This Card Is Cool - My Life in Baseball Cards

Oishii-So (Food in Japan): Fruit Jelly Candy

2012-02-21T06:01:00.001-08:00

Oishii-so means "looks delicious" in Japanese. This is one of what I hope will be many posts about the food I encounter living here in Japan.

Let's start with something simple: fruit jelly candies. Sweets are an important part of the Japanese lifestyle; just look at my prior post on Valentine's Day for a small example.

While the malls here are very much like the malls in America, there is one store in two of the nearby malls that is my favorite. It carries lots of toys and goodies, and resembles the kids toy stores of the 1900s and before (just with modern toys). I'll spend a whole post talking about the store, but it will be the source for many of the goodies I bring to you here.

Sitting on the counter were these rectangular jelly candies that look to be similar to the Sunkist candies back I America that I love so much. At ¥21 each, they weren't terribly expensive so I grabbed one of each color to see what they taste like.

First, green. The texture is gummy, different from any of the American gummies I'm familiar with. It's not terribly chewy and honestly it's not that sweet either. It has a mild apple taste and isn't too sticky. Pleasant but not the Sunkist replacement I'm looking for.

Pink is a little sweeter, with a strawberry flavor. Again the texture is kind of odd, and unique. The yellow is lemon, unsurprisingly. As I eat these, I feel like I'm eating something very chalky, like Necco wafers or those Valentine's Day candy hearts, but with a somewhat gummy feel and no chewiness to them.

I save the orange-flavored orange for last, hoping for some awesome explosion of citrusy goodness, but I don't get the satisfaction I expected to receive. And I realize the texture is not unlike that of a boiled potato. With, of course, the hint of fruit flavoring while chewing and the distinct aftertaste of powdered sugar.

The verdict: while these aren't a bad candy, they aren't what I'm looking for. I'll pass next time I see them.

What do you want me to try? What food do you want to hear about (sweet or savory)? Leave a comment!

Gone but not forgotten

2012-02-20T00:59:00.001-08:00

This isn't a memorial to someone or something passing away. This is just me saying I know I haven't posted in a long time but I haven't forgotten about the blog. I've made a few posts to Chaos and Kanji (linked through my profile page) but any kind of posting is still fairly difficult. I'm literally on my way right now to see about signing up for Internet (finally) so I can post more... and get back to posting about cards here.

I haven't been dormant in the collecting realm as I have still been reading your posts. I met up with Kenny (Zippy Zappy) recently and have a lot to share about our adventure and I picked up several cards and collectibles over the last couple months to share with you. I finally have them all scanned or photographed so I just need a good wifi signal (home Internet service) to share them with you!

So again I'm not gone and I have let's to talk about when I find time to write!

Quick Japanese Update

2012-01-14T04:29:00.000-08:00

I know some of you are already reading my Japanese blog, and I'm about to make a new post there as well. I'm keeping all my Japanese experiences to that blog.

In the meantime, the posts I've written for This Card Is Cool have run out, and while I have more material to write about, I don't have much time to actually sit and write it down, and even less time to post it. I'm working in an internet cafe right now, which takes about 20 minutes to walk to one way.

One week from Monday, I will continue on to my home branch school, where I believe I'll be moving directly into my apartment. I can then get myself organized! In addition, I should have some more time for baseball card writing. I'm not gone, just on vacation, you could say! Though it sure has been a lot of work these past couple of days. I should return to some form of posting in a couple weeks. In the meantime, my writing focus is on the Japanese blog!

Japanese Preview: A premium pack!

2012-01-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Japan blog is live: Chaos and Kanji can be found at http://japanryan.blogspot.com!

This is the last pack of cards from Jim, and it's certainly the coolest! There are seven cards here, but I wonder if there was an eighth, and this was really two packs. Not that Jim is holding out on me. You'll see.

You're not cheating and scrolling right to the end, are you? It's not that exciting.

This is the 2008 Swallows Premium set - a design that reminds me a lot of SP Authentic, on what might be somewhat better card stock.

It's still about as thick as a flagship Topps card. But again, the card does not feel cheap or flimsy. Here's a gaijin card. His name is in all CAPS, while the Japanese players have only their second name in CAPS.

The other releases I showed this week all had stats, but the backs of these cards just repeat the front almost exactly the same, except for a few additions - almost all in Japanese. I know at least one piece of information is the player's birthdate!

I've never been a fan of cards without natural backgrounds, but these cards are still pretty nice.

Does this card look kind of filmy to you? That's because it's a shimmery holographic parallel! There's no mention of this anywhere on the card. Some parallels have serial numbering, but otherwise this card has no notation as to its name or rarity.

But that wasn't the best card in the group.

Check this out.

Jim, did you realize this was in here? That is awesome! Is it really signed? No - it's a facsimile autograph similar to the way Topps puts autographs on the front of their cards. But it's totally cool seeing Japanese signatures. It's like a work of art! And as such I can't wait to get my hands on a couple actual signed player cards.

I can't read much of that, but it doesn't matter. I believe the foreigners are card numbers 18, 29, and 34. Note the different characters used in the players' names, and quick verification of the Rios card shows he's number 18.The "autographed" card has a different card prefix (YsS) seen in the checklist as a separate set, so only 10 of the players have a signature version.

So there you go - a four-pack preview of some Japanese baseball cards!

I'm in training until the end of next week. This Sunday is my first day off, and I'm not sure whether I'll have good internet access or the wherewithal to be writing baseball card posts. Note that I'm writing this post a week in advance, and I don't know yet if I'll have posts ready for the next week or not - so if the blog goes stale for a while you know why!

Japanese Preview: Tokyo Yakult Swallows

2012-01-12T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Japan blog is live: Chaos and Kanji can be found at http://japanryan.blogspot.com!

The third pack of cards Jim provided from Japan was from this team issue for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows:

The design is fairly simple, yet different from the 1st Version set issued the same year. This is a 2008 set, which you can tell by looking at the BBM logo at the top and the set name always provided clearly on the front and back.

Again the design focuses on good action photography. The complete set runs at least 80 cards, but probably isn't larger than 90 cards.

Speaking of 80 cards, here is card number 80, a subset card which I think features veterans or retired team members.

The team issue set is just like any other card release - a good-sized base set, plus a few parallels and inserts, including autographs and relics. BBM doesn't overdo the hits like American card sets do, though.

Each team in NPB gets its own team set release, and some teams receive multiple releases depending on their popularity and any team milestones (making the championship series or winning the championship, or an anniversary year, for instance).

Mascots get their own cards in the set, and even have autographs. Zippy Zappy tells me there are sets devoted entirely to the cheerleaders. I will hunt those down!

Remember earlier this week I told you there was something good at the end of the week? It's only 24 hours away!

Japanese Preview: Rookies!

2012-01-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Japan blog is live: Chaos and Kanji can be found at http://japanryan.blogspot.com!

The second "pack" of cards from Jim was BBM's version of Bowman.

This is 2008 BBM Rookie Edition.

There are two pictures instead of one on these two cards. Notice the 2000 and 2004 dates? These are sort of "retro rookie" cards, and I believe they're numbered later in the set. LaRocca must have played American ball. Through the 2007 season he had a .300 average in NPB, according to the card.

The real rookies are here with this golden background.

Unlike the "veteran rookie" cards, these have only one picture, and they all appear to be quick portrait shots.

Again, the set name is prominently yet tastefully displayed on the front, and is also repeated on the back!

By the way, I haven't talked much about the backs or shown you one yet, but they contain mostly Japanese text that I can't read - all English fronts, mostly Japanese backs! Eventually I'll remember to scan a card back, but it won't be this week. Sorry.

While the design of the "1st Version" set I showed yesterday focused on the photo, this set has more of a Playoff or non-flagship Upper Deck feel.

Tomorrow, we'll look at a set that's not really done in the U.S.

Japanese Preview: Cards from Jim!

2012-01-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Japan blog is live: Chaos and Kanji can be found at http://japanryan.blogspot.com!

I met up with Jim one last time before heading overseas, and after a delicious sausage and a totally awesome slice of banana cream pie, we exchanged our little gifts. I was pleasantly surprised to see some Japanese cards he had from one of his friends!

There were cards from four different issues (I think!) and I'll spread them out set by set over the rest of the week. There's a great ending on Friday!

This first pack comes from BBM 2008 "1st Version" - which is series one.

The cards look good. They're photo-focused, with minimal design.

The only real design is the translucent yellow-orange border across the bottom with the player's name, team, position, jersey number, and the name of the set.

This team checklist is part of the regular set. There are cheerleaders at Japanese baseball games. I am totally going to Japanese baseball games.

Notice the green border? Rookies get the green border instead of the yellow-orange border. Of course, it also says "ROOKIE" above the player name.

The photo quality is about the same as flagship Topps. The cards are a little thinner, but they don't feel cheap by any means.

Another rookie. BBM does a great job of labeling their sets. The "1st Version" on the front also appears on the back. I should have very little problems cataloging BBM cards I find in Japan!

Tune in tomorrow for another Japanese pack!

(Editor's Note: this post is being written while I'm still in San Francisco. Emails and comments this week might receive very slow response.)

Heaven Hits Hard: Trade Draft Hits!

2012-01-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Japan blog is live: Chaos and Kanji can be found at http://japanryan.blogspot.com!

I continue to write posts on Friday. When this posts I'll be somewhere over the Pacific, about four hours into my flight and already bored, with another seven hours to go. I'm hoping I'll have an electrical outlet so I can work on my laptop for some of the flight! Meanwhile, here are all the hits from Cardboard Heaven's trade bait draft! This finishes the series.

Before mighty Facebook, how would I have found Tom Hanks?

Cowboys and anthrax.

This is my juice, and I'm hungry!

Like I always said, "Can't police no underwear."

I'm gonna dance, make love, and fix snacks for the Highlander marathon! That's right!

Women have a special feeling, though. They've got an extra special lady shimmer of no maximum strength. You could be sick, pooping out blood, and you'd still want them! Happy Hoops Day.

Look at me! Anybody shoot rabbits?

Watch out for these spiders! Big potato moths! Big potato moths!

I don't know how I got so many autographs in the draft, but I'm happy to have them! I think most of them are needed for the type collection.

Speaking of hits, here's some Mike Tyson quotes.

And if you're wondering where my really random comments above came from:

Oh yeah, I've got swag. Because everybody needs toucan stubs.

Drafting Heaven: I'm leaving on a jet plane...

2012-01-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Japan blog is live: Chaos and Kanji can be found at http://japanryan.blogspot.com!

Today's the day. Well, I say "Today's the day" but I'm writing this post on Friday. I'm already a mess. Who knows what I'll be like today. Writing the posts for this weekend has made me all emotional and nostalgic and all that other estrogen-filled crap I'd rather not think about. I need to watch some NASCAR and drink some beer. Or shoot a defenseless animal. Or tackle someone carrying an egg-shaped piece of pig skin. What other manly things are there? Um, I should drive my 1960s sports car really fast over the San Francisco hills. Or fish. Or not talk about my feelings.

So it's 3AM now. At about 11:45 or so, I should hear something like this:

And then I fly!

Not like that.

Whoops!

Hah. Great movie!

I love this animation. I've shown it to my students as, um, a diversion for a couple years. I have to explain it to some of them, even though they're high schoolers - partly because they don't know what "diversion" means and partly because they can't understand the emotions as conveyed through the signs' body language.

I suppose I should show some cards.

Set building!

Will I begin Lineage insert set building? This might be the start! You can consider insert cards from Lineage to be trade bait for me.

60 Years of Topps. But this is going towards my Awards collection.

I was going to use Mr. Ruth here in my awards collection as well, but I might have filled that spot already.

Another Alomar needed for his Gold Gloves!

I didn't realize this until recently - the "Pro Debut" logo is a MiLB thing, not a Topps thing. Pro Debut might be a required logo or set name/issue in the Topps/MiLB licensing agreement.

