was starting, I quickly grabbed tickets online and headed up to the game with a buddy. It was easy to do that in my young, single days. It takes a lot more planning now.

While his debut was a little rocky (4.1 innings, 4 ERs, 5K), his next start was the defining one. He had a no-no going vs Texas, but pulled his hamstring in the 7^th and was out until August. Who knows what could have happened had he not been injured that game. As for his time in NY, he did have some great moments, including a dominant 2009 in the bullpen as part of the World Series winning team, and then was in All-Star in 2010 while winning 18 games. He’s been a very serviceable pitcher in the big leagues, both with the Yankees and Twins, but he never quite lived up to his ace-in-the-wings billing. He left NY following the 2013 season.

Next came Joba. He flew through the Yankees minor league system in his first full season, and impressed enough that he was moved to the bullpen to help the big league club. That he did, making 19 utterly dominant appearances. This started a massive debate of whether he was a starter or reliever, jerking him back and forth between the rotation and the pen. It was stupid. I was always in favor of him being a starter, as he had four plus pitches that were sort of wasting away in the ‘pen. Most relievers are failed starters, and he never got a fair shot. He had a few ok years in the pen, and parted ways with NY after 7 seasons, same as Hughes.

Ian Kennedy was the last to make his debut in 2007, and he made three very good starts in September, enough to make the Yanks think he was a major part of their future in 2008. Things didn’t go as planned, as he had a shoulder injury in 2008 and then an aneurysm in 2009. Tough breaks. He was then shipped to Arizona as part of the Granderson-Scherzer-Austin Jackson-Edwin Jackson deal. He enjoyed success with the D-Backs, winning 21 games in 2011. He then went to San Diego, and finally signed with the Royals this off-season and is off to a good start.

When I fall in love with prospects, I always think back to these three. While it’s fun to hold onto your guys, in the vast majority of cases, they don’t live up to the hype. That doesn’t mean that are unsuccessful. I’d argue that all three of these guys have had very good careers. It just means that rarely do they live up to the HOF expectations placed on them while they are barely of legal age.

Regardless, a Joba Chamberlain autograph has always eluded me, and I found this cool one with Hughes for a great price. Ahh, what could have been!

A Spankee Yankee trade

I dropped the ball on this trade, but luckily Spankee didn’t. He sent me a great batch of Yanks that had a little of everything. I am just now sending out cards for him. Talk about a slacker.

The trade started by checking if a Reggie Jackson he pulled was for trade. Here’s the card. I’ve always loved these, especially with the signature.

A Joba card #/d to 699 was also included. Hard to believe I’m watching Joba’s last few weeks in pinstripes. He’ll either be traded today or walk away as a free agent next year. 

Fleer Inscribed of Derek Jeter is just a classy card. 

I have no idea what set this Roberto Kelly card comes from, but there were two different ones in the package. 

A great old Topps All Star of Donnie Baseball. 

A Topps Attax refractory card, which is surprisingly sharp looking for a Topps Attax card.

Oddball! 

Last but not least, a Floyd Little Syracuse card. I always appreciate gestures like this, as it shows Spankees knows I’m a Syracuse guy from the few times I've mentioned it. I wonder if Floyd signs TTM… 

 

Thanks again, Spankee! I SWEAR your cards are in the mail.

A new Banuelos from Trey

I completed a trade with Trey from Rants, Reviews and Fandom last week. I really wanted his Manny Banuelos Bowman Chrome auto, but my craptastic tradebait at the moment prevented me from making and offer. None the less, Trey needed a JD Martinez card I pulled and offered a Bowman Chrome Throwback of Manny Banuelos, so it was an easy trade.

Here is the card I was expecting. I'll be happy when Topps finally has some new Banuelos photos. This photo (or one close to it) has been used a bunch of times now. Either way, it's a cool card and a great addition to my growing Banuelos collection. I can't wait to see this dude in the Bronx this year.

Trey threw in three sweet cards. I was floored by this CC Sabathia card! It's from the Series One Wrapper Redemption program I believe. I had the Teixeira already, so adding CC is fantastic. These might just be the prettiest cards of the year. I wonder how hard it would be to pursue this set. What do you guys think?

Trey also included two minis - a Mattingly Kimball Champs and a Joba Gypsy Queen. I didn't have either one, so these were appreciated as well.

Trey - thanks for the trade!

Cards from Dhoff

Recently, DHoff of Coot Veal and the Vealtones picked up a few cards and showed them off on his blog. I needed the 2003 Topps Chien-Ming Wang Rookie for my Topps Yankees project, as 2003 is the only year I’m missing a signature from. Wang is usually a good signer in spring training, but I’m not sure how he’ll be in September. Anyhow, DHoff sent me the card and a bunch of other Yanks to go along with it. (note: I've already sent the Wang card to Nats, so no image)

First and foremost, he included a Tino I didn’t have – 2002 Topps Total. Although it’s a card of Tino during his lost years, it’s another one to check off the list.

And here is the assortment of Yankee cards. Two jam-packed team bags! I’ll post some of the personal highlights below, but I love and appreciate all the cards.

A few older cards, including a 1981 Topps Reggie Jackson that I didn't have. The Willie Randolph rookie cup card is especially awesome.

Next up, a 1998 Starting Lineup Talking Baseball Don Mattingly. I’m not quite sure what set this is from, as I don’t believe it was the card that came with Starting Lineup figures.

A couple of 2009 Topps 206 Yankees. This set is still pretty new to me, as I wasn’t collecting at this time. I didn’t have any of these four cards.

Finally, a 2008 Heritage Dick Perez Joba Chamberlain card. This is easily my new favorite Joba card. I’m a huge Perez admirer, as the amount of paintings he chruns out that are spot-on is staggering.

DHoff, thanks again. I’ll be sure to send some cards your way shortly!