When you turn the card and you see a big mess

I bought my first ever Gypsy Queen box!

Not many cards because there are only 8 packs (7 + 1...Topps people like to do math).

Which means I'll get the announced 48 cards if I get 6 per pack meaning no hit or it would make me get less cards.

I didn't get any hit if you are wondering.

But since I'm happy with...well...simply getting cards I don't mind not getting autos or relic cards.

And since I got some players I collect and a few inserts and some of them are combos, like this Jeter card (insert + great moment/photo + Jeter + Yankees) I was happy with my luck.

And look! I even got this beauty numbered blue framed Robinson!

My happiness was right there! Way up high!...

...

Until I turned the card and saw it was damaged.

The one and only...was damaged!

 The box was wrapped all right and the packs were all good.

But *the* card was damaged...

I suppose it was damaged while being inserted in the pack tracking back to Topps auto-insert-cards-machine.

It's a shame but I think I'll treasure it even more.

Damaged cards deserve all our love and even more than the mint cards.


All in all...It was a good first approach at buying GQ cards. The couple of them I possessed until now were all from trades. I'm liking the set a bit more. Still prefer A&G but GQ might come right at 2nd place.

I got my lunch box full of cards!

Just...

...look...

...what I...

...got!

Now I'm ready for lunch time! (in a few hours because first I have to eat my breakfast...)

1998 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Series 1 Baseball Retail 25 Pack Lot (In 1999 Retro Tin)

After some good input (from The Dutch Card Guy) about dacardworld I decided to try and order one of the boxes they are selling on ebay.

Since I'm a fan of Collector's Choice I decided to try this box first. And it is a special box. The packs come in a tin!

That's the most fashionable way to keep your cards.

Lets just hope everything works fine and I get it in no time!

The best way to return work!

That's the way!

I understood why the package took so long to arrive, it seemed like it went through some war zone.

But!

The contents are all OK.

That's all that matter.

That and the fact that I got some extras from the seller like the protections and more packs of '89 Fleer and '96 UD Collector's Choice.

I have lots of work to do so I don't know when I'll have some time to open all those packs and post them.

But I think the fun will last until the end of the month ant least.

Quick happy post

Just got the news the ohh so MIA package with all those items I ordered from my european eBay seller just arrived yesterday at my office!

The baseball gods are starting to get it right with me.

Next I just need the news I would get a tv channel to watch baseball again and it would be perfect.

So I can spend the rest of the vacations with a brighter smile that in a few days I'll have more packs to open and more cards to add to my collection.

Be safe you all.

Bad luck - Summer time

I don't know if it's because we're in the Silly Season, aka, Summer time and that's why I get all this bad luck.

Ordered a final time from my European eBay seller and the package it's taking too long. It usualy takes 2 or 3 days after it is dispatched. Now I've count more than a week and nothing.

I had a problem a year ago too... I think the logistics tend to have the distribution cars stolen or packages damaged a lot at Summer time.

I think it's more than the baseball gods putting the wheels in motion. It's the bloody karma from an other life!

I did something bad against baseball in my previous life. Got to be that..


(just a little random thought before going to sleep...don't mind)

Cards a bit far away

After some time thinking about losing ESPN America I thought 'At least I can keep buying cards and keep feeling I'm into baseball that way'.

But the gods are against me.

I received yesterday a messege from my ebay favourite seller saying he's closing the shop.

Pain my friends!

Since he's in Europe too it was easier and way less expensive to buy from him.

So besides losing the baseball on TV it will be more dificult to get cards every now and then.

*sigh*

I need vacations.

Getting some oddballs for the weekend

I've read so much about oddballs in other blogs that I got curious to know more about it and to try and identify an oddball if I saw it.

It seems I finally saw one and understood on the spot it was a real oddball.

So here is an envelope full of 64 '82 Kellogg's cards.

I only passed through some of them but they simply look great!

It seems I already had other oddball in my possession: a '87 K-Mart special edition set of 44 cards.

