First Day Issue's eBay Adventures & Exploits: #1

I won everything in this lot for $11 DLVD (the auction was merely titled 6 game-used baseball jerseys) which is a steal considering that it contains two PC players (Ichiro and J.J.) plus a Ginter auto (which always look great) and an SP two-colored relic of Serena Williams. The Damon bat and Clemens/Hughes jerseys are just icing on-top of a filling, but affordable, eBay cake. Stay tuned for more of First Day Issue's eBay Adventures and Exploits (not all of which work out in my favor) in the coming weeks and months. Thanks for looking!

A Playoff Swap with the Pride of Texas (PATP)

Since joining the blogosphere I've completed more trades with Brian from Play at the Plate than anyone else. We cheer for division rivals (Seattle and Texas) so swapping cards is cinch. Here's the lastest batch he sent my way:

2002 Pacific Joey Harrington RC: I'm not sure whether Brian sent this as a joke or not but I was always a fan of Joey Harrington during his college days at Oregon. Harrington was considered a bust by most, but given his surroundings (the Detroit Lions) he performed admirably. According to Wikipedia is a now a commentator for Oregon Ducks football games but is open to a return to the NFL. I'm not holding my breath.

2002 Topps Reserve Ken Griffey Jr: I never bought more than a few packs of Topps Reserve so I still needed this card to add to the Griffey collection. I'm not sure of the exact number of cards but I think it's nearing 600. Thousand.

2001 Upper Deck Ichiro RC: I don't know if Brian intended to send me an Ichiro rookie because it was in the middle of a bunch of other 2001 UD Mariners, but I certainly won't complain. I admire Ichiro more every season--a beautiful flower in a crappy pot.

2010 Topps Cliff Lee Orange Refractor: Brian was kind enough to throw in a card of the player who might help his team win the World Series. Cliff Lee is so, he doesn't even seem real. The orange refractors look great and were a nice addition to retail.

Thanks Brian! Go Rangers!

My Brother Is a Great Artist: Exhibit B

An Ichiro Mini Masterpiece

A Wicked Sweet Trade Package

I can be so clever sometimes....

Just the other day I received a package in the mail from one of the most generous people in the blogosphere, Wicked Ortega. It was filled with Mariners, Griffeys and a hand-signed auto. Here's a look at what the man from Florida sent my way:

2008 UD Ballpark Collection Ichiro: This is actually a very nice looking card from a much maligned set. Then again, people weren't exactly looking to buy Ballpark in hopes of putting the base set together. I think this card might have pushed me over 100 total Ichiros--awesome.

1993 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Hologram: I'm glad the hologram showed up in the scan because it's a really cool early Griffey card. He already showed up at Spring Training down in Arizona and I think he wants to go out on a good note in 2010. By the way, I have no idea what this card actually is...any help?

2007 Topps Heritage Josh Johnson Hand-Signed Auto: This is only the second non-certified autograph in my collection (there's quite a story behind the other) and it's a real peach. Josh Johnson is my favorite young pitcher not named Felix Hernandez and Wicked was kind enough to get this card signed at me at a local Fanfest. I'm expecting huge things out of JJ this season (3rd in Cy Young voting) and I am glad that he's staying in Florida.

Thanks for the cards Wicked! They are truly appreciated.

A Bountiful Trade with Field of Cards

I've seen Gary from Field of Cards fame open a number of boxes on his blog and reasoned, ipso facto, that he must have a bunch of sweet cards of my favorites players and the Mariners. Sure enough, he sent me some great M's and Griffeys in return for some Orioles. I was really overwhelmed by wait he sent my way and felt bad I didn't have more cards to trade him, but as karma would have it Gary just won the 2010 Topps Givewaway Contest, so his generosity was rewarded. Here are my favorites from the swap:

2004 Donruss Elite Ichiro Career Best #373/1000: A great looking card of the masterful Ichiro, the serial number for this card is only one off from his .372 average in 2004, making this a true eBay one of two (alongside 374).