Another card I was going to use in the awards collection, though again I might not need it. I like this card, though.

Topps HD is a great looking set. This insert would have been so much better without the giant letters in the background graying out the wonderful colorful printing.

I think the woman who inspired this character no longer works at Topps.

Every time I see one of these cards I want to get it!

Last, this may be the best card I pulled in Cardboard Heaven's trade bait draft. I still have some hits to show you later, but I think I placed this card as my number one non-hit pick, and it might have been in my top five. It's from the Black Friday promotion, and the black borders are thicker than they appear (thanks, scanner). I was quite excited to see this, even if a year or two down the road I see a bunch of them in a dime box!

Heavenly Draft: Team USA for my last night in the USA

2012-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Japan blog is live: Chaos and Kanji can be found at http://japanryan.blogspot.com!

Type the word "Party" into a YouTube search box and this is one of the first videos that shows up.

Let's see what kind of patriotic videos I can come up with for the end of this post, shall we?

Bowman Platinum is such a waste of foilboard, though it does have a Team USA subset. I've been making pretty good progress on the team set though!

Wait, Tigers hat and USA jersey? What's going on here? And isn't that hat just a little too big for him? He looks like a 12 year old with that goofiness going on!

Ack! More Platinum! Foilboard apparently doesn't scan well.

Yep. That picture really stands out, though the Bowman Platinum logo has great placement on these two cards.

We can see that one! And I think Mr. Hood here is in the 2011 Team USA box set, too.

Cameron's draft was truly awesome! I still have a couple more posts worth of cards for you folks. Meanwhile, let the videos begin.

I love the vintage feel of this song and its video, and Christina Aguilera looks good. And it's kind of patriotic!

Is that two posts in a row with a Team America video? F yeah!

I had to put in a clip from my favorite movie. It's a great song, a great scene, and hey - she's leaving home too! Zooey Deschanel is one of my favorite actresses, and it started with this movie.

One day, you'll be cool.

Yeah, it's a party! I guess? And if you have never seen the original music video for that song, it's Michael Jackson epic (though nothing will ever be as good as a Michael Jackson video).

Tomorrow, I fly to Japan!

Georgia on my mind... and massive hits in my post...

2012-01-08T03:00:00.000-08:00

I spent five full days in Georgia. I had big plans: scan all the cards in my type collection, awards collection, and all my set-building cards from inserts and oddballs. I wanted to go through my extras boxes and find some awesome trade bait and hopefully discover some random Roy Halladay autographed rookie card or something spectacular like that, which could then finance my card habit for the next several months. None of that happened.

Don't play this video at work or around children with the sound turned up. Or go right ahead. You're the boss.

Two of the days were spent just moving boxes for hours. I managed to photograph evidence that I have belongings, and some of the belongings that were in some of those boxes. Day three was spent with my friend Craig, mostly playing Guitar Hero. Day four: three batches of fudge. My last day in Georgia involved several errands including more box moving and a tiny bit more Guitar Hero with Craig. All my free time at my mom's house was spent working with a few boxes of cards - scanning what I could and prepping the rest for shipping. Those are the cards that I have been scanning these past several days.

On the first day, I made my way to my old LCS (Champion Sports Cards in Kennesaw) to say hi, and I browsed the relics and found a few great pickups. I had to visit a card store for supplies on Friday, so I had my first stop at Freedom Cardboard's location.

First, Freedom Cardboard. I was there for cardboard boxes, and the guy working there was very helpful. They had a good assortment of cards, including several awesome jumbo patch cards (at a couple Benjamins or more each). I wish I had more time though, because there were three 3200-count dime boxes sitting near the entrance where I could have easily wasted a couple hours. I came across a small grouping of some cards that probably didn't belong in the box, and I might show my dime finds to you soon. I just realized I hadn't scanned them and almost just tossed them into the extras pile without looking! Anyway, the store is spacious and at least half of it caters to the CCG and roleplaying crowd. I saw one group there with the tiny action figures working out some Dungeons and Dragons or war games type of scenario. Hopefully their store inventory will grow as I hope to return to a store that requires several hours of bargain box hunting!

There is one card to show you today that I bought at FCB: this Shoeless Joe Jackson card from Leaf.

I haven't looked into what set it's from, but it's always nice to find these "obscure" singles in stores or at shows, since I tend to only see Topps products (or other mainstream releases) most of the time. Yes, Leaf isn't that obscure, but they are a minor player in the baseball card market for now.

Now on to Champion. I think I mixed a few cards I grabbed from my own collection in here, but these cards are pretty nice:

When Play Ball came out I was just absolutely in love with it, and I still am. I bought a box on the spot and built a complete set (no SPs, I don't think), and briefly considered building a master set. Most of the insert sets are relic or autograph lines, though, and doing so would be quite costly.

Ichiro! I bought this to take to Japan if I don't need it for my type collection. I should be able to trade it for something pretty cool.

Likewise, and this is shiny blue refractor relic books for $50 - and I bet I could get at least that in cold hard Japanese yen if I carry it across the ocean! I like it, though. I might have to keep it.

Sorry, Jim.

Look at that beauty! A nice five-color (because the jersey white and patch white are two different whites - just ask a woman [is that too sexist?]) patch card of D-Train.

Holy cow! That's even more awesome! It may not be five-color but it's a triple patch! I miss 2005 Donruss products. Hey, box breaker people - if you bust late-season Donruss/Leaf/Playoff products you can expect a ton of hits like this! If the price is right, 2005 may be the best year out there.

Okay, I should have put this card before the patches to end on a high note, but it's still a cool manupatch autographed card. If I'm still running this blog in a couple years (I hope I will be) and I can get all my cards in order, this may be part of a card display that spells out the name of my blog. I have an I and an L already. So I just need the rest of the letters in THIS CARD IS COOL. So, three down, 11 to go!

I leave for Japan in ONE DAY! 24 HOURS! How come every song about tomorrow is really about how bad crap is now?

We need something HAPPY.

I believe I've used this before, but it's good.

Oh yeah. Old school!

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! (Goodbye USA?!)

2012-01-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

How appropriate is it that I purchased this set right before I leave for another country? The annual USA Baseball set is in stores, and I found a retail set hidden at a nearby Target. For $10, not only do I get a full 61-card set, but there's an autograph included too!

The set has the Collegiate, 18U, and 16U teams. Okey dokey?

Apparently Chris is a good player. He just had a birthday, too!

This Chris is an Elder to Okey. HAH. I should be writing for 2 Broke Girls.

So that's my autographed card. Who knows, he could be some superstar in a few years and I'll be rich beyond my wildest dreams, Bryce Harper style! And then Strasburg style, my card's value will crash like a Kia running into a bus.

All Topps Autograph card signings are witnessed by a Topps Representative. That's good to know, and not so tough to do with a Team USA product. And hey, it's probably quicker getting the autographs back from the professionals if the rep shows up and says "We had an appointment to sign these 5000 copies of Gypsy Queen today, Mr. DeJesus. So let's get started."

There's the base card checklist. Why didn't I scan the back? Oh well.

Gotta finish with a patriotic video, right?

Have a great Saturday night!

Draft Heaven: Liquor in the Morning

2012-01-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

We'll keep the conversation down to a minimum on this post. Here is the first of a few posts bringing you my loot from Cardboard Heaven's trade bait draft! I could run a whole bunch of awesome drafts like this with all the cards I have in Georgia, and perhaps in a few years I'll have the time and ability to do so. In the meantime I'll probably just keep participating in everyone else's drafts!

I picked up more liquor than I can bring to Japan without paying taxes! Towards the end of the draft, I ran out of cards that could benefit my collection, so I told Cameron to just grab the liquorfractors he had to fill my stack. What am I doing with them? I'm just going to pass them on! Hopefully I can remember to get these packaged up tomorrow for someone who told me he's trying to build the set. I might need a couple cards, but the rest are all (hopefully) headed your way!

Oops. Scanned that the wrong way.

And that is all! Not a bad selection of players!

There's so much liquor here, you might have alcohol poisoning! Do you feel a bit ... tipsy?

Are you spacing out?

Stay tuned! I have some really cool cards coming up later!

Nachos (Grande) and Bikini Snowboarding: a great Friday evening.

2012-01-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

Chris of the group break-running (nice little plug there!) Nachos Grande found a small stack of cards he was holding for me and sent them my way!

Don't get too excited (does 1970s vintage get you excited?) over this card - it's from the 60 Years of Topps set.

How about four base cards from 2011 Topps? 2012's release is a month away! Are you excited?

Another 60 Years of ~~Steroids~~ Topps card.

And then here's Mr. Mustache! Yes, 60YOT.

Chris, thanks for the cards, although to answer your question/comment you sent with the cards - I didn't need them anymore. Time is short but eventually I shall pass these on to some eager blogger or collector in the future!

In case you were hoping for snow and just don't have it, this should make your weekend a bit nicer.

Contest Winners: Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

2012-01-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

In case you're wondering, I scanned another 2500 or so images today. I'm about halfway done! I'm hoping to complete the scanning process today.

Let's get on with the contest, okay?!

There were 35 comments on the blog post - not a bad turnout! The prizes and their winners are:

1) A collection of seven random CCG packs and a matchstick garden! (#32 Napkin Doon)

2) Not Another Teen Movie on DVD and a matchstick garden! (#1 Play at the Plate)

3) Dude, Where's My Car on DVD and a matchstick garden! (#3 Mark A.)

4) American Pie Unrated on DVD and a custom photo ornament of the Chicago Loop (as photographed by me)! (#27 Dan)

5) Wild and Outside in paperback and a custom photo ornament of Chicago's Navy Pier (as photographed by me)! (#14 Fuji)

6) Scooby Doo Mysteries and Monsters box of trading card packs (chance for autographed cards and sketch cards)! (#4 Mariner1)

7) a hardcover copy of Cardboard Gods! (#24 Derek)

It seems the random number generator liked numbers that ended in 4 at the end there.

All DVDs are used and should work fine, though I can't guarantee that they will. Contest winners are asked to email me (link through the profile) by the end of the day today (Saturday morning at the latest). I need to mail these Saturday! Even if I have your address already, I'd appreciate it if you'd send it again just to ensure I have the correct address for you.

Now, how about that button?

Ugh. Photographing with an iTouch isn't pretty. I knew I should have brought these home to scan instead!

What's that in the little relic window? Why, it's a button! This card is numbered out of 6. It's not as cool as the awesome patch RGB Cards posted yesterday (two days ago?) but I'm mighty proud to have this in my collection!

Thank you to everyone who entered in the contest!

Did you enter my contest? Last chance!

2012-01-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

It's 3PM Pacific time now! You have until just before midnight to enter. Where do you enter? Find the post using the archive (it was earlier this week). I'll draw winners tonight and mail prizes on Saturday or (early) Monday morning!

Two thousand two hundred eighty two.

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

Look at that number again.

Two thousand two hundred eighty two.

2282.

I scanned 2282 images last night.

That corresponds to approximately 1100 cards, front and back, with some bad scans added in that were then redone. So as I write this post, 2282 images are moved from an SD card to this computer, for future use.

Meanwhile, I look at the floor, where four 800-count boxes and three 400-count boxes wait to be scanned, and several more team bags are sitting next to me, also waiting to be scanned. When I'm done, a small but very meaningful portion of my collection will be digitized, ready for me to post here on the blog and the Cardboard Zoo, and backed up on a drive for insurance (and, well, backup - this is a lot of boring work!) purposes. So involved in scanning was I, that dinnertime came and went. From about 4:30 until 12:30 AM, I scanned cards. That's alright.

Today I'll scan more, between my two trips out. I'll be meeting up with reader/friend Jim for one last exchange of cards and some delicious sausages at lunch, and my long-time friend Kristen for an even more delicious Chicago-style pizza for dinner.