And if it wasn't enough I got an other.

An other K-Mart special set but this time a few years back for the '82 release.

Will be having much fun seeing and getting to know both sets.

More packs on the mail

Besides the packs I got as a birthday present from my parents, I also got more packs as a birthday present from me to myself.

I like to spoil my inner child.

These are the result: 7 '89 Topps packs plus 8 '88 Fleer packs.

Wax is just great!

I'll just hope the gum did not destroy the top card.

And since these junk wax came from one of my favourite eBay sellers he got me an extra.

Jorge Posada Topps Cracker Jack jersey relic!

I miss Posada.

2013 Topps - First look

I know that I might be the last one to have the 'first look' in the new 2013 Topps flagship set.

But let me take my chance at it.

As I mentioned before I bought ten packs on eBay being all of them Hobby packs.

Not because I wanted them to be Hobby but because they were the only ones available.

The thing is that I was expecting to get something different from it.

Not a hit.

Something more like getting more inserts, some SPs or getting the 'best' players cards.

I was truly wrong.

In 10 packs perhaps 2 or 3 might be what I expected from an Hobby pack.

So...paying more and getting less cards never seemed so much of a rubbery to me than this!

I already opened the 10 packs.

In this post I'm just showing the first pack I opened, and it was one of the best.

Starting with one of the stars uh?

For the first card I get Yu Darvish.

I confess...I never cared much about the hype around him.

Second card is Lincecum.

This is a relic because of the new hair. He deserves an Update Series card just to update the hair. Not the team. The hair.

Who would tell that my third card is the second hype star of the company!

I get Mister Trout!

Sliding without dust in the air? That's a no-no.

The 'MK' I like better is Trout team mate: Mark Trumbo!

I had a thing for Trumbo since I got his RC. Sorry Trout.

You might say that after these tow cards my base set is quite complete no?

Not for me.

As you can see in the Trout photo there is an other card. Chase Utley card.

I got in the same pack the gold version of it.

Was it intended?

The only card I liked and enjoyed truly was the D-Back Heath Bell.

Got love Bell photos!

And to finalize the one single card that pissed me off like bloody hell!

Topps.

Go and clean your *hands* with it.

Even if I'd be available to pay the shipment it is not allowed to register in the site for out USA/Canada.

And because I get this tremendous useful card I didn't get a true card!

The pack says '10 cards' and less if there is some insert or something.

But this 'piece of card' must not count!

Topps people!

You must listen to what Obama said the other day at USA Congress (I think - correct me if I'm wrong) about making business over the Atlantic!

USA and Europe promoting trades and economic business between each other *easily*.

Include trading cards in that please.

And keep cleaning your *hands* with the million dollar chase cards.

Topps 2013 Series 1

Finally yesterday one of the European sellers I follow on eBay started selling the Topps 2013 Series 1.

I got 10 packs. They are all Hobby packs.

Not that I wanted them to be Hobby to get some 'hit'. The thing is they were only selling Hobby packs.

I hope they arrive soon. Probably by Wednesday.

Will have fun opening them after what I already saw you all posting on the web.

O-Pee-Chee Premier 1992 - First Look

Yesterday arrived on the mail my 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier box!

With 36 packs and without any insert sets and with a base set not reaching 200 cards (here says it has 195 cards but here shows 198 cards), I really hope to complete it!

If I don't get all the set I might and kick off my Karma out of the window!

Ahhhhhhh smells like '90s.

I had only time to open a pack and here what I got:

If you remember my previous post about buying or not this box I showed some cards that made me like the set and thinking in get it.

Just in the first pack I got two of them! The Will Clark and Albert Belle cards.

My Karma is starting to be nice with me.

Will be opening the rest of the box in the upcoming days and would probably just post my favorite cards.

eShopping - What Women want

I'm quite tempted to buy a box of 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier Baseball just for this single card.

