Plank you for being a friend

Seriously, how many "walk" and "plank" titles have there been since Bob Walk The Plank became a blog? My guess is 300. And also, each one is worse than the last one. But that won't stop me.

As several bloggers have done, Matt sent me a housewarming gift to my new house. It was a very kind gesture, and the package packed a lot of punch for being just three cards deep.

The first card I saw was the back of this one. Cool, I thought. An old '85 Leaf Phil Neikro. This can go in Joey's binder. However, it was more than that:

Boom. A buyback auto from Leaf hand-numbered to 35. This is my first Niekro auto, and I love it. What a pleasant surprise. I've always like the slant and style of Niekro's auto. Sort of looks like a lefty's signature.

I was on a Niekro knuckleball high, but that evaporated when this dropped out:

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

Roger Maris. Game used. I mean...I just can't.

There is nothing I don't like about this card. Old school jersey swatches are the best. The cream color of the Yankees home jersey is so cool. They should go back to that for a throwback game. But, seriously? A Maris relic? With a prominent pinstripe. This is one of the best cards in my collection, hands down.

The last card is so shiny I think I could put it on my roof to power the new house. It's a very cool low-numbered Mariano Rivera from 2005 Leaf Limited.

Matt, this was a great package. Thank you so much!

Catching Up on some cards

Recently, Jared from Catching Up With Collecting reached out. He wanted to get rid of a few Yanks, and you know I'm always game for that. He collects Red Sox, so I'm happy to have another Boston fan to ship my unwanted Sox cards to.

Jared's package was cool because it had a lot of cards/brands that you don't see in typical trade packages. It was a lot of fun to sort through.

But first, some Chipz! I didn't have any of these.

This Jeter immediately caught my eye. Unlicensed, yeah. But awesome as hell, yeah. Anything with flames is cool in my book.

Some framed beauties!

El Duque. If you didn't catch the ESPN 30 for 30 Brothers in Exile about Orlando and Livan Hernandez, do yourself a favor and watch. It was incredible.

I really like these Munsons. It's not so much the designs as much as it is NEW IMAGES. Topps recycles so many images, and it's nice to see photos of Thurm on cards that aren't common.

How did I not have this Deion? This card is so cool.

Ted Williams! Ok, all Red Sox hate aside, these were really nice sets. Classy designs, and great checklists.

And a Ted Williams minor league Jeter. No joke, I almost bought this card the other day, and to have it show up in a trade package was fate. It's easily one of my favorite Jeter cards ever. There's so much to love about it...the uniform, the stance, young Jeter in the background. So money.

Jared, thanks for the trade! I'll get your cards out to you shortly (if I haven't already).

Another Maris finds its way home

I don't know why, but I've been snagging some Roger Maris cards on the cheap lately. I'm not sure if there just isn't much demand, or the fact that he doesn't carry the same appeal that some of his Yankee teammates and vinatage stars of the '50s-60s. Regardless, adding his cards to my collection is important. Although he isn't in the HOF (bogus given his place in the game's history), in my eyes he still shares a place in the hobby next to guys like Mantle, Yogi, Whitey Ford, and Phil Rizzuto. In fact, Maris cards are a bit more expensive (in my observation), than Whitey Ford, a no doubt HOFer.

My most recent pick up cost me about $4 total, and it's in pretty damn good shape for a '64. The surface is a bit worn, but there are no creases. I consider that a victory.

I still have a few more Roger Maris cards to pick up, but I'm loving the fact that I've picked up so many over the past year or so.

Another new old Maris

Keeping up with a quick show and tell post while I travel, here's a new/old vintage Maris I picked up. It's also got Orlando Cedpeda on it, which is cool. It only set me back a couple bucks.

Here are the other Maris cards I own, so this will fit nicely.

JBF Epic Boxes: Pack 7

Let's show off another pack from the Jaybarkerfan Epic Boxes!

Let's start with two PC guys. I have both of these cards, but always love pulling cards of guys I collect. Two Topps flagship cards...can't so wrong.

I really like this Yogi! It's a photo I feel like I haven't many times, and the Noteworthy design is pretty cool.

A Brien Taylor Bowman gold foil RC! In the early '90s, this would have made me big bucks! I've mentioned it a few times as well, but I love these Denny's holograms. We have a family friend who used to always spoil me with a few packs of these every week.

This next card is awesome, although I'm sure at the time it wasn't quite as frowned upon as it might be now. The 60 HR Club. Will we ever see another player join it?

And the card of the pack?? A hit!! A Sterling Hitchcock jersey card, complete with a pinstripe (barely).

Total cards in pack: 35

Running total: 223

My mother-in-law has a LCS, and I don't.

A few weeks ago, some of you might remember that I tweeted about visiting a LCS near my mother-in-law’s house. My wife and her mother and aunts were going out to lunch, and I said I’d go out on my own. Spend some quality “me” time. I figured I’d go get a nice sandwich and take my time moseying around.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I googled “baseball cards” just to see if any nearby hits came up. Lo and behold, a store popped up just 4 miles away!

