El Cheapo

I looked at a lot of cards on a couple of websites during the week, but in the end, I wound up only spending just under $12 to have 6 cards shipped to me.  But when those cards knock off 6 more numbers from my '64T want list, it's not so bad.

These 6 leave just 39 cards to finish the set.  The shipping cost for these was 3 bucks, so really I paid just under 9 dollars to get these here, which for the high numbered cards is great. 

With the unused funds from last week available to add to this week's budget, I might be able to grab one of the more expensive cards that I need, or I may just grab a few more of the cheap ones.  We'll just have to see what deals I can find on the web.

Either way, the numbers are getting smaller for this set, which is definitely a good thing.

Thanks for reading, Robert

Toning it down, or gearing it up?

Ever since the monthly card show 9 days ago, I haven't bought anything.  I've avoided hitting the big box stores for a quick fix.  What's on the shelves right now just doesn't interest me, and even when the Update series comes out later this week, I don't think I'm going to chase that right away.

I tried adding cards to my cart at Sportlots, but for some reason I didn't pull the trigger.  There are sets that I'm close to finishing, but I just couldn't be bothered chasing them.

I even signed up for the COMC.com website (finally) on the weekend, and started a cart.  But for some reason, I didn't bother checking out (bad play on words...). 

I guess after my splurge from the end of September to the card show, maybe I'm feeling a little guilty about my bout of overspending.  I really haven't kept to the "$30 a week" moniker for the last little while, and I'm wondering if that is weighing on me.

Whatever the case may be, acquiring new cards is not in the cards (again, bad play on words), at least for the foreseeable future.  I do know that come the 2nd weekend in November, I will be heading back home for my trek to Canada's largest hockey card show.

So for the next 3 to 4 weeks, my task will be cleaning up my desk (like I always say it is) and writing about the cards I currently have in my possession.  What that means is unless you, the great and the good of the blogosphere, send me some cardboard goodness, I will be relying on 2 things alone for posts.

1.  The Serial Insanity set (which goes without saying)
2.  My brains

Holy shit am I in trouble...

With only about 3-4 posts worth of cards remaining on my desk for the SNI set, I've got to rely on my brains for the remaining 20 + posts over the next 26 days.  And no, this is not me begging everyone out there to send me a crazy mass of brown envelopes or PWE's.

Although I would not be adverse to seeing a few more cards from this set land in my mailbox...

Beautiful, even with the CH on it.

Jim over at the GCRL blog sent me a couple of Leafs from the 71-72 OPC set a few weeks back, and I must say that I'm hooked on this set.  This Rejean Houle card came as part of a 17 card lot I won on eBay in September for less than $10 (including shipping), which included names such as Brad Park, Jean Ratelle and Norm Ullman. It appears that the card has spent some time in somebody's bike spokes...

The 71-72 OPC set is going to be somewhat similar to the '64 Topps baseball set that I'm putting together, expensive but attainable.  There are some expensive RCs in the set (Ken Dryden, Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne), the checklist cards go for a boatload of $$, and there are plenty of other HOFers that will command a pretty penny. 

With that in mind, it appears that I'm going to do my best to take it easy for the next few weeks, and save a little bit of cash so I am able to do some damage at the Expo.

Hard to say if I'm toning down my overspending from September, or just saving my money and getting geared up for November. 

LOL, let's see how long I can keep myself from reaching into my wallet.

Thanks for reading, Robert

The new electronic leash is doing its job

Good Tuesday evening to you all, thank goodness the hardest part of the week is over. 

As any of you regular readers may have read, or noticed over the past few weeks, I have added on the right hand side of the blog a running count of my "habit fund".  I did this to attempt to get myself to stay within the $30 a week budget that I had set for myself when I started the blog.

Well, I must say, mission accomplished so far.  I've kept my spending under the $30 per week budget for the first two weeks, and this week all I've purchased so far is a discounted blaster of 2011 Topps Chrome. 

I almost had the final 3 rack packs of Topps Heritage in my hands on Sunday while Christmas shopping, but my new found fear of humiliating myself publicly on the blog kept me from buying them. 

Be that as it may, part of this post naturally is to show everyone what I pulled from the box that I did buy.  While I will say that it wasn't a "wow" box, there were enough decent cards in there for trade, along with a couple of cards that will get me a little closer towards the insanity set.

First, the base cards:

23 cards closer to the set...now on to the refractors...

The top row, Votto, Pettit and Barney are all Xfractors, and not numbered.

The middle row, Minor, Rodriguez and Valencia are base refractors.

On the bottom is a Vintage Chrome of Mark Teixeira. 

All of these "parallel" cards are for trade if anyone needs them for their collection.























