Trade With Scott F. - A Nice RC and Set Needs

I completed a trade with my friend, Scott F. recently that was a long time coming.  I had picked up a nice Dellin Betances card from Michael, that I wanted to flip to Scott.  We just couldn't agree on the appropriate stuff for him to send in return.

Luckily, Scott went to a card show a couple weeks ago and called me from there so we could finish the deal.  One of the keys to the trade was this 2007 Bowman Chrome Clayton Kershaw card that I wanted to put with my good RCs.  Kershaw is a beast, and I'm glad to pick this up.

Scott also sent me 9 cards I needed for my 1969 set.  I am still needing more than 200 cards to finish this set, but I have kind of let it sit while I have been chipping away at my 1948 Bowman and 1959 Topps sets.  Getting 9 cards from Scott definitely help me whittle the number down, so I'm happy he found me some good ones.

Thanks for the deal, Scott!

Ebay Pickup - 2014 Bowman Chrome Chris Davis Printing Plate

Finding stuff in my "to be blogged" pile that I can write about isn't tough.  It's even nicer when I have single cards that I picked up that I can blog about quickly and easily after a long day.  Today is one of those days.

I worked almost 12 hours today and I am wiped.  Instead of skipping an entry tonight, I can just show off this 1/1 printing plate from 2014 Bowman Chrome of Chris Davis that I picked up recently.

I would love to go for the rainbow, but I missed out on the superfractor recently when it sold on EBay for $115.  Maybe it'll pop up next time. Anyway, I got a good deal on this one, and just barely missed out on the red parallel.

Bowman Chrome was a great product this past year, as you are all aware.  I plan on getting all of Davis's parallels for this, and who knows, maybe even the superfractor, if it ever comes back online.

April 4, 2015 Card Show Recap

1949 Bowman Bobby Doerr that I picked up for $14.00

I set up at my first show in years at yesterday's Sports Cards and Memorabilia show in Raleigh, NC.  I hadn't set up at one in so long because I kept telling myself that I didn't have enough to sell that would sustain the costs of the tables and gas, etc to get to the show.  I finally took a look around, and with the encouragement of a few of the ladies I work with, I made the decision to try the one-day Easter show, since the table fees were pretty cheap.

1948 Bowman Enos Slaughter that I needed for my set.

I was off of work for Good Friday, so I planned to spend the day preparing for the show.  Much unlike how I was in college, I actually planned ahead and didn't save all of the work for the last minute, as I worked all week in organizing and sorting cards so I could spend Friday pricing stuff up.  I also spent Friday putting the final touches on my different boxes of stuff so I could get up and go early Saturday morning.

1948 Bowman Whitey Lockman for my set.

I originally had planned on getting a hotel room in Raleigh, Friday night so my wife, son and I could get up early and head over to the State Fairgrounds to set up, but I got a message early in the week that my brother, Philip, wanted to come with me to the show.  This actually helped me out tremendously, since he couldn't get here until late Friday evening, he saved me money on the hotel.  It also helped, since my wife was called in to sub for someone at work, so Philip immediately was thrust into an "Assistant" role.  His help proved invaluable yesterday.

1959 Topps Ken Boyer All Star card for my set.

I also made a deal with one of the guys I talk to from Instagram, Jacob, that would allow him to set up and sell a few of his cards at a corner of my tables.  Jacob and his family came into the show about two hours after it opened and hung out with us for a few hours.  He didn't have much luck in selling stuff, but he seemingly enjoyed himself and left the show with a few nice pickups.  I feel bad for his parents, though, as I think they weren't really sure what they were getting into but hanging out for hours at a card show.  I hope they weren't too bored.

1959 Topps Ken Boyer for my set

The overall attendance of the show was WAY down, according to the show's promoter.  During the slow times, Philip and I would converse about various baseball topics (and other stuff that I won't repeat) and I would also wander around the show, looking for deals.

1959 Topps Roy Face for my set

The biggest hit for my table was my stack of Orioles ALCS rally towels.  For $5 a piece, they almost single-handedly funded my tables.  I got a lot of compliments on them, and I think, had it been a 2-day show, I would have made a lot more money.

