The Year in Review

Is 2012 really coming to an end already?!  In some ways this year has seemed to fly by while at other times it seems to have dragged.  It's been a great year overall.  Although the frequency of my posting has dropped since the end of the baseball season, it doesn't mean that I'm not collecting or just as excited about trading cards as I was 12 months ago.

I may have not been able to pick up as many key cards as I had wanted to, but I was thrilled to make this nice 2012 Topps Gold Rush auto Tim Hudson my first auto of the year.  To this day I still haven't seen many of this card made available online so I'm especially happy to have grabbed it when I had the opportunity.

 As the year progressed I was able to add a few other autos of Huddy to my PC.  Still haven't grabbed any of his 2012 Triple Threads autos yet...perhaps that will be a goal going into 2013.

One segment of my collection that doesn't always get as much attention as other segments is my NC State collection.  Back in the spring I was thrilled to see the Pack headed to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament.  It's been awhile since there has been an NC State player to make a big impact in the majors, but that doesn't stop me from rooting on my favorite collegiate team.

Of all the great things that came out of 2012, one announcement wasn't so great - especially if you were a Braves fan.  After a very long and successful career with the Atlanta Braves, Chipper Jones announced his retirement before the season would begin.  What a awesome final season it was too - for both Chipper and the Braves.  I still have a bitter taste in my mouth for how the season ended in the stupid one game playoff against the Cardinals.  At any rate thanks Chipper for all the great memories!

Another loss the blogging community suffered was the Sewing Machine Guy withdrawing from collecting.  In my few short years of blogging and trading I came to really respect the SMG.  I completely understand why he (and JABO) left the community so no hard feelings there.  Before the SMG guy left, he was kind enough to send me this awesome low serial numbered jersey card of Panthers WR, Steve Smith.  Thanks buddy for all of your support!

 

Not all of my purchases were of baseball players.  Don't ask me why I was so eager to pick up an auto of TV's Super Nanny, but this is my favorite non-baseball card of the year.

Of course I can't do a year in review post without mentioning another great year of hosting my monthly Affordable Group Breaks.  2012 saw a lot of great product ripped spanning nearly 20 years.  The breaks may have slowed down in the last few months (it's a lot a work you know!) I do have a great break on taps to kick of 2013.  Sign-ups have already been posted so check out the top right corner of the blog for all the info.  A big thank you to all the participants and vendors that supplied the boxes.  It was a lot of fun and I hope to carry on the tradition of Affordable Group Breaks again in 2013.

The last thank you I want to make is to all of you - the readers.  There are no shortages of great blogs and bloggers out there now so I appreciate all the support I've received throughout the year.  Here's to a great 2013 here at Cardboard Collections.  Don't forget to like us on Facebook as well as I do post exclusive content there from time to time.

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:16-20

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New International Version

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

My family would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.  Hope it is everything you expect and want it to be this year.

Pack Break: 2012 Panini Cooperstown

It's been awhile since I've featured a Pack Break here so why not take a quick look at Panini's newest baseball offering - 2012 Cooperstown.

The base set is comprised of 150 cards plus another 20 short printed "color tint" cards.  I actually don't care for the way the tinted SP cards look so if I decide to chase the set I'll just stick with 1-150.  In typical Panini fashion there is at least one sequentially numbered parallel set - Crystal Collection.

Inserts are many and most of them look really sharp.  Bronze History, Cooperstown Signatures (on card autos!), Induction, Famous Moments, Famous Moments Signatures, High Praise, Field Generals, Museum Pieces, Hall History, Ballparks, The Village, Credentials, With Honors (a cool military salute), Voices of Summer, Ty Cobb Georgia Peach (1 card) and Ty Cobb Iron Horse (1 card).  I should mention these are cards that can be found in retail packs like the one I've sampled.  I believe there are retail blaster exclusive cards as well as the stand hobby exclusive stuff.

The card fronts are nice looking and have that throwback look.  With the black and white photos there isn't a lot of color splash, but I kinda prefer that.  At the top of the card you have the year the player was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

The card back gives you some info on the player, but not much in the stats department.  I'm guessing most collector's already know the stats for these guys so Panini just opted to highlight one particular year of their career.

It appears the inserts are inserted one per pack.  Part of me likes this as it keeps me coming back for more packs, while the other half of me realizes it'll take longer to put this set together without having a trading partner.