Where did these cards come from? These are just a few thousand of the cards I have (had?) stored in Georgia. The rest of the cards are still there, but I shipped a few boxes home just for this scanning purpose.

And among the boxes I shipped here came a few other packages I have to share with you, but those will have to wait! For some reason I've been waking up around 8AM lately, and since it's now 1AM I'm quite tired. Hopefully I'll think enough to take a small break and write an afternoon post. Otherwise, I know you guys understand that this project and other events are taking precedence!

After all, I leave in...

(That would be the Four Tops, so I'm out in only four days!)

Japanese Baseball Cards: Menko

2012-01-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, I introduced you to one of the earliest types of Japanese cards, the Bromides. While Bromides were essentially simple black and white or colorized cards, similar to many early American baseball issues, menko cards have a distinction which makes them unique to Japanese culture.

Menko is a Japanese game with two or more players. One player places his card on the ground, and the other tries to flip it by throwing another card at it. If the flipper is successful, he takes both cards, and the player with all the cards (or the most when the game ends) wins. The game has been around since the 17th century, though its connection to baseball didn't come until after World War II. (The modern game of pogs has its roots in menko.)

Card subjects range from samurai warriors to anime and cartoon characters to national heroes. By the late 1940s, when bromide cards were becoming popular, menko cards entered their golden era. They can appear in all sorts of shapes - many are rectangular, but some are round and a few are die-cut.

Image Source (1976 Mitsuya Small Disk)

The cards of the late '40s and early '50s were very colorful and generally had crude drawings. Menko cards are defined by the inclusion of large numbers, math equations, playing card symbols, symbols for the game rock/paper/scissors, and several other child/game oriented designs. Most menko are smaller than the traditional card size - the "standard" menko size comes in at about 1-3/4" x 3". Card stock is usually thicker than traditional US cards for durability in game playing, though later (late '50s onward) issues were on thinner stock.

Example Menko Back - note math equation/long number at bottom; glove symbol, etc)

The sets are generally small and attractive with popular players and accessible quantities. Some US players are on a few sets, including superstars Ruth, DiMaggio, and O'Doul, and a few San Francisco Seals sets.

Menko cards through the early 1950s are crude, thicker, and more colorful than those issued in later years, as sets became somewhat standardized in size and switched from drawings to black and white or colorized photos. Menko's golden era ended after the 1964 season, when baseball menko cards were suddenly no longer produced.

So, how many baseball menko sets were produced? No exact numbers are available, of course, but the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide, 7th Edition, lists a total of 178 issues, 14 of which are diecut, 41 are round, and the remainder in rectangular shape. Other issues are sure to exist, but complete checklists aren't available.

Prices vary wildly. Some of the rarest die-cut cards can run in the hundreds of dollars (common cards from the airplane set seen above run about $50 at high book). However, many menko issues were issued in large quantities, and some issues were brought back to America and appear in better condition in even greater amounts. Commons from some sets can be as little as $2 or less. It's important to know what kind of menko you're working with. Sets aren't too difficult to identify with the right information - each issue has some distinguishing characteristic.

Menkos are some of the most beautiful baseball cards ever produced. They have the color and flamboyant designs reminiscent of tobacco-era non-sport and baseball cards and generally easy availability. I'm looking forward most to finding as many menko as I can while I'm in Japan!

It took a month, but this card is COOL!

2012-01-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks I've been trying to collect the cards I need to finish my 2011 sets.

Kimball minis: DONE!

Gypsy Queen The Great Ones: two left!

Years

Reprints: DONE!

But the last card is a story of perserverance. Remember last month when I told the story of the eBay seller who totally sucked? This is a story of a different seller. I found a card I wanted included in a lot of Delmon Young cards on eBay, and the Buy-It-Now price was right, so I jumped on it. In a few days, the lot arrived - missing about 1/3 of the cards. I really didn't care about any of the other cards in the lot. The card I wanted was one of the cards missing.

I emailed the dealer, he apologized, and in a few more days, another package arrived. But instead of the Delmon Young cards I was due, I received a small lot of Delwyn Young cards. Hm. Close, but still, not the card I needed!

Emailing the dealer again, he was greatly apologetic and said he'd ship the correct cards. Off to Georgia I went, and when I returned, a now-familiar envelope was waiting!

And inside was the card I wanted!

Ain't it a beaut? Numbered 4/10, it's my first (and most likely only) stamp card from Gypsy Queen.

Of course, I now have about a dozen Delwyn Young cards available (anyone? anyone? Bueller? Bueller?) and a couple dozen Delmon Young cards as well (I repeat - anyone? anyone? Bueller? Bueller?).

While not every 2011 set I attempted is complete, I did pretty good last year. I'm ready for 2012! Let the insanity begin!

On tour with 2009 O-Pee-Chee.

2012-01-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

Let's play Been There, Done That.

Been there. 2011.

Been there. Many times, actually, including a few times this past season. This shot isn't seen by many visitors though - most fans arrive via BART and see the opposite side of the stadium where the center field luxury boxes are.

Been there, 2009! This is the last of the ugly parks before Camden Yards changed everything.

While I've been to DC twice, I've never seen a game. This is a black border, which is why there are no borders.

This other black border card is another Been there, again in 2009. I walked all the way from the Miller brewery to the park in fairly warm weather to watch the White Sox beat the Brewers in an interleague match-up. It's a nice stadium, though!

I might have driven through Columbus, Ohio once. I've never stayed there, though.

I might visit Korea in the next year or two!

Chicago - though this is an away shot. Any idea where this was taken? I've been to Wrigley Field!

I'm not sure I ever saw Ripken play, and I've never been to Baltimore.

See above. I really wish I could have made an east coast trip some time recently.

Philadelphia is another city I never got to visit that was supposed to be part of a big east coast trip in 2009 or 2010.

I saw a game in old Yankee Stadium in 2006. I like New York. If/when I return to the States, I think I'd like to try living there for a few years. Then I could have time and ability to get to all those other places in the northeast!

Hm. Middle East. Scary place. There's not much there to interest me!

I've been to Tennessee, especially Chattanooga and points east.

My cousins both went to MSU, but I've toured the Michigan campus as well. Nice place.

I'm proud to say I have the other historic stadium - Fenway Park - under my belt from the 2006 trip!

Pittsburgh: 2010. Penguins: never. Pittsburgh was exactly as I thought it would be, which isn't all that bad.

My friend who lives in Japan lived in Seattle for a while. I was planning a trip this past summer or fall but it never materialized.

Hey! Japan! Hah! A perfect card to end this post on. Countdown:

So why am I posting a bunch of 2009 O-Pee-Chee cards out of the blue? Why, because of this guy!

Thanks Robert! These are a big help on my set building!

Trade with a Facial Cleansing Product!

2012-01-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Man, that just sounds wrong. But isn't that what a napkin is?

So, Mr. Doon decided to send along a bunch of cards in return for something I sent him in return for something he sent me... The never-ending cycle continues! And this package was super awesome!

First, some turn-of-the-century shiny! A-Rod and The Man With Two First Names. Chrome will be the death of me, I swear. These cards look much better in person!

It looks like I need to clean the scanner as it's leaving a line across the scans.

Plus, he helped out the type collection even more with a bunch of Stadium Club team set singles!

It seems that he chose the best player from each team for my collection.

It's kind of sad when the best player on your team is a young reliever. Though he's come a long way since then!

Big Hurt!

And Mr. 40-something!

Hit me, Napkin... one more time!

That's right. I think I may end up having to assemble this relic set. It's only 99 cards deep, with some of the biggest names in baseball - Mantle, Koufax, Aaron, Ruth, and more. I suppose this puts me at 2%! Those cards were great, but he topped that with the last two:

eTopps! I never buy eTopps, even though it's in the type collection, because I never think about it!

Napkin sent two former stars. I really like that Teixeira design - a vintage feel but still clean and the shiny refractorness makes it modern too.

That was an awesome package to open, Napkin Doon! Thank you so much! I owe you now!

You get the point, right?

PS. I have a contest going on. Are you entered? Find the post, comment, and you might win! Right now, you have about a 1:4 chance of getting a going-away present from me!

Trade with Kyle: Whistling While I Work

2012-01-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Let's start off with a video:

Jump to 2:30 to begin.

These cards all came from JABO's hut. (Hah. See what I did there? No? Okay.) The winner of the Persistence Award sent along a bunch of great cards as part of a trade/purchase deal we worked out.

A bunch of women-in-sports cards from Allen & Ginter, a set I never really put into the WIS collection since I have the regular set and don't think about extras. There's NO HOPE if you don't study your ions! That's what my Chemistry teacher would say every day in class.

Hm...:

Heh heh.

Nice chair! I prefer the more pod-like egg chairs though:

I'd like to get my mitts on her! I wonder how many times she heard that line as a teenager.

And there were several other cards:

Another one of these things. The set that I'll never finish!

A card from the 2008 WalMart exclusive Topps set!

Pujols PC need

Pujoles PC need

Pujols PC need again! You know, a simple run through COMC would finish off most of my player collection needs. But I'm just too lazy, and it gives you guys something to trade with me!

2011 Topps (990 cards): COMPLETE! Kyle finished my set!

Hm. Who cares about Jake McGee? Really? Maybe some Rays fan out there. You could say that it would fit just a bit outside my collection. But this card leads to the back:

*Yawn* just a simple short write-up that normally would be in small print beneath some stats. But what's that in the upper right corner?

That's right, that's a plate! My scanner decided to reject the right side of the image but this is a nice card to add to the type collection! I really should get a count of how many plates I have now. I might be in double digits!

Kyle, these cards are cool! Thanks a ton! That video at the top of the post wasn't. You could say it was juust a bit outside of the normal. Now, if you guys have paid enough attention to the random stupid videos I've posted, you recognize that I've already posted that video before. Well, it's been updated:

And again:

Yep, I'm gonna miss America.

A new year, a new life, and a new contest!

2012-01-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

You heard me! I'm contesting this biatch!

One week from today, I will be boarding that airplane to cross an ocean and cross into a whole new experience. I'm beyond excited!

I returned from Georgia Saturday morning, and spent most of the day in a daze from exhaustion. I managed to unpack, open my mail, and I had a nice improvised Chicago dog for lunch. I fell asleep around 10pm, but was awakened for a glass of midnight champagne before going back to bed for another 10 hours!

The new year meant a few treats: cream puffs, pizza, Starbucks, cookies, popcorn, and Italian sausage. I'm going to miss some great food in Japan, though I am looking forward to a whole bunch more great food! I already love ramen (and I mean the real ramen, with sliced pork, a hard-boiled egg, etc) and yakitori (mmm, meat on a stick!). I brought back a few hundred cards from Georgia to scan - all the awards cards, my non-sport hits collection, and some of the type collection. The rest of the type collection was shipped (at great expense, hopefully it arrives safe!) and should be here for scanning in a couple days. So my preparations are moving along as fast as I can make them!

You're welcome.

I came home to a couple trade packages. Robert and Napkin, thanks! A full post is coming soon!

Today is hunting day. I need to hunt down a few last items for my trip. Really, other than tons of scanning, baseball cards have been on the back burner for the past month. I miss writing posts of real substance about cards. I need to finish up the Japanese cards series that I started sometime last month, Yes I intend on finishing that this week. Maybe after I finish scanning cards and photos today I can hammer a post or two out. I have been somewhat neglecting the Cardboard Zoo, but I haven't forgotten it!

Wait, didn't I mention something about a contest? Oh yeah! I have some great items to give away as a going-away present. There are some good prizes to be had. Seven total gifts to be distributed! Or more? Not sure. Anyway, leave a comment here to enter. Enter by Thursday January 5, 2012, 11:59pm Pacific time. I'll post the prizes and their winners Friday morning, and I'll need mailing addresses that day since I ~~flee~~ fly out of the country Monday morning! You can win only one prize. Pimping gets you nothing!

