Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Museum : Jackie Robinson Base Blue Parallel (35/99)

Ah.... the feeling of finally finishing off a project even if it was a small one compared to others is a great feeling and with Jackie's acquisition here my 2015 Topps Museum checklist has been fulfilled and on time as well.

When this post sees the light of day it will be way past April 29th but that was my self imposed deadline to complete this project as I wanted to shift my focus to the new Bowman release. I only had Jackie left and even with 99 copies there were not that many to chose from on the bay. This card's auction was due to end on the 28th and I zeroed in on it as it was going to be my last chance to beat my deadline. Traditional auction with a 99 cent starting bid with no BIN option. Had to wait it out but when I put my bid in at the very end it was the one and only and I had acquired my last piece of the Museum puzzle. Woo Hoo.

Card was in hand within a week and it looks great. Jackie is a Dodger great but more importantly a baseball great and even though he doesn't have many new cards each year when he does I seek them out. Now, onto Bowman.

35

of

99

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Trade with Fellow Blogger : Tony of Off Hiatus Baseball

It must be baseball season as it seems I am doing more trades and/or being contacted about potentially doing one. Fellow blogger, Tony of Off Hiatus Baseball recently reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in some unique items. While not technically a trade as Tony did not ask for anything in return as he just wanted the items to go to a loving home I am presently looking at my collection to see if there is anything he might like. While I work on that he sent the items my way and here they are.

Front

Back

This is an advertisement card by US Cellular which features Dodger and baseball legend Jackie Robinson. It's size will make it a bit difficult to find a safe place in my collection but I am sure I will be able to work that out.

Furillo, Snider and Jackie

Erskine, Gil and Pee Wee

Now for the cool part of the "trade". All six of these admission tickets are from the 1984 National aka Sports Collectors Convention. I have gone to one of these, though I forget which one as it was sometime in the 1990's, so seeing these brought back memories of those care free days. The $3 charge for this event shows you how much prices have changed in 3 decades. Seeing all of them adorned with Dodgers just brings a smile to my face and I suspect that is what Tony wanted to hear.

There is no profit to be made with having these as that is not what this trade was about. Just having a little bit of sports card collecting history in hand is good enough for me. Obviously with the Dodger flavor it makes it just that much better.

Thank you again to Tony for contacting me and offering up these unique items. It is much appreciated and soon, I promise, I will find a little something to send your way. Till the next trade.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.
-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2012 Topps : Jackie Robinson Historical Stitches

This is one of those rare cards that I acquired. Not due to its own scarcity but that it is a non autograph card from a year other than 2013 ( my self appointed starting year point for card collecting ). This card is an interesting addition to my collection as it is unique but the price was right so why not acquire a card I don't normally search out for.

My Jackie card collection is still lacking and I still aim to fix that and this card helps that out. I came across this card and for some reason it hadn't sold the multiple times that the seller had posted it. Well I inquired to see if he was willing to negotiate a lower price to get it off his hands and he was welcome to it. A few bucks to him and this card found its way to me. Though the card is entirely made of manufactured material ( not real jersey material ) to me it still looks cool.

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps : Jackie Robinson Black Framed Reprint ( card #10 )

Finally done.

The day I won this card on eBay the book value prices were released on the set and with the black frame versions coming in at $20 that made this final card acquisition feel all that much better.

The hunt was on for this final piece to the Jackie project and even though I wanted it to be done I was not going to overpay just for that privilege. Surprisingly there were no copies of the card on a BIN auction so I was left to the traditional ones to get my card. Couple of them priced themselves out as they went over $10. 50% is a good deal but I wanted more. A couple days went by with a couple more loses till this one was nearing its end and there was only one bid placed on it with 5 minutes to go. My last minute bid became the 3rd overall as someone else had the same idea as me but I came out on top with a winning bid of just a little under $7. A good buy.

A week later the card arrived and joined its 4 brothers in cases in my collection.

Another small project is now complete and I can now go back and try to find all my blue parallels of the Dodgers within the main set.

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps : Jackie Robinson Black Framed Reprint ( card #312 )

Another framed Jackie for the collection and now only one left to acquire.

This has been a fun little project as I love these metal frames and this year's subject is of a former Dodger and in some people's eyes the greatest Dodger due to what he brought to the game and more importantly how he help change the game.

