It's About Time!

One thing that seems to be on the verge of extinction is the hobby shop. It's a shame because to me one of the best parts about collecting was always taking a ride to the shop, picking up a few packs and making some small talk. I think big box stores and online auction sites/retail shopping will only result in fewer and fewer shops going forward. I hear people on many of the blogs I read lamenting the fact that there aren't any hobby shops within a reasonable driving distance of their house. Until recently, my scenario wasn't much different. When I first purchased my home there were 3 hobby shops within driving distance. The closest one burnt down in a fire. The next closest one has about an inch of dust over everything and it seems like inventory hasn't been updated or even looked at in years. The last is run by a somewhat grumpy guy who thinks all of his singles are worth "book" and overcharges for packs.

Over the weekend though I noticed a sign while driving around for a brand new hobby shop that just opened about 10 minutes from my house. I had some time to kill yesterday evening so I took a ride over to check it out. The place is small but so much better than my other options. The owner is a younger guy who collects himself and actually knows the difference between book value and market value. They have a good selection of modern packs, especially baseball and hockey which is perfect. They also have a lot of junk wax, which was thoroughly lacking at the other places nearby and is much appreciated. Best of all, they have dollar, quarter and 50% off monster boxes right in the front of the store. I was on a limited budget so I went right for the dollar box and picked out 13 singles. Here's what I got:

This 1976 Kellogg's Bill "The Spaceman" Lee was an easy decision. Even though he pitched before my time, he's a very interesting character. Besides, this is a nice edition to my Red Sox collection and I didn't have any 1970's Kellogg's cards before this purchase.

This was the only other Kellogg's card in the box, and it's from the 1977 series. Again, I didn't have any of these and Munson is one of the Yankees I despise least so I went for it. Truth be told, I probably would've grabbed these two Kellogg's cards regardless of who they were. The other 11 singles I got were all 1966 Topps:

I think I chose this one just because I like older cards depicting funky glasses.

Don Wert had some interesting background scenery, a very green lawn and some odd buildings.


Probably my least favorite. I don't know why I even chose this one. Maybe it was the All-Star Rookie cup...

If you notice, this picture is taken in the exact same location as the Wert card above...


This one was a little off center top to bottom, but come on, a 1966 Flood for a buck!

This one was also chosen primarily for background scenery.

As was this one. One of the best photos in the bunch.

I'm a big fan of the combo cards that were so prominent in 50's and 60's Topps sets. I can't tell for sure but it seems like the player photos might have been superimposed over the background. Finally, the prize of the day:

I can't believe it took me this long to add Mossi's legendary ears to my collection.

Not bad huh? These were in great shape too, not a crease or soft corner to be found, some with slight centering issues, others almost perfectly centered. I think I found my new hobby shop...

A Little Foreshadowing...

In my post on the 1994 Upper Deck All-Star set, I remarked that I recently started adding to my Will Clark player collection. It's been a while since I posted any though, so here are a couple I was able to scavenge from my childhood player binder:

1993 Topps Black Gold - #2 - The Black Gold set consisted of 44 cards in 1993. I'm pretty sure you could either pull them in a pack or mail away for them, although I could be wrong about that. Does anyone recall for sure whether you could mail away for them? Either way, I think they make for a pretty nice little insert set.

1995 Fleer Update Headliner - #6 - I am not 100% sure but I think I got this card in a trade with my buddy probably 15 years ago. I actually think these inserts look pretty decent. In fact, I think Fleer/Fleer Ultra had some of the best inserts of the early/mid-90's.

Red Sox Collection - 1982 Fleer

Recently I purchased a 1982 Fleer Red Sox team set. Why did I do this you may ask? Good question. I'm not sure what I was thinking other than I didn't have any of the Red Sox from this set and that the entire 28-card team set cost me 99 cents. That's really no excuse though, this set is pretty much terrible. Here are a few "choice" selections:

#292 - Dennis Eckersley - This is not Eckersley's finest period as a pitcher, as his best days as a starter were behind him but he had yet to revamp his career in the closer role...

#293 - Dwight Evans - Dwight appears to be polishing his knob here. Keep it clean kids.

#294 - Rich Gedman - Here's a good example of why this set sucks. The design is pretty much thoughtless, a simple team-colored border with player name, position and team listed inside. No logos, and the photography isn't much better than the design. Want another example? Look at this one...

