The Finest Autographed Bison Die Cut

The first year that I blogged I did a bunch of posts on Matt Kemp cards.  The Bison was coming off his incredible 2011 season, he should have one the National League MVP, and his cards were red hot.  I have always enjoyed watching Kemp play and had a good start on a nice collection before his cards get too high up there in price.  I added a few here and there, but definitely slowed down on his cards. 

Kemp's cards came back down after he spent the past year or two on hanging out on the DL.  I missed my chance to add some Kemp cards cheap.  I am sure plenty of other collectors forgot about him too. Kemp had a bounce back year last year posting 25 home runs and a split line basically at his career totals.  Is it too late to get back into Matt Kemp cards?  No.  Here is my latest.....

This is a really cool card and I am not sure that the scan really does it justice.  This die cut comes from the 2012 Topps Finest set and features the usual Kemp autograph.  It is a sticker autograph, but it's not too noticeable.  The card is also limited to just 15 copies.  

Golden Moments Bison Autograph

I have been missing the old Matt Kemp recently.  I have always been a pretty big fan of The Bison and have picked up quite a few of his cards over the years.  I was thinking that he would be good enough to bounce back and regain a little bit of his MVP form from a few years back this year, but that has not happened yet this season.  In fact, Kemp's less than stellar performance this season has reignited some of the trade talk which surrounded the outfielder this offseason.

Personally, Kemp seems like one of those guys who you might trade if it is to some team you are never going to run into and won't have to hear too much about if Kemp regains his form.  In the meantime, I have been adding to my Kemp collection while his performance is down and the prices of his cards are down too.  This week I added a 2012 Topps Golden Moments Autograph.

The card celebrates Matt Kemp reaching the 30-30 club during the 2011 season.  In fact, he was just the second Dodgers to reach that plateau behind Raul Mondesi.  Not too shabby.  This was the cheapest Kemp card I have run into in a long while and ended up costing me less than $10 shipped.  That's a long way off the price Kemp cards were fetching during the early days of 2012, but his cards are still fun to add to the collection.

and while we are at it, thank you for your patience with my pictures during the last week.  My computer has been on the fritz during the past week and I managed to order a new computer Sunday afternoon.  I am looking forward to having a scanner attached to a working computer and not a an email of a picture.  Thank you friends.

Tier One Bison

I am a little disappointed in the season posted by Matt Kemp so far this year, but we are only a quarter of the way into the 2014 season.  Last year was a lost season for the Dodgers All-Star outfielder, but many fans and collectors expected a strong bounce back season this year.  Kemp has been hobbled with injuries since he started off the 2012 season looking like the National League MVP.  During the first half of the 2012 season "The Bison" posted a .355/.444/.719 line with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs.  That's only in 36 games.

There is now some discussion of the Dodgers turning Matt Kemp into a bat off the bench.  It seems hard to believe that Kemp has gone from MVP candidate to the bench in Dodgers Stadium in just a year and a half.  I am still a big fan of Kemp and still really enjoy collecting his cards, even if he is riding the pine. 

Kemp's cards have come back to Earth a bit over the last 36 months, but still remain pretty popular.  At the beginning of the 2012 season Kemp was not signing for card companies.  Sure, there were a ton of redemption cards for Kemp autographs inserted into card products, but the actual autographs were a long wait.  I have been working on picking up a few of them over the past few weeks and managed to track a few down.  My first comes from the 2011 Topps Tier One. 

This is a really great looking card with an on-card signature.  I love the simple gold design around the edges of the card.  Really awesome card picked up for less than $20.  More Kemp cards will posted soon. 

Bison Graph

Every year I try to pick out a few players who are primed for a good season, or primed for a good bounce back in their career.  You can usually find a few young players whose numbers are steadily climbing towards something great, but it's also easy sometimes to find a player who could be special if they came back and resume their career at it's past level.  Of course you have to sort out some players who are declining because of age and usually you have a few options left to choose from.  

