30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 30

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 30

Your favorite card in your collection

We've finally made it to the end of this month long 30 day baseball card challenge and the last question was simply, "Your favorite card in your collection." This time I couldn't cheat, I had to go to my own collection to find a card that answered this question. For me this was pretty easy. While I have a lot of great cards, this 2011 Topps Marquee auto of Tim Hudson is my favorite card. I love the shiny gold metal grame, the holofoil look and the silver auto of Huddy. Being serially numbered 04/10 sure doesn't hurt the card either. It's a beautiful card, especially in hand, and the best auto I have in my collection, period. End of story, challenge complete!

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 29

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 29

A favorite card from before 1950, whether you own it or not

Last night's poker night w/ the guys ran longer than I antipated...so there will be two 30 Day Challenge posts today! Then I can get back to some regular card blogging.

I can certainly tell you that I do NOT own this 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson RC, that is for sure. However just look at it. How can a baseball fan not like this man? For what we endured, what he did for the game...this is a rookie card that will be on my dream want list and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 28

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 28
A favorite relic/manufactured relic card

If we're talking favorite relic cards, then lets go all the way back to 1996 when Upper Deck launched the very first game used jersey "relic" cards in their product. The set only consisted of 3 cards, with Tony Gwynn being the most known. However my man Rey Ordonez somehow find a way into the set. The card is basically a regular card with the sliver of jersey inserted in. This makes the card puffy around the jersey, but the rest of the card is same thickness of an everyday card. 

Relic cards have changed since 1996 and are now almost taken for granted because they are so widely used. I'd love to know who came up with this idea and go back to 1996 to witness the fan reaction when Upper Deck unveiled these. I for one love this card. I've always wondered if there was a non-pin strip version of Rey's card. They don't seem to pop up for sale very often so I really don't know. Regardless, this is my favorite relic card in my collection.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Days 23-27

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 23 through 27

A favorite oddball card from the 1950's / 1960's / 1970's / 1980's

I'm going to have to throw in the proverbial white towel for the next few days' challenges. I'm under the weather (didn't get out of bed all day on Sunday the 23rd, hence no daily post) and I really don't have anything in mind when it comes to the favorite oddball card until the 80's. That said, check out some of the other great blogs that ave accepted this challenge and check back with me in a few days. Hopefully I'll be feeling better and can resume the challenge soon.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 22

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 22

A card of a common player that always seemed to elude you

Long before we had such great tools as Check Out My Cards and Beckett's online marketplace, finding simple base cards of players you collect wasn't as easy. Point in case this 1995 Fleer Pro Cards Rey Ordonez. While it's not impossible to find (COMC has it in stock for $4) this is a card that has still eluded my grasp. It's one of the few early cards of Rey that I haven't added to my massive PC yet, but will someday soon.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 21

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 21

A card of a rookie you thought you were "investing" in

Before Sammy Sosa's reputation was smeared thanks to PEDs, like many others I was jumping on the bandwagon and buying up his rookie cards. 1990 was full of junk wax so many of this RCs weren't anything special since they could be had so easily. Donruss, Fleer, Score, Topps...all so common. His Leaf RC however was a different story. I was still new to baseball cards when Sammy's RCs were hitting the market and I didn't know much about the Leaf brand at all. It didn't take long for me to realize however that his Leaf RC was "the" rookie to own of Sosa. Thanks to his battle w/ McGwire his cards really took off on the secondary market. I've never been one to go "investing" in rookies, but this one time I did and plopped down about $50 for Sammy Sosa's 1990 Leaf Rookie on eBay. After everything that happend with him I've never speculated or jumped on the RC bandwagon again.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 20

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 20

Your favorite parallel card based on the parallel, not the player.

1998 Fleer Tradition was a fun set to collect, in my opinion. The Vintage '63 was an insert set randomly inserted in both series 1 and 2. However today's challenge is all about parallels, not inserts. The Vintage '63 set had its own parallel set, Classic '63. These cards were serially numbered to 63 each and weren't the easiest to pull. I remember because I was floored when I pulled a low numbered Derek Jeter back in the day.

