How Yellow Was My LaValley

Gavin LaValley is included in the recently-released product 2014 Bowman Mini Chrome. [Actually it came out several weeks ago but this post has been an in-progress draft for a long time because I kept having new LaValleys on the way that caused me to wait.] It's a factory-set-only deal. While technically a different product than 2014 Bowman Draft, I'm counting it as part of the same rainbow since the card looks the same (just smaller), essentially adding 14 new possible cards (thanks to the parallels inserted randomly into each set) and bringing the master rainbow to a grand total of 50 cards. Wow.

Here are a couple 1/1s I've added to my rainbow recently:

Yep, I've got 2 printing plates-- one mini Chrome, one standard Chrome-- coincidentally both yellow.

It's funny how the consensus for the order of most desirable color of printing plate is also alphabetical:
  Black = coolest
  Cyan = pretty cool
  Magenta = could be worse
  Yellow = meh, it doesn't look great, but it's a printing plate; 1/1 and all. That's what matters, right?

Even if you dumb it down and replace cyan with "blue" and magenta with "red" or "purple" it remains in alphabetical order. Fascinating!

Anyways, here's more versions of that card.

Prepare your eyes for an onslaught of shiny.

The top two cards are both the Blue Wave, but I'm considering one an unofficial variation. The card on the left has the wave "swell" at the bottom left, while the card on the right has the swell at the top left. And even if I switched them around, this would remain true. Not a dupe; Variation!

My rainbow for 2014 Bowman Gavin LaValley is at 23 cards deep (not counting that variation).. nearly half the theoretical "master rainbow"... not bad!

Gavin LaValley 2014 Bowman Draft/Mini Checklist
x Base paper
x Base paper NNOF error
o Base paper Topps Vault First Edition blank back 1/1
x Blue paper #/399
x Green paper #/75
o Orange paper 1/1
x Red paper #/5
o Black paper 1/1
x Asia-Exclusive Black
o Black Printing Plate 1/1
o Cyan Printing Plate 1/1
o Magenta Printing Plate 1/1
o Yellow Printing Plate 1/1
x Silver Ice
x Red Ice #/150
x Purple Ice #/99
o White Ice 1/1
x Orange Ice #/25
x Chrome base
x Chrome Refractor
x Chrome Blue Refractor #/399
x Chrome Green Refractor #/150
x Chrome Black Refractor #/75
x Chrome Gold Refractor #/50
x Chrome Orange Refractor #/25
o Chrome Red Refractor #/5
o Chrome SuperFractor 1/1
o Chrome Black Printing Plate 1/1
o Chrome Cyan Printing Plate 1/1
o Chrome Magenta Printing Plate 1/1
x Chrome Yellow Printing Plate 1/1
x Chrome Black Wave
x Chrome Blue Wave
x Chrome Silver Wave #/25
x Chrome Red Wave #/25
x Chrome Shimmer #/15
x Chrome Mini
x Chrome Mini Refractor
x Chrome Mini Black Shimmer Refractor
x Chrome Mini Gold Refractor #/25
o Chrome Mini Blue Refractor #/20
x Chrome Mini Green Refractor #/15
o Chrome Mini Orange Refractor #/10
o Chrome Mini Red Refractor #/5
o Chrome Mini Indigo Refractor #/3
x Chrome Mini Superfractor 1/1
o Chrome Mini Black Printing Plate 1/1
o Chrome Mini Cyan Printing Plate 1/1
o Chrome Mini Magenta Printing Plate 1/1
x Chrome Mini Yellow Printing Plate 1/1

[UPDATE: a red x indicates I've gotten the card since originally publishing this post.]

And for good measure, here's the GLV checklist with my current progress for 2014 Prizm Draft.

Gavin LaValley 2014 Panini Prizm Perennial Draft Picks Baseball Checklist
x Base
x Prizm (a.k.a. Refractor)
x RWB Puslar Prizm
x Powder Blue Prizm #/199
x Purple Prizm #/149
x Red Prizm #/100
x Blue Mojo Prizm #/75
x Orange Prizm #/60
o Green Prizm #/35
o Gold Prizm #/10
o Black Finite Prizm 1/1
x Prospect Signatures Autograph base Prizm
o Prospect Signatures Autograph Press Proof Prizm #/199
x Prospect Signatures Autograph Purple Prizm #/149
x Prospect Signatures Autograph Red Prizm #/100
x Prospect Signatures Autograph Blue Mojo Prizm #/75
o Prospect Signatures Autograph Orange Prizm #/60
o Prospect Signatures Autograph Green Prizm #/35
o Prospect Signatures Autograph Gold Prizm #/10
o Prospect Signatures Autograph Black Finite Prizm 1/1

That "Blue Mojo" (bottom left) is #'d 53/75.. bonus "mojo" points for being the "jersey number eBay 1/1" (luckily the seller didn't notice that and try to sell it for a premium.)