This year I am going to hedge a little bit on Matt Kemp.  He has had difficulty staying on the field the past year and a half, but has been great when he has shown up.  Before playing about a third of the season last year while injured, Kemp had two great seasons in a row at ages 26 and 27.  In fact, I am still not sure how he did not win the MVP in 2011.  During the 2011 season Kemp posted a OPS+ of 172 and lead the National League in home runs and RBIs.  In 2012 he ended with an OPS+ of 147, but missed parts of that season.  The first half of the year he hit .355 with a dozen homers.  Since the injuries have piled on.  

Kemp is still south of 30 and who remembers his cards being red hot in 2012?  Me.  Probably a lot of other people too.  The price of Kemp cardboard has definitely comeback to Earth, but he is still a player who seems like he's worth a role of the dice on.  So, here's my first gamble on Matt Kemp this year:

2012 Topps Heritage Matt Kemp Autograph 

   

The pricing on Kemp cards has been a bit crazy this year.  If you search the sold items on EBay there is a blue ink autograph, just like my copy, which sold for $100.  However, there is also a red version with a print run of 63 which sold for $60.  Go figure.  To avoid the crazy fluctuations, I decided to trade for this copy of this card.  I put together a package of White Sox autographs and a pair of World Series relics from the 2006 Topps set to land this card.  

Hopefully buying and trade for Kemp cards on the cheap will pay off and "The Bison" will put together a good season for the Dodgers.  If not, well....I like Matt Kemp.  

2013 Topps Museum Collection Matt Kemp Jumbo Bat Card

I posted my first two Museum Collection cards of the year to my blog last night and have another great card to share this evening.  It might be too far to say that I collect Matt Kemp cards, but he is certainly a player that I enjoy watching and I have taken more than a passing interest in his cards over the years.  Last year his cards really took off at the beginning of the year before cooling off after a series of injuries limited the playing time of the Dodgers outfielder.

Kemp was a visible part of several different Topps set last year and this year has been no different.  I had not added any new blog-worthy 2013 Kemp cards to this point in the calendar year, so I was happy to land a really cool and unique card from the Museum Collection as my first.

2013 Topps Museum Collection Matt Kemp Jumbo Bat Card

Surprisingly I do not own many jumbo bat, or bat barrel cards in my collection.  I was surprised that this card was available as cheaply as I found it, so it was a no-brainer to pick it up.  The jumbo bat cards in this year's Museum Collection set have actually sold very well.  I've really been on the look out for a Jon Jay edition, but ended up with a few others in the process.  The bidding on these cards on Ebay has been heavy and trading for these cards has also demanded a steep price.  For example, I tried to trade for a Jon Jay jumbo bat this weekend as was asked for a little more than $50 for the card.  I also tried buying a card on Ebay, but the bidding went over $40.

For my time and money, this Kemp card was had for half the going rate of the Jon Jay cards I have been pursuing and I have added a much better card to my collection.  I actually really like looking at the larger pieces of the bat relics and might lean towards giving the jumbo bat cards the nod as my favorite cards in this year's Museum Collection release.  Maybe I will pick up a few more.

2013 Topps Silver Slugger Matt Kemp

2013 Topps Silver Slugger Matt Kemp

I am still working on my 2013 Topps set.  I've finished the base set and most of the inserts, which has lead me to chase down a few cool manupatch type cards to finish off my Series 1 cards.  I added a sweet Holliday patch card a day or two ago, but I think my card today beats out the Matt Holliday.  This Matt Kemp card is from the Silver Slugger manupatch set, but it's not really a manupatch.  The bat on the right side of the card is a small silver bat and the black piece beneath it is also metallic.  I am not sure about what type of card stock Topps used for this card, but it is probably the thickest baseball card I have ever seen.  

While the actually manupatches featured in the first series of the 2013 Topps set are slightly disappointing, some of the other manufactured cards are spectacular.  I have a few more to share early next week.  This is a really creative set concept and product from Topps.  While I have never assembled an entire manufactured card set I am tempted to work on putting this one together over the year.  Most of the cards in the set are around $10 with the exception of the Ken Griffey Jr. card.  I would imagine that Topps will also put out a second round of these in June with the release of the 2nd Series.  Hoping there might be a Cardinal.  

