A Trip to Big D's Cardshop

I spent a little bit of time in my favorite local cardsharp this weekend.  I probably really needed to buy some boxes for all of the sets, 12 of them, that I collated last Thursday and Friday.  Instead I ended up buying a few cards and a really nice autographed baseball.  Hard a great time sitting around talking to the store owner Jimmy and another customer who was putting together a few Topps sets.

So, here's what I picked up this trip:

I tried to focus in on the signature for my picture?  Any guesses?  Terry Pendleton is the correct answer.  He was one of my favorite Cardinals players from the 1980s WhiteyBall teams, but he was probably a better player after he left the team for the Braves.  Jimmy had talked to me about the ball before, but gave me a good deal on the ball that I could not refuse.  Great signature on the sweet spot of the ball, great addition.  This is going on a shelf in my card room.

The cards.....

I know this is mainly a baseball card blog, but I still love my NC State basketball.  I have dabbled in T.J. Warren autographs and am happy to finally see a few floating around.  Jimmy, the owner of Big D's, found this card for me.  It's got a nice reflective finish that did not show well on the scanner and I love the fact that the signature is on-card.

I have done a lot with the 2014 Topps set and have pretty much wrapped up my searching on this set outside of a few really hard to find acetate cards.  I did not pick up a sparkle card this year, so here is my first.  Maybe there is another sitting in the stacks of doubles on my desk, I am not the best at picking out these cards.  The sparkle on this card is to the right side of the baseball next to Longoria's hand.  Cool card, cool variation even if it sometimes feels like you're looking for this guy.....

Another Trip To Big D's Sports Cards

It had been awhile since I had managed to make my way into my favorite local card shop, Big D's Sports Cards, in Raleigh.  I do not have school on Monday and little responsibility for the next five weeks I am tracked out of work, so it was a no brainer that I needed to hit up the card shop.  Jimmy had a couple of things waiting for me.  Some of the cards he had found and set aside for me, while a few of the cards I picked up in a trade with a local collector. 

So, first up is a small side project in my collection.  A few Michael Sam cards from different Topps base sets.  The one card would appear to be a variation, but I might be wrong on that.  I actually know almost nothing about football cards, but I like picking up a few things from Mizzou and NC State guys here and there.  Sam was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last year and was drafted by the Rams in this year's rookie draft.  

I also picked up a pair of Hak Ju Lee autographs which were signed in person while he was a member of the Durham Bulls.  He should be back in Durham next year, but the Rays seem to be working pretty hard on trading away everyone this offseason.  He will probably end up on the Padres.  

I love the Bowman autograph on the right hand side.  That is kind of the quintessential Hak Ju Lee defensive pose.  Spend five minutes watching the Bulls take infield practice before the game and you will see that pose half a dozen different times.  On to more serious things.  

I have been trying to work on a few new player collections.  The statement above about the Michael Sam cards being a side project should have probably been typed in blue (for sarcasm).  I am really trying to develop a player collection away from baseball cards, but let's face it: I am not a football person.  

As a resident of central North Carolina it is hard to go wrong with collecting something basketball.  I like basketball and I graduated from one of those North Carolina basketball schools.  So, I am happy to add a second autograph to my collection of T.J. Warren cards.  This time he is wearing a Suns jersey and not NC State.  Well, he's at least holding a Suns jersey.  Roll Pirates Roll.  (Google Riverside Durham)  

While I was in the shop I also decided to pick up a copy of a Trea Turner autograph that looked really sweet.  It is from Leaf Valient and is a die cut autographed serial numbered out of 25.  Turner went to NC State and was drafted by the Padres 13th overall in the draft this summer.  He was in the Will Myers trade last week, but since he has not played for a full year he's in some sort of baseball purgatory.  This was too cool of a card to pass up.....

Last two cards for this post came in a trade from a local card collector who traded me a pair of Cardinals for an autograph of Red Sox prospect Henry Owens from his days as an amateur with the USA baseball program.  I thought I was only getting an Allen Craig.  Looks like I owe you a card on the next trade. 

The Edmonds patch card is a great throw in for a card for a card trade and I love the Allen Craig card.  The PinchMe phrase is in reference to his appearances off the bench for the Cardinals during their 2011 playoff run which resulted in the team's 10th World Championship.  Craig pinch hit playing in Busch and was the DH in Texas.  He started game 7 because of an injury to Matt Holliday and ended up hitting the go ahead home run.  

Damn I Am Old

One of my favorite 1990s sets of all-time is the 1998 Skybox EX-2001 set.  I have done a few little write ups on the card set over the past two or three years of blogging, but I am always looking for new cards and new ways to enjoy some of my old favorites from yesteryear.  The old boxes of the cards are often outrageously priced, otherwise I would buy one and do a cool box break.  Mainly I just dabble with single cards from the set.  

I have already assembled the set, so I am mainly just picking up inserts and parallels.  A few days back while I was in school one of my trade partners, who dabbles in basketball started to blow up my Twitter messages.  I could feel my IPhone buzzing and when I got to lunch I had pictures and trade offers to look at and review.  I couple of words stuck out in the messages....

"look at this old guy"

"I am not sure what this guy did in college"

"this card is from one of those retro sets"

"when is last time NC State won something"

"TJ Warren and this other guy"

This is a really cool trade partner, but that last one stung.  As I sat in my classroom playing checkers with a group of my students, eating a PB&J sandwich and apple slices (I swear I am a 30 something) I suddenly felt really old that all of these words could be used to describe a card set that I loved collecting while I was in college.  He was not even sure how to respond other than to make a quick trade and question my age quietly to myself.  Note: Later in the day I fell in a mud puddle playing kickball at recess adding to my wonderment.  

Here are my two awesome new basketball cards starting off with a great looking David Thompson card which was pulled from a box of 2011-2012 Fleer Retro. 

I could see where you might think David Thompson is old, but if you are not sure what he did you need to spend a little bit of time on Google.  He has the only retired jersey at NC State and was the inspiration for Michael Jordan.  Even gave his introduction speech at his induction into the basketball Hall of Fame.  I hear David Thompson made it into the Hall first though.  Thompson also helped NC State win the 1974 National Championship.  I got a cool bonus card thrown in with the David Thompson of 2013-2014 ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren.  

Tony Buckets! Shirt?

It's a Tony Buckets card.  It's a shirt card.  It's a jersey card.  Nobody is really sure, but considering that he has not played a game outside of a few summer league games I am not really sure where to go on this card.  Let's establish two facts:

1.  Tony Buckets (TJ Warren) is just about my favorite NC State player
2.  This is not an NC State jersey


This card is from a wrapper redemption that Panini did at the National Convention.  I did not go, but people sell and trade these cards.  A cool person who attended the show landed this card, thought I would enjoy this card.  Kindness indeed.

If you are not up on TJ Warren please watch the video below: