Uncirculated Cards...Keep Them Slabbed or Free Them?

While doing some work with my Rey Ordonez collection (you know, for my awesome new Rey Ordonez Super Collector blog!) I came across this Uncirculated Refractor from 2003 Topps Chrome. This was one of those cards that I had to wait a long time to find and now I'm at a crossroads of what to do with it.

Do I leave the card slabbed as is? Or do I pop the holographic sticker seal and put the card in it's rightful spot in my Rey Ordonez binder?

Prior to buying this card, the only other Uncirculated cards like this that I had was a similar card in my Todd Hollandsworth collection and a oddball Topps Pristine Pete Incaviglia. Personally I don't see the draw in these, but then again most of my cards in my collection are loose...not even in top loaders. 

I have a very good feeling this card will eventually be freed from it's slab prison so it can join his "brothers" in my album.

2016 Topps Archives Want List

I used some of my birthday money to purchase a few rack packs and blasters to bolster up what little I had of Archives. This is a set I've toyed around with in the past, but never gave building the set the same attention that I do to the likes of Gypsy Queen or Allen & Ginter. However I've got a nice little start to the set and while I'm sure I'll pick up a few more packs I thought I'd post my want list just in case anyone wanted to try to work out a trade.

Let me say that seeing the 1991 design used as a retro design now makes me feel really old! It was a great design however and it's made opening packs and collating these cards that much more fun for me. I also like the fact that the set isn't filled with a bunch of inserts and I have a new Javy Lopez auto to chase!

A Baseball Birthday

This year my birthday fell on Father's Day so it was especially special. I spent most of the day at HeroesCon, a large comic book convention in my back yard of Charlotte, NC. While I was away from my family most of the day, it gave my wife a chance to take my daughters to the store to pick something out for me. She said it was funny how the girls wanted to buy me a little of everything I like. Transformers, baseball cards, video games and comics. Yep, they know me well!

I ended up getting a nice framed canvas picture of a classic issue of Amazing Spider-Man, two comic themed t-shirts and 4 packs of baseball cards, hand picked by each of my daughters.

Earlier this year I grabbed a bunch of the MLB Wacky Packages packs, but I've yet to collate them or make a want list. I intend on doing that this week with my daughter's help. I know they don't capture the true essence that the original Wacky Packages did, but I still dig the set.

Ever since Panini brought back the Donruss brand a few years ago I've been a fan, but since I've cut my buying back to just sets I want to build I hadn't bought any of 2016 Donruss. That said I was glad my oldest daughter picked this pack. She also grabbed me a series 2 2016 Topps which just hit my area.

Neither of the packs yielded much of anything spectacular, but it was just special to me that my daughters picked these packs out and gave them to me. I recently picked up a cheap 90's box of wax to open w/ my girls since they seem to like opening packs so I can't wait for that to arrive so I can share that experience as well.

I pulled a Brave who's not a Brave anymore, a gold red bird and a Berger's Best Mike Piazza

Anytime you pull a new Ripken is a good day!

Sunday Verse / Happy Father's Day

Since today is Father's Day I felt this verse was appropriate:

Ephesians 5:25-26

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleaning her by the washing of water through the Word.

Happy Father's Day everyone. Happy Father's Day dad. I sure do miss you more than I can describe.

2016 Topps Now: Freddie Freeman #117 (310 print run)

I was behind Topps and their eTopps program from years ago, but I haven't felt the need to buy into their newest program, Topps Now. At first I thought the program offered oversized cards, but when I realized that wasn't the case and they were regular sized cards I became a little more intrigued. After all, I like the idea of producing a small print run of cards based on a player's performance in a single game. However the problem with all of this is that I'm a Braves fan and the 2016 Braves...well basically they suck.

A few weeks ago I was telling my wife about the program (for some odd reason) and how cool it would be if a Braves player got their own card, but seeing how poorly they've been playing I didn't see that happening. Then the next day Freddie Freeman goes yard with a walk off HR to win the game on June 1st...my wife's birthday no less!

The next day I eagerly signed on to Topps' website to purchase the card. Then the wait begun. I had no idea how long it was take for the card to arrive and finally the other day I received this big white cardboard shipping envelope in the mail from Topps. Was it my Topps Now card or one of the two redemption cards I've been waiting on for some time now? (see the Redemption! section on the side bar) Well I'm happy to report that it was in fact the Now card.

Freddie's card only had a print run of 310 and skimming through the website it appears this is one of the lowest print runs thus far. I also happened to be watching this game against the Giants so it was cool watching Freddie hit the homer and immediately thinking, "Yes! Freddie will now appear in Topps Now!".

And wouldn't you know it, last night Freddie hits for the Cycle so I expect to see another Topps Now card of him offered later today...and yes, I will be buying it!

A silver lining in an otherwise gray cloud

This shouldn't come as any sort of news flash, but the 2016 Atlanta Braves are pretty horrible. This marks the first season in many years where I don't tune in to many games on the television. Earlier this year I was contemplating if I even wanted to make a trip down to Turner Field in Atlanta for one last visit before the teams moves to Cobb Co. and their new SunTrust stadium. Overall it's been pretty blah of a season for me...until this young guy with a cool first name was called up.

2015 Topps Heritage Minor League #103

April 11th is the day when my outlook on this season started to change. Mallex Smith was called up from AAA Gwinnett and it has been a blast watching this young kid play. There hasn't been a lot of offense highlights this season, but the few there have been Mallex has provided.

2016 Topps Pro Debut #7

Through last night's game against the Padres, Mallex is batting .239, but has 32 hits, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 3 home runs and 20 RBIs. The kid has some speed on both the base paths and patrolling center field. He's been able to swipe 7 bases in the 48 games he's played.

2016 Bowman #BCAP-MS

It's still relatively early in the baseball card season so Mallex doesn't have a lot of cards (yet), but the few cards he does have seem to be heating up on the secondary market. I was able to get these autos for a very fair price, but forget some of the serially numbered parallels of the Bowman auto...those prices are starting to go through the roof!

It's been hard watching games this season, but the games I have watched that Mallex has played in I have enjoyed. I'm now looking at scheduling a trip down to Atlanta later this month to catch a game and I really hope he plays. Some of my favorite seats at Turner Field are in right center field so if he plays I hope to have a great view of his athleticism on display.