30 Year Top 50: 2005 Bowman Chrome

#4- The 2005 Bowman Chrome set is the best collection of rookie autographed cards produced in the last 30 years.  There were many important rookie cards issued during the 2005 baseball card calendar.  Andrew McCutchen, Justin Verlander, Matt Kemp, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Bruan, Billy Butler, and Jered Weaver just to name a few. A quick glance at some of the card sets from 2005 will show that many of the important rookie card players made it into some of the sets.  There are even a few sets that included an autograph or two from the spectacular list of rookie players.  However, this set has them all on cardboard and almost all of them have an on-card autograph in this set.

2005 Bowman Chrome Justin Verlander Autograph

Like many of the chrome re-hashes of Bowman and Topps base sets, I did not initially collect this set when it was issued in 2005.  Instead, I slowly picked up the cards over a few years.  My first card that I went after was this Justin Verlander autographed rookie card.  I did not follow the Tigers too much in 2006, Verlander's first full season, until the Tigers reached the playoffs.  I was impressed by what I saw and decided that a nice Verlander rookie card would be a good addition to the collection.  

2005 Bowman Chrome Ryan Braun Autograph

About a year later I added the Ryan Braun autograph when the Brewers called him up and I decided to just pick up the rest of the set.  The set was really well thought of when it was released in 2005, but in the years since it's release the cards have really taken off in value and popularity.  In my opinion, there are seven key rookie cards in the set: Ryan Braun, Justin Verlander, Matt Kemp, Andrew McCutchen, Jered Weaver, Ryan Zimmerman, and Jacoby Ellsbury.  

2005 Topps Chrome Matt Kemp Autograph

There are other good players in set and I've heard people argue the pros and cons of the Stephen Drew, Billy Butler, and Matt Garza cards too.  However, I think that the three aforementioned players fall short of being included in my group of seven key rookies from this set.  Spend a few minutes looking them up on Baseball Reference and there is clearly a line here between the elite players and good players.

2005 Bowman Chrome Jered Weaver Autograph

One of the best ways to rate a great set is to pick out the great cards in the set and then try to determine their effect on the rest of the set.  If a set is not dynamic or spectacular the key cards will stand alone in spite of the rest of the set.  With great sets, the key cards have heavy demand and value, but also drive the popularity, price, and demand on the rest of the cards.  

2005 Bowman Chrome XFractor Jeff Niemann Autograph

For example, one of my first cards I picked up after the Verlander was this Jeff Niemann card.  He was the third overall draft pick in the 2004 draft and was a highly thought of prospect in the lower minors.  I watched him for a year in Durham playing for the Bulls and he seemed like a solid pitcher, but nothing spectacular.  His rookie cards generally reflect Niemann's level of performance on the field.  Most sell for less than $5 and are pretty easy to find.  However, Niemann has an autograph in the 2005 Bowman Chrome set which regularly fetches over $10 and often has competitive bidding on Ebay.  The only explanation for this specific card being twice as valuable as the other Niemann rookie cards is that it is valued more because of the set, rather than the player.  

2005 Bowman Chrome Jacoby Ellsbury Autograph

This set can rarely be found for sale as a whole, but collectors can assemble the set card by card.  All of the cards are still available on the secondary market and haven't really dried up.  Most of the good rookie cards in the set sell north of $100 with paralleled serial numbered versions going much higher depending upon how limited the print run.  I worry about the health of Matt Kemp and Jacoby Ellsbury, so I could see a slight slide with their cards in the future.  However, players like Justin Verlander and Ryan Bruan are not going to get any cheaper and I think as the continue to compile good career numbers these cards will be harder to find and even more expensive.  

30 Year Top 50: 2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights

#8- I am generally not a huge fan of the Chrome lines that Topps rehashes out every year, but I have to tip my cap to them with the 2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights set.  The set features a brilliant list of rookie cards which have allowed this set to quietly become one of the best sets released during the past decade.

2005 Topps Update & Highlights Ryan Braun

When Topps issues a Chrome version of a set I generally yawn.  The Chrome lines of Topps cards started in 1996 with the release of the 1996 Topps Chrome set.  The Topps Chrome cards looked exactly like the regular 1996 Topps cards except they had the Chrome effect.  To show collectors who do not dabble in the world of modern cards the difference, the card above is the Topps Update & Highlights version of Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun.  This card was later placed in the Topps Chrome Update & Highlights set too which is pictured below.  