The insert in this pack is from the Famous Moments set.  While it may not be my favorite insert set it still has a very nice design.  The words in black just above the bat states this is the bat used by Willie Mays on April 30, 1961 when he hit 4 home runs in a single game.

Flip the card over and you're treated to more information and career highlights of the player, in this case of the "Say Hey Kid".

Thus far I've bought a few retail packs and I've gotta say I really like what Panini has done here.  I've quickly been losing interest in building sets (thanks in part to 2012 Topps and their shenanigans), but this is a set I could see building...well at least #1-150.  I do hate SP cards when they are numbered as part of the base set, but I guess that is something I should get used to in this day and age of collecting.

If you have bought any of these cards or if you want to trade shoot me an e-mail.  I'll probably get a want list and trade list posted soon.

Sunday Verse

Luke 1:26-28

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New International Version

[The Birth of Jesus Foretold] In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Christmas is fast approaching...and my wife and kids are all sick.  I guess the bright side is we can get this crud out of the way before the big day arrives.  Remember to love on your family as the nation still mourns the tragic loss of life in CT earlier this week.

One baseball card note before I'm out.  Sign-ups are still going on for next month's Affordable Group Break featuring 2 jumbo boxes of 2013 Topps Series 1.  I can't believe the Yankees, Rangers, Angels (among other teams) are still sitting there unclaimed!  See the top right corner of the blog for the link to sign-up. 

2012 Topps WWE Heritage - Need help!

I decided to fore go purchasing a hobby box of the new 2012 Topps WWE Heritage and just stick to retail.  As you may have noticed from an earlier post, I've had great success thus far by pulling a John Cena auto.  I'm really close to finishing the base set, but I still need a few cards.  I also still need lots of the various inserts to round out my set.  I'm not really focusing on the relics at this moment, but if you have opened any of this stuff and want to work out a trade please let me know.


Here is my want list showing what I still lack...

Here is my trade list of what I have to offer in trade...

I would also entertain the idea of buying the cards I need...

Sunday Verse

John 15:5, 8

New International Version “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Affordable Group Break - 2013 Topps x2 Hobby Jumbo Boxes!

It's not too early to be thinking about baseball in 2013.  Last year I ordered a hobby jumbo box of 2012 Topps Series 1 for a group break and it seemed like everyone was happy with the outcome.  So why not do it again for 2013, but let's double it this time around!  We'll be opening 2 hobby jumbo boxes of 2013 Topps Series 1.  This should net us 1,000 base cards, 2 autos, 4 relics and 2 commemorative relic cards and a whole bunch of inserts.

Instead of taking the pick one team and get a 2nd team randomized approach, I'll be making each team available.  I realize that not all the teams will likely sell so this is what I intend on doing:

Each team will cost $12.50 + $5.50 shipping = $18.00 total.  That is still less than the cost of a blaster!  If all 29 teams are claimed, then everyone will get a $6.00 refund (essentially making each team $6.50 before shipping).  Sound fair?  In order to make this a reality I'll need to place the order ASAP to lock in the pre-order price so claim your team(s) today.

TO CLAIM A TEAM:

- Leave a comment with the team of your choice

- Please e-mail me your screen name, real name & address, PayPal e-mail address and your team (cardboardcollections at yahoo.com)

- Send your payment via PayPal to the same e-mail address.

- If you wish to send a check or well concealed cash please let me know up front.

Angels - Hcb Sportscards.com (PAID)
Astros - 
Athletics -
Blue Jays - D a V e (PAID)
Braves - Cardboard Collections (PAID)
Brewers - cynicalbuddha (PAID)
Cardinals - madding (PAID)
Cubs - 
Diamondbacks - Farrell Quinlan (PAID)
Dodgers - nightowl (PAID)
Giants - arpsmith (PAID)
Indians - 
Mariners - 
Marlins -
Mets - 
Nationals - CaptKirk42 (PAID)
Orioles - Ryan H (PAID)
Padres - TheUnderdog Card Collector (PAID)
Phillies - Dan (PAID)
Pirates - NY Hitman (PAID)
Rangers - Hcb Sportscards.com (PAID)
Red Sox - 
Reds - 
Rockies - Rosenort (PAID)
Royals -
Tigers - SueFitz (PAID)
Twins - 
White Sox - 
Yankees - NY Hitman (PAID)

How to store/protect/display autographed cards?