#299 - Rick Miller - Seriously? Was Fleer even trying when they released these cards? I realize that this was 1982 but I think my dad has better quality little league pictures of me and my brother.

#303 - Chuck Rainey - This is one of the few photos I actually liked. There are some good "lurkers" in the photo, as GCRL would call them. Of particular interest is the man in the brown coat and hat over Rainey's left shoulder.

#304 - Jerry Remy - As much as I rag on '82 Fleer, I'm always happy to add a new Rem Dog card to the personal collection.

#305 - Jim Rice - There's a wall of ivy in the background, but I don't think that's Wrigley...

#308 - Dave Stapleton - I had to throw in one more sample of Fleer pretty much mailing it in.

#312 - Carl Yastrzemski - Probably the nicest card of the bunch. Besides being a Hall-of-Famer it appears to be an action shot from and actual MLB game. The photo is cropped pretty decently in relation to the border as well.

#633 - Carl Yastrzemski's 3,000th Game - Since the set is organized alphabetically by team, all the Red Sox base cards are contained between #287 and #312. This special tribute card commemorating Yaz's 3,000th game is thrown in late in the set. I actually like the photo on this one. This is back when you could actually get a ticket without paying an arm and a leg. What a concept!

#642 - Red Sox Reunion - Finally we have this Red Sox reunion card featuring Fred Lynn and Dewey Evans. I thought it was pretty cool of the seller to throw it in considering some may feel it's not technically a part of the Red Sox team set.

Well there you have it. I'll probably never buy any more '82 Fleer, but at least I got all the Red Sox out of the way on the cheap...

What I Bought Instead of Allen & Ginter - Post #2

Alright, time for the second installment of my alternatives to a 2010 Allen & Ginter hobby box...

Every so often for probably the last year or so, I've received an email from Sirius Sports Auctions. I have no idea how they got my contact info, I think I always assumed I purchased something on Ebay from them and generally ignored the messages. For some reason though, when I received an email letting me know that their June auction was open for bidding, I decided to register for an account and check it out. I found that the auction consisted mostly of graded vintage cards, which was fine with me. The auction process works a little differently than Ebay. They list a large lot of cards once a month, and all auctions end at the same time. When the auction process ends, there is a "15 minute rule" where only anyone who has bid on a card previously can continue to do so, which I thought was an interesting twist. Not only that, but each time a previous bidder rebid on any card in the entire auction, the end time for all cards in the auction was pushed out 15 minutes. So the auction is only truly over after nobody has rebid on a single card for a 15 minute time span. I kind of liked this setup, but since the original end time was 11 PM Eastern, I had to go to bed long before the auction ended. I decided to place a few low ball bids to see what would happen. I was definitely pleased with the results:

1967 Topps Darrell Brandon - $4

The auctions are done largely via consignment as far as I can tell, so it's kind of hit or miss if you're looking for a very particular item. If you are a bit more open-minded and flexible though, you can do alright it seems. I was pleased that the first auction I decided to check out happened to have a decent selection of 1967 Topps Red Sox graded PSA 7 (Near Mint). "Bucky" Brandon was never a spectacular player, and went just 5-11 for the Sox in 1967, but I'd like to build this team set and for $4 I was pretty satisfied. Besides, it's better than this card:

1967 Topps Garry Roggenburk - $4

This is by far the most boring of the cards I won in the auction. It's a prime example of the "hatless" cards from the 60's that I can't stand. I would prefer airbrushing in all honesty. Roggenburk was acquired from the Twins at the end of the '66 season, which explains the incorrect jersey and lack of a hat. In case this card wasn't boring enough, he didn't pitch a single inning in the majors in '67 either. Oh well, another card closer to the team set.

1967 Topps Joe Foy - $4

Noticing a pattern here? I've paid more than $4 for a pack of cards I don't even care much about, so I was amazed to keep winning these at that price. Foy had a slightly better career than the guys on the first two cards, but still lasted just 6 seasons in Major League Baseball. His numbers don't look that impressive, but you have to take the time period (where pitchers were absolutely dominating hitters) into consideration. He was the steady third baseman for the Red Sox in 1967, appearing in 130 games for the club.

