Most Recent Million Card Giveaway Redemptions

If you like the Million Card Giveaway, you should hurry over to Walmart and buy a "Topps Value Box". The box includes one code, one refractor (Strasburg, Ruth or Ripken), one Allen & Ginter hobby pack and six 2010 Topps Series II packs for $14.99. It's a great bang for the buck and a easy way to pull a few codes (I got three total out of my box). Here's what I redeemed:

1972 Topps Milt Pappas: Hailing from the "pyschedelic tombstone" set, this Milt Pappas card has brought lots of trade requests my way since it was redeemed. Besides looking like my J.V. basketball coach, Pappas also won 209 career games and was selected to the All-Star game twice. Nice.

1980 Topps Jim Sundberg: Meh...

1964 Topps Bob Buhl: Someone offered me this card for a '72 in my portfolio and it wasn't a difficult proposition to say yes to. Bob Buhl won 166 career games with the Brewers, Cubs and Phillies while posting a 3.55 ERA.

1957 Topps Lee Walls: Bingo! I just redeemed this card today and it instantly became the oldest card I had received in the promotion. The '57 design isn't particularly riveting, but it is old, and that has to count for something. Walls played 10 seasons in the bigs, with a .262 average and one All-Star appearance. This is one I definitely will pay the shipping for.

My Brother Is a Great Artist: Exhibit A

I pulled some "You Sketch" cards from a couple of packs of Topps Series II and gave them to my much more talented brother to play around with. He sketched a Mantle and Strasburg which sold fairly well on eBay, and then he truly blew me away with this Edgar Martinez portait he painted with acrylics. Check it out!

A Few Million Card Giveaway Series II Cards

Topps Series II retail finally showed up in the Northwest--a nice reprieve from the Bowman binge I've been on recently. I grabbed three packs from Walmart and was lucky enough to pull two Million Card Giveaway Redemptions (in one pack strangely enough) and another card that I'll show later. I'm not patient enough for a run of old cards to show up so I redeemed them right away. Here's what I got:

2002 Topps Derek Bell: The one thing I remember about Derek Bell is that he was one funny looking dude. He did hit 134 career home runs, but that doesn't do much to distract from Bell's prize winning mustache or that honey dijon border. It's certainly up for trade--please take it.

1970 Topps George Mitterwald: That's more like it! Minnesota's original Joe Mauer is featured on a 1970 Topps card, my first from the iconic (?) set. Mitterwald was a defensive specialist who led the National League in caught stealing percentage at 50% in 1975. This card is probably headed over to Play at the Plate when I finally send away for it (some time I promise).

Thoughts: I can't complain about receiving two redemption cards in one pack, especially when one leads to a vintage card. I'm sure these won't be the last cards I redeem, especially with the chance at a Strasburg short print rookie. Stay tuned for more!

Bo Knows the Million Card Giveaway

Well I got a little impatient with a Million Card Giveaway redemption that I had been saving for a while and typed in the code to reveal this card today:

1988 Topps Bo Jackson

Well, at least it's someone I've heard of, and it definitely looks worthy of grading. Look at that centering!

In other news I purchased a new computer to replace the one that died. Unfortunately it didn't have the same photo editing program so I will have to adjust to that before I get any trade posts up. Thanks for your patience.

It's a Birthday Miracle!!

So I found myself at Target on my birthday with some cash burning a hole in my pocket and grabbed a blaster of Topps Platinum and two packs of 2010 Topps. What was I supposed to do, buy underwear? I had already received some terrific birthday presents (tickets to the Mariners home opener! The Natural Collector's Edition Box Set! An authentic mid-90's Ken Griffey Jr. jersey!) so I wasn't expecting anything out the packs, but I was pleasantly surprised (to say the least). Here's the loot:

Rick Ankiel Peak Performers Jersey: Score! I never, ever pull anything out of the base set of Topps (though that's not why I buy it) and on this day I pulled a jersey card of one of my favorite players.

