Merry Christmas Eve, everybody! Yep, it's also my b-day, too.
A while back, there was a Blog Bat-Around about cards numbered with your birthday. With mine so late in the year, it takes an extra large set to include a number 1224 in the checklist. But yeah, I've rounded up 3 of them so far...
A couple minor league sets from the 80s and one from the Conlon Collection.
Gotta love old TCMA, and I do kinda collect this Brian Giles as like quirky side-PC to my big PC of the better-known Brian Giles.
And I ripped a lot of those blue '89 ProCards packs back in the day. I started collecting in 1990, so they were "older" and I was looking for the hot '90 rookies, and yeah, even Mark Gardner had some hype, and went on to a respectable MLB career, sticking around through the 2001 season.
I don't have much to say about Joe Bowman, but he was probably cool too. I think I threw these cards into my Sportlots cart months ago, and eventually placed orders with the respective sellers. Has anybody ordered from Sportlots lately? The past week or so, it's taken me to new "improved" shopping cart which doesn't let you separate between sellers. Not cool! Is it just me, like maybe I have too many cards in my cart, or did they really F up their cart interface? That'd be a bummer if they took a dump so soon after COMC also took a turn for the worse too. Running out of good, big online card shops to use! :(
The backs. The number on the Giles is in small text after the copyright.
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Now for some incoming cards that some blogger buds sent to brighten up my holidays.
First up is a nice package from Dennis at TMV. Sorry these, photos are dark, by the way. I took them last night, knowing the 24th and 25th would be busy, but I could sneak in some blogging time hanging out with the fam. (Keeping it tight for time.) But yeah, one thing I asked for this year is a light box, so I'm hopeful that I'll kick up my card-photographing game soon. But yeah, here's a sweet quad relic of Marcus Lattimore #'d 12/25 with a Gavin Sheets relic sporting a pinstripe.
Gavins!
More Gavins!
Good stuff. Thanks, Dennis! Very nice of you to keep up the string of holiday mailings that I've been lucky enough to be included in. I'll hit you back with a thank-you soon.
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Next up are some signed cards from Japan. 2011 Topps is a fav modern design for me, and Neshek is a PC guy.
And some Bowman cards, including a couple former Padres I remember rooting for in years past.
Thank you, Zippy! Merry Christmas, even if this wasn't specifically meant as a holiday surprise.
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Last is Bob from Best Bubble surprising me with a yuletide-timed card package.
Gotta pay the Gavin Tax when you send me cards, lol. Nice variety here.
This trio of neat Tony Gwynns off the beaten path might've been the highlight for me.
More Padres, including some autos.
Attractive ladies!
The backs.
More lovely gals.
Big thanks, Bob! I've been working on a package for you, and hope to get that sent out soon.
Thanks again to these folks for the cards, and happy holidays to everybody reading. I'll be trying to get a Christmas post out tomorrow if I can find the time to type it up.
Happy Holidays, everybody. 2020 is almost over and odds are 2021 will be at least a tiny bit better.
Among the toughest parts of 2020 for me was losing several baseball legends, such as Tom Seaver. I guess we all gotta go sometime, but still sucks. They'll live on in our collections, like this recent pickup for my Archives Reserve Master Set. A beauty!
Hey, a new autoGav! Gavin Stone is the latest Gavin-ograph added to my collection. The Central Arkansas right-hander was drafted 159th overall in the 2020 draft by the Dodgers, joining Gavin Lux as a dynamic duo of LA Gavins.
Numbered 12/25! Ho ho ho!
Following that up with another 12/25 Gavin I picked up earlier this year.
I also ended up with a pair of 1/1 autos, for what that's worth. Gavin Casas decided to withdraw his name from the 2020 draft and instead honor his commitment to Vanderbilt. Can't blame him. Wishing him a great collegiate career, and hopefully we see him as a high draft pick a little ways down the line.
One more card to share today. Former Dodgers/Rays prospect Jose DeLeon. He got into 5 games for the Reds this past season, though he didn't have great results. But he seems like a good dude on social media. Hopefully he rebounds next year. Most interesting thing about this card for me....
Numbered 12/24! Christmas Eve Cards aren't too common, but it's nice to snag one cheap from time to time. It's my birthday, after all.