For some reason this one cost a little more to acquire. I guess I picked the wrong day to win this particular auction.

The hunt is almost over. With 4 of the 5 in hand I just need 1 more to complete the set. Wish all projects were this easy to find, acquire and post about.

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps : Jackie Robinson Black Framed Reprint ( card #50 )

After a brief dip into the silver framed numbered reprints I am back to the black versions.

Still needed 3 of the 5 reprints and with the prices dropping and more and more becoming available on the bay it is getting easier to pick up the remaining 3 at a nice low cost.

Of all the reprints this is my least favorite. I don't know why except that the look/design of the card is not as attractive to me as the other 4 are. Even with that said I still had to have all 5 as an incomplete set is just not acceptable for my collection. Won this card on a traditional auction as no sellers had it on a BIN for a reasonable amount.

3 down with 2 more to go and this quick little project will be over.

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps : Jackie Robinson Silver Framed Reprint ( 8 / 50 ) ( card # 1 )

With the acquisition of this card my collection of the framed Jackie cards will look a little odd but I am ok with that.

There are 5 framed reprint cards of Jackie in series 2 of this year's Topps brand and I already acquired my first one in black as the silver and gold parallels are of a limited number. I was just going to go for all black frames and that was going to be fine with me. The silver versions were closing at over $25 ( though that average price has come down some ) so I never looked for them to purchase.

One night though right before I was going to call it a night I looked at one of my favorite sellers on the bay who has a knack for putting things up real late at night and he put this one up on a BIN auction for a mere $10 delivered. Even though this would make my collection non color coordinated I wasn't going to pass up this great deal. Hit the buy it button and sent him the funds and as usual within a week I had the card.

That is now 2 of the 5 of the set I have gotten my hands on.

8 of 50

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps : Jackie Robinson Black Framed Reprint ( card #30 )

When the checklist for series 2 of Topps was released there were a few insert sets I wanted along with the normal base cards and the two parallels that I collect. But this and it's 4 brothers were the ones I set my eyes on and had top priority.

Topps decided to take 5 cards from their sets back in the day of Jackie Robinson and reprint them in metal framed form. I love these metal frames as I have acquired a few in the past year. A Koufax here, Trout there, an autograph Adrian to name just a few. Well you know I just have to acquire all 5 of these beauties for my collection.

Topps made a base version with two parallels. One numbered to 50 and the other numbered to 10. Thank God the base is black. Usually gold is the common one but this time around that color is the most limited one with it being numbered to 10. Silver while an attractive alternative happens to numbered to 50 which means a probable higher price point. I will be focusing on black which is fine with me. A great color.

Right out the gate these cards were commanding $23 on average with a few high sales of over $30. Yeesh. Pricey. Had to bide my time. I continued to sell comic codes until they fell in price for me to purchase. Slowly they dipped under the $20 threshold. Getting closer but not to my sweet spot yet. One day this particular one's auction was nearing its end and the price was at $10. Hoping and praying I could win it for a reasonable amount which I did when the auction ended with me being the high bid with a click under $14. Comic codes turned into cards. A beautiful thing.

One down with four more to go.

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps : Jackie Robinson Commemorative MVP Relic Insert

Had my eye on getting my hands on another manufactured relic card of Jackie and just had to find the right auction at the right price to pull the trigger.

This one caught my eye as it had a nice little metal medallion on the card. I could have paid a couple dollars cheaper for a "silk/fabric" card but I still prefer the these award reprint cards over those. I had a little bidding war on the bay for this card but when all was said it done it still only cost me a little more than a pack of Bowman Chrome cards. Reasonable deal for a great Dodger.

2014 Topps Museum Dodgers Case Break

Adrian Base

Topps just released their 2014 Museum set and being a fan of last year's I wanted to get in on this new issue. Unlike last year I just bought the singles here and there. This time around I decided to get in on a 12 box case break and try my luck on some of the hard and rare cards that I could flip and make some extra cash of just pay for the break in general. Like all other sets I still want/ed to complete the base set along with the blue parallels. With the Dodgers only having 5 players in the set that meant no more than 10 cards that I would be chasing. One annoyance was the inclusion of Ricky Nolasco. Really? No Ryu, Greinke, or Kemp? We get stuck with a pitcher that is no longer with the team. Go figure. With that said the first card is the one up above which is the base version of Adrian

Within the 12 boxes I ended up with 2 base Kershaw cards. Obviously one will be for my own personal collection but the other one is up for trade and if not I might contest it out with ... 