As I've been trying to utilize some down time and get a lot of my cards scanned, cataloged and put away I've been thinking about the best way to protect my autographed cards.  The autos in my team and player collections will most likely go into UltraPro pages, but will they hold up over time?

Should I place the cards in penny sleeves before putting them in pages?  Or is that an unnecessary step?  Should autos sitting in stacks waiting to be cataloged be in penny sleeves too?

Has anyone noticed any of your autos smudging or smearing since you bought/pulled them?  I noticed the ink on my Jason Heyward Topps Chrome RC looked a little odd when I went to scan it the other day.  I highly doubt many of my autos will ever really be "worth" anything, but being a Tim Hudson super collector a lot of my autos are low numbered so I'd hate for anything to happen to the autos themselves.

So what I'm asking you as the reader is to chime in and tell me how you store/protect/display your autos in your collection.  Do you page & binder them?  Do you just use the screw down or magnetic holders?  Penny sleeves or no sleeves?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Byron Mullens monster dunk

The Charlotte Bobcats got off to a great start, but are now struggling.  The 'Cats lost a 18 point 4th quarter lead last night to the Portland Trailblazers, but early in the game Byron Mullens looked like Air Jordan...well, kind of.

Byron took a 3 early in the game and missed, but he stayed with his shot.  Take a look:

It may have not been the most graceful dunk, but a dunk is a dunk.  I just hope the 'Cats can shake this 3 game losing streak and regain the same composure they showed at the beginning of the season.  No matter the outcome of the game however, the team has been fun to watch...couldn't say that about last year's 7 win team.

Sunday Verse

John 1:1-2, 14

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New International Version

[The Word Became Flesh] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

As I get ready to settle in for another Carolina Panthers football game, my prayers go out to the family of the Kansas City linebacker and the family of his girlfriend that were killed yesterday.  News reports said the couple have a 2 month old baby.  I can't even begin to imagine what both families are going through this weekend.

Jackpot pull from 2012 Topps WWE

You can probably tell from the lack of new posts here that I've been taking a break from cards in general.  It's the off season for baseball and my evenings have been full watching the NBA's Bobcats and of course football on the weekend.  However that doesn't mean that I don't still browse the card aisle at Target or Walmart from time to time.  Today on a quick trip to Walmart to grab some stamps for work I noticed they had the new 2012 Topps WWE Heritage cards.  Ever since I saw them online several months ago I knew that was a set I wanted to build, so I grabbed two rack packs to see what the cards looked like in hand.  The first rack pack I opened, bottom section contained this card just a few cards in:

Jackpot!  Now I'm not the biggest John Cena fan, but this is a pretty cool pull.  In retail rack packs the autographs are seeded 1:120 packs.  The odds of pulling one of the best autos in the series - who knows.  Earlier this year I bought a hobby box of the 2012 WWE flagship and I didn't even get a auto so this is sweet justice. 

And in case you were wondering if I'm keeping the card or not, it's already up on eBay.  Far too many times have I held onto cards for too long and I didn't want to make that mistake again.

Remember these?

Like a lot of collectors I've been using the baseball off season to recharge the proverbial battery, organize my card collection and spend some time doing other things.  During one of my recent "let's tackle this stack of cards" I ran across this frame that I forgot I had.

2002 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia auto #006/150 - Jose Vidro

There was a short time that Vidro was part of my PC, but I never got behind him as much as I did other players like Rey Ordonez...however I must've bought this on eBay or whatever 10 or so years ago.  While the whole presentation is pretty cool, I just don't care to own it any longer.  I'm hoping there is a Vidro fan or even an Expos fan out there that will want to take this off my hands.  If you are interested please let me know and I'm sure we can come to some kind of trading terms.  I'm not looking for much - maybe just a normal jersey or bat relic or an auto of a Braves player or someone from my PC.

