Sunday Verse

2 Corinthians 5:17

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New International Version

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Appropriate verse  for the first Sunday in 2013.  Have a great day everyone.  NFL has some great playoff matches in store.

My lone baseball card representation from Christmas

When people were asking what I wanted for Christmas earlier in the year I mentioned just about everything BUT baseball cards.  Not sure why.  Perhaps I was just taking a break during this off season, but my wife was gracious enough to toss a rack pack of 2012 Bowman Chrome into my stocking.

I'm not a big prospector so I don't buy much Bowman each year.  I'll track down all of Tim Hudson's cards and at least a complete Braves set, but that's about it.  Having said that this pack of Bowman Chrome was my first time ripping this product.

You know the break down - three packs each containing three cards + an exclusive three card pack of green bordered cards.  The first pack I opened contained a nice Braves surprise waiting for me in the form of a Brian McCann Refractor.

The 2nd pack didn't contain anything special...just some base cards which have been listed on my trade page.  The 3rd pack however is where things got interesting.  The pack lists the odds at 1:390 for Prospect Refractors.  I'm hoping an Astros fan will want to trade with me.

#170/500

My wife said she had a hard time finding much to choose from at the local Walmart by the house and told me she really didn't know what to buy.  I would've been happy even if I hadn't pulled a Braves card I needed or the auto - I just love her for thinking of me and my crazy hobby enough to buy me a pack of cards.  Thanks babe!

2012 Panini Cooperstown Want List

I mentioned last week or so ago that I was thinking about tackling the 150 card base set of Panini's new Cooperstown baseball set.  I finally sat down long enough to collate the handful of packs that I had and made a list of what I lack.  I also listed several insert sets on the want list as well, but those aren't a high priority at the moment (may never be if I'm honest).  So if you have any extras you want to get rid of please let me know.  At the moment I don't really have any doubles to offer in trade, but perhaps you'll see something else on my trade lists (baseball / autos, relics & more) that catch your eye.

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.