Other than the serial number printed in gold foil on the card's back, the front yellow diamond was replaced with gold foil. This makes the Classic '63 cards stand out from the normal Vintage '63 cards. I guess it's the overall clean design and the serial number that makes this set attractive to me. I may be able to come up with another favorite parallel if I had more time and energy to think, but this is the first thing that jumped out at me when I read this day's challenge.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 19

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 19

A favorite card from a country other than the United States

I don't know about other bloggers, but today's challenge was just that...a challenge. Thankfully however I remembered that a contact that lived in Japan sent over a few packs of Japanese baseball cards with a vintage Japanese Transformer I had bought. Much to my chagrin this card of Ichiro was inside one of the packs. I think this one is from 1999. It was the only player in the pack that I had ever heard of.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 18

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 18

A card of a player who became the manager of your favorite team

It's pretty obvious that my favorite team is the Atlanta Braves, so finding a card of Bobby Cox as a player was a no brainer for today's challenge. I was able to track down this 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Edition card of Bobby in a dime box at a local show years ago. I cringe because it's another rare Yankees card in my collection, but I don't have many cards of Bobby as a player so you do what you've gotta do!

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 17

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 17

A card from the first set you put together hand collated

While I've attempted (and still am) to build certain sets, the first set (I'm counting this awesome insert set from 2001 Topps Stadium Club) that I was able to build was this unique dirt relic set. I'm glad I started to build this set when I did because the prices of these cards have done up a bit since I acquired mine. I've never seen a set quite like this before and haven't since. Because of the dirt, the cards are thicker than most relic cards and as a result the corners are prone to damage. If you're buying these, try to buy them in hand if you can. If not, ask the seller for multiple pictures so you can check out the condition of the corners, front and back.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 16

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 16

A card of a player whom you appreciate but don't like

One thing that I've always known as a baseball fan is that I dislike the Yankees. Always have and always will. However there is one player that wore the pinstripes that while I don't like him or collect him, I can appreciate what he meant to the game of baseball. That is Derek Jeter. 

I actually have a few cards in my collection that feature Jeter in one way or another. Being a super collector of Mets shortstop, Rey Ordonez, the two players were often compared (at least when it came to their defensive abilities) and were matched up on cards. This 2002 Fleer Tradition New York's Finest is one card from my Ordonez collection that features Jeter on the reverse side.

This post got me thinking though that I probably should pick up the Jeter jersey version of the card as well if I'm going to a 100% Rey Ordonez collection.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 15

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 15

One of your favorite cards from the 2010s

I've been a fan of Jeff Francoeur since his first time around w/ the Braves, so when he signed a minor league contract during 2015's spring training I was estatic. Even more so when he made the team. I hated buying his cards in early 2016 that still featured him as a Philidelphia Phillie! I had to wait until series 2 before I could get new Francouer Braves cards. 

I particularly like this 2016 Topps Update card of his as it shows him being congratulated by his teammates. Jeff was a team player and always seemed to be well liked by his teammates. I was sad to see him traded last year and I hope perhaps he'll have one more go around w/ the Atlanta ballclub.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 14

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 14

One of your favorite cards from the 2000s

In addition to all the player collections I have, I also have a smaller side collection of cards that depict pitchers batting, or at least wearing a batting helmet. In 2001 Topps had a set called Fusion and two of the game used bat cards not only featured two players I already collected, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, but they were depicted batting AND featured a sliver of bat embedded in the card! If the single cards weren't cool enough, they were meshed together into one card as shown above. Truly an epic card for myself to own.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 13

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 13

One of your favorite cards from the 1990s

I know the 90's in terms of baseball cards are widely considered the era of junk wax, but man I loved the cards back then. Granted I was knew to the hobby and I didn't care, it was cards like this 1993 Upper Deck of Steve Avery, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine that made me love baseball cards. 

While I still love cards today, I miss some of the gimmicks and things the companies did with their cards in the 1990s. I often wonder if we'll ever see a return to this time in cards. Lets face it though, I ain't holding my breath!

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 12

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 12

One of your favorite cards from the 1980s

I'm sure this card will be popping up a lot of today's challenge. It's easily one of the most recoginzed cards from the 1980's if not of all time. 1989 Upper Deck. What a great set (even though I think my favorite UD design is a tie between 91, 92, and 93...they nailed it those years). As I was getting into collecting I was starting to hear about Upper Deck and how much better were there cards. It wasn't just about the quality of the cards though, it was the photographs too. They definately gave Topps, Donruss and Fleer a run for their money back then.

