Plugging Some Holes

When it comes to shopping for cards online... COMC's fall has led to the ascension of Sportlots (at least for me).  They've always served different purposes.  Sportlots helped me complete sets with their affordable commons, while COMC filled gaps in my player and team collections.

Since I've always tried to get the most bang for my buck, I avoided paying 20¢ for commons and preferred to find pricier cards over on COMC.  However their decision to restructure their shipping rates forced me to drain my balance, start using Sportlots more, and focus on card projects that have been collecting dust for quite some time.

1984 Topps Glossy All-Stars #10

1986 Topps Glossy All-Stars #7

1990 Topps Glossy All-Stars #8

Last week, I started shopping for some 80's Leaf Dave Stieb cards... which led me to plugging some holes in my 1984 to 1991 Topps Glossy All-Star project which was missing the entire 1986 set.  Well, I found one vendor with almost the entire set:

This lot puts me past the 50% mark on this project...

I'll be busy the next four weeks, but as soon as my summer break starts... I'm hoping to cross off the bulk of these needs with the help of eBay and Sportlots:

While shopping for those Stieb cards, I completed another set sitting in my office:

1990-91 Pro Set Hockey Set

Back in early April, Stuart over at S.R. '75 Cards sent me this set.  I'm a huge fan of early Pro Set sets and was happy to add their inaugural hockey set to my collection.  While flipping through the set, I noticed it was missing one card:

1990-91 Pro Set #298

No biggie.  That's what Sportlots is for.  If you're not familiar with this set, here's a quick peek:

Pro Set included everyone from draft picks to coaches to officials.  They even included a card for the puck.

They also honored the all-stars, award winners, and stat leaders.  Plus a ton of guys who would eventually make the Hockey Hall of Fame:

Speaking of future hall of famers, the 1990-91 rookie card class was full of them:

Jaromir Jagr is the lone player to not receive the honor.  But that's because he hasn't officially announced his retirement.  He last skated in the NHL in 2017, but was playing professionally in the Czech Republic up to last season.

Thank you Stuart for generously gifting me with this awesome set.

Let's wrap this post up with the two cards that inspired this Sportlots order:

1985 Leaf #54

1986 Leaf #68

Last week, I showed of this 1987 Leaf card of Dave Stieb that Adam over at Thoughts & Sox sent me:

1987 Leaf #72

I mentioned that I might chase down his other three Leaf cards from that era.  Two down, 1988 to go.

Like the Topps Glossy All-Stars... I'll target this card in a few weeks when I have more free time on my hands.

Until then, here is today's question of the day:

Where do you shop for cards online?  COMC?  Sportlots?  eBay?  Other?

If I were to break down the numbers, eBay and their vendors get most of my money.  However my purchases usually involve single cards or smaller sets/lots.  Sportlots is a distant second, but that might change this summer.

I look forward to reading and responding to your comments.  I apologize that I haven't replied to comments on my recent posts.  It's on my list of things to do this weekend.  Stay tuned.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Love/Hate Relationship

A large majority of the posts on this blog feature sports teams and players that I love to root for.  Today's post focuses on the opposite end of the spectrum.  I'm going to rank my least liked sports franchises of all-time while sharing a card featuring a player on that team that I actually admire and/or rooted for.

But before I begin, I want to give credit to two bloggers for inspiring this Blog Bat-Around post:  Joe @ The Shlabotnik Report and Mike @ Not Another Baseball Card Blog.  The blogosphere could use more interesting Blog Bat-Around ideas like this one.

Let's get started...

Honorary Mention #1:  Larry Bird

1993-94 Finest Refractor #2

Had I written this post twenty years ago, the Boston Celtics would have cracked the Top 5.  However my interested in professional basketball has tapered off since the early 2010's, so they're now just an honorable mention.

The one Celtic that immediately popped into my head for this post was Larry Bird.  He's one of those legends that I truly respect and admire.  I couldn't stand him while he was in the league, but these days I have no problem adding his cards to my basketball collection.

Honorable Mention #2:  Gordie Howe

1968-69 O-Pee-Chee #29

Back in the 90's, I hated the Detroit Red Wings.  They were essentially the New York Yankees of hockey and one of my buddies was a huge fan.  The Red Wings have plenty of legends and fan favorites worthy of collecting, but if I was going to go out of my way to collect one, it probably would be Mr. Hockey.

Chris over at Diamond Cuts & Wax Stains sent me that vintage Howe over a decade ago.  It's one of the most attractive hockey cards in my collection.

I couldn't write about Gordie without showing off his SLU:

1995 Kenner SLU Timeless Legends

Back in 1996, he was signing at a local card show for only $5, so I went out and purchased this SLU for him to sign.