1967 Topps George Thomas - $3

Thomas was basically a bench player for the Red Sox in 1967. He didn't exactly have a stellar year either, batting just .213 with 1 HR and 6 RBI in 89 at-bats. His best years off the bench would come in 1969 when he hit .353 with a .400 on base percentage, and 1970 when he hit .343 with a .420 on base percentage, both for the Red Sox. Now, my favorite two cards of the bunch:

1967 Topps George Scott - $4

In the 60's and 70's, most of the true rookie cards are multi-player cards, and generally the second year was when the player got their own card for the very first time. If they were good enough, the second year card would be adorned with the All-Star Rookie trophy. I always liked the second year cards with the rookie cup better than multi-player cards. As such, this George Scott was the '67 card I wanted to win the most. In 1967, his second season, Scott topped the .300 mark and added 19HR and 82 RBI to go with it. He went on to have a pretty successful career with the Red Sox and the Brewers. Not only that, but he's got some pretty classic cards out there.

1967 Topps Dave Ricketts - $6

The last of the '67's I won is the only non Red Sox player in the bunch. Once again, not a spectacular player here. Ricketts played in only 130 total games spread over 6 seasons. That doesn't make this card any less impressive though in my opinion. I love the old collared uniform combined with the glasses and the strange pose. I had to pay a bit more for this one since it's a rare high-numbered card. Even still, I was excited to add this to the collection for about the price of some modern day hobby packs.

Cost: $25
Running Total: $30

From the Drafts Folder - 2006-07 Parkhurst Willie O'Ree Auto

While I wait for a package or two to arrive in order to continue with my "What I Bought Instead of Allen & Ginter" posts, here's another would-be post that's been in a Draft state for months.

I set out a few months back to add a Willie O'Ree card to my collection. I've been much more selective about my purchases lately and am trying to spend less money while at the same time adding cards of key players that I feel every good collection should include. Willie O'Ree, as a Boston Bruin and more importantly as the player who broke the NHL color barrier, was an easy choice.

There aren't a ton of O'Ree cards out there, which is definitely a shame. I quickly settled on this 2006-07 Parkhurst auto. This set contains some of the best looking on-card hockey autos out there in my opinion, and O'Ree is no exception.

From the Draft Folder - 2008 Masterpieces Hobby Box

As I sit here on my couch with the windows open, listening to the sound of fireworks exploding, I figured it was as good a time as any to clean up some drafts that have been sitting for what feels like forever. Way back in the beginning of April, I bought a hobby box of 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces from Blowout Cards. I completed the 2007 Masterpieces set (I know, not much of a feat at a mere 90 cards) and had only a few scattered Red Sox from the '08 set. I'd debated about picking up a hobby box for a while, the price was only $31, and I wanted something to go with my Champs hockey box to qualify for free shipping anyway.

The box contains 12 packs, 6 cards per pack. I'm too lazy to look up what the odds for "hits" are, nor do I really care. I'm in it for the base set, which Upper Deck made harder to complete than the '07 version by adding 30 short prints (which fall every other pack in hobby). All in all, I pulled 56 of the 90 base cards, no duplicates. Here are 5 of my favorites:

#17 - Manny Ramirez - I don't particularly miss Manny, and the Sox are certainly on fire this season without him. I think I heard something the other day about him being out of the lineup in LA with hamstring issues. Sounds like nothing's changed. I do like how the blurred background on this card really brings Ramirez to the foreground for a 3-D type effect.

#19 - Ryne Sandberg - Nothing too flashy here, I just thought this was a great looking card.

#23 - Jim Thome - I actually chose Thome's card not because I like it, but because I think it's horribly done. Look at the bat in that painting?!?!?! I would've been ashamed to submit that for a high school art assignment, nevermind a licensed MLB trading card. Ugh.

#67 - Eric Chavez - Typically, I cringe whenever I pull an Eric Chavez card, which seems to be quite often given the very limited amount of wax I bust. In this case though, this may be my favorite painting/photo in the box. As usual, I prefer the horizontal cards in this set and this one is just very well done.

#83 - Ozzie Smith - Finally we have The Wizard. I think most collectors have those 5 to 10 guys who they don't actively collect, but whose cards they will always hang onto and accumulate when they come across them. Ozzie is definitely in my list of 10. Who's in yours?

In addition to the 56 base cards, I got my 6 short prints:

#116 - Albert Pujols - Meh. I know Albert is one of the best, if not the best player in baseball but it doesn't excite me when I pull one of his cards.

