Finally, After All These Years...

I have been waiting for seven years to write this blog post.  When 2009 Topps Series 2 came out, the one and only Pete from Dropped Third Strike suggested that I try to complete the series.  On June 13, 2009, I posted that I picked up two Us and an N.  Pete had a C that he ended up sending to me.  So, it actually took me seven years and two months to complete the series.  By my calculations, since each card is numbered to 50, and you need two of the Us, two As and two Cs, only 25 of these sets can be completed.  So, essentially, this set is a 1/25.  I am pretty proud that I have finally finished it.

I looked a three different National Card Shows to complete the series, with no luck at all.  The closest I came was this year, when I found a vendor with maybe 15 of the letters from various series, but the only Brooks he had was the C.  I thought I was smart back in the day when I added the search on Ebay as a "followed" search, only to be teased by the occasional L or E.  Finally, last week, the followed search paid off when someone listed several of the letters at once.

I had been waiting so long to finish this set, I was willing to pay almost any price to complete it.  Luckily, when I saw the R go up for sale, it was $10.00 BIN with free shipping.  So, I got it for a lot cheaper than most of the letters, which I paid between $15-$25 per letter (a couple were as low as $7, I think).

So, I can now turn off the Ebay notifications.  I can now stop searching through manufactured patches at card shows.  I am officially taken out of the market for these letter patches.

The original post that started this project can be seen HERE.

TTM Success - Koji on a Card

As I continue along in my Topps Autograph project, I have been able to knock out most of the years of Topps fairly easily.  The toughest cards that I have been able to get signed are surprisingly the most recent.  I don't get many opportunities to do any "graphing" so current players tend to be pretty tough.  When I looked at my tally sheet of the years I still needed for my project, I realized that I would be able to knock off 2009 fairly easily.

I had this extra 2009 Topps Koji Uehara card in my Orioles box and had recently seen my buddy Max get a quick return from Koji after sending to him at Spring Training.  Unfortunately, Koji only is signing one card per request now, but that didn't bother me.  I have already gotten Koji TTM on a baseball.  I just was able to use this as a chance to add a cool card from a year I was having issues obtaining anyway.

Koji (b. 1975) has played in the majors since 2009 for the Orioles, Rangers and Red Sox.  He was signed out of Japan by the O's before the 2009 season and was then traded to the Rangers in 2011 for Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis.  As much as I loved Koji, I am so very glad that the O's now have Crush.  It is a little funny to go back and read my reaction to the trade.  Here is a link to that post.  Pretty funny to see me thinking about Chris Davis being the Orioles top first base prospect...

Up to today, Koji has a career record of 19-20 with an ERA of 2.48 with 86 saved and 476 strike outs.  He was the World Series MVP in 2013 for the Red Sox.  He won't make the Hall of Fame, but could very well come back to Baltimore in the future as part of the Orioles Alumni or something.  I feel like he is still really popular in Baltimore.

I mailed to Koji via Fenway Park on April 20 and got the card back on May 2, for a 12-day TAT.

Instagram Pickup - 2009 Topps Legends of the Game Letter Patch

I got a steal off of Instagram recently when I picked up this 2009 Topps Legends of the Game Jimmie Fox letter patch from a guy for $2.00 + shipping.  I couldn't pass up the deal.  I wish it was the Brooks Robinson letter that I needed but I'm still happy adding this to my Jimmie Foxx PC.

By the way, I will NOT be pursuing the set of these.  I have learned my lesson with my Brooks patches.  Maybe someone will come along with the R that I need.  One of these days.

One More Brooks Patch To Go

I'm still on a cloud from pulling that Jose Abreu auto today.  In case anyone was interested, the card (and some other things) is listed on Ebay.  My user ID is Roaddogg57.  Here is a link to my seller page.  Please bid!

So, I have been active on Ebay lately and was happily surprised to receive an email from them telling me that someone had listed a bunch of 2009 Topps Brooks Robinson letter patches. There were may 7-10 of them and luckily, one of them was the letter A.  I needed A and R to finish the set, so I pounced all over this one.  It only cost me $9.99 + $3.00 shipping, so I was really lucky is wasn't more than that.  Not that I would have minded.  I'm at the point where I'd pay just about anything to put this set away.