So there you have it, a crapton of Gavin LaValley cards.

Thanks for stopping by.

The force awakens thanks to a Zippy Zapping

It wasn't that long ago that Zippy dropped a Wampa on me (I know the spirit behind it is I Wampa somebody else in turn, but dang it, that cute fuzzy guy is like a member of the family, so I haven't been able to bring myself to send him away quite yet.) And just the other day, Zippy assaulted my mailbox yet again. There was no monstrous creature tagging along this time, but it was just as immense of an experience.

Shiny! Always love getting purdy, rainbowy cards. Giancarlo and Hoyt are dudes I collect, as a nice bonus.

Here are some Padres, highlighted by a #/10 Trevor Hoffman and some more shiny cards. Very nice.

Some Padres prospects, including numbered cards of Austin Hedges and Hunter Renfroe. Sweet!

More Padres prospects. Max Fried got traded away this offseason, I believe. Part of me wants to become a big Nick Torres supercollector (bottom left) and rename my blog Torres Up Cards. But I won't.

Gavins! Here we've got a Gavin LaValley blue refractor, and the card that made me squeal like a little girl when I saw it, the Asia-Exclusive Black charcoal base. I'll be posting an update on my LaValley rainbow very shortly, btw. This is a key addition! I haven't seen any on eBay. I was under the impression Zippy didn't hit any LaValley base in his Clone Breaks of 2014 Bowman Draft Asia Edition, but I guess it slipped by me.
And also extremely cool is the Sega card of Gavin Floyd.

And here are a few more cards to round out the package, including some more hot prospects and a couple legends. My heartfelt thanks to Zippy for the awesome zapping! I sent you off a package of cards 2 or 3 days ago, so hopefully that shows up real soon.

Hey.. I might already have that Dave Winfield pop-up. [Gavin goes and checks.] YES, I DO! You know what that means!!! I get to play with my cards~!

:)

I think I already have that Clemente mini puzzle too. But no, I don't think I'll break the pieces apart on that one.

HEY WAIT A MINUTE?! WHAT's GONING ONNNNNN???!?

The Wampa is attacking!

Look out! This is a real David (Winfield) and Goliath situation!

OOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Hurray! Dave was able to use his incredible athleticism to slay the mighty beast.

Balance has been restored to the force.

Yankee hero Shane Spencer went to my high school (Guys from Granite)

There have been 7 graduates from my high school to play in the major leagues (Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, California representing!) I've managed to obtain at least a couple cards from them all. I'm tipping my cap to each of them in this recurring Guys From Granite series. We're counting them down in ascending order by career games played, working our way to the most successful GHHS Eagle. This is part 5 of 7.

Shane Spencer

This next guy was actually born in Key West, FL and seems to have lived in Florida during his playing days, but he found himself on the opposite end of the country in sunny East County San Diego when he was a teen. He was drafted out of high school in the 28th round, and after leaving Granite Hills, went on play on the biggest stage in baseball and become the first and so far only GHHS Eagle to ever be part of a team that won the World Series.

Shane Spencer put together a decent 7-year major league career as a "4th outfielder" type of player. His best year was his first in the league, 1998. Despite only playing in 27 regular-season games, he was a powerful secret weapon for the Yankees down the stretch, putting up an incredible slash line of .373/.411/.910 with 10 home runs, endearing himself to the Bronx faithful and earning the nickname Shane Spencer, the Home Run Dispenser. He was especially on fire in September, dispensing 3 grand slams in 42 plate appearances. He kept it going in the ALDS, hitting 2 key home runs for New York. In the World Series against San Diego, he played in 1 game, getting a hit in 3 at-bats as the Yankees swept the Padres.

He stuck around New York as a part-time player for a few more years, though he couldn't replicate that rookie magic, averaging .263 over his 5 years in pinstripes, picking up a couple more rings along the way. Toward the end of his career, he played a few games with the Indians, Rangers, and Mets, ending his MLB career after the 2004 season. After a couple years in Japan with the Hanshin Tigers (coincidentally the same team fellow Granite Hills alum Mike Reinbach played for in the late 70s), he hung up his cleats after 2006 and these days he's coaching in the minors.

In summation, the '98 baseball season may have ended in heartbreak for me (being a Padres fan), but in a silver lining, at least Granite Hills had a presence on a World Series Champion. So that's something for me and other Eagles to be proud of. You done good, Shane! Though I missed going to school with him by a couple years, it's cool that someone from my high school won the World Series, even if it was sadly at the expense of our hometown Padres.