#178 Mark Whiten

There is a perspective you usually don't see in photos and there is a slide to the base with *lots* of dusty clouds in the air!

But there are other cards with funny photos like this:

Great hope-for-homer-photos like this:

Great swing action photos:

Double play photos:

And of course have this card:

So I'm jsut a click away of buying a 1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier Baseball box with 36 Packs to make me smile and be happy.


ETA: Just to say I already order it! Cannot wait to get it!

Christmas present

I know Christmas Eve is only on Monday but I was expecting to get my Christmas present this week.

I order a value box of 2011 Allen & Ginter's.

I opened a couple of packs from one of those repack boxes and got pretty excited about the set.

And the insert sets.

Those with nothing to do with baseball.

I have the info in may eBay that it was shipped from France on Monday.

It should be here by now...

It's karma. Isn't it?

I know it's Christmas time and all the services tend to hibernate.

But please!!!!!!!!!

I was not planning to open the box this week!

I was planning to open it only on Christmas!

So pretty puesyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Santa make my A&G box arrive today.

eBay my heart

Quick post to show you what arrived in mail today.

5 '88 Fleer packs and 8 packs from a Topps T206 value box.

I pay less if the seller just send me the packs without the box.

And when I say less is around 5/6 € less.

Those € will help me get my Christmas present for myself: A value box of 2011 Allen and Ginter's.

2007 Fleer Ultra - 3 packs opening

I usually get bonus from the sellers I buy from on eBay. Usually they use it as a bait to make us keep coming back for it.

Like a donkey and carrot.

But they can send it just as appreciation of us making business with them from all the people selling in eBay.

I like to think of it as appreciation.

So this intro to justify why I have 3 more 2007 Fleer Ultra packs to open and show to you.

I was searching on web for the main difference between Fleer (Tradition) and Fleer Ultra sets. For what I could find the Ultra cards had a higher quality stock and they used silver ink on it.

I only have a few Fleer cards which are from '90. The rest are all Fleer Ultra.

So on with the cards!

Edgar Renteria SS@ATL - I first knew about Renteria back in '09 because I got him in MLB Fantasy. He was already with the Giants with whom he would win WS and WS MVP title in the next year. Back in '07 he was with the Braves.

Derek Lowe P@LAD - Here with LA and it seems he was with my Yankees this past season. WoW! I really don't remember him pitching...I think I just missed those games.

Michael Cuddyer OF@MIN - Will be on my 'swing-all-the-way-like you're-jelly' collection.

Feliz Hernandez P@SEA - One of the chosen ones to figure on the perfect-game listing.

Travis Buck OF@OAK RC - That is Travis Buck!? Oh...I think I missed something...he's '12 Houston Astros self is quite different.

I thought that all rookie cards would be green. My mistake.

Jeff Francoeur OF@ATL

Adrian Gonzalez 1B@SD

Matt Cain P@SF - An other Cain card! That will be right on my Cain's collection making it an incredible 5 cards collection!

Micah Owings P@ARZ RC - A red rookie card? Weren't they supposed to be green? It seems they have both colours to RCs. If there is a pattern I couldn't find out. I like the cards in both colours but I tend to search for a pattern in everything.

Joaquim Arias SS@TEX RC - As you can see in the photo the Arias card has all that shinny-chrome-refractor-kind-of to the players name an Ultra logo. I noticed that from the moment I pulled the card from the pack but thought I was seeing things. It seems this is some kind of parallel card. I think this is one of the Gold Medallion cards "which have been stamped with gold colored holographic-foil" according to baseballcardpedia.com

Johan Smoltz P@ATL

Victor Martinez C@CLE - A Catcher at-bat.

Pedro Feliz 3B@SF - I like to admire the different poses players do at-bat. The result wished for the at-bat is the same but the way to get to it is quite different from player to player.

Adrian Beltre 3B@SEA

Lucky 13 Delmon Young OF@TB RC

This one really stands out.