1959 Topps Al Kaline All Star card for my set

The folks who came by my tables were definitely entertained when they stopped to browse my boxes.  Philip did a great job of engaging each "customer" and chatted with quite a few of them, especially if they brought up football.  There were a few that stood there and talked to him for 10-15 minutes, and they each bought stuff in the end as well.  I think Philip enjoyed getting out of town and hanging out.  He does like to talk to folks, and when football (or sports in general, really) comes up, he lights up!

1959 Topps Dodgers Team Card for the set.

During some of the down time (of which there was plenty), I was able to find some cards for my various sets that I have been working on.  I found two of the last remaining cards for my 1948 Bowman set.  I was fully prepared to buy all of the cards I needed to complete it, but wasn't lucky enough to find a vendor who had all of them.

1969 Topps Rod Carew All Star for the set

I was able to pick up cards for quite a few sets, which was nice.  In all, I got 4 cards for the 1969 Topps set; 5 cards for the 1959 set and two cards for the 1948 Bowman set.  Not bad.

1969 Topps Carl Yastrzemski All Star card for my set.

The cards I got for my 1969 set may be some of the more significant of the cards I picked up.  I didn't really have the time to sit and search any of the bargain boxes, since I had to keep a constant watch on my tables.  I had help, with Philip there, but I didn't want to make it seem like I dumped on him while I took off to search for stuff.  He was really helpful when I got up to walk around, and even sold a few things, which really helped.

1969 Topps Johnny Bench All Star card for my set.

Each 1969 card that I picked up was of a Hall of Famer, so those kind of dented my budget quite a bit, but they were easy to spot on various tables, so I could snatch them up quickly and not have to sit and dig through boxes.

1969 Topps Lou Brock for the set

The 1959 Topps were bigger names and high number All Star cards that I needed, so getting those 5 out of the way was nice.  My nicest vintage find, however, is the 1949 Bowman Bobby Doerr that I have posted at the beginning of this post.

2013 Topps Emerald Parallel of Yoenis Cespedes for the set

I even found a 2013 Topps Emerald for that languishing set.  It was a bigger card in the set, the Cespedes, and I got it for $1.00.  I was a little disappointed that I didn't see more stuff that really jumped out at me, like in past shows.  I felt like some of the regular vendors that I buy from weren't there, even though the tables were sold out.

2011 Bowman Chrome Paul Goldschmidt that I picked up for trade

I passed out quite a few of my blog business cards to some folks that came by my tables.  Philip also was a great spokesman for the blog, as he would talk it up to the people who came by.  I was glad he did, because I usually am too modest and just hand out the business card, but he talked up the blog and even recommended it to a couple folks who said that their kids were just getting started in collecting.  I wonder if the business cards are successful in bringing traffic to the blog?  I hope a couple of the folks we talked to check it out and become regular followers.

I did find a few cool things at the show that didn't involve completing sets.  I got this nice Jimmie Foxx manufactured patch card for my Foxx PC.

Also, there was a guy there trying to sell a signed baseball by Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Connie Mack and others.  I overheard him telling someone that Ruth was on the ball, and since Chris was with me, I had him ask the guy if he could see the Ruth auto.  He obliged and let us take a look.  That was something really cool for Chris to see.

Toward the end of the show, a young man, probably 14 or 15, I'm guessing, came by and asked if I would be interested in buying from him.  He had a real nice binder of stuff, and he and I chatted a bit while I looked through it.  Well, I chatted.  I think the guy was nervous, shy, or both, because he didn't say much.  I imagine it was both, because I have seen how some of the vendors at certain shows treat kids who bring stuff in for sale or trade.  Some of them act like they can't be bothered and can be kind of rude to these kids who are proud of their collections.  I try my best to be friendly, engaging and respectful to everyone who comes by, regardless of age.  As it turned out, the young man had some really nice stuff, and was really reasonable with his prices.  I picked up the above David Ortiz patch card for my friend, Joey, since I knew he would love it.  I hope the young man left my tables happy, because he seemed really friendly, and I hope he had a good experience at the show.