Speaking of shipping stuff, I need to get these clearance lots shipped. I'll email you if you don't respond today, but if you claimed a team or teams in my clearance sale I need to arrange payment and shipping this week. There are eight boxes packed and ready to go as soon as the money is here! (Please email me about this instead of leaving a comment. My email is located through my profile.)

Before the World Ends: 2012 Collecting Goals

2012-01-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

I don't believe in any of that doomsday garbage. So a calendar ends? Big deal. If the end of the world really does come, I'm not going to do anything special to prepare. Shouldn't I be living my life as if I might die tomorrow anyway? Enjoying the time I have now is all that really matters, with plans for the future included. Or, as a great singer/songwriter once said:

It ain't about how fast I get there. It ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb. By the way, this is the first time I've ever seen the video - though I've obviously heard the song before. I prefer this one:

Even though in 9 days, it will be a party in Japan. Yep. That date's coming QUICK.

I need some goals for this year. Last year was a big year for my card collection, and while I didn't go crazy I did spend a lot more than I should spend in 2012. So here are my collecting goals, in order of importance. (Post idea stolen from Cards from the Quarry.)

1. Make major progress on a Japanese type collection. Since Japan will be my home, I need to make the most of it and focus most of my efforts on Japanese cards. I didn't discover any sets worth collecting (in my opinion - there are plenty of great issues, just nothing for my interests) while compiling my lists, save for a few art sets that will probably be too difficult to attempt. Menko sets are pretty cool, though. My goal by the end of the year: 25%. It shouldn't be too tough to find most of the recent stuff, but as soon as I start going into the past I have a feeling my job will get quite difficult. The good news: most card sets in the database are major releases that should be available from some of the dozen or so card stores I've discovered in the Tokyo area. The real question: what will it cost?
Difficulty: 5/10.

2. Buy/trade for complete sets of the following 2012 sets: Topps, Gypsy Queen, Archives (maybe), and Allen & Ginter. Also, I may pursue some insert sets from these releases and others. The flagship issue could be purchased as a factory set for about $30 (plus Update, which I know will cost another $20-30!), while the other two can be bought right off the 'Bay around release time. That is, unless someone here is planning on busting cases and wants to offer me base sets for a decent price (no SPs necessary). Gypsy Queen has announced four insert sets, and I plan on having all four plus any retail-only inserts they include. Not a tough thing to do, but important to get done on the year of release. It seems to be quite difficult task to buy or put together complete sets long after their release. Money comes into play again, though.
Difficulty: 2/10.

3. Keep up with the type collection. I made major progress on the type collection this year through card shows, online purchases, and trades. I don't want to lose ground this year just because I'm out of the country. I'll be able to work with eBay for most of the big new stuff, and I can trade and bulk purchase on COMC for the lower-tier cards. I need to keep at least a 25% rate on 2012 issues if I want to be successful at this, plus I hope to have some time and funds to work COMC for some more of the "older" cards to keep making progress. I'll need your help with this, traders - if you want to "work" a release for me in trade for Japanese cards or a small fee (I'm not bringing in big money, you know), we can work something out.
Difficulty: 6/10.

4. Keep trading with the blogging community. Trading will be tougher being overseas, and I won't be doing one-for-one card trades with most of you. Postal costs are just too high. But I will still have my SF address so you don't have to pay a fortune to send cards to me. If you're interested in some Japanese cards, I can be your go-to guy. There have been some American players on Japanese issues that I might be able to find. And I'm not going to be completely shut-off from American releases.
Difficulty: 7/10.

5. Keep quality posts going on this blog. Or, at least what I consider quality! Seriously, there will be so much going on for me outside of this hobby that I know twice-a-day posts will be too much, even if I did simple, short posts most of the time. And believe me, I have enough content right now to do small posts once or twice a day for the next year. But I don't want to throw stuff on this blog just to keep up with a posting schedule. My goal: 3+ posts per week on this blog, 7 posts per week on Cardboard Zoo (much easier/quicker to write than this blog), and 3+ posts per week on my Japanese-life blog.
Difficulty: 8/10.

With so much effort being put into the Japanese type collection, and so little access to American cards (via card shows and stores), many of my collections will be put on the back burner. My collecting goals will focus on Japanese and current releases, and I hope to keep up my connections with the rest of you in some way or another. This is going to be a unique year for me, and I hope you'll stay with me as we pass through it!

Did you just tear up? If you didn't just get watery eyes, you have no heart.

Did you just tear up? If you didn't just get watery eyes, you have no heart.

Hah.

Happy New Year!

2011: My Collecting Year In Review

2011-12-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

The year is over, the cards are filed away, and the lists are up-to-date.

Yeah, right.

I'm writing this post before returning to California, but I'm sure there are packages from trades waiting to be opened and filed away, and I haven't updated the type collection lists since Topps Chrome was released. Plus, with the "discovery" of SportsCardForum.com, there are great strides to be made in further updating the type collection. I have cards on COMC that aren't registered in my inventory, and I have thousands of cards in transit from Georgia to California to scan before heading overseas.

So while everything from 2011 isn't complete (I have until January 8th!) this is the time to take a look at my life in cards for the past year.

It's hard to think back to January, to see where I was in my collection. I know I had discovered some blogs and I was reading a few, and I was collecting cards via eBay and card shows. I made the decision somewhere around this time to add the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards to my collection, and flagship base sets for Donruss, Fleer, Score, and Upper Deck were added pursuits (Topps has been on the list for years).

I started this blog in mid-February, and hit off with a few big posts on 2011 Topps. Some of my first posts were show-offs of finds on eBay that helped me finish sets. Of course, since then I've had about 600 more posts on a whole bunch of crazy topics.

Over the course of the summer, I built two 2011 sets: the flagship release (all three series!) and Gypsy Queen. I also obtained Allen & Ginter and I've made major progress on the Stickers set.

I also finished or made major progress on several other sets - some that I started collecting in the 1990s, like the Upper Deck version of the Hassan Triple Folders issue. I made major progress on the flagship sets, though most of those sets were issued in the "junk wax" era.

I started, defined, blew, and refocused a series of player collections. I certainly added a lot to my plate this year.

I started and never completed a card set based on important baseball locations. I would love to continue this series but time is an issue.

I have a "supercollector" collection - nearly - for Geoff Geary. I'm sure there are 1 or 2 other collectors in the world with more cards of his than there are in my collection, but someday I'll make a major stab at fixing that.

I completed dozens of trades with you, my loyal readers. I thank you for all the wonderful cards you sent my way and I hope I've been at least fair in what I've sent to you.

I really rediscovered my love of collecting this year. In the past, the collecting of cards was fun, but the lists were all that mattered. Lists are important, but I've been able to enjoy my collection more by being able to share it with you. I dreamed of having a baseball card and souvenir museum when I was younger - a way of sharing my knowledge and collection with others. I can do just that through blogging, and your comments and support through readership has helped inspire me to continue on as an amateur writer.

I don't have "2010" numbers to compare to, but my collections stand today:

Awards and Leaders: 3374/4295 cards (78.6% complete)
Base Sets

Topps: 47.3%
Upper Deck: 77.3%
Donruss: 43.5%
Fleer: 34.5%
Score: 45.5%
Stadium Club: 71.4%
Ultra: 17.7%

Type Collection: 6664/30404 cards (21.92% complete)
note: Beckett lists 32,803 sets; SCF lists 35,501.
Baseball Sets: 159/278 sets (57.2%)
Diamond Kings: 17/63 sets (27%)
Non-Sport Sets: 760/1336 sets (56.9%)
Personal Collection: 273 cards
Player Collections:

Geoff Geary: 24/54 (64.9%)
Other Players: 151 cards

Team USA: 10/58 sets (17.2%)
UD Heroes: 21/30 sets (70%)
Womens Sports: 68/74 known sets (91.9%) plus 101 cards, 63 Sportscasters
Japanese Type Collection: 0/1779 (0%) (list through early 2008 with some sets missing)

Hopefully next year the percentages will be up a little.

That's it for the year. Have a happy New Year!

2012 Topps Series 2 Quick Preview

2011-12-31T03:00:00.000-08:00

Preview images for 2012 Topps Series 2 just came out. Let's have a fast look at the ones that matter!

Or how about all of them.

If you forgot what the flagship design looks like, here you go. I enjoy the modern, fairly minimal design. I think the logo cutting off the baserunner's body is a bit of poor placement, but what are you going to do?

This will probably end up being the black /60ish parallel. This is another good photo, though for some reason it feels like he's playing at a minor league park.

I still say the wood borders would have been a nice change from the tedious white as the flagship design.

And here's your gold cards again. I'm glad Topps took at least one of my suggestions! As if they read this blog.

Fake relics are not relics, but done right they are still pretty cool. I liked the coin sets Pinnacle put out in the 1990s, and if this was an affordable release I would build it. I know these things will be running pretty high though.

So will the team rings, I'm sure. Again, another manupatch style relic, but it's different since it's a ring now. You can own all the rings you collected virtually, for real! Another cool card, but the "real" ring cards will probably be too expensive.

I believe these are available through the giveaway site. I'll have to pick mine up on the secondary market.

I think this Mantle is our first look at the 1987-style minis. I like the design, and that's a great picture to use.

This is another carry-over from Series 1. This has the Donruss relic/autograph-first design philosophy.

But if I pull a hit like this I'd be fairly happy.

And if I had a hit like this I'd be really happy. I have a renewed interest in owning a majorly awesome patch card like this, but I can't afford one. That'll go on my fantasy wish list, I suppose.

Cut Above is a smooth looking insert. I'm guessing they'll be die-cut, which will be nice.

What a great player to show in your preview images!

Now that's better.

And that's nice too. I think I like these two insert sets, as they appear to have some connection to specific events in the players' careers. We'll see what the backs of the regular inserts look like, but these are promising concepts even if they too are hit-based designs.

These aren't any different from previous years' jumbo patches. I would prefer some sort of sleeve or team logo patch with multiple colors and such, but if I pulled some 1/1 letter patch like this you wouldn't find me complaining!

I see the 1500 RBI Club designation beneath the white spot. Again, a nice touch that seems to take into account many of our thoughts about inserts - give them meaning!

And we'll end with another nice logo patch!

Being in Japan next year will mean I won't be busting many/any (that's yet to be seen) packs of American cards, but I think the flagship release is growing on me and could be a nice release by the time series 2 comes about! What are your thoughts?

12 Packs: The last one, the last part.

2011-12-30T15:00:00.000-08:00

Let's do this. Five more packs and I'm done!

Two First Edition packs in the same repack? Sure, one was an Update pack, but they could have done better than this!

Throw...

Another Cub looking randomly out in the outfield bleachers. Must be plenty of hot topless women out in those bleachers. Wait, those are men? Ahhhh!

Throw...

Throw....

Throw... Yowsers. So many players in the process of throwing/pitching the ball.

And then there's this thing.

And then there's that thing. The two insert sets I have seen more than way too many times.

So we get another Upper Deck 2008 pack, but this time it's Documentary. While First Edition is an inexpensive version of the flagship Upper Deck, this set is just... bizarre.

Is this pack over yet? No?

Ah, crap. Let's get something better.

That is better! I'll have two RCs and a Rookie Sensation, per pack, on average! Plus, seven cards of players who actually played major league baseball!

Is this a night card?

Cook seems to be happily tossing the ball.

Mark Grudge.. Gruzz... Grudlez... Grizzleneck. That'll work.

I'll Hoff and I'll Poff and I'll blow your bat down!

Randy Johnson looks wrong as a Yankee. Maybe it's the lack of mullet.

Rookie!

Not rookie!

Rookie!

And insert!

UD didn't do too bad of a job with the inserts once taking over the Fleer name. But it just isn't like it was in the 1990s.

X marks the spot, again. This '09 pack was in the repack, while the '08 pack before was just in the markdown box.

This guy wins way too many Silver Slugger awards.

Haha.