Sunday Verse

Colossians 2:6-7

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New International Version

[Spiritual Fullness in Christ] So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

We had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you and your family did as well.  Now that the turkey has been put away (well most of it) we'll be in the sprint to Christmas.  Being the dad of two little girls I can't wait for Christmas.  My oldest, Livi, is now 3 and it starting to really understand what Christmas is all about.  Of course she is all excited about getting presents, but she is also excited about celebrating the birth of Jesus.  Let's not forget the real reason of the season...it's one of the things I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.  Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
¹² Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all. ¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.  Whether you're having family over at your home, traveling to be with your family, eating out or just flying solo...let's not take for granted all the blessings we have.  Enjoy some turkey, football and family.

Sunday Verse

Psalm 119:105

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New International Version

נ Thy Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

The pulse of Charlotte professional sports (Panthers & Bobcats)

Being a sports fan in Charlotte is tough...especially over the last few years.  2 years ago our NFL Carolina Panthers were a measly 2-14.  Sure that lead to picking #1 overall in 2011 which landed Cam Newton in town, but here were are with 7 games left in the NFL season and the Panthers are 2-7.  We have lost some really close games (Atlanta) and others have been down right embarrassing (Giants, Broncos).  All this losing has lead to a media frenzy of negativity towards the head coach Ron Rivera, but mostly towards Cam Newton himself.  Just last week the Denver Broncos mocked Cam and his Superman celebration not once or twice, but several times during the game.  It seems like when Cam isn't winning he doesn't care.  Looking across the field at the opponent's bench you could see Peyton Manning last week on one knee talking to his teammates about what they needed to do differently to put points on on the board.  What was Cam doing while the defense was on the field?  Towel over head - check.  Sitting all by himself on the bench - check.  Sulking - check.  Just this morning the Washington Redskins made Robert Griffin III a captain on the offense.  While I would still take Cam's abilities over RG3, I'd take RG3's maturity and leadership over Cam any day of the week.

Oh yeah, the Panthers also fired their GM Marty Hurney mid-season.  This lead to not being able to make any trades or jettison some of the stupid big dollar contracts Hurney signed some of our guys too.

So what do Panthers fans do now.  Do we root for a high draft pick?  New coach?  For a new GM to come in and clean house completely?  I personally have a hard time blaming all of this on coach Rivera and I can't pull for the team to lose the rest of the games just for a high draft pick.  The team has so many holes and needs that I don't really know where to start.  All I know is it's frustrating to listen to local sports radio let alone watch the games Sunday afternoon only to be constantly disappointed.

On the flip side we have the Charlotte Bobcats.  Owners of the NBA worst winning percentage last season.  One might think there isn't anything positive going on in Charlotte sports wise.  That's where the story gets better.  Michael Jordan finally realized his way of running an NBA team just wasn't working so he went out and stole GM Rich Cho from Oklahoma City to run his team.  Then they hired Mike Dunlop from Saint John's University to coach this young staff.  It also helped that the NBA draft ping pong balls fell in our favor and we ended up with the 2nd overall pick that turned into Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Jordan also made a good move by dropping "Bob" off the front of the home jerseys and removing almost all of the orange used - both on the jerseys and the courts.  Now the jerseys just say "Cats" and the orange has been replaced with shades of blue...ironically enough more of a Duke blue than Carolina blue.  I know it's a small move on the team's part, but after laying a rotten egg like the team did last year it was much appreciated by the fans trying to distance themselves from last year's horrible fiasco.

The 'Cats won a whole 7 games last year.  7 games into the new season and the team is 4-3.  They currently have a 3 game win streak - the first in the team's history.  Coach Dunlop has these guys hustling on both ends of the court and has brought back an excitement about NBA basketball in Charlotte that has been missing since the Hornets left for New Orleans.  Yes the season is young and I'm sure they'll hit that long losing streak at some point, but you can see the effort in the team - both in the front office and on the court.  People want to attend Bobcat games again.  People are standing up in their seats and cheering.  Even after a close loss in the first week of the season the team was greeted to a stand ovation as they walked off the court.  Why cheer a team that just lost?  Because they put forth the effort to win...something many did not see last year.

I really wish Panthers owner Jerry Richardson would look down the road and see what Jordan and his staff are doing and take a page from their playbook.  Richardson needs to hire a good GM and then hand over the reigns to him to find a head coach and coaching staff and start to re-build.  Cam Newton needs to have a conversation with Bobcat's point guard Kemba Walker about his dramatic turn around and positive attitude.