2003 Donruss Diamond Kings Ken Griffey Jr: Not all painted cards of Griffey have turned out great but this one certainly captures the essence of Junior. If National Chicle looked a little more like this there might not be such an uproar over the set.

2001 SP Game-Used Bat Edgar Martinez Bound for the Hall: Hopefully this card didn't jinx Edgar as he only received about half of the votes necessary for induction in his first try on the HOF ballot. First Edgar bat card though, so it's more than welcome.

2006 UD Future Stars Josh Johnson RC Auto: A cool looking rookie autograph of one of my favorite players, Josh Johnson was the stud of my fantasy teams staff last season. I was hoping he might wind up with the Mariners, but I was happy he re-signed with the Marlins instead of heading to the Yankees or Sox (for now at least). The portait of Johnson on this card is see-through, using what leading baseball card scientists call "acetate technology".

Thanks for the great cards Gary! I will get your contest winnings in the mail soon.

Box Break: 2002 Topps Gallery (Hobby)

Instead of waiting for the increasingly hideous looking National Chicle Baseball to be released, I thought I would get a box of cards from when men were men and more importantly, when Babe Ruth was not wearing a Braves uniform. 2002 Topps Gallery (6 cards per pack, 24 packs per box) was advertised as the "Museum Edition" and indeed the cards are quite worthy of their own little frames. The box was only $30 with shipping on eBay (there are still some available if anyone likes what they see in this break) and while I didn't pull any "hits" (they fall one in every other box--and by that I mean every other box that I don't buy--ba da chi!) I still enjoyed the box. Here's what was inside:

Base Set Completion: 129 of 200 (64.5%)

Duplicates: 8 (Eight dupes in one box is disappointing, especially since two packs only contained five cards instead of the advertised six, but it is Topps after all.)

Rookie/Young Stars Subset (1 per pack): 18 (This set is utterly devoid of rookies other than Joe Mauer. I did not pull a Joe Mauer. The "rookie cards" feature a red streak across the name whereas the young stars look just like the regular base cards.)

Retired Star Subset: 6 (There are just 10 retired stars in the set, numbered 191-200, I pulled Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Kirby Puckett, George Brett, Ryne Sandberg and Nolan Ryan).

Veteran Variations (1:24 packs): 1 (Derek Jeter Solid Blue--can't complain about this one, most valuable card in the set.)

Topps Gallery Heritage (1:12 packs): 3 (Mark McGwire 1985, Alex Rodriguez 1998 and Tsuyoshi Shinjo 2001--a painting of a year old card of Shinjo? It's a good thing I beat the odds and pulled an extra one of these.)

Overall Impressions: I always liked Topps Gallery but before this box had only opened a few packs here and there. The base cards are phenomenal except for a small number where the painting doesn't resemble the player at all and the Topps Gallery Heritage cards look great. Personally I would have enjoyed it more if there had been another insert set but from a base set collecting standpoint I guess it's good there wasn't. I'm not sure whether I will collect the entire base set because the rookie crop is so weak (the second best rookie besides Mauer is Kaz Ishii) so maybe I will just go after the 150 veterans and 10 retired players in the set. If someone else is trying to build this set I would be happy to help, or if someone else buys a box I would be interested in trading for your base cards. The inserts are all up for trade. Thanks for looking!