There's my die-cut, complete with plenty of scanner artifacting going on.

Random inserts. I still don't know if the X3 is better than the X2 or X1. I like X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain though. That's a fun ride.

I think I might like Dan Haren as a ballplayer. That doesn't mean I'll collect his cards, though.

Randy Johnson on a third team! Wow!

Let's finish with something really fun. Robert, I think I sent you all these cards already.

Must look tough. Don't smile at the camera.

Popup. You're out.

This is an insert that I could have used several months ago. That's a fun design.

As you can tell from the top corners, this is the black bordered card.

I love these stadium shots. I really do.

We'll end with a guy who stole my first name.

And that's the end, finally! And I'll be leaving Georgia to return to California tomorrow. Until then, have a fantastic remainder of 2011! Sorry these posts have been quite plain at times. There are more important things going on this week.

12 Packs: The last one, part one.

2011-12-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a fun ride through some totally random packs. If it wasn't for some of those 99-cent super cheap non-sport packs, I doubt I would have enjoyed these posts as much.

To go out with a bang, my twelfth pack was a 10-pack repack thing you find at Target. I'll split this post into two. Here are the first five packs:

Oh goody. I haven't seen enough of this. This silly pack was hiding in the back.

Hello! Way out there in left field! Can you come any closer? I don't have my zoom lens on the camera!

Ugh. Ugly. Ugh.

Hm. Chrome. Same design as Update, but extremely curly and shiny. I couldn't feed these through the photo scanner, so I had to go to the glass for the cards.

The chromey finish makes them look all dirty!

Panda throw ball!

That's a pretty cool picture.

Here we go, something I can enjoy!

Don't smile, Brandon. Uh oh, he's gonna smile! Quick, take the picture!

Why so serious?

"I'm just happy to be here."

"I'm just happy to still be here."

"You want me to hold the bat here? Okay, but this hurts my arms!"

Was this picture taken in the 1960s? He looks so young.

Hey, Mike Scioscia looks just a little bit like Chevy Chase.

What's that, off in the distance? Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

Fleer Ultra was probably my favorite product of the 1990s. The cards were great and the insert sets were well thought out and innovative. Some would call them gimmicky.

Another pack, another Hafner.

Randy sure got around in the last few years of his career.

I have way too many Dan Haren cards.

Danks for nothin'! The background's kind of neat. I'm not sure what's going on though, and I don't really care enough to find out. It looks like someone took a ride on the Chicago El and just shot a picture out the window with a first-generation iPhone.

Let's end here. No foil, but great photography from Upper Deck, usually.

Not bad. I bet we can do better.

Now that's what I'm talking about. A great action shot, with both teams in the picture. Dust is flying everywhere, and Yunel probably got another triple on this play.

Hmmm... Getting kind of monotonous. I guess with the Update packs they just wanted shots of players in uniforms.

Not the best ending, but not bad. I think my scanner cut off part of the card.

12 Packs: The Worst Selection of Cards Ever

2011-12-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

I love the Americana brand. Where else can I find a great selection of my favorite B, C, and D level actresses with autographs and pieces of cut-up clothes they wore once to the grocery store but sold to Donruss because they spilled some coffee on and couldn't get the stain out?

Five cards, five disappointments.

Peter Brown is best known for Lawman, Laredo, and a bunch of guest spots. So, he's not really best known for anything I'd ever head of before I just IMDB'd his name. Plus, they bought a photo of him coming out of a gas station convenience store in the 1970s with a cup of what is probably the worst coffee in the world.

The least-known Baldwin brother. I don't consider myself attractive by pretty much any standard, but I know I look better than Danny boy here.

Wow. Barry Pearl is best known as one of the three supporting T-Birds in the movie Grease. Does anybody know or care about any of the supporting actors in Grease enough to want their autograph? Is there really a demand for a full set of cast signatures? This is bottom of the barrel as far as celebrities are concerned. What's next? That girl that appeared in the background in a 1989 episode of Days of Our Lives?

Great, another forgettable guy who's had (at best) supporting roles in movies. You may recognize him as Flat Top in the Dick Tracy movie. Yep, that's his highlight. It's a good movie, but again, who cares about Flat Top?

Well, we finish strong with Geoff Stults. He had a part on 7th Heaven for 23 episodes, and October Road (never heard of it) for 19 episodes. I've seen him in a few movies, but never noticed him. However, it looks like he's getting his own show, a spin-off of Bones.

Five packs, five nobodies. Where's my Aria Giovanni card? How about Bree Olsen? What about the cast of Community? I guess 2009 was a bit early for Community members to be on a card set - they weren't long forgotten yet.

Well, that was pack 11. Tomorrow, I'll wrap up this series with the big one! I think I might be overselling it. We'll find out.

12 Packs: Let's SPARKLE!

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

No Topps gimmicks here. This is the real deal, baby! Well, as far as movies are concerned.

I didn't pay enough attention to the first movie to like it. I just couldn't get into it. Kristen Stewart's attractive though. Speaking of which...

Kristen Stewart.

Not Kristen Stewart.

What's up with that? I'm not complaining. But from what I understand, she doesn't do much other than look pretty in the Twilight movies.

Now that's a good movie. Zathura wasn't as good as Jumanji, but it's still fun.

Now that's a better movie. I'll watch The Runaways again. You can keep your sparkly vampires.

12 Packs: Is it too early to go to camp?

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

I might be the only one over the age of 12 who bought one of these packs. One. That's all. I've never seen the movie, though I'm aware of it. Like most Disney teen movies, it looks to include attractive kids singing songs. Based on the captions, fun, drama, and relatable events occur that will keep you and your kids riveted to the TV and looking for the Camp Rock bed sheets!

Since this movie seems to be about rock music, I'll comment in rock music terms. Yay!

That blonde reminds me of...

We didn't st... Oh, I can't sing. Let's let Billy Joel respond.

Not quite rock, but good enough:

Jump to :33 if you don't want to see the whole trailer. By the way: I love this movie. It's just perfect. Alternate video:

Aren't they:

They're brothers. No sisters in that group. Instantly lame.

If you search for Mitchie on YouTube, you get some of the videos from the movie.

Can't end on that.

That's much better. Wrong movie. Who cares!

12 Packs: X Marks the Spot (Where the Needle Went In)

2011-12-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

I never quite understood X. The design was SPx, but it left out the great SP stuff. So I guess that's X.

Six cards per pack! Somehow this product was issued multiple years.

Let's start with the, um, 2011 NL MVP? In gold, no less.

The scanner's leaving an artifact on the right edge that's pretty visible on this card.

The artifacts are near the top on this die-cut Hunter, since I had to feed the card in bottom-first.

My other insert. X had so many inserts that really meant nothing. Was X2 more limited than X1? I didn't think so.

Hmm...

And that's it for the eighth pack! I'll hit 9-11 tomorrow, and pack 12 on the 30th - it's a biggie!

12 Packs: A little bit silly.

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

We were Wacky earlier. Now it's time to be Silly!

Can you say rip-off? Really, this is exactly the same product as Wacky Packages with less-interesting backs.

The products are still fun.

I think the artist doesn't like bug sprays.

That was me this morning!

That's a stretch from Cool Whip.

Ha! Timely political/historical humor in a child's product!

Hm. Diarrhea reference to end on? Why not.

With only six stickers and backs that aren't worth scanning, this product isn't as good as the Wacky Packages from this morning. But I still like them!

Atlanta Area Readers, PLUS: 12 Packs: Getting WACKY!

2011-12-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

First, a note/offer for those in the Atlanta area. I went through my storage unit yesterday and knocked the size down from an 8x9 unit to a 5x5 unit. I got rid of a bunch of stuff, but I have some cards and such that I would like to go to someone who would appreciate them. I have seven three-row boxes (are those 2400 count? 3200 count?) full of base cards and maybe inserts. I haven't really looked through though I need to take a gander to ensure I haven't tossed anything in them I need to keep. I doubt you'll find anything great, but I think you could find some minor trade bait/filler or fun cards for your collection. I have not pulled out Braves cards or anything like that, but I packed these boxes long enough ago that I don't know what you'll find. I doubt there's any 2010 (I found what little I remember buying in a different box) and certainly no 2011. Most likely you're looking at either 1998 and earlier, or 2003-2009. I'd love to sell them all or by the box to someone cheap, and I'll seriously consider every offer.

Also, if you need nine-pocket binder pages I have four boxes full of pages I used and boxed up when I reduced my collection's volume (binders to boxes makes a big difference in space). Each box probably has about 1000 pages (they're heavy - I bought pages by the case), and again I'll take offers on each box. The pages should be in great used shape. Most of them are Ultra Pro or equivalent. All are sold as is, though 99.9% should be in like-new condition. I'm in Atlanta through Friday (I have an early flight Saturday morning) and I'd like them gone before then. Just leave a comment please - first able-to-pick-up first served! I'm in Woodstock, though I'm out and about today/tonight.

-----------------------------------------

Like the Garbage Pail Kids pack from an earlier post, I have a lot of interest in the Wacky Packages series. Unlike the Garbage Pail Kids pack from the earlier post, these are all-new stickers!

Eight stickers making fun of products I know and (might) love? You got it!

I may have to revisit this image in, say, October?

Dunk the Skunk! Wait, it says for skunks. Skunks dunking skunks? Isn't that like cannibalism?

I bet Livid-Plumr is cheaper than the real plumber that rooted the toilet this month.

I need some of that sometimes. I had this Facebook post the other day...

Hey! I don't think I've had Rice-A-Roni in about 20 years! And I love rice - with my Chinese food, especially.

I'll let you figure out what Silly Bangz are. Hint: they aren't for hair care.

Notice the numbering on this card, 5 of 8. This is an insert mocking movies instead of products. Still great! I wonder how many Shreks there are already. Not really, because if I cared I would look it up myself.

Mmm. Soda.

The backs are just as good, usually.

Some of them are puzzles, just like the originals.

Others have fake advertisements or coupons. Ditz!

Ruffled?

That shampoo is designed for really hot women.

As seen at Wendy's.

This is the back of the Shrek parody sticker.

Ah, more ads.

And we'll end with a puzzle back.

I am way behind on my non-sport collecting, though there aren't as many sets these days that I'm interested in owning. More goofiness soon!

12 Packs: What-doo Economics! 2007 UD Series 1

2011-12-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

Let's go back nearly five years (wow!) to 2007 Upper Deck Series One! This might be Upper Deck's weakest card design ever, though with a gigantic checklist this is a very difficult set to complete.

The exclusive home for Cal Ripken Jr. Inserts!

The fading grey borders ruin the card. They could have left that out and been fine.

In "widescreen" mode, the card looks better. Inge caught the ball!

Jump, David! Jump!

Who?

Hey! I remember when he came to Atlanta! And he was all pitching and stuff?

Well, I guess Upper Deck held through on their promise as the home of the Cal Ripken Jr. insert. It's not exactly an exciting design.

That pack was like this teacher.

12 Packs: I Love The '80s.

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Ahh, childhood. It didn't take VH1 very long to give my generation its own clip show only about a decade after our adolescences ended. Great things came from the 1980s, including this horrible movie:

Can you name the movie?

I remember buying GPK cards at the corner store. Or maybe we had to walk all the way down to Walgreens. That was a long block by foot as a kid. I've been collecting the new GPK series since they brought the line back a few years ago, though I've fallen behind lately. I'm not entirely sure, but I think the Flashback series are reprints.

or, aHead Fred!

Leonardo Da Snotti?

Mmm. Brains.

How does she blow the bubble if her head is the bubble?

I bet Lars wouldn't be as sick if he didn't eat keys and bones.

This reminds me of...

No, this:

Seen it before? No you haven't! The previous example has a pink border.

Shouldn't someone named Joltin' Joe have electrical abilities instead of Rambo-wear?

That was fun! More fun coming in the future!