2009 Topps Platinum Percy Harvin RC Auto Patch #248/300: Seriously, if you like football cards at all and love pulling great hits out of blasters, do yourself a favor and grab some Topps Platinum. This beautiful card features a 3-color patch and nearly illegible auto of one of football's top rookies. I'm holding onto this one for a while.

So there you have it, some great cards on a great birthday. Coming up soon: two more box breaks. Stay tuned!

My Topps Million Card Giveaway Cards (Part Deux)

I couldn't believe how hooked I was on the Million Card Giveaway after redeeming just a few codes. Perhaps if I had the same luck as Night Owl I might have just given up, but the few vintage cards I revealed left me wanting more. I've grabbed 12 packs of Topps over the past two days and I was fortunate enough to pull 5 redemption cards (really beating the odds). Here's the latest cards in the order they were redeemed:

1988 Topps Andy Allanson: The first true junk wax card I've got.

2009 Topps Matt Harrison: Is a year-old card better than junk wax?

1995 Topps Barry Larkin 'Star Power' Subset: At least Larkin was a star, but I guess you already knew that from this card.

1971 Topps World Series Champs #323: That's more like it! A sweet black bordered card celebrating the Orioles World Series victory in 1970. Very nice!

1972 Topps Cleo James: Another psychedelic tombstone!

!sppoT erom yub tsum, sppoT erom yub tsum, sppoT erom yub tsum, sppoT erom yub tsum, sppoT erom yub tsum!

My Topps Million Card Giveaway Cards

I have a feeling that the blogosphere will be running rampant with these posts today, but I don't mind being trendy every now and then, so here's a look at the cards I got with my five redemptions. It started off well enough but quickly went downhill and into the junk wax era (at least I didn't get any 1987's). I was happy to get a couple of "vintage" cards and the time spent waiting for the card to be revealed was quite exciting (yeah, you got me hooked Topps). Here's hoping someone I know lands a big one like the 1961 Mickey Mantle; can't wait to see what everyone else got!

1965 Topps Roy McMillan: I don't own many vintage cards so I was excited to pick this one up.

1985 Topps Jerry Reuss: I stole your card and then I stole the picture from your blog! Sorry Night Owl, I'll send you some Dodgers soon to make up for this egregious offense.

1972 Topps Luis Alvarado: Psychedelic tombstones!!

1993 Topps Jeff Tabaka: I feel like his last name is how I would say "tobacco" if I were an Atlanta Braves fan.

1995 Topps Jeff Branson: Back-to-back Jeffs is rarely a good thing.

This might have been on of the most fun things I've done in a long time. I was skeptical about Topps' endeavor, but it sure looks like a success after day one. There have been some great vintage cards showing up, as well as a few surprise autographs. I gotta get more Topps!!!

The 2010 Topps Card Giveaway Winner Is.....

Field of Cards!

I'm not smart enough to show a screen grab, but I assigned everyone who left a comment a number and then had random.org choose one (presumably at random). Field of Cards was assigned the number five and the fates decried that the number five should be chosen. Rod, tell him what he's won!

"Well Bud. Gary is going to be walking away with a stack of 2010 Topps Base cards, an assortment of inserts and a random relic/autograph of his favorite player, team or Angel Berroa!"

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest and congratulations once again to Gary from Field of Cards. Make sure to check out his blog for a great assortment of box breaks and baseball card talk.

Catching My White Whale (And a Contest!)

Alright, that title is extremely misleading. I didn't pull a one-of-one from Topps Triple Threads (nor will I ever purchase the product) or complete any other collecting goals worthy of being compared to Ahab's tireless pursuit of Moby Dick (not to be confused with the venereal disease). However, I did pull my first 2010 Topps Gold Bordered card, a feat that had eluded me for far too long. So it wasn't exactly a white whale, more like a white fish--maybe a cod or tilapia? Something that's good with ketchup.

The gold parallels in this year's Topps fell 1 in every 14 packs--the most difficult rate I can ever remember for the gold parallels. After 10 regular retail packs and one rak-pak, I still had not tracked down an elusive gold card, and the frustration mounted with each passing day. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and I couldn't stand the sight of another bland white-bordered card. I don't know whether it was stupidity or hubris that caused me to continue to buy Topps, but I knew I couldn't stop until I landed my prize.