Pack Attack: 2009 Topps National Chicle Football

I stopped by Target after work in hopes that I might find a blaster or a few packs of 2010 Upper Deck. Alas, it seems these things take a while to make their way to Central Washington and there was no UD in sight. Well obviously I couldn't leave empty handed (I had to spend money!) so I grabbed a 2010 Topps Rak-Pak (pulled a Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro and Josh Johnson--quite happy with that pack) and a single pack of 2009 Topps National Chicle Football from a fresh box. The preview images from the baseball set had caused quite a stir and I wondered if the football set would be met with the same response. Well, here's what I got (not including a Mahamed Massaquoi mini rookie and a Caroline Mikkelson "Era Icons"):

Adrian Peterson base card

Tom Brady base card

Amelia Earhart Era Icons Relics: What! Well, not having any idea what was in this set, I was quite shocked to pull a card of the first lady of flight, especially one embedded with a 1935 stamp. Era Icons relics fall 1 in 177 packs and, oddly enough, packs with those relics are only supposed to contain one card (this one certainly had a few more than that). I don't think I will buy any more packs of this set but I'm certainly happy with the one I got; this card has been selling for around $30 on eBay (new Griffeys ahoy!)

Old School Breaks Group Break Bounty

I was lucky enough to participate in Old School Breaks' most recent group break that included eight hobby boxes from 2001-2004. For a very reasonable price I was able to nab all the Mariners and Reds from the boxes (in hopes of Griffeys of course) and came away with a great haul. The whole experience was quite fun as I felt like a kid on Christmas eve waiting for each box to be busted. Thanks for putting the break together John, I know it took a ton of work. Here's a gander at some of my favorite cards from the break:

2004 Donruss Studio Ichiro: I've always liked Studio and this is one of my favorite sets of the brand. The Seattle skyline looks great behind the skilled batsman simply known as "Ichiro".

2003 Studio Stars Ken Griffey Jr: Though it's difficult to tell from the scan this Griffey card is shaped like a driver's licence with the rounded corners. I'm planning on using this as my ID from now on; it should get me some great tables at restaurants--no more waiting with the common folk.

2002 Fleer Showcase Ichiro Avant Card: This might just be the coolest Ichiro card I've seen in a long time. Avant Cards were inserted one in 12 packs and feature a painting-like texture not unlike what would be seen a few years later in Playoff Portraits. A very nice addition to my ever growing Ichiro collection.

2002 Topps Gold Label Ken Griffey Jr: Topps Gold Label was one of those sets that I never opened much of, yet always enjoy when I get in a group break or a trade. The shine looks much better in person and I really like the photo of Junior they chose.

2003 Donruss Elite Randy Johnson Throwback Threads Game-Used Hat #72/250: This card alone made the break worthwhile for me. There have been very few hat cards produced and this particular one happens to feature one of my favorite Mariners. Best of all, the back of the card features the actual hat from which the swatches were taken, why don't card companies do that any more? I'm excited that Seattle is having the Big Unit throw out the first pitch in 2010, hopefully they can talk him out of retirement.

Thanks again for a fun group break John! Let me know if/when you're planning on having another and let me know what team/players you collect so I can send you a proper thank you.

Trades From Around the Blogosphere

There's nothing better than coming back from a long weekend and finding a bevy of baseball card packages waiting for you. Here's a couple of trades I recently completed.

First up is a card from the Benevolent Beardy of Beardy's Baseball Blog. We worked out a deal a while ago and this card was the one that really made it for me--a 2009 Topps t206 Ichiro Old Mill Framed Relic. I now own three different Ichiro framed relics and each features a different colored swatch of Mariners uniform (white, blue, grey). Thanks for the great card Beardy!

Next up are some Ken Griffey Jr's (I realize that grammatically there should not be an apostrophe there but it looks funny without one so deal with it English majors) that I received from On-Card Autos. He put out a call for team collectors to send him Cubs in return for cards of their favorite team/players. I got some good Mariners from him, but of course my favorite cards were the Griffeys:

2007 UD Elements Ken Griffey Jr: This is the first card I've ever received from Elements and it looks pretty good in person. The background reminds me a bit of the old Black Diamond sets.

1990 Donruss 'Leaf' Ken Griffey Jr. MVP: I've always said that Griffey looks great in green and this card really bears that out. Sometimes modern cards don't seem so bad after all.