One letter to go!  If anyone has or has seen the letter R, please let me know!  I want to finish this set that has been 5 years in the making!

Lots of Mail From Drew

I got a huge package in the mail from my very good friend and long-time trading partner, Drew, the other day.  The package consisted of the stacks of cards that can be seen above.  Most of it was just Drew clearing out space on his card desk, but there were quite a few hidden gems inside as well.

First up is this 1967 Wally Bunker.  I'm warming up to '67.  I used to think it was boring (and it still kinda is) but it is a good, almost iconic set.  Stripped down, raw, and simplistic, the set does have its merits.  Add in the fact that I own the Mantle, I think I could grown to like it even more as other Hall of Famers out of this set join my collection

Here is a Chris Davis card that Drew included.  I'm pretty sure I didn't already have it, but I need to consult my Davis PC and see.  I know I had it in my set (duh) but I really don't remember buying it when I went on my COMC bender a while back.

I really like this 1961 Orioles team card.  Drew has been working on the 1961 Topps set for some time now. I really hope he finishes it because it is a good one and he is well on his way!

Look at this young buck, er I mean young Buck.  A 2005 Topps gold parallel Buck Showalter.  I actually do have a Showalter PC.  He has quickly grown into my favorite Orioles manager, since I don't remember the days of Earl Weaver.

Finally, I just thought this Score Chris Hoiles card was awesome.  I'm especially please about how it scanned.  I mean, look at it, it looks amazing!  The card really looks like it could have come out this year.

So, thanks for all of the cards, Drew!  You know you'll have some stuff coming from me shortly!

Two More To Go

I am so close to finishing up my 2009 Topps Legends of the Game Brooks Robinson patch set.  I never thought it would take this long, but I am down to two letters now that I picked up this 'C' from Ebay.  All I need now are the letters 'A' and 'R' and I will have spelled out Vacuum Cleaner (Brooks's nickname).

I will feel very gratified once I am able to complete this set.  It has been one of the toughest that I have ever worked on.  Maybe not cost-wise, but actual card availability.  They were all over the place back in 2009 when the set first came out, but now, they are near impossible to find.  So, if any of you see an A or an R from the set, please let me know! 

The Letter M

I finally added another letter to my 2009 Topps Brooks Robinson letter patch project.  I've got to say, this project has been TOUGH!  I went to the National card show last year and couldn't find a single one of these.  I've been working on the project since 2009, obviously, and still, 4 years later, I haven't completed it.  I only need 3 letters (C, A, R) after this one, but finding these on Ebay are few and far between.

Here's to holding out hope that the last 3 cards pop up somewhere.  I haven't given up yet!

Getting Some Nachos - A Trade Post

I recently did a small trade with Chris over at the wonderful blog 'Nachos Grande' in which I sent an assortment of Barry Larkin cards to him.  In return, he sent me a few Orioles.  I had several of them already, but that's ok, it will give me some stuff to trade with other Oriole fans that I know, so it is all good.  I don't think I blogged the above 2009 Topps Legends of the Game Brooks Robinson before.  I might have, but I don't remember, so there it is.  I liked that insert set when it came out and I still like it today.  I really enjoy seeing past starts on today's products, so I'm hoping Topps will continue on with that (and hey, its another avenue for me to increase my Brooks/Cal/Feller/Foxx PCs.

One thing I like about sending people stuff is seeing which cards I sent them that actually make it onto their blogs.  I bet Chris didn't think the above John Mitchell 1991 Donruss would make the cut.  Well, it made it because I had no clue who Mitchell was.  I looked him up on Baseball-Reference.com (one of my favorite sites, by the way) and it appears that this 1991 Donruss came at the end of Mitchell's brief career.  He went 6-6 with a 4.64 ERA for the O's in 1990, but did not pitch in the majors in 1991.  It looks like he went to the Seattle organization and pitched for their AAA team in 1991.  He wound up in Independent ball later on in his career before calling it quits in 1998.

Always interesting looking up some of these 'unknowns.'  Thanks for the trade, Chris!

