COMC Blaster - First of the Decade

I've been doing these "COMC Blaster" posts for years now; the basic idea is that I take the $20 I would have spent on a retail blaster at Target and see how far I can stretch it on COMC instead.  Let's get right to the first COMC Blaster of the decade here...

1966 Topps Batman Black Bat The Joker in Jail - $1.25

Going random right out of the gate.  Like many collectors, I enjoy the affordable Batman cards that Topps produced in the 1960s.  I wouldn't say I'm pursuing any set fervently, but I occasionally search for them and grab any cheap examples that I still need, like this one.

1959 Topps Carl Furillo - $1.47

Made some progress on  my slow 1959 Topps set build with a pair of new cards here.  Carl Furillo forced me to break my rule of typically sticking to $1 or less for non-HOF players, but Carl was no slouch as a player and there are a ton of Dodgers collectors out there as well.

1959 Topps Tom Brewer - $.63

The other '59 Topps card in today's post was long overdue to enter my collection, as it serves as a new Red Sox card as well.  I did a much better job in 2019 of targeting vintage team needs like this one, and plan to continue that trend in the coming year.  I'm at 342 cards and counting now as far as this set goes; with a little luck and some focus maybe, just maybe, I can hit 400 before 2021.

2011 Topps Chrome Atomic Refractor (#'d /225) Cameron Maybin - $1.15

I knew pursuing a 2011 Topps Chrome set in Atomic Refractor format would be a challenge, but I never realized just how big a challenge.  I'm much too far along to give up now (this Maybin puts me at 198 of the 220 cards), but these last couple dozen are proving to be brutal.  If anyone can find me an Andrew McCutchen, Joey Votto, or Freddie Freeman I will pay handsomely!

2011 Topps Cognac Diamond Anniversary Manny Ramirez - $.53

On the "much less focused" end of the spectrum, here's one I picked up simply because it was shiny, cheap, and a player I somewhat enjoy collecting.  That's really all I can say about this card.

2019 Topps Chrome Pink Refractor Mookie Betts - $.58

I love a good Topps Chrome colored refractor, and the pink ones in particular have always appealed to me.  I was surprised and delighted to stumble across a pocket of these that was on sale for cheap coin.  Scooped up Mookie Betts immediately at 58 cents...

2019 Topps Chrome Pink Refractor Xander Bogaerts - $.89

...and then went back for Xander Bogaerts for a bit more than that, but still less than a buck.  These are really fun parallels for folks who enjoy shiny cards.  Looks like there are only five Red Sox in the 2019 Topps Chrome base set too, so I may have to search out the other three of them to form a Pink Refractor team set.

2014 Topps Finest X-Fractor Troy Tulowitzki - $.69

One of my more realistic shiny card projects that I could theoretically finish in 2020 is the 2014 Topps Finest set, in X-Fractor format.  These aren't serial-numbered, and don't carry the premium that the 2011 Topps Chrome Atomic Refractors seem to.  Tulo here puts me at 48 cards down out of the 100-card release.  As I near the halfway point there are plenty of others that I still need available for $1 or less.  Would be amazing if I could stay focused and put this one to bed in 2020.

1964 Topps Ted Abernathy - $.52

For this next pair, I just searched for 1964 Topps cards that were available cheaply, and chose two where I enjoyed the photograph.  That strategy netted me Indians pitcher Ted Abernathy...

1964 Topps Dave Nicholson - $.52

...and ChiSox outfielder Dave Nicholson, each for the paltry sum of 52 cents.  Yes, I'm sure I could eventually have found this pair somewhere for less money, especially as part of a lot, but these two are in "I'll never need to be upgraded" condition, so I'm more than satisfied.  Besides, I spend more than $1.04 on a coffee and don't bat an eye.

2018 Panini Diamond Kings Red Framed Dom DiMaggio - $.45

Don't think I need to explain this one much.  I received the base version of this great Dom DiMaggio card in trade recently from Joe Shlabotnik, and now I've got this awesome red framed companion for it.  For just 45 cents?  Yes, please!

2013-14 Select Fire on Ice Stars Blue John Tavares - $.55

I picked this John Tavares card up way back in 2016, though I only just plucked it from my COMC "to be posted" stash now after all these years.  Honestly, it's a card I wouldn't really purchase these days, as I just have a much narrower scope of what I want to bring into the house and hang onto.  I'll probably offload this one in trade someday as I continue to thin things out around here.

1979 TCMA Richmond Braves Seymour Baseball & Chief Powa-Hitta - $1.25

Yikes!  I became aware of this incredibly insensitive card on another blog, I think it was Sportscards from the Dollar Store if I recall correctly.  Anyway, for a little over a dollar I felt compelled to add one to the completely random portion of my baseball collection.

2014 Topps Finest X-Fractor Derek Jeter - $3.25

Alright, here's a relatively big gun for my 2014 Finest X-Fractor quest.  It'll certainly end up being in the top 10 as far as most costly cards to complete the project, as there are just a ton of Jeter and Yankees collectors out there.  $3.25 seemed fair enough, and I'm right on the precipice of the halfway point now with 49/100 cards!

2016 Panini Diamond Kings Miller Huggins Artist's Proof (#'d /99) - $.93

While we're on the Yankees, here's another.  I really enjoy the retired stars in the Panini Diamond Kings releases, since the lack of licensing/logos doesn't really detract from the look as much as it does with modern players.  It's not every day that I get an opportunity to add a Miller Huggins card to my collection, either.  In fact, this would be my one and only card of the man who won three World Series at the helm of the Yankees in the 1920s.

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces Black Framed Nolan Ryan - $3.25

I thought this beautiful parallel from Upper Deck Masterpieces (RIP!) was a cool and significant less-than-$5 addition to my modest Nolan Ryan collection.  The base version is one of my favorite modern Ryan cards, and these framed parallels were some of the best parallels of the 2000s in my opinion.  Tied for the X-Fractor Jeter as the most expensive card in today's post, but worth every penny to me.

1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Ron Low - $.74

Completing the 1979-80 Topps hockey set, including the Gretzky rookie, is easily one of the most satisfying accomplishments I've had since I returned to collecting as an adult.  Since then, I've been passively picking up O-Pee-Chee high-number cards from the same year that weren't part of the Topps set.  This one is just absolutely fantastic, maybe my single favorite card in today's entire post.  That Sher-Wood stick brings back the memories!

2013 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Top Prospects Blue Wave Refractor Xander Bogaerts - $2.65

Man, just pronouncing the name of that card is tiring.  In typical Bowman fashion, there are quite a few versions of this card.  In my own collection alone now I've got the base version, Silver Ice, Red Ice (#'d /25), a Black Wave Refractor, this Blue Wave Refractor, and even a Silver Wave Refractor (also #'d /25).  Believe it or not, you can still find this Blue Wave for under $5 presently, which is a steal if you ask me.

Well, this Bogaerts pre-rookie brings our running total for today to $20.05.  We had a handful of relatively expensive ($2.50+) cards in this blaster, but some cheap ones rounded things out nicely and in the end there were still 18 cards featured in total.  Not too shabby!

Thanks for stopping by, and if you like autographed cards come back around tomorrow for the first Signature Sundays post of the new year!