Napkin Doon is alive

Napkin Freakin' Doon lives!

Well, his blog doesn't. It still is the third most-visited website of all time, but there hasn't been a new entry in a few months. But Napkin Doon the man is in fact alive! I know this because he recently sent me a pretty darn cool package of cards.

Sadly, the first card was the Rance Mulliniks pictured above. It's in a very heavy duty case. Nap and I tend to send each other Mulliniks cards. It all started by him sending me one that had mold all over it from old Topps gum. It's only gotten more and more out of hand since then. He won't have the last laugh though, I'll tell you that. I'm going to send him the actual Rance Mulliniks one day.

Other than the sweet Rance, by far the coolest card is an eTopps Phil Rizzuto mini. This crappy scan doesn't do it justice. It's refractory and really stands out, especially on a T-206 design. I wish eTopps was still around. Every card I've gotten in hand has been exceptionally cool.

The Doonster also sent me a few more cards, and a really cool coloring book for my kids. Well, I think it was for them. Or maybe now. I may color a few of these pictures myself and send one to Nap to hang on his fridge. I'm sure his lovely wife won't mind.

Nap, good to see you around, my friend. We miss you.

O Napkin Doon, O Napkin Doon! Wherefore art thou Napkin Doon?

Remember Napkin Doon? Of course you do. He only hung up his blogging boots a little over a month ago. It’s been a dark month, but the blog world keeps spinning.

Napkin sent me a package in his last days, and I’m just getting around to showing it now. But the goods are worth the wait. Nap has been a devout eTopps fan. He put a lot of time and effort into his portfolio of cards, only for Topps to neglect the concept and stop maintaining the site. Nap, sensing his cards may be gone forever, took delivery of his cards before they were gone forever.

He was nice enough to snag three cards for me – Michael Pineda, Manny Banuelos, and a 2005 Yankees team card highlighted by Randolph Johnson. The Pineda is a great addition to my PC…one of those annoying cards that would have been difficult to pick up.

 

Nap also threw in so Mo’s. I seriously need to get these cards framed.

Last but not least, some unopened junk wax that I’m going to save for my son to open one day.

Thanks, Nap. We miss you, buddy.

eTopps shipped...and I'm out.

eTopps is going away. They no longer offer any new cards or really maintain their website. I had a few cards, but by no means am I an eTopps collector. With their current state of the business, I only had one card I really liked, so I bit the bullet and paid the $6.00 to have this Gary Sanchez shipped to me. The cards are really nice and come enclosed in a sealed case. It’s just ridiculous how much they cost to get shipped. Do you think I should have my Jose Contreras 2004 rookie shipped to me as well? I kid.

Anyhow, after receiving this card, I'm done with eTopps. I have nothing worth shipping and won't be pursuing any new ones unless they are in-hand.

My first eTopps!

I've been wanting to pick up an eTopps card for awhile. I'm still not really sure how it all works. A card's value changes on a daily basis as a result of eBay auctions. I'm sure there are other factors too, I just don't really feel like looking them up. I've been on the lookout for a Gary Sanchez or Manny Banuelos, and today I finally scored a Sanchez for $2.02. Seems like a decent deal. I'll probably hold on to it for the near future, but I might have it shipped to me to add to my collection.

Do any of you guys use eTopps? What do you use it for? Since I'm unsure of how I'll use it, I'd love to hear what you use it for and how it's benefited your collection or added to the enjoyment of the hobby for you.