My Early NL MVP Pick

I was bored, so I decided to look through my folder on my laptop of the random baseball cards I have scanned over the years for this blog.  While looking through the folder, I saw something that caught my eye, a 2009 Topps Career Quest auto of Andrew McCutchen.  I instantly got mad at myself because if the card was a 2009 issue, then odds were that I had sole it for cheap at one of the card shows back then because I didn't know how big of a star McCutchen would become.

I'm so glad I was wrong.  I decided to make sure I didn't sell it, so I went through my sale box and the card was nowhere to be found.  I, then, went through my 'keeper' box and not too many cards into the box, I found it.  Whew, I was smart enough in 2009 to slide the card into a top loader and hide it away with my good stuff.  I'm really glad I did now, because McCutchen is really becoming one of my favorite non-Orioles.  I'm also glad I didn't sell it because I took a look at completed listings on Ebay and saw that recently, only one of these had been listed and it sold for $39.99.  Very nice.  Had I sold it at a show, one of the sketchy other dealers would have probably only offered me $5.00 for it.  That's the one thing I don't like about setting up at the shows, the guys who come and try to tell you that what you have isn't worth what you've priced it at and they make you feel like they are doing you a favor for buying from you at a 95% discount.  Blehh.

Anyway, if the season ended today, I don't think it would be too much of a stretch of the imagination that McCutchen would run away with the NL MVP.  He is batting .373 at this moment with 22 home runs, 66 RBIs and is leading an improbably Pirates team that looks destined for the playoffs for the first time since 1992.

I'm really happy that I didn't sell this card.  Sometimes the best deals you make are the ones that aren't made at all.

The Letter E Plus a Bonus

I was able to knock off another Brooks Robinson letter patch recently after letting the set sit for 3 years or so.  This one, the letter E, came with a nice bonus as well, a signed Brooks Robinson picture.

I now only need 4 letters to complete the set, so here's to hoping I can finish this in my lifetime.  Maybe the upcoming national card show will have a vendor who has these among his wares.

The autographed photo was a nice bonus.  It wasn't authenticated, but it looks just like every other Brooks autograph I've seen, so I'm content with it.  I didn't need a bonus to get the letter patch, but I can see why someone would feel the need to include it.  Otherwise, what is someone going to do with a card with a giant E on it?

Bought A Vowel

I was finally able to find another 2009 Topps Legends of the Game letter patch that I needed for my Brooks Robinson 'Vacuum Cleaner' series.  I started this in 2009 and have been unable to find any more letter patches for probably over a year and a half or so.  I was chatting with Andrew the other day and out of the blue, I decided to do a search for them and there this one was.

The Letter A.  Luckily, I got this one before it got away, so I can finally make a change on my want page for this set.  Cool thing is, soon after this one went off, another patch became available and I snatched it, too.

Got another 09 Topps Short Print Legends...

I now have Brooks and Jim Palmer. Anyone got the Ripken they're willing to trade? I am about 30 minutes away from busting my 4 boxes of A&G... might have more to post later :)

The Letter 'L'

Ladies and gentleman, brought to my blog all the way from Canada... The letter L! I'm knocking the letters off my list! If anyone wants to get me a 4th of July present, there are a few more that I need! Haha.

This blog is brought to you by the letter C (and Pete)

Thanks Pete (http://dropped3rdstrike.blogspot.com/) for knocking another letter off the list. The letter 'C'. This project is getting closer by the day, I think.

Pete also hooked me up with this really awesome Eddie Murray Sweet Spot Classic card. I gotta tell you, man its sweet. I don't believe I have posted any Murray's on here... For shame. He was a badass. Look at this card, if I were a pitcher and he was in the batters box, I'd be scared to death to hit the guy, he looks like he wants to take my head off right now....

Continuing the Brooks Patch Project:

I had this card waiting for me when I got home today: The letter E. I got this one as a 'trade' from Max for the Obama letter I got out of my series 1. My patch project is moving right along...

THANKS MAX!!!