Moving along, here are my five least favorite sports franchises...

#5:  Barry Bonds

2002 Topps Autographs #TA10

I've always had a love/hate relationship with the Giants.  Being born and raised in the Bay Area, the city of San Francisco will always be special to me.  The memories of attending their games at Candlestick Park with my brother are something I cherish as much as the A's games we attended at the Coliseum.

In fact, down inside... I don't really hate the San Francisco Giants.  It's the fans.  Giants fans outnumber A's fans and when they win, the team climbs these rankings.  Thankfully, they have been struggling lately... so they've fallen down to #5.

As for Barry... he has a love/hate relationship with baseball fans himself.  Personally, I loved watching him play.  And these days... I enjoy collecting his cards too.

#4:  Dallas Cowboys

1992 Beach Sports Autographs #AC1

This is another case of me disliking the fans more than the actual team.  I couldn't really think of any Dallas Cowboys that I would go out of my way to collect, so I went with this autograph of Michael Irvin that I pulled out of a pack back in 1992.  I'm not 100% certain, but I think this is the first autograph I ever pulled out of a pack.

#3:  Jackie Robinson

1956 Topps #30

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants will always be in my Top 5 list of least favorite sports teams.  But neither creep into the Top 2, because those teams are practically untouchable.  Right now the Dodgers are higher than the Giants, because they're better.  Much better.  Fifteen years ago, the rankings were flip-flopped.

Over the years, I've collected a bunch of different Dodgers:  Fernando, Nomo, Kershaw, Freeman, and Ohtani.  But my favorite Dodgers card sitting in my collection is my favorite card of all-time.  Jackie's 1956 Topps card.

#2:  Lou Gehrig

2004 Topps Clubhouse Collection Relics #CL-LG2

I really, really, really dislike the New York Yankees.  But I loved watching Pride of the Yankees when I was a little kid.  It converted me into a Lou Gehrig fan.

This particular bat card was the highlight from a group break I joined over at Cardboard Collections.  I'm normally not into joining group breaks, but when I looked over the product checklists and noticed that the Yankees were still available... I immediately sent Colbey my money.

#1:  Jerry Rice

1986 McDonald's #NNO 

The San Francisco 49ers are arguably the most popular Bay Area sports team and it feels like they're always good.  And there's never been a shortage of family members, friends, and colleagues reminding me about their 80's and 90's dynasty.  To make matters worse... both of my favorite teams are their rivals.  Damn... I can't stand the 49ers.

That being said... I truly admire Jerry Rice and his career accomplishments.  This particular card is special to me, because I received it in a trade with my buddy Mike.  If you're new to this blog, Mike was a longtime hobby friend who passed away in 2023.  Ironically... he was a huge fan of the #1 and #2 teams in this post.

Well that wraps up this post.  Thank you Joe and Mike for kicking off this blog bat-around!  The Blogfather (Night Owl) himself was the first to respond to Mike.  I sure hope a few others join in on the fun.

Until then...

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

Flea Market Finds #186: Win Some, Lose Some

Spring doesn't officially start until Friday, but two Saturdays ago it was warm enough to wear flip flops, but not quite warm enough to make you sweat.  That's the perfect weather for a walk around the local flea market.

Unfortunately there was also a card show in the area, so I didn't see any of my friends who usually set up.  But I did find stuff from other vendors.

Let's check out my De Anza Flea Market haul...

Purchase #1:  Cheap Comic Books  $4

1985 Comico Robotech Masters #1

1992 Celebrity Comics Metallica #2

Comic books aren't really popular among my readers, but that doesn't stop me from flipping through bargain boxes in search of titles I enjoy.  Robotech was one of my favorite cartoons back in the 80's... and Metallica is one of my favorite bands of all-time.

Purchase #2:  A Rare 90's Hologram  $5

1991 Pro Set Winston Cup Hologram #NNO

Once upon a time, this card would have commanded triple digits to some collectors.  Today you can find them for a fraction of the price.

There was a gentleman with a small collection of Junk Wax Era cards scattered on his table.  This one immediately caught my eye.  The top loader had a $20 price tag, but before I could say a word, he asked me if five dollars was fair.  That's a price I could live with.

Purchase #3:  A Sweet Ticket Stub  $5

1963 Orange Bowl Ticket Stub

I found this ticket stub sitting on a five dollar table with a bunch of movies, McDonald's toys, and other knickknacks.  I decided to Google the game to see who participated.

It featured #5 Alabama and #8 Oklahoma.  When I dug a little deeper, I saw that Joe Namath was the starting quarterback.  No way I was going to pass this up for five bucks.