This is kind of a sub-set of rookie cards in the set. There are 13 cards of Lucky 13 (really!?) and I got the last one of the sub-set and at the same time the last one of the base set.

This cards have different colour schemes too but I think this time around they have to do with the teams uniform colours.

This 3 packs are joining my other '07 pack I got as bonus a few time ago.

eBay shopping can drive a woman crazy! - Take 2

I've posted 2 days ago that I needed some help with some shopping choices. Since I didn't get any comment helping the damsel in distress I did choice by myself.

So...I didn't purchased any of the options I've posted about.

I think that's a woman thing:

'What dress honey? The blue or the green?'
'Take the green love...'
'Ok...I'll take the red one.'

So what I ordered were 7 2004 Upper Deck First Pitch packs (which I already have 5 packs)...

...and 3 2012 Topps Update Series Hobby packs. (Which I don't have a single one card)

Hope to get them by Friday.

eBay shopping can drive a woman crazy!

Womens are known to like shopping...a lot.

And are known for shopping a lot and spending a lot of money.

I'm no different and I do the same for cards as I do for cloths.

So can you help me giving me the men inside view!?

I'm torn between buying some specific cards or buying packs.

The packs are 2003 Upper Deck MVP hobby packs. Each pack brings 8 cards. And each costs 2.20€.

The main thing about them are the fact they are hobby packs and I can get something 'different'.

And other fact is that surprise thing that comes along opening packs.

The specific cards have 2 players cards I collect (Teixeira and Markakis) and other stuff:

• 1 Mark Teixeira 2011 Topps Tier One  (numbered)

• 1 Nick Markakis 2008 Sweet Spot Swatches Game Used Baseball Card

• 1 Mickey Mantle 2012 Topps Gold Standard
• 1 Brandon Webb 2010 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection Relic (jersey)
• 1 Paul Molitor 2011 Topps Triple Threads Emerald (numbered)
• 4 Cal Ripken Jr. cards
• 3 Upper Deck Piece of History numbered cards

What would you do? Have fun opening some packs which are hobby and expect to get something cool, or play safe and invest in some specific cards to add to personal collection?

2008 Upper Deck Artifacts

And is this what I'm expecting to receive on the mail tomorrow.

ETA: I got it on Friday's mail but I wasn't at work so the first thing I saw today on my desk was the package! Will spend my lunch break opening it.

Fleer Ultra 2007 - An extra pack

I purchased one of those 'Great Chase' box with a variety of packs. If the last time the box was kept at the customhouse, this time around it took no time to arrive.

Along with the box, this US seller from whom I bought a lot of stuff, sent me 2 bonus packs beside the box. One of those packs is a 2007 Fleer Ultra.

Here comes what I got...

I thought Papelbon did the right thing exiting Boston. Not by the biggest door but he was probably one of the best in the roster. It seems that he is not getting any luckier in Philadelphia. Well, even if they are reaching for the postseason I don't think they can make it. But after Cardinals last year we never know.

Uggla has these huge arms! At first glance I would not say he plays baseball but more american football.

I could not recognize Eric Chavez at first, only when I looked at the name. The photo in the card back looks more like him.
He's been such a huge help to my Yankees this final sprint to win AL East and go to playoffs that I started to like him better. Not that I didn't like him, but I would not pay much attention to him. I'm correcting this right now!

The forth card was Maddux. Who need to tell anything besides 'Maddux'? That's all said.

And last card in the pack (it says it's a 5 card pack) is some insert card. A Swing Kings card.

When I looked I saw someone in pinstripes and saw the NYY logo on the helmet so I was with this pretty smile upon my (also pretty) face.

Only when I looked at the players name - Gary Sheffield - I saw something really wicked. A Detroit Tigers logo.

Wait a minute...

I turned the card and yep...It's a Detroit card. And yet they kept the Gary photo as Yankees player! They don't even care to brush it off!

Ok. I think I'll do just fine with this.


A part from this, I really enjoyed this pack.