Finally, the insanity set comes 2 cards closer:

Two nice cards...a Jose Bautista purple refractor #'d 411/499, and a Topps Chrome Heritage Dustin Pedroia #'d 1284. 

All in all, not a bad box, especially at 25% off.    See, the electronic leash is working by returning me to my bargain hunting el cheapo ways.

The purchase that sent me back to my roots

Good Saturday evening to you all, hope that your weekend is going well so far. 

I don't know if you've looked at all towards the right hand side bar over ...oh say the past week.

I put up another small box there, just below my profile, called "returning to my roots".  The reason that it is there now is also the reason behind this post.

I don't know if any of you look at a trading website called "the Bench", but I will peruse their boards every once in a while to see if I can find anything interesting to add to the serial insanity set.  Last weekend I found a post from a long time member who was having financial difficulties and needed to sell off a bunch of cards.

Needless to say, this fellow was flooded with both well wishers and collectors looking to enhance their collections on the cheap.  I was one of those.  I asked him if he could put up a list of Blue Jay cards that he had available, hoping to see if I can get a few on the cheap.  Suffice it to say, I could have had a field day with the list that he posted.   Parallels of many colors, jerseys, autos, jersey/autos, and so on.

I sent him a list of the cards I was interested in....he sent me back a price...$30

Just as if he knew about the blog, which I'm pretty sure he doesn't.   Needless to say the deal was done.

Take a look at the cards I picked up...

Some interesting inserts and oddball cards....

I'm finding that as I discover more of the older A&G insert sets, I can sympathize with what a lot of collectors have stated; this years set doesn't measure up to the ones released in years past.

Some serial numbered/parallel cards....

LOVE, the Fred Lewis card in the left middle.  A lot of Jays fans hated the return of the powder blues.  Not me, I was very sad to see them go.  The powder blues also flew in the path of the traditional baseball jersey, as these were pullovers, and not the standard button down tops.


























Now, on to the meat of the pickups....6 beautiful cards that have found a home...

Hated when the Jays let Frank go

O Dog

A cornerstone they should be building around

Never did live up to the promise

The Goose

Beautiful signature

I love them all, but it made me wonder if I am just getting too greedy too quick.  Of course, my guilt played a factor here. 

So it's time to step back to the original start of the blog.  $30 a week habit.  The habit part cannot take over anymore. 

I've found a lot of topics to write about without having to buy a bunch of cards every week to prove it. 

Back to the basics friends....I hope you'll stay with me none the less.

As always, thank you for reading....Robert

I had the birthday blues...

But then I got some cards for my birthday, and all is right with the world again!!  Good Thursday evening to you all, getting ready for a great weekend I hope!

Yes, today is my birthday (ahem....44), and for me the start of a 4 day weekend.  I had my choice of birthday presents, and of course, cards always do the trick.  The wife and I went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner, then in the same plaza is Wal-Mart, so we headed there to pick up some stuff for home, and hit aisle 21 as well.

After we picked up the groceries, I was given the green light to go choose what I liked.  I of course asked "what kind of budget do I have?", and $40 was my answer.  A raise!  Off I went to aisle 21, and sadly, pickings were kind of slim.

I figured that I had bought a few packs of update already, I may as well give it the go and try to put together the update set.  I grabbed a 72 card box, 4 rack packs and 3 regular packs, and the end of the birthday blues began.

Here's the highlights...

first, I got the blues back...

in this case, it was the Wal-Mart blues.  In case you were wondering, I believe this is color variation number 39 this year for Topps (I believe the only colors they haven't used yet are apple green, cadet gray and french lilac).

Next up, we're going to double your pleasure...

I was really stumped on how Koufax and Braun were on the same card.  Then I read the back, and learned an interesting fact, that Koufax's original surname was Braun, until his mother remarried and they took the Koufax name.  (see, fun and educational!!)

The Brooklyn dodgers uniform that Ethier is wearing reminds me of the KC Royals powder blues.  

Next up, some legends:

I think Topps ran out of players in the first two series, so they dipped back into the well again.  Saying that, I like the Nolan Ryan card, I was always a fan of the striped Astros unis, and this card really pops.

Next up, minis.....

I always liked the Kimball Champions, but the cards are just too damn small for me, to read and to handle..


Now, let's get drunk....

liquorfractors

I noticed something today that I hadn't noticed before....notice the logo in the lower right of the Thurman Munson card.  None of the other cards have that feature.  I also took a look at the legends cards that I have in the diamond form from series 2...Rizutto and Bench, do not have the logo either.   The same thing is evident in the diamonds that I pulled....

As you can see here, none of the diamonds of current players have the logo in the lower right, but the next card you'll see does.































This guy gets his own spot

The babe

Weird huh?  Munson and the Babe have the team logo in the lower right.  Anyone else notice this at all?  