CARDS

Though he was never a super hot prospect (was 26 by the time he got called up) and was never really an everyday player, Shane's got several cards out there. I've got a few of them.

o 1990 Tampa Yankees Diamond #25 Shane Spencer
o 1992 Greensboro Hornets Classic/Best #4 Shane Spencer
o 1992 Greensboro Hornets Fleer/ProCards #795 Shane Spencer
o 1992 Tampa Yankees Team Issue #29 Shane Spencer
o 1993 Greensboro Hornets Classic/Best #21 Shane Spencer
o 1993 Greensboro Hornets Fleer/ProCards #900 Shane Spencer
o 1994 Tampa Yankees Classic #24 Shane Spencer
o 1994 Tampa Yankees Fleer/ProCards #2398 Shane Spencer
o 1995 SP Top Prospects #121 Shane Spencer
o 1995 Tampa Yankees Team Issue #26 Shane Spencer
o 1996 Bowman #251 Shane Spencer
x 1996 Bowman Foil #251 Shane Spencer
x 1996 Excel #93 Shane Spencer
o 1996 Excel Season Crowns #10 Shane Spencer
o 1996 Norwich Navigators Best #25 Shane Spencer
x 1996 Topps #436 Shane Spencer
o 1997 Columbus Clippers Best #28 Shane Spencer
o 1997 Columbus Clippers D.A.R.E. #26 Shane Spencer
o 1998 Columbus Clippers Multi-Ad #29 Shane Spencer
o 1998 Columbus Clippers Police #24 Shane Spencer
o 2000-01 Lineup Venezuela #131 Shane Spencer
x 2001 Bowman Heritage #126 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Columbus Clippers Choice #21 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Stadium Club #77 Shane Spencer
x 2001 Topps #460 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Topps Chrome #560 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Topps Chrome Retrofractors #560 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Topps Employee #460 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Topps Gold #460 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Topps Home Team Advantage #460 Shane Spencer
o 2001 Topps Limited #460 Shane Spencer
o 2002 Topps Total #658 Shane Spencer
o 2003 Indians Postcards #59 Shane Spencer
o 2003 Topps #496 Shane Spencer
o 2003 Topps Black #496 Shane Spencer
o 2003 Topps Gold #496 Shane Spencer
x 2003 Topps Home Team Advantage #496 Shane Spencer
o 2003 Topps Traded Transactions Bat Relics #SS Shane Spencer
x 2004 Topps #428 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps 1st Edition #428 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Black #428 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Gold #428 Shane Spencer
x 2004 Topps Heritage #363 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Total #693 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Total Press Plates Black #693 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Total Press Plates Cyan #693 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Total Press Plates Magenta #693 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Total Press Plates Yellow #693 Shane Spencer
o 2004 Topps Total Silver #693 Shane Spencer
o 2013 TriStar Signa Cuts Bronx Edition Shane Spencer CUT AUTO gold /25
o 2013 TriStar Signa Cuts Bronx Edition Shane Spencer CUT AUTO green /10
x 2013 TriStar Signa Cuts Bronx Edition Shane Spencer CUT AUTO red /5

AUTOGRAPH

Spencer doesn't have any real pack-certified autos, but I've picked up a couple semi-certified autographs.

Next up is a guy I went to school with-- in the same class as me and all that! It'll be a good one.

Guys From Granite countdown
8. Preface (minor leaguers)
7. Mike Reinbach
6. John Barnes
5. Chris Jones
4. Tom Fordham
3. Shane Spencer
2. (coming soon)
1. (coming soon)

Parallel Universe: 2015 Topps pushes the envelope to new heights

Parallel Universe is a recurring feature where we look at (fake) new innovations in baseball cards.

Today we're examining some of the astounding cards available in 2015 Topps.

Here's a neat one:

Wow, 3-D technology sure has come a long way since those Kellogg's cards in the 70s, huh?



One parallel from 2014 Topps that was a big hit with collectors were the acetate parallels. Topps may have went a little too far this year, however...

These acetone parallels may be quite desirable for collectors, #'d /10, but storing them is certain to be a pain.



Finally, recreational marijuana usage may be becoming increasingly accepted in the United States, but still, the "Career High" insert set in 2015 Topps may be ill-advised.

These relics have been selling incredibly well on the secondary market so far.


Well, that's it for this episode. Join us next time, here in... the Parallel Universe....