I still remember asking my parents if I saved enough of my own money if I could buy this card. I believe my dad understood, although at this time the card was trading for close to 3 figures and that he didn't understand. My mom? Forget it, she thought I was being irresponsible! The day I finally pulled the trigger, man oh man was I on cloud 9 for several days. Never since have I had same feeling of euphoria over obtaining a modern rookie card.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 11

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 11

One of your favorite cards from the 1970s

I was born in 1977, so when I really got into collecting Braves cards I wanted to go back and see what the cards looked like the year I was born. It would be years later before I actually acquired any vintage cards, but my very first 1977 Topps was of Phil Niekro. I met him somewhere with my father at a meet & greet, but I can't recall when & where. I do remember that he brought with him a nice supply of his own cards and was offering to sign them...for kids only. I believe I still have the card somewhere, but I couldn't put my hands on it for this day's challenge. Needless to say that's a card and memory that I'll always hold on to.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 10

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 10

One of your favorite cards from the 1960s

Thanks to the annual Topps Heritage release I'm able to see what some of the older Topps designs look like since I don't own many cards from the 1960's. This 1963 Koufax card is my choice for no real particular reason, other than I like the design and I can remember my dad filling me in on just how good Sandy was of a ballplayer.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 9

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 8

One of your favorite cards from the 1950s

Up until recently I didn't mess with vintage baseball cards, not even cards of Braves players. However I've turned over a new leaf and I've started to search out vintage cards at times. A few years ago my little brother approached me about the value of some vintage cards his boss at work was selling. One of the cards he had was a 1954 Topps Henry Aaron RC. The card wasn't in pristine condition...and I was more than OK with that. The corners were dogged, the card was slightly faded. Basically it was worn...and I loved it. I can't remember how much his boss was looking to get for the card, but it was the closest I've ever been to such a great card from the 50's. One day I'll be able to add this card to my Braves collection...I hope.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 8

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 8

A card that reminds you of a family member

To this day baseball reminds me of my late father. I played baseball growing up, my dad usually one of my team's coachs, he took me to baseball games...so yeah, the two go hand in hand. Before my dad took me to my first Braves game in Atlanta, we (Charlotte, NC) had the Charlotte O's. I don't have as many memories of the old Crocket Park where the O's played, but I do remember that Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray both played a season in Charlotte. 

I wasn't collecting baseball cards at this time sadly so I don't own this card pictured above, but I would someday like to try and track one down. When I did start collecting cards in 1990, I can remember my dad sitting me down and looking through the cards with me and telling me a little about the future Hall of Famers such as Ripken. He reminded me of the early years at Crocket Park and how I'd usually fall asleep after a few innings of late Saturday afternoon game.

Good times, good memories. My dad would have turned 72 on April 1st this year. Kind of seems fitting that his birthday is right there near Opening Day.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 7

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 7

A card you bought in person and the story behind it

I used to frequent a little card and comic shop in Pineville, NC called Collector's World. I first went to the shop for my comics, but around the mid to late 90's I was getting back into collecting cards again. This is where I discovered new ways to collect cards. I thought the only way to collect was set building, but a lot of the regulars there opened my eyes to new ideas. 

I don't recall why I selected Rey Ordonez as my first Player Collection, but I believe it was because of they way he flashed the leather in the outfield. Being a Braves fan I would get to see Rey play on TV fairly often so it wasn't that hard to follow his career. Plus his cards were cheap. The card shop owner new of my new PC and would alert me anytime he came across cards of Rey. One afternoon when I stopped by after classes he pulled out Rey's 1995 Bowman RC. I couldn't have spent more than a dollar or two on the card, but it's one of my favorite cards in my Ordonez collection. There were RCs in this set that were much more sought after and at times I had some of those (Andruw Jones/Vladimir Guerrero), but to this date this is the one that is still in the collection.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 6

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 6

A card you spent more than $10 to get

I'm going to cheat a little with today's challenge. When it comes to acquiring new cards I'm cheap. While I love autographs and relics, I don't always open up the wallet. I opt instead of looking for base cards, parallels or odd ball cards versus the big purchase.

I acquired 2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot auto of Greg Olsen at the last card show I attended...several years ago. He was just coming into his own as a Carolina Panther and I liked what I saw of him on and off the field. He was an easy selection to become one of my newest PCs and this was a beautiful card. I don't recall paying much more than $10 (because I'm cheap), but it was at least $10. The card looks much better in person than in the scan as the front is that mirror board, or whatever it's called. The signature is small and you have to hold it in the right light to see the blue ink against the blue Bears helmet.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 5

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 5

A certified autograph card of one of your favorite players

Growing up in Charlotte, NC, the Braves were my grandfather's team. I remember trips down to the old Fulton County Stadium with my grandfather and father and now that both of those great men are gone, those are special memories. Alongside those memories include watching David Justice play for the Braves. 