I did manage to get some steals as well.  One vendor that I bought a couple 1969s from had this Chris Davis jumbo relic card for $3.00.  You know I had to pick it up for that price.  I think I have one already, but I wasn't going to turn this one down at that price.

Overall, I had a good experience at the show.  I was disappointed that attendance was down, but I sold just enough stuff to break even on my tables.  Since a bulk of what I sold was rally towels, I still have quite a bit of inventory available for the upcoming June show.  I am highly likely to set up at that show as well.  As long as I can keep and maintain a reasonable inventory, without it becoming cumbersome, I might continue to set up.

I hope Philip had a good time.  He seemed to.  It was nice hanging out with my big brother, and I think he enjoyed getting out of town.  I'm really hopeful that some of the folks we talked to will check out my blog, using the business cards that I handed out.

It was really cool meeting fellow instagrammer, Jacob.  I know he left happy, so that's all that matters.

Thanks for checking out this really long post.  I had a good time, and I know that the next show will be even more successful.

Surprise Gift From Noah - Sonny Gray Auto

I got an awesome gift recently from my great friend, Noah.  He sent me this 2014 Topps Stadium Club Sonny Gray auto as a gift, and it is appreciated.  Noah is a great guy, and I was so happy that he sent this.

My Gray PC is pretty nice, already.  I have quite a few of his autos, and this one looks so cool with the A's colors.  I'm glad it is a yellow and green jersey instead of white and green.  It really pops.

Thanks so much, Noah, it was really nice of you to hook me up like this.

Catching Up On Mail - Recent Instagram Pickups

It's crunch time at my place, today as I prepare for my first card show in a couple years.  I have to continue sorting and pricing cards and avoid burning myself out on them.  Never is a good feeling being sick of looking at cards.

I also have been really behind on posting recent mail, even with posting a post a day.  So, I condensed a few trades and deals down to one post, with the hope of catching up a bit.  Even by doing this, I still have a ton in my "to be blogged pile".  Thank you all for bearing with me.  I'm sure some of you are tired of the "I got this today, or dealt for that" posts.  Trading has never been busier for me, so I suppose that's a good thing.

I got the above Zach Britton snow camo parallel in a trade with a kid from Instagram who uses the handle sports.cards.24.  I sent him a Derek Jeter coin from the Turn 2 Foundation, and got this Britton that is numbered 38/99.  It looks pretty cool, and will stay in my collection.

In exchange for a Bowman Chrome blue parallel of Dawel Lugo and a Jonathan Gray die cut, a kid named Barton (topshelf_graphs on Instagram) sent me this 2014 Topps Chrome Jose Fernandez black parallel numbered  21/100.  The card is really nice, and I think I can sell it at the show tomorrow.  If not, it'll be posted on my trade bait page.

Being in a hurry is never good, especially when you are scanning cards.  This Nick Kingham was obtained (along with an Orange Tim Cooney auto) in exchange for a AJ Cole Bowman Sterling auto.  I got the card from a guy named Christian (Primesportscards on Instagram).  I picked them up specifically for trades and the Cooney has already been claimed by Andrew.  I can probably get a little bit out of the Kingham as well.  We'll see.

I traded for this Justin Verlander a while ago, and when I traded for it, I had no idea it was a patch card (and numbered to 9).  It's about the saddest patch card that I have seen, with the bare minimum of the patch showing.  Yet, it is still a patch card, and two colors for that matter.  I have had a lot of folks ask about it.  I'm going to take it with me tomorrow, and set the price pretty high and see what I can do.  I'm not too worried about this one, though, because I know I have a market for it when I get back here.  I also might end up keeping it, though.  It is a pretty cool card.  I would like to get some more patches soon.

Finally, I got some set needs from my good friend, Jet, recently when he was trying to raise some money for a trip that he wants to take later this summer.  He sent 7 1959 Topps cards that I needed for my set.  Some of them will fit in nicely, and a couple of the others will be placeholders until I can upgrade them.