Ruby says Merry Christmas, too.
This has been a rough year for me, as for most folks. Haven't had the energy to be a very good trading partner (lagging on sending out cards) or blogger (post count way down this year, no contests/giveaways)-- between trying to figure out working from home during a pandemic and raising an exhausting pupper, I've been stretched a little thin. This coming year should be better, though.
Thanks for reading and wishing you all the happiest of holidays.
Birthday post! I've got a few 12/24 and 12/25 cards to show off that I've added to my collection over the past few months.
Here's a nice one to kick off with. 2014 Topps Tribute Xander Bogaerts auto. There's no "RC" logo, but it is in fact a rookie-year auto, for what that's worth. Wish the signature was on-card, but beggars for 12/24 cards can't be choosers. Got a good deal on this from eBay a while back. Bogey's a fun player to watch and collect.
I don't know anything about Dakoda Armstrong, but this 12/24 autograph popped up with a low opening bid and I ended up winning it for a few bucks.
Serial-numbered on the back.
I also don't know anything about Mac Guscette, but again, ended up scoring this 12/24 auto for a good price. Looks like he graduates high school in 2020 and has committed to become a Florida Gator. I'll store this one away with my other 12/24 cards and check on him in a few years, hoping he's eventually the next Mike Trout. LOL
Newman! He had a solid 2019, one of the few bright spots for the Pirates last season. Kevin attended Poway High School, same as Tony Gwynn. (Update: Whoops, I mean Tony Gwynn Jr!) The Archives sticker label got a little messed up on this encased card, but I don't mind too much. It was a good price, likely kept down by the wrinkled label.
Topps Archives Signature are good products for finding 12/24 cards since their buybacks are typically numbered out of random quantities, depending on how many Topps has bought back and gotten signed. Sandy Alomar had a very respectable career; happy to add an autograph of his to my collection.
A closer look at the Xmas Eve numbering.
Now we're moving on to the 12/25 cards. I forgot to show off this Gavin Lux when I posted my Lux PC a few months back because it was stored with my Christmas Cards, not my Gavins. That's the problem with "double bullseye" cards like this for me.. sometimes I can't decide which subcollection to store them in, and I'm not consistent about it. But anyways, in addition to the festive numbering, this seems to feature a "g" from "Dodgers" ("g" as in Gavin! eBay 1/1!) and an on-card autograph of baseball's #2 prospect.. Sweet.
Another Gavin Christmas Card. I already had this orange ice parallel in my Gavin LaValley 2014 Bowman Draft rainbow (only missing some 1/1s), but didn't have the 12/25 orange ice parallel. But now I do!
I believe it was a COMC find.
Michael Conforto 12/25 patch card (if this piping counts as a patch). Another card from my latest COMC order.
We're coming to the end now, and here's a girlie card auto that Zippy pointed me too. Honestly I don't really hunt down Benchwarmer Christmas Cards too often because that could get out of hand quickly. There are a lot of /25 parallels, and so, a lot of 12/25 cards out there. I've got a few, but I don't need them all. But I put in a bid on this one and won it. I don't know much about Andrea Lowell. Looks like she's been in Playboy and on VH1's The Surreal Life. Cool.
Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman takes us home. I was very happy to score this framed 2019 Ginter X mini auto. I've got a couple Hoffman autos from his playing days, but this is my first post-career autograph of his. As a Padres fan, I really love this card. I think it ran me about the price of a blaster on eBay. Not too bad.
That'll do it. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
Sweet addition to my minicollection of cards numbered 12/24 with this one featuring a trio of legendary pitchers, Johnny Podres, Whitey Ford, and Juan Marichal. Pretty sure this is my first ever triple auto. I'm generally not a fan of sticker autos, but I really like this card.. perhaps the shininess helps. Plus I got a nice deal on it, not much over the price of a blaster.
Another look at it.
And another Christmas Eve card I scored recently. Khrush Davis seems like a good dude, and this is a great looking card, made even better in my eyes with the prominent 12/24 numbering. His birthday is December 21, so not too far off. What are the odds he hits .247 again this year? It's my first autograph of last year's home run champ.
I haven't picked up many new Christmas Eve Cards this year, but here's a decent one.