So I hopped in the card and drove to a small mall. I grabbed a sandwich at a nearby deli, then headed over the shop, Hall of Fame Card in Potomac, MD. I think there is a rule that every other shop has to be named “Hall of Fame Cards.”

Inside, there were cards, and a lot of other items for sale…jerseys, shirts, etc. I mulled around for a bit. Fairly typical pricing…packs and singles were a bit expensive. There definitely was a nice selection of vintage in the display cases. I really wish there were dime or quarter boxes, but I didn’t discover anything. There were grab bags, but they didn't look too promising. Singles were sorted into boxes by teams, and all Yankees were at least $.50, and that was just for a common. If it was a bigger name, it was a least a buck or two. I was a little bummed about that.

I did venture over to the Yankees vintage box and picked up the two cards below. I’m sure I could have found them cheaper online, but I wanted to give the guy some business and not walk away empty handed. The owner was nice and engaging with everyone who came in, and I was happy to see such a steady flow of customers. He has a great location right near McDonalds and a karate studio, so kids were around.

That is my first Post card. I was having trouble deciding between Maris and Yogi, and both were same price and condition. Ultimately, I chose Rog. The Stengel is a card I've wanted for a long time, so I was happy to snag that.

I’ll definitely going back since it’s better than just sitting around when I visit the in-laws.

Happy 3 years + 1 day to me!

Yesterday, Jordan over at Mint Condition posted about his blog anniversary. I thought to myself, hey, you know what, mine is around now too.

I looked up my first post, and sure enough, it was yesterday, Feb 10. VThe first post had very few views, no comments, and it didn't really make sense either. Perfect. So today marks the 3 year +1 day anniversary of my blog. Pretty cool. While I did have a few moments where the posts were very infrequent, having this blog has kept me connected to the hobby since 2011, and for that, I am grateful.

Will I make it another three years? Who knows. But for now, I’m going fairly strong, and really enjoying collecting.

Another epic JBF package

Once every couple of months, I arrive home from work, look in the corner of the table where the mail is set is each day, and see a yellow bubble mailer with the familiar handwriting of Wes over at Jaybarkerfan's Junk. For reasons still unknown to me, Wes sends me batch after batch of sweet Yankee cards. It's usually like the ultimate Yankee repack...new cards, old cards, oddballs, inserts. Even when there is junk era wax, I turn the card around to see that it's a Topps Traded card that I need.

Each one is truly a joy to go through. I thumb through each package five or six different times, noticing one new thing after the next. Here's a sampling of the latest package Wes sent me:

Wes ALWAYS tracks down Tinos I don't have. Here are two that are new to my collection - a sweet looking SP Authentic, a Topps Magazine card, and a cool bat relic:

 

Here's a taste of the oddballs. Seriously, this Nestle Gehrig is just too awesome:

The Refractors! I love old schools one, like this Polonia from 1994. That's a special card.

 

Inserts! I'm actually showing the back of the Mattingly. When I first saw it, I thought it was a regular 1985 Donruss. Turns out, it's a #'d 1985 reprint. The Maris is sweet to. It's got the same texture as a UD Masterpiece.

 

And lastly, the unexpected non-cards! A few sweet coins, and an amazing Don Mattingly flip book! My two-year-old-son LOVES this. I keep it on his bookshelf now, and he always brings it to me asking me to flip it for him. It's great!

Wes, as always, THANKS!

I wish everyday was Griffey's Birthday

Junior Junkie sent me a PWE just because it was Ken Griffey Jr's birthday. Seriously, how fantastic is that?

Here are the goods. Thanks to JJ, and thanks to Ken Griffey Jr for being born.

Adding another vintage Maris

Whenever I can, I like to pick up vintage cards of some of the more desirable old Yankees. You know, Mantle, Rizzuto, Berra, Ford, Maris. Usually, for me to afford them, they need to look like a chew toy. I don't mind though. I just like owning them. I'll upgrade when I'm a millionaire.

My latest addition is this 1963 Topps Roger Maris. Well-loved is not the word. Well-hated is more appropriate. It's been folded any which way you can imagine. I just couldn't pass it up for about $3 total.

This is my second vintage Maris. I also own the 1966 below. I smell a challenge.

Vintage on Listia? Yes please.

I'm still getting the hang of Listia. I've run quite a few auctions, and after enough disappointing end results, I think I finally figured out a fairly decent formula to ensure some good-sized bids, as well as the cards/lots that drive these bids.

Anyhow, I've tried to be better about my bidding/spending as well. After missing out on a 1961 Maris because I didn't have enough credits, I've vowed to keep a certain balance. Sadly, I don't think I'll ever come across another card like the Maris.

That didn't stop me from picking up two decent vintage lots. The first are two team cards from 1968 Topps - the Angels and the Dodgers. The Angels card is in decent shape. So is the Dodgers, except it's cut a bit funky. Both are for trade.

The second was a 1966 Topps lot I got for pretty cheap, partly because the cards have holes punched in them. Regardless, how could I pass up a Yankees team card that includes Maris and Mantle? I couldn't. The other card, with the same hole punched in it, features Frank Robinson and Willie Mays.

 

Pretty good scores!