Rey Ordonez COMC Haul

Today's post is a shameless plug for my YouTube channel. Bear with me however as this is one of the first time I've tried sharing cards using this format. I used my light box I usually use for my toy photography to record the video so I'm still trying to iron out all the wrinkles.

Well all know of the delays in requesting cards you've purchased from COMC.com and my order was no exception. I honestly can't remember when I requested shipping, but I remember that it took several months for the order to arrive...maybe 6 months? It didn't bother me too much since some of the cards sitting in my account had been sitting there for years in some cases! I love the service, but the prices aren't always great so I don't immediately think to use their services when searching for cards. However I was able to find some great deals on some hard to find a parallels of Rey.

At the time of this post I hadn't planned on scanning the cards as I thought I'd just "borrow" the card images from TCDB, however updating my collection I see that there are a lot of images missing that I can provide. I love the site so much that I feel obligated to help so I guess I know what my Sunday afternoon project is going to be this week!

It's getting harder and harder to find the cards I still need for my PC. I'm down to some very low numbered cards and HTF non-numbered parallels like his 1996 Pinnacle Certified Mirror Gold. I've got saved eBay searches in place to help. I've also got my eye on a few cards of his that I need...but I need to move some various items first to free up the $. Thankfully I'm not actively searching his 1/1 cards and will consider my super PC complete without those. Then again, if I ran across a 1/1 at the right price I probably wouldn't say no either.

Breathing New Life into my YouTube Channel

In an effort to do a better job sharing new cards, etc. here on the blog, I thought about using my seldom used YouTube channel and try to breathe some new life into it at the same time.

I watch a fair amount of gaming, comic and toy videos on YouTube, however lately I've noticed more and more collectors using this platform for trading cards. Bean's Ball Card Blog is one channel in particular I've been watching lately, along with several people that I also follow on Twitter. I know my channel won't compete with some of those channels, but it oughta be fun for me none the less.

For my first video it's a short introduction (as everyone may not know who I am) and then I share my latest Rey Ordonez cards I've acquired for my super collection of his.

If all goes well I hope to make more videos and other content in the new year that is upon us. Don't expect slick, high quality videos however as when it comes to YouTube I'm strictly an amateur.

Another one bites the dust!

1996 Leaf Signature Series Gold autograph

My side project, Rey Ordonez Super Collector blog hasn't been updated in 6 months!! Guess I've bitten off more than I can chew? Well I did get around to doing another update today, but I really wanted to spotlight this gold auto parallel I finally picked up off a fellow collector. This card completes my Rey collection from 1996 Signature Series. For a complete look at this set you can refer back to my original post.

New Rey Ordonez Cardboard

It's getting harder and harder for me to find cards of Rey Ordonez that I don't already own...however over the last few weeks it seems I keep finding a few cards...some of them I didn't even know existed! Many of these were found on COMC.com...which is odd because for the longest time I never could find anything there that I needed. All of these cards will be added to my side blog, Rey Ordonez Super Collector...eventually.

This 1995 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects promo is a card that for a long time that I never knew existed. This is a promo for the autograph version of the card.

The 90's had plenty of parallels, including this gold parallel of the Limited Rookies insert set of 1996 Leaf Limited.

The Diamond Destiny insert from 1996 Upper Deck is one of my favorite sets. I love the acetate window w/ the head shot of the player. These game in bronze, gold and silver varities. I just need the gold version now to complete the set.

The 1997 Score set is confusing to me with all of the subsets and parallels. This is a Showcase Series silver foil parallel...that shows lots of fingerprints!

1999 Topps featured his first Topps issued autograph from what I understand. The cardstock is a little thicker than a standard Topps card and is really glossy. If I didn't know better I would've thought this card came from a pack of Stadium Club.

Pacific loved their parallels back in the day. This is from their 2000 Paramount set and is the Premiere Date parallel #39/50.

Topps Finest have always been some sharp looking cards and while their design used for the 2000 set may not have been my favorite, I'm glad to have finally found the Gold Refractor parallel of this card.

The Features subset card featured Edgardo Alfonzo on the gold chrome size and Rey was obligated to the boring back, but hey, it's still a Gold Refractor and one more card checked off the list.

2001 Pacific had 3 different Limited type parallels, all serially numbered to different amounts. This is the Hobby LTD version, 64/70.

Pacific's Printing Plates bring with them a lot of controversy. Some say they are all fake since they weren't included in packs. Others say they only surfaced after Pacific went under. I don't care. To me it's a nice, limited item of Rey for me to collect and I will gladly include them in my collection.

Since I haven't been able to find much of any of the 2017 Bowman product in my neck of the woods, I wasn't familar w/ the Buyback cards. Needless to say I quickly scooped up these bronze and silver parallels of Rey. 