Purchase #4:  Pair of Hall of Fame Autos  $40

A gentleman bought a storage unit filled with football and hockey cards.  He had a bunch of top loaded cards sitting in two row shoe boxes.  My eyes lit up when I saw this:

1997 UD Legends Autograph #AL-15

I grew up listening to stories about the legendary Green Bay Packers of the 60's from my father.  Ray Nitschke was the anchor of Vince Lombardi's defense which won five NFL titles (including the first two Super Bowls) in a span of seven seasons.

Unfortunately he passed away in 1998, a year after Upper Deck included him in their iconic UD Legends set.  This is one of only a handful of certified, pack pulled signatures out there and for $20... it's a win. 

1997 UD Legends Autograph #AL-99

Eric Dickerson was the premiere running back in the NFL during the 80's and one of my favorite players.  In the moment, I figured $20 for an on-card signature of his was a steal... but that's about the going rate.  Win some, lose some.

Purchase #5:  Hockey Hits  $50

After going through his two football boxes, I dove into the hockey.  By this time there were several other people interested in his stuff, so I settled for sifting through one two-row shoebox.  Here's what I pulled out...

1999-00 ITG BAP All-Star Teammates Relic #TM-10

Back in the late 90's, Kariya and Forsberg were two of the hottest players in the hobby.  These swatches are from their 1996 NHL All-Star jerseys when they were teammates for the Western Conference.

Unfortunately, this card was stored in a screwdown holder made for thinner cards, so I damaged it (see chipping along edges) upon removal.  Win some, lose some.

2002-03 Stadium Club St. Patrick Dual Relics #SP-CAMCJ

Patrick Roy was even more popular than Forsberg and Kariya.  This card was part of a tribute set and inserted into packs during his final NHL season.  It features game worn swatches from Avalanche and Canadians jerseys.

2001-02 Pacific Titanium Double Sided Jersey #32

I was pretty stoked to find a Mario Lemieux jersey card sitting in the box and surprised to see another player on the back.  It's a shame Aleksey Morozov was the other player and not someone like Jaromir Jagr.  Win some, lose some.

1980-81 O-Pee-Chee #140

Ray Bourque is one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history and I have wanted his rookie card since the 90's.  I'm very happy to finally own a copy.  It's even cooler that it's the OPC version.

2001-02 UD Legends Milestones Jersey #M-WG

Finally... the key card in the lot.  It's not often you find Wayne Gretzky jersey cards sitting in boxes at the flea market.  As excited as I was to see this in the box, I was even more excited when he told me I could have all five cards for $50.

Sadly... this card was also squeezed into a screwdown too.  When I took it out little specks stuck to the holder.  Oh well... win some, lose some.

Purchase #6:   8-Track Tapes  $2

Johnny Cash Greatest Hits

The Partridge Family Up To Date

Can't say I'm a huge fan of either of these albums, but The Partridge Family was sealed and the price was right.  These go into my slowly growing 8-track collection.

Purchase #7:  Junk Wax Era Factory Set  $5

1993 Topps Toys R Us Factory Set

Back in 1993, I was out of the hobby and in the midst of college.  In other words, I wasn't hitting up Toys R Us regularly and never owned this set.  However for $5, I figured it was finally time to add it to my collection.

The plan is to open it up in the near future and write up a post.  I'm mostly excited to check out the complete set of Master Photos.  Stay tuned.

Purchase #8:  Bag of Legos  $3

2019 Legos #30624

In 2019 Lego celebrated the 20th anniversary of Lego Star Wars with a bunch of cool sets and special minifigures.  This Obi-wan Kenobi poly bag was originally a gift with purchase.  I missed out back then, but was pretty happy to find one in the wild at the flea market.

Purchase #9:  My Other Dream Car  $15

2026 Hot Wheels Car Culture Team Transport #86

Two weeks ago, I wrote about one of my dream cars.  In 2022, I bought my other one.

Since then, I've tried to collect as many diecast versions as I can find.  You'd think it'd be easy to find just about any mass produced Hot Wheel on pegs at Target, but I see less Toyota GR Supras than baseball card blasters.  In fact, I have never seen one in four years.  That's why I didn't even try to negotiate the fifteen dollar price tag.

Well that wraps up my latest trip to the De Anza Flea Market.  The Branham High School Flea Market is on Saturday, but I might be going to a card show in Danville with one of my buddies.  It'll probably be a last minute decision.

Thanks for hanging in there for another long winded post.  My goal is to produce shorter posts on a more frequent basis, but that plan seems to fly out the window whenever I start typing.

Until next time...

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!