Draft Folder Dump!

Just some random cards tonight, pick-ups from over the years that I've only recently scanned and added to my organized collection.  There's no real theme here other than these all being entered into my collection at around the same time.

Grabbed this '71 Topps out of a dollar box a long while back.  I'll pretty much grab any HOFer from this set in this shape for a buck or less.

Yup, that's an "I'll never need to upgrade" condition '71 in my book.

I grabbed this '72 Topps common for 99 cents from a seller who offered free combined shipping on additional auctions.  Picked it up largely because it's somewhat of a high number, and someday I may just be crazy enough to take a run at this set.

One of the more frustrating collecting quests in my time since returning to the hobby has been these yellow parallels from the 2009-10 Upper Deck Champ's hockey release.  There are just 100 in the set, but they're pretty damn rare with just a one-per-box insertion ratio.  Despite keeping my eye out for these on eBay, COMC, and in person over the years, there are still several cards from this parallel set that I've never even seen.  Not sure I'll ever be able to finish this based on scarcity alone, but I'm not waving the white flag just yet.

If memory serves this Will Clark came from a quarter box.  What can I say, I was a big Clark fan as a kid, and I enjoy the GQ "Framed" parallels.  I'd drop a quarter on this card any day of the week and twice on Sunday!

Up next here is a trio of '61 Topps cards that I paid just a dime a piece for.  Why so cheap, you may be wondering?  Well, that's a decent tear on the left border of that Gene Mauch above...

...and Winston Brown's card I'd say speaks for itself.

John Schaive is probably the best of the three condition-wise, but he's got some healthy creasing in the upper left too.  For a dime though I'm game for nearly any early '60s or older card that I don't already have, as a placeholder card if for no other reason.

Don't remember where this one came from, but I believe it's an image variation.  I know they're gimmicky, but I'm a sucker for these when I can find them cheap.

Always loved speedster Kenny Lofton, couldn't pass up his Donruss Rated Rookie for a mere quarter.

I don't think I need to explain why I picked this card up, do I?  1970 Topps at its finest.

Here's a random '52 Topps card, purchased just because it's in great condition and was only $6.  I'm under no delusion that I'll ever complete a '52 Topps set, but it's so iconic that I like to have a handful of examples in my baseball card collection at least...

Just two more cards here, a pair of autos, then I'm calling it a night.  I don't think this Nick Johnson autograph would excite many baseball card collectors, but it sure makes me smile.  This on-card autograph is now certainly one of the highlights of my small collection of Norwich Navigator baseball cards.  This was the AA franchise that played in a brand new ballpark about 20 minutes from my house growing up.  There aren't a ton of Navigators cards out there, and extremely few autographs.  Pumped about this pick-up!

The other autograph, not nearly as exciting.  Remember the failed experiment that was Allen Craig, Red Sox fans?  Over his first four seasons in Major League Baseball, with the Cardinals, Craig won a World Series, and was even selected as an All-Star.  The Cards then dealt him to Boston (along with Joe Kelly) midway through the 2014 season, and boy did he ever plummet.  In a season and a half in Boston, Allen batted .139 over close to 200 plate appearances.  His slugging percentage was below the Mendoza Line in his time with the Red Sox.  Unreal.

This on-card auto courtesy of Topps Five Star cost me just a couple of bucks, and it's kind of a fun reminder in my collection that although ownership has made a lot of great moves the past couple of decades, they certainly weren't all winners.

That's all for now, thanks for stopping by!