While the trade may not have been a blockbuster

The Jose Bautista blockbuster relic card is close enough for me....

1 card envelopes can be great

thank you very much Napkin, the card arrived safely and looks great.   I owe ya!!

thanks for looking, Robert

Sakic Sunday: No plan of attack

Yes friends, it's that time of year.  The November portion of the Hockey Expo at the international center just outside of Toronto is coming up next weekend.

As of right now, I have no plan of attack for the show.  I will be walking through the show looking for something to strike my fancy.

This may be a good thing, this may be a bad thing.  The realization that I am way behind on my Joe Sakic collection could lead me to purchase nothing but Sakic cards.  Not a standard modus operandi, but without a plan, it may happen.

For example, I only own one of the parallels from the 99-00 Pacific Prism set, as you can see below:

It turns out that there are 5 parallels total...Blue, Gold, Mirror, Premiere Date, and Purple.  Finding these at the show should be like finding a needle in a haystack.

The National was a big success for my collection because I went there with want lists and a plan, and over the course of the 2 days I was there, I stuck to the plan.  I may have to do the same thing for the Expo, and if that's the case, I've got 4 days to think about what I want to do.

The larger shows are great for me, because I get to see a lot of items that I wouldn't normally see at the local monthly show.  In turn, that also makes these shows bad for me, because I become the proverbial kid in a candy store...gotta have it all, gotta have it all.

Create a plan it is.  I'm already looking forward to the drive.

Thanks for reading, Robert

A New York state of mind

I've let music influence a lot of my posts.  From song titles to specific lyrics, I enjoy using music as a basis for a card related post.

Today is no different.  I'm listening to some internet radio with my wife and a friend of mine, and on comes a classic Billy Joel tune.  New York state of mind.

It made me think about a couple of our own.  Two bloggers (and a third reader Steve D. that is a steady trade partner of mine) that were in the path of Sandy.  AJ from The Lost Collector, and Max from Starting Nine both had quite the tale to tell regarding their experience with Sandy.  Max shared his exploits on the blog, while AJ shared his thoughts on his experience with me after I reached out to him via email today.  I also conversed with Steve via email as well since we were just completing a trade when Sandy hit.

Now I know that a couple of blue Wal-Mart parallels for both the Yankees and Mets aren't much of a way to celebrate the fact that each of these members of the blog world are safe from the wrath of Sandy.

But for someone that doesn't normally post current cards of other teams than the Blue Jays, I figured it was the least I could do to show that I was thinking of these guys.

AJ, Max and Steve, I'm glad that you're all OK, and here's hoping that your lives return to normal sooner rather than later.

Enjoy the song, and thanks for reading, Robert

The November project purchase #2: Kyle Drabek Triple Threads Auto/jersey

I am a sucker for these Triple Threads jersey cards, and when I found this one at such a cheap price, I couldn't say no.

The card knocks off the autograph portion of the requirements, and of course since he's a Blue Jay Drabek fits into the collecting goals as well.

Card Purchased (1):  2011 Topps Triple Threads Auto Jersey Doug Drabek #95/99 (94 cards remaining)
Cost:  $3.99 + $3.00 shipping +$0.42 tax (ugh) =$7.41 ($18.02 total spent, $81.98 left)
How won:  I was the only bid on this auction.  Seller is mk0914

Card took a couple of extra days to get here because of Sandy, but the wait was well worth it.

I like everything about these cards, expect for the price (normally).  The idea of the jersey cutouts forming something that has meaning to the player on the card is a good idea from where I sit.

Still a long way to go, and a nice chunk of change to spend.  

I'm sure I wouldn't have pulled something like this from the Heritage High Numbers...

Thanks for reading, Robert

The November Project purchase #1: 5 '64 Topps cards

Remember I said in October that I would find a better way to spend $100?  Welcome to "The November Project".  As promised, here is purchase #1 towards my collecting goals.

Cards purchased (5):  '64 Topps # 430,434,470,491,553  (95 cards left to purchase)
Total Cost:  $8.11 + $2.50 shipping =$10.61 total ($89.39 left to spend)
How won:  5 separate buy it now auctions from same seller (finecollectibles33)

Outside of centering issues on a couple of the cards, the only real noticeable flaw is the upper right corner on the Jim Bouton card, which is dinged. 

The backs are clean and in good shape as well..

It was awesome to get one of the high numbers in great condition for just a couple of bucks. 

The shipper had these cards to me in 3 days as well, from New Mexico.  Great transaction all around, and I will say that the November project is off to a great start!!

Thanks for reading, Robert