The Genorousity of Others

It amazes me just how generous the members of our blogging community are. I read all the time about packages many of you receive from others containing cards that are now permanent fixtures of you collection. Case in point, last week I received two packages. The first was from Jared over at Cards My Mom Didn't Throw Out. He contacted me about an Alex Rodriguez relic card he had that I needed for the 2003 Fleer Authentix set build. Not only did he send the relic, but also a TON of Reds cards. Shock and awe! There were a ton of Heritage Reds cards in there as well as a nice mix of Stadium Club. The 2016 Chrome Sepia Stevenson Jared sent has me pondering chasing that parallel set once I have a few other projects wrapped up.

The second package I received was from Fuji over at The Chronicles of Fuji. Fuji always has a nice mix of oddballs in his packages and this one didn't disappoint. While there were some nice Bowman and Topps cards in the package, my favorites are the Chris Sabo Starline cards and the Chef Boyardee Eric Davis. That's the first time I've ever seen those cards. I might have to track down the other 38 Starline cards that make up this set.

Thank you guys for the cards!

I Dig it!

A few weeks back Gavin over at Baseball Card Breakdown was looking to send some of his CDs to a good home. Those interested could send him some cash to cover shipping and he would take care of the rest. I sent Gavin a quick message to let him know that I was interested and this past weekend a box stuffed with CDs arrived at my front door.

 Talk about a selection of music. The Beatles, Guns n Roses, R.E.M., Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley, Hendrix, The Ramones, Violent Femmes...a little bit of everything in here.

 These are probably my favorites in the package. I'm still in shock at Gavin's generosity.

 In addition to the CDs, Gavin also included a smattering of Reds cards, many that will be going out in the mail for my TTM project! He ALSO included a few of his custom cards that he's so well known for. Finally he sent along a 1982 "Official" Baseball Card price guide.

 Thanks again Gavin! I definitely dig it all!

Changing My Mind

It's not very often that I change my mind when it comes to things. Once I decide something I try to stick with it (in terms of my collection anyway). This helps me to stay focused and prevents my collection from growing out of control like a giant blob gobbling up my funds and leaving behind nothing more than despair and destruction. A while back I had posted that I was trying to complete the 2003 Fleer Authentix set with the exception of the relic cards. While I had intended on sticking to that goal, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I really liked the look of some of those cards. Granted, I don't like everything that's in that set (the Hometown Hero subset) but there are plenty of cards that I like. Case in point, the Game of the Week is a 10 card relic set that consists of two jersey swatches from two separate players with a replica ticket that's embedded in the card. You can either get the common "ripped" version or the more limited "unripped" version that's limited to 50. 2003 Authentix also has a 10 card bat relic set and a 25 card jersey relic set. Each of these sets only include 1 relic from a player with a replica ticket embedded in the card. There are "ripped", "unripped", and "All-Star" variations with those cards. So after a lot of thought, I've decided to chase those relic sets because it comes down to the first rule of collection...collect what you enjoy. I definitely enjoy these cards. Besides, with the way technology is going, I'm sure there will be a day in the not too distant future when you can't even get a paper ticket to go to a game. Instead you'll be required to get an electronic ticket on your smartphone.  

Manufactured

I normally don't go for manufactured "relics", but I had to make an exception in this case. When I saw these 2017 Topps Independence Day Commemorative MLB Logo patch cards I had to purchase one....if a Reds player was in the checklist. Luckily there was one and I added this Joey to my collection. For anyone interested, there are 50 cards total in this set. When Topps released their 2015 MLB Logo pin cards I had hoped that a Reds player would be included within that set but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Regardless, I'm happy for this latest addition to my collection.

My First Base Card

Here it is....my first base card (not the other base cards we as collectors are accustom to). For the past fourteen years I've been working on the 2003 Fleer Authentix baseball set. I've tracked down all but 4 "base" cards and I still need the Ballpark Classic and Ticket Stud inserts. According to baseballcardpedia, during the 2003 All-Star game this Jeter card is part of an eight-card set that was available exclusively through a redemption program at the 2003 All-Star Game FanFest in Chicago. Each card company got to issue two cards for this promotion. In a twist from previous FanFest sets, the first four cards in this set all feature a piece of a game-used base that the player took part in. Each of the four game-used cards are serial-numbered to 2000 copies. You can view a checklist of the set here. I have the Konerko FanFest card as well from this set. I'm looking forward to purchasing the Ballpark Classic and Ticket Stud insert sets in the coming months and since I don't consider parallels or relic cards to be necessary for a master set, in my humble opinion, I'll be on the verge of completing my first master set!

Regrets

Thinking back through all your years of collecting, has there ever been a moment when you've regretted something you've done? For me, my biggest regret was selling my 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen set. I know a lot of people don't show love for this set but this was a huge set for me in 2011. I love the fact that a retro set Topps created had a nice mix of old and new players. The standard baseball statistics that are the hallmark of traditional baseball cards were nowhere to be found on these cards. You had to read the small narrative on the back to glean any pertinent information from the player pictured on the front. Speaking of pictures, this wasn't your run of the mill standard photography but rather filtered photographs to make the images appear old. Lets not forget about the different insert sets and autographs that grace this product. The Great Ones, Future Stars, Home Run Heroes, Sticky Fingers and Wall Crawlers are all fantastic subsets and complement the base set nicely.

 While all of the things I've mentioned about 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen are about the design of the card, it's the memories and experiences I had in 2011 when I was putting this set together. 2012 was a rough year for me. I the course of eleven months I lost my Dad, an Uncle, an Aunt and my best friend. To say that 2012 was a terrible year would be an understatement. 2011 was the last year I spent with those I lost the following year and while I can't say I did anything spectacular with them that year, it's the simple things I remember. Whether it was going to the Indians game with my buddy Jeff when the Tigers were in town (Jeff was a huge Detroit fan since he was originally from that area), or spending the last Christmas with my Dad and talk about life in general. Thinking back, 2011 was a great year for me because it was the year I was able to say goodbye to to them.

It's funny how holding a little piece of cardboard can open a floodgate of memories that you once thought lost as time has passed by. But everytime I hold a 2011 Gypsy Queen card a memory from 2011 will come racing back into my conscience. So, what's that point of this post? Well, I decided to once again chase the 2011 Toppy Gypsy Queen set. This will probably be the last set that I put together as a collector (unless Topps were to release something so revolutionary that I couldn't resist...but I highly doubt it unless more companies enter the arena with an MLB license). One thing's for sure, I'm sure I'll be making new memories as I build a set that helps remind me of past memories that I'll always cherish.

I saw the sign!

And it opened up my eyes!  Here's the latest purchase for the man cave. This Louisville Slugger tin sign is fantastic on so many levels. It's the same color as my baseball team, it looks old, and it's a representation of the true American pastime (I still don't acknowledge football as holding that title). With this addition, there are only a few more items left to purchase and I'll be ready to show off the room. Just bear with me as I wrap it up and have it ready to show in the coming weeks.