While I haven't pulled the trigger on starting a Charlie Blackmon PC, like him enough to where I wouldn't rule it out in the future. He's led the NL in runs scored the past couple years and has a lifetime batting average over .300. Respect!
Also, today is my birthday, the big four-one. Here are the 41 most recent folks who've commented on my blog:
Sport Card Collectors
Collecting Cutch
Bulldog
Julie Owens
Brett Alan
Fuji
John Miller
TSHenson
shoeboxlegends
The Lost Collector
Jafronius
Tony Burbs
Chris (The Collector)
JediJeff
madding
Nick (Dimebox)
Billy Kingsley
night owl
Jon (Penny Sleeves)
Dennis (Too Many)
Trevor P
Zippy Zappy
Bo
Nick Vossbrink
Corky
P-town Tom
gregory
GCA
ketchupman36
Jason (HeavyJ)
Greg Zakwin
CrazieJoe
Marc
Brian (Highly Subjective)
Coast To Posts
Rob
Laurens
SumoMenkoMan
Jeffery Turri
Mark Hoyle
Twitch
Good news, guys and gal!.. You're eligible for my 12 Days of Christmas c0ntest/draft thing that starts tomorrow. There will be 12 winners, so not everybody will take home a prize, but you'll have to keep a watchful eye on the blog for the next few days if you want to win a prize. (It'll mostly be a first-come, first-pick dealy.)
If you're reading this on Christmas Eve and are disappointed to not see your name on the list of eligible folks, well, it's a Christmas miracle! Comment on this post by the end of the day (12/24/18 11:59 pm Pacific) and I'll squeeze you onto the list. (UPDATE: now closed!)
As for prizes, resurrected from the early days of my blog is the Prize Pool! Trying to get a nice variety of available prize options.
Thanks for reading and have a Merry Christmas, if you're into that sorta thing!
Brian from Collecting Cutch recently sent me over this awesome quad relic featuring 4 all-time Padres greats. Love it! It's diecut and has a Mount Rushmore motif going on. Gwynn, Winfield, Ozzie, and Garvey. Hard to argue with any of those choices. Bummer Garvey couldn't have joined the other 3 in Cooperstown, but he fell short in the recent Modern Era vote. Lame.
I collect all these guys, though when it comes to sorting this card, I think Tony pretty much always takes priority for any multi-player cards he's featured on, so it'll go in the Gwynn PC.
2016 Panini Pantheon Metropolis Monuments. It's numbered 90/99. I'm tempted to draw in little "SD" logos on their caps.. only on the penny sleeve, of course.
Big thanks, man!
Another nice card was also included in the package, a contest win, but I'll save that one for another post still in the works.
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12 Days of Christmas Cards & Beermas - Day 3
Speaking of San Diego, Padrographs Rod got the extra contest entries available in yesterday's post when he correctly pointed out that Adam Jones, Don Larsen, and Kevin Mitchell all went to high school in San Diego. Congrats, Rod!
Oh, cool.. I didn't know what Day 3's Beermas beer would be when I started drafting this post, but coincidentally, it's from a San Diego brewery.
The card is the second consecutive Archives Signature Christmas Eve auto in this series of blog posts. Good ol' Charlie Hayes. He doesn't have anything to do with San Diego, though, so he kind of ruins the theme of this post. lol. My lasting memory of him is celebrating after catching the popup that ended the 1996 World Series. That's a great defining moment of an otherwise respectable-but-unremarkable career. Squinting now at the gold stamp on the card, looks like this was from 2017's "Postseason Edition" of the product, which makes sense. The card is a 1994 Topps Stadium Club Golden Rainbow parallel, I believe. Looks like you can score an error against Hayes for the C in his signature falling off the card, but I'm not too concerned with that, I just like the 12/24 numbering. And it was cheap, with my winning bid being less than the shipping fee. Gotta feel for whoever paid probably around $60 to open the 1-card box and ended up with this. But hey, it's found a loving home now, so the story has a happy ending, I guess.