2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights Ryan Braun

I am not sure why, but collecting the same cards over again, but with different finishes never excited me.  There is generally a monetary difference between the base set and Chrome sets, but it is usually caused by a few select rookie cards.  I always managed to add the Chrome rookie cards that I wanted for my collection without opening a bunch of packs or sinking money into a box.  Instead, I could always find the cards as singles on the secondary market.  The game changer for the Topps Chrome sets started in the mid 2000's when Topps started placing autographs and a wide variety of parallels into the sets.  The changes caused collectors to flock towards the Chrome products, and in particular, the 2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights set.

2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights Jered Weaver 

As I mentioned before, the Topps Chrome Update & Highlights set started off with a set of great rookie cards.  The rookie cards included Ryan Braun, Jered Weaver, Ryan Zimmerman, Andrew McCutchen, Matt Kemp, and several others.  The Chrome single cards rookie easily surpassed the Topps Update & Highlights base set singles.  Within the Chrome Update set the different parallels then added even further value to the rookie cards.  

2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights Black Matt Kemp

There were several different variations on the rookie cards.  The most basic parallel card in the Topps Chrome Update set is the refractor card which has been a constant throughout the Chrome sets.  There were also Chrome Black and Red parallels which were limited in production to 250, for the black, and 65, for the red.  These parallels are highly coveted by collectors and they often sell for a premium.  For example, a basic Matt Kemp Topps Chrome Update card can be found for around $10 on Ebay or CheckOutMyCards.  The black parallel of the Kemp card usually reaches prices north of $100.  

2005 Topps Chrome Update Andrew McCutchen Autograph

The 2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights set also featured autographed rookie cards.  There are roughly 17 autographed rookies in the set and the two best cards belong to Reds outfielder Jay Bruce and Pirates star Andrew McCutchen.  While both are sticker autographs, they are in high demand and often fetch for a nice price on the secondary market.  A raw copy of the Bruce might fetch around $30 while the McCutchen card hovers just south of $100.  

Overall, this is my second favorite 2005 release.  There is one more 2005 set that ranks above this one in my opinion, but the single rookie cards in this set are a can't miss for any baseball card collector.  The fact is, that this set started strongly when it was released, but has continued to gain steam and popularity as the players have reached the majors and have played there for multiple seasons.  While some might look at the value of the cards in this set as excessive and high, the value in the case of the 2005 Topps Chrome Update & Highlights set is well worth with it.  

The Circle of Cards Pt. 1

I have been on a bit of a Twitter kick the past few weeks.  It's not a bad place to trade cards some days. In the waining hours of my vacation a few weeks back I ran across a cool collector that was looking for some Marlins cards.  How rare is that?  I've been collecting, buying, selling, and trading for a long time and can think of lots of different collectors I can turn to for all kinds of players and teams.  However, the Marlins have always been a little trick for me.

At the same time I run into my Marlins friend on Twitter, I run into another person on Twitter from the West Coast somewhere looking for Matt Kemps.  I have a few and listened a little more when I heard there were some Cardinals autographs in the mix.  So, I am managing two conversations at once of which I am not a huge fan.  Marlins guy throws up a Kemp card.

2008 Topps Allen & Ginter Matt Kemp Autograph

Very nice card indeed.   So, I dug through my Marlins cards and interested him in a nice Mike (Giancarlo) Stanton autograph out of last years Triple Threads.  Pictured below.  Now, the Stanton is a great card and I think that Stanton is going to be a nice player.  Honestly, I was a little bit hesitant to trade the card.  

2011 Topps Triple Threads Autograph

So, while I am listening to the offers for the Stanton card I am also listening to my Dodgers fan talk about Matt Kemp cards.  The conversation gets to the point where he basically tells me he is hunting down Kemp autographs one at a time and he needs on-card autographs.  Have I seen any? Hmm...  