The Brooks Robinson Patch Project

Pete at http://dropped3rdstrike.blogspot.com/ gave me an interesting idea; why not try to complete the 2009 Topps Legends of the Game Commemorative Patches of Brooks Robinson. Arranged properly, the letters spell out 'Vacuum Cleaner.' This is a reference to the 1970 World Series between the O's and Reds where, virtually any ball hit was caught by Brooks! There is an awesome autographed photo at AAA Collectibles in Matthews depicting Brooks laid out in the infield dirt robbing Johnny Bench of a base hit. Sit down Johnny. If anyone wants to pony up $200 for my 29th birthday in September, and make that picture mine... well... I'd love you forever hahaha.

Anyway, to begin this interesting process, I purchased 3 of the Brooks patches off of Ebay, all for under $15 each. I have, so far: N, U, U. Pete has a C coming my way i believe. Lets get MOVING! Go Brooks! Thanks for the idea Pete!!

MAIL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I got into town today, I had 12 little envelopes waiting for me. AWESOME! Hooray Sportlots. Granted, several cards that were inside were for Max.

Why?

Cause I'm a good person. At least I think so. I grabbed up some variation cards that neither he nor I would probably get from packs. I take care of my friends. Ok, enough patting myself on the back...

Here are some of the cards I got for myself. I'll let Max blog about his, lol.

Got the Roberts 2009 Topps Gold. I could have sworn i already had this, but apparently not. Who knows though, when you are moving...

Got the Topps Target variation as well. Am I the only one who misses the old school cardboard?

Finally, I got the Wal Mart Black Variation. These are pretty cool. Similar to the Black Border parallel, but not metallic, and not serial numbered. Also, all but the player photo has been washed in black. Reminds me of a Pearl Jam song. 'All the pictures have been washed in Black, tattooed everything...' Ok, thats enough out of me, you know you're in trouble when I start singing.

I got the Short Print I wanted...

Had to buy it on ebay, but I got the Short Print that I wanted. Brooks Robinson, BABY!! I wish they had used another picture, as this was on some of his older cards... It would have been nice to have one of him robbing a Cincinnati Red during the 1970 World Series... Oh well. I still love it.

2009 Topps Series II 3 Jumbo Box break by the numbers:

Yesterday, Max (http://maxscards.blogspot.com/), Pete (http://dropped3rdstrike.blogspot.com/) and I busted a case of Series II Topps at the card shop. I opened 3 of the jumbo boxes, Pete got 2 and Max got one. I'm sure each of them will be blogging on their finds shortly, but as far as what I ended up with, here is a breakdown of what I WENT HOME with (I traded out/for a few things to Max and Pete, so they will probably talk about them on their blogs).

27: Turkey Red Inserts

3: Career Best Legends- Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson and Mel Ott

3: Red Hot Rookie Redemptions - 1, 2, 10

3: Topps Black - Howie Kendrick, Jonathan Papelbon and Carlos Quentin

29: Ring of Honor

13: WBC cards (I did pull a sweet Russell Martin GU jersey card in the first pack I busted, but it went to Max immediately)

5: Career Best autos/relics

30: Topps Gold

31: Legends of the Game (I picked up a sweet Brooks Robinson)

29: Topps Town

3: SP Variations (Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and Carl Yazstrzemski)

3: Legends Commemorative Patches - George Sisler, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig

Once again, I had a blast opening these boxes with my friends. I think I can speak for everyone there and say that a good time was had by all. This set will definitely go down for me as one of the most enjoyable that I have put together, not only because of the quality of cards, but the quality of people that were involved in the process of me working out this deal. For me to be able to sit around and bust wax with people who I can truly call my friends, well, this was a gratifying experience. I want to thank Pete, P.A. and Max for taking or maintaining an interest in something that interests me. I hope you guys can all go on this ride with me again soon when Allen and Ginter comes out!

Set Complete: 2009 Topps

A by the numbers blog will follow, but I have completed my 2009 Topps set. This is by far, one of my favorite sets that I have ever completed. Along with the great photography that was featured this year, it will have sentimantal value as well because it has brought me together with a special group of friends in putting this together. P.A., Pete, Kim and Max, its been a blast working together getting this set put together. I will have more on this later as well!! Since I had all the cards for this set in the 6 total Jumbo boxes of Series I and Series II, I get to pick the completer card... I chose Russell Martin because I think it symbolizes the group effort that this set became.