Joy of a completed set: 2002 Archives Reserve

Deja vu. It was very recently that I trumpeted my completion of 2001 Topps Archives Reserve. Well, I guess I was inspired by my own post to round up the few remaining needs on Sportlots to finish off the follow-up set, 2002 Archives Reserve. So now I've got the complete base run of Topps Archives Reserve Baseball. (They also put out a Reserve football set in 2001.. which maybe I'll pick up someday if I find the complete set for a really good price.. and assuming I can one day learn to like football again after that shitshow last Sunday.)

So anyways, let's take a quick look at the 2002 Reserve complete set, 1 through 100. One thing to keep in mind while browsing the cards is the gimmick of this particular set was "best year" reprints. I'm sure the team at Topps responsible for putting the checklist together must've had some spirited debates over some of these choices. While I don't spot any blatant blunders, there are plenty of toss-ups as far as which year to have gone with for many of these guys.

This setbuild had a "tough schmidt" moment, a la '73 Topps. I had to turn to eBay for the final missing card, the Mike Schmidt.

As I've mentioned before, 2002 Reserve is a step down from the 2001 offering in my eyes thanks to the backs. Topps hit a homerun with bright, clear backs in 2001, while 2002 has darker, cramped backs. But that said, the fronts are still as beautiful. Classic cards possessed by rainbow spirits dancing in the light. Nice looking set and glad to add it to my collector's résumé.

Shiny from the card show

I've been down in the dumps for the past 24 hours or so. (I didn't think I was so invested in the Super Bowl, but that idiocy at the end really left me feeling hollow inside.)

But let's try to cheer up by looking at some shiny cards.

Ichiro, Wil Myers, Springer, Strasburg.

There are a few decent "shiny"/"shine" songs out there. This is one of them.

Gold Rush Maddux and a sticker(?) Aaron. Murica Will Clark. Larry Walker #/5000.

Mike Lowell #/2999. Julio Franco. Hoyt. Gwynn. (Sorry, this post is not my best gif work.)

Junior. Those 2 cards on top have legit coins built into them. Crazy! Did I mention each card in this post was 3-for-$1? That's 33.3 cents a pop for all these.

Hey, here's the trade bait portion of the post (Actually, I could probably be talked out of most cards in this post if you really want any of them). Jesse English on-card certified auto. Nick Johnson #'d 310/1000. Verlander refractor. Prior #'d 835/850. Anybody want any of these? Let me know!

I've got a few small stacks ready to send out to trader buddies. I had been holding off sending them out until after the card show just in case I picked up some additional cards to include. But yeah, 3 or 4 of you guy will be getting something from me soon. And if you've been meaning to get around to trading with me but haven't yet, now's a good time, so drop me an email!

A rare encounter with a mythical 2¢ box

A dealer at the card show yesterday had a "50 for $1" baseball box. Needless to say, I diligently flipped through it. When I came to the end, I counted up the stack I had amassed, and as if written in some long-ago prophesy, I had unknowingly selected exactly 50 cards. It was one of those moments that's like a higher power giving you a friendly wink from above.

What follows is what I got for my one-dollar bill.

Lots of quality here. The Rod Beck RC might be my favorite of the scan, but hard to deny that football-ish helmet Charlie Hayes card. (Hey, speaking of football, happy Super Bowl Sunday. Go Seahawks, I suppose.) Love the Podres coach card, too.

Bipped myself a bit.

Wiki leaks. He probably poops, too.

A couple Crime Dogs highlight this scan. I always liked Mike Sharperson a lot for whatever reason (just seemed like a cool, happy dude, I guess) and was sad when he died. Glad to have his "one true rookie" now.

Dan Walters remains the only baseball player I've ever had sign a card for me; Might as well collect him (when his cards are two cents, at least). Looks like Carlos Delgado is king of this purchase, with 4 different cards featured in this post. (BTW, Carlos Delgado is the best player in history to get booted off the Hall of Fame ballot after his first year.)

We close it out with a couple early Edmonds and some old timers.

There you have it. Possibly the best dollar I ever spent. No single card that'll blow you away, but a bunch of additions to various PCs of mine and other players I like. Plus, every card came in a like-new pennysleeve, which I appreciate since I'm not a binder guy, so that's like worth a penny each right there, so it's like the cards essentially cost me one cent each once you factor that in. So yeah, good buy.

As I handed the guy my buck and was on my way to the next table, I checked out his little box of $2 encased cards. It was mostly certified autos of never-was prospects, but one name I knew was Clint Barmes, probably the least-exciting of all the Padres' offseason acquisitions. I kinda felt like "tipping" the dealer for the sweet 2¢ box, so I went ahead and bought the Barmes from him too.

It's a 2006 Bowman Originals buyback auto of 2005 Bowman. Sure, whatever. #'d 243/430. Kinda cool for a couple bucks.

So there are the cards for today. Thanks for checking them out. See you next time.