12 Packs, 1 Double

2011-12-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

Third pack in the series - 2010 Upper Deck. I never opened any of this product - I grabbed the set off eBay late last year and all the inserts and parallels for the type collection came from trades and shows.

Logo? What logo?

Take the photo at an angle, and Viola! No logo!

No logos here. Just some Salty sea dog.

Uh oh, I see a big A. Time for some Santana!

LOGO!

I don't get the whole wrong-colored hat thing. Is that throwback-appropriate? I mean, I understand the idea of green hats on St. Patrick's Day, pink for Breast Cancer Awareness, etc. But it all just seems a bit gimmicky nonetheless.

Jensen Lewis throws so hard he breaks the laws of space-time! (Gotta love my scanner.)

I bet that was a foul ball.

Hey, Biography! The insert set nobody can possibly collect!

Not-on-the-Team-Anymore Checklists. These look pretty good.

Aardvark!

What's cooking, Aaron?

I went to Holland once. I want to go back again.

Hmm...

Sweet. I never noticed Winona Ryder quietly excuses herself from the table near the beginning.

Redding? More like Bluing! HAH!

I love these cards. I'm still working on the subset.

You're not having deja vu. I had a double in the pack.

By 2010, Hairston moved down the coast to San Diego, and last year he moved to the other coast with the Mets.

The Biography insert is about the least-exciting insert in 2010 Upper Deck, I think. But the cards still look great and I really like the 2010 design. I bet Upper Deck had many better pictures they could have used if they would have just airbrushed out the logos. And they might still be producing logoless cards today. Instead, they can only give us products like Goodwin Champions and World of Sports.

12 Packs: Another Pack, Another Danica?

2011-12-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

This time, I'm opening the 2012 (already?) edition of Press Pass racing. Yep - I've never opened a pack of racings cards in my life, and then I opened two today. While both packs have Danica Patrick on the front, the first one had nothing worthwhile inside. Will this one provide a winning card?

While these cards are certainly brighter and more colorful than the Main Event pack from earlier (every card had an abundance of black), that foil printing is a bit tough to read.

But I have a TRUCK! I LOVE the Transformers! But what are they doing in a racing product? Wait, that says Transporters. Okay.

Drinking and driving. The second and third most important parts of Nascar. Can you name the most important part of any good race?

Hey, I know that name! And I can read this one!

And I know that name too! How do I know so many race car drivers?

There's another Bayne card. I like this shot - kind of quirky (yes, it should be rotated anyway). It looks cooler sideways.

I could make a joke about this guy's last name. But I won't.

Montoya? Is he related to this guy?

I don't care for racing products, but this was a fun pack to open anyway. Even though I didn't get one of these:

The Twelve Packs of Christmas:Main Event

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Do you like seeing cards pulled from packs? Do you like totally random releases found in Target? Do you eat beans? ...

I was going to start posting these yesterday, but alas, my time was short and my internet scarce, so let's start now! I'm not going to sing for you. I already sang for you. Instead, I provide to you 12 random packs of cards over the next four days. There are some winners and some losers, and a big finish at the end!

We'll start off with

2011 Press Pass Main Event. This is the first racing product I've ever opened. I'm hoping for a Danica Patrick card.

I know that name.

Ron Hornaday keeps the doctor away!

Lots of black on these cards.

No Danica yet. This pack is the... Bayne of my existence?

FedEx delivers disappointment to my pack of cards as there is no GoDaddy sponsored logos to be seen.

More soon!

Ball of Confusion: A Multi-Trade Post

2011-12-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

Talk about a crazy week!

Packages have been dropping into my mailbox, I've been running all over town, and now I'm in Georgia (yay!) for a few days of debauchery. In between the random stacks of cards moving around and my poor organizational skills of late, I received two groups of cards and I can't figure out where they're from!

The first was mainly Team USA cards and some higher numbered 1973s!

This stack of cards is totally cool! These are my first 2011 Team USA singles, and of course all the '73s are right off my want list! And there's a nice little mini in the middle of it all.

The second stack was full of other set needs - a Gypsy Queen, a Stadium Lights from Opening Day (remember that set? It was oh so long ago) and plenty of 20th Anniversary singles. Again I couldn't figure out who sent them.

But wait, there's more! My ineptitude goes even further. I believe I attributed James' (dominicfdny) package to a Sportlots purchase. He sent me a bunch of Kimballs and 60 YOT that were a big help towards finishing that set. He also sent a Diamond Anniversary Factory Set single for the type collection. I can't find the scans - I know the cards arrived, I know I scanned them, and now I can't find them. Wow.

So if you sent either of the two lots above - thank you so much for the awesome cards, and I'm sorry my poor organizational skills of late have caused me to mess this up. But these cards are very much appreciated!

Yeah. Lame. Like my memory this past week. If you liked that, you'll like the other two. If not, have a nice day!

Not just a Christmas post!

2011-12-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this post at 11pm - a full hour earlier than usual! I'll be up with the donut man, as I have a 7AM flight today to Atlanta to see my mom and work through my storage unit.

Atlanta-area people: any good card shops that I need to visit? I'll be heading to the shop in Kennesaw - but what about Freedom Cardboard. I think they have a shop, right? Will it be worth my time to visit it? Remember, I don't care much for packs. I'd be interested in browsing through quarter boxes or perhaps picking up a couple nice oddballs. Any suggestions will be welcome. I doubt there will be any card shows going during the week.

Speaking of Atlanta, these cards came from Morgan, who lives in the Atlanta area! She sent them to even us up for a trade package I sent recently, and she did a great job at it:

Maddux!

Maddux! See, I told you my scanner hates black borders.

Maddux! ~~Batting!~~ Bunting!

Maddux!

Rader! Wait. What? Doug Rader won a few Gold Gloves back in the day, and while this card is far beyond his playing days, it's the first for him. I think I still need three more of his cards.

And the other Doug is a member of the 300 Saves club. While easier to reach and thus not as prestigious as 300 Wins, it's still an accomplishment. Only 23 players have reached it so far, with a few more closing in. The 400 Saves club is only five members deep.

Thanks Morgan! These cards are fantastic!

Now, it's Christmas! Let the videos flow!

Cyriak's Christmas video from last year. Kind of dark.

Cyriak's Christmas video from this year. Kind of sick.

Wow.

HAH! But that's not Christmasy.

Yeah, that's what Christmas means.

Who needs football when you have iJustine?

There we go. A real Christmas video. Mariah Carey, back when she was cute and fun and not a nasty diva.

Big finish:

Merry Christmas everybody!

Now does this card scream Christmas or what?

2011-12-24T15:00:00.000-08:00

Look at that red and green all over the place! It's the perfect card to be the angel on my baseball card Christmas tree... if I had one. Instead, it sits here at the top of the post, being all merry and happy!

It's numbered 2/5 and is a red refractor from Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects. I bought this and a bunch of other cards for the type collection from Community Gum recently. While I'd love to show you every single card I bought (there's a gold refractor /50, two blue refractors /199, and a regular refractor), my little sheet-fed scanner hates Chrome cards. And most Upper Deck, Finest, and Donruss high-gloss issues as well. It just doesn't want to feed them. So instead I'll show you the non-Chromeys.

Black borders = extra cropping by the scanner. That's the regular refractor of Bryan Shaw.

Blue prospect /499

Blue rookie /499

And that's about it for Bowman DPP for me! Thanks to Andy at Community Gum, I don't need to think much about this set anymore! And I rarely see red when it comes to Bowman, so that's a super bonus!

If you don't follow Community Gum, you probably should. They break cases and sell off the extras pretty cheap. They also do case breaks of various products - I participated in a Lineage break that went fairly well.

I got that bling bling ring thing!

2011-12-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

Diamond Giveaway: I own you now!

I finally received enough codes to push me past the 45-code threshold, and that exclusive set is mine! I'll be requesting shipment on that and some of my cards in the next day or so (I'll tell you which ones once the order's complete). Meanwhile, I have a little story to tell.

Getting 45 codes is not easy if you aren't busting cases. I did a good job with series 1, getting 15 codes all through packs. Series 2 was a little tougher, but I still managed to get that 30th code after finding one at a card show. But Update was very difficult. Money's tighter, and I bought nowhere near as much Update as I did Series 1 and 2 packs. With my deadline quickly approaching - I doubt I'll have my cards by January 9 even if I requested them tonight - I hit eBay to get ripped off.

I finally won an auction for six code cards - $9.99 plus $5 shipping. That's less than $3 a code (the approximate average going rate). I figured if I could get the seller to email me the codes after paying, I'd get a real good deal. The seller was firm that the cards had to be mailed (um, wtf?), though he offered to ship for $3 instead of $5. After multiple requests for a proper invoice so I could get the rate he promised, I gave up and paid $5 for shipping. Whatever.

The cards came today in a manila envelope, wrapped in a sheet of paper. I'm not sure if it was his fault or the post office, but the cards were bent to shit. Have a look at the envelope:

Thankfully, the cards don't matter (all I wanted were codes) and the codes were intact (and worked). After all this crap - negative feedback is in order. For $5 shipping, he could have used a bubble envelope. His shipping rates (even at 6 cards in one lot) are very high, and his communication was poor (given the lack of sending a proper invoice after several requests). Am I wrong for thinking this? Make your case below - I'll be leaving him feedback soon. I rarely leave negatives, but this experience has been quite negative for me. Heck, there's a seller that's sending me a third package in order to get the right cards to me, and I'm planning on leaving him positive feedback, because he's trying to rectify the situation quickly and properly.

Anyway, I entered the codes and it must have been vintage day. Here's what I unlocked:

1969? Great start!

A nice action 1975? Awesome!

Eh, 1980? At least it's not 2009.

Hey! A good pitcher! But it's 1986!

That's much better!

Yeah! The 1960s wallpaper set!

Wait, that's 7 cards! Where'd this great 1971 card come from? Why, Zippy Zappy! He gave me a code (back when I needed them) to help me reach 45 and I just now entered it. Not a bad card to unlock.

So a great set of cards unlocked, and 45 rings reached for my full set and some cards shipped free! Once Zippy Zappy finishes up our trades (if he hasn't already; I'm writing this post 33 hours before it goes live) (I'm getting two cards he wants delivered with my order) it's off to request delivery!

And then, after Christmas, any ring offers will just be automatically accepted. I can't wait to see if I get any offers for the cards I leave in my account, too.

(Have you ever noticed that I use parentheses a lot?) Apparently I don't use them quite correctly, since I don't have complete thoughts in half of them. Oh well, it's a writing tool. P.S. lady, a better way of saying, "Picking blackberries (I'm sure you will agree with me) is a tasty pastime" would be, "Picking blackberries is a tasty pastime. I'm sure you will agree with me." This video is annoying. Let's watch something better. A new WolfgoreShow video! (I think I still have some old ones in my videos-to-post queue!) (Hey, a complete thought in a set of parantheses! I used them correctly! And again! Wow! Learning is fun!)

P.S. If you think I indulge in mind-altering substances, you're wrong. I just enjoy really strange videos. (And that's two P.S. comments in the same post. And another set of parentheses.)

2012 Topps Archives: Previews and Thoughts

2011-12-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

I've kept my mouth pretty well shut on Topps Archives from the first leaks of images from the Fan Favorites autograph set to the release of the sell sheets, but the time has come to have my say.

I collected the 60 Years of Topps reprint set this year, so I'm not against reprint cards. I've toyed with the thought of collecting the base Topps Heritage set. I have the original Fan Favorites sets on my want lists.

But there's something about the 2012 Topps Archives set that bothers me. It just doesn't feel right.

That's what it is.

We haven't seen previews of any of the retired players in the base set. The Reggie above is part of a reprint insert set. Will the entire set be done Fan Favorites-style, including the retired players? Or will retired players be reprints? (If so, what's the point of the reprint insert set?)