... one of these 2 Koufaxs that were also in the case. A great one two punch and of course if I was to do that I might as well add in one of these ... 

...yeah... I didn't even want him in the set so my break gives me two of him. I am sure someone will want it though. 

Next up were two different Puigs. The base one I wanted for sure and will be on the lookout for the blue parallel but the case also gave me the copper parallel. Not sure what I will do with that as of yet. Think it holds a little more trade value rather than contesting it out. We shall see.

Also received the copper version of Adrian. This one is up for trade if anyone wants it. 

An Adrian parallel that I will be keeping though. I am glad I scored one of the blue cards so I don't have to go searching for it online.

84 of 99

Now for the inserts. Jackie is not represented in the base set but he does appear in the Canvas Collection insert set. The card has a portrait feel to it's surface and not the normal slick coating. My Jackie collection is sorely lacking and this is a welcome addition.

I just knew since I talked crap about Nolasco that my one "hit" of an autograph would be of him. I have nothing more to say.

387 / 399

Onto the first of two relic cards that were in the case. This jumbo is of Chad who I hope makes a full recovery and can rejoin our team in a month. Card has been selling for a few bucks on eBay so it won't being going there. Might keep it, might trade it. Anyone interested?

71 of 75

And now for my big hit. A quad relic of Yasiel numbered to 75. Thankfully it is of the two color variety as that will help it's resale value. This is already on eBay and previous sales have been anywhere between $50-$75 so as long as it's in that ballpark I will make my money back. 

That is all folks. I am quite disappointed with my luck on this break. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't but thankfully I have the outlet of eBay to help me recoup the funds back. Great looking cards and I may just try one more break and see if my luck changes. 

Again, if interested in any of the card feel free to contact me for a trade.

3 Jumbo Boxes of 2014 Topps Dodgers Break Number One

I reentered the hobby last year and as I was getting my feet wet I saw that there were auctions for team breaks within each product that was released. The problem was that it was mostly high end material and with Puig lighting up the hobby all the breaks were way too pricey for me to enter. Some reached over $100. I told myself someday. Well 2014 rolls around and the new Topps set was just released and I wanted to get in on the action. Right out the gate the auctions were too pricey for my taste but I bid my time and finally I found a seller that had a great history and for a reasonable price I landed a place in a half case break for my beloved Dodgers.

As a foot note I ended up buying another case break entry from the same seller for the Dodgers as this shipment was coming to me. Can you say a little addicted? For the cost of my entry and the eBay sale of the cards I won I surely came out on top if I ever need to recoup my money. On to the cards.

Well with 1500ish cards within the 3 boxes it was to be expected that I should have a few team sets when all was said and done. 

Surprisingly with only one copy of the League Leaders card on the right I only have one complete team set of the Dodgers. Go figure. All extra cards are up for trade.

First insert. Nice thickish card of Sandy before he was great.

Both The Future is Now inserts of Puig.

The card on the left I already had thanks to Nathan of Big 44 Sports Cards trading it to me just prior to these box breaks as seen HERE so it also is available for trade.

One of the two Ryu The Future is Now inserts

Sandy Upper Class insert

The first box hit is a relic card of the newly retired Michael Young. 

Considering it's gray I'm curious if it really is a Dodger uniform and not a Ranger or Phillie one.

I'm going with its not a Dodger one.

Second box hit is an autograph of Bill Buckner

Third box hit is of new Twin Nolasco.

I purchased this card a couple weeks prior so this card will be contested out next week.

My one and only SP of the boxes and it's a great photo variation of Hanley Ramirez.

Fourth box hit.

Rookie Class Ring insert of Jackie Robinson.

It's the none numbered version but still. A great, thick card of the former Dodger

... and to finish it off the fifth box hit in the form of another Rookie Class Ring insert.

This one is of the original great Dodger southpaw Sandy Koufax.