1998 Topps Chrome Ken Griffey Jr: A great early set of Topps Chrome is complimented nicely by Griffey's award winning swing. Can't top shiny Juniors--just can't.

Thanks for the trades! I will never tire of receiving Ken Griffey Jr cards in the mail.

Pack Attack: 2008 Topps Chrome Retail (x22)

I stopped by the baseball card alcove in Shopko the other day and was greeted with a very friendly sight---a box full of half-price 2008 Topps Chrome! Being a sucker for anything shiny I grabbed all 22 packs and raced home top bust 'em open. While I didn't pull anything major like an autograph, I was very happy with my results overall, especially since there was a total of 33 inserts in the 22 packs. Here's what I got:

Notable Base Cards: Ichiro and Evan Longoria RC

Base Refractors (7): Matt Holliday, Aramis Ramirez, Bobby Crosby, Torii Hunter, Brian Bannister, Troy Glaus and Cole Hamels

Base X-Fractors (6): Fausto Carmona, Dice-K, Dustin Pedroia, Matt Kemp, Jo-Jo Reyes and Denard Span RC

Blue Refractors (5): Ryan Theriot RC, Clete Thomas RC, Hunter Pence, Hanley Ramirez and Eugenio Velez RC

Copper Refractors (3): Livan Hernandez #160/599, Joe Blanton #525/599 and Justin Verlander #599/599!!

Trading Card History Inserts (7): Jake Peavy '53 Topps, Alfonso Soriano '58 Hires Root Beer, Justin Upton '62 Topps, Hanley Ramirez '16 M101-4, Brandon Webb '27 W575-2, Troy Tulowitzki '52 Bowman and Ichiro Japanese Baseball Card

Mickey Mantle HR History (1): Homerun #480

Topps All-Rookie Team Insert (1): Manny Ramirez

Topps Heritage Chrome (2): Joey Votto RC #1415/1959 and Tadahito Iguchi #504/1959

Topps Heritage Chrome Refractor (1): Jason Bay #340/559

My favorites from the break have to be the Ichiro and Justin Verlander Copper Refractor #599/599. I was happy to pull an Evan Longoria RC even if it was just the base version. A bit surprised by the Topps Heritage Chrome cards but they were listed on the back of the pack so they must have been some sloppy seconds from Topps. Let me know if you wanted anything listed and we can work out a deal. Thanks for stopping by!

Play at the Plate's One Trade to Rule Them All

Recently I had the privilege of opening the greatest trade package in the history of First Day Issue. Brian, from the outstanding Play at the Plate, send me an amazing collection of cards in return for a couple of Rangers and catchers that I sent to Texas. I am constantly amazed by the generosity of everyone in the blogosphere and this trade really went above and beyond the call of duty. Here's a smattering of my favorite cards from Brian:

2000 Skybox Metal Ken Griffey Jr. Hit Machines: It doesn't get any better than a Griffey that's shiny and diecut. I am nearing 400 unique Juniors on my Zistle page, but there are plenty of missing ones that I still need to upload. Why did diecuts disappear, I loved these!

2001 Topps Ichiro Suzuki RC: Ichiro! This is only the second Ichiro rookie in my collection (the other is the Fleer Fanfest card) and a most welcome addition. I like the design of 2001 Topps, simple yet elegant with plenty of room for the photos.

2000 UD Century Legends Eddie George Parallel #97/100: Despite the fact that I have never been within a 1,000 miles of the state of Tennessee I am a loyal Titans fan for reasons I can't explain. Brian was kind enough to send some my way, including this sweet diecut of workhorse Eddie George, who announcers liked to call "a throwback".

1999 Donruss Steve McNair X-Ponential Power #194/2500: If you thought the last diecut was cool take a look at this! A sweet card of one of my favorite players of all-time, this insert reminds me of a beautiful and delicate dragonfly wing. It's incredibly thin and made out of some sort of plastic. Awesome.