2009 Bowman Chrome Lance Lynn Autograph

In the meantime, I am still working with my Marlins guy who try to find an additional card to throw into the trade for Stanton besides the Kemp card.  He has a bunch of Cardinals autographs, but they are all cards that are already in my collection.  He had put up a Lance Lynn autograph at one point and I knew someone back in St. Louis looking around for Lynn cards.  After a few hours I worked out a side deal to trade the Lance Lynn card away.  My hesitation to trade my Stanton were greatly relieved to say the least....

More 2012 Triple Threads

I continued to work on adding to my Triple Threads collection for 2012 this past week by adding three new cards.  The Triple Threads set has become one of my favorite annual releases by Topps and have enjoyed beginning the process of assembling some cards from this year's release.  My biggest challenge by far this year has been adding Cardinals cards.  They have drifted a little bit high on Ebay, COMC, and other secondary card spots and there aren't a ton of them out in the trade market.

 I always end up with a good group of Cardinals cards, but I feel like they might be high this year because of the team's current playoff run.  For example, Carlos Beltran only has a Unity Relic in this years release which features on small piece of jersey.  The cards sell between $12 and $25 on Ebay and trading...ridiculous.  One trader last week trader last week traded me a Carlos Beltran jersey from the Topps Update set for an Ian Kinler jersey, but wouldn't trade me a Beltran Triple Threads card for a Kinsler patch.  Really wanted the patch, but not for a plain Beltran patch.  Hmm.

Anyway, I was finally able to add an Allen Craig jersey/autograph later in the week.  The card is a Unity Relic Autograph and is numbered out of 99.  This is the second year that Allen Craig has appeared in the Triple Threads set with an autograph.  Honestly, I would rather have one of the portrait style Triple Threads cards with the multiple jersey pieces, but will settle for this one.  The design on this years single jersey piece Triple Threads cards are much better.

2012 Topps Triple Threads Allen Craig Jersey/Auto

My last two pick ups were also trades.  I picked up two other Triple Threads cards in two separate trades.  One added to my Rays collection with a nice David Price piece.  Price actually has several different pieces in year's Triple Threads set, but I like this card the best.  Some of the autographs are nice, but for some reason we are back to sticker autographs on high end cards.  Thanks Topps. 

2012 Topps Triple Threads David Price Jersey

Last card for the day is a sweet Matt Kemp Triple Threads card which I picked up in a trade for some sticker autographs of Giants players and a Joe Rudi.  This is the second consecutive year that Topps has made a Bison card for Kemp, but I still think they are sweet cards.  I have one more really cool Kemp Triple Threads on its way later in the week.  

2012 Topps Triple Threads Matt Kemp

30 Year Top 50: 2004 Bowman Heritage

#46-The fact that this set borrowed it's design from the 1955 Bowman set almost single-handly placed it on my list of great card sets from the past thirty years.  The 1955 Bowman set is one of the great vintage sets of all times and has some great cards, even Don Mossi appears in the set.

1955 Bowman Don Mossi 

The 2004 Bowman Heritage sets does have a few other positives beyond the really cool design.  If you have been following my countdown you will notice that many of the sets on this list have been included because they were either innovative in some manner, or they contained a key rookie.   My most important reason for owning this set is the Felix Hernandez rookie card.   Hernandez is one of the better pitchers currently playing, but unfortunately he plays his games in Seattle and not seen by half the country.  Okay, maybe three-fourths.  

2004 Bowman Heritage Felix Hernandez RC

The 2004 Bowman Heritage Felix Hernandez rookie is a short printed rookie card and raw copies can be easily found for less then $20.  Need persuasion to buy one?  Hernandez has spent the eight years of his career playing for a team that has frequently finished near the bottom of the AL West.  Despite having a lack of talent around him, Hernandez has put up almost 100 wins and 1,500 strikeouts.  Check out his comparable player list on Baseball Reference and you will turn up the Eck, Catfish Hunter, and Don Drysdale.  Not bad for a guy who is just 26. 

The 2004 Bowman Heritage features a few other really quality rookies that would be solid additions to your card collection.  My personal favorite as a Cardinals fan is the Yadier Molina rookie.  Most people over look Molina as a player and as a target for their card collection.  I blame it mainly on his brothers and people who watched him take an at-bat the first few years he played.  