I'm not giving up on the Panthers.  I'm still proud to say I'm a fan.  Heck, just this week I got a bunch of new autograph and jersey cards of Panthers players.  I'm even happier to admit I'm a Bobcats fan.  While Charlotte won't be winning any championships in the next few seasons - on the field or court - there seems to be a glimmer of light on the local sports scene.  Both teams have hit rock bottom so the only place to go from here is up.

Now if only Charlotte could entice the Miami Marlins or another MLB team to relocate to town I'd be a happy camper.  The White Sox's AAA affiliate Charlotte Knights are building a new ball park in uptown Charlotte which should be fun...but it's still not the major leagues.

The beginning of a new PC: Ben Sheets

I was aware of Ben Sheets as a MLB player, but I hadn't really followed his career much.  In fact I didn't even know he had been out of baseball for a few years before the Braves signed him earlier this year.  How could one not get behind a guy like Sheets in 2012?  I'm not going to go hog wild buying up his cards, but when I came across a few autos of his online I couldn't resist.  As I continue to scan my backlogged cards I'll share more, but for now here are the first two purchases of his I made.

2002 Fleer Authentix

2005 Donruss Prime Patches #39/93

I love the pseudo ticket look of 2002 Fleer Authentix, but my favorite of the pair has to be the Donruss Prime Patches card.  Jersey, hat, shoe, pants and an auto.  Plus it's #'d out of 93.  Yeah it's a sticker auto, but at least Donruss embedded the sticker in the card.

PC Addition: Brandon Beachy

When the internet exclusive 2012 Topps Mini was released I quickly grabbed Brandon Beachy's relic card.  Next up is a 1 of 1 yellow Printing Plate!  Hate he was injured this year, but man has it made some of his cards affordable!

  

So long Rossy

At some point over the weekend I saw a report from a Braves beat writer on Twitter that David Ross has turned down the offer made by the Braves and is headed up to Boston to join the Red Sox.  I know I'm not the only fan that is sadden and a little worried over this news.  Braves catcher Brian McCann is undergoing surgery this off season and whether he'll be ready in April is still up in the air.  The Braves have a prospect catcher, Christian Bethancourt, but whether or not he can make the jump from AA to the majors in 2013 is still up in the air.

  

I came to really grow fond of David Ross and what he brought to the club.  I know he was a goof ball, smiling and laughing while sitting on the bench with his teammates.  I can't say this news totally surprises me as the Braves' Chip Carey has said many times throughout the course of the 2012 season that David Ross could easily be a starting catcher for any other team.  Now it looks like he's getting his chance...just not as a Brave.  At least he didn't sign with the Yankees!  My wife is from New England so I occasionally drop in to see how the Red Sox are doing...at least now I have a reason to watch a full game.  I still plan on picking up his cards going forward.  Perhaps this move will result in more cards?

Good luck in New England Rossy.  You'll be missed in the south, but this Braves fan will still be rooting you on.

Sunday Verse

Isaiah 1:18

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New International Version

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

It's been a pretty good week in the Hopper household and I'm looking forward to some family time, NFL football and finishing off the weekend w/ a new episode of The Walking Dead.  Have a great Sunday everyone!

Blogger Appreciation Affordable Group Break - 2003 Upper Deck Standing O!

The box of 2003 UD Standing O! didn't contain a lot of cards, but the round die-cut parallels more than make up for it.  I didn't realize going in these have some embossed texture on the front.  I wish every team landed one of these so you could see how cool these are.

Blogger Appreciation Affordable Group Break - 1994 Upper Deck Fun Pack

All the packs have been ripped and the cards separated by team.  This would be a fun set to put together, but I can tell it would take more than one box as the themed subsets aren't as plentiful as the base cards.  Below you'll find various cards from the subsets that son will make their way into you hands.

AGB - Payments Due!