And the backs. The beer is City of the Dead by Modern Times Beer. 7.5% ABV. Though I'm originally from San Diego, I'm not all that familiar with Modern Times. Looking forward to it, though. Strangely, while I'm not a coffee drinker, I really like beers with a rich coffee taste to them. Throw in some chocolate flavors and then you've really got something. Check back for my thoughts on it after I drink it later tonight. UPDATE: This was really good. Very smooth. Rich, but not too heavy. Definitely a strong coffee flavor.
That'll do it for this post. I can't think of any "contest bonus entry" question right now, but I will say I intend to award a bonus entry to anyone who commented on all 12 posts in this series once we wrap things up. Hell, you might even earn a consolation PWE even if you don't win the grand prize. So don't be shy!
Got any fun plans for the weekend?
Twelve Days of Christmas Cards and Beermas continues with A Red and White Christmas and a Kevin Mitchell 2016 Archives Signature auto. Perceptive readers may have noticed that this is a Christmas Eve card. In my eyes, 12/24 cards and 12/25 cards are two peas in the same pod, and for this series, both will be featured. I hope that doesn't offend any Christmas Card purists out there.
As this picture tells you, the beer is a holiday ale brewed with spices, imported from Belgium. Hmm.. should be interesting! My wife doesn't have any backstory on this one, just looked good as she was browsing at the beer shop. Check back later for my review after I drink it later tonight.
UPDATE: It's not bad, but I'm generally not a big fan of Belgian beers– they usually have a mediciney taste to me that is hard for me to get behind– but yeah, I could drink this. My wife, who is a fan of Belgians, really likes it. And yes, don't worry, my lovely wife does get to enjoy a taster glass of all the Beermas beers she gifts to me.
As for the card, it's my first Kevin Mitchell autograph. I'll bet there aren't many certified autos featuring him from his early Mets days. That's one of the few things I like about buyback autos: you sometimes get short-term stops that otherwise probably wouldn't be preserved on a certified auto. Easy to forget he was a part of that '86 World Champion team. He then spent a brief stint with my Padres before regrettably being sent to the Giants where he put up his best numbers, including winning the NL MVP in 1989.
Here are the backs. Wait-- Kevin Mitchell played shortstop?! That's crazy. He was a hulk even as a rookie. (Sure enough, b-r tells me he started 20 games at short for the Mets in '86.)
Speaking of being big and strong, looks like the beer has an 8% ABV.
It's shaping up to be a boozy couple weeks for me. This morning my work had a little holiday brunch party for our department with omelettes and mimosas. Drinking at work in the morning is a bit odd of an experience, but sure, why not. And now there's a "happy hour" party in the break room beginning momentarily that I'll be hitting soon after I hit publish. (Yeah, this would not be a good place for a recovering alcoholic to work at.) I usually try to keep myself more reeled in, but hey, it's Beermas.
Anyways, speaking of certified autos of guys in unfamiliar uniforms, I'm running a contest for an Orioles Don Larsen auto and more, so check out yesterday's post if you missed it.
So far in this year's 12 Days series, I've featured cards of 3 baseball players (Larsen included). All three have something in common. Be the first to identify the specific similarity I'm thinking of in the comments for a couple bonus entries to the contest. I'll also give a bonus entry to the funniest answer, if you choose to go that route.
Here are some cards I picked up off eBay recently, with some tag-along cards that I grabbed with little-to-no additional shipping cost.
This post is soundtracked by a somewhat obscure band I like called the Gandharvas. They were an alternative rock band in the 90s that put out 3 albums but never really found mainstream success. As far as their sound, the closest comparison to a better-known band you could make would probably be Blind Melon and maybe a little Jane's Addiction and Stone Temple Pilots. They've got a handful of songs that I really love, and for whatever reason, I associate with the summer heat (I have a few favorite albums/songs that I only like to listen to in the summertime, and similarly some others I only like to listen to at night). So since I'm in the middle of a brutal heatwave, seems like a good time to bust out the Gandharvas.
Here's a Tom Gordon auto I won for under $5, then found 5 other cards ending soon from the seller (well, plus a few more I put low bids on but didn't win), and ended up with the lot for a total of about $25.
Since this card is encased, let's go with the song "Hammer In A Shell" here. (If only this was a Hank Aaron card, it'd be a very apt song to use! Or like if the song was called "Flash In A Shell".)