2004 Bowman Heritage Yadier Molina RC

Molina first appeared for the Cardinals in 2004 as a defense first catcher.  He certainly played like that for his first few years in the majors, but more recently he has dramatically improved his offense.  While maintaining his reputation as one of the best defensive catchers in the league, Molina has quietly hit over .300 the past two seasons.  In fact, this year he among the league leaders in batting average, has over twenty home runs, and is tied for the National League lead in WAR with Ryan Braun and Andrew McCutcheon.  Not bad for a guy who hit .216 a few years ago.  

You can also find the rookies for Carlos Quentin, Neil Walker, Wade Davis, Phil Hughes, and Kurt Suzuki.  The set also has some sweet umpire autographs if you are looking for something a little bit unique and different to hunt down.  Bruce Froemming included.  

Like the 2004 Bowman Heritage Set?  Not in my countdown is the 2005 Bowman Heritage set.  The 2005 set might ultimately have more important rookie cards then the 2004 release, but it falls short in two areas.  First, the design is borrowed from the 1956 Bowman set and is not really anything great.  Second, the two biggest rookies in the set, in my opinion, are Matt Kemp and Justin Verlander.  Both have more important rookie cards than the Bowman Heritage issue.  Don't worry, both will appear on the countdown in a few weeks.    

2005 Bowman Heritage Justin Verlander RC

2005 Bowman Heritage Matt Kemp RC

Beyond these two rookies there are plenty of other rookie cards in the set for Ryan Zimmerman, Little Weaver, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Andrew McCutchen.  However, just like the Kemp and Verlander rookies, most of the star players in this set have other more important rookie cards.  Still a great set to own, but I give the nod to the 2004 set. 

2012 Topps Museum Matt Kemp Quad Relic

We have one last card for the weekend, but I will be sharing a few more cards from the last week's trades and will also continue my countdown of the best sets from the past 30 years.  

I had the opportunity to add this Matt Kemp card in a trade I made on Twitter last week.  I have been trying to add Kemp cards throughout the season and really liked the appearance of this card from the 2012 Topps Museum set.  The card has three pieces of bat and one cool piece of jersey with a blue patch.  This is by far the best Museum relic card that I have picked up this year, but would still love to add a Miguel Cabrera quad relic pieces if I can find a good one.  

2006 Topps 52 Matt Kemp Autograph

I've been reflecting on some of the cards that are already in my collection this week and have taken a bit of a break from the cards coming into my collection from trades.  So, this weekend it's time to catch up a little bit.  First up for the weekend is this great Matt Kemp autograph from the 2006 Topps 52 set.  This card is a dupe for my collection, but is one of the real underrated Kemp cards out there on the market.

The card is technically a second year year card for Kemp, but it's an on card autograph and is often in high demand.  I actually traded one of these cards earlier this year at the beginning of the baseball season and the card literally doubled in value the next week.  Maybe not doubled, but not far from it.  I have traded a few other nice Kemp cards from my collection throughout the summer, but I have also managed to add a few really nice pieces too often at a very low cost.  

The dynamics of how people value Matt Kemp cards has intrigued me this entire season.  Last year I owned zero Matt Kemp cards.  About half way through the year I added one copy of this card to my collection for around $10 and added a second for just under $20 towards the end of the season.  I was also able to buy and trade for several nice relic cards for little or nothing.  All the trades and purchases were made with dealers or at card shops in the Midwest, which probably added a little to the discount, but given the level of performance when Kemp has stayed healthy it's hard to understand.  

A quick glance at Kemp cards on Ebay offers a similar view.  On the lower end of the spectrum of Kemp autographs selling on the site is his 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars autograph.  It's a fine card, but it's got a high run and is on a sticker.  Copies of the card have ranged from $12 to $25 in the past two weeks.  Did the value of the card double or half during that time?  On the higher end his raw Bowman rookie autograph has had a $60 pendulum over the past two months and the featured card in this post has had a $90 swing.  