Finally, after weeks of a tortured existence, the baseball card gods freed me of my overwhelming burden. Before work on Monday I had enough time to stop by Shopko and grab a few packs. The first pack yielded nothing and I began to feel myself turning from mild-mannered Bud Bareither into the green ball of rage known as the Hulk. I opened the second pack in a frenzy, ready to rip a phonebook in half if I didn't strike gold, but just like an old prospector heading out North I found my fortune--a gold bordered parallel of Luke Scott #422/2010 (the number 422 is of course significant to Scott because it is equal to his slugging percentage in 2009 minus his HR's + 2B's in 2009 minus his total hits for the Astros in 2005). I let out a long overdue sigh of relief, knowing that I would never again be haunted by gold parallels...at least until 2011.

Now, if you've managed to read through my boring account of pulling an absolutely worthless card, you're probably hoping the contest will make it worth your while. Well, it might. Since I really only continued buying packs of Topps in the hopes of pulling a gold card and I don't collect the base set, there are plenty of cards I don't need. So, everyone who comments on this post will be entered into a contest to win the 100+ base cards I pulled plus a random relic to sweeten the deal. The contest will run through Friday, 10 PM Pacific. Good luck and I pray that none of you ever suffer through what I have with 2010 Topps...I may never fully recover.

PS: Thanks for mailing it in on the serial numbers Topps.

2010 Topps Tells It Like It Is: Daniel Murphy

You really want to know how bad the 2009 season was for the New York Mets? Just take a look at the back of Daniel Murphy's card from the latest Topps release:

"The Mets couldn't keep many players healthy in 2009 (Beltran, Reyes, Wright, etc), but Daniel was a constant, playing in more games than any other. He also paced the team in home runs (with a whopping 12), and was second in RBI (just 63) and doubles."

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...................................

Pack Attack: 2010 Topps Retail (x3)

Well, I had hoped to break the initial Topps 2010 cards to the blogosphere, but living on the West Coast and working until 10 PM made that a wee bit difficult. I still grabbed a few packs at Target on my way home. Here's what I got:

Pack 1: Max Scherzer, Kevin Youkilis, Anthony Swarzak, Josh Butler RC, Andrew Bailey ROY, Brewers Franchise History, Rickey Henderson (The Cards Your Mom Threw Out), Bill Mazeroski (Tales of the Game), Tim Lincecum TT, Yunel Escobar, Mat Gamel, Magglio Ordonez

Pack 2: Jonathan Papelbon, Neftali Feliz, Adam LaRoche, Nate Schierholtz, Daniel Hudson RC, Ernie Banks (TCYMTO), Vladimir Guerrero TT, Edwin Encarnacion, Jayson Nix, John Lannan, Diamondbacks Franchise History

Pack 3: Adrian Beltre, Jon Niese, Bobby Jenks, Tommy Manzella RC, Michael Dunn RC, Justin Upton, Vladimir Guerrero (Peak Performers), David Wright (Red Back Insert), Joe Mauer TT, Andrew Bailey, Andruw Jones, Zach Duke

Adrian Beltre Base Card

Joe Mauer Topps Town

David Wright Target Exclusive Red Back

Bill Mazeroski Tales of the Game

Intial Thoughts: The design looks better than I initially thought it would, but it is no match for last year's brilliant base set. The inserts, though easily obtainable, are boring and really bland (besides the David Wright). I realize that everyone doesn't like shine, but these cards are just retreads of ideas that have been done a million times and don't really stand out. The ToppsTown are still an inconvenience but they are improved over 2009. I might not be the best judge of this set because I usually don't collect the flagship releases of companies. Perhaps it's because where I live is landlocked and I would have no use for a flagship. Don't think I will be buying too many more packs, though I would happily take Mariners from the set.

What are your initial reactions to 2010 Topps?