So, thanks for all of the deals, guys.  I really appreciate them, even if I wasn't able to dedicate standalone posts for them.  Hopefully you all understand.  It'll be nice to get caught up, but I don't know if I can.  I'm just hoping I can get some stuff cleared out tomorrow and maybe make a little money in the process.

Awesome Care Package From Andrew

I got a package in the mail the other day from my good friend, Andrew, that had a few cards that he and I dealt for, and also some unique items.  Andrew, unbeknownst to me for a long time, is quite the artist.  He recently began doing some pencil sketches of baseball players and showed them to me over Skype.  I was amazed by how talented he was and requested that he draw me something.  Funny thing is, he had already drawn some for me.  This Nolan Reimold sketch is really amazing.  So much so, I took a quick picture of it and sent the picture to Nolan's wife, Jenny.  She, too, thought it was awesome and said that she would show Nolan.  I know that this was a pretty cool moment for Andrew.

This is actually the second sketch that he drew for me of Chris Davis.  Apparently, he had one completed after several hours of painstaking work, only to spill a drink on it.  Ouch.  Thankfully, Andrew re-drew it and here it is.  This one is awesome, as well.  He really is talented.  I hope some folks go on his blog and request some sketches from him.  He really needs to utilize this talent.

Andrew and I HAD been working on a trade for some trade bait on both sides, so I sent him something he could flip elsewhere and I took this 2014 Topps Supreme Chase Whitley that I could take with me to this weekend's show.  I think I can sell it for a decent price, especially since there are a ton of Yankees fans in Raleigh, for some reason.

Finally, Andrew found me another Nolan card that I needed in my collection, this 2006 Just Minors auto.  The card is numbered 12/50 and looks really cool.  I had no idea that Andrew picked this up for me, and I was really happy to receive it.

Thanks so much for the great package, Andrew.  I hope some folks commission you to do some sketches.  I think you can make a little money off of them, if you so choose.  You sure have a talent!

Everyone, go check out Andrew's blog, and put him to work!  You can access his blog HERE.

Trading For Trade Bait

I have been working hard recently in picking up stuff in trades that aren't necessarily for my PC so I can flip stuff as trade bait.  I have my first show in years coming up this weekend, and I needed some stuff I could put out to sell.  I had refrained from setting up at shows for a while because I felt like I didn't have enough stuff to justify paying for the table fees.

This Preston Wilson card might not carry a whole lot of value, but I picked it up because it was a sharp looking card, and I thought that it might get a few looks and sell for a little bit.

Another piece of trade bait that I got in this trade was this Manny Ramirez relic from 2008 UD Sweet Spot.  Manny really shot himself in the foot numerous times at the end of his career.  He went from being one of the greatest (and most eccentric) players in the game, to one of the most reviled.  His multiple suspensions have shot to crap any chance he had of getting into the Hall of Fame.  I think I can still get something for this at the show.  We'll see.

Finally, I got this 2009 UD Sweet Spot Trevor Hoffman relic in the deal.  I know Hoffman is a future Hall of Famer, and this is a pretty cool card.  I have quite a few relic cards from this set, and I think I have multiple Adam Jones ones, but the're scattered in my PC box and I haven't organized that one yet.

So, this was a pretty cool trade.  I apologize, but the guy I traded with gave me his mom's name to ship to, so I don't know his name.  He did include a really nice note in the package, and I know he and I will trade again.  I told him right away as we were making the deal that all of this stuff was to populate my for sale/trade pile, and he was cool with it.  It bothers me sometimes when someone messages you saying "I just HAVE to have this" only to find out they sold it two days later.  So, I made sure to tell him my intentions right away.

I have two more days to prep for the show, and I am so wore out from work, that I wont be touching my cards tonight.  I hope I don't get home too late tomorrow night, because I really need to price some stuff.

Oh well, I'll get it done.  Thanks for listening to me thinking out loud.  You can tell that I'm tired!