Good news everyone...shipping will be set at $3.00 for every participant.  Below is the final list of teams claimed.  Please add $3.00 to your winning bid(s) and remit the payment ASAP via PayPal - colbeykatie at comporium.net

Angels - $2.00 / The Angels In Order
(PAID)
Astros - $.50 / The Dutch Card Guy (PAID)
Blue Jays - $1.00 / D a V e (PAID)
Brewers - $1.00 / cynicalbuddha (PAID)
Cardinals - $3.00 / madding
Cubs - $1.00 / rfmeier (PAID)
Diamondbacks - $.25 / AdamE
Dodgers - $.50 / Tim Byrd (PAID)
Expos/Nats - $.50 / Tim Byrd (PAID)
Giants - $1.00 / arpsmith (PAID)
Indians - $.25 / Baseball Dad (PAID)
Mariners - $.25 / Jeff Wilk (PAID)
Mets - $.25 / The Dutch Card Guy (PAID)
Orioles - $1.00 / ShadyTwine (PAID)
Phillies - $.50 / Brad's Blog
Pirates - $.25 / Baseball Dad (PAID)
Rangers - $.25 / Play at the Plate
Red Sox - $2.00 / AdamE
Reds - $.50 / Tim Byrd (PAID)
Rockies - $1.50 / Tim Byrd (PAID)
Twins - $1.00 / rfmeier (PAID)
White Sox - $2.00 / Jeff Wilk (PAID)
Yankees - $.25 / The Dutch Card Guy (PAID)

You don't need to mark the payment as a gift.  Please include your Blogger screen name along w/ the team(s) you won and a full mailing address - even if you think I have your address.  My goal is to get everything packed up this weekend and mailed on Monday morning.

If you have any questions please leave a comment or e-mail me.  Thanks again to everyone and I hope to resume my normal Affordable Group Breaks in 2013.

AGB Update

Thank you to everyone that placed a bid(s). Bidding is now closed and the packs will be opened this weekend. I'll just be sharing the subset cards from the UD Fun Pack box and the inserts from Standing O!  Stay tuned for the results.  Invoices with shipping charges to follow.

Affordable Group Break Preview Pack - 1994 Upper Deck Fun Pack

I bought a lot of cards in the mid 90's, but I never got around to buying any of Upper Deck's Fun Packs.  I may not be the only one in this boat so I decided to show off a few cards from the box that'll be part of this month's Affordable Group Break.

The basic cards feature a kid friendly look with bright colors.  I personally don't mind the design, but the large border does cut down on the actual photograph.  The card backs feature some sort of caricature or cartoon along with a little bio and 1993's stats.

One thing I like about these set are the subsets like this Head Line Stars.  The image of Greg Maddux is die-cut and it lifts up to reveal (in this case) Roger Clemens underneath.  The flap is glued down and I haven't bothered to remove the glue.

Another one of the subsets is called Profiles.  While the front of the card may look a little tacky, I like the back a lot more.  I can see how kids would've really liked reading the info on cards like these.

Remember if you like what you see here this is just one of the boxes in this month's Affordable Group Break.  Bidding on teams start at just $.25.  To place a bid or to learn more refer to the original post.

Blogger Appreciation Affordable Group Break

Yes!  You read the title right.  After a little down time my Affordable Group Breaks have returned!  To say thanks to all the people that have participated in past breaks this year I wanted to do something a little different with this being the last AGB of the year.

I have 2 boxes, shall we say, left over from previous AGBs.  Instead of setting a price and trying to cover my expenses I've decided to let everyone name their own price!  I know for a lot of people buying for themselves isn't high on their holiday shopping lists so here is a chance to get a few cards and possibly not pay much for them!  Or use the cards as a stocking stuffer for kids (or adults) you may know. 

First up let's look at the boxes being opened.  1994 Upper Deck Fun Pack and 2003 Upper Deck Standing O!  Yeah, I know there's a big gap in years, but both boxes oughta be fun to open.

The box of '94 UD Fun Pack contains 36 packs (I think), 5 cards per pack.  Each pack contains one subset card like Fold-Outs, Heat Activated, Foil Stamped or Holographic cards.  Each pack also contains a scratch-off game piece to play a card version of baseball.  All your favorite mid 90's players are included such as Ken Griffey Jr., Bo Jackson, Barry Bonds, Fred McGriff, John Kruk and Frank Thomas (to name a few).

The box ' 03 UD Standing O! contains 24 packs, 4 cards per pack.  Inserts include World Premieres (1:4). Die-Cut parallels (shaped like baseballs! - 1:1), World Premieres Die-Cut (1:48) and Starring Role jersey cards (1:240).