So, what are Kemp cards really worth?  Given that Kemp was hitting over .400 at the beginning of May with an OPS over 1.300 and is entering the prime of his career at 27 I would bet it's towards the high end of the spectrum.  Kemp has had an injury plagued season, but the excitement his cards generated earlier in the season when he was healthy should be a sign to collectors to find the bargains available on Kemp cards and hold on for the long haul. 

The Lamest Excuse To Trade A Card Is....

I used to get really annoyed when Tony LaRussa would throw players under the bus and then relagate them to the trade block.  Completely trashes the players value and any leverage that the Cardinals might have with the opposing team.  Colby Rasmus comes to mind, but the Cardinals won the World Series last year with Edwin Jackson starting playoff games.  

In dealing with card collectors I often wonder why certain collectors throw their own cards on the bus in a similar fashion.  I hate the Cubs, but I really enjoy having a Ryne Sandberg autograph as part of my collection.  You would like to trade for it?  Great, I want some good cards back.  

The past several months I have worked a few deals with an old card show acquaintance from St. Louis.  The guy is originally from San Jose, loves his Giants, and cannot stand the Dodgers.  He'll email out a list of cards he's looking to move every few weeks and I am never amazed to see the amount of Dodgers cards on the list.  

Good cards with good values dumped out on the market because they are Dodgers, or connected to the Dodgers.  Anyway, here's the damage this week.  

2011 Topps Triple Threads Matt Kemp BISON

2011 Topps Triple Threads Matt Kemp STATS

Twitter Trade

I have been getting more and more into Twitter the last few weeks for trading.  There are some excellent traders there and great tools to showcase your collection.  In fact, I pulled off a trade earlier in the week with a collector from Ohio interested in a few Indians cards and autographs.  I received four big cards back and a few smaller ones.  I am going to stick to the big ones for tonight.

The trade originated while I was searching for a few cards during the MLB Draft Monday night.  I wanted to find a card of the Cardinals selection, Michael Wacha, and also find a card of Marcus Stroman.

Wacha is out of Texas A&M and was selected by the Cardinals as compensation for Albert Pujols.  He's supposed to be one of the better college pitchers, but we'll see once he starts pitching.  Stroman pitched at Duke.  Duke is usually not an exciting college baseball team to watch, but Stroman has been worth the price of admission the last year or two.  He's 5'8 and throws really hard.  Reminds me a lot of a right-handed version of Billy Wagner and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round.

2011 Bowman Sterling Michael Wacha Jersey

2011 Topps USA Baseball Triple Jersey Autograph

I also received two other excellent cards in the trade.  Last week I actually traded a Topps Marquee Matt Kemp Quad jersey, but was able to find virtually the same card.  I think the patches are in different squares.  

2012 Topps Marquee Matt Kemp Quad Jersey/Patch

Last, but not least, I also received an Albert Pujols rookie.  I am supposed to be down about Albert right now and I have traded off huge chunks of my Pujols collection, but I love this card.  There are a ton of Pujols rookie cards out there, but for my money this is about the best of them.  It's a really simple and basic card, but it is a good contrast to many of the more modern looking Pujols rookies.

2001 Bowman Heritage Albert Pujols

2008 SP Authentic By The Letter Matt Kemp Autograph

I try to keep a look out for good deals when I am trying to trade for cards.  Usually, I will ask about Rays or Cardinals, but sometimes I will venture away from my collection staples.  I especially find that collectors can capitalize on this when deal with stores, card show dealers, etc.  Stores and dealers often have a set market that is determined by their location and cliental and can often do little to change the types of products and cards that they can sell successfully.

For example, I used to regularly attend the Cardinals Winter Warm-up when I lived in Saint Louis.  The amount of cool Cardinals memorabilia and cards was staggering.  I would usually spend two or three months worth of my card budget at the event and walk away with a few nice pieces.  One of the last years I attended I went with a fellow collector and picked up on something pretty sharp that he did with the vendors.  He would approach a booth, peruse the Cardinals cards or memorabilia and then pick out something nice that was a non-Cardinal.  The conversation would usually bring out the amount of time the dealer had been stuck with the item and how there was no market for player X in Saint Louis.  Then there was an offer.  It worked surprisingly well.  The next table I tried the approach and walked away with a 1995 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson Autograph for $20 in 1999.  Great price at the time.  