#106 - Don Mattingly - Getting a little better. Even though Mattingly is a Yankee, his cards were huge when I was a kid in the late 80's/early 90's so I never mind pulling one.

#98 - Johnny Bench - Johnny is sporting some big ol' sideburns on this one.

#114 - Willie Stargell - Those Pirate uniforms were hideous.

#97 - Carlton Fisk - My favorite of the 6 short prints. The only thing that would make this card better would be Fisk depicted on the Red Sox rather than the White Sox. I also received 4 of these Yankee Stadium Legacy cards:

I know I'm not alone in saying this, I can't stand these cards. The design is boring and every time I pull one I just think "that could've been another base card". OK, onto the framed parallels...

3 Black Border Parallels - Pretty much struck out here. Two Tigers and an Indian, all modern era guys and not very exciting paintings/photos either. Into the trade/giveaway box they go...

Robin Yount Red Border Parallel - At least this is a retired Hall-of-Famer, better than I did with my black border parallels. Not particularly fond of the card though, Robin looks zombie-like to me.

Dave Winfield Short Print Green Border Parallel (#'d/75) - Once again, not terribly impressed. Too bad, the framed parallel cards are one of the strong points for the Masterpieces set, but I really struck out with this box. Finally, the two "hits"...

Stroke of Genius Auto - Glen Perkins - I didn't look at an autograph checklist before buying the box since hits aren't why I purchase a product. That being said, I know I've seen a Clay Buchholz (I think it was on Saints of the Cheap Seats) Stroke of Genius, and I also saw a kid pull an Evan Longoria Stroke of Genius when I was in the hobby shop one day, so I figured maybe I'd get lucky and pull something decent. As you can see, that did not happen. I have no idea what's going on with this guy, but after posting an ERA of close to 6 in 18 appearances last year, he does not look like he's pitched in the Majors at all in 2010. I should've known.

Captured on Canvas Jersey - Cal Ripken Jr. - Probably the highlight of the box for me. Yes, I know this is just a cheesy jersey card that I could probably pick up on eBay for 99 cents. This is my first Ripken relic though, and as a kid it was impossible not to like Ripken as he progressed through the streak in the mid-90's, breaking Lou Gherig's record and bringing countless frustrated fans back to baseball after the strike. Besides, at least it's not Glen Perkins.

Well there you have it, a less than stellar hobby box of 2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces. This, like my last few hobby boxes before it, put such a sour taste in my mouth that I haven't purchased a single hobby box of anything since. Especially when I looked afterwards and realized I could've purchased the entire 120 card set, with all 30 short prints, for less than what I paid for this box. Pretty easy to see why I've been on a vintage kick lately huh?

What I Bought Instead of Allen & Ginter - Post #1

Over the last couple of months I toiled with the idea of buying a hobby box of 2010 Allen & Ginter. I like the cards and I love set building, but not when a $110 hobby box gets me nowhere near a complete set. I don't have the time or finances presently to collate it by hand, and it's just another prime example of why I'm burnt out on modern cards. Last year I took the approach of buying a complete set (with all SPs and a couple of complete insert sets as well) for less than the cost of a hobby box. This year I'm not even interested enough to do that. I'll still read the box break posts with interest, but it's just not for me. Instead, I decided to take the approach I used with last year's Topps Heritage set and use the money that would've gone to an Allen & Ginter hobby box on some cards I will appreciate much more in my collection. I will do a short series of posts on what I got instead as the goods arrive. Here's item number one:

2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites Auto - Jim Lonborg

A while back I remarked that I really enjoyed watching the 1967 episode of Baseball's Seasons on the MLB network, which in large part chronicled the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox team from that year. While I was inspired enough to pick up a '67 Yastrzemski the episode also made me realize that my collection was sadly bereft of a Jim Lonborg card. Lonborg was the man in '67, leading the AL in wins, games started and strikeouts, on his way to capturing the Cy Young award. He pitched an impressive one-hitter in game two of the World Series and captured another victory in game five. Here's the back of the card:

I really like almost everything about this card. It's great to add a certified Red Sox auto to my collection, and best of all the card borrows the '67 Topps design, paying homage to Lonborg's finest season. Not only that, but I won this for a mere $5, yet I have a feeling I'll be much more satisfied with it than any hit I would've pulled from A & G. My one complaint? Why did they have to put the hologram sticker right over the cartoon? Thanks Topps.

Cost: $5

Running Total: $5