This is a Gold Rediscover Topps parallel as part of Topps' current program. Still trying to figure out if he has any other 2017 parallels between this set and the Rediscover Topps program.

Rey Ordonez Holy Grail

Being a super collector of a player is tough, especially when that player played in the 90's and early 2000's. Card companies were much more plentiful back then and they loved their parallels. I already have enough trouble trying to keep track of the cards released. I can't even fathom trying to be a super collector of a modern day player.

Speaking of parallels, Pacific Trading Card Company had their fair share of different colored parallels, including low serially numbered parallels. I also believe they may have been one of the first trading card companies to include 1/1 printing plates into packs. Unlike the Topps printing plates, Pacific didn't include a sticker on the back of the slab of metal with card info. Kinda bland if you ask me, but again they were pioneers in this area.

Recently I had a chance to pick up not one, but two Rey Ordonez 1/1 printing plates. I ran across a seller that was selling printing plates of many different players and he had two cards of Rey. I didn't even know these cards existed and I took a lot of pride into the completeness of the list of his cards I've compiled. Needless to say I was quick to strike a deal. The cards just arrived the other day and man are these awesome. Of course it threw off my organization in my binder and had to move a lot of cards to make way for these, but hey that's part of the growing pains collectors go through.

1998 Pacific Omega 1/1 Printing Plate

I honestly can't remember if Topps releases the print plates for the back of their cards, but obviously Pacific did. While it's cool to own this card, it's really not the easiest card to read because of blue text on the light blue background. I also recently discovered the front side of this card was recently on eBay...but I was sniped at the last minute this week and lost out. I really wish I could contact the buyer and make them offer so I could "complete" this card.

1999 Pacific Private Stock 1/1 Printing Plate

I also grabbed this '99 Private Stock printing plate. I particularly loved this set by Pacific and was able to build the entire set by hand. I'm so thrilled to be able to add this card to my Rey Ordonez super collection as well.

I'm getting down to a few autographs, low serially numbered parallels and 1/1 of cards before my collection will be complete (if that will ever happen) so you can imagine my being on cloud 9 with these purchases. I've been at collection Rey ever since his rookie year in 1995 and I'm thrilled I'm getting closer and closer to picking up every card he has. Still have some work to do though so if you can help me out or at least point me in the right direction I'd very much appreciate it. Here's a link to my master collection of what I have (in blue) and what I'm looking for still (in black).

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 - 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 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 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.

New Ordonez

In my effort to get my card collection more organized, I'm also trying to focus on working on less new sets and more on things I already have, such as my effort to collect one of every Rey Ordonez card in existence. I'm working on scanning every card of his that I own for my Rey Ordonez Super Collector blog if you're interested in checking that out.

Finding new cards of his isn't always easy as I already have a good many of his cards. However lately I've discovered that he has a few cards that I originally didn't have on my master want list. This has led me to different avenues online searching for cards of his that I don't own. I've had some luck recently and here are a few of those.

I don't remember what the print run was on these 1996 Select Certified parallels, but the Mirror Blue and Mirror Gold versions have eluded my grasp. I recently came across this Mirror Blue and was able to talk the seller down to where I could apply my eBay Bucks so it wouldn't cost me any out of pocket money. The card looks so much better in person. Now to track down the Gold version.

I knew there was a Chrome version of this 2000 Stadium Club card, but how did I not know of the First Day Issue parallel? Grabbed this serially numbered (147/150) on the cheap. Love the photo and check out the info on the back. My boy Rey broke Cal Ripken's consecutive errorless games with 100 in 1999!

While browsing a trading card group on Facebook recently, one of the members sent me a message asking me about my collecting of Rey Ordonez. By dumb luck he had a card I didn't have and offered to give it to me. I couldn't let him do that so I sent him 2 bucks for shipping. It was the least I could do. These numbered Pacific parallels aren't the easiest to come across...at least when I look. This is the 2000 Pacific Crown Collection Holographic Blue parallel.

I've got a few more new cards of his coming. It's taking me more time scanning my cards than I anticipated. This is caused less new updates to Rey's blog, but I'm still chugging away. At least this is 3 less cards I'll have to scan now!

Cardboard from South Korea

Ever since I launched my Rey Ordonez Super Collector blog earlier this year, I've been rejuvenated in my quest to acquire one of every card of his in existence. I had to completely revamp my have/want list as well as reorganize the binder I had the cards in. It's been a lot of work, but it's been fun.

