COMC (Clearing Out My Chest)

I just shipped myself the last few months worth of cards from my COMC inventory, so I need to make some room in my card chest before they arrive.  Towards that end, I pulled and scanned some individual cards this afternoon from the drawers holding COMC loot, until I ran out of both time and motivation.

My COMC purchases tend to be primarily split between baseball and hockey.  I'd say baseball has a slight numbers advantage, but you wouldn't know it from today's post as I drew baseball card after baseball card.  Not a bad thing, as with pitchers and catchers reporting this last week America's pastime is on everyone's mind.

In the lead-off spot we've got a great dugout shot courtesy of '54 Bowman.  I'm still amazed at how cheap these can sometimes be had for, with Bob Avila here setting me back an even dollar.  Online or in person, this is a solid "dollar box" pick-up any way you slice it.

Still plodding away at the Framed parallels from the inaugural Gypsy Queen set.  There are a hundred cards in the set and they're each available in Green Framed (un-numbered retail) and Paper Framed (#'d /999) versions.  Matt Cain represents my 41st Paper Framed card, nearing the halfway point after all these years...

I know this Leaf Memories buyback is basically proof that I'm a total sucker, but I couldn't resist a Red Sox card numbered to /20 for just $1.25.  Besides, '90 Leaf was a big deal when I was collecting as a kid the first time around so I've always had a soft spot for the set.  I wish I could say this was the only one of these Leaf Memories buybacks I've ever purchased, but that would be a lie.

I miss the Legends variations that Topps had in the flagship and Update sets for a few years there.  I check once in a while to see whether I can get any at a real bargain, and when a Red Sox version fits that bill it's an easy purchase.  A really interesting shot of Jimmie Foxx here that I don't recall seeing on many other, if any other, cards.

I think most baseball fans who were alive at the time recall that Jeff Bagwell was originally property of the Red Sox, but in case that was before your time or you never knew here's your proof.  A great early card of the slugger here, and for someone who grew up in the state of Connecticut it's even got some local ties.

At card #7 in the set, Al Pilarcik has already assumed his place on the very first page of my '59 Topps binder.  I haven't been making much progress on this set to be honest, but I couldn't leave this one behind on the site at 67 cents.

Like I said above, I'm a huge fan of the Legends variations.  If it's a Cognac parallel from the 2011 set, even better.  For a buck even this was maybe the most satisfying Hank Aaron purchase I've ever made, love it.

This Mike Napoli is the only "Black Static Refractor" I own.  These are numbered to just /35.  At less than $2 I was essentially powerless to resist.

I normally avoid football cards.  I enjoy the sport, but baseball and hockey keep me busy enough when it comes to collecting.  Once in a while though, if I'm really bored, I'll browse around for a cheap card or two.  This one serves as a nice reminder of New England's last Super Bowl championship since it's from 2014, and also features one of the most important members of that team.  Besides, I adore the baseball Bubbles Refractors so was excited to pick-up my first football one.  Numbered to /99, too!

42/100!

When presented with cheap acetate Tek cards, my willpower simply shrivels.  I love that Crime Dog is depicted in an ugly Devil Rays get-up on this one.

Anyone who attempted to collect the Goudey set that Upper Deck put out in 2007 knows what a pain the 88 short-print cards are to find at a reasonable price.  This was the set that got me back into collecting, and I'm still plugging away at them after all these years.  I have a dozen left now, and it would really feel satisfying if I could somehow put this set to bed in 2016.

Been a Nolan Ryan fan since I first got into cards in the late '80s/early '90s.  I also think Topps did a fantastic job with 2014 Finest, so this one just made sense.

Not exactly a spectacular looking card, but it plugged a hole in my '72 Topps team set for just a few dimes, and the condition is pretty good.

I don't consider myself a player collector these days, but there are certain guys I'll browse around for cheap cards of from time to time.  Bartolo Colon has become one of those guys in recent years, as he seems to defy age (and his physique) to find success on the mound year after year.  His cards don't really seem to demand much of a premium, either.  This Bowman Green parallel for example, numbered to /150, came my way when the seller accepted my offer of 60 cents.

I've been working on a 2013 Topps Chrome team set rainbow since the team won the World Series that year.  The Blue refractors are numbered to /199, and the 67 cents I paid for this one seemed more than fair.

After all that baseball, let's finish it off with the lone hockey card I pulled from the chest this afternoon...

That is one sweet Gretzky!  I'll spare you my ramblings on the Rink Collection parallels since you've heard them before if you read my blog.  Suffice it to say I'm very excited to add one of the bigger cards from the 1994-95 set to my collection.  An awesome shot of The Great One playing the puck as he floats through mid-air!

A pretty random assortment there, but it does a good job of illustrating why COMC is my single favorite site to purchase cards from online...