I remember having a giant poster of Justice on my bedroom door. The guy was a beast and a lot of fun to watch play. While I have amassed a nice collection of his cards, I don't have many autos. I do however own this 2012 Topps Chasing History auto. I still don't care for the giant holographic silver stickers, but hey it's still an autograph, right? This card captures Justice in mid swing, most likely hitting the ball out of the ballpark.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 4

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 3

A rookie card of one of your favorite players

Today's challenge was tough...I've got so many favorite players how was I ever going to choose? Would it be a card of Freddie Freeman? Or Tim Hudson? John Smoltz or Tom Glavine? Well I went with none of the above and went with this nice 2005 eTopps RC of Jeff Francoeur.

I was late jumping onto the eTopps bandwagon. It took me awhile to figure out just how the program worked, but once I did I was hooked. Kind of like the current Topps Now program, I was checking the website pretty often to see if any players I collected were featured. I had heard a lot of good things about Francouer so when his IPO went live I jumped and put in my request. I was so glad it was granted and for a few months it was fun tracking the "value" of this card. His stock was very hot for awhile, before it cooled off and was nothing more than a common. I still have this card today (along with many other eTopps I purchased back then) and it's easily one of my favorites.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 3

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE

DAY 3

A card from the first set you tried to complete

Set building was a foreign concept for me for many, many years. It wasn't that I didn't know about set building, it was just that I never was able to buy (read afford) enough packs of cards in order to build a set. However, in 1991 I really my best with Topps. 

I saved up enough money to buy more packs of '91 Topps than I previously had bought of any other year. I don't own most of those cards any longer so I really can't recall how close I got to completing the set...if I ever got close at all. It was only the second year I had been collecting cards, but for some reason I got a "calling" to try and build the set. I still love the design and was thrilled to see Topps bring it back in limited fashion in last year's Archives set.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 2

30 DAY BASEBALL CARD CHALLENGE
DAY 2

A card with more than one player on it

Today's challenge involves finding a card with more than one player on it. Simple enough. There are plenty of team cards, cards with images of the main player being congratulated by their teammates, or action plays involving a member of the opposite team. I wanted to find something that was at least a little different. Well while updating my 2016 Topps Stadium Club Want List today, I stumbled across the card that fit today's challenge perfectly...

When Prado played for the Braves he was a joy to watch, both on and off the field. When the team traded him to the Diamondbacks I know I wasn't the only fan that was sad to see him go. I love cards like this, when a teammate is about to surprise someone. This is just another reason why I love Stadium Club, photos like this.

30 Day Baseball Card Challenge - Day 1

We've had various "Bat Around the Blog" topics come up in the world of the card blogosphere, but recently a new topic has been presented. Aptly called the 30 Day Baseball Card Challenge. Created by Off Hiatus Baseball, the challenge is simple. Blog each day about the laid out daily challenge. I immediately knew this would be a lot of work, especially for me since April is going to be a beast of a month for me at work. I also knew this could be a lot of fun creating and reading others posts that participate. So consider the challenge officially accepted by Cardboard Collections.

Now the challenge doesn't necessarily say the 30 days has to be consecutive, but here we are on April 1st so why not try and make the challenge just that, a challenge. I'm going to do my best to bring a post as part of the challenge for each of the next 30 days. Wish me luck!

DAY 1

A card from the current year with a photo you like

It's still early in the baseball card year so I don't have much to choose from. Topps flagship, Opening Day, Heritage. Gypsy Queen was just released, but hasn't shown up yet in my neck of the woods. Haven't really seen or messed with the Topps Stickers that are out now, nor have I had the change to pick up any of the 2017 Donruss (though I really want too). Finding a photo I really liked proved to be a tough challenge than I originally thought it would be. However I finally decided on a variation to the base card of Freddie Freeman from 2017 Topps Opening Day.

I had to lift this image off the internet as I don't own the card...yet. However I just love this card. I love the joy displayed on Freddie's face. This is a kid that loves the game of baseball. He has fun on the field and the photographer caught one of those moments. From the stars on his hat, this photo must've been from the Braves Memorial Day tribute or 4th of July...can't quite tell. Either way, its a great looking card and is on my want list.

I also find this card fitting for the challenge on Day, April 1st as Freddie christened SunTrust Park last night with a HR. I hope to see more of that and his smile in the upcoming season!