1995 Upper Deck Reggie Jackson Autograph

Recently I started working with a card shop owner in Iowa, whom I met through a friend in Saint Louis, and started working with him to trade him Cubs and Cardinals cards for his baseball section of his store.  I do not really value the Cubs cards, so I am happy to trade them.  However, I have found the principle I learned at the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up thirteen years ago still applies to the industry today despite all the changes.  My preference is to have as few Cubs cards as possible.  The store owner wins.  Since I met him through Saint Louis friends he understands that any Cardinals cards that I trade or sell him I could easily sell or trade other stores or collectors.  I win.  However, I can also help the store owner win and my card collection win by taking on valuable cards that do not have a market in their current location.  One day this Matt Kemp card is sitting on a card store shelf for three years in Iowa.  The next it is finding a spot in my house.    

Remember that when you go to a card show or your local card shop to take time to take the the owner and the store employees.  Talk to them about their business.  Look for cards that seem to be "stuck" in the store.  

This Week's Trades Part II

The second half of my trade run down from this week is a bit longer than the first half, but well worth the extra reading time.  Do it for the cards.  Starting off with a cool card that I both traded and traded for in the same week (different copies).  Is there a better player than Matt Kemp at the moment?  I would argue no.  So, I traded for this card from a dealer in Springfield, Illinois for a few nice Cardinals; a 2004 Topps Matt Holliday autograph and a 2011 Marquee Descalso, as well as a pair of manufactured patches from Eddie Matthews and Ozzie Smith.  I ended up with this:

2008 Topps Allen & Ginter Matt Kemp Autograph

I also received two packs of Gypsy Queen as a throw in and landed a Desmond Jennings Future Stars insert card.

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Desmond Jennings Future Stars

My second trade of the week also involved a Matt Kemp Allen & Ginter autograph which I traded to DodgerBobble, along with a Milton Bradley autograph and got pack a big package of cards including; a 2012 Topps Bob Gibson manufactured patch, 2010 Topps 206 Sean Rodriguez autograph, a 2011 Topps Update Matt Joyce All-Star Jersey, a 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Carlos Pena jersey (plaid), a 2011 Topps Tier One Matt Holliday, 4 Topps Heritage Short Prints, and a 2007 Bowman Justin Ruggiano.  

2011 Topps Tier One Matt Holliday 

2012 Topps Bob Gibson Manufactured Patch 

2010 Topps Allen & Ginter Carlos Pena Jersey 

2011 Topps Update All-Star Game Matt Joyce Jersey

2010 Topps 206 Sean Rodriguez Autograph 

2012 Topps Heritage Short Prints and a 2007 Bowman Justin Ruggiano Rookie  

Two more trades to run through for this week which are related and were made on Facebook.  In 2001 I put together a master set of relics and autographs from the Topps HD set.  I thought it was the coolest thing ever at the time and started also working on the 2001 Pacific Private Stock set.  The set was Pacific's last baseball release after they lost their license to produce baseball cards and they literally dumped everything they had into the cards.  There are 182 cards with either bats or jerseys and then numerous cards that featured pieces of patches.  After 11 years of work I have a lot of the cards, mostly the bats and jerseys, and have a hard time walking past a lot of them without taking a look.  I ran into a lot on Facebook with a Craig Biggio bat card which I was missing from my collection.  I traded a Keith Foulke and Trot Nixon autograph and received the Biggio bat along with a Barry Bonds bat, Matt Williams jersey, Dee Brown bat, and Alex S. Gonzalez bat.  

2001 Pacific Private Stock Alex S. Gonzalez Bat

2001 Pacific Private Stock Craig Biggio Bat

2001 Pacific Private Stock Dee Brown Bat

2001 Pacific Private Stock Matt Williams Jersey

2001 Pacific Private Stock Barry Bonds Jersey 

Last trade of the week.  I traded my Matt Williams, Dee Brown, and Alex Gonzalez dupes for another Private Stock I did not have:

2001 Private Stock Rickey Henderson Bat