Finally, I pulled this from a pack.  What was interesting was as I was leafing through the cards, I saw the red border and thought to myself "oh no, not another color to deal with", and boy was I pleasantly surprised.

I pulled a Danny Duffy auto card.  I do really like the card and the auto, even if it is a sticker. 

See anything you like....the inserts/parallels/booze cards are up for trade....let me know in the comments.

Oh, and by the way, the insanity has begun.   Please take a look, if you dare....LOL

As always, thank you for reading, and happy Friday to you all....Robert

Week 8 is done and hockey season is upon us.

TGIF!!  With Friday comes the end of another week for my blog.  Week 8 was a very quiet week after Monday was done.  Only one trade was finalized, and no other trades were started.  After blowing out the doors the first 7 weeks, I'm sure it was my time to cool off.  The only purchase I made during the week were a couple rack packs of Topps Lineage at the Wal Mart on the weekend, which incidentally coincided with the purchase of a new scanner/printer.  The $20 I didn't use this week will hopefully be spent well at a card show on Saturday.

This week also saw the start of preseason games in the NHL, and yes I am excited.  I cannot wait for the regular season to start for my Maple Leafs on October 6th versus the Canadiens.  I don't know if any of you have looked lately, but I have updated my Hockey want list, and believe me that is only going to be a fraction of the sets that I plan to have on there before too long.  Notice as well the sad addiction to parallel sets.  There's 3 of them on there, one from as far back as 94-95 (yes, I'm shaking my head).  But now that I'm blogging, I hope to find more hockey collectors out there as well, and work on getting some of these sets completed.

Over the next little while I'm also going to scan a few of the jersey cards I've collected over the years, mostly off of cheapo eBay auctions.

Two color swatches

On the left is a Cam Neely Winning Materials dual jersey card from 07-08 SPx.  Naturally I like the black and yellow swatch on the right.  On the right is an Ales Hemsky 05-06 UD Ice card, with the copper and red swatch.  These are both up for trade, as are about 70 other jersey cards I've collected over the years.   Take a look and if you see something you may want, send me an email or leave a comment. 

Thanks for reading, Robert...

Week 6 begins and my thoughts about "$30 a week"

Good morning all, hope that as you read this your long labor day weekend is starting off well.  I was a slacker yesterday and did not post an end of the week summary as I normally do on Fridays, partly because of a house guest, and partly because I was in bed early. 

I've been meaning to post about this topic for a few days now, but I wanted to keep thinking about it to make sure of what I wanted to say. To be honest, $30 a week in the hobby in 2011 does not go nearly as far as it did in 2003.  The $30 figure came about because for years, I bought a couple of packs here, maybe a blaster box once in a while, nothing serious for sure.  But now, since the past 5 weeks have elapsed, I have realized a few things that have changed my way of thinking:

1. Packs are WAY more expensive now then they were 8 years ago.  Hobby packs back then normally went maybe $2.50-$3, now I see products like Heritage going for $5 sometimes...
2. Postage is a lot more expensive now than it was back then as well.  I can remember back in the early 2000's sending bubble mailers to people for as little as $0.88, now the minimum I get charged is $1.71.  When you're sending out up to 5 mailers at once, it adds up.
3. This blog has been way more successful than I ever dreamed it would be over the first 5 weeks.  As you may or may not have noticed, I've added a list of other bloggers that I've traded with so far on the right hand side.  Add to that, 7 trades I have completed on the Bench website, and another 3 or 4 trades I'm working on right now, that's approximately 25 trades so far.  I honestly thought that number may not have been hit until the new year...The power of the card blogging community is just unbelievable.  I'm sure that there are still hundreds of blogs out there that I haven't discovered yet, and there are collectors out there that do not blog but have emailed me  for trades as well.  To all of you that I've traded with, thank you very much.
4. There are dozens of sets that I have started over the years that I would like to finish, but my collection is so scattered over many monster boxes that I have to get my s--- together and start organizing everything, which is going to take time, and of course money (money for supplies, and money for booze to calm my nerves while I'm organizing everything! (lol ) ).

The last thought there is the main point; I've always been a set builder, it is my nature.  In order to finish these sets, it's going to take quite a bit of money to do it.  Whether I trade with fellow collectors, which so far has been a great way to get closer to some of the more current sets I've been working on, or hitting up sites such as sportlots to purchase singles, it's going to take more than $30 a week to accomplish what I want to do as a collector. I'm going to keep the title of the blog the way it is; I like it and I believe it has defined me in the blogging community so far.  But until I get to where I want to be as far as being organized and complete with old sets, I'm not going to worry as much about staying in the budget.

Thanks for reading....Robert