1999 SP Signature Edition David Segui Auto: Before you laugh, don't forget that Segui did receive one vote for the Hall-of-Fame this year (probably from someone who didn't vote for Alomar). These on-card autographs are really sharp and Segui has an intricate if illegible auto. He spent two years in Seattle, compiling an even .300 average in 867 AB's (but hit only 28 HR's).

2001 Upper Deck MVP Kerry Wood/Rick Ankiel Dual Bat Card: I've always thought that game-used bat cards of pitchers are cool because, well, how often does a pitcher even use a bat? Few used one as well as Ankiel, which sure helped in his transition to the outfield. I hope he signs with a team I like, because I've always rooted for Ankiel.

2000 Topps Stars Rick Ankiel Auto: Schwing! A well designed on-card auto of my favorite pitcher turned hitter, this was my second favorite card of the trade (just behind the one listed below). I think I am drawn to Ankiel because his story parallels that of Roy Hobbes from The Natural, except with uncontrolled wildness instead of a gunshot wound.

2001 UD Gold Glove Ichiro/John Olerud Game-Used Ball: My jaw literally dropped when I saw this card. It contains a piece of game-used baseball from a Mariners game during the teams historic 2001 season in which they won 116 games (but of course, not the World Series). It's a nice swatch of ball that shows game use and a couple of stitches, and it's also technically an Ichiro rookie card. A winner all around and a card I will hold onto for a long time.

Thanks for everything Brian! I will do my best to match this amazing trade package. Expect to find some Rangers in the mail soon. Good luck Cowboys!

Trade with Ryan's Memorabilia (Griffey's Galore!)

A few weeks ago Mike from Ryan's Memorabilia contacted me about a trade. We both have one player and team that we actively pursue (I collect Griffey and Mariners, he collects Ripken and Orioles), so we figured a swap of Ripkens for Griffeys was perfect for both parties. I browsed through is Zistle Ripken Collection (550+ cards) and sent him some Ripkens he didn't have along with some various Orioles. He responded with a very generous package of Mariners and Juniors, the highlights of which can be seen below:

1996 Leaf Limited Lumberjacks Ken Griffey Jr. #3337/5000: A great mid-90's insert of the greatest player of the decade, this card is made out of what feels like wood and is serially numbered to only 5000 copies (which for the time, was quite scarce). Leaf was really cutting edge in some of the inserts they released and this card is no different; it's awesome.

2001 Fleer Focus Bat Company Ken Griffey Jr: The back of this card accurately describes Griffey's bat as "a lightning bolt, striking fear in every pitcher who takes the mound." Truer words have never been spoken, the Kid was the cat's pajamas. This card has a raised surface that adds some depth to Griffey and the big bat behind him.

1998 Skybox Dugout Access Gronks Ken Griffey Jr: My favorite card from the entire trade, this die-cut Griffey is from an insert set named "Gronks", a name which apparently came from Greg Gagne who described home run hitters as "Gronks". If you say so Greg, if you say so. Mike even included a screwdown holder for this card, which I haven't been able to crack open yet. Got to find a smaller screwdriver.

2007 Ultimate Collection Felix Hernandez Jersey: A classy looking relic card of one of the game's rising stars, this is my first King Felix jersey swatch. I sure hope the M's are able to hold onto him once his contract runs out, he is going to be a historically great player.

1998 Topps Finest Randy Johnson Refractor: This card takes the concept of a refractor to the next level, as both the front and back of the card are as shiny as Lil' John's teeth. Admittely the shininess makes the back of the card difficult to read, but it is so worth it.

2009 Topps Finest Ichiro Refractor: Tough call on which of these refractors I like better, 2009 Topps Finest is certainly a set I wouldn't mind acquiring some more of. I'm not sure how I feel about the back of this card though, it has a trivia question about Dustin Pedroia.

Thanks for all the great cards Mike! I was really blown away by what you sent my way, and I will make sure to find some more Ripkens to add to your collection soon.