Something else bothers me with the first two images in this post: putting current players on vintage designs is fun, but that's what Topps Heritage is for. Really, Fan Favorites is best used on retired players - and best done as Fan Favorites was, with new images on designs that existed when that player was playing. Archives is just a reprint set, so I'm up in the air on that concept. I really need to see how this base set plays out.

That said, I can't wait to see the Fan Favorites autograph checklist. There are some players who have been neglected on certified autographs that I'm hoping might show up.

The mini '83s look like a great idea. Any minis seem like a great idea. Too bad it looks like they'll only be autographed - or will the mini '83s be a parallel set? That may be the set I collect, if so. They announced a gold parallel, but how great would a mini '83 set be inserted 1 per pack or 1 per 3 packs or so?

As for the inserts, it's a great selection. The 1968 3D design should look great, the '67 stickers were a really fun design, and the crisp black and white photography on the minimalist deckle edge '69s can be fantastic. I'm unsure about the Topps Cloth set, and I have no interest in even more reprints (see above). I could be persuaded to chase the 3D, sticker, and deckle sets.

Summary: the base set, if done properly as Fan Favorites, is a must-have. The autograph checklist is something to check out for those minor stars who never had a certified auto and some big names to score big bucks in return, and the inserts look like a good collection, even if they aren't ones I want. Please, Topps, do a 1983 mini "parallel" set!

I WANT: Base set (if done as Fan Favorites), Deckle, Sticker, 3D

I DON'T RECOMMEND: The reprint insert set.

See the entire sell sheet at JayBee's site.

What makes a great trading card blog?

2011-12-23T03:00:00.001-08:00

Wicked Ortega posted a comment to Jaybarkerfan's current contest to award the/a title of 2011 Blog of the Year. If you haven't read his comment, please do so. He makes a great point.

That got me thinking: what makes a great trading card blog? Is it the fact that they've been around for years? Is it that they post in depth arguments for or against certain releases?

I can't give you an answer, because your favorite blog might be different from mine, or your reasons for choosing it might be different. I'm not writing this post to tell you how to think, or what to think. I'm writing it to express my thoughts on the issue.

So what blogs do I like to read? Really, any blog in my reading list is worth reading. But what puts them on that list?

I like blogs that aren't team-centric or that focus on a single player. Your writing may be the best in the world, but if all you're doing is talking about the Giants or Nationals all the time (are there any Giants or Nationals blogs out there?) I'm not going to read it. It's just not what I'm interested in. Just like most of you probably aren't interested in reading a blog about transit every day. Which I do, oddly enough. I just don't have a passion for your team or player collection. Sorry! I do read some team and player collection blogs, as evidenced by my blog roll.

I like blogs that are mostly baseball. I don't have interest in basketball, football, or hockey. There are some "multi-sport" blogs that I follow, because I know when baseball comes back around they'll meet my interest again.

I like blogs that provide some commentary - more than just "look at my cards!" It's impossible to avoid "look at my cards!" posts, and I have them myself. It's what you do with it that matters. 30 Year Old Cardboard and Core Contrarian have really short posts with single cards, but they provide a little commentary that make the posts good for a quick read.

I don't care how old your blog is, though I recognize the greats. Night Owl received a nomination, and he's been around since 2008, but there are others who have been around for longer than that. Dayf has been posting since 2006. But blogs change. Dayf's blog is great and I love reading it, but it's a bit different from what it was four years ago. And like a grizzled veteran, some eventually fade off or disappear all together - their interest fades, life throws a curve, or they just don't have time to write anymore. Blogs that may have had fifty or more posts per month just a couple years ago may not have that many all year. Again - they're still great blogs and hopefully someone might start a real Baseball Blog Hall of Fame at some point to recognize ones that aren't (as) active anymore. (Dayf and Night Owl do NOT belong in that category - the not-active thing.)

There are many blogs that shine for a short while and disappear. Some come back, some don't. It sort of mirrors collecting for many of us. I started collecting in '89, stopped in '98, returned in '03, and pretty much stopped towards the end of 2009. But I came back again last October, and blogging really helped with my love. But there is a lot being tossed around in my head about collecting next year. I want to stick with it, but like 1998 and 2009, I'm going through a major life change that could tear me away from cards. I love writing this blog, so I don't see myself leaving - there is more than just collecting involved. It's more now - I love being able to share my thoughts about the hobby and my cards with everyone.

Okay, back on topic. What makes a great trading card blog? As Wicked Ortega says, a passion in the writing. But all of the nominees on that list show passion in their writing. What makes one of those (or any other) blog of the year? Who knows. I can't wait to see this play out.

I swear somebody else has run a multi-subject series of awards for best blogs (best trader, blog of the year, best new blog, so on) in the past. What happened to that? Can we get a whole series together to vote on next month? Anyone interested in running this? Anyone care? Anyone? (AHH, FOUND IT. Chris of Stale Gum ran it last year.) Chris is probably too busy to do this, but I'd love to see the Gummies return.

And last, while we're talking about this, thank you Eric for nominating me! I don't deserve blog of the year, but "I'm just excited to be nominated!" Isn't that how all the award nominees put it?

Thoughts, below. Please!

Lots of Sportlots Lots!

2011-12-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

I'm exhausted. Yet again I'm writing at midnight. I've come to accept that midnight is when I'm most inspired to write. The problem stems from the day's activities, which were strenuous and I will be quite sore in the upper body after my muscles decide to start complaining. Top that off with a lack of food until 10:30 tonight. Yes, I didn't eat - or drink - anything all day. I should have took a break and had some lunch, but I was on a mission and stuck with it until the end.

So, with another dozen emails to reply to and about 40 posts to catch up on from this morning, I'm about to go to bed. (You're reading this at 3pm Pacific time, but remember, it's midnight as I type this.) I hereby provide you with a bunch of cards I picked up on Sportlots toward set building.

Card #402: done. All that remains is card #1001, which better be here today or tomorrow!

I love these cards. I'll save the commentary for a full post sometime in the future.

60...

Years...

of...

Topps Reprints. Nearly done with this set, too!

I like these cards. I think they're pretty cool. You may not, because you don't like non-sport political cartoons in your baseball cards. I don't blame you for your beliefs, and if I didn't like non-sport cards I probably would have nothing to do with them either. But I want the set, and I want it cheap! So here's a McCain/Clinton card that gets me just a little closer to the complete set.

One of the dealers used the last two cards as bookends for my order, which is fine by me! They both fit into my World Series awards collection.

Smiling pirates should never be trusted. See also: Pirates of the Caribbean.

I don't think the Cubs logo has ever changed. Okay, I take that back. It's changed plenty over time - the current logo arrived in 1979. But regardless of the font or what's inside, the C in Cubs has always been a large circular or oval shape surrounding whatever might be inside.

Now, I'm tired! Goodnight! Or good afternoon! ... I can't end on that. Here's a video to play me out.

Merry Christmas Colbey!

2011-12-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

Colbey sent out Christmas cards to many of us bloggers and tossed in a few cards as a present. It seems from what I've been hearing that Colbey's local post office likes to eat Christmas cards, and my envelope was damaged. However, both the card and the cards were intact! Colbey knows I'm a Lincecum fan, so here's what he sent:

Tim Lincecum, reclining pitcher.

First Liners? When did we start referring to pitchers as liners? And for crying out loud, DON'T CALL IT FRISCO.

Look, two Giants pitchers who throw right handed and are wearing home jerseys, black caps, and black sleeves while wearing black gloves! And they both have "beatnik" hair styles! (It's a stretch, just go with it.) And they're both captured at the end of their delivery! Way to go, Topps!

This turkey is black and orange!

A nice Christmas surprise! Thanks Colbey!

Mail Day: Binge drinking, Kimball style!

2011-12-21T15:00:00.000-08:00

29 Kimballs in packs in the box, 29 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 28 Kimballs in packs in the box!

28 Kimballs in packs in the box, 28 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 27 Kimballs in packs in the box!

27 Kimballs in packs in the box, 27 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 26 Kimballs in packs in the box!

26 Kimballs in packs in the box, 26 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 25 Kimballs in packs in the box!

25 Kimballs in packs in the box, 25 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 24 Kimballs in packs in the box!

24 Kimballs in packs in the box, 24 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 23 Kimballs in packs in the box!

23 Kimballs in packs in the box, 23 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 22 Kimballs in packs in the box!

22 Kimballs in packs in the box, 22 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 21 Kimballs in packs in the box!

21 Kimballs in packs in the box, 21 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 20 Kimballs in packs in the box!

20 Kimballs in packs in the box, 20 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 19 Kimballs in packs in the box!

19 Kimballs in packs in the box, 19 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 18 Kimballs in packs in the box!

18 Kimballs in packs in the box, 18 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 17 Kimballs in packs in the box!

17 Kimballs in packs in the box, 17 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 16 Kimballs in packs in the box!

16 Kimballs in packs in the box, 16 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 15 Kimballs in packs in the box!

15 Kimballs in packs in the box, 15 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 14 Kimballs in packs in the box!

14 Kimballs in packs in the box, 14 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 13 Kimballs in packs in the box!

13 Kimballs in packs in the box, 13 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 12 Kimballs in packs in the box!

12 Kimballs in packs in the box, 12 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 11 Kimballs in packs in the box!

11 Kimballs in packs in the box, 11 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 10 Kimballs in packs in the box!

10 Kimballs in packs in the box, 10 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 9 Kimballs in packs in the box!

9 Kimballs in packs in the box, 9 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 8 Kimballs in packs in the box!

8 Kimballs in packs in the box, 8 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 7 Kimballs in packs in the box!

7 Kimballs in packs in the box, 7 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 6 Kimballs in packs in the box!

6 Kimballs in packs in the box, 6 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 5 Kimballs in packs in the box!

5 Kimballs in packs in the box, 5 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 4 Kimballs in packs in the box!

4 Kimballs in packs in the box, 4 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 3 Kimballs in packs in the box!

3 Kimballs in packs in the box, 3 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 2 Kimballs in packs in the box!

2 Kimballs in packs in the box, 2 Kimballs in packs...

Take one down, pass it around, 1 Kimball in packs in the box!

1 Kimball in packs in the box, 1 Kimball in packs...

Take it down, pass it around, no more Kimballs in packs in the box!

Now wasn't that fun? You bet your mother's annual salary in Euros it was!

Trades In Order (or) Angels in Trades (or) Trading Orders of Angels

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

I like the last title best. Trading Orders of Angels. Yes, these cards came from Tom, of Angels In Order. He saw some great trade bait I posted a little while back and offered up some help with my type collection!

First, let's talk a little baseball, Kenner style. Hey, this is two posts in a row where I'm showing off Kenner cards! How strange, when they're known not for their cards but for their toys and action figures! This card comes not from a figure, but from a board game. I wish I could find one of these in working order, cheap. But then, where would I put it right now?

This card and the two below it are different from the card above in that the pictures are actually paintings instead of photographs. This distinguishes these cards as belonging to the team set cartridges instead of being included with the original game.

You could buy a cartridge with players on your favorite team and put them up against another team (or one of the all-star teams included with the board game - but would that be a fair match?).

As you see, they're MLBPA licensed, but not MLBP licensed, so there are no logos. In fact, there is no indication of team on the front at all. Sure, there are some team colors, but it's not obvious. The team is stated on the back.

Remember these? Dick Perez did a series of paintings included in Wal-Mart packs of 2008 Topps. Why do I have such a hard time finding these? I really should just hunt the rest of the set down on Sportlots or COMC and be done with it.

Thanks to Tom, I no longer need Mickey here (cut off on the bottom by my scanner). There are so many sets I'm working on. Next year I think I will prioritize my collecting goals.

This is another card for the type collection, from the 1988 Series 3 edition of Baseball Immortals, a Conlon Collection style series that wasn't as popular as the '91-'95 version.