My interest in this card was the 12/24 serial number. Love adding to my little Xmas Eve Card collection when I can.
Jharel Cotton had a nice September call-up with Oakland last season, but hasn't had the same luck this year. Still though, he might pan out to be a solid top of the rotation starter. So this Rated Rookie orange refractor parallel (#24/99) caught my eye and threw a bid on it.
And here's another Rated Rookie refractor auto, this time a blue one (#23/75). Jeff Hoffman has pitched some nice games for the Rockies this year, though his overall numbers aren't great. But again, solid young pitcher, threw in a bid and ended up winning it for about $3.
I like Cory Spangenberg alright. He missed a lot of time with injuries, but seems to be feeling good these days. While somewhat of a bust as a #1 draft pick for my Padres, he looks like he's panning out an adequate major leaguer, at least. I sort of regret this purchase a little (stickergraph.. blah), but hey, it was under $3 with combined shipping.
Spangenberg is pretty solid defensively, too, making plays in the infield time after time. That was a corny segue to the next song, a "heavy" cover of the Cyndi Lauper hit "Time After Time." The Gandharvas version isn't exactly a favorite of mine, but it's good for a curious listen.
They're from Canada, by the way, forming in Ontario in 1989. On that note, a guy whose big league career got started in Canada in the 80s was the Big Cat himself...
The final card from this combined shipping win is a Willie McGee auto, it was the most expensive of the "add on" cards, but still a little cheaper than the original win, the Tom Gordon. He's a guy I liked back in the day, but again not really a guy I collect. I wonder how Panini gets away with using "Back to the Future" without running into objection from the movie studio who put out the film.
Willie often gets teased about being one of the least-attractive baseball players of his era. I'm sure his personal life is fine these days, but I bet in his younger days he did lots of girl-watching from afar, which leads into the next song...
Not to harp on looks, but another guy giving McGee a run for homeliest ballplayer of the era is Zane Smith..
I always keep an eye out for Topps Retired refractors for a good price. Landed this Zane Smith for a few bucks. Again, not a guy I collect, but happy to add another card to my collection of Retired refractors.
Zane was never really a star (may have been a Sporting News All-Star once, but never made a MLB All-Star team), but some solid seasons there, especially helping the Pirates get to the playoffs in 1990 and 1991.
For just 99¢ and no additional shipping, I picked up a Carlton Fisk relic to tag along with the Zane auto. Just a plain white swatch, but still a fine looking card. I believe this is my first Fisk relic, which completes a trifecta for me since I already had an auto and his '72 rookie card.
Man, I love the song "Kicking in the Water".. upbeat, lazy, summertime song. I couldn't find a YouTube video with just the title track, so there's the full album (though I'm specifically meaning to link to the song that starts at 35:48, which you can jump to with this link).
A minor league player I collect is currently kicking it in lakes, specifically with the Great Lakes Loons...
These days I'm selective which Gavin Lux cards I go after; he has a ton out there since being drafted by the Dodgers in the first round last year. But I wanted one of these inscription cards and was able to land this one for a good price. Just neat to have a little hand-written note from the guy. As for Gavin's quest to play at Chavez Ravine, he hasn't had a great year in A-ball, currently batting .222. But he's still only 19, so he's got plenty of time to develop.
After I won the Lux, I took a look at the seller's other auctions that were ending soon and came across a familiar name to many of us on the cardsphere...
Yep, for just about a buck more, I snagged this Ty Hensley 1st Bowman Chrome Card orange refractor #'d 25/25. Nice looking card! I assume his supercollector, The Lost Collector, already owns one of the other 24 copies of this card in existence (but if not, let me know). Now I'll be rooting for Ty not just because AJ's a buddy, but also now because I want this card to wind up becoming a shrewd pickup for me once he becomes the next Kershaw.
But Hensley has an uphill battle to get back on track with his career, now in the Rays organization. A 1st round pick by the Yankees in 2012, he's been plagued by injuries and hasn't thrown a pitch in a professional game since 2014. That's a lot of downtime!
Which leads us nicely to the final song of the post, which is perhaps my favorite Gandharvas song:
That's going wrap up this post. Thanks for reading (and hopefully giving a listen, too). Have a great weekend, everybody!