Here's how this break will work.  I'll be offering up the teams in a bidding format.  Each team will be sold individually and bidding starts at only $.25.  Bid increments will be $.25.  No limit to how many teams you can bid on.  Shipping will be set at $3.00 with discounts if you win multiple teams.  Sound simple enough?  I'll open the bidding TODAY through THURSDAY, NOV. 8th - 7 PM EST.

To place a bid please leave a comment with the team(s) of your choice and your bid.  You can bid the minimum or just place your highest bid.  The amount you list in your comment will then be added to the list for everyone to see.  Example:  the current bid is $.25 and you bid $2.00.  Now the current bid is $2.00.  Understand?  Good!

One thing I ask is that all comments / bids be placed IN THIS THREAD!  Reason being is I want all the activity to be public for all to see.  I'll do my best to update the thread several times a day, but before you place your bid make sure to look over the previous comments.  Here we go!

Key:  Current Bid / High Bidder

Angels - $2.00 / The Angels In Order
Astros - $.50 / The Dutch Card Guy
Athletics
Blue Jays - $1.00 / D a V e
Braves - Cardboard Collections - no bidding, sorry
Brewers - $1.00 / cynicalbuddha
Cardinals - $3.00 / madding
Cubs - $1.00 / rfmeier
Diamondbacks - $.25 / AdamE
Dodgers - $.50 / Tim Byrd
Expos/Nats - $.50 / Tim Byrd
Giants - $1.00 / arpsmith
Indians - $.25 / Baseball Dad
Mariners - $.25 / Jeff Wilk
Marlins
Mets - $.25 / The Dutch Card Guy
Orioles - $1.00 / ShadyTwine
Padres
Phillies - $.50 / Brad's Blog
Pirates - $.25 / Baseball Dad
Rangers - $.25 / Play at the Plate
Red Sox - $2.00 / Adam3
Reds - $.50 / Tim Byrd
Rockies - $1.50 / Tim Byrd
Royals
Tigers
Twins - $1.00 / rfmeier
White Sox - $2.00 / Jeff Wilk
Yankees - $.25 / The Dutch Card Guy

Sunday Verse

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

2 weeks in a row having to work at least part of the weekend.  Time to relax, reflect and spend some time with the family (and watch my Carolina Panthers lose again).  Have a great Sunday everyone!

Look at my can(s)!

Over the weekend my mom dropped off a bunch of things that belonged to my little brother.  Amongst the boxes were old Power Ranger toys from 1995, some old Toy Biz X-Men figures (and the Blackbird jet!) and some cans.  Why am I mentioning this on this blog?  This is why...

1997 Pinnacle Inside

1998 Pinnacle Inside

In the 90's my little brother was also a collector of baseball cards and one year on vacation we found the '97 & '98 Pinnacle Inside cans on clearance at a office supply store of all places.  We were able to buy 4 complete sets - 2 of each year.  I can't remember what I did w/ mine outside of a sealed can of John Smoltz that I still have.  He opened his cans carefully with a can opener that didn't leave sharp edges.  Most of the cans were opened on the bottom making them a nice display piece.

I've been asked to help sell his items and most of them will be going to eBay eventually...but I thought I'd see if anyone here would be interested in these empty cans.  Yes, empty - no cards are included.  I thought about piecing them out, but frankly it'll be a lot of work to ship all of these cans.  So I wanted to see if there was anyone that would like to take them all off my hands.  I don't have a set asking price in mind so if you are interested please comment below or send me a message with your offer.  Best offer wins!

Marvel Rittenhouse Promos

What just seemed to be a few days ago, when I got home Saturday from work I found a thin SASE waiting for me in the mailbox.  I had sent off for the newest promo from Rittenhouse from their upcoming Marvel Bronze Age set.  When the company Inkworks was in business I would send away for just about every free promo I could get.  I was surprised to see that Rittenhouse did the same for a majority of their card sets.

While I wasn't reading comics in the 70's (or 80's), I can appreciate the rich history of many of Marvel's characters.  Rittenhouse also does an amazing job w/ their cards and this is such an iconic fight between Wolverine and the Hulk so I had to have this card.

The set covers Marvel Comics from 1970 to 1985 and features one sketch card per hobby box.  Everything that I've seen is really nice so I may have to track down a hand collated set before it's all done.

I forgot I had the last promo of their's too.  This one is from the Greatest Heroes set.  I have an extra one if anyone wants to trade me for it.