So that completes my first ever box break and in my eyes I scored big time. Out of 3 boxes there are 9 hits and I scored more than half of them. Granted they were not the ultra limited ones but great cards none the less. I have one more package of box break cards coming this week but it was not as good as this one. For my first experience in the eBay box break auctions it was fun to watch and see what I won. A new addicting hobby.

Contest Winnings Box Break - 2013 Topps Update

It has been so long since I have done a HTA box break. Literally over a decade ago. Back in December I won a 2013 Topps Update baseball box from Topps on Twitter. There was a shipping issue and after a little more than a month the box has arrived and it is in my hands. Time to rip and hope for some great cards either for my personal collection or trade bait.

The box within the box

Opened and ready to rip

I know some people just do the hits and show them off but since I don't know when I will do another box I will go pack by pack. There are 36 packs with each one containing 10 cards.

Pack 1 :

Right off the bat.
Yasiel Puig Base Card
John Smoltz Postseason Heroes Insert

Pack 2 :

Ted Williams Chasing History Insert

Pack 3 :

A very sparkly green parallel of Klye McClellan
Trade bait

Pack 4 :

Clayton Kershaw mini
Already have this one so this will go into the trade pile or possible future contest

Pack 5 :

Nolan Ryan / Yu Darvish Franchise Forerunners Insert

Pack 6 :

Jose Fernandez Chasin History Insert
The bearded one, Brian Wilson, in Dodger blue

Pack 7 :

Greg Madduz Postseason Heroes Insert
Shaun Marcum in green parallel form

Pack 8 :

Miguel Cabrera Mini

Pack 9 :

Hyun-Jin Ryu with rookie debut stamp
Starling Marte Making Their Mark Insert

Pack 10 :

Matt Harvey Chasing History Insert

Pack 11 :

Jackie Robinson Chasing History Insert

Pack 12 :

Kyle Gibson Making Their Mark Insert
Who? Worst pack so far.

Pack 13 :

Paul Goldschmidt Mini

Pack 14 :

Manny Machado / Cal Ripken Jr. Franchise Forerunners Insert
Jurickson Profar green parallel

Pack 15 :

Bob Feller Chasing History Insert

Pack 16 :

Nada....

Pack 17 :

Adam Jones Mini

Pack 18 :

David Ortiz Postseason Heroes Inset
Zack Wheeler Marking Their Mark Insert

Halfway through the box and even though nothing earth shattering price wise has popped up, there is nothing I can complain about. A good variety so far. Box promised one autograph or relic ( hoping for auto ) so with the next 18 packs I look forward to something really good.

Pack 19 :

Greg Maddux Mini
and what happens right after I type that last sentence?
Justin Verlander All Star Patch Relic. Lol.
Trade bait or contest material

Pack 20 :

Josh Thole green parallel
Matt Harvey / David Wright Franchise Forerunners
Another Yasiel Puig card

Pack 21 :

Johnny Podres Chasing History Insert
Wil Myers black parallel ( 38 / 62 )
That is the big hit so far value wise. EBay has past sales of over $20

38 of only 62

Pack 22 :

Nada

Pack 23 :

Jackie Robinson Mini
Have this one as well so trade it becomes

Pack 24 :

Jose Fernandez Marking Their Mark Insert
Buster Posey Postseason Heroes

Pack 25 :

Wil Myers Chasing History Insert

Pack 26 :

Chad Qualls green parallel

Pack 27 :

Another Puig card
Mike Trout Mini

Pack 28 :

Nada

Pack 29 :

Jay Bruce Mini

Pack 30 :

Yasiel Puig / Matt Kemp Franchise Forerunners
Tony Cingrani Making Their Mark Insert

Pack 31 :

Bret Saberhagen Chasing History Insert

Pack 32 :

Ronald Belisario green parallel

Pack 33 :

Cal Ripken Jr. Mini

Pack 34 :

Roy Halladay Postseason Heroes

Pack 35 :

Nomar Garciaparra Chasing History Insert

.... and now for the final pack

Pack 36 :

Yasiel Puig Making Their Mark Insert

Well the box starts of with a Puig card and ends with a Puig card. As a Dodger fan I sure received my fair share of Dodger cards in this box especially Puig cards. Thank you again to Topps for running the contest and it was blast ripping a whole box of goodness.