  

The other part of the fun has been searching out the cards I don't have. While I have a good many of his cards, there are some serially numbered cards that just don't seem to turn up very often. A lot of these are Pacific inserts, but the Fleer Flair Legacy Collection cards have eluded me for a very long time. Recently I came across this Row 2 Legacy card on eBay with a Buy It Now offer. I made a somewhat low ball offer and the seller accepted! When I got the invoice I was at first appalled by the high shipping quote of $4.95, then I noticed the card was shipping from South Korea?

I know baseball is big in Cuba and Japan, but I didn't think much about the sport being played elsewhere in the world. Thankfully the card came safe and sound and the seller packaged it well. It's a beautiful card, much more so than the scan. I still lack the Row 1 and Row 3 Legacy cards before the 1998 Flair set will be complete. Be on the look out for this set to be shared on my Rey Ordonez blog in the near future.

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.

Rey Ordonez Super Collector: A new blog, a new journey

Even though I've been a Braves fan since the beginning, I haven't always collected cards of Braves players, or even some of the veteran players I now collect. Before I walked away from collecting cards in general in the mid-2000's, I had a rather unusual goal...to collect every card produced for shortstop Rey Ordonez.

Why Rey you may wonder. I'm not entirely sure. When I first started on this quest it was rather easy. Rey made his debut in the Majors in 1996 and had minor league cards as early as 1994. Even though he started his career with the Mets, it really didn't seem like he was on anyone's radar, especially from a collecting standpoint. 

While Rey never would wow anyone with his bat, he could flash some leather out in the field. I had an opportunity to watch a good many of his games when he was with the Mets and from a defensive angle he was fun to watch.

While I haven't done much with my Ordonez collection lately, I felt it was time to share some of the fruits of my labor and what better way than to start a new blog. After all this blog is usually more Braves centric and I figured readers there may not care about a Mets shortstop. The goal of this side project will be to highlight every card (eventually) in my collection, post my want list just in case anyone can help me out and post any updates of new acquisitions.

Some collect Nomar, I collect Rey

There aren't many Rey Ordonez cards that have escaped my grasp, however this card is one of the rare exceptions. 

 

When Nomar Garciaparra was still playing it seemed like this card always exceed my budget when I could find it.  Thankfully after he retired I was finally able to grab it for a very, very low price.  But not for Nomar...for Rey!  As good as Rey was with the leather during his days with the Mets, I'm still kinda surprised so many of the card companies at the time included him in relic and auto sets.  It sure made collecting him fun though when I started in the mid 90's.

PC Addition: Rey Ordonez

A few weeks ago I shared a few new Rey Ordonez cards...something that just doesn't happen very often.  I don't know the exact percentage of his cards I own, but it's gotta be over 90% if I'd guess.  Just like before when I ran across a card of his I knew nothing about (1997 UD Folz Vending), a few days later my auto search e-mailed me a listing for a lot of 4 1997 New York Mets Panini stickers - 2 of Rey, 1 of Todd Hundley and 1 of Bernard Gilkey.  The latter two are up for trades if any Mets collector is interested.  What I'm focusing on are these two!

#s 59 & 99 respectively

PC Addition: Rey Ordonez

It's been awhile since I've been able to post about new cards for my original player collection - Rey Ordonez.  Sure there are some low numbered parallels and high priced autos I still don't have, but at least I know of these - I have them cataloged on my master list of every card of his.  Several weeks ago though I ran across 3 listings the same day of cards I didn't own!  What were the odds of this happening?!

These 2000 MLB Showdown game cards came in 2 versions - 1st Edition and Unlimited.  It seems like trading card games were all the rage years ago so I wasn't surprised to find a game based on major league baseball.  I was able to find the 1st Edition card long ago, but for whatever reason the Unlimited card kept eluding me...until now.

I love discovering new cards of Rey and this is one of those.  At first glance this may look like an ordinary 1996 Upper Deck Collector's Choice card, but look again.  Notice the Collector's Choice logo is missing?  You also can't tell from this scan, but the card measures smaller than a traditional baseball card.  There were 50 cards in the set with some of the cards featuring foil and possibly being short printed.  These were only available in Folz vending machines.  I'm assuming this was regional as I never heard of Folz vending.  

There has been a guy on eBay for awhile now selling what he calls a proof from the Fleer Vault.  Supposedly he was able to obtain these proofs directly from Fleer during their bankruptcy years ago.  These proofs are nothing more than a high quality scan of the card printing on glossy paper.  I have no idea if these are legit, but my curiosity got the best of me and I had to see what these looked like in hand.  This particular "card" is from the 1998 Fleer Flair Showcase set and is the sought after Legacy parallel set.  I'd love for this to be the real deal as I don't have this Legacy Row 0 card...but for now I'll just have to stick with this.