Here's a card from a set I didn't even know existed! Most of us are probably familiar with Mothers Cookies cards by now. They were issued for decades in team set and individual player format, with their peak coming around 1990. This set was issued right about that time and includes all the presidents up to the date of issue. This reminds me I should probably locate a copy of Non-Spot Update before I head to Japan so I can look up sets like this - if they're even issued.

By the way, if you ever want information on non-sport sets, the best resource is Jeff Allender's page. He has as much information as possible compiled on each set - mainly checklists, though there are no images. For sets like 2011 Americana, detailed breakdowns are provided. Did you realize that only about 1200 base sets were issued based on his estimates? I think the number is probably higher due to the retail release (he hasn't figured those into his data) but that's still a pretty limited set!

Back to the type collection. I have the blue-bordered Series I card, but this is my first Series II issue.

And here's a minor-league card from the Line Drive Pre-Rookie set. Deciphering minor league sets can be confusing. More on that in a minute.

This card comes from a 1983 ASA set featuring Johnny Mize. Small player sets like this were issued all the time in the 1980s by dozens of manufacturers, and Beckett's database isn't always complete when it comes to identifying them. The Mize set is listed.

Remember when I mentioned just two cards ago that minor league issues can be confusing? Well, here's why. Around 1990, there were a few different companies making minor league sets. Most minor league teams would have two or three team sets issued by different manufacturers (ProCards, Line Drive, CMC, Best). Then, those minor league manufacturers would produce larger complete sets featuring players from all the teams. In many cases, only tiny differences between the team issue and major release are noticeable. I believe one issue's difference is a black box around the back of the card. For the card above, team sets have a greenish back, and major sets have a yellow back. I didn't know this until Jason at Clyde's Stale Cards clued me in. That man has knowledge of and access to sets I've never heard of before! Jason's been doing time at Sports Card Forum trying to compile more-accurate checklists. You realize Beckett hasn't entered a single minor league team set since 2007, and many other team issues are missing, right? SCF's list includes everything you'd find in Beckett, SCD, the Japanese Checklist and Price Guide, and more! Okay, they didn't pay for advertising time, so that's enough for now. I'll probably gush about how great they are when I raid their database to update my type collection checklists.

Well, that's Swell! Yaz from a forgettable retired player set. I'm amazed at how much value sets like these have today. It's not a lot, but it's more than I would expect.

Speaking of retired players, everyone in this album has long since retired. This is the 1969 Topps Stamps album, and a great card (?) to end on.

Thanks a ton for the awesome cards, Tom! I hope you enjoy the Angels you ordered! (Ha! Something clever to end on! Oh, wait, ruined it. Quick, play me out...)

Your Starting Lineup!.... cards?

2011-12-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's right, cards. From Starting Lineup. You remember those little things? Before McFarlane, baseball action figures weren't all detailed and they didn't usually didn't look much like the player, except for the uniform and pose. Starting Lineup included cards with their little action figures and while I don't see them everywhere I tend to come across a dealer every once in a while who has a bunch of them. Such was the case this Sunday at the Hilltop Mall card show in Richmond (local readers note: the show goes on until the 23rd, but there aren't many cards).

Sir Edgar is from the 1999 release. This isn't that bad of a card, if you ask me. You didn't but I told you anyway.

This design was found on the 2000 issue. Hoffman is from the initial release.

Smoltz was packaged with somebody else (maybe Maddux?) to make the Classic Doubles set.

Millwood is, as noted, from the Extended Series.

I've already cleaned up most of my needs for the regular SLU issues, but a couple sets aren't in my database. These four cards will need to be added to my database, since there are no SLU listings for '99 and 2000.

These cards are all I found worth buying at the show - it's not really a card show, so save your time and your gas money and visit an LCS instead. Perhaps the next card show at Hilltop Mall will have cards? Too bad I won't be around to find out.

It's quite sad. Just like this tribute to somebody's brother.

On a less-creepy note...

Remember this video from yesterday? No? Watch it. Fantastic.

And then watch this one:

I bet you're hungry now.

Two one-of-one cards to close out a card show!

2011-12-20T03:00:00.000-08:00

Once again I find myself writing a post after midnight. That might happen more often in Japan, since my working hours are around 12-9pm, but since I've been waking up around 8am lately these late nights are exhausting! I fully intended on going to bed a couple hours ago, but one thing lead to another and the clock just ticked away. Yesterday was a successful day as far as my plans went, though - I went to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum (I had a Groupon that expired at the end of the week) and had In N Out for lunch. Mmm. I also managed to catch up on all my emails, scan all my 1973 Topps cards (this sheet-fed photo scanner is almost perfect!) and I handled a whole bunch of incoming packages. I'll probably get to those tomorrow.

This is the last post from the Tanforan card show (that would be about ten days ago). I certainly saved the best for last.

Remember all those modern cards I showed? There was this Triple Threads card, these not-quite-vintage cards, and these two very-low-numbered autographs. Well, I have two more cards to show you, all purchased from the same dealer.

And they're both one-of-ones. Not eBay 1/1, but real 1/1.

Whoever Lance Zawadzki is, I now have is printing plate from some 2010 Bowman product. I think this might be Bowman Draft. I don't even remember anymore! But it's a 1/1.

And while this is tough to figure out from the image on the front of the plate, this is from Topps Chrome, and features Francisco Liriano from the 206 Chrome insert set.

I've written about printing plates before, and it's amazing how little respect they get among collectors. All the cards linked at the top of this post and these two plates, combined, cost me only $20. A 1/1 Superfractor or Topps Platinum of any "common" player usually runs $20 or more, so plates are a pretty good deal.

Current time: 12:25am. Now to write one more post and go to bed!

A Simpler, Better Bowman

2011-12-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

Bowman confuses nearly everyone. Three issues carry the same design, under three different names, with three different sets of card numbers. Are cards from one issue part of another? Sometimes! But other times they aren't! Is one set a parallel of another? Sometimes! But other times it isn't! What do those letters on the back of the cards mean, exactly?

I'm not even going to try to explain the numbering system. It was changed a little this year to make things a bit easier, but not quite good enough. Instead, I'm going to offer up a solution for numbering. Platinum and Sterling are easy enough to distinguish from the regular releases, though I'm not sure Platinum is really necessary.

Now, the simple answer is to release three series, numbered 1-330, 331-660, and 661-990. (Why can't Topps just number "Update" as "Series 3"? I wonder if they could sell holiday complete sets of all 990 cards.) There is a problem though, as my understanding of the MLB agreement states that players can't be part of a base set until they're on the 40-man roster. This means Bowman either goes strictly minor league or they keep the prospect numbering separate.

Topps wants three releases of its flagship prospect line - Bowman, Bowman Chrome, and Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects. They can still release three series. Call the first release Bowman. Call the second release Bowman Futures, and keep the Draft Picks and Prospects name for the third release. That's fine. "Bowman Futures? What's that! Wow! It's not just Bowman in Chrome version!"

When Bowman hits the shelves in the spring, they keep most of it basically the same as it is now, with some minor differences. Cards 1-220 of "red" veteran players. Cards P1-P110 of "blue" prospects. Chrome cards 1-220 of the red veterans, and P1-P110 of blue prospects. As far as parallels go, Bowman gets gold and international, while Chrome gets the spectrum treatment (ROY G BIV). That way you can have a real, true rainbow! No regular refractors, no X-Fractors, no Atomic Refractors. That's too confusing. And if you want to have a little fun, set the numbering of the parallels to their wavelengths (only nerds would get that joke) or, 1/10/100/250/500/1000/not serial #ed.

Then, after the All-Star Game, here comes Bowman Futures. Cards #221-330 of red veterans (and rookies) and #P111-P330 of blue prospects. Again there are Chrome parallels, following the same numbering system as above. Why are we calling this Bowman Futures? It's a perfect place to put All-Star Futures Game relics and autographs - fresh from the event. It's really Bowman Series 2, but with a different name it might help it stand out.

When October rolls around, it's time for Draft Picks and Prospects. But are we going to restart the numbering, adding a bunch of Bs and Ps? Of course not! Cards #331-440 are the green rookies. Cards P331-440 are the new draft picks and prospects. Again, all the cards are paralleled in Chrome as mentioned above.

What would this mean? Set builders would only have two sets to collect for any particular version (veteran or prospect), and the sets would be complete at 440 cards, meaning they'll need to stick with the product through the year. Other collectors wouldn't really have any confusion as to which set their card comes from, because it would all be the same, and thus much easier to look up in a price guide or online to figure out the set, value, etc, or just find it for sale on eBay.

For type collectors (are there any others like me?!) and player collectors, it makes things fairly simple. Two "sets" each with 10 parallels (gold, international, Chrome, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) plus plates. I didn't mention inserts, but that doesn't mean they can't be in there. No more worries about whether cards from one release are part of another (Bowman Chrome prospects are included in Bowman and Bowman Chrome, but Bowman Chrome veterans are only found in Bowman Chrome?!). And I won't have to deal with 279 sets in what should be a much-more-simple series of releases. And no cards numbered BDPPP43.

I wouldn't hate Bowman if those three releases made sense. 2011's design looks nice. I wouldn't build a set of it, but I'd enjoy opening packs throughout the year if they all went together! Your thoughts?

Two cards. Twenty-one days. The countdown begins!

2011-12-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Monday. What does that mean? Nothing for most of us. Some will be working, some won't, for various reasons good and bad. This weekend means Christmas, and Christmas means family, and family means getting together, and getting together means... eating!

But back to this Monday thing. Monday is special to me, at least for now: in exactly three weeks, all my bags will be packed and I will be on my way to my new life in Japan! I can't believe it's only three weeks away! I've been busy in preparation - I sold my car, bought some yen and a whole bunch of other stuff, and I've been trying to get all the little affairs in order. I've been spending nearly every day the past two weeks involved in projects - scanning as many cards as possible, photographing/videoing my possessions (mainly for insurance purposes), etc. And I've been keeping up with blog reading and posting and eating as much can't-get-it-in-Japan food as possible. I think I've gone up a dress size. No, not really. I wouldn't know, other than my belt is still on the same notch.

But with three weeks to go, I'm thinking about what's going to happen with this blog. It won't go away, I can guarantee you that. I know I won't be able to write four blog posts a day (two here, one on the Zoo, and one on my Japan blog) while working full time and trying to explore Tokyo and the rest of the Land of the Rising Sun. We'll see how things work out once I get fully settled, but I know there will be a bit of a hiatus next month. Depending on what I accomplish in Georgia next week (yes, two weeks before moving to Japan, I'm spending five days in Georgia) I could be able to prepare some decent posts for the month. It's not like there are any new baseball card releases in January, right? (Oh, hello Panini!)

Meanwhile, thank you to all who have participated in my Blog Bat Around and those who plan to in the future. I know it's not the most exciting subject in the hobby, but I figure it is a good time to reflect on the year's cards.

So yes, I'm excited. Three weeks. Wow. If you asked me three years ago where I would be in 2012, I wouldn't have said Japan. I'm probably going to start writing blog posts in the next few days and point those of you interested in the "Japan experience" towards that blog. And until then, I have some cards to share!

I mentioned that last weekend's card show was pretty empty, but I had some success. These aren't the two best cards I grabbed (I guess those will come tomorrow), but if I see TriStar autographs I need for the type collection at a decent price, I won't leave them on the table.

This is the gold parallel from '08 TriStar Prospect Plus's Farm Hands autograph set, numbered to 25. Tyson is in the Oakland organization and had some major league experience the past couple years. The first batter he faced: Ken Griffey Jr, and he struck him out. Hopefully Ross will have a successful career!

This Cody Satterwhite autograph is the #/50 green parallel, and he played Rookie level ball this year after having rotator cuff issues in 2010 that left him out the entire season. If the issues are resolved, he could have a chance with the Tigers, but I have a feeling he's done.

Two more nice hits for the collection!

For those of you who lasted the entire post, here's one more video:

Videos like